Review: "The Hunt for Red October" Still a Goodie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Running time:  134 minutes (2 hour, 14 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some intense action/violence and language
DIRECTOR:  John McTiernan
WRITERS:  Larry Ferguson and Donald Stewart (based on the novel by Tom Clancy)
PRODUCER:  Mace Neufeld
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jan De Bont (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Dennis Virkler and John Wright
COMPOSER:  Basil Poledouris
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/ESPIONAGE/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:   Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Richard Jordan, Peter Firth, Tim Curry, Courtney B. Vance, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeffrey Jones, Fred Dalton Thompson, Daniel Davis, Gates McFadden, and James Earl Jones

Advertisements for the upcoming film, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, tout it as the return of the Tom Clancy thriller to the big screen.  That little bit of hard-selling made me want to see the first Tom Clancy thriller to hit movie theatres, again.

The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 naval thriller and action movie from director John McTiernan.  The film is based on The Hunt for Red October, a novel by the late author Tom Clancy that was first published in 1984.  The Hunt for Red October the movie focuses on a rogue Soviet submarine captain and the young CIA analyst who is trying to figure out his every move.

The Hunt for Red October opens in 1984 in the USSR and introduces Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery).  He commands the Red October, a ballistic missile submarine that is virtually undetectable.  The ship’s first mission is to be part of USSR war game exercises, but early in the mission, the Red October disappears.

In the United States, a young CIA analyst, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), gets an assignment from Vice Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones), CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence.  Ryan must discover Ramius’ intentions before a war breaks out between the Americans and the Russians over the missing Red October.  Is Ramius trying to defect, or to start a war?

Tom Clancy’s intrepid CIA agent, Jack Ryan, makes his first big screen appearance in The Hunt for Red October.  Actor Harrison Ford would play the character in 1992’s Patriot Games and 2004’s Clear and Present Danger.  Ben Affleck would play Ryan in The Sum of All Fears (2002), which I have not seen as of this writing.  Clear and Present Danger is one of my all-time favorite movies, and honestly, I can’t say if I like Baldwin or Ford more as Ryan, because both are among my favorite actors.

The Hunt for Red October is not a great movie, but it is greatly entertaining.  It is skillfully directed by John McTiernan, who, for a time from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, was one of the supreme directors of big, masculine, and loud action movies.  The expert film editing in this movie reveals McTiernan’s efficiency at creating a story that is part clever and deceptive game and part espionage thriller – all wrapped inside the mechanics of a military film.

Sean Connery as Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Ryan are convincing and proficient, and while this is not their best work, they create characters we want to be next to and follow into adventure.  I had not seen this movie in years, but it is as good as or maybe even better than I remember.  The Hunt for Red October is the techno-thriller that does not require the viewer to be smart to watch it.  That is not a slap at the audience; that’s a compliment to say that The Hunt for Red October is a smart movie that is also successful at entertaining.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1991 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Cecelia Hall and George Watters II); 2 nominations: “Best Sound” (Richard Bryce Goodman, Richard Overton, Kevin F. Cleary, and Don J. Bassman), and “Best Film Editing” (Dennis Virkler and John Wright)

1991 BAFTA Awards:  3 nominations: “Best Actor” (Sean Connery), “Best Production Design” (Terence Marsh), “Best Sound” (Cecilia Häll, George Watters II, Richard Bryce Goodman, and Don J. Bassman)

Friday, January 17, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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"Gravity," "American Hustle" Lead 2014 Oscar Nominations - Complete List

by Leroy Douresseaux

The 2014 / 86th Academy Awards nominations were announced on Thursday, January 16, 2014 in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater by Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Chris Hemsworth.

Director David O. Russell’s American Hustle and director Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity led the 2014 Academy Award nominations with 10 each, including “Best Picture” and “Best Director” nods.

Director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave received 9 nominations, although it was expected to lead the nominations pack.  However, the film did not receive nominations in the categories of “Best Cinematography” and “Best Original Score,” which some prognosticators thought it would.  If 12 Years a Slave had received those two nominations, it would have given the movie a leading eleven nominations.  I think this is leading to what I predicted at the beginning of the 2013-14 movie award season; 12 Years a Slave is NOT going to win “Best Picture.”  I don’t expect it to win in the director, lead actor, and supporting actress categories, either.

Beyond that, there are so many surprises and so-called snubs, and I have neither the time nor inclination to discuss them.  But you can find lots of discussion around the web.

The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will also be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

2014 / 86th OSCAR nominations (for the year in film 2013):

Best motion picture of the year:

“American Hustle”

Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers

“Captain Phillips”

Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers

“Dallas Buyers Club”

Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers

“Gravity”

Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers

“Her”

Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers

“Nebraska”

Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers

“Philomena”

Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers

“12 Years a Slave”

Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers

“The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determined

Achievement in directing:

• “American Hustle” David O. Russell
• “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón
• “Nebraska” Alexander Payne
• “12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen
• “The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Christian Bale in “American Hustle”
• Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”
• Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
• Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
• Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”
• Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”
• Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”
• Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
• Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Amy Adams in “American Hustle”
• Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”
• Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”
• Judi Dench in “Philomena”
• Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County”

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Sally Hawkins in “Blue Jasmine”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle”
• Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”
• Julia Roberts in “August: Osage County”
• June Squibb in “Nebraska”

