2013 Golden Globe Award Winners - Complete List

The Golden Globe "Best Picture" awards for the year 2012 went to Argo (drama) and Les Misérables (musical or comedy).  In the television categories, the winners are “Homeland” (drama),"Girls" (musical or comedy), and Game Change (mini-series or made-for-TV movie)..

The Golden Globe Award is a movie accolade bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The award recognizes excellence in both film and television. The annual awards ceremony is a major part of the film industry’s award season.

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards winners were announced on Sunday, January 13, 2013, broadcast at 8pm ET/5pm PT on NBC.

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards winners (for the film and television year of 2012):

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Argo

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Les Misérables

Best Director - Motion Picture
Ben Affleck for Argo

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Skyfall: Adele, Paul Epworth ("Skyfall")

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Life of Pi: Mychael Danna

Best Animated Film
Brave

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour (from Austria)

Best Television Series - Drama
"Homeland"

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
"Girls"

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Game Change

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Damian Lewis for "Homeland"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Claire Danes for "Homeland"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle for "House of Lies"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Lena Dunham for "Girls"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Kevin Costner for "Hatfields & McCoys"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Julianne Moore for Game Change

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ed Harris for Game Change

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Maggie Smith for "Downton Abbey"

“Cecil B. DeMille Award” (for career achievement)
Jodie Foster

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

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

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

DRAMA/MYSTERY with elements of a thriller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 of 10
A

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

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Richard LaGravenese's "Beautiful Creatures" Set for Valentine's Day

“Beautiful Creatures” is a Perfect Valentine

Release Date for the Supernatural Love Story Moved to February 14th

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures has moved the release date of Alcon Entertainment’s “Beautiful Creatures” back one day to Valentine’s Day, in keeping with the film’s intriguing blend of magic and romance. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Directed by Richard LaGravenese from his own screenplay, “Beautiful Creatures” is adapted from the hugely successful novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Sales of the book, which was already a runaway bestseller, have been exploding in anticipation of the film’s release. Fans of the novel have been eagerly awaiting the screen adaptation, which is also generating interest from those who have not yet even read the book.

“Beautiful Creatures” tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan, a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena, a mysterious new arrival. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. But as the tie between Ethan and Lena strengthens, they become tangled in a dangerous web of spells and secrets from which there may be no escape.

The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Academy Award® winner Jeremy Irons (“Reversal of Fortune”), Oscar® nominee Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Doubt”), Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, and Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson (“Howard’s End,” “Sense and Sensibility”). Rounding out the cast are Eileen Atkins, Margo Martindale, Zoey Deutch, Tiffany Boone, Rachel Brosnahan, Kyle Gallner, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Sam Gilroy.

The film was produced by Erwin Stoff (“Water for Elephants”), Academy Award® nominees Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson (“The Blind Side”), Molly Mickler Smith, and Oscar® nominee David Valdes (“The Green Mile”). Yolanda T. Cochran served as executive producer, with Steven P. Wegner co-producing.

Alcon Entertainment presents a 3 Arts Entertainment/Belle Pictures Production, “Beautiful Creatures,” to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company. “Beautiful Creatures” has been rated PG-13 for violence, scary images and some sexual material.

beautifulcreaturesmovie.com

"Argo" Wins Critics' Choice "Best Picture" Award

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) honored Argo with its "Best Picture" and "Best Director" awards.  In fact, Ben Affleck picked up his best director trophy for Argo the same day he did not receive an expected best director Oscar nomination for Argo.  Silver Linings Playbook received four awards and Skyfall received three.

The BFCA announced the winners of the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The winners were announced at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 10, 2013, which was broadcast live on the CW Network.

18th Annual Critics' Choice Awards: Complete List of Winners for the Year in Film – 2012:

BEST PICTURE
Winner: Argo

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Ben Affleck – Argo

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Winner: Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Winner: Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Tony Kushner – Lincoln

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: Life of Pi – Claudio Miranda

BEST ART DIRECTION
Winner: Anna Karenina – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer, Katie Spencer/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
Winner: Zero Dark Thirty – William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Winner: Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran

BEST MAKEUP
Winner: Cloud Atlas

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner: Life of Pi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: Wreck-It Ralph

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Winner: Skyfall

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Winner: Daniel Craig – Skyfall

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games

BEST COMEDY
Winner: Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Winner: Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
Winner: Looper

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: Amour (Austria)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: Searching for Sugar Man

BEST SONG
Winner: “Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall

BEST SCORE
Winner: Lincoln – John Williams

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

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

Nominated film: producer(s)

Amour: To Be Determined

Argo: Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney

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

Django Unchained: Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone

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

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

Lincoln: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy

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

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

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Directing"

Best Achievement in Directing:

Michael Haneke for Amour

Ang Lee for Life of Pi

David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg for Lincoln

Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables

Joaquin Phoenix for The Master

Denzel Washington for Flight  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva for Amour

Quvenzhané Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts for The Impossible

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin for Argo

Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master

Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln

Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained   *Of note is that all five nominees in this category have previously won Oscars, including four of whom have won in this category.  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams for The Master

Sally Field for Lincoln

Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables

Helen Hunt for The Sessions

Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen"

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:

Amour: Michael Haneke

Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino

Flight: John Gatins

Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola

Zero Dark Thirty: Mark Boal  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published"

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

Argo: Chris Terrio

Beasts of the Southern Wild: Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin

Life of Pi: David Magee

Lincoln: Tony Kushner

Silver Linings Playbook: David O. Russell

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Animated Feature Film of the Year"

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:

Nominated film: director(s)

Brave: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman

Frankenweenie: Tim Burton

ParaNorman: Sam Fell, Chris Butler

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Peter Lord

Wreck-It Ralph: Rich Moore  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Foreign Language Film of the Year"

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:

Amour (Austria)

War Witch (Canada)

No (Chile)

A Royal Affair (Denmark)

Kon-Tiki ((Norway)  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Cinematography"

Best Achievement in Cinematography:

Anna Karenina: Seamus McGarvey

Django Unchained: Robert Richardson

Life of Pi: Claudio Miranda

Lincoln: Janusz Kaminski

Skyfall: Roger Deakins

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Editing"

Best Achievement in Editing:

Argo: William Goldenberg

Life of Pi: Tim Squyres

Lincoln: Michael Kahn

Silver Linings Playbook: Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers

Zero Dark Thirty: William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Production Design"

Best Achievement in Production Design:

Anna Karenina: Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, Simon Bright

Les Misérables: Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson

Life of Pi: David Gropman, Anna Pinnock

Lincoln: Rick Carter, Jim Erickson  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Costume Design"

Best Achievement in Costume Design:

Anna Karenina: Jacqueline Durran

Les Misérables: Paco Delgado

Lincoln: Joanna Johnston

Mirror Mirror: Eiko Ishioka

Snow White and the Huntsman: Colleen Atwood

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling"

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling:

Hitchcock: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, Martin Samuel

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Peter King, Rick Findlater, Tami Lane

Les Misérables: Lisa Westcott, Julie Dartnell

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score"

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Anna Karenina: Dario Marianelli

Argo: Alexandre Desplat

Life of Pi: Mychael Danna

Lincoln: John Williams

Skyfall: Thomas Newman

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song"

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

• Chasing Ice: J. Ralph ("Before My Time")

• Les Misérables: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer ("Suddenly")

• Life of Pi: Mychael Danna, Bombay Jayshree ("Pi's Lullaby")

• Skyfall: Adele, Paul Epworth ("Skyfall")

• Ted: Walter Murphy, Seth MacFarlane ("Everybody Needs a Best Friend")

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Sound Mixing"

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Argo: John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, José Antonio García

Les Misérables: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Simon Hayes

Life of Pi: Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Drew Kunin

Lincoln: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Ron Judkins

Skyfall: Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Stuart Wilson  

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Sound Editing"

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Argo: Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn

Django Unchained: Wylie Stateman

Life of Pi: Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton

Skyfall: Per Hallberg, Karen M. Baker

Zero Dark Thirty: Paul N.J. Ottosson

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Achievement in Visual Effects"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

• The Avengers: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Daniel Sudick

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White

• Life of Pi: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik De Boer, Donald Elliott

• Prometheus: Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley, Martin Hill

• Snow White and the Huntsman: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Phil Brennan, Neil Corbould, Michael Dawson

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Documentary, Features"

Best Documentary, Features:

5 Broken Cameras (2011): Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi

The Gatekeepers: To Be Determined

How to Survive a Plague: To Be Determined

The Invisible War: To Be Determined

Searching for Sugar Man: To Be Determined

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Documentary, Short Subjects"

Best Documentary, Short Subjects:

Inocente: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix

Kings Point: Sari Gilman, Jedd Wider

Mondays at Racine: Cynthia Wade, Robin Honan

Open Heart (2013): Kief Davidson, Cori Shepherd Stern

Redemption: Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Short Film, Animated"

Best Short Film, Animated

Adam and Dog (2011): Minkyu Lee

Fresh Guacamole: PES

Head Over Heels: Timothy Reckart, Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly

Paperman: John Kahrs

The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare: David Silverman

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Short Film, Live Action"

Best Short Film, Live Action:

Asad: Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura

Buzkashi Boys: Sam French, Ariel Nasr

Curfew: Shawn Christensen

Death of a Shadow: Tom Van Avermaet, Ellen De Waele

Henry (2011): Yan England

66th BAFTA Film Award Nominations - Complete List

The 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). They are the British counterpart of the Oscars.


Previously known as the Orange British Academy Film Awards, they are now known as the EE British Academy Film Awards. The British telecommunications company, EE, replaces Orange as the title sponsor of the awards.

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

2012 BAFTA FILM AWARD NOMINATIONS (presented in 2013):

BEST FILM
ARGO - Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney
LES MISÉRABLES - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
LIFE OF PI - Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark
LINCOLN - Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
ZERO DARK THIRTY - Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
• ANNA KARENINA - Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster, Tom Stoppard
• THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL - John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Ol Parker
• LES MISÉRABLES - Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh, William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer
• SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS - Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
• SKYFALL - Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
• BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer)- The Imposter
• DAVID MORRIS (Director), JACQUI MORRIS (Director/Producer) - McCullin
• DEXTER FLETCHER (Director/Writer), DANNY KING (Writer) - Wild Bill
• JAMES BOBIN (Director) - The Muppets
• TINA GHARAVI (Director/Writer) - I Am Nasrine

DIRECTOR
AMOUR - Michael Haneke
ARGO - Ben Affleck
DJANGO UNCHAINED - Quentin Tarantino
LIFE OF PI - Ang Lee
ZERO DARK THIRTY - Kathryn Bigelow

DOCUMENTARY
THE IMPOSTER - Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis
MARLEY - Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel
McCULLIN - David Morris, Jacqui Morris
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN - Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
WEST OF MEMPHIS - Amy Berg

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMOUR - Michael Haneke
DJANGO UNCHAINED - Quentin Tarantino
THE MASTER - Paul Thomas Anderson
MOONRISE KINGDOM - Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
ZERO DARK THIRTY - Mark Boal

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARGO - Chris Terrio
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD - Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
LIFE OF PI - David Magee
LINCOLN - Tony Kushner
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - David O. Russell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AMOUR - Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz
HEADHUNTERS - Morten Tyldum, Marianne Gray, Asle Vatn
THE HUNT - Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann
RUST AND BONE - Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
UNTOUCHABLE - Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun

ANIMATED FILM
BRAVE - Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
FRANKENWEENIE - Tim Burton
PARANORMAN - Sam Fell, Chris Butler

LEADING ACTOR
BEN AFFLECK - Argo
BRADLEY COOPER - Silver Linings Playbook
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - Lincoln
HUGH JACKMAN - Les Misérables
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - The Master

LEADING ACTRESS
EMMANUELLE RIVA - Amour
HELEN MIRREN - Hitchcock
JENNIFER LAWRENCE - Silver Linings Playbook
JESSICA CHASTAIN - Zero Dark Thirty
MARION COTILLARD - Rust and Bone

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ALAN ARKIN - Argo
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - Django Unchained
JAVIER BARDEM - Skyfall
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN - The Master
TOMMY LEE JONES - Lincoln

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS - The Master
ANNE HATHAWAY - Les Misérables
HELEN HUNT - The Sessions
JUDI DENCH - Skyfall
SALLY FIELD - Lincoln

ORIGINAL MUSIC
ANNA KARENINA - Dario Marianelli
ARGO - Alexandre Desplat
LIFE OF PI - Mychael Danna
LINCOLN - John Williams
SKYFALL - Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
ANNA KARENINA - Seamus McGarvey
LES MISÉRABLES - Danny Cohen
LIFE OF PI - Claudio Miranda
LINCOLN - Janusz Kaminski
SKYFALL - Roger Deakins

EDITING
ARGO - William Goldenberg
DJANGO UNCHAINED - Fred Raskin
LIFE OF PI - Tim Squyres
SKYFALL - Stuart Baird
ZERO DARK THIRTY - Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA - Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
LES MISÉRABLES - Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
LIFE OF PI - David Gropman, Anna Pinnock
LINCOLN - Rick Carter, Jim Erickson
SKYFALL - Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock

COSTUME DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA - Jacqueline Durran
GREAT EXPECTATIONS - Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
LES MISÉRABLES - Paco Delgado
LINCOLN - Joanna Johnston
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN - Colleen Atwood

