The Orange British Academy Film Awards (also known as the BAFTAs) are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is the British counterpart of the Oscars.
The 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 12 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One. Red carpet coverage will be hosted by Edith Bowman on BBC Three.
2011 NOMINATIONS (presented in 2012):
BEST FILM
THE ARTIST - Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS - Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
DRIVE - Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
THE HELP - Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN - Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
SENNA - Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
SHAME - Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY - Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN - Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
ATTACK THE BLOCK - Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
BLACK POND - Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
CORIOLANUS - Ralph Fiennes (Director)
SUBMARINE - Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
TYRANNOSAUR - Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
INCENDIES - Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
PINA - Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
POTICHE - François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
A SEPARATION - Asghar Farhadi
THE SKIN I LIVE IN - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar
DOCUMENTARY
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD - Martin Scorsese
PROJECT NIM - James Marsh, Simon Chinn
SENNA - Asif Kapadia
ANIMATED FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN - Steven Spielberg
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS - Sarah Smith
RANGO - Gore Verbinski
DIRECTOR
THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn
HUGO Martin Scorsese
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh
THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
THE HELP Tate Taylor
THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan
LEADING ACTOR
BRAD PITT Moneyball
GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants
JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist
MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame
LEADING ACTRESS
BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist
MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady
MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn
TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin
VIOLA DAVIS The Help
SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners
JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady
JONAH HILL Moneyball
KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CAREY MULLIGAN Drive
JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help
JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn
MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids
OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help
ORIGINAL MUSIC
THE ARTIST Ludovic Bource
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HUGO Howard Shore
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Alberto Iglesias
WAR HORSE John Williams
CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE ARTIST Guillaume Schiffman
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Jeff Cronenweth
HUGO Robert Richardson
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Hoyte van Hoytema
WAR HORSE Janusz Kaminski
EDITING
THE ARTIST Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE Mat Newman
HUGO Thelma Schoonmaker
SENNA Gregers Sall, Chris King
TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY Dino Jonsater
PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE ARTIST Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
HUGO Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
WAR HORSE Rick Carter, Lee Sandales
COSTUME DESIGN
THE ARTIST Mark Bridges
HUGO Sandy Powell
JANE EYRE Michael O'Connor
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jill Taylor
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Jacqueline Durran
MAKE UP & HAIR
THE ARTIST Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
HUGO Morag Ross, Jan Archibald
THE IRON LADY Marese Langan
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jenny Shircore
SOUND
THE ARTIST Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
HUGO Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
WAR HORSE Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Joe Letteri
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
HUGO Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
WAR HORSE Ben Morris, Neil Corbould
SHORT ANIMATION
ABUELAS - Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner
BOBBY YEAH - Robert Morgan
A MORNING STROLL - Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe
SHORT FILM
CHALK - Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini
MWANSA THE GREAT - Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet
ONLY SOUND REMAINS - Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar
PITCH BLACK HEIST - John Maclean, Gerardine O'Flynn
TWO AND TWO - Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen
THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
ADAM DEACON
CHRIS HEMSWORTH
CHRIS O’DOWD
EDDIE REDMAYNE
TOM HIDDLESTON
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"The Artist" Leads 2012 BAFTA Nominations
Nominations Announced for the Orange British Academy Film Award in 2012
The 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards nominations were announced today by Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger at BAFTA's headquarters at 195 Piccadilly in London.
The Artist receives 12 nominations. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is nominated in 11 categories, Hugo has nine nominations, My Week with Marilyn has six nominations and The Help and War Horse are each nominated five times.
Drive, The Iron Lady and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 have four nominations. The Descendants, Moneyball, Senna and We Need to Talk about Kevin all have three nominations apiece and Shame, The Ides of March, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Bridesmaids, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn each receive two.
The Artist is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Costume Design, Sound and Production Design. Michel Hazanavicius is nominated for Director and Jean Dujardin is nominated for Leading Actor. His co-star Bérénice Bejo is nominated for Leading Actress.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is nominated for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Adapted Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design and Sound. Tomas Alfredson is nominated for Director and Gary Oldman for Leading Actor.
Completing the Best Film line up are The Descendants, The Help and Drive.
Hugo is nominated for Cinematography, Editing, Original Music, Make Up & Hair, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Martin Scorsese is nominated for Director. He is also nominated in the Documentary category for George Harrison: Living in the Material World and, as previously announced, will receive the BAFTA Fellowship.
George Clooney is nominated for Leading Actor in The Descendants which is also nominated for Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Film. Joining it in Adapted Screenplay is The Ides of March (co-written by Clooney) which also picks up a nomination for Philip Seymour Hoffman in Supporting Actor.
Also in the Leading Actor category are Brad Pitt for Moneyball and Michael Fassbender for his performance in Shame, which is also nominated in Outstanding British Film.
Nicolas Winding Refn is nominated for Director for Drive and Carey Mulligan is nominated for Supporting Actress. The film is also nominated for Editing, as well as Best Film.
Completing the Director line up is Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk about Kevin which also picks up a nomination for Outstanding British Film and a Leading Actress nomination for Tilda Swinton.
Michelle Williams is nominated in the Leading Actress category for My Week with Marilyn, joining in Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress are her co-stars Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench. The film is also nominated in Outstanding British Film, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair.
Viola Davis is nominated for Leading Actress for her turn in The Help and her co-stars Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are nominated in Supporting Actress, it also picks up a nomination in Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Film.
Completing the Leading Actress line up, Meryl Streep is nominated for her performance in The Iron Lady alongside Jim Broadbent who is nominated for Supporting Actor. Further nominations for this film are: Original Screenplay and Make Up & Hair.
Joining Kenneth Branagh, Jim Broadbent and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Supporting Actor are Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Jonah Hill for Moneyball. Moneyball also picks up a nomination for Adapted Screenplay.
Bridesmaids receives an Original Screenplay nomination, as well as a Supporting Actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy.
Senna is nominated for Outstanding British Film as well as for Editing and Documentary, where it is joined in the Documentary category by George Harrison: Living in the Material World and Project Nim.
War Horse is nominated in five categories: Original Music, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects.
Attack the Block’s Writer/Director Joe Cornish is nominated in the Outstanding British Debut category alongside Director Ralph Fiennes for Coriolanus, Writer/Director Richard Ayoade for Submarine and Director Paddy Considine and Producer Diarmid Scrimshaw for Tyrannosaur. The self-distributed Black Pond is the final film in this category with nominations for Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer).
Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Arthur Christmas and Rango are the nominees in the Animated Film category. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is also nominated in the Special Visual Effects category alongside Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Midnight in Paris and The Guard are nominated in the Original Screenplay category.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is nominated in Original Music and Cinematography.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has four nominations: Make Up & Hair, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects.
Jane Eyre is nominated for Costume Design.
Incendies, Pina, Potiche, A Separation and The Skin I Live In are all nominated in the Film Not in the English Language category.
The Short Animation nominations are Abuelas, Bobby Yeah and A Morning Stroll and the Short Film nominations are Chalk, Mwansa the Great, Only Sound Remains, Pitch Black Heist and Two & Two.
The nominees for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award, announced earlier this month, are Adam Deacon, Chris Hemsworth, Chris O’Dowd, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston. This audience award is voted for by the British public and presented to an actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and promise.
The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 12 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. This is the fifteenth year of Orange’s sponsorship of the Film Awards.
The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One. Red carpet coverage will be hosted by Edith Bowman on BBC Three.
For public information about the 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards go to the BAFTA Film Awards Information <http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/public-information,2348,BA.html> page.
The 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards nominations were announced today by Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger at BAFTA's headquarters at 195 Piccadilly in London.
The Artist receives 12 nominations. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is nominated in 11 categories, Hugo has nine nominations, My Week with Marilyn has six nominations and The Help and War Horse are each nominated five times.
Drive, The Iron Lady and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 have four nominations. The Descendants, Moneyball, Senna and We Need to Talk about Kevin all have three nominations apiece and Shame, The Ides of March, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Bridesmaids, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn each receive two.
The Artist is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Costume Design, Sound and Production Design. Michel Hazanavicius is nominated for Director and Jean Dujardin is nominated for Leading Actor. His co-star Bérénice Bejo is nominated for Leading Actress.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is nominated for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Adapted Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design and Sound. Tomas Alfredson is nominated for Director and Gary Oldman for Leading Actor.
Completing the Best Film line up are The Descendants, The Help and Drive.