Adapted screenplay

• “Before Midnight” Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
• “Captain Phillips” Screenplay by Billy Ray
• “Philomena” Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
• “12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley
• “The Wolf of Wall Street” Screenplay by Terence Winter

Original screenplay

• “American Hustle” Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
• “Blue Jasmine” Written by Woody Allen
• “Dallas Buyers Club” Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
• “Her” Written by Spike Jonze
• “Nebraska” Written by Bob Nelson

Best animated feature film of the year

• “The Croods” Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson
• “Despicable Me 2” Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri
• “Ernest & Celestine” Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner
• “Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
• “The Wind Rises” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki

Achievement in cinematography

• “The Grandmaster” Philippe Le Sourd
• “Gravity” Emmanuel Lubezki
• “Inside Llewyn Davis” Bruno Delbonnel
• “Nebraska” Phedon Papamichael
• “Prisoners” Roger A. Deakins

Achievement in costume design

• “American Hustle” Michael Wilkinson
• “The Grandmaster” William Chang Suk Ping
• “The Great Gatsby” Catherine Martin
• “The Invisible Woman” Michael O’Connor
• “12 Years a Slave” Patricia Norris

Best documentary feature

• “The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
• “Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
• “Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
• “The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
• “20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined

Best documentary short subject

• “CaveDigger” Jeffrey Karoff
• “Facing Fear” Jason Cohen
• “Karama Has No Walls” Sara Ishaq
• “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
• “Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” Edgar Barens

Achievement in film editing

• “American Hustle” Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
• “Captain Phillips” Christopher Rouse
• “Dallas Buyers Club” John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
• “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
• “12 Years a Slave” Joe Walker

Best foreign language film of the year

• “The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
• “The Great Beauty” Italy
• “The Hunt” Denmark
• “The Missing Picture” Cambodia
• “Omar” Palestine

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

• “Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
• “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty
• “The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “The Book Thief” John Williams
• “Gravity” Steven Price
• “Her” William Butler and Owen Pallett
• “Philomena” Alexandre Desplat
• “Saving Mr. Banks” Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone”

Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel

“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”

Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams

“Let It Go” from “Frozen”

Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“The Moon Song” from “Her”

Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze

“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”

Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen (also known as the rock band U2); Lyric by Paul Hewson (also known as Bono)

Achievement in production design

• “American Hustle” Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
• “Gravity” Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
• “The Great Gatsby” Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn
• “Her” Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
• “12 Years a Slave” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

Best animated short film

• “Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
• “Get a Horse!” Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
• “Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
• “Possessions” Shuhei Morita
• “Room on the Broom” Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

Best live action short film

• “Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” Esteban Crespo
• “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
• “Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
• “Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
• “The Voorman Problem” Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

Achievement in sound editing

• “All Is Lost” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
• “Captain Phillips” Oliver Tarney
• “Gravity” Glenn Freemantle
• “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Brent Burge
• “Lone Survivor” Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

• “Captain Phillips” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
• “Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
• “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
• “Inside Llewyn Davis” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
• “Lone Survivor” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

Achievement in visual effects

• “Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
• “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
• “Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
• “The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
• “Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

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2014 Canadian Screen Award Nominations Are Announced

by Leroy Douresseaux

The Canadian Screen Awards honor achievements in Canadian film and television production, as well as achievements in digital media.  In 2012, the formerly separate Genie Awards (for film) and Gemini Awards (for television) merged into a single ceremony, the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Awards are presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.  This is a national, no-profit, professional association dedicated to the promotion, recognition and celebration of exceptional achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media.  The Academy describes itself as a “Unifying industry professionals across Canada, the Academy is a vital force representing all screen – based industries.”

The Academy’s Canadian Screen Awards is the annual awards show to celebrate the best in film, television and digital media.  They are part of Canadian Screen Week (March 3‐9, 2014).

The 2014 Canadian Screen Awards will be presented at an awards gala on Sunday, March 9, 2014.  This two-hour live broadcast will be presented at 8pm on the CBC.  Actor Martin Short will be the host.

The following list of nominations is only a partial list, which excludes the television and new media categories, as well as most of the 2014 Special Award winners.  For a full list of nominees, go here:
http://www.academy.ca/Canadian-Screen-Awards/2014-Nominees-Winners/Film

2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS Nominations:

Feature Film Nominations:

BEST MOTION PICTURE / MEILLEUR FILM (Sponsor / Commanditaire | William F. White International and Comweb Group):

• LE DÉMANTÈLEMENT / THE DISMANTLEMENT – Bernadette Payeur, Marc Daigle
• EMPIRE OF DIRT – Jennifer Podemski
• ENEMY – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry, Miguel A. Faura, Niv Fichman, Sari Friedland
• THE F‐WORD – Andre Rouleau, David Gross, Macdara Kelleher
• GABRIELLE – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry
• THE GRAND SEDUCTION – Barbara Doran, Roger Frappier
• MAÏNA – Karine Martin, Michel Poulette, Yves Fortin
• TOM À LA FERME / TOM AT THE FARM – Charles Gillibert, Nathanaël Karmitz, Xavier Dolan