SOUND
• DJANGO UNCHAINED - Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman
• THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY - Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward
• LES MISÉRABLES - Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
• LIFE OF PI - Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D. M. Hemphill
• SKYFALL - Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
• THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley
• THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY - Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
• LIFE OF PI - Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer
• MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE - Nominees TBC
• PROMETHEUS - Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth

MAKE UP & HAIR
ANNA KARENINA - Ivana Primorac
HITCHCOCK - Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY - Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater
LES MISÉRABLES - Lisa Westcott
LINCOLN - Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou

SHORT ANIMATION
HERE TO FALL - Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath
I’M FINE THANKS - Eamonn O'Neill
THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD - Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson

SHORT FILM
THE CURSE - Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries
GOOD NIGHT - Muriel d'Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir
SWIMMER - Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
TUMULT - Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews
THE VOORMAN PROBLEM - Mark Gill, Baldwin Li

EE RISING STAR AWARD
Elizabeth Olsen
Andrea Riseborough
Suraj Sharma
Juno Temple
Alicia Vikander

http://www.bafta.org/

Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone to Announce Oscar Noms

Oscar® Host Seth MacFarlane Joins Emma Stone To Announce Oscar Nominations

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards® will be announced by the show's host, Seth MacFarlane, and actress Emma Stone on Thursday, January 10. This will be the first time since 1972 that an Oscar show host has participated in the nominations announcement.

MacFarlane and Stone will unveil the nominations at a 5:30 a.m. PT news conference at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered.

Since the first nominations announcement in 1964, the Academy president has been joined by one or more co-announcers at the event. This year the Academy will break with tradition when MacFarlane, who was named Oscar show host in October, joins Stone on Oscar nominations morning. Charlton Heston (1972) was the only other show host to participate in the nominations announcement.

Stone starred in the 2011 Best Picture nominee "The Help" and the summer release "The Amazing Spider-Man." Her other film credits include "Superbad," "Zombieland," "Easy A" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love." Stone will be seen in "Gangster Squad" later this month and in "The Croods," due out in March.

Nominations information for all categories will be distributed to news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards website, www.oscar.com.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

18th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Award Nominations

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

The BFCA has announced the nominees for the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 10, 2013 to be aired on the CW network.

18th Annual Critics' Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees for the Year in Film – 2012:

BEST PICTURE
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
John Hawkes – “The Sessions”
Hugh Jackman – “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Denzel Washington – “Flight”

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard – “Rust and Bone”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin – “Argo”
Javier Bardem – “Skyfall”
Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Matthew McConaughey – “Magic Mike”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – “The Master”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Ann Dowd – “Compliance”
Sally Field – “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – “Ginger & Rosa”
Kara Hayward – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Tom Holland – “The Impossible”
Logan Lerman – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Suraj Sharma – “Life of Pi”
Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck – “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Tom Hooper – “Les Misérables”
Ang Lee – “Life of Pi”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino – “Django Unchained”
John Gatins – “Flight”
Rian Johnson – “Looper”
Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio – “Argo”
David Magee – “Life of Pi”
Tony Kushner – “Lincoln”
Stephen Chbosky – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Les Misérables” – Danny Cohen
“Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda
“Lincoln” – Janusz Kaminski
“The Master” – Mihai Malaimare Jr.
“Skyfall” – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Anna Karenina” – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer; Katie Spencer/Set Decorator

“The Hobbit” – Dan Hennah/Production Designer; Ra Vincent & Simon Bright/Set Decorators

“Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart/Production Designer; Anna Lynch-Robinson/Set Decorator

“Life of Pi” – David Gropman/Production Designer; Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator

“Lincoln” – Rick Carter/Production Designer; Jim Erickson/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
“Argo” – William Goldenberg
“Les Misérables” – Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens
“Life of Pi” – Tim Squyres
“Lincoln” – Michael Kahn
“Zero Dark Thirty” – William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran
“Cloud Atlas” – Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud
“The Hobbit” – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor
“Les Misérables” – Paco Delgado
“Lincoln” – Joanna Johnston

BEST MAKEUP
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Les Misérables
Lincoln

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit
Life of Pi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

BEST ACTION MOVIE
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Christian Bale – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Daniel Craig – “Skyfall”
Robert Downey Jr. – “The Avengers”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Looper”
Jake Gyllenhaal – “End of Watch”

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – “Looper”
Gina Carano – “Haywire”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Anne Hathaway – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”

BEST COMEDY
Bernie
Silver Linings Playbook
Ted
This Is 40
21 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jack Black – “Bernie”
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Paul Rudd – “This Is 40”
Channing Tatum – “21 Jump Street”
Mark Wahlberg – “Ted”

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Mila Kunis – “Ted”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Shirley MacLaine – “Bernie”
Leslie Mann – “This Is 40”
Rebel Wilson – “Pitch Perfect”

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Cabin in the Woods
Looper
Prometheus

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour (Austria)
The Intouchables (France)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
Rust and Bone (Belgium)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bully
The Central Park Five
The Imposter
The Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man
West of Memphis

BEST SONG
“For You” – performed by Keith Urban; written by Monty Powell & Keith Urban – Act of Valor

“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy with Mumford & Sons; written by Mumford & Sons – Brave

“Skyfall” – performed by Adele; written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall

“Still Alive” – performed by Paul Williams; written by Paul Williams – Paul Williams Still Alive

“Suddenly” – performed by Hugh Jackman; written by Claude-Michel Schonberg & Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer – Les Misérables

BEST SCORE
“Argo” – Alexandre Desplat
“Life of Pi” – Mychael Danna
“Lincoln” – John Williams
“The Master” – Jonny Greenwood
“Moonrise Kingdom” – Alexandre Desplat

http://www.bfca.org/

Alliance of Women Film Journalists Choose "Zero Dark Thirty" as 2012's Best

2012 EDA Award Winners (from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists):

EDA ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Best Film
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Screenplay, Original
Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal

Best Screenplay, Adapted
Argo - Chris Terrio

Best Documentary
Searching For Sugar Man - Malik Bendjelloul

Best Animated Film
ParaNorman

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master

Best Ensemble Cast
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Editing
Zero Dark Thirty - William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor

Best Cinematography
Life of Pi - Claudio Miranda

Best Film Music Or Score
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin

Best Non-English-Language Film
Amour (from Austria)

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS – These awards honor WOMEN only.

Best Woman Director
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Woman Screenwriter
Lucy Alibar (and Benh Zeitlin) - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star
Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games

Best Animated Female
Brave - Merida - Kelly Macdonald

Best Breakthrough Performance
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Actress Defying Age and Ageism
Judi Dench - Skyfall

AWFJ Award For Humanitarian Activism - Female Icon Award —
(Presented to an actress for the portrayal of the most positive female role model, or for a role in which she takes personal and/or career risks to plumb the female psyche and therefore gives us courage to plumb our own, and/or for putting forth the image of a woman who is heroic, accomplished, persistent, demands her rights and/or the rights of others.)