Hugo is nominated for Cinematography, Editing, Original Music, Make Up & Hair, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Martin Scorsese is nominated for Director. He is also nominated in the Documentary category for George Harrison: Living in the Material World and, as previously announced, will receive the BAFTA Fellowship.
George Clooney is nominated for Leading Actor in The Descendants which is also nominated for Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Film. Joining it in Adapted Screenplay is The Ides of March (co-written by Clooney) which also picks up a nomination for Philip Seymour Hoffman in Supporting Actor.
Also in the Leading Actor category are Brad Pitt for Moneyball and Michael Fassbender for his performance in Shame, which is also nominated in Outstanding British Film.
Nicolas Winding Refn is nominated for Director for Drive and Carey Mulligan is nominated for Supporting Actress. The film is also nominated for Editing, as well as Best Film.
Completing the Director line up is Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk about Kevin which also picks up a nomination for Outstanding British Film and a Leading Actress nomination for Tilda Swinton.
Michelle Williams is nominated in the Leading Actress category for My Week with Marilyn, joining in Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress are her co-stars Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench. The film is also nominated in Outstanding British Film, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair.
Viola Davis is nominated for Leading Actress for her turn in The Help and her co-stars Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are nominated in Supporting Actress, it also picks up a nomination in Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Film.
Completing the Leading Actress line up, Meryl Streep is nominated for her performance in The Iron Lady alongside Jim Broadbent who is nominated for Supporting Actor. Further nominations for this film are: Original Screenplay and Make Up & Hair.
Joining Kenneth Branagh, Jim Broadbent and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Supporting Actor are Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Jonah Hill for Moneyball. Moneyball also picks up a nomination for Adapted Screenplay.
Bridesmaids receives an Original Screenplay nomination, as well as a Supporting Actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy.
Senna is nominated for Outstanding British Film as well as for Editing and Documentary, where it is joined in the Documentary category by George Harrison: Living in the Material World and Project Nim.
War Horse is nominated in five categories: Original Music, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects.
Attack the Block’s Writer/Director Joe Cornish is nominated in the Outstanding British Debut category alongside Director Ralph Fiennes for Coriolanus, Writer/Director Richard Ayoade for Submarine and Director Paddy Considine and Producer Diarmid Scrimshaw for Tyrannosaur. The self-distributed Black Pond is the final film in this category with nominations for Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer).
Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Arthur Christmas and Rango are the nominees in the Animated Film category. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is also nominated in the Special Visual Effects category alongside Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Midnight in Paris and The Guard are nominated in the Original Screenplay category.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is nominated in Original Music and Cinematography.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has four nominations: Make Up & Hair, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects.
Jane Eyre is nominated for Costume Design.
Incendies, Pina, Potiche, A Separation and The Skin I Live In are all nominated in the Film Not in the English Language category.
The Short Animation nominations are Abuelas, Bobby Yeah and A Morning Stroll and the Short Film nominations are Chalk, Mwansa the Great, Only Sound Remains, Pitch Black Heist and Two & Two.
The nominees for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award, announced earlier this month, are Adam Deacon, Chris Hemsworth, Chris O’Dowd, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston. This audience award is voted for by the British public and presented to an actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and promise.
The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 12 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. This is the fifteenth year of Orange’s sponsorship of the Film Awards.
The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One. Red carpet coverage will be hosted by Edith Bowman on BBC Three.
For public information about the 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards go to the BAFTA Film Awards Information <http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/public-information,2348,BA.html> page.
"Attack the Block" Attacks the Sci-Fi Movie Status Quo
Attack the Block (2011)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK, France
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish
PRODUCERS: Nira Park and James Wilson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thomas Townend
EDITOR: Jonathan Amos
COMPOSER: Steven Price
SCI-FI/COMEDY/ACTION
Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Danielle Vitalis, Paige Meade, Michael Ajao, Sammy Williams, and Nick Frost
Attack the Block is a 2011 British alien invasion movie and science fiction comedy. Written and directed by English comedian Joe Cornish, the film follows the members of a South London street gang who defend their block from an alien invasion. Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame is one of the film’s executive producers.
Attack the Block opens on Bonfire Night (also known as Guy Fawkes Night) in South London. While walking home, a young nurse named Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is mugged by a gang of teenage boys and their leader, the sullen Moses (John Boyega). The attack on Sam is interrupted when an object falls from the sky and smashes into a nearby car. While Sam escapes, the boys investigate the object and find a small, strange creature which attacks them.
After killing it, Moses and the boys hope to gain fame and profit from the creature. However, more objects like the first are falling from the sky, and the creatures that emerge from them are larger and more vicious that the first creature. Now, Moses and friends have to protect their block, Wyndham Towers, from alien jaws of death.
Early in my viewing of Attack the Block, I thought of J.J. Abrams’ Summer 2011 movie Super 8, which I liked but found to be an under-achiever. Attack the Block is the imaginative, socially conscious, and fun teens vs. alien invaders film that the too-serious Super 8 could have been. While Super 8 can come across as Abrams’ Steve Spielberg masturbation fantasy, Attack the Block is Joe Cornish’s imaginative and inventive fantasy. This is a small science fiction movie that stands tall next to the big boys of 2011’s slate of science fiction and action films (Green Lantern, Super 8, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, etc.).
There are many reasons for Attack the Block’s success. One is the simple, uncomplicated creature effects. The alien monsters look like guys in gorilla suits that have a luminescent set of choppers, yet they are effectively scary. I think these monsters should make more film appearances.
Two other reasons for this film’s success are the performances and the character development. First, let me say that it is cool and makes me ecstatically happy that most of the main characters in a science fiction movie are “lower class” black teens. What is even better is that Cornish’s script delves into them, especially Moses, whom Cornish grows as a character from the beginning to the end of the story. Of course, John Boyega’s quietly potent, still-wet-behind-the-ears turn as Moses is the key reason the character rises in stature. However, Cornish sadly under-utilizes Sam, who comes across as an intriguing player from the start of the film.
Attack the Block is a blast, and that Cornish deftly inserts social commentary into this science fiction mix makes this film more than just escapism. To me, Attack the Block is real speculative, imaginative fiction simply because it takes the elements of science fiction and places them in a fresh context.
8 of 10
A
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Quentin Tarantino Names "Midnight in Paris" 2011's Best Film
Quentin Tarantino is the celebrated writer/director of such films as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction (for which he won a best screenplay Oscar), and Inglourious Basterds (which earned him two Oscar nominations). He is also quite vocal when it comes to the movies that he likes. QT is a fan. This list made the rounds on the Net last week:
Quentin Tarantino’s Official Top 11 of 2011:
1. Midnight In Paris
2. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
3. Moneyball
4. The Skin I Live In
5. X-Men: First Class
6. Young Adult
7. Attack The Block
8. Red State
9. Warrior
10. The Artist / Our Idiot Brother (tie)
11. The Three Musketeers
Others considered in no particular order:
50/50
Beginners
Hugo
The Iron Lady
Carnage
Green Hornet
Green Lantern
Captain America
The Descendants
My Week With Marilyn
Fast Five
The Tree Of Life
The Hangover Part II
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
The Beaver
Contagion
The Sitter
War Horse
Nice Try Award:
Drive
Hanna
Drive Angry
Real Steel
Best Director:
Pedro Almodovar
Bennett Miller
Woody Allen
Jason Reitman
Michel Hazanavicius
Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight In Paris
Young Adult
Red State
Attack The Block
Our Idiot Brother
Beginners
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Moneyball
The Skin I live In
Carnage
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Hugo
X-Men: First Class
Worst Films:
Sucker Punch
Potiche (Trophy Wife)
Miral
Insidious
Rampart
Straw Dogs
Paranormal Activity 3
Meek’s Cutoff
Quentin Tarantino’s Official Top 11 of 2011:
1. Midnight In Paris
2. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
3. Moneyball
4. The Skin I Live In
5. X-Men: First Class
6. Young Adult
7. Attack The Block
8. Red State
9. Warrior
10. The Artist / Our Idiot Brother (tie)
11. The Three Musketeers
Others considered in no particular order:
50/50
Beginners
Hugo
The Iron Lady
Carnage
Green Hornet
Green Lantern
Captain America
The Descendants
My Week With Marilyn
Fast Five
The Tree Of Life
The Hangover Part II
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
The Beaver
Contagion
The Sitter
War Horse
Nice Try Award:
Drive
Hanna
Drive Angry
Real Steel
Best Director:
Pedro Almodovar
Bennett Miller
Woody Allen
Jason Reitman
Michel Hazanavicius
Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight In Paris
Young Adult
Red State
Attack The Block
Our Idiot Brother
Beginners
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Moneyball
The Skin I live In
Carnage
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Hugo
X-Men: First Class
Worst Films:
Sucker Punch
Potiche (Trophy Wife)
Miral
Insidious
Rampart
Straw Dogs
Paranormal Activity 3
Meek’s Cutoff
Monday, January 16, 2012
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
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
Review: I Could Watch "The Fog" Forever (Happy B'day, John Carpenter)
John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R
COMPOSER/DIRECTOR: John Carpenter
WRITERS: Debra Hill and John Carpenter
PRODUCER: Debra Hill
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Cundey (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Charles Bornstein and Tommy Lee Wallace
HORROR/THRILLER
Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman, Tom Atkins, James Canning, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes, and Darrow Igus
The Fog is a 1980 horror film from director John Carpenter. A ghostly revenge tale, The Fog takes place in town about to be besieged by a strange, glowing fog during its centennial celebration. This film was also remade in 2005.