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN / MEILLEURE
DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE
• MARIO HERVIEUX – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• PATRICE VERMETTE – Enemy
• MICHEL PROULX – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest
• Man in the World
• JEAN BÉCOTTE – Maïna
• ANTHONY IANNI, FRANÇOIS SEGUIN – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN / MEILLEURS COSTUMES
• LEA CARLSON – The Colony
• CARMEN ALIE – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man
• in the World
• VÉRONIQUE MARCHESSAULT – Maïna
• SARAH MILLMAN – Molly Maxwell
• GERSHA PHILLIPS – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY / MEILLEURES IMAGES
• NICOLAS BOLDUC CSC – Enemy
• ALLEN SMITH – Maïna
• ANTONIO RIESTRA – Mama
• FRANÇOIS DELISLE – Le Météore / The Meteor
• PIERRE GILL, CSC – Upside Down

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION / MEILLEURE RÉALISATION (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Pinewood Toronto Studios):
• SÉBASTIEN PILOTE – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• DENIS VILLENEUVE – Enemy
• MICHAEL DOWSE – The F‐Word
• XAVIER DOLAN – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm
• PEDRO PIRES, ROBERT LEPAGE – Triptyque

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | The PostMan):
• CARINA BACCANALE – Amsterdam
• EVAN MORGAN, MATT JOHNSON – The Dirties
• JORGE WEISZ – Empire of Dirt
• MATTHEW HANNAM ‐ Enemy
• RICHARD COMEAU – Gabrielle

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE‐UP / MEILLEURS MAQUILLAGES (Sponsor / Commanditaire | M•A•C Cosmetics)
• LOUISE MACKINTOSH, PEGGY KYRIAKIDOU, SHAUNA LLEWELLYN – The Colony
• FRANCOIS DAGENAIS, TRACI LOADER – Cottage Country
• BRIGITTE BILODEAU ‐ Maïna
• DAVID MARTI, LINDA DOWDS, MONTSE RIBE – Mama
• JO‐ANN MACNEIL, KAROLA DIRNBERGER, PAUL JONES – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC ‐ ORIGINAL SCORE / MEILLEURE MUSIQUE ORIGINALE
• DANNY BENSI, SAUNDER JURRIAANS – Enemy
• KIM GABOURY, MICHEL CUSSON – Maïna
• RAMACHANDRA BORCAR – Roche Papier Ciseaux
• MICHEL CUSSON – Rouge Sang
• GABRIEL YARED – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC ‐ ORIGINAL SONG / MEILLEURE CHANSON ORIGINALE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Slaight Music)
• COLLEEN RENNISON – Down River – “Molly”
• ELISAPIE ISAAC, OLIVIER AURIOL – La légende de Sarila / The Legend of Sarila – “Far Away”
• JIMMY HARRY, SERENA RYDER – The Right Kind of Wrong – “It’s No Mistake”
• MICHEL CUSSON – Rouge Sang – “À la Claire fontaine”
• MAERIN HUNTING – Stay – “Iva / Moses”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION
MASCULINE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
• GABRIEL ARCAND – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• JAKE GYLLENHAAL – Enemy
• DANIEL RADCLIFFE – The F‐Word
• BRENDAN GLEESON – The Grand Seduction
• RAJESH TAILANG – Siddharth

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION
MASCULINE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
• JAY BARUCHEL – The Art of the Steal
• ALEXANDRE LANDRY – Gabrielle
• GORDON PINSENT – The Grand Seduction
• PIERRE‐YVES CARDINAL – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm
• MARC LABRÈCHE – Whitewash

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION
FÉMININE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
• TATIANA MASLANY – Cas & Dylan
• CARA GEE – Empire of Dirt
• GABRIELLE MARION‐RIVARD – Gabrielle
• KAWENNÁHERE DEVERY JACOBS – Rhymes for Young Ghouls
• ISABELLE GUÉRARD – Rouge Sang

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE /INTERPRÉTATION
FÉMININE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
• FLORENCE BLAIN – L’Autre Maison
• JENNIFER PODEMSKI – Empire of Dirt
• SARAH GADON – Enemy
• MACKENZIE DAVIS – The F‐Word
• EVELYNE BROCHU – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND / MEILLEUR SON D'ENSEMBLE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Deluxe Toronto):
• ARNAUD DERIMAY, BENOÎT LEDUC, STÉPHANE BERGERON – Amsterdam
• BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL, PIERRE BERTRAND – Gabrielle
• ANDREW TAY, DAVID DRAGE, DAVID GIAMMARCO, GREG CHAPMAN, MATT MCKENZIE,
• PETER PERSAUD – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• JOE MORROW, LALIT MALIK, LOU SOLAKOFSKI ‐ Siddharth
• FRANCOIS GRENON, OLIVIER GOINARD, SEVAN KORYAN, SYLVAIN BRASSARD – Tom à la ferme/ Tom at the Farm

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE SONORE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | IMAX):
• CLAIRE POCHON, SIMON MEILLEUR, SYLVAIN BELLEMARE – Amsterdam
• CLAIRE POCHON, SIMON MEILLEUR, SYLVAIN BELLEMARE – Gabrielle
• ANTOINE MORIN, CHRISTIAN RIVEST, GUY PELLETIER, MARTIN PINSONNAULT, MIREILLE MORIN, PAUL COL – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World
• ALEX BULLICK, CHRISTIAN SCHAANING, J.R. FOUNTAIN, JILL PURDY, KEVIN BANKS, NATHAN ROBITAILLE, NELSON FERREIRA, STEPHEN BARDEN, STEVE BAINE – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• GUY FRANCOEUR, ISABELLE FAVREAU, SYLVAIN BRASSARD – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY / MEILLEUR SCÉNARIO (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Harold Greenberg Fund):
• JONATHAN SOBOL – The Art of the Steal
• SÉBASTIEN PILOTE – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• SHANNON MASTERS – Empire of Dirt
• RICHIE MEHTA – Siddharth
• EMANUEL HOSS‐DESMARAIS, MARC TULIN – Whitewash