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry
(Presented only when warranted to a female who has had a banner-making, record-breaking, industry-changing achievement during any given year — such as Kathryn Bigelow’s Best Director Oscar win, or for an actress having multiple outstanding films released during one year.)

Women Documentary Filmmakers, including Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia), Lauren Greenfield (Queen of Versailles), Alison Klayman (Ai Weiwei Never Sorry) and Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five).

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

AWFJ Hall Of Shame Award
Sean Anders for That’s My Boy

Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent (Tie)
Katherine Heigl - One For The Money
Reese Witherspoon - This Means War

Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn’t
Anna Karenina

Unforgettable Moment Award (Tie)
Les Miserables - Anne Hathaway as Fantine singing I Dreamed A Dream
Zero Dark Thirty - Jessica Chastain as Maya says, “I’m the mother…”

Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction
The Sessions - Helen Hunt and John Hawkes

Sequel or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award (Tie)
Red Dawn
Total Recall

Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest Award
Flight - Denzel Washington and Kelly Reilly,..and Nadine Velazquez

2013 Producers Guild Award Nominations Announced

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) describes itself as “the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media.” Film fans know the organization because of its annual PGA Awards.

The PGA recently announced the motion picture nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards.

All 2013 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 26, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and BULLY (Stanley Kramer Award).

The 2013 Producers Guild Awards Chair is Michael De Luca.

The 2013 Producers Guild nominated films are listed below in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers’ names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.

2013 Producers Guild Awards theatrical motion picture nominees are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

"Argo” (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov

"Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn

"Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher

"Les Misérables” (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh

Life of Pi” (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark

"Lincoln” (Touchstone Pictures)
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

"Moonrise Kingdom” (Focus Features)
Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales

"Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon

"Skyfall” (MGM/Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

"Zero Dark Thirty” (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

"Brave” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Katherine Sarafian

"Frankenweenie” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Producers: Allison Abbate, Tim Burton

"ParaNorman” (Focus Features)
Producers: Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner

"Rise of the Guardians” (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Nancy Bernstein, Christina Steinberg

"Wreck-It Ralph” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Clark Spencer

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures (Previously announced November 2012):

"A People Uncounted” (Urbinder Films)
Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger

"The Gatekeepers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh

"The Island President” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Producers: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen

"The Other Dream Team” (The Film Arcade)
Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach

"Searching For Sugar Man” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn

2013 WGA Screenplay Nominations Announced

by Leroy Douresseaux

The Writers Guild of America is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. The Writers Guild of America Award acknowledges outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio and has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949.

There are several categories, but I only focus on the film categories. I sometimes list the winners from other categories when they are announced.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) recently announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during the year 2012. The winners in the following categories will be honored at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2013, during simultaneous ceremonies held in both Los Angeles and New York.

2013 Writers Guild Awards Screen Nominations:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures

Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures

The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company

Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features

Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures

Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox

Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book; Summit Entertainment

Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick; The Weinstein Company

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY:
The Central Park Five, Written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects

The Invisible War, Written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films

Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendjelloul; Sony Pictures Classics

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media

West of Memphis, Written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics

Review: "ParaNorman" Thankfully Not Normal

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

ParaNorman (2012)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language
DIRECTORS: Chris Butler and Sam Fell
WRITER: Chris Butler
PRODUCERS: Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tristan Oliver
EDITORS: Christopher Murrie
COMPOSERS: Jon Brion

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/HORROR/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, and John Goodman

ParaNorman is a 2012 American, 3D, stop-motion animated, comic-horror film. The film is a production of Laika, the stop-motion animation studio behind the 2009 film, Coraline. ParaNorman focuses on a misunderstood boy, who talks to ghosts, and his quest to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Not many people in the town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts seem to understand or even like 11-year-old Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), except his dear mother, Sandra (Leslie Mann), of course. Norman can talk to ghosts. This claim infuriates his father, Perry (Jeff Garlin), because he thinks his son is too weird, and it annoys his sister, Courtney (Anna Kendrick), who is embarrassed by her brother. Norman even has a classmate dedicated to bullying him, the break dancer wannabe, Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Norman does have one friend, a chubby, eccentric kid named Neil Downe (Tucker Albrizzi).

Oh, there is one other person interested in Norman. That would be the town crazy, Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman), who is also Norman’s uncle. He claims that Norman is the only person who can save the town from a centuries-old curse put upon it three hundred years ago by a vengeful witch. Pursued by zombies, Norman races to stop the curse with only Neil, a reluctant Courtney, and Mitch (Casey Affleck), Neil’s brother, by his side. But stopping the curse means having the right information/the real story, and Norman is having trouble getting that.

ParaNorman is not only one of the best animated films of the year, but it is also one of 2012’s best movies. This film looks like a Tim Burton movie, but is darker and less whimsical than most of Burton’s movies; ParaNorman is probably more in line and closer in tone with Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999).

One of my college professors said that books which contained controversial ideas often ended up in the children’s literature section, To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies, being examples she used. ParaNorman is kind of like that; in fact, it is like one of those children’s classics (film or storybook) with something to say. It runs the gamut of themes and ideas: the destruction of revenge, bullying, parental acceptance, the cycle in which parents pass on their fears and prejudices to their children or even project those onto their children, the fear of being different, how easy it is for a person to isolate himself because he is persecuted for being different, the mob mentality, the quest for redemption, etc. ParaNorman has so many ideas and themes that I lost count. It does not aspire to be more than a kid’s movie; it just wants to be more than the average children’s movie.

The film is such a feast of dark colors and fantastic visual elements that it is easy to miss the substance. The stop-motion animation and production values in ParaNorman exceed Coraline; it’s not even close. The character design alone is way ahead in terms of imagination and diversity than many animated feature films. The characters are caricatures of real-life human body types, but in an amusing way that celebrates all the big hips, thunder thighs, scrawny necks, big butts, fat bodies, etc. without being cruel for the sake of cheap laughs.

There is a lot more to say, but I don’t want to run on (longer than I usually do). This hand-crafted movie is a miracle. It celebrates being different, but also enjoying being different from other people. There is a surprise reveal about one of the characters near the end of the film that makes ParaNorman extra, extra-special.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, January 04, 2013

Alliance of Women Film Journalists' 2012 EDA Nominations

According the organization’s website, The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ), was founded in 2006. The membership is made up of “highly qualified professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media.” Its state purpose is to “support work by and about women - both in front of and behind the cameras - through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting the annual EDA Awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies.”