The small seacoast town of Antonio Bay is celebrating its Centenary, but it doesn’t know that doom is approaching in the form of a strange fog that hides the forms of long-dead denizens of the sea. One hundred years prior, six of the town’s founding fathers reneged on a bargain with a ship’s captain; now, the captain has returned from the deep with his crew to avenge themselves on the descendants. A local disc jockey (Adrienne Barbeau), a sexy drifter (Jamie Lee Curtis), and a fisherman (Tom Atkins) are all that stand between Antonio Bay and ghostly doom.
John Carpenter’s The Fog is a moody, little gem of a horror flick. Carpenter mixed the campfire tale and pulp nonsense with his own unique brand of imaginative madness and created an enduring scary movie. Although the characters are flat and the SFX suspect, the overall package in quite entertaining. I’ve seen this several times, and it always a spine-tingling tale of terror for me. The Fog is no more flawed that the standard horror film, but one glaring weakness is that the end is a bit of a letdown. Still, the film is a nice, creepy ghost story though it lacks the pyrotechnics audiences have come to expect from horror/fantasy films. But it does one thing very well. Like the best ghost stories, it keeps you guessing – wondering what was real or imagined and wondering just when, not if, the ghosts will return.
7 of 10
B+
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"The Fog" Remake Lost in a Fog
The Fog (2005)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, and brief sexuality
DIRECTOR: Rupert Wainwright
WRITER: Cooper Layne (based upon the 1980 screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill)
PRODUCERS: David Foster, John Carpenter, and Debra Hill
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Nathan Hope with Ian Seabrook (underwater)
EDITOR: Dennis Virkler
HORROR/THRILLER/MYSTERY with elements of fantasy
Starring: Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair, DeRay Davis, Kenneth Welsh, Adrian Hough, Sara Botsford, Cole Heppell, Mary Black, Jonathon Young, R. Nelson Brown, and Rade Sherbedgia
In the new horror flick, The Fog, Antonio Bay, a small community on Antonio Island, is about to celebrate the dedication of a monument to its four founding fathers. However, a thick fog, with seemingly mystical powers, engulfs the seaside town bringing with it a curse tied to the founding of Antonio Bay. Nick Castle (Tom Welling, Clark Kent of “Smallville”) and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Williams (Maggie Grace), must solve the mystery of the fog and the malevolent, vengeful spirits it hides if they are going to save Antonio Bay.
Apparently, famed horror movie director John Carpenter (Halloween, Ghosts of Mars) currently struggles to get financing in order to make new films. The irony of this is that 2005 has seen the release of two remakes of earlier films. In January, audiences got an interesting re-imagining of Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, and now two weeks before Halloween, we get a remake of Carpenter’s well-regarded 1980 film, The Fog. This new film has a bigger budget and something else that the original film didn’t have, computer generated special effects. The result is an entertaining ghost story/thriller that is the fast food equivalent of a horror movie – a favorable respite one is just as likely to forget as to remember.
The film has something absolutely necessary for even a half-decent horror flick, creepy atmosphere, and on a few occasions in the film, that creepy atmosphere can be described by using phrases like “heart pounding” and “spine-tingling.” The film’s problems are the directing, script, and cast. The Fog drags and lists like director Rupert Wainwright’s previous effort at making a mediocre horror film, Stigmata (1999). One has to wonder what Wainwright did to get the assignment to direct this film. The only thing that he has directed since Stigmata is a failed TV series, “Wolf Lake,” in 2001. His claim to fame before Stigmata was directing seminal rap group N.W.A.’s video for “Straight Outta Compton” and directing videos for MC Hammer. You don’t need a cooking school graduate to make Big Mac’s, so the producers or the studio might as well have hired a film school student and given him class credit to make the same run-of-the-mill scary movie that Wainwright did.
The script is a re-imagining if one considers arbitrarily making changes to the source material as a sign of imagination; in fact, most of what is changed from the original film seems to have been done for the sake of change or because it, when combined with CGI, would make a cool scene, although cool doesn’t equal logical here. The characters are underdeveloped and treated in such an offhanded way that they don’t even make sympathetic victims. There is so little to so many of the characters that literally every one except maybe three seems like extras.
The cast leaves something to be desired. Tom Welling is sort of a cute beau-hunk, but his acting talent only goes as far as the material. He doesn’t have the chops to rise above the watery tale Cooper Layne wrote for this film. Maggie Grace is good at showing anxiety or pouting on cue when another character is so unfair to hers; that’s pretty much what she does on the hit TV show, “Lost,” and it serves her well here. DeRay Davis’ Spooner is a token; I don’t think the studio and filmmakers fooled the audience in that regard. Spooner has one really great line near the end of the film, and gets a few chuckles early in the flick. Lately, horror movies have become just like The WB TV network – all white, as in television shows full of pretty young white actors.
The Fog 2005 will make a fine cheesy horror rental. Unlike 2005’s Boogeyman, The Fog 2005 doesn’t totally screw up the excellent frightful atmosphere it establishes in the first act with a dreadful second and third act. Even Wainwright, Layne, and a weak cast can’t take the bite out of a ghost story that mixes in the mysteries of the deep seas. Try as they might, incompetence and mediocrity can’t outright destroy one of horror master John Carpenter’s better blueprints.
5 of 10
C+
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Seven Films Battle for 3 "Best Makeup" Oscar Nominations
7 Features on Oscar's Makeup Palette
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup category for the 84th Academy Awards®.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
"Albert Nobbs"
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"The Iron Lady"
On Saturday, January 21, all members of the Academy's Makeup Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.
The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup category for the 84th Academy Awards®.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
"Albert Nobbs"
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"The Iron Lady"
On Saturday, January 21, all members of the Academy's Makeup Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.
The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
Review: Mario Van Peeples' "Panther" Burns Hot (Happy B'day, Mario Van Peeples)
Panther (1995)
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and language
DIRECTOR: Mario Van Peebles
WRITER: Melvin Van Peebles (based upon his novel)
PRODUCERS: Preston L. Holmes, Mario Van Peebles, and Melvin Van Peebles
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Edward J. Pei
EDITORS: Kevin Lindstrom and Earl Watson
COMPOSER: Stanley Clarke
DRAMA/WESTERN
Starring: Kadeem Harrdison, Bokeem Woodbine, Joe Don Baker, Courtney B. Vance, Tyrin Turner, Marcus Chong, Anthony Griffith, Bobby Brown, Angela Bassett, Nefertiti, James Russo, Jenifer Lewis, Richard A. Dysart, M. Emmet Walsh, Anthony Johnson, Wesley Jonathan, and Chris Rock
Panther, the film project of father/son filmmakers Melvin (dad) and Mario (son) Van Peebles, is not biopic about the Black Panthers (or The Black Panthers for Self Defense), so much as it, like Oliver Stone’s JFK, myth making, and myths are often based upon real people and actual events. As a side note, Robert De Niro is one of this film’s producers, but he did not receive screen credit.
The Van Peebles tell the story from the point of view of a fictional character named Judge (Kadeem Harrdison). A Vietnam vet attending college in Oakland in 1967, he catches the attention of a slowly growing organization of black men in his neighborhood, The Black Panthers for Self-Defense, who are tired of marching and praying to get the white power structure’s attention to the needs of the black community. They want action, and they want guns to defend themselves. With coaxing from Panther co-leader, Huey Newton (Marcus Chong), Judge joins the group in time to watch it rise and earn the ire of the police and the FBI and fall as cheap drugs pour into Judge’s neighborhood.