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY / MEILLEURE ADAPTATION
• JAVIER GULLÓN – Enemy
• ELAN MASTAI – The F‐Word
• KEN SCOTT, MICHAEL DOWSE – The Grand Seduction
• MICHEL MARC BOUCHARD, XAVIER DOLAN – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm
• ROBERT LEPAGE ‐ Triptyque

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS / MEILLEURS EFFETS VISUELS
• LAETITIA SEGUIN, MARIE‐CECILE DAHAN, MATHIEU VEILLETTE, MATTHEW ROULEAU, MIKAEL DAMANT‐SIROIS, PATRICK DAVID, VINCENT POITRAS – Enemy
• AÉLIS HÉRAUD, ANTOINE WIBAUT, CATHERINE HÉBERT, CYNTHIA CARRIER, DAVID RAYMOND, JONATHAN LEGRIS, JOSÉE CHAPDELAINE, LOUIS‐ALEXANDRE LORD, PIERRESIMON LEBRUN‐CHAPUT, SARAH NEVEU – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde /Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World
• AARON WEINTRAUB, AYO BURGESS, DENNIS BERARDI, EDWARD J. TAYLOR IV, JASON GOUGEON, KYLE YONEDA, MICHAEL BORRETT, MICHAEL RICE, SARAH MCMURDO, TAMARA STONE ‐ Mama
• ANDY ROBINSON, DENNIS BERARDI, EDWARD J. TAYLOR IV, JAMES COOPER, JASON EDWARDH, JO HUGHES, LEANN HARVEY, SEAN MILLS, STEPHEN WAGNER, TREY HARRELL – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• ANNIE NORMANDIN, DOMINIC DAIGLE, FRANÇOIS DUMOULIN, MARC MORISETTE, OLIVIER GOULET – Upside Down

Docs & Short Film Nominations:

TED ROGERS BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR LONG MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE TED ROGERS
• HI-HO MISTAHEY! – Alanis Obomsawin, Annette Clarke, Ravida Din
• MY PRAIRIE HOME – Chelsea McMullan, Lea Marin, Silva Basmajian
• PEOPLE OF A FEATHER – Joel Heath
• VANISHING POINT – Julia Szucs, Stephen Smith, David Christensen
• WATERMARK – Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Daniel Iron

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Hot Docs)
• CHI – Anne Wheeler, Yves J. Ma, Tracey Friesen
• JUST AS I REMEMBER – Andrew Moir
• MARY + MYSELF – Sam Decoste, Annette Clarke
• BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DRAMATIQUE
• A GRAND CANAL – Johnny Ma
• INA LITOVSKI – Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, André Turpin
• MÉMORABLE MOI – Jean-François Asselin
• NOAH – Patrick Cederberg, Walter Woodman
• NOUS AVIONS – Stéphane Moukarzel

BEST ANIMATED SHORT / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE D'ANIMATION
• THE END OF PINKY – Claire Blanchet, Michael Fukushima
• GLORIA VICTORIA – Theodore Ushev, Marc Bertrand
• HOLLOW LAND – Michelle Kranot, Uri Kranot, Dora Benousilio, Marc Bertrand, Marie Bro
• IMPROMPTU – Bruce Alcock, Annette Clarke, Michael Fukushima, Tina Ouellette
• SUBCONSCIOUS PASSWORD – Chris Landreth, Marcy Page, Mark Smith

Lifetime Achievement Award - For Exceptional Contribution to the Canadian Film & Television Industry: DAVID CRONENBERG

Earle Grey Award – For Acting: COLM FEORE

http://www.academy.ca/awards/

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"Gravity" Goes Nationwide - Again on January 17 2014

Warner Bros. Pictures’ Award-Winning Drama “Gravity” Returning to Wide Release on January 17

The acclaimed Alfonso Cuarón-directed worldwide hit, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, will be on more than 900 screens nationwide 

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following months of overwhelming critical and audience acclaim and numerous year-end awards, Warner Bros. Pictures is bringing Alfonso Cuarón’s cinematic achievement “Gravity” back to big screens nationwide. The film, which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, will be re-released on more than 900 screens on January 17, 2014, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Originally released on October 4, 2013, “Gravity” instantly became a favorite of both critics and audiences. It has since become one of the most honored films of the year, most recently bringing a Golden Globe Award for Best Director to Alfonso Cuarón. The film has also received 11 BAFTA Award nominations and 10 Critics’ Choice Award nominations, both including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress (Bullock)*. It has also won Best Picture awards from several prestigious critics organizations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and has been included on 395 critics’ and critics groups’ top ten lists, as well as being named one of the AFI’s ten best films of the year. It was also announced as the year’s best reviewed film by the website Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition, the talents behind the film have been recognized by their peers, with a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Cuarón; a Producers Guild of America Award nomination for David Heyman and Cuarón; a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Bullock; a American Society of Cinematographers Award nomination for Emmanuel Lubezki; an Art Directors Guild Award nomination for Andy Nicholson; and an American Cinema Editors’ Eddie Award nomination for Cuarón and Mark Sanger*.