2012 EDA Award Nominees
In December, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists announced the nominees for the 2012 AWFJ EDA Awards. The winners will be announced on January 7, 2013.

Listed by category and in alphabetical order, the nominees are:

AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS

Best Film
Argo
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director
Ben Affleck - Argo
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Steven Speilberg - Lincoln

Best Screenplay, Original
Amour - Michael Haneke.
Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal

Best Screenplay, Adapted
Argo - Chris Terrio
Lincoln - Tony Kushner,
Silver Linings Playbook - David O. Russell

Best Documentary
The Gatekeepers - Dror Moreh
The Imposter - Bart Layton
The Invisible War - Kirby Dick
Searching For Sugar Man - Malik Bendjelloul

Best Animated Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - The Master
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln
John Hawkes - The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin - Argo
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Ensemble Cast
Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Notebook

Best Editing
Argo - William Goldenberg
Cloud Atlas - Alexander Berner
Zero Dark Thirty - William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor

Best Cinematography
The Life of Pi - Claudio Miranda
The Master - Mihai Malaimare, Jr.
Skyfall - Roger Deakins

Best Film Music Or Score
Argo - Alexandre Desplat
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin
Zero Dark Thirty - Alexandre Desplat

Best Non-English-Language Film
Amour (Austria)
A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone (Belgium/France)

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS – These awards honor WOMEN only.

Best Woman Director
Andrea Arnold - Wuthering Heights
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Sarah Polley - Take This Waltz

Best Woman Screenwriter
Lucy Alibar (and Benh Zeitlin) - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Zoe Kazan - Ruby Sparks
Ava DuVernay - Middle of Nowhere
Sarah Polley - Take This Waltz

Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star
Gina Carano - Haywire
Anne Hathaway - The Dark Knight Rises
Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games

Best Animated Female
Brave - Merida - Kelly Macdonald
Rise of the Guardians - Tooth - Isla Fisher
Wreck-It Ralph - Vanellope - Sarah Silverman

Best Breakthrough Performance
Samantha Barks - Les Miserables
Ann Dowd - Compliance
Alicia Vikander - A Royal Affair
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Actress Defying Age and Ageism
Judi Dench - Skyfall
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

AWFJ Award For Humanitarian Activism - Female Icon Award
(Presented to an actress for the portrayal of the most positive female role model, or for a role in which she takes personal and/or career risks to plumb the female psyche and therefore gives us courage to plumb our own, and/or for putting forth the image of a woman who is heroic, accomplished, persistent, demands her rights and/or the rights of others.)

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Judi Dench - Skyfall

This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry
(Presented only when warranted to a female who has had a banner-making, record-breaking, industry-changing achievement during any given year — such as Kathryn Bigelow’s Best Director Oscar win, or for an actress having multiple outstanding films released during one year.)

Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence for The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook
Women Documentary Filmmakers, including Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia), Lauren Greenfield (Queen of Versailles), Alison Klayman (Ai Weiwei Never Sorry) and Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five).

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

AWFJ Hall Of Shame Award
Sean Anders for That’s My Boy
Sacha Baron Cohen for The Dictator
Gabriele Muccino for Playing For Keeps

Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent
Katherine Heigl - One For The Money
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy
Reese Witherspoon - This Means War

Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn’t
Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
Les Miserables

Unforgettable Moment Award
Argo - The runway chase.
Flight - Crash sequence
Les Miserables - Anne Hathaway as Fantine sings I Dreamed A Dream
Rust and Bone - Marion Cotillard as Stephanie dances in the wheelchair.
Zero Dark Thirty - Jessica Chastain as Maya says, “I’m the mother…”

Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction
Anna Karenina - Keira Knightly and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Rust and Bone - Marion Cotilliard
The Sessions - Helen Hunt and John Hawkes

Sequel or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award
Amazing Spiderman
Red Dawn
Total Recall

Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest Award
Flight - Denzel Washington and Kelly Reilly,..and Nadine Velazquez
Seeking a Friend For the End of the World - Steve Carell and Keira Knightly
Silver Linings Notebook - Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence

http://awfj.org/

2012 Satellite Awards Honor "Silver Linings Playbook"

The International Press Academy (IPA) chose Silver Linings Playbook as the "Best Film of 2012."  The IPA is an entertainment media association with voting members worldwide who represent domestic and foreign markets via print, television, radio, blogs, and other content platforms for virtually every notable outlet.

Each year the IPA honors artistic excellence in the areas of Motion Pictures, Television, Radio, and New Media via the Satellite® Awards.

Complete List of 2012 Satellite Award Winners and Nominees (Announced December 16, 2012):

MOTION PICTURES CATEGORIES

Motion Picture
Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co. WINNER

Argo, Warner Bros.
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Les Miserables, Universal
Skyfall, Columbia Pictures
Moonrise Kingdom, Focus Features
The Sessions, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone
Life of Pi, Twentieth Century Fox
Zero Dark Thirty, Columbia Pictures

Director
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co. WINNER

Ben Affleck for Argo, Warner Bros.
Kim Ki-Duk for Pieta, Drafthouse Films
Ben Lewin for The Sessions, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty, Columbia Pictures

Actress in a Motion Picture
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co. WINNER

Emilie Dequenne, Our Children, Versus Production
Keira Knightley, Anna Karenina, Focus Features
Emmanuelle, Riva Amour, Sony Pictures Classics
Laura Birn, Purge, Solar Films
Laura Linney, Hyde Park on Hudson, Focus Features
Jessica Chastain Zero Dark Thirty, Columbia Pictures

Actor in a Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co. WINNER

John Hawkes, The Sessions, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Omar Sy, The Intouchables, The Weinstein Co.
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables, Universal
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master, The Weinstein Co.
Denzel Washington, Flight, Paramount Pictures
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone

Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables, Universal WINNER

Amy Adams, The Master, The Weinstein Co.
Helene Florent, Cafe De Flore, Adopt Films
Helen Hunt, The Sessions, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Judi Dench, Skyfall, Columbia Pictures
Samantha Barks, Les Miserables, Universal

Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, Skyfall, Columbia Pictures WINNER

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master, The Weinstein Co.
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co.
John Goodman, Flight, Paramount Pictures
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone
Eddie Redmayne, Les Miserables, Universal

Motion Picture, International Film
The Intouchables, The Weinstein Co. (France) WINNER

Amour, Sony Pictures Classics (Austria)
A Royal Affair, Magnolia Pictures (Denmark)
Our Children, Le Films Du Losange (Belgium)
Kon-Tiki, The Weinstein Co. (Norway)
Pieta, Drafthouse Films (South Korea)
Beyond the Hills, Sundance Selects (Romania)
War Witch, Tribeca Film (Canada)
Caesar Must Die, Adopt Film (Italy)

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Rise of the Guardians, DreamWorks Animation WINNER

ParaNorman, Focus Features
Wreck-It Ralph, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Brave, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, Twentieth Century Fox Animation
Frankenweenie, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, DreamWorks Animation

Motion Picture, Documentary
Chasing Ice, National Geographic WINNER

The Central Park Five, Sundance Selects
The Pruitt-Igoe, Myth First Run Features
The Gatekeepers, Sony Pictures Classics
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Sundance Selects
West of Memphis, Sony Pictures Classics
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, Music Box Films
Searching for Sugar Man, Sony Pictures Classics

Original Screenplay
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty, Columbia Pictures WINNER

Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache - The Intouchables, The Weinstein Co.
John Gatins - Flight, Paramount Pictures
Kim Ki-Duk - Pieta, Drafthouse Films
Roman Coppola, Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom, Focus Features
Paul Thomas Anderson - The Master, The Weinstein Co.