Panther is a hodge-podge epic that is part historical drama, part propaganda, part myth, and a little bit documentary. At the time of the film’s release, a lot of critics and “people who were there” were critical of the film’s inaccuracies. But Panther isn’t history so much as it really is myth making. It’s all a matter of perspective, and the filmmakers take a time and a group of people whom they admire and making a rousing historical mini-epic out of that. It’s almost like a comic book in which the Panthers are super heroes fighting super evil cops and corrupt government officials, all of whom are manipulated by malevolent, shadowy figures in Washington D.C.
Many of the filmmaking aspects of the film are quite good or at least respectable, but none of that matters. The enjoyment of Panther comes from the total package, and how you feel about it. The Panthers were and are so controversial; how you feel about them and how you feel about their portrayal in the film will decide how you feel about and what you think of the film. I like it. I like the action movie/comic book heroes aspect of the film. It’s great to watch young black men fight the deliciously evil pigs of this film.
7 of 10
A-
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
"Moneyball" is Money
Moneyball (2011)
Running time: 133 minutes (2 hours, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some strong language
DIRECTOR: Bennett Miller
WRITERS: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; from a story by Stan Chervin (based upon Michael Lewis’s book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game")
PRODUCERS: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Wally Pfister (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Christopher Tellefsen
COMPOSER: Mychael Danna
DRAMA/SPORTS/BIOPIC
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Stephen Bishop, Brent Jennings, Ken Medlock, Nick Searcy, Glenn Morshower, Reed Thompson, and Kerris Dorsey
Moneyball is a 2011 sports drama and biographical film starring Brad Pitt. The film is a fictionalized version of events in the 2002 season of the Major League Baseball team, the Oakland Athletics (A’s). Moneyball follows the real-life A’s general manager (GM), Billy Beane, as he uses computer-generated analysis to field (or put together) a competitive and winning baseball team. The Moneyball movie is based on Michael Lewis’ 2003 book of the same name, and Oscar-winner Scott Rudin is also one of the film’s executive producers.
Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is upset that his team lost to the New York Yankees during the 2001 playoffs. The end of the 2001 season also means that several of the A’s star players are leaving to sign with other teams for much more money than the A’s are willing to or have the ability to pay. As GM, Beane is constrained by the lowest payroll in baseball, so he needs to find another competitive advantage. Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess a baseball player’s value and about how to put a team together. But this new approach is controversial, and as the A’s lose, the pressure mounts on Beane.
Acclaimed film and television writer, Aaron Sorkin wrote the third version of Moneyball’s screenplay. Sorkin also wrote The Social Network, for which he won an Academy Award. Like The Social Network, Moneyball is a film about someone who introduces something radical and controversial to an institution, in this case baseball, which everyone insists cannot be changed. Another thing Moneyball has in common with The Social Network is that Moneyball is also about a guy who goes out and makes something and does it as well as or better than other men that have many more resources than he has.
Director Bennett Miller (Capote) makes this story work as a film by focusing on Beane, and to a lesser extent Brand. Millers puts Beane’s struggles and the A’s ups and downs side by side. Separately, Beane and the A’s are compelling, but together, their story is exhilarating.
As Billy Beane, Brad Pitt gives one his more unusual performances. To sell this story, Pitt, as the lead character, does not rely on his star power or handsome looks. Indeed, whenever his “muscle-ly” arms make an appearance, they seem out of place. Pitt’s performance is subtle, quiet, and graceful. When Pitt needs to be intense, he is intense, so much so that I could feel it coming off the screen; however, Pitt delivers this intensity in an entirely non-intense way. I believed that Pitt was Billy Beane.
Of all the biographical sports dramas I’ve seen, Moneyball is like no other. This is a baseball movie for baseball people, but this is also a good movie for good movie people.
8 of 10
A
Friday, January 13, 2012
2012 Golden Globe Awards Nominations - Complete List
The ceremony for the 69th Annual Golden Globes Awards, which are given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is tomorrow night - Sunday, Jan. 15th 2012, beginning at 8:00 EST - Live on NBC.
2012 Golden Globe Awards Nominations (For the year ended December 31, 2011):
MOVIES
BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“The Ides of March”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“50/50”
“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“Midnight in Paris”
“My Week With Marilyn”
BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”)
George Clooney (“The Ides of March”)
Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”)
Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”)
Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”)
BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
George Clooney (“The Descendants”)
Leonardo Dicaprio (“J. Edgar”)
Michael Fassbender (“Shame”)
Ryan Gosling (“The Ides of March”)
Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”)
BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”)
Viola Davis (“The Help”)
Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”)
Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”)
Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”)
BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jodie Foster (“Carnage”)
Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”)
Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids”)
Michelle Williams (“My Week With Marilyn”)
Kate Winslet (“Carnage”)
BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”)
Brendan Gleeson (“The Guard”)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”)
Ryan Gosling (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”)
Owen Wilson (“Midnight in Paris”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo (“The Artist”)
Jessica Chastain (“The Help”)
Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”)
Octavia Spencer (“The Help”)
Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh (“My Week With Marilyn”)
Albert Brooks (“Drive”)
Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”)
Viggo Mortensen (“A Dangerous Method”)
Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”)
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Cars 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“The Flowers Of War” (China)
“In The Land of Blood and Honey” (USA)
“The Kid With a Bike” (Belgium)
”A Separation” (Iran)
“The Skin I Live In” (Spain)
BEST SCREENPLAY
”The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
“The Ides of March” – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon
“Midnight in Paris” – Woody Allen
“Moneyball” Stan Chervin, Steven Zaillian, and Aaron Sorkin
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”
Abel Korzeniowski, “W.E.”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”
Howard Shore, “Hugo”
John Williams, “War Horse”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Hello Hello,” “Gnomeo & Juliet” Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
“The Keeper,” “Machine Gun Preacher” Music & Lyrics by Chris Cornell
“Lay Your Head Down,” “Albert Nobbs” Music by Brian Byrne, Lyrics by Glenn Close
“The Living Proof,” “The Help” Music by Thomas Newman, Mary J. Blige and Harvey Mason, Jr.; Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas
“Masterpiece,” “W.E.” Music & Lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry
TELEVISION
BEST ACTRESS, TV COMEDY
Laura Dern (“Enlightened”)
Zooey Deschanel (“New Girl”)
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”)
Laura Linney (“The Big C”)
Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”)
BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Claire Danes (“Homeland”)
Mireille Enos (“The Killing”)
Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”)
Madeleine Stowe (“Revenge”)
Callie Thorne (“Necessary Roughness”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV SERIES, MINI-SERIES or MOVIE
Peter Dinklange (“Game of Thrones”)
Paul Giamatti (“Too Big to Fail”)
Guy Pearce (“Mildred Pierce”)
Tim Robbins (“Cinema Verite”)
Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV SERIES, MINI-SERIES or MOVIE
Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story”)
Kelly Macdonald (“Boardwalk Empire”)
Maggie Smith (“Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)")
SofiaVegara (“Modern Family”)
Evan Rachel Wood (“Mildred Pierce”)
BEST ACTOR, TV COMEDY
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)
David Duchovny (“Californication”)
Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Thomas Jane (“Hung”)
Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”)
BEST COMEDY SERIES, TV
“Enlightened”
“Episodes”
“Glee”
“Modern Family”
“New Girl”
BEST DRAMA SERIES, TV
“American Horror Story”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Boss”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”
BEST MINI-SERIES OR TV MOVIE
“Cinema Verite”
“Downton Abbey”
“The Hour”
“Mildred Pierce”
“Too Big to Fail”
Cecil B. DeMille Award: Morgan Freeman
2012 Golden Globe Awards Nominations (For the year ended December 31, 2011):
MOVIES
BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“The Ides of March”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“50/50”
“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“Midnight in Paris”
“My Week With Marilyn”
BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”)
George Clooney (“The Ides of March”)
Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”)
Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”)
Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”)
BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
George Clooney (“The Descendants”)
Leonardo Dicaprio (“J. Edgar”)
Michael Fassbender (“Shame”)
Ryan Gosling (“The Ides of March”)
Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”)
BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”)