“Gravity” has also been a smash hit at the box office, earning more than $670 million worldwide and counting, with most moviegoers opting to view it in 3D.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We are thrilled by the many accolades for ‘Gravity,’ which have generated renewed word-of-mouth and interest in seeing the film, whether for the first time or to experience it again. We wanted to give audiences everywhere another opportunity to see it the way it was meant to be seen—on the big screen.”

Academy Award® winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and George Clooney (“Syriana”) star in “Gravity,” a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. The film was directed by Oscar® nominee Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”).

Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) in command. But on a seemingly routine mission, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

“Gravity” was written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, and produced by Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman (the “Harry Potter” films). Chris deFaria, Nikki Penny and Stephen Jones served as executive producers. The behind-the-scenes team included multiple Oscar®-nominated director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (“Children of Men,” “The New World”); production designer Andy Nicholson (art director “Alice in Wonderland”); editors Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger (VFX editor “Children of Men”); and costume designer Jany Temime (the “Harry Potter” films). The visual effects were handled by Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Tim Webber (“The Dark Knight”). The music was composed by Steven Price (“Attack the Block”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents an Esperanto Filmoj/Heyday Films Production, an Alfonso Cuarón Film, “Gravity.” Released in 3D and 2D and IMAX®, the film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company. This film has been rated PG-13 for intense perilous sequences, some disturbing images and brief strong language.

gravitymovie.com

Review: "Turbo" is Fast and Sweetly Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Turbo (2013)
Running time:  96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild action and thematic elements
DIRECTOR:  David Soren
WRITERS:  Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel, and David Soren
PRODUCER:  Lisa Stewart
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Chris Stover
EDITOR:  James Ryan
COMPOSER:  Henry Jackman

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring:  (voices) Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L. Jackson, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Patrick Bell, Aidan Andrews, Aaron Berger, Mario Andretti, Paul Page, Chris Parnell, and Kurtwood Smith

Turbo is a 2013 computer-animated family comedy and racing film from DreamWorks Animation.  Theatrically presented in 3D, the film is directed by David Soren, who first conceived the idea for the film several years prior to its eventual production and release.  Turbo follows an ordinary garden snail that wants to win the Indy 500 and may be able to do so because of a freak accident.

Turbo introduces Theo (Ryan Reynolds), a snail who lives in a suburban San Fernando Valley garden in a snail community that is wary of change.  Theo dreams of becoming the greatest race car driver in the world, just like his human hero, Guy Gagné (Bill Hader), five-time Indianapolis 500 champion.  Theo even gives himself the nickname, “Turbo.”  His obsession with speed and car racing makes Theo an oddity and embarrasses his cautious older brother, Chet (Paul Giamatti).

After causing a near-disaster in the garden, Theo wanders from the village, his mind focused on his wish of becoming fast.  By chance, an accident involving drag racing and nitrous oxide imbues Theo with high-octane speed.  Suddenly, his dreams of racing in the Indianapolis 500 might come true, but Theo/Turbo will learn that his dreams cannot come true without help from friends and family.

I like Turbo.  I thought that I would like it when I first staring seeing commercials for the film on television, although I must admit that I found its concept a little silly, if not ridiculous.  However, there is something likeable about this little can-do snail who goes by the moniker, Turbo.  It is like the little engine that could, except this little engine is blazing fast and fun to watch.

Surprisingly, Turbo is not as inventive as its concept might suggest.  The characters are pedestrian, especially the humans, upon which this film spends entirely too much time.  The humans have very little character, actually, and are little more than the kind of stereotypes that run of the mill TV sitcoms offer.

The other snail characters are interesting and fun, but are wasted because human characters get more screen time than them.  As Turbo’s brother, Chet, actor Paul Giamatti does his best to bring color and range to a character that is simply a variation on the older brother-type who doubts his younger brother.  Samuel L. Jackson makes the most of his scenes as the voice of Whiplash, the leader of the Starlight Plaza Snail crew.  The presence and fury that Jackson has as a live-action actor, he brings to his voice acting performance.  Jackson’s performance made me wish that Whiplash had a much bigger role in this movie.

I don’t know if Turbo could have been a great animated film, the kind that becomes a classic.  I think that Turbo certainly needed some rewriting and re-conceptualizing, but the film is good and has an endearing quality.  Turbo is one of the few animated films that I do not consider exceptional, but of which I would still like to see a sequel.

6 of 10
B

Monday, January 06, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Women Dominate 2014 DGA Awards Documentary Nominations

by Amos Semien

The Directors Guild of America recently announced the nominations in the category of "DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for 2013."  Three of the five nominations went to women filmmakers, including Sarah Polley for her much-honored 2012 Canadian doc, Stories We Tell.

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 66th Annual DGA Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles

DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for 2013

ZACHARY HEINZERLING
Cutie and the Boxer
(Radius TWC, Ex Lion Tamer, Cine Mosaic)

This is Mr. Heinzerling’s first DGA Award nomination.