Adapted Screenplay
David Magee - Life of Pi; Twentieth Century Fox (Based on the Novel by Yann Martel) WINNER

• Ben Lewin - The Sessions; Fox Searchlight Pictures (Based on documentary Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien, Directed by Jessica Yu)

• Tony Kushner, John Logan, Paul Webb – Lincoln; DreamWorks/Touchstone (Based on Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin)

• Chris Terrio – Argo; Warner Bros. (Based on magazine article “Escape From Tehran” by Joshuah Berman)

• Tom Stoppard - Anna Karenina; Focus Features (Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy)

• David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co. (Based on the novel by Matthew Quick)

Original Score (Composer, Film)
Alexandre Desplat for Argo, Warner Bros. WINNER

Dario Marianelli for Anna Karenina, Focus Features
Thomas Newman for Skyfall, Columbia Pictures
Jonny Greenwood for The Master, The Weinstein Co.
John Williams for Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone
Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Original Song (Title, Performer, Writer(s), Film)
"Suddenly, " Hugh Jackman, Alain Boubil, Herbert Kretzmer, from Les Miserables WINNER

• "Learn Me Right, " Birdy Birdy & Mumford and Sons, Mumford and Sons, from Brave

• "Still Alive, " Paul Williams, Paul Williams, Paul Williams: from Still Alive

• "Skyfall, " Adele, Adele Adkins, Paul Epworth, from Skyfall

• "Fire in the Blood/Snake Song, " Emmylou Harris, Emmylou Harris, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, from Lawless

• "Love Always Comes as a Surprise." Peter Asher, Peter Asher & Dave Stewart, from Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Cinematography
Claudio Miranda, for Life of Pi, Twentieth Century Fox WINNER

Ben Richardson, for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Mihai Malaimare Jr., for The Master, The Weinstein Co.
Janusz Kaminski, for Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone
Roger Deakins, for Skyfall, Columbia Pictures
Seamus McGarvey, for Anna Karenina, Focus Features

Visual Effects
Michael Lantieri, Kevin Baillie, Ryan Tudhope, Jim Gibbs, for Flight, Paramount Pictures WINNER

• Steve Begg, Arundi Asregadoo, Andrew Whitehurst, for Skyfall, Columbia Pictures

• Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Martin Hill, for Prometheus, Twentieth Century Fox

• Bill Westenhofer, for Life of Pi, Twentieth Century Fox

• Dan Glass, Geoffrey Hancock, Stephane Ceretti, for Cloud Atlas, Warner Bros.

• Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, for The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros.

Film Editing
Jay Cassidy, for Silver Linings Playbook, The Weinstein Co. WINNER

Lisa Bromwell, for The Sessions, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Jeremiah O’Driscoll, for Flight, Paramount Pictures
Dylan Tichenor, for Zero Dark Thirty, Columbia Pictures
Alexander Berner, for Cloud Atlas, Warner Bros
Chris Dickens, for Les Miserables, Universal

Sound (Editing and Mixing)
John Warhurst, Lee Walpole, Simon Hayes, for Les Miserables, Universal WINNER

• Dennis Leonard, Randy Thom, for Flight, Paramount Pictures

• Craig Henighan, Chris Munro, for Snow White & The Huntsman, Universal

• Baard H. Ingebretsen, Tormod Ringes, for Kon-Tiki, The Weinstein Co.

• Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, for Life of Pi, Twentieth Century Fox

• Victor Ray Ennis, Ann Scibelli, John Cucci, Mark P. Stoeckinger for Prometheus Twentieth Century Fox

Art Direction & Production Design
Rick Carter, Curt Beech, David Crank, Leslie McDonald, for Lincoln, DreamWorks/Touchstone WINNER

• Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh, James Hambidge, Naaman Marshall, for The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros.

• Niels Sejer, for A Royal Affair, Magnolia Pictures

• David Crank, Jack Fisk, for The Master, The Weinstein Co.

• Sarah Greenwood, Niall Moroney, Thomas Brown, Nick Gottschalk, Tom Still, for Anna Karenina, Focus Features

• Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson, for Les Miserables, Universal

Costume Design
Manon Rasmussen for A Royal Affair, Magnolia Pictures WINNER

Colleen Atwood for Snow White & The Huntsman, Universal
Christian Gasc, Valerie Ranchoux, for Farewell, My Queen, Cohen Media Group
Jacqueline Durran, for Anna Karenina, Focus Features
Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gayraud, for Cloud Atlas, Warner Bros
Paco Delgado, for Les Miserables, Universal


SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry: Terence Stamp

Nikola Tesla Award In Recognition of Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology: Walter Murch

Auteur Award: Paul Williams

Honorary Satellite Award: Bruce Davison

Newcomer Award: Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Ensemble, Motion Picture: Les Miserables

2012 Satellite Awards - Television Categories

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Complete List of 2012 Satellite Award Television Winners and Nominees (Announced December 16, 2012):

Television Series, Drama
Homeland, Showtime WINNER

Justified, FX
Downton Abbey, PBS
Breaking Bad, AMC
The Newsroom, HBO
The Good Wife, CBS
Game of Thrones, HBO
Nashville, ABC

Actress in a Series, Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland, Showtime WINNER

Chloe Sevigny, Hit & Miss, Sky Atlantic
Connie Britton, Nashville, ABC
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville, ABC
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey, PBS
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, CBS

Actor in a Series, Drama
Damian Lewis, Homeland, Showtime WINNER

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad, AMC
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom, HBO
Jon Hamm, Mad Men, AMC
Timothy Olyphant, Justified, FX
Johnny Lee Miller, Elementary, CBS

Television Series, Comedy or Musical
The Big Bang Theory, CBS WINNER

Girls, HBO
Community, NBC
The Office, NBC
Happy Endings, ABC
Up All Night, NBC
Modern Family, ABC
Parks and Recreation, NBC

Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical
Kaley Cuoco, The Bang Big Theory, CBS WINNER