Viola Davis (“The Help”)
Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”)
Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”)
Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”)
BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jodie Foster (“Carnage”)
Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”)
Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids”)
Michelle Williams (“My Week With Marilyn”)
Kate Winslet (“Carnage”)
BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”)
Brendan Gleeson (“The Guard”)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”)
Ryan Gosling (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”)
Owen Wilson (“Midnight in Paris”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo (“The Artist”)
Jessica Chastain (“The Help”)
Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”)
Octavia Spencer (“The Help”)
Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh (“My Week With Marilyn”)
Albert Brooks (“Drive”)
Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”)
Viggo Mortensen (“A Dangerous Method”)
Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”)
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Cars 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“The Flowers Of War” (China)
“In The Land of Blood and Honey” (USA)
“The Kid With a Bike” (Belgium)
”A Separation” (Iran)
“The Skin I Live In” (Spain)
BEST SCREENPLAY
”The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
“The Ides of March” – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon
“Midnight in Paris” – Woody Allen
“Moneyball” Stan Chervin, Steven Zaillian, and Aaron Sorkin
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”
Abel Korzeniowski, “W.E.”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”
Howard Shore, “Hugo”
John Williams, “War Horse”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Hello Hello,” “Gnomeo & Juliet” Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
“The Keeper,” “Machine Gun Preacher” Music & Lyrics by Chris Cornell
“Lay Your Head Down,” “Albert Nobbs” Music by Brian Byrne, Lyrics by Glenn Close
“The Living Proof,” “The Help” Music by Thomas Newman, Mary J. Blige and Harvey Mason, Jr.; Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas
“Masterpiece,” “W.E.” Music & Lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry
TELEVISION
BEST ACTRESS, TV COMEDY
Laura Dern (“Enlightened”)
Zooey Deschanel (“New Girl”)
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”)
Laura Linney (“The Big C”)
Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”)
BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Claire Danes (“Homeland”)
Mireille Enos (“The Killing”)
Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”)
Madeleine Stowe (“Revenge”)
Callie Thorne (“Necessary Roughness”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV SERIES, MINI-SERIES or MOVIE
Peter Dinklange (“Game of Thrones”)
Paul Giamatti (“Too Big to Fail”)
Guy Pearce (“Mildred Pierce”)
Tim Robbins (“Cinema Verite”)
Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV SERIES, MINI-SERIES or MOVIE
Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story”)
Kelly Macdonald (“Boardwalk Empire”)
Maggie Smith (“Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)")
SofiaVegara (“Modern Family”)
Evan Rachel Wood (“Mildred Pierce”)
BEST ACTOR, TV COMEDY
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)
David Duchovny (“Californication”)
Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Thomas Jane (“Hung”)
Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”)
BEST COMEDY SERIES, TV
“Enlightened”
“Episodes”
“Glee”
“Modern Family”
“New Girl”
BEST DRAMA SERIES, TV
“American Horror Story”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Boss”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”
BEST MINI-SERIES OR TV MOVIE
“Cinema Verite”
“Downton Abbey”
“The Hour”
“Mildred Pierce”
“Too Big to Fail”
Cecil B. DeMille Award: Morgan Freeman
Friday, January 13, 2012
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"
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"
Review: Mark Wahlberg Has Magnum Force in "Shooter"
Shooter (2007)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, six minutes)
MPAA – R for strong graphic violence and some language
DIRECTOR: Antoine Fuqua
WRITER: Jonathan Lemkin (based upon the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter)
PRODUCERS: Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ric Kidney
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Menzies, Jr. ASC
EDITOR: Eric Sears, A.C.E.
ACTION/DRAMA/THRILLER
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, Danny Glover, Kate Maria, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Rade Sherbedgia, Lane Garrison, and Ned Beatty
Academy Award-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) joins Antoine Fuqua, the director of Training Day and Tears of the Sun, for the film, Shooter, a razor sharp action/thriller about an honorable man framed as an assassin.
After a mission in Ethiopia goes badly, Marine Corps scout sniper, Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg), walks away from the Corps for what he sees as a devastating betrayal. He moves to a remote mountain cabin and leaves the world behind, except for his loyal dog. One day, Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover) comes calling and tells Swagger that his country desperately needs him to help Col. Johnson foil an assassination attempt on the President of the United States. Johnson tries to convince Swagger that only his lethal skills and expertise in long-range ballistics can help stop the assassin.
Johnson appeals to Swagger’s sense of patriotism, and he decides to do this "one last time" thing. After this new mission goes badly and the mystery assassin gets off a shot, Swagger becomes a hunted man, and he has to uncover a dark conspiracy in the heart of the American government in order to clear his name. Swagger will have to discover who the real hit men are, but he’ll have to hit them before they hit him.
A mixture of the Matt Damon “Jason Bourne” films (The Bourne Identity) and the Harrison Ford-led “Jack Ryan” films, in particularly, Clear and Present Danger, Shooter is a slick, fast-paced film that draws the viewer in at the very beginning and holds him or her in a vice like grip until the picture fades to black. Shooter isn’t as smart as the recent The Bourne Ultimatum, nor is it really an insider/conspiracy movie like Clear and Present Danger. Shooter is the good old boy, ass-kickin’ version of those films – smart, tough, but most of all street savvy.
The performances are good, and Wahlberg, a former Top 40 rapper and pretty boy underwear model, has turned out to be a strong actor who is authentic in very masculine roles. In other words, he’s plays the don’t-mess-with-him badass very well. Some of the credit for Shooter’s success must also go to Antoine Fuqua. He does movies featuring men with guns and films featuring combat and the military very well. One can say he’s almost an artist with these types of movies, and Shooter is his most polished effort yet, and a damn enjoyable movie about men who are super good at shooting super guns.
8 of 10
A
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"Bringing Down the House" Brings Laughs
Bringing Down the House (2003)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language, sexual humor and drug material
DIRECTOR: Adam Shankman
WRITER: Peter Filardi
PRODUCERS: Ashok Amritraj and David Hoberman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Julio Macat (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jerry Greenberg
COMPOSER: Lalo Schifrin
COMEDY
Starring: Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, Jean Smart, Kimberly J. Brown, Angus T. Jones, Missi Pyle, Michael Rosenbaum, Betty White, and Steve Harris
Critics and naysayers have been lying in wait for Bringing Down the House almost immediately after the first trailers and advertisements were aired. A straight-laced, older white man and a down to earth hip hop queen - racism and stereotypes of course – it couldn’t be anything but that. Well, they were wrong.
Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a lonely, divorced, tax attorney who meets Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah) in an online chat room. He assumes she’s a young, curvaceous blond, but she’s actually an African American prison inmate, which he discovers when she shows up on his doorstep one, fine evening. Charlene wants Peter’s help to clear her of a crime she says she didn’t commit, but his life is already complicated by mild turmoil. He misses his ex-wife Kate (Jean Smart) and their two children, Sarah (Kimberly J. Brown) and Gregory (Angus T. Jones). His bosses at his high-pressure job have given him the assignment of bringing a frugal heiress’s (Joan Plowright) billion-dollar account to the company. To make matter worse, the FBI is searching for Charlene, as is her creepy boyfriend (Steve Harris), and Peter’s friend Howie (Eugene Levy) really has a jones for Charlene.
First, I should say that Bringing Down the House is hilarious, laugh out loud, knee-slapping funny. It’s the best comedy I’ve seen a long time, and I haven’t laughed, really laughed, at a movie in a while. I could call Bringing a “feel good” movie because it made me feel good. Looking at the poster and seeing commercials for the film might give people the idea that this is an un-politically correct film in a PC age, but it really is about making new friends, people with different social and economic backgrounds. If that sounds a little high brow, it might be, but it’s the long way around saying that birds of different feathers can flock together.
As for as the it’s politics, you have to watch the film really close to notice something I think becomes obvious half way through the picture. The film parodies the stereotypical portrayal in popular culture of white people’s stereotypical reactions to black people. It’s not making fun of black people; it’s poking fun of the way whites are played as sheltered nerds who only know a skewered version of black culture.
Queen Latifah’s character Charlene is actually well rounded, and Latifah plays her as a brassy, self-reliant, never-say-die woman who takes the initiative to defend herself. What you see is what you get, and Charlene is certainly not one of those women of ill repute who actually has a heart of gold. Latifah takes her character seriously and plays her with a sense of humor. Charlene, though loud and confident, is sensitive and doesn’t look out for her own interests without regards for other people.