JEHANE NOUJAIM
The Square
(Netflix, Participant Media, Noujaim Films, Maktube Productions, WorldView, Roast Beef Productions

This is Ms. Noujaim’s third DGA Award nomination.  She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for Startup.com in 2001 (together with Chris Hegedus) and was also nominated in this category in 2004 for Control Room.

JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER
The Act of Killing
(Final Cut for Real APS, Drafthouse Films, Piraya Films, Novaya Zemlya Ltd., Spring Films Ltd.)

This is Mr. Oppenheimer’s first DGA Award nomination.

SARAH POLLEY
Stories We Tell
(Roadside Attractions, The National Film Board of Canada)

This is Ms. Polley’s first DGA Award nomination.

LUCY WALKER
The Crash Reel
(HBO Documentary Films, KP Rides Again, LLC, Impact Partners, Tree Tree Tree Production)

This is Ms. Walker’s first DGA Award nomination.


http://www.dga.org/

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Review: "Deep Blue Sea" is a Good Shark Movie (Happy B'day, LL Cool J)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for graphic shark attacks, and for language
DIRECTOR:  Renny Harlin
WRITERS:  Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, and Wayne Powers
PRODUCERS:  Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Don MacBain, and Alan Riche
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Stephen Windon
EDITORS:  Derek G. Brechin, Dallas S. Puett, and Frank J. Urioste
COMPOSER:  Trevor Rabin

THRILLER/SCI-FI/HORROR

Starring:  Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, Jacqueline McKenzie, Aida Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson

The subject of this movie review is Deep Blue Sea, a 1999 science fiction thriller and horror film from director Renny Harlin.  The film takes place on an isolated, sea-based research facility where a group of scientists find themselves being hunted by a trio of intelligent sharks.

On an isolated underwater research facility, a group of scientists search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease using Mako sharks.  Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) and Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgard) have illegally used genetic engineering to make the sharks’ brains bigger.  When Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson), the businessman who funds the disease research, arrives at the facility, the sharks are already bigger, faster, and more aggressive.

During a severe storm, the scientists celebrate their success.  However, the intelligent sharks take advantage of the storm to make an attack upon the facility that causes it to begin sinking.  A shark wrangler, Carter Blake (Thomas Jane), and the facility’s cook, Preacher (James T. Smith/LL Cool J), lead a group of survivors in a race to reach the surface while the facility quickly floods.  The sharks also gain entrance to the facility and hunt the fleeing humans.

Directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight), Deep Blue Sea is a cat and mouse game in which the characters run an obstacle course to save their lives.  Harlin and the film’s writers continually drop trouble in the lap of the cast, who must use every resource at hand to save themselves.  Deep Blue Sea is not Jaws.  While the latter remains a powerful suspense thriller, the former is a quite effective edge-of-your-seat action movie.  Harlin has a knack for taking what could have been only pedestrian material and making good, light entertainment.

The cast is quite good, and LL Cool J adds a touch of humor to the film as Preacher.  Thomas Jane’s Blake and Cool J’s Preacher are the characters with whom we identify and attach ourselves.  One is the stoic, tough action guy and the other is funny man who keeps the show from getting too serious.  Samuel L Jackson is once again the actor who brings an air of seriousness in a performance that is quite good and that sets the tone for the film.  Much of the cast is shark fodder, but each one is determined to give a solid performance.  Deep Blue Sea is quite a bit of fun and stands up to repeated viewings.  It won’t be remembered as a cinematic classic, but it is a good time.  Quite a few action films try to be that and fail, but Deep Blue Sea delivers.

6 of 10
B

NOTE:
2000 Image Awards:  1 nomination:  “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (LL Cool J)

Updated:  Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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2014 Student Academy Awards Call for Applications

2014 Student Academy Awards® Competition Now Underway

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy is now accepting applications for its 2014 Student Academy Awards competition. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards.  Winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with cash prizes, may be presented to student filmmakers in the following categories: Alternative, Animation, Narrative, Documentary and Foreign Film.

The rules and online application forms are available at www.oscars.org/saa.

The U.S. competition is open to all full-time college and university students at accredited institutions, whose films are made within the curricular structure of a film program or class at their respective schools. For 2014, the Academy has again limited the accepted accreditation agencies for U.S. institutions to the following: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; New England Association of Schools and Colleges; North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; Western Association of Schools and Colleges; and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. U.S. entries must be submitted by Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

In the Foreign Film category, entries are accepted only from full-time college and university students attending schools that are members of the international film school organization known as CILECT (www.cilect.org) and located outside the borders of the United States. The deadline to submit a foreign student film for consideration is Friday, March 21, 2014.

The 41st Annual Student Academy Awards presentation will be held in June at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level.

2014 Golden Globes Dances with "American Hustle," Honors "12 Years a Slave"

by Amos Semien

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 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards winners were announced Sunday, January 12, 2014.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the awards ceremony show, which was broadcast live on NBC.

Director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave won “Best Motion Picture-Drama.  However, director David O. Russell’s American Hustle led the 2014 Golden Globe Awards with three awards.  The film won “Best Motion Picture-Comedy,” and also the best actress (Amy Adams) and best supporting actress (Jennifer Lawrence) awards.

In the television categories, the TV movie, Behind The Candelabra, and the television series, “Breaking Bad” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” won two awards apiece.