Laura Dern, Enlightened, HBO
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation, NBC
Lena Dunham, Girls, HBO
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep, HBO
Christina Applegate, Up All Night, NBC

Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory CBS WINNER

Don Cheadle, House of Lies, Showtime
Louis C.K., Louie, FX
Joel McHale, Community, NBC
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Will Arnett, Up All Night, NBC

Miniseries/Motion Picture Made for Television
Hatfields & McCoys, History WINNER

Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
Wallander, PBS
Luther, BBC America
Sherlock, PBS
Game Change, HBO
Birdsong, PBS
The Crimson Petal and the White, BBC America

Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Julianne Moore, Game Change, HBO WINNER

Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
Gillian Anderson, Great Expectations, PBS
Romola Garai, The Crimson Petal And The White, BBC America
Sienna Miller, The Girl, HBO
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals, USA Network

Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock, PBS WINNER

Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn, HBO
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys, History
Kenneth Branagh, Wallander, PBS
Woody Harrelson, Game Change, HBO
Idris Elba, Luther, BBC America

Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey, PBS WINNER

Maya Rudolph, Up All Night, NBC
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men, AMC
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Sarah Paulson, Game Change, HBO
Mare Winningham, Hatfields & McCoys, History

Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neal Mcdonough, Justified, FX WINNER

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones, HBO
Evan Peters, American Horror Story, FX
Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad, AMC
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey, PBS
Powers Boothe, Nashville, ABC

Television Series, Genre
The Walking Dead AMC WINNER

American Horror Story, FX
Once Upon a Time, ABC
Supernatural, TheCW
Fringe, Fox
Arrow, The CW
Grimm, NBC

Best Ensemble, Television: The Walking Dead, AMC

Austin Film Critics Name "Zero Dark Thirty" As Best Film of 2012

The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) named Zero Dark Thirty as the "Best Film of 2012," but gave "Best Director" to Paul Thomas Andrson for The Master.

The AFCA describes itself as “a group dedicated to supporting the best in film, whether at the international, national, or local level.” The group includes Austin-based members who write for such publications, television media, and websites as Ain't It Cool News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, CNN, Fandango, Film.com, Film School Rejects, Fox News, MSN Movies, Movies.com, among others.

2012 AFCA Awards:

Best Film
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, "The Master"

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"

Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Argo"

Best Original Screenplay
"Looper"

Best Cinematography
"The Master"

Best Score
"Cloud Atlas"

Best Animated Film
"Wreck-It Ralph"

Best Foreign Language Film
"Holy Motors" (France/Germany)

Best Documentary
"The Imposter"

Best First Film
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Austin Film
"Bernie"

Breakthrough Artist Award
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Special Honorary Award
Matthew McConaughey, "Bernie," "Killer Joe," "Magic Mike" and "The Paperboy"


Top 10:
1. "Zero Dark Thirty"

2. "Argo"

3. "Moonrise Kingdom"

4. "Django Unchained"

5. "Cloud Atlas"

6. "Holy Motors"

7. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

8. "The Master"

9. "Silver Linings Playbook"

10. "Looper"

African-American Film Critics Honor "Zero Dark Thirty"

The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) chose Zero Dark Thirty as the "Best Picture" of 2012, but honored the director of Argo, Ben Affleck, as "Best Director." The AAFCA is a group of African-American film critics that give various awards for excellence in film at the end of each year. The association was founded in 2003 by Gil L. Robertson IV and Shawn Edwards.

2012 African-American Film Critics Association Awards:

Best Picture: "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director: Ben Affleck, "Argo"

Best Actress: Emayatzy Corinealdi, "Middle of Nowhere"

Best Actor: Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field, "Lincoln"

Best Supporting Actor: Nate Parker, "Arbitrage"

Best Screenplay: Ava DuVernay, "Middle of Nowhere"

Best Foreign Language Film: "The Intouchables" (France)

Best Documentary: (tie) "The House I Live In" and "Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution"

Best Animated Feature: "Rise of the Guardians"

Best Independent Film: "Middle of Nowhere"

Best Breakthrough Performer: Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Music: Kathryn Bostic and Morgan Rhodes, "Middle of Nowhere"

Special Achievement Awards: Cicely Tyson and Billy Dee Williams

Top 10:
1. "Zero Dark Thirty"

2. "Argo"

3. "Lincoln"

4. "Middle of Nowhere"

5. "Life of Pi"

6. "Les Misérables"

7. "Django Unchained"

8. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

9. "Moonrise Kingdom"

10. "Think Like a Man"

Review: "Django Unchained" is Off the Hook

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Django Unchained (2012)
Running time: 165 minutes (2 hours, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Quentin Tarantino
PRODUCERS: Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Richardson
EDITOR: Fred Raskin

WESTERN/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, James Remar, Walton Goggins, Laura Cayouette, and Samuel L. Jackson

Django Unchained is a 2012 American Western film and revenge movie from Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction). Like his previous film, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained is an alternate-history movie.

Django Unchained focuses on a slave-turned-bounty hunter who, with the help of his mentor, sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. The name “Django” comes from the 1966 Italian “Spaghetti Western,” Django, which inspired Tarantino’s film. Franco Nero, the actor who portrayed Django in the 1966 movie, also has a cameo in Django Unchained.

The film opens in 1858. Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist turned bounty hunter, buys a slave, Django (Jamie Foxx). Shultz wants Django because the slave can identify the Brittle Brothers, a gang of ruthless killers. Recognizing that the slave’s talents that could make him a good bounty hunter, Schultz offers Django two things: (1) he will free Django and (2) he will help Django find his wife, Broomhilda Von Shaft (Kerry Washington), who is still a slave. In return, Shultz wants Django’s help collecting bounties.

However, Broomhilda is now owned by a charming but brutal slave owner named Calvin J. Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Candie owns the plantation, Candyland, in Greenville, Mississippi. There, male slaves are trained to fight for sport (“Mandingo fighting”) and female slaves are sold into prostitution. Infiltrating Candyland and collecting Broomhilda will be Django and Shultz’s most difficult bounty.

Now that I look back on Inglourious Basterds, I like it now more than I did when I first saw it back in 2009. I gave it a grade of “B” (6 of 10). Tarantino’s screwball take on World War II history in that movie prepared me for the freedom with history that Tarantino takes with Django Unchained. Of the movies released in 2012, Django Unchained is the best one I’ve seen so far.