Martin could make a career out of playing the odd straight man to black comedians; he worked quite well with Eddie Murphy in Bowfinger. His chemistry with Latifah is as good as or better than the chemistry between him and his white co-stars. He gives Peter a dual edge; you can laugh at him and with him, and you care about him. And if you’ve seen the part of the ad that shows Martin in a black club thuggin’ it out while wearing “street” gear, do know that it’s damned funny and not stereotypical. In fact, he plays the scene as a white guy who likes hip hop and hanging out with black people instead of playing it as a naïve white guy with a stereotypical idea of how to be “black.”
But to heck with all the social politics. This is a funny movie. It lags at the end as it tries to tie everything up for a feel good end, and there were some good characters that would have made this movie even funnier if they had a little more screen time. However, I give Peter Filardi credit for writing a funny movie that gives the finger to its critics. Martin, Queen Latifah, and the rest of the cast put on a good show, not a coon show. To miss this is to miss a rare treat, a film that makes you laugh and feel so good that you probably wouldn’t mind seeing it again.
7 of 10
B+
NOTES:
2004 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Film: Best Actress” (Queen Latifah)
2004 Image Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” (Queen Latifah)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Chewbacca Actor, Peter Mayhew" at 2012 Wizard World New Orleans
Peter Mayhew (Photo by Tanya McConnell)
Wookiee Wonders: Original 'Chewbacca,' Peter Mayhew, Added To 2012 Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, January 28-29 At Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Actor Who Portrayed Beloved Character in Four STAR WARS Films Also to Read from his Children's Book, 'My Favorite Giant'; Joins Stars William Shatner, Stan Lee, Adam Baldwin, Mary McDonnell, James Marsters And Others Scheduled To Appear
Peter Mayhew, who brought the beloved character “Chewbacca” to life in four STAR WARS films, will attend the 2012 Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, January 28-29 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mayhew, who portrayed the loyal Wookiee in the original trilogy STAR WARS (1977), THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), and the 2005 prequel REVENGE OF THE SITH, will meet fans, pose for photos, sign autographs, and perform a special reading of his latest children's book “My Favorite Giant” during the show.
Mayhew, who stands 7'3", was a hospital worker in his native England when he landed the role of Chewbacca. Between STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, Mayhew worked at Mayday Hospital in suburban London. He resumed this position after EMPIRE, only leaving the hospital again to join his colleagues on the set of RETURN OF THE JEDI. Interestingly, when writer/director George Lucas began searching for a tall actor who could accurately portray Chewbacca, he initially turned to David Prowse. The bodybuilder opted for the part of the sinister Darth Vader, leaving Lucas free to seek out Mayhew for the role of the Wookiee.
Mayhew will read from “My Favorite Giant,” which he co-wrote with his wife Angie Mayhew, on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 1 p.m., in Panel Room A. The book is intended to help little ones understand that being different doesn't have to be a bad thing. The reading is part of full day of kids events on Sunday, which includes a costume contest, mosaic building workshop and a “passport” program in which kids complete activities all over New Orelans Comic Con.
Other top celebrities to attend New Orleans Comic Con include William Shatner, Stan Lee, Adam Baldwin, Mary McDonnell, James Marsters, Michael Biehn, WWE® Diva Kelly Kelly™ and WWE® Superstar Zack Ryder™. The event, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK) will bring together thousands of fans of all ages and dozens of celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.
New Orleans Comic Con is the first stop on Wizard World's 2012 North American tour. Hours are Saturday, January 28, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; and Sunday, January 29, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online at http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/neworleans.html at a savings over tickets purchased at the door. Advance adult single-day tickets are priced at $30 ($40 on site); weekend all-session tickets are $45 ($55 on site), and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available on a limited basis.
About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.
"Bond 50" Gathers 22 James Bond Films in a Blu-ray Box Set
[Apparently, the box set will not include the two Bond films that EON did not produce: The 1967 Casino Royale and the 1983 rogue film, Never Say Never Again, which had Sean Connery reprising the role of James Bond.]
James Bond Celebrates Fifty Incredible Years with Golden Anniversary Blu-Ray Collection BOND 50
The World’s Most Successful Secret Agent Meets the World’s Best Home Entertainment Experience
Available for Worldwide Pre-Order Starting Today
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In celebration of James Bond’s monumental golden anniversary, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today unveiled BOND 50, a collectible box-set featuring all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray Disc for the first time in one complete offering. The longest running film franchise of all time, the Bond 50 collection marks the debut of nine James Bond films previously unavailable in high definition Blu-ray. Fans around the world can pre-order now with participating online retailers.
Acclaimed Bond directors John Glen (five Bond films including For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights & Licence To Kill), Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, Casino Royale) and Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough) with special guests Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Caterina Murino (Casino Royale) made the Blu-ray announcement today during a Directors’ Panel discussion in the Panasonic Booth at the annual Consumer Electronics Show.
BOND 50 showcases fifty years of Bond neatly packaged into one cool, sleek collectable box-set featuring all six iconic James Bond actors. Produced using the highest possible picture quality and audio presentation, the collection includes all 22 James Bond feature films from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace and more than 130 hours of bonus features including some new and exclusive content.
“With all 22 feature films available on Blu-ray in one collection for the first time this is a great way for fans to catch up on 007’s epic journey before Skyfall hits theaters next Fall,” said Michael Brown, Senior Vice President, MGM Home Entertainment. “Now viewers can enjoy the intense action of the innovative franchise in the most immersive home experience possible.”
“We have a whole program of exciting activities planned for our 50th anniversary year, beginning with today’s announcement, by Fox, of the release of all 22 films on Blu-ray for the very first time,’’ added Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, with EON Productions. “We are also delighted that Fox has unveiled a specially designed anniversary poster which we hope the fans will love as much as we do. Our website, 007.com will be regularly updated with all the latest anniversary news and events.”
ABOUT EON PRODUCTIONS
EON Productions Limited and Danjaq LLC are wholly owned and controlled by the Broccoli/Wilson family. Danjaq is the US based company that owns, together with MGM, the James Bond franchise. EON Productions, an affiliate of Danjaq, is the UK based production company which makes the James Bond films. The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-two films produced since 1962. Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli took over the franchise from Albert R ‘Cubby’ Broccoli in 1995 and have produced some of the most successful Bond films ever including CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE. The twenty-third film entitled SKYFALL is currently in production.
ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.
ABOUT METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/.
James Bond Celebrates Fifty Incredible Years with Golden Anniversary Blu-Ray Collection BOND 50
The World’s Most Successful Secret Agent Meets the World’s Best Home Entertainment Experience
Available for Worldwide Pre-Order Starting Today
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In celebration of James Bond’s monumental golden anniversary, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today unveiled BOND 50, a collectible box-set featuring all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray Disc for the first time in one complete offering. The longest running film franchise of all time, the Bond 50 collection marks the debut of nine James Bond films previously unavailable in high definition Blu-ray. Fans around the world can pre-order now with participating online retailers.
Acclaimed Bond directors John Glen (five Bond films including For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights & Licence To Kill), Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, Casino Royale) and Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough) with special guests Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Caterina Murino (Casino Royale) made the Blu-ray announcement today during a Directors’ Panel discussion in the Panasonic Booth at the annual Consumer Electronics Show.
BOND 50 showcases fifty years of Bond neatly packaged into one cool, sleek collectable box-set featuring all six iconic James Bond actors. Produced using the highest possible picture quality and audio presentation, the collection includes all 22 James Bond feature films from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace and more than 130 hours of bonus features including some new and exclusive content.
“With all 22 feature films available on Blu-ray in one collection for the first time this is a great way for fans to catch up on 007’s epic journey before Skyfall hits theaters next Fall,” said Michael Brown, Senior Vice President, MGM Home Entertainment. “Now viewers can enjoy the intense action of the innovative franchise in the most immersive home experience possible.”
“We have a whole program of exciting activities planned for our 50th anniversary year, beginning with today’s announcement, by Fox, of the release of all 22 films on Blu-ray for the very first time,’’ added Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, with EON Productions. “We are also delighted that Fox has unveiled a specially designed anniversary poster which we hope the fans will love as much as we do. Our website, 007.com will be regularly updated with all the latest anniversary news and events.”
ABOUT EON PRODUCTIONS
EON Productions Limited and Danjaq LLC are wholly owned and controlled by the Broccoli/Wilson family. Danjaq is the US based company that owns, together with MGM, the James Bond franchise. EON Productions, an affiliate of Danjaq, is the UK based production company which makes the James Bond films. The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-two films produced since 1962. Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli took over the franchise from Albert R ‘Cubby’ Broccoli in 1995 and have produced some of the most successful Bond films ever including CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE. The twenty-third film entitled SKYFALL is currently in production.
ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.
ABOUT METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/.
Cirque du Soleil 3D Feature Film Coming This Year
PARAMOUNT AND CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TO PARTNER ON "CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WORLDS AWAY", WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ANDREW ADAMSON, AND PRESENTED BY JAMES CAMERON
Studio to Release the 3D Event Film, Worldwide in 2012
Paramount Pictures and Cirque du Soleil jointly announced today that the studio has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the Cirque du Soleil 3D feature film entitled "Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away". Written and directed by Andrew Adamson ("Shrek," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"), and executive produced by Academy Award ® winning filmmaker James Cameron, the 3D film event features artistic and acrobatic performances from some of the most elaborate Cirque du Soleil productions. The film was produced by Adamson, Aron Warner, Cirque’s Martin Bolduc and Ed Jones and Cary Granat. Vince Pace oversaw the 3D stereo production aspect of the film.
A number of production companies collaborated to bring the film to life. In addition to Cirque, Warner and Adamson’s Strange Weather Productions, Reel FX and Cameron Pace Group all contributed to this groundbreaking production.
"The coupling of filmmaker James Cameron’s groundbreaking 3D visual accomplishments and Andrew Adamson’s beautiful direction, combined with a timeless original story written especially for this movie, will make for a truly amazing moviegoeing experience for audiences of all ages " said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures.
Said Jacques Méthé, Executive Producer, General Manager, Images, Events, Lifestyle of Cirque du Soleil, “This 3D event brings the spectator beyond what they could see at a show, it takes them on the stage. This unique point of view allows the audience to discover the artistic details of our productions and reveal the human spirit that our artists bring to the audience in their performances. Jim and Andrew have masterfully captured what a Cirque du Soleil 3D experience could offer and Paramount will present it to the world.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Cirque du Soleil
From the 20 or so performers the company featured when it all began in 1984, Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil has become a leading provider of quality entertainment with 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists who hail from some 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to over 100 million spectators in nearly 300 cities on six continents.
For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/.
Studio to Release the 3D Event Film, Worldwide in 2012
Paramount Pictures and Cirque du Soleil jointly announced today that the studio has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the Cirque du Soleil 3D feature film entitled "Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away". Written and directed by Andrew Adamson ("Shrek," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"), and executive produced by Academy Award ® winning filmmaker James Cameron, the 3D film event features artistic and acrobatic performances from some of the most elaborate Cirque du Soleil productions. The film was produced by Adamson, Aron Warner, Cirque’s Martin Bolduc and Ed Jones and Cary Granat. Vince Pace oversaw the 3D stereo production aspect of the film.
A number of production companies collaborated to bring the film to life. In addition to Cirque, Warner and Adamson’s Strange Weather Productions, Reel FX and Cameron Pace Group all contributed to this groundbreaking production.
"The coupling of filmmaker James Cameron’s groundbreaking 3D visual accomplishments and Andrew Adamson’s beautiful direction, combined with a timeless original story written especially for this movie, will make for a truly amazing moviegoeing experience for audiences of all ages " said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures.
Said Jacques Méthé, Executive Producer, General Manager, Images, Events, Lifestyle of Cirque du Soleil, “This 3D event brings the spectator beyond what they could see at a show, it takes them on the stage. This unique point of view allows the audience to discover the artistic details of our productions and reveal the human spirit that our artists bring to the audience in their performances. Jim and Andrew have masterfully captured what a Cirque du Soleil 3D experience could offer and Paramount will present it to the world.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Cirque du Soleil
From the 20 or so performers the company featured when it all began in 1984, Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil has become a leading provider of quality entertainment with 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists who hail from some 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to over 100 million spectators in nearly 300 cities on six continents.
For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
"Lagrange" Anime at VIZAnime.com and Hulu
Kinetic Action Comedy Series Created By Production I.G. Features An Arsenal Of Robots Designed By Nissan; First Episode Available To Stream Now!
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, excites anime fans with the announcement of the U.S. online simulcast premiere of the brand new series, LAGRANGE – THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE, on VIZAnime.com, the company’s own website for free anime, as well as on the free, ad-supported Hulu service and in high-definition on the Hulu Plus subscription service (http://www.hulu.com/). The first episode (subtitled) is available now with new installments scheduled to debut each Sunday!
In addition, Kazé SAS will be the official partner in the United Kingdom for the simulcast of LAGRANGE - THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE. Episode 1 is now available on www.anime-on-demand.com, with new episodes debuting every Sunday.
LAGRANGE – THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE just launched on Japanese television on January 8th, and is produced by Studio XEBEC (Broken Blade, Martian Successor Nadesico, Fafner), created by the famed animation studio, Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell S.A.C Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings), and directed by Tatsuo Sato (Martian Successor Nadesico, Ninja Scroll: The Series, Stellvia). The robots are designed in collaboration with Nissan Motor Co., LTD’s creative team, chosen from more than 60 designs from an internal Nissan design competition.
LAGRANGE – THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE (Rated TV-MA) depicts the adventures of a 17 year-old girl whose mission becomes to defend her city from invading space aliens. Madoka Kyono is an energetic girl who is full of passion. As the proud, and only, member of the Kamogawa Girls’ High School Jersey Club, she goes around helping people in need. But Madoka’s life is turned upside down when she is suddenly asked by a mysterious girl named Lan to pilot a robot. Motivated by her desire to protect the people and city of Kamogawa, Madoka agrees to pilot the resurrected Vox robot to fight against extraterrestrials that have come to attack Earth.
“LAGRANGE – THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE is a hilarious, action-packed story about a determined teenager that devotes herself to protecting Kamagawa City and its peaceful inhabitants against mysterious alien invaders,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “The story features a stylish cast of lead characters, as well as an arsenal of sleek, battle ready robots conceived by a team of top car designers from Nissan Motors. The series plays an important part of our 2012 roster which will deliver near-simultaneous release of many top anime properties throughout the year.”
VIZAnime.com is a free-to-use web destination that is now the permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series. Over 1,800 episodes are currently available, and new content is added on a weekly basis. Series currently simulcast on VIZAnime.com include TIGER & BUNNY, BLUE EXORCIST, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN and BLEACH. Other fan-favorite series available include CROSS GAME, DEATH NOTE, FULL MOON, INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT, KEKKAISHI, NAOKI URASAWA’S MONSTER, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN, ONE PIECE, VAMPIRE KNIGHT, and more!
For more information on LAGRANGE – THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE and other VIZ Media anime titles, please visit http://www.vizanime.com/.
About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at http://www.viz.com/.
About Kazé SAS
Kazé is the leading distributor for Japanese anime in France and beyond, and has gone from strength to strength since becoming a part of VIZ Media Europe. Kazé has a diverse selection of licenses including TV series like BLEACH, DEATH NOTE and PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETERNAL DIVA, across a wide variety of products including DVDs, CDs and merchandise. Watch out in 2012 for new and innovative ways to watch animé from Kazé and a host of other partners in the UK!
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
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
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Directors Guild Announces 2011 Film Nominees
64th Annual DGA Awards Feature Film Nominees Announced
LOS ANGELES, CA: On January 9, 2012, DGA President Taylor Hackford announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2011.
"The directors nominated this year for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Award have each demonstrated an inspired command of the medium. The fact that their prodigious talents have been recognized by their peers is the highest honor a director can achieve," said Hackford. "I offer my most sincere congratulations to each of the nominees."
The winner will be named at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
WOODY ALLEN
Midnight in Paris
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Mr. Allen’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Matthieu Rubin, Helen Robin
First Assistant Director: Gil Kenny
Second Assistant Director: Delphine Bertrand
This is Mr. Allen’s fifth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Annie Hall (1977), and was previously nominated in that category for Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). Mr. Allen was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
DAVID FINCHER
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
(Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)
Mr. Fincher’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Daniel M. Stillman
First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director: Allen Kupetsky
Production Manager (Sweden Unit): Karolina Heimburg
Second Assistant Directors (Sweden Unit): Hanna Nilsson, Pontus Klänge
2nd Second Assistant Director (Sweden Unit): Niklas Sjöström
2nd Second Assistant Director (U.S. Unit): Maileen Williams
Unit Production Manager (Zurich Unit): Christos Dervenis
Unit Production Manager (U.K. Unit): Lara Baldwin
Second Assistant Director (U.K. Unit): Paul Taylor
This is Mr. Fincher’s third DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category last year for The Social Network and for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008. He previously won the DGA Commercial Award for Speed Chain (Nike), Gamebreakers (Nikegridiron.com), and Beauty for Sale (Xelibri Phones) in 2003 and was nominated in that category again in 2008.