A previously announced honor was the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.  It went to legendary writer-director and multiple Oscar-winner and four-time Golden Globe winner, Woody Allen.  Allen was not in attendance at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards ceremony on Sunday night, so Diane Keaton accepted the award on his behalf.  Keaton won a best actress Oscar for her performance in Allen’s 1977 film, Annie Hall, and who has appeared in multiple Allen films.

The 71st Annual (2014) Golden Globe Awards winners (for the year in film – 2013):

FILM CATEGORIES:

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
12 Years a Slave

BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
American Hustle

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, American Hustle

BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Great Beauty

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Frozen

BEST SCREENPLAY
Spike Jonze, Her

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alex Ebert, All Is Lost

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom) – performed by U2; music written by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., and Danger Mouse and lyrics written by Bono

TELEVISION CATEGORIES:

Best Television Series - Drama
Breaking Bad

Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
Behind The Candelabra

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine Nine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Michael Douglas, Behind The Candelabra

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Elizabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing On The Edge

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Woody Allen

http://www.goldenglobes.com/

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The Hobbit 2 Crosses $800 Million in Worldwide Box Office

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Climbs to More Than $800 Million Worldwide

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” has crossed $800 million at the worldwide box office, with markets still to open. The film, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), has thus far grossed an estimated $242.2 million domestically and $566 million internationally, for a worldwide estimated total of $808.2 million to date.

The joint announcement was made today by Gary Barber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios; Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is the second film in Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s epic “The Hobbit” Trilogy, based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The first film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” was released on December 14, 2012, and went on to become a billion dollar success at the worldwide box office. Now in its fourth week in release, the film remains in the top five in the U.S. and continues to ranked #1 internationally across 62 territories, with China releasing February 21, followed by Japan on February 28.

In making the announcement, Fellman said, “Peter Jackson has once again proven to be the perfect guide for an adventure through Middle-earth. As ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ continues to delight audiences in the New Year, we congratulate him and everyone involved in the film on another box office milestone.”

Kwan Vandenberg added, “This is a film that has resonated with moviegoers around the globe in a big way. We look forward to bringing ‘Smaug’ to China and Japan in February.”

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. The international ensemble cast is led by Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas. The film also stars Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Graham McTavish, Adam Brown, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, William Kircher, Stephen Hunter, Ryan Gage, John Bell, Manu Bennett and Lawrence Makoare.

The screenplay for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson also produced the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Philippa Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a WingNut Films Production, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” The film is a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

www.thehobbit.com

"Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit" Coming to Neon Alley

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES LICENSE ACQUISITION OF MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT ANIME SERIES AND DEBUT ON NEON ALLEY

Anime Fantasy Action Series About A Wandering Warrior And A Fallen Prince Launches This Month On VIZ Media’s Innovative 24/7 Anime Channel Neon Alley

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, opens 2014 with the announcement of the mid-season Neon Alley debut of MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT on Friday, January 17th at 10:30PM (PST). The 26-episode fantasy/action anime series is rated ‘TV-14’ and new installments will debut every Friday.

VIZ Media has also acquired the North American home video and web streaming rights for MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT and plans to release the complete series on DVD and Blu-ray in 2014.

MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT is based on a bestselling collection of Japanese fantasy novels by author Nahoko Uehashi. The anime series tells the story of Balsa, a nomadic warrior who has vowed to atone for eight deaths in her past by saving an equivalent number of lives. On her journey, she saves a fallen prince who carries the burden of a sacred spirit – one who has the power to save the world and bring new life to a broken empire.  But, she must first protect the Prince from those who would do him harm – including his own father, the Emperor, who has ordered his assassination!

Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s innovative 24-hour English-dubbed linear anime channel that is available for general web access as well as for the Xbox 360® and Xbox LIVE® and the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) gaming system and the PlayStation®Network. Fans can also take advantage of the platform’s Video-On Demand “Catch Up” option which offers the flexibility to watch shows such as MORIBITO anytime. The “Catch Up” option also allows viewers to search for specific content by individual series or by latest additions.

“MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT is the latest addition to the Neon Alley anime roster and we are very excited to kick off 2014 with this critically acclaimed action packed adventure that was developed by the famed animation studio Production I.G.,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Animation Marketing Manager. “Balsa and Prince Chagum embark on a dangerous quest to discover the Prince’s mysterious connection to a legendary water spirit with the power to destroy his kingdom, or save it. Tune in every week for new episodes and also look forward to the forthcoming release of the series on DVD and Blu-ray later this year!”

“Working with VIZ Media is truly a pleasure, and as the group continues to expand Neon Alley, we are pleased to look into our library and make more quality titles available,” comments Mr. Yuma Sakata, President and CEO, Dentsu Entertainment USA.

Neon Alley’s diverse programming schedule includes a mix of action, adventure, sci-fi, supernatural, fantasy, and horror anime, all uncut and dubbed into English and presented in HD (when available), for a low monthly subscription rate of only $6.99.

For more information on Neon Alley, please visit www.NeonAlley.com.

For more information about other anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit: www.viz.com.

For more information about Dentsu Entertainment, please visit www.DentsuEntertainment.com.

About Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc.
Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc. was formed in 2010 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange, Code 4324).  Dentsu Inc. is the world's largest advertising agency brand, and a leading producer of Japanese animation, with over 37,000 full-time employees and more than 700 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide.  Dentsu Entertainment USA develops original animation programming and media content for domestic and international markets, and manages licensing programs for new and existing properties.  Current projects include Chub City®, featuring evolved vehicles and savvy young drivers, currently in development as an animated series; LBX™ (a.k.a. "The Little Battlers eXperience"), a highly successful animation, video game and toy franchise, based on miniature customizable robots;  Deltora Quest®, a 52-episode animated series airing globally, and based on the international top-selling fantasy-adventure book series of the same name; and Monsuno®, an innovative toy line and animated boys action adventure series currently airing on Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and free-to-air channels in more than 150 countries.  Dentsu Entertainment USA is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.  For more information, please visit www.DentsuEntertainment.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

American Cinema Editors Announce 2014 "Eddie Award" Nominations

by Amos Semien

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.

The nominations for the 2014 ACE Eddie Awards were announced Friday, January 10, 2014.  The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday, February 7, 2014.

NOMINEES FOR 64th ANNUAL ACE EDDIE AWARDS (for the year in film 2013):

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
12 Years a Slave - Joe Walker

Captain Phillips - Chris Rouse, A.C.E.

Gravity - Alfonso Cuarón & Mark Sanger

Her - Eric Zumbrunnen, A.C.E. & Jeff Buchanan

Saving Mr. Banks - Mark Livolsi, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
American Hustle - Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., Crispin Struthers & Alan Baumgarten, A.C.E.

August: Osage County - Stephen Mirrione, A.C.E.

Inside Llewyn Davis - Roderick Jaynes

Nebraska - Kevin Tent, A.C.E.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Thelma Schoonmaker, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Despicable Me 2 - Gregory Perler, A.C.E.

Frozen - Jeff Draheim

Monsters University - Greg Snyder

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):
20 Feet from Stardom - Douglas Blush, Kevin Klauber & Jason Zeldes

Blackfish - Eli Despres

Tim’s Vermeer - Patrick Sheffield

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):
American Masters: Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin’ - Stephen Ellis, Gordon Mason & Phil McDonald

American Winter - Aaron I. Butler

The Assassination of President Kennedy - Chris A. Peterson

BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:
30 Rock: “Hogcock! / Last Lunch” - Meg Reticker / Ken Eluto, A.C.E.

Arrested Development: “Flight of the Phoenix” - Kabir Akhtar & A.J. Dickerson

The Office: “Finale” - David Rogers & Claire Scanlon

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Breaking Bad: “Buried” - Skip MacDonald A.C.E. & Sharidan Williams-Sotelo

Breaking Bad: “Felina”- Skip MacDonald A.C.E.

Breaking Bad: “Granite State” - Kelley Dixon, A.C.E. & Chris McCaleb

Breaking Bad: “Ozymandias”- Skip MacDonald A.C.E.

The Good Wife: “Hitting the Fan” - Scott Vickrey, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Game of Thrones: “The Rains of Castamere” - Oral Norrie Ottey

Homeland: “Big Man in Tehran” - Terry Kelley, A.C.E.

House of Cards: “Chapter 1” - Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
American Horror Story: Asylum: “The Name Game” - Stewart Schill, A.C.E.

Behind the Candelabra - Mary Ann Bernard

Phil Spector -Barbara Tulliver, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: Tokyo - Nick Brigden

Beyond Scared Straight: “The Return of Hustle Man” - Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Mark S. Andrew, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Jennifer Nelson, Martin Skibosh, Trevor Campbell

Deadliest Catch: “Mutiny on the Bering Sea” - Josh Earl, A.C.E.  Alex Durham, Rob Butler

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Marvel's Thor to Crash 86th Academy Award Nominations Announcement

Chris Hemsworth to Join Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs for Oscar® Nominations

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs will announce the 86th Academy Awards® nominations  on Thursday, January 16. The Oscars® will air Sunday, March 2, 2014, live on ABC.

Boone Isaacs and Hemsworth will unveil the nominations at a 5:38 a.m. PT live news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered.  Nominations information for all categories will be distributed simultaneously to news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards website, www.oscar.com.

Hemsworth made his feature film debut in 2009’s “Star Trek,” but it was his title role in “Thor” two years later that propelled him to worldwide prominence.  He reprised the character in the Marvel blockbusters “The Avengers” and “Thor: The Dark World.”  Hemsworth’s other feature credits include “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Rush,” and he has starring roles in “Cyber” and “In the Heart of the Sea,” both due out next year.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar® Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Toronto Film Critics Choose "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "Watermark"

by Amos Semien

The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) was established in 1997 and is comprised of Toronto based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary.  All major dailies, weeklies and a variety of other print and electronic outlets are represented.

The Toronto Film Critics Association announced the 2013 TFCA Awards back on Monday, December 16, 2013.  Inside Llewyn Davis won two top prizes in 2013 awards of the Toronto Film Critics Association.  Joel and Ethan Coen’s tale of a folk singer making his way through Greenwich Village, 1961, won “Best Picture” and “Best Actor” (Oscar Isaac).

The 2013 TFCA Awards were presented at a gala dinner at Toronto’s Carlu on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, hosted by Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival.  At the dinner, the documentary, Watermark, was revealed as the winner of the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, which carries a record-setting $100,000 cash prize, the richest