Producers Guild Names "Argo" Best Picture of 2012

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

 

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

 

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

 

2013 Producers Guild Of America Award Winners:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

Review: "Ice Age: Continental Drift" - Same Old, Same Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild rude humor and action/peril
DIRECTORS: Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier
WRITERS: Michael Berg and Jason Fuchs; from a story by Michael Berg and Lori Forte
PRODUCERS: Lori Forte and John C. Donkin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Renato Falcão
EDITORS: James Palumbo and David Ian Salter with Christopher Campbell
COMPOSER: John Powell

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ADVENTURE and FAMILY/FANTASY

Starring: (voices) Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, Alan Tudyk, Aubrey “Drake” Graham, Josh Gad, Nick Frost, Aziz Ansari, Nicki Minaj, Heather Morris, Joy Behar, with Queen Latifah and Chris Wedge

The subject of this movie review is Ice Age: Continental Drift, a 2012 computer-animated film from Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox. This comedy-adventure movie is the fourth film in the Ice Age series. Continental Drift follows the original Ice Age trio of Manny, Diego, and Sid after they are separated from the rest of the herd.

As Ice Age: Continental Drift begins, the herd is living in peace in the vast land they call home. Manfred “Manny” the mammoth (Ray Romano) is at odds with his teenage daughter, Peaches (Keke Palmer), with mother, Ellie (Queen Latifah), caught in the middle. Family strife isn’t the only rumbling in the land. The continents are dividing, and an earthquake separates Manny, Sid the giant sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) from Ellie and the rest of the herd.

Lost at sea, Manny, Sid, and Diego begin an epic journey to reunite with the herd, their family. Standing in their way are a vicious primate, Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage), and his band of pirates, who sale the seas using a floating iceberg as their ship. Meanwhile, the prehistoric squirrel/rat, Scrat (Chris Wedge), continues to chase that acorn.

I expected Ice Age: Continental Drift to be more of the same when it comes to the Ice Age franchise, but that is not a bad thing, anyway. The Ice Age films have been entertaining, if not great, because the franchise’s shtick is both funny and familiar. Each Ice Age film is basically a prehistoric, domestic situation comedy featuring talking animals, and the situation always involves some adventurous mission.

Still, Continental Drift offers its own inventive high points: icebergs as pirate ships, a group of tricky sirens, and Scrat’s treasure hunt come to mind. Captain Gutt and his pirates are, in my estimation, the series’ scariest villains to date, with Peter Dinklage giving a wonderful, layered voice performance. The film actually has a number of good voice performances. Wanda Sykes delivers her funniest voiceover as Sid’s Granny, and Jennifer Lopez is just shockingly good as Shira, a saber-toothed tiger and one of Gutt’s crew.

Continental Drift underutilizes some characters, such as Louis the mole hog (Josh Gad), Peaches’ love-interest-of-sorts. Sometimes, the film is too laid back, but overall Ice Age: Continental Drift is quite good. I found myself laughing at and with the characters, and ultimately, I cared enough to cheer them on.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, January 25, 2013

Jordan Flaherty Names "Beasts of the Southern Wild" as 2012's Best Film

One of my favorite writers is journalist Jordan Flaherty, who is also a staffer with the Louisiana Justice Institute.  If there is a better journalist in Louisiana than Flaherty, he or she isn't better by much.  He has written a must-read piece on the year in movies for Truthout, "Best Films of 2012: Top Ten Picks From a Bumper Crop of Bold Creations."

You can read it here, but I am cheating and printing here, "Jordan Flaherty's Top Ten Movies for the Year 2012:"

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild

2. The Central Park Five

3. United in Anger: A History of ACT-UP

4. Middle of Nowhere

5. The Master

6. Red Hook Summer

7. Moonrise Kingdom

8. 5 Broken Cameras

9. Killing Them Softly

10. The Paperboy

New "Power Rangers Megaforce" Debuts Feb. 2, 2013

(Ciara Hanna, John Mark Loudermilk, Andrew Gray, Azim Rizk, and Christina Masterson as the Power Rangers Megaforce. Courtesy of Business Wire.)

Saban Brands Presents All-New Series, Power Rangers Megaforce, Premiering Saturday, Feb. 2, at 1 pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon

The Newest Installment Marks 20 Years for the Power Rangers Property and Features New Cast and Mega Action

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Saban Brands and Nickelodeon today announced Power Rangers, the number one show with Boys 2-11 and Boys 6-11 across all TV in its time period (Source: NMR, 4Q12 Premieres, Sat 1p-130p, Live + SD), will debut its all-new season, Saban’s Power Rangers Megaforce, on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 1 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. Power Rangers Megaforce marks the 20th anniversary of the franchise and kicks off its year-long celebration. Following the premiere, the show will air regularly Saturdays at 1 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, with encores airing Saturdays at 8 a.m. ET on Nicktoons.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Nickelodeon and introduce fans everywhere to a MEGA-installment of the 20 year franchise,” said Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands. “Our collaboration will make the launch of the all new season, Power Rangers Megaforce, as strong as ever.”

Power Rangers Megaforce introduces a plot line that is sure to captivate audiences. The new series features Gosei, a supernatural guardian who for centuries has protected the earth with his robotic aide, Tensou. But when the evil Warstar aliens begin their massive invasion, Gosei calls upon five teenagers with talent and attitude to form the ultimate team...the Power Rangers Megaforce!

When the teens morph into Power Rangers, they gain superhuman strength, agility, and mastery over martial arts. With the aid of special Power Cards, the teens are able to control the earth’s elements to use in their defense, from crushing rock slides to powerful floods. The Power Cards also give them access to amazing combat moves, hi-tech weapons, massive Zord vehicles and the ability to combine these Zords into gigantic Megazord robots to help them battle their enemies. But defending the earth from the invading Warstar aliens is just the beginning of their heroic journey to save the world.

The all new Megaforce Rangers include Troy (Andrew Gray), the Red Ranger who is the new kid in town that loves martial arts; Noah (John Mark Loudermilk), the Blue Ranger who has a thirst for knowledge and a love for science; Gia (Ciara Hanna), the Yellow Ranger who is the prettiest, most successful yet toughest girl at school; Emma (Christina Masterson), the Pink Ranger who is a compassionate and charitable teen and Jake (Azim Rizk), the Black Ranger who is a fearless, fun-loving teen with a passion for soccer.

In addition to the series premiere, Saban Brands is launching its in-school emPOWER program for the third consecutive year in a row. The emPOWER program teaches kids and families how to put the Power Rangers values of teamwork, confidence, health and physical activity into action. The program provides free in-school healthy eating and exercise curriculum resources to more than 100,000 teachers annually, as well as resources, recipes, and tips online for parents through the website www.empower.powerrangers.com.

Beginning Feb. 18, fans can visit Nick.com to play the newest mini game, Power Rangers Megaforce: Never Surrender. In Never Surrender, players help their favorite rangers take on the pesky Loogies and fearsome Warstar Aliens. They can also form their own teams of two by choosing the ranger they wish to play with; from there they’ll battle their way through waves of oncoming enemies in familiar environments from the show. Each ranger has their own specialized combo attacks, augmented attacks and a team up Megaforce attack – along the way, players collect Gosei coins in order to redeem Megaforce Power Cards that grant their rangers enhanced weapon and elemental abilities.

For more information on Power Rangers Megaforce, please visit www.powerrangers.com.