As in all his works, Tarantino’s imagination, inventiveness, and, of course, his encyclopedic knowledge of films results in a screenplay full of outrageous notions, scandalous scenarios, shocking sequences, and mind-blowing scenes. So we get great cinema. Tarantino makes spellbinding films filled with hypnotic characters, plots twists, and settings. And Django Unchained is no exception; it is simply great

Django Unchained is essentially three movies: a quasi-slave narrative, a gun-slinging Western, and a revenge movie that come together as a Spaghetti Western, more so than as an American Western film, especially the ones made before the 1960s. This film looks and acts like a Western, only, the cowboy hero is a slave-turned-bounty hunter and the Old West town in need of taming is a Mississippi plantation.

The result of Tarantino’s genius screenwriting is that the actors cast in his films have the material to fashion great characters, regardless of the individual actor’s level of talent. When the talent is Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson, magic happens. Foxx reveals the evolution of Django from slave to free man in a way that allows the viewer to share the change; Foxx makes Django passionate, vulnerable, and a true cowboy movie hero.

I initially was not crazy about Christoph Waltz as the Nazi colonel and “Jew hunter,” Hans Landa, in Inglourious Basterds, but I’ve grown to love that performance. Landa was not a fluke; here, Waltz fashions a man of many of colors in Dr. King Shultz, a performance which deserves at least an Oscar nomination. Leonardo DiCaprio is a blazing star as Calvin J. Candie, simply because DiCaprio creates a monster in Candie by not being what people probably expect – over the top and inflammatory. There is some subtlety, grace, and depth in DiCaprio’s performance here.

Sam Jackson won’t get the Oscar he deserves for creating Stephen, the ultimate / major domo “house nigger” and Candie’s right-hand man. As great as Foxx, Waltz, and DiCaprio are, Jackson creates a supporting character that is as good as the best in American cinematic history. Stephen is so reprehensible and is odious to the point of being intolerable, and the character is embarrassingly real in the context of the history of American slavery. Jackson will likely be left out because the Academy that hands out Oscar nominations will likely pay more attention to Waltz and perhaps, DiCaprio than Jackson. Besides, Stephen may be a bit too much for conservative Oscar voters to take.

But that is the magic of what Quentin Tarantino can create. He is the best director of his generation – better than the likes of such stalwarts as Chris Nolan and David Fincher. Django Unchained proves it.

10 of 10

Saturday, December 29, 2012

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Black Film Critics Circle Chooses "Zero Dark Thirty"

The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) chose Zero Dark Thirty as the best film of 2012.  The group was founded in 2010 and is a membership organization comprised of film critics of color from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, radio, television and qualifying on-line publications.

2012 Black Film Critics Circle:

Best Film: "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"

Best Adapted Screenplay: "Argo"

Best Original Screenplay: "Django Unchained"

Best Animated Film: "Rise of the Guardians"

Best Foreign Film: "The Intouchables" (from France)

Best Documentary: "The Central Park Five"

Best Ensemble: "Lincoln"

75 Tunes Vie for 5 "Best Original Song" Oscars Nominations

75 Original Songs Tune Up For 2012 Oscar®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Seventy-five songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2012 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 85th Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film and song title:

"For You" from "Act of Valor"

"Metaphorical Blanket" from "Any Day Now"

"Let It Rain" from "Being Flynn"

"Learn Me Right" from "Brave"

"Touch the Sky" from "Brave"

"Airport" from "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best"

"Come on Girl" from "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best"

"Someday" from "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best"

"Protect the King" from "Brooklyn Castle"

"California Solo" from "California Solo"

"Casa De Mi Padre" from "Casa De Mi Padre"

"Del Cielo" from "Casa De Mi Padre"

"Yo No Se" from "Casa De Mi Padre"

"No Other Plans" from "Celeste and Jesse Forever"

"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice"

"By the Light of the Moon" from "Crossroad"

"The Sambola! International Dance Craze" from "Damsels in Distress"

"When You Comin' Home" from "Darling Companion"

"Death by China" from "Death by China"

"Delhi Safari" from "Delhi Safari"

"Ancora Qui" from "Django Unchained"

"Freedom" from "Django Unchained"

"100 Black Coffins" from "Django Unchained"

"Who Did That to You?" from "Django Unchained"

"How Bad Can I Be?" from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"

"Let It Grow" from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"

"Thneedville" from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"

"Ain't No Train" from "Downtown Express"

"You Don't Have to Be a Star" from "Fame High"

"Jose's Martyrdom" from "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada"

"Strange Love" from "Frankenweenie"

"Voodoo" from "Halloween Party"

"Luna Nascosta" from "Hidden Moon"

"Song of the Lonely Mountain" from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

"Abraham's Daughter" from "The Hunger Games"

"Master of the Seas" from "Ice Age Continental Drift"

"We Are" from "Ice Age Continental Drift"

"Looking for a Sign" from "Jeff, Who Lives at Home"

"From Here to the Moon and Back" from "Joyful Noise"

"He's Everything" from "Joyful Noise"

"I'm Yours" from "Joyful Noise"

"Wide Awake" from "Katy Perry: Part of Me"

"Cosmonaut" from "Lawless"

"Beaten Up and Broken Down" from "Least among Saints"

"Suddenly" from "Les Misérables"

"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi"

"When I Grow Up" from "Losing Control"

"Love Always Comes as a Surprise" from "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"

"Ladies of Tampa" from "Magic Mike"

"The Baddest Man Alive" from "The Man with the Iron Fists"

"This Gift" from "The Odd Life of Timothy Green"

"Still Alive" from "Paul Williams Still Alive"

"Dotted Line" from "People Like Us"

"Snake Eyes" from "Promised Land"

"Razors.Out" from "The Raid: Redemption"

"I'm Not Leaving" from "Re:Generation"

"Still Dream" from "Rise of the Guardians"

"Undercover Love" from "Rock of Ages"

"Big Machine" from "Safety Not Guaranteed"

"I Be Here" from "Saint Dracula"

"I Have Secrets" from "Saint Dracula"

"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"

"Breath of Life" from "Snow White and the Huntsman"

"Gone" from "Snow White and the Huntsman"

"One Wing" from "Sparkle"

"Not Running Anymore" from "Stand Up Guys"

"Feel Love" from "Struck by Lightning"

"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted"

"Never Had" from "10 Years"

"Dull Tool" from "This Is 40"

"She Won't Let Go" from "Until They Are Home"

"Kiss Me Goodbye" from "Virginia"

"Anything Made of Paper" from "West of Memphis"

"Hashishet Albi" from "Where Do We Go Now?"

"When Can I See You Again?" from "Wreck-It Ralph"

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Negromancer 2013

Happy New Year!  Welcome to Negromancer, a ComicBookBin blog (www.comicbookbin.com). This is rebirth of the former movie review website as a movie review and movie news website and blog.

We just finished our second full calender year, and this month will mark our third reincarnation birthday.  We also want to take a moment to remember all the film, television, and comic book people we lost last year, including the recent passings of Jack Klugman, Gerry Anderson, and Charles Durning.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.