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS
The Artist
(The Weinstein Company)
Mr. Hazanavicius’ Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Antoine De Cazotte
Production Manager (FR): Ségoléne Fleury
First Assistant Director (FR): James Canal
First Assistant Director (US): David Cluck
Second Assistant Director: Dave Paige
Second Second Assistant Directors: Karla Strum, Ricky Robinson
This is Mr. Hazanavicius’ first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
ALEXANDER PAYNE
The Descendants
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mr. Payne’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: George Parra
First Assistant Director: Richard L. Fox
Second Assistant Director: Scott August
Second Second Assistant Director: Amy Wilkins Bronson
This is Mr. Payne’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated in that category for Sideways in 2004.
MARTIN SCORSESE
Hugo
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Charles Newirth, Georgia Kacandes, Angus More Gordon
First Assistant Director: Chris Surgent
Second Assistant Director: Richard Graysmark
Second Assistant Directors: Tom Brewster, Fraser Fennell-Ball
Production Managers (Paris Unit): Michael Sharp, Gilles Castera
First Assistant Director (Paris Unit): Ali Cherkaoui
This is Mr. Scorsese’s ninth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and was previously nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Aviator (2004). Mr. Scorsese also won the DGA Award last year for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire. In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
LOS ANGELES, CA: On January 9, 2012, DGA President Taylor Hackford announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2011.
"The directors nominated this year for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Award have each demonstrated an inspired command of the medium. The fact that their prodigious talents have been recognized by their peers is the highest honor a director can achieve," said Hackford. "I offer my most sincere congratulations to each of the nominees."
The winner will be named at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
WOODY ALLEN
Midnight in Paris
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Mr. Allen’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Matthieu Rubin, Helen Robin
First Assistant Director: Gil Kenny
Second Assistant Director: Delphine Bertrand
This is Mr. Allen’s fifth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Annie Hall (1977), and was previously nominated in that category for Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). Mr. Allen was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
DAVID FINCHER
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
(Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)
Mr. Fincher’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Daniel M. Stillman
First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director: Allen Kupetsky
Production Manager (Sweden Unit): Karolina Heimburg
Second Assistant Directors (Sweden Unit): Hanna Nilsson, Pontus Klänge
2nd Second Assistant Director (Sweden Unit): Niklas Sjöström
2nd Second Assistant Director (U.S. Unit): Maileen Williams
Unit Production Manager (Zurich Unit): Christos Dervenis
Unit Production Manager (U.K. Unit): Lara Baldwin
Second Assistant Director (U.K. Unit): Paul Taylor
This is Mr. Fincher’s third DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category last year for The Social Network and for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008. He previously won the DGA Commercial Award for Speed Chain (Nike), Gamebreakers (Nikegridiron.com), and Beauty for Sale (Xelibri Phones) in 2003 and was nominated in that category again in 2008.
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS
The Artist
(The Weinstein Company)
Mr. Hazanavicius’ Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Antoine De Cazotte
Production Manager (FR): Ségoléne Fleury
First Assistant Director (FR): James Canal
First Assistant Director (US): David Cluck
Second Assistant Director: Dave Paige
Second Second Assistant Directors: Karla Strum, Ricky Robinson
This is Mr. Hazanavicius’ first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.
ALEXANDER PAYNE
The Descendants
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mr. Payne’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: George Parra
First Assistant Director: Richard L. Fox
Second Assistant Director: Scott August
Second Second Assistant Director: Amy Wilkins Bronson
This is Mr. Payne’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated in that category for Sideways in 2004.
MARTIN SCORSESE
Hugo
(Paramount Pictures)
Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Charles Newirth, Georgia Kacandes, Angus More Gordon
First Assistant Director: Chris Surgent
Second Assistant Director: Richard Graysmark
Second Assistant Directors: Tom Brewster, Fraser Fennell-Ball
Production Managers (Paris Unit): Michael Sharp, Gilles Castera
First Assistant Director (Paris Unit): Ali Cherkaoui
This is Mr. Scorsese’s ninth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and was previously nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Aviator (2004). Mr. Scorsese also won the DGA Award last year for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire. In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
Review: "Seven Men from Now" Rises Above B-Movie Pedigree
Seven Men From Now (1956)
Running time: 78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Budd Boetticher
WRITER: Burt Kennedy, from a story by Burt Kennedy
PRODUCERS: Andrew V. McLaglen and Robert E. Morrison
CINEMATOGRAPHER: William H. Clothier
EDITOR: Everett Sutherland
WESTERN
Starring: Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin, Walter Reed, Donald Barry, and John Larch
Sometimes a “B” Western (a Western that wasn’t the main feature when it was released) makes such a lasting impression on some of its audience that they never see it as just another movie, and the film takes on a life of its own and never really dies. As time passes, this kind of movie comes to be seen a classic or, in retrospect, a great film. Director Budd Boetticher and writer Burt Kennedy’s Seven Men from Now is that kind of B-movie Western. The film was produced by John Wayne’s production company (Batjac Productions), and The Duke was one of the movie’s producers, although he did not receive a screen credit as a producer.
Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) was a man of the law when he was sheriff of Silver Springs for 12 years until he lost an election. Now, he’s just a man on a mission of revenge – looking for the seven men who robbed the Silver Springs express office. They stole a Well’s Fargo box holding $20,000 in gold and unknowingly killed Stride’s wife. Along his journey to retribution, he encounters and befriends a young Kansas City couple John and Annie Greer (Walter Reed and Gail Russell) who are also heading to Flora Vista, the place where Stride plans to settle scores. The trio eventually crosses paths with a criminal who has a past with Stride, the scoundrel Bill Masters (Lee Marvin) and his partner, Clete (Donald Barry), both of whom may know something about the men who killed Stride’s wife. Things, however, aren’t quite what they seem, and then, there’s the thing about Stride with his eyes on John Greer’s fetching wife, Annie.
The two things that make Seven Men from Now stand out are Budd Boetticher’s direction and Burt Kennedy’s script – in particular their quirky choices that make their film seem different from the standard Western while still looking like a standard Western. Here, Boetticher would focus on the loser in a gunfight instead of the shooter, which makes a duel sudden and jarring. Instead of only being some epic moment in a film, it heightens the sense of danger and gives the audience the idea that in this movie anything goes, which in turn makes the film’s central plotline (the quest for vengeance) an epic contest. This lets the audience know that these proceedings are serious business, and that Seven Men from Now is not just another by-the-numbers gun-slinging cowboy opera.
Boetticher also makes excellent use of the nicely written characters and vivid inter-character dynamics, motivations, and conflicts that Burt Kennedy wrote. Kenney uses a love triangle (John Greer, Annie Greer, and Ben Stride), an old rivalry (Stride and Bill Masters), and personal failure (Stride believing that his pride directly led to the death of his wife) to give Seven Men from Now a sense of drama and purpose that went beyond mere entertainment and into epic storytelling for what is basically a short, feature-length film. Boetticher was also keen on transforming Kennedy’s well-developed characters into players that made each other strong. A strong woman instead of a shrinking violent (Annie Greer) and a wily, eccentric villain who shows no fear of, but has respect for the hero instead of a standard bad guy (Bill Masters) actually makes Ben Stride appear more daring and gallant.
Boetticher also wrangled excellent performances from his cast. Southern gentleman Randolph Scott brings the stoic Ben Stride to life as the quintessential, more-action-than-talk hero. Gail Russell came back from a career beset by alcoholism to transform Annie Greer into a strong pioneer woman, while Walter Reed makes John Greer a genial determined man who is misunderstood by the kind of men who roamed the western outback. Lee Marvin is puckish as the crafty gunslinger manipulating his way to a super fortune in gold.
In Seven Men from Now, the viewer has the privilege of watching how Budd Boetticher employs his cast and transforms a superbly crafted script into an exceptional Western. Seven Men from Now looks like a Western, but it is also a fine drama cast in the Western mold. Too bad it isn’t a little longer.
8 of 10
A
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