About Saban’s Power Rangers Megaforce
Power Rangers Megaforce is the all-new season of the No.1 live-action kids action series on television. The new series, which airs Saturdays at 1p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, delivers mega action, humor, excitement and entertainment, in addition to the core themes of friendship, teamwork, fitness, and helping others. Power Rangers Megaforce premieres as Saban Brands celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise, which is helmed by Haim Saban, who created and produced the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series in 1993. Following its introduction, Power Rangers quickly became the most-watched children’s television program in the United States. The series followed the adventures of a group of ordinary young people who “morphed” into superheroes. It was seen in more than 60 countries, translated into numerous languages, and was a mainstay in the most prominent international children’s programming blocks. SCG Power Rangers LLC, which licenses and merchandises the Power Rangers brand, is an affiliate of Saban Brands. For more information, visit www.powerrangers.com.

About Saban Brands
Formed in 2010 as an affiliate of Saban Capital Group, Saban Brands (SB) was established to acquire and develop a world-class portfolio of properties and capitalize on the company’s experience, track record and capabilities in growing and monetizing consumer brands through content, media and marketing. SB applies a strategic transmedia management approach to enhancing and extending its brands in markets worldwide and to consumers of all ages. The company provides full-service management, marketing, promotion and strategic business development for its intellectual properties including comprehensive strategies unique to each brand, trademark and copyright management and enforcement, creative design, retail development, direct-to-consumer initiatives and specialized property extensions. SB is led by a superior management team with decades of experience in media, content creation, branding, licensing, marketing and finance. For more information, visit www.sabanbrands.com.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 18 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

DreamWorks Begins Production on "WikiLeaks" Movie

Production Begins on DreamWorks’ WikiLeaks Project “The Fifth Estate”

Drama Will Open in Theaters November 15, 2013

Participant Media Joins Project

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on the WikiLeaks drama “The Fifth Estate,” it was announced today by DreamWorks Studios. The film about the controversial website stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg, as well as Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, Dan Stevens, Alicia Vikander and Carice van Houten.

“The Fifth Estate” will open in U.S. theaters on November 15, 2013 and be distributed domestically by Disney’s Touchstone label. Distribution internationally will be split among Disney, DreamWorks partner Reliance, and deals made through the studio’s partnership with Mister Smith Entertainment.

Following Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Brühl), an early supporter and eventual colleague of Julian Assange (Cumberbatch), “The Fifth Estate” traces the heady, early days of WikiLeaks, culminating in the release of a series of controversial and history changing information leaks. The website’s overnight success brought instant fame to its principal architects and transformed the flow of information to news media and the world at large.

Joining DreamWorks as a co-financier on “The Fifth Estate” is Participant Media. This will be the fifth collaboration between the two companies who previously partnered on Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” the 2011 Academy Award-winning smash “The Help,” “The Kite Runner” and “The Soloist.” With a focus on real issues that shape our lives, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Some of their other films include “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Food, Inc.,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Waiting for ‘'Superman,’” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and the current Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, “No.”

Bill Condon (“Kinsey,” “Dreamgirls,” "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn") will direct “The Fifth Estate” from a screenplay by Josh Singer (TV’s “Fringe,” “The West Wing”), based on “Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website” by Daniel Domscheit-Berg and “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy” by David Leigh and Luke Harding. The producers are Steve Golin and Michael Sugar, with Participant’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King joining Richard Sharkey as executive producers. “The Fifth Estate” is a coproduction between Afterworks and FBO, with Hilde De Laere co-producing for FBO. The film is supported by the Belgian Tax Shelter for Audiovisual Production.

Said director Bill Condon, “It may be decades before we understand the full impact of WikiLeaks and how it's revolutionized the spread of information. So this film won't claim any long view authority on its subject, or attempt any final judgment. We want to explore the complexities and challenges of transparency in the information age and, we hope, enliven and enrich the conversations WikiLeaks has already provoked.”


About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $150 million at the U.S. box office and has been nominated for twelve Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Other releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need For Speed."

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

"Hansel and Gretel" Has Preview of G.I. Joe Sequel

EXCLUSIVE 3D FOOTAGE OF “G.I. JOE: RETALIATION” TO PLAY IN ADVANCE OF “HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS” IN THEATERS ACROSS THE GLOBE

THE 4-MINUTE PREVIEW WILL BEGIN PLAYING JANUARY 24TH IN IMAX 3D, REALD 3D AND DIGITAL 3D LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with Hasbro, will release a 4-minute preview of the highly anticipated “G.I. JOE: RETALIATION” in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D and digital 3D theaters in advance of Paramount and MGM’s “HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS.”

This first-look at the film will play across the globe beginning January 24th and run throughout “HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTER’S” theatrical engagement.

Based on the best-selling HASBRO characters, this follow-up to the 2009 release of “G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA,” which grossed more than $300 million worldwide, is di Bonaventura production and is presented by Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with Hasbro.

In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra, they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The film stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Elodie Yung, Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Jon M. Chu, and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner of Hasbro, from a screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe® characters.

“G.I. JOE: RETALIATION” is in theaters everywhere March 29th, 2013.

“HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS” stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as Hansel and Gretel, who, after getting a taste for blood as children, become the ultimate vigilantes, hell bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches... their past. In addition to Renner and Arterton, the film stars Famke Janssen and Peter Stormare. Written and directed by Tommy Wirkola and produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick and Beau Flynn.

“HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS” opens in the U.S. and Canada on January 24, 2013 with show times beginning at 10 p.m.


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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (“MGM”) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and distribution of films and television content globally. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television programming. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international television channels, including MGM-branded channels. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

2013 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations List

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is an American labor union that represents film and television performers worldwide. Most people probably know SAG for the various actors’ strikes or for the Screen Actors Guild Award, which SAG uses to honor outstanding performances by its members. The first SAG Awards ceremony was held in February 1995 (for films released in 1994).

The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® will be simulcast live nationally on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT) from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. An encore performance will air immediately following on TNT at 10 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (PT). Recipients of the stunt ensemble honors will be announced from the SAG Awards® red carpet during the tntdrama.com and tbs.com live pre-show webcasts, which begin at 6 p.m. (ET)/3 p.m. (PT).

19th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS:

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
BRADLEY COOPER / Pat - “SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK” (The Weinstein Company)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Abraham Lincoln - "LINCOLN” (Touchstone Pictures)
JOHN HAWKES / Mark - "THE SESSIONS" (Fox Searchlight)
HUGH JACKMAN / Jean Valjean - "LES MISÉRABLES" (Universal Pictures)
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Whip Whitaker - "FLIGHT" (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Maya - "ZERO DARK THIRTY” (Columbia Pictures)
MARION COTILLARD / Stephanie - “RUST AND BONE” (Sony Pictures Classics)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Tiffany - “SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK” (The Weinstein Company)
HELEN MIRREN / Alma Reville - “HITCHCOCK” (Fox Searchlight)
NAOMI WATTS / Maria - “THE IMPOSSIBLE” (Summit Entertainment)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
ALAN ARKIN / Lester Siegel - “ARGO” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JAVIER BARDEM / Silva - "SKYFALL" (Columbia Pictures)
ROBERT DE NIRO / Pat, Sr. - "SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK" (The Weinstein Company)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN / Lancaster Dodd - “THE MASTER” (The Weinstein Company)
TOMMY LEE JONES / Thaddeus Stevens - “LINCOLN” (Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
SALLY FIELD / Mary Todd Lincoln - "LINCOLN" (Touchstone Pictures)
ANNE HATHAWAY / Fantine - “LES MISÉRABLES” (Universal Pictures)
HELEN HUNT / Cheryl - “THE SESSIONS” (Fox Searchlight)
NICOLE KIDMAN / Charlotte Bless - "THE PAPERBOY” (Millennium Entertainment)
MAGGIE SMITH / Muriel Donnelly - “THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL” (Fox Searchlight)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
ARGO (Warner Bros. Pictures):
BEN AFFLECK / Tony Mendez
ALAN ARKIN / Lester Siegel
KERRY BISHÉ / Kathy Stafford
KYLE CHANDLER / Hamilton Jordan
RORY COCHRANE / Lee Schatz
BRYAN CRANSTON / Jack O’Donnell
CHRISTOPHER DENHAM / Mark Lijek
TATE DONOVAN / Bob Anders
CLEA DUVALL / Cora Lijek
VICTOR GARBER / Ken Taylor
JOHN GOODMAN / John Chambers
SCOOT McNAIRY / Joe Stafford
CHRIS MESSINA / Malinov

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (Fox Searchlight)
JUDI DENCH / Evelyn Greenslade
CELIA IMRIE / Madge Hardcastle
BILL NIGHY / Douglas Ainslie
DEV PATEL / Sonny Kapoor
RONALD PICKUP / Norman Cousins
MAGGIE SMITH / Muriel Donnelly
TOM WILKINSON / Graham Dashwood
PENELOPE WILTON / Jean Ainslie

LES MISÉRABLES (Universal Pictures)
ISABELLE ALLEN / Young Cosette
SAMANTHA BARKS / Eponine
SACHA BARON COHEN / Thénardier
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Madame Thénardier
RUSSELL CROWE / Javert
ANNE HATHAWAY / Fantine
DANIEL HUTTLESTONE / Gavroche
HUGH JACKMAN / Jean Valjean
EDDIE REDMAYNE / Marius
AMANDA SEYFRIED / Cosette
AARON TVEIT / Enjolras
COLM WILKINSON / Bishop

LINCOLN (Touchstone Pictures)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Abraham Lincoln
SALLY FIELD / Mary Todd Lincoln
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT / Robert Todd Lincoln
HAL HOLBROOK / Preston Blair
TOMMY LEE JONES / Thaddeus Stevens
JAMES SPADER / W.N. Bilbo
DAVID STRATHAIRN / William Seward

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (The Weinstein Company)
BRADLEY COOPER / Pat
ROBERT DE NIRO / Pat, Sr.
ANUPAM KHER / Dr. Cliff Patel
JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Tiffany
CHRIS TUCKER / Danny
JACKI WEAVER / Dolores


PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
KEVIN COSTNER / “Devil Anse” Hatfield - “HATFIELDS & McCOYS” (History)
WOODY HARRELSON / Steve Schmidt - “GAME CHANGE” (HBO)
ED HARRIS / John McCain - “GAME CHANGE” (HBO)
CLIVE OWEN / Ernest Hemingway - “HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN“ (HBO)
BILL PAXTON / Randall McCoy - “HATFIELDS & McCOYS” (History)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
NICOLE KIDMAN / Martha Gellhorn - “HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN” (HBO)
JULIANNE MOORE / Sarah Palin - “GAME CHANGE” (HBO)
CHARLOTTE RAMPLING / Eva Delectorskaya - “RESTLESS” (Sundance Channel)
SIGOURNEY WEAVER / Elaine Barrish Hammond - “POLITICAL ANIMALS” (USA)
ALFRE WOODARD / Ouiser - “STEEL MAGNOLIAS” (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson - “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
JEFF DANIELS / Will McAvoy - “THE NEWSROOM” (HBO)
JON HAMM / Don Draper - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
DAMIAN LEWIS / Nicholas Brody - “HOMELAND” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
CLAIRE DANES / Carrie Mathison - “HOMELAND” (Showtime)
MICHELLE DOCKERY / Lady Mary Crawley - “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)
JESSICA LANGE / Sister Jude - “AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM” (FX)
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham - “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
LOUIS C.K. / Louie - “LOUIE” (FX)
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper - “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton - “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
AMY POEHLER / Leslie Knope - “PARKS AND RECREATION” (NBC)
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
CHRIS CALDOVINO / Tonino Sandrelli
BOBBY CANNAVALE / Gyp Rosetti
MEG CHAMBERS STEEDLE / Billie Kent
CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
PATRICK KENNEDY / Dr. Douglas Mason
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Thompson
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
SHEA WHIGHAM / Elias “Eli” Thompson
ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky

BREAKING BAD (AMC)
JONATHAN BANKS / Mike Ehrmantraut
BETSY BRANDT / Marie Schrader
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White
LAURA FRASER / Lydia Rodart-Quayle
ANNA GUNN / Skyler White
RJ MITTE / Walter White, Jr.
DEAN NORRIS / Hank Schrader
BOB ODENKIRK / Saul Goodman
AARON PAUL / Jesse Pinkman
JESSE PLEMONS / Todd
STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA / Gomez

DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
HUGH BONNEVILLE / Robert, Earl of Grantham
ZOE BOYLE / Lavinia Swire
LAURA CARMICHAEL / Lady Edith Crawley
JIM CARTER / Mr. Carson
BRENDAN COYLE / John Bates
MICHELLE DOCKERY / Lady Mary Crawley
JESSICA BROWN FINDLAY / Lady Sybil Crawley
SIOBHAN FINNERAN / O’Brien
JOANNE FROGGATT / Anna
IAIN GLEN / Sir Richard Carlisle
THOMAS HOWES / William
ROB JAMES-COLLIER / Thomas
ALLEN LEECH / Tom Branson
PHYLLIS LOGAN / Mrs. Hughes
ELIZABETH McGOVERN / Cora, Countess of Grantham
SOPHIE McSHERA / Daisy
LESLEY NICOL / Mrs. Patmore
AMY NUTTALL / Ethel
DAVID ROBB / Dr. Clarkson
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham
DAN STEVENS / Matthew Crawley
PENELOPE WILTON / Isobel Crawley

HOMELAND (Showtime)
MORENA BACCARIN / Jessica Brody
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET / Finn Walden
CLAIRE DANES / Carrie Mathison
RUPERT FRIEND / Peter Quinn
DAVID HAREWOOD / David Estes
DIEGO KLATTENHOFF / Mike Faber
DAMIAN LEWIS / Nicholas Brody
DAVID MARCIANO / Virgil
NAVID NEGAHBAN / Abu Nazir
JACKSON PACE / Chris Brody
MANDY PATINKIN / Saul Berenson
ZULEIKHA ROBINSON / Roya Hammad
MORGAN SAYLOR / Dana Brody
JAMEY SHERIDAN / Vice President Walden
HRACH TITIZIAN / Danny Galvez

MAD MEN (AMC)
BEN FELDMAN / Michael Ginsberg
JAY R. FERGUSON / Stan Rizzo
JON HAMM / Don Draper
JARED HARRIS / Lane Pryce
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS / Joan Harris
VINCENT KARTHEISER / Pete Campbell
ROBERT MORSE / Bertram Cooper
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson
JESSICA PARÉ / Megan Calvet Draper
TEYONAH PARRIS / Dawn Chambers
KIERNAN SHIPKA / Sally Draper
JOHN SLATTERY / Roger Sterling
RICH SOMMER / Harry Crane
AARON STATON / Kenneth Cosgrove

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
SCOTT ADSIT / Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI / Jenna Maroney
JACK McBRAYER / Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN / Tracy Jordan
KEITH POWELL / Toofer

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
KALEY CUOCO / Penny
JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski

GLEE (FOX)
DIANNA AGRON / Quinn Fabray
CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel
DARREN CRISS / Blaine Anderson
SAMUEL LARSEN / Joe Hart
VANESSA LENGIES / Sugar Motta
JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
KEVIN McHALE / Artie Abrams
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
CORY MONTEITH / Finn Hudson
HEATHER MORRIS / Brittany Pierce
MATTHEW MORRISON / Will Schuester
ALEX NEWELL / Wade Adams/Unique
CHORD OVERSTREET / Sam Evans
AMBER RILEY / Mercedes Jones
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez
MARK SALLING / Noah “Puck” Puckerman
HARRY SHUM, JR. / Mike Chang
JENNA USHKOWITZ / Tina Cohen-Chang

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily Tucker-Pritchett
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
MACKENZIE ALADJEM / Fiona Peyton
EVE BEST / Dr. Ellie O’Hara
BOBBY CANNAVALE / Dr. Mike Cruz
JAKE CANNAVALE / Charlie Cruz
PETER FACINELLI / Dr. Fitch Cooper
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton
DOMINIC FUMUSA / Kevin Peyton
ARJUN GUPTA / Sam
LENNY JACOBSON / Lenny
RUBY JERINS / Grace Peyton
PAUL SCHULZE / Eddie Walzer
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH / Gloria Akalitus
STEPHEN WALLEM / Thor Lundgren
MERRITT WEVER / Zoey Barkow

THE OFFICE (NBC)
LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone
CREED BRATTON / Creed Bratton
CLARKE DUKE / Clark
JENNA FISCHER / Pam Halpert
KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer
ED HELMS / Andy Bernard
MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor
ELLIE KEMPER / Erin Hannon
ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin
JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert
JAKE LACY / Peter
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson
B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez
CRAIG ROBINSON / Darryl Philbin
PHYLLIS SMITH / Phyllis Vance
CATHERINE TATE / Nellie Bertram
RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute


SAG AWARDS HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Columbia Pictures)
THE BOURNE LEGACY (Universal Pictures)
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (Warner Bros. Pictures)
LES MISÉRABLES (Universal Pictures)
SKYFALL (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
BREAKING BAD (AMC)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)
THE WALKING DEAD (AMC)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild 49th Annual Life Achievement Award
DICK VAN DYKE

Review: "Looper" the Coop-o-Loop of Time Travel Films

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Looper (2012)
Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson
PRODUCERS: Ram Bergman and James D. Stern
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steve Yedlin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Bob Ducsay
COMPOSER: Nathan Johnson

SCI-FI/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Pierce Gagnon, Summer Qing, Tracie Thoms, Garret Dillahunt, Frank Brennan, and Nick Gomez

Looper is a 2012 science fiction-thriller from writer-director, Rian Johnson. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was also the lead in Johnson’s debut feature film, Brick (2005).

Looper opens in the year 2044, in a Kansas cornfield. We watch 25-year-old Joseph “Joe” Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) shoot a man who suddenly appears in front of him. In the year 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, it sends the target 30 years into the past, where a hired gun, called a “looper,” awaits to do the killing. When the crime bosses want to end a looper’s contract, they send him back so that his younger self can do the killing. It’s called “closing the loop.”

One day, “Young Joe” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) learns that it is time to close his loop when “Old Joe” (Bruce Willis) suddenly appears in front of him. After Old Joe escapes, Young Joe becomes the target of his boss, Abe (Jeff Daniels), leader of a Kansas City mafia company.

When I first saw Rian Johnson’s Brick several years ago, I was impressed. The film was basically a classic detective movie set in a modern, suburban high school with dysfunctional kids and juvenile delinquents playing the roles of the detective, the femme fatale, and the criminals. Looper is more than just a clever time travel story. For one thing, it is probably the most imaginative time travel film since 12 Monkeys (in which Bruce Willis played the lead).

I don’t want to give away any more of Looper’s delightful surprises, shocking twists, and stunning turns. I will say that Looper is not just about the affect of time travel on the characters. It is also about what time, chance, and opportunity mean to the lives of the characters. Thus, Looper is a character drama as much as it is a science fiction film. Of course, there is action; after all, this is a movie in which Bruce Willis plays a major part. His character, “Old Joe,” is so desperate, however, that he is despicable, and that allows Willis to show a range of emotions and to suggest the complicated thought processes going on behind his eyes in ways that Willis rarely gets to do.

Besides Willis, there are good performances all around. Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves himself (once again) as a leading man, and Noah Segan shines (and steals a few scenes) as the anxious-to-prove-himself, Kid Blue. My only complaints about Looper are that it is a bit too long, and it stumbles in places because of that. Still, Looper is thought-provoking and thrilling, and it is something rare, a truly imaginative time travel movie.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Be in "Insidious Chapter 2" - The Contest

by Leroy Douresseaux

Remember Insidious, that really creepy horror movie from two years ago?  There is a sequel due this summer (2013).  And I just got this press release about a contest related to the sequel:

FilmDistrict is looking for the biggest Insidious fan ever with a chance to win a walk-on role in INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the team behind the original Insidious and Saw films. The lucky winner, to be personally selected by Wan, Whannell, and producer Jason Blum, will receive an all-expense paid trip for two to Los Angeles where he/she will get a walk-on role in the movie, filming now and due for release in theatres this summer.


HOW TO ENTER: Fans can enter by logging on to www.insidiouscastingcall.com, starting Tuesday, January 22nd and uploading a video to the Official Insidious: Chapter 2 YouTube or Facebook Page that tells James why he/she is the biggest Insidious fan and deserves to be cast alongside stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne in the sequel. The contest closes on February 4th, 2013.

The filmmakers have recorded a personal video explaining the contest for fans that can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/insidiousmovie

Winners will be announced on February 8th on the Official Insidious: Chapter 2 Facebook Page.


ABOUT INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 (In Theatres – AUGUST 13, 2013)
INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 is the sequel to 2010’s hit film that captivated horror movie audiences worldwide. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins return to reprise their roles in the film, directed by James Wan from a script by Leigh Whannell, who also wrote the first film. www.insidiouscastingcall.com

"Iron Man 3" Opens Early in IMAX

Marvel's Iron Man 3 Flies Into IMAX® Theatres Worldwide Starting April 25

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX), and Marvel Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced that Marvel's Iron Man 3(TM), the latest installment of the film franchise that has grossed more than $1.2 billion at the global box office, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX(®) 3D format and released to IMAX(®) theatres internationally starting April 25 and domestically on May 3.

Marvel's Iron Man 3 marks the fourth Marvel Entertainment film to be presented in IMAX theatres, following the releases of Iron Man 2 in 2010, Thor in 2011 and Marvel's The Avengers in 2012 - which all delivered record breaking performances in IMAX theatres.

"Marvel and IMAX are a perfect one-two punch and the Iron Man franchise has become a global phenomenon that resonates with fans around the world," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "We look forward to moviegoers experiencing this highly-anticipated next installment of Tony Stark's latest adventures in IMAX 3D."

"With Iron Man 3 building on the events of Marvel'sThe Avengers, audiences are in for yet another incredible moviegoing experience from Marvel Studios," said Dave Hollis, Executive Vice President of Motion Picture Distribution for The Walt Disney Studios. "We're thrilled to be able to offer that to fans in the larger-than-life action of IMAX 3D."

The IMAX 3D release of Marvel's Iron Man 3 will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(®) with proprietary IMAX DMR(®) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. You can learn more about Marvel's Iron Man 3 by visiting Marvel's official site at http://marvel.com/ironman3.


About Iron Man 3
Marvel's Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Marvel's Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel's iconic super hero Iron Man, who first appeared in the pages of Tales of Suspense #39 in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with The Invincible Iron Man # in May of 1968.

Marvel's Iron Man 3 is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D'Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film releases May 3, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information, visit http://www.marvel.com/.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of Sept. 30, 2012, there were 689 IMAX theatres (556 commercial multiplex, 20 commercial destination and 113 institutional) in 52 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Indiana Film Critics Name "Safety Not Guaranteed" 2012's Best Film

The Indiana Film Journalist Association (IFJA) named Safety Not Guaranteed, an indie comedy-drama inspired by a joke classified ad in Backwoods Home Magazine, as the "Best Film of 2012."  Quentin Tarantino was named "Best Director" for Django Unchained.

The IFJA is a film critics’ organization only formed in recent years. It seeks to promote film criticism in the state of Indiana and also gives out its annual awards in December.

The full list of 2012 Indiana Film Journalist Association Awards:

Best Film
"Safety Not Guaranteed"
(Runner-up: "Beasts of the Southern Wild")

Best Director
Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"
(Runner-up: Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty")

Best Actor (TIE):
Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
(Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook")

Best Supporting Actor
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
(Runner-up: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained")

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
(Runner-up: Helen Hunt, "The Sessions")

Best Adapted Screenplay
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
(Runner-up: "Silver Linings Playbook")

Best Original Screenplay
"Safety Not Guaranteed"
(Runner-up: "Django Unchained")

Best Musical Score
"Skyfall"
(Runner-up: "Life of Pi")

Best Animated Feature
"Rise of the Guardians"
(Runner-up: "ParaNorman")

Best Foreign Language Film
"The Raid: Redemption" (Indonesia)
(Runner-up: "Amour" – from Austria)

Best Documentary
"Searching for Sugar Man"
(Runner-up: "Room 237")

Original Vision Award
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
(Runner-up: "Django Unchained")

The Hoosier Award
Jon Vickers, Founding Director of Indiana University Cinema

"George Washington" Appropriate for MLK Day

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


George Washington (2000)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR: David Gordon Green
PRODUCERS: Sacha W. Mueller, Lisa Muskat, and David Gordon Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tim Orr
EDITOR: Zene Baker and Steven Gonzales

DRAMA

Starring: Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, Damian Jewan Lee, Curtis Cotton III, Rachael Handy, Paul Schneider, and Eddie Rouse

The subject of this movie review is George Washington, a 2000 indie drama film from writer-director, David Gordon Green. The film, which earned four nominations at the 2001 Independent Spirit Awards, is set in a depressed North Carolina town and follows a group of children covering up a tragic mistake.

In poor rural North Carolina, three children cover up a tragic accident, and this group decision affects all their lives. It begins when Nasia (Candace Evanofski), girl on the cusp on being a teenager, leaves her boyfriend, Buddy (Curtis Cotton III), because she thinks he acts too young, and falls for Buddy’s friend, the enigmatic George Richardson (Donald Holden). George, on the other hand, has his mind on being something bigger – being a hero who saves lives – but he has a secret to hide.

David Gordon Green made a splash among critics and fans of independent cinema with his film, George Washington. Green’s film emphasizes mood, atmosphere, and emotion, and his film is certainly more meditative and contemplative than most mainstream American films. Green’s natural dialogue sounds wonderful in the mouths of the young cast (all novices), and George Washington is one of the few times when an entire cast of child actors gives such tight performances that ring true to the ears and delight the eyes. The film is a bit slow at times, almost as if Green is determined to make a film that is so different from standard Hollywood fare – kind of like an indie/student art film. It’s perfect for that audience, but may be slow for audiences used to movie fast food.

6 of 10
B

Sunday, January 15, 2006

2013 Eddie Award Nominations Announced

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950. According to the group’s website, film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing. Since 1962, ACE has given its own annual award of merit, the Eddie Award.

NOMINEES FOR 63rd ANNUAL ACE EDDIE AWARDS:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
Argo - William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

Life of Pi - Tim Squyres, A.C.E.

Lincoln - Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

Skyfall - Stuart Baird, A.C.E.

Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. & William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Chris Gill

Les Misérables - Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.

Moonrise Kingdom - Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.

Silver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers

Ted - Jeff Freeman, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Brave - Nicholas C. Smith, A.C.E. & Robert Grahamjones, A.C.E.

Frankenweenie - Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E. & Mark Solomon

Rise of the Guardians - Joyce Arrastia

Wreck-It Ralph - Tim Mertens

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):
Samsara - Ron Fricke & Mark Magidson

Searching for Sugar Man - Malik Bendjelloul

West of Memphis - Billy McMillin

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):
American Masters – Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune: Pamela Scott Arnold

The Dust Bowl – Episode 1: The Great Plow Up: Craig Mellish

The Weight of the Nation: Episode 1: Consequences: Paula Heredia

BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:
Girls: “Pilot” - Robert Frazen, A.C.E. & Catherine Haight

Modern Family: “Mistery Date” - Ryan Case

Nurse Jackie: “Handle Your Scandal” - Gary Levy

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Breaking Bad: “Dead Freight” - Skip Macdonald A.C.E.

Breaking Bad: “Gliding Over All” - Kelley Dixon, A.C.E.

Mad Men: “The Other Woman” - Tom Wilson

Nashville: “Pilot” - Keith Henderson

Smash: “Pilot” - Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Homeland: “The Choice” - Terry Kelley, A.C.E.

Homeland: “State of Independence” - Jordan Goldman

The Newsroom: “We Just Decided To (Pilot)” - Anne McCabe, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
Game Change - Lucia Zucchetti, A.C.E.

Hatfields & McCoys, Part 1 - Don Cassidy

Hemingway & Gellhorn - Walter Murch, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:
Beyond Scared Straight: “Oklahoma County, OK – The Weight” - Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Mark S. Andrew, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Mark Baum, Jeremy Gantz, Johnny Skaare, J.C. Solis & Ken Yankee

Frozen Planet: “Ends of the Earth” - Andy Netley & Sharon Gillooly

Deadliest Catch: “I Don’t Want to Die” - Josh Earl, A.C.E. & Alex Durham

Review: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King (2012)
Running time: 77 minutes (1 hour, 17 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Toshiyuki Kubooka
WRITER: Ichirô Ôkôchi (based on the manga by Kentaro Miura)
PRODUCERS: Eiichi Kamagata, Mitsuru Ohshima, Akira Shimada, and Eiko Tanaka

ANIME/WAR/FANTASY/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: (voices) Marc Diraison, Kevin T. Collins, Carrie Keranen, Doug Erholtz, Jesse Corti, Christopher Kromer, Rachael Lillis, Marc Thompson, and Patrick Seitz

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King is a 2012 Japanese animated film (anime) from anime director Toshiyuki Kubooka. Kubooka directed the “Working Through Pain,” segment of the 2008 direct-to-DVD film, Batman: Gotham Knight.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 is based on Berserk, a Japanese manga (comic book) series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Berserk is set in a fantasy world that is modeled on medieval Europe. The story centers around the two characters, Guts (Marc Diraison), an orphaned mercenary, and Griffith (Kevin T. Collins), the leader of a mercenary group called the Band of the Hawk.

As the story begins, Guts is a mercenary on the loosing side of a battle, but he turns the tide of that battle when he defeats the Goliath-like, Bazuso (Russell Nash). This victory earns Guts a contest of skills with the Band of the Hawk, a band of mercenaries so feared that they are called the “grim reapers of the battlefield. The group’s leader, Griffith, convinces Guts, a loner, to join his band of mercenaries.

Soon, the Band of the Hawk is hired by the King of Midland to fight in the Midlanders’ war against their enemy, Chuder. Guts becomes indispensable to Griffith, but a monstrous fighter named Nosferatu Zodd has something to tell Guts about the strange jewel-like object Griffith wears around his neck. It is called the Egg of the King – the Crimson Behelit. And it has the power to shape Guts’ destiny.

When I first looked at the DVD box art for Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King, I thought that the movie would not amount to much. I was delightfully surprised; in fact, by the end of the movie, I wanted more. As it is set in a medieval Europe-inspired fantasy world, the viewer would expect violent battle scenes and sword fighting, and the film delivers that. The fights and battles are well designed and staged, and the fight between Guts and Nosferatu Zodd features a 360-degree spin of the camera that recalls the bullet time effects in The Matrix. There is a lot of violence, and some of it shocked even me, who, dear reader, has seen some appalling, outrageous, and disgusting depictions of violence over my lifetime as a film semi-fanatic.

The Egg of the King is simply full of surprises. Another of the surprises is the drama. The movie is almost stiff in the way the film depicts the characters’ motivations and conflicts, as if this were a British film of manners. The character drama, however, is intense, and demands that the viewer engage with various conflicts, motivations, and intrigue. Guts and Griffith are appealing characters, and the palace intrigue and court conspiracies are engrossing. The story grasps with many themes, including those of friendship and the nature of good and evil in humans, and the question of why men are so bloodthirsty often arises.

The animation is very good, often beautiful. It is a mixture of computer-animation (3D), some hand-drawn (2D) animation, and what looks like the computer-animation process of cel shading, which makes computer-animation look like hand-drawn animation. Some of the backgrounds, castles, interiors, landscapes, encampments, and battlefronts have the quality of paintings and fantasy illustration.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King is simply an all-around, high-quality, exceptional film. As an anime, this movie seems to be off in its own corner. It seeks to be more than just another fantasy war movie, and that it is.

8 of 10
A

Thursday, January 17, 2013

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Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Name "Lincoln" Best of 2012

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association named Steven Spielberg's Lincoln as the "Best Picture of 2012."  At the time of this announcement (mid-December 2012), this was the first critics' group to name Lincoln as the best film of the year.  However, the group chose Kathryn Bigelow as "Best Director" for her work on Zero Dark Thirty.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is also known as the DFW Film Critics Association. The group describes itself as a not-for-profit, unincorporated voluntary organization of print, broadcast and internet film critics based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and greater North Texas who meet its membership criteria. The DFW Film Critics Association currently consists of 29 broadcast, print, and online journalists from throughout North Texas.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 19th Annual Critics’ Poll:

Best Picture
1. "Lincoln"
2. "Argo"
3. "Zero Dark Thirty"
4. "Life of Pi"
5. "Les Misérables"
6. "Moonrise Kingdom"
7. "Silver Linings Playbook"
8. "Skyfall"
9. "The Master"
10. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Director
1. Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
3. Ben Affleck, "Argo"
4. Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
5. Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"

Best Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
2. Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
3. John Hawkes, "The Sessions"
4. Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables"
5. Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Actress
1. Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
3. Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
4. Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
5. Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"

Best Supporting Actor
1. Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
3. Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
4. Alan Arkin, "Argo"
5. Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Best Supporting Actress
1. Sally Field, "Lincoln"
2. Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
3. Amy Adams, "The Master"
4. Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
5. Ann Dowd, "Compliance"

Best Screenplay
1. "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. "Django Unchained"

Best Cinematography
1. "Life of Pi"
2. "Skyfall"

Best Animated Film
1. "ParaNorman"
2. "Frankenweenie"
3. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

Best Foreign Language Film
1. "Amour" (Austria)
2. "A Royal Affair" (Denmark)
3. "The Intouchables" (France)
4. "Holy Motors" (France)
5. "The Kid with a Bike" (Belgium, France, Italy)

Best Documentary
1. "Searching for Sugar Man"
2. "Bully"
3. "How to Survive a Plague"
4. "West of Memphis"
5. "The Invisible War"

DreamWorks Gets Matthew Quick's Upcoming Novel

DreamWorks Studios Acquires Matthew Quick’s “The Good Luck of Right Now”

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has acquired the manuscript to Matthew Quick’s latest work entitled “The Good Luck of Right Now,” it was announced today by Holly Bario, President of Production of the studio. Quick authored the book "The Silver Linings Playbook," as well as the young adult novels “Boy 21,” “Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock,” and “Sorta Like a Rock Star.”

The story follows the intertwined lives of four people, who are all outsiders in their own right. However, in the wake of grieving over pain and loss in their lives, they come together to form the most unlikely family.

“We immediately sparked to Matthew Quick's book and the heart and humor which is infused in his storytelling,” said Holly Bario. “All of us at DreamWorks are excited to begin developing this story and look to make it a priority at the studio.”

Matthew Quick is repped by CAA in conjunction with Douglas Stewart of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., who simultaneously negotiated the publishing rights for the book to Harper Collins.

Harper-Collins pre-empted the manuscript for publishing in the U.S. and Canada. They are targeting Spring 2014 to launch the book.


About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Currently in theaters is Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

Review: "Resident Evil: Retribution" is OK

 

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada/Germany; Language: English
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of strong violence throughout
DIRECTOR: Paul W.S. Anderson
WRITER: Paul W.S. Anderson (based upon the videogame, Resident Evil)
PRODUCERS: Paul W.S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Don Carmody, Samuel Hadida, and Robert Kulzer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Glen MacPherson
EDITOR: Niven Howie
COMPOSER: tomandandy

HORROR/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Aryana Engineer, Bingbing Li, Johann Urb, Kevin Durand, Oded Fehr, Robin Kasyanov, Ofilio Portillo, Colin Salmon, Shawn Roberts and Boris Kodjoe

Resident Evil: Retribution is a 2012 science fiction-action film. It is the fifth installment in the film franchise based upon the Capcom survival horror video game series, Resident Evil. This film is a direct sequel to the fourth movie, Resident Evil: Afterlife.

After the events depicted in Afterlife, Alice (Milla Jovovich) finds herself in the clutches of the Umbrella Corporation and being interrogated by her former ally, Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory). Alice isn’t sure what is real, as she starts encountering old allies like Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and Rain Ocampo (Michelle Rodriguez).

Even more surprising, an enemy claims to be a friend and declares that he has already initiated a plan to free Alice from the clutches of Umbrella. Alice is trapped in Umbrella Prime, and a five-man strike team is coming to her rescue. More than just Alice’s life is at stake, however, as she becomes the guardian of a hearing-impaired little girl named Becky (Aryana Engineer). Now, Alice is determined that nothing stops her: not zombie hordes, Las Plagas zombies, monsters, or even lickers.

Over the years, I have read many movie reviews in which the writers described action movies, especially ones they didn’t like, as video game movies. Because it is based on a video game, Resident Evil: Retribution is a video game movie, but that’s not the only reason it is. With its fire-fights, hand-to-hand combat, car chases, shootouts, monsters, science fiction elements, and explosions, Resident Evil: Retribution is a video game doing a decent impersonation of an actual movie.

Retribution isn’t a bad movie, but the acting is poor. The script is confusing. The plot barely has a pulse. This movie is about something, but not much other than action scenes. So what is the plot? Alice has to escape? There is some human interest by throwing in a child that the female action hero must save, similar to the surrogate mother-daughter dynamic in James Cameron’s Aliens (1986).

Still, the action scenes are good, especially after the movie crawls out of the hole that is the first twenty minutes or so runtime. The special effects and fight choreography save a mediocre story. Visually, Resident Evil: Retribution is pretty, but it feels like an empty installment in what has been a good franchise.

5 of 10
C+

Sunday, January 06, 2013

2013 "Scripter Award" Nominations Announced

USC Libraries Name Finalists for 25th-Annual Scripter Award

Tie results in six sets of writers and screenwriters earning nominations

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries have named the authors and screenwriters of Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Perks of Being a Wallflower and Silver Linings Playbook as finalists for the 25th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. A tie resulted in six sets of finalists for the 2013 honor, rather than the typical five.

The finalists are, in alphabetical order by film title:

•Joshuah Bearman, author of the article “The Great Escape,” Antonio J. Mendez, author of The Master of Disguise, and screenwriter Chris Terrio, for Argo

•For Beasts of the Southern Wild, dramatist Lucy Alibar, who wrote the play Juicy and Delicious, and screenwriter Benh Zeitlin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alibar

•Novelist Yann Martel and screenwriter David Magee for Life of Pi

•Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and screenwriter Tony Kushner for Lincoln

•Stephen Chbosky, author of the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower, as well as the screenplay based upon the book

•For Silver Linings Playbook, author Matthew Quick and screenwriter David O. Russell

The Scripter Award honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author of the written work upon which the screenplay is based. The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988, presenting the inaugural awards to author Helene Hanff and screenwriter Hugh Whitemore for 84 Charing Cross Road. This year marks the award’s 25th anniversary.

Other previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of The Descendants, The Social Network, Schindler’s List and L.A. Confidential.

Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the 2013 Scripter selection committee selected the six finalists from a field of 82 eligible adaptations.

Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Kaui Hart Hemmings and Jonathan Lethem; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Gale Ann Hurd and Lawrence Kasdan; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.

The studios distributing the finalist films and the publishers of the original stories are:

•Argo—Warner Bros., Wired for Bearman’s article, and Penguin for Mendez’s book

•Beasts of the Southern Wild—Fox Searchlight and Diversion Books, publisher of the play Juicy and Delicious, upon which Beasts of the Southern Wild is based

•Life of Pi—20th Century Fox and Mariner Books

•Lincoln—DreamWorks and Mariner Books

•Perks of Being a Wallflower—Summit Entertainment and MTV Books

•Silver Linings Playbook—Weinstein Company and Sara Crichton Books

The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford are serving as honorary dinner chairs.

Brokeback Mountain screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana will attend the ceremony to receive the previously announced Literary Achievement Award.

Current silent auction donors and other sponsors include Bennett Farms, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hawaii Five-0 and Eye Productions, Hungry Cat Santa Monica, L.A. Saddlery, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Namale Resort & Spa in Fiji, Paperblanks, PGA Tour, Picca Peruvian Cantina, the NFL, Pizzeria Mozza, Pleasant Holidays, the Sundance Institute, Terranea Resort, Tony Robbins, Montage Beverly Hills, the Wine of the Month Club, the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, the USC Thornton School of Music and the Friends of the USC Libraries board of directors.

For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.

2012 Women Film Critics Circle Awards - Complete List

The Women Film Critics Circle Awards went to many different films in 2012, although Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty received three awards.  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.

2012 Women Film Critics Circle Awards:

BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN
A Royal Affair

BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER (Screenwriting Award)
Two Days In NY (Julie Delpy)

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS
Quvenzhanee Wallis, Beast Of The Southern Wild

BEST COMEDIC ACTRESS
Maggie Smith, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN
Where Do We Go Now (from Lebanon with Egypt, France, and Italy)

BEST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
Zero Dark Thirty

WORST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE-TIE
Killer Joe
Think Like A Man

BEST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
Lincoln

WORST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
Killer Joe

BEST THEATRICALLY UNRELEASED MOVIE BY OR ABOUT WOMEN
Hemingway And Gellhorn

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ANIMATED FEMALES
Brave

BEST FAMILY FILM-TIE
Life Of Pi
Rise Of The Guardians

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Barbra Streisand

ACTING AND ACTIVISM.AWARD
Sally Field – Field is a dedicated advocate for women's rights. She has served on the Board of Directors of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international women's NGO, and has co-hosted the Global Leadership Awards. Field suffers from osteoporosis and has become a vocal advocate for women's health issues, encouraging early diagnosis of such conditions through technology, such as bone density scans.

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women -TIE
Compliance
The Invisible War

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: For best expressing the woman of color experience in America
Middle Of Nowhere

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD: For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity
A Royal Affair (from Denmark)

COURAGE IN ACTING: Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen
Helen Hunt, The Sessions

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD: Performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock

BEST DOCUMENTARY BY OR ABOUT A WOMAN
Queen Of Versailles

WOMEN’S WORK: BEST ENSEMBLE
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

BEST SCREEN COUPLE
Moonrise Kingdom: Bill Murray and Frances McDormand

*WFCC HALL OF SHAME*

Bachelorette with Kirsten Dunst, had all sorts of ditzy former high school classmates getting together for the wedding of a girl they used to make fun of. Just stupid on so many levels: male strippers, drinking, general girly silliness.

Ici-Bas (Down Below). Rape romance: A raped nun (Celine Sallette) falls in love with her rapist. The male fantasy horror of 'rape romance' on screen. A WFCC Hall Of Shame pick in tribute to the unnamed Indian student and rape murder victim, in the kind of traditional culture where women and girls are pressured to marry their rapists.

Skyfall: 'Bond Girl' is only on screen long enough to sell trailers and products like OPI's 'Skyfall Collection' of nail polishes, and gets bumped off at the end of Act II; M turns into a cowering incompetent and gets bumped off at the end of Act III; and the female sharp-shooter in Act I loses her nerve and leaves 'Field Operations' to become an office assistant in Act III. I loved the Sean Connery/James Bond films as a kid. Women got to be part of the action; the Bond Girl was always there to celebrate success at the end. But as a 50th anniversary tribute to the Bond series made in 2012, Skyfall truly broke my heart!

MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Helena Bonham Carter, Les Miserables

BEST LINE IN A MOVIE 2012
"...You can't kill the animals in a movie, only the women." - Christopher Walken/Seven Psychopaths

JUST KIDDING AWARD:
Best Male Images In A Movie: Magic Mike

*Please Note: The WFCC Top Ten Hall Of Shame represents the ‘don’t tell me to shut up’ sidebar contribution of individual members, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Circle. Also, members may be objecting to particular characters in a film, and not the entire movie. Clarification: If an aspect of the movie is intentionally negative to make a point, rather than offensive, that is not under consideration for this category.

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: Adrienne Shelly was a promising actress and filmmaker who was brutally strangled in her apartment in 2006 at the age of forty by a construction worker in the building, after she complained about noise. Her killer tried to cover up his crime by hanging her from a shower20rack in her bathroom, to make it look like a suicide. He later confessed that he was having a “bad day.” Shelly, who left behind a baby daughter, had just completed her film Waitress, which she also starred in, and which was honored at Sundance after her death.

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: The daughter of a laundress and a musician, Baker overcame being born black, female and poor, and marriage at age fifteen, to become an internationally acclaimed legendary performer, starring in the films Princess Tam Tam, Moulin Rouge and Zou Zou. She also survived the race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois as a child, and later expatriated to France to escape US racism. After participating heroically in the underground French Resistance during WWII, Baker returned to the US where she was a crusader for racial equality. Her activism led to attacks against her by reporter Walter Winchell who denounced her as a communist, leading her to wage a battle against him. Baker was instrumental in ending segregation in many theaters and clubs, where she refused to perform unless integration was implemented.

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD: Karen Morley was a promising Hollywood star in the 1930s, in such films as Mata Hari and Our Daily Bread. She was driven out of Hollywood for her leftist political convictions by the Blacklist and for refusing to testify against other actors, while Robert Taylor and Sterling Hayden were informants against her. And also for daring to have a child and become a mother, unacceptable for female stars in those days. Morley maintained her militant political activism for the rest of her life, running for Lieutenant Governor on the American Labor Party ticket in 1954. She passed away in 2003, unrepentant to the end, at the age of 93.

2013 Directors Guild Award Nominations

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the entertainment labor union that represents film and television directors. The DGA gives out the Directors Guild of America Award each year to honor outstanding achievement.

The winner of the DGA Award for “Feature Film” usually wins the best director Oscar. As of last year, only six DGA winners in the “Feature Film” category have not also won the best director Oscar. The last time this happened was for the year 2002. Rob Marshall was the DGA choice for Chicago. The Oscar went to Roman Polanski for The Pianist.

The winners of the 65th Annual DGA Awards will be announced at the 65th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, February 2, 2013 in Los Angeles.

65th Annual DGA Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film nominees (for 2012):

BEN AFFLECK for Argo
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mr. Affleck’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Amy Herman
First Assistant Director: David Webb
Second Assistant Director: Ian Calip
Second Second Assistant Directors: Clark Credle, Gavin Kleintop
First Assistant Director (Turkey Unit): Belkis Turan

This is Mr. Affleck’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

KATHRYN BIGELOW for Zero Dark Thirty
(Columbia Pictures)

Ms. Bigelow’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Colin Wilson
First Assistant Director: David A. Ticotin
Second Assistant Directors: Ben Lanning, Sarah Hood
First Assistant Director (Jordan Unit): Scott Robertson
Second Assistant Directors (Jordan Unit): Jonas Spaccarotelli, Yanal Kassay
Second Second Assistant Director (Jordan Unit): Tarek Afifi
Unit Production Manager (India Unit): Rajeev Mehra

This is Ms. Bigelow’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The Hurt Locker in 2009.

TOM HOOPER for Les Misérables
(Universal Pictures)

Mr. Hooper's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Patrick Schweitzer
First Assistant Director: Ben Howarth
Second Assistant Director: Harriet Worth
Second Second Assistant Director: Dan Channing Williams

This is Mr. Hooper's second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The King's Speech (2010) and was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series for John Adams in 2008.

ANG LEE for Life of Pi
(Twentieth Century Fox)

Mr. Lee’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Michael J. Malone
Unit Production Manager (Taiwan): Leo Chen
First Assistant Directors: William M. Connor, Cliff Lanning
Second Assistant Directors: Robert Burgess, Ben Lanning
Unit Production Manager (India Unit): Sanjay Kumar
First Assistant Director (India Unit): Nitya Mehra
Second Assistant Director (India Unit): Ananya Rane
Second Second Assistant Directors (India Unit): Namra Parikh, Freya Parekh
Second Assistant Directors (Montreal Unit): Derek Wimble, Renato De Cotiis

This is Mr. Lee’s fourth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and was nominated for Sense and Sensibility in 1995.

STEVEN SPIELBERG for Lincoln
(Dreamworks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox)

Mr. Spielberg’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Susan McNamara
First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
Second Assistant Director: Ian Stone
Second Second Assistant Directors: Eric Lasko, Trevor Tavares

This is Mr. Spielberg’s eleventh DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film three times for Saving Private Ryan (1998), Schindler’s List (1993) and The Color Purple (1985). He was also nominated in this category for Munich (2005), Amistad (1997), Empire of the Sun (1987), E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Jaws (1975). Mr. Spielberg was honored with the DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

Review: Still Taken with Original "Taken"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Taken (2008)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language
DIRECTOR: Pierre Morel
WRITERS: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
PRODUCER: Luc Besson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michel Abramowicz (director of photography)
EDITOR: Frédéric Thoraval
COMPOSER: Nathaniel Méchaly

ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Holly Valance, Olivier Rabourdin, Gerard Watkins, Arben Bajraktaraj, Nicolas Giraud, and Katie Cassidy

The subject of this movie review is Taken, a 2008 French thriller produced by Luc Besson and starring Liam Neeson. The film was released in January of 2009 in the United States. Taken follows a retired CIA agent through Paris as he tries to find his kidnapped daughter.

Former CIA operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) wants to be closer to his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), whom he calls “Kimmie.” The 17-year-old lives with her mother, Lenore (Famke Janssen), and her wealthy stepfather, Stuart (Xander Berkeley). Bryan has a rocky relationship with Lenore, who pressures him not to be overprotective of Kim. That’s why Bryan reluctantly signs a permission slip that allows Kim to travel to Paris, France with her older friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy).

Not long after the girls arrive in Paris, they are kidnapped by a group of men. Bryan races to Paris to find Kim, but her kidnappers are ruthless, murderous men who hide in Paris’ shadowy criminal underworld. Now, he must rely on old skills as he races through Paris’ darker districts to save his daughter before she disappears forever. Heaven help anyone who gets in his way.

I had put off seeing Taken for about four years, and, now that I’ve seen it, I can say that it easily surpassed my expectations. Taken is a terrific thriller. It is a feisty little revenge flick that plays like a big-time, big studio thriller. I think that there are a few holes in the plot and even some things that the characters do in the movie that poke credulity. It is not enough to stop me from enjoying the movie.

Perhaps, this film was not meant to be a Liam Neeson vehicle, but it became one because of Neeson’s fierce performance. He is genuine as a daddy both desperate to make up for lost time with his daughter and resolved to let no one and no thing get in the way of him finding his stolen child. Neeson does the best killer-robot-like-action dude. When other actors take on that kind of character, they can sometimes seem too cold and/or too stiff: either inadvertently (Wesley Snipes in Blade: Trinity) or because of limited acting range (Chuck Norris – pick a movie).

I must also say that, once again, the Luc Besson slick-shiny-cool action movie generator has produced another pop movie hit. Director Pierre Morel plows through this script’s inanities like a chef determined to make the best meal that he can out of Big Mac ingredients. His resulting dish, Taken, is actually quite tasty.

8 of 10
A

Monday, January 14, 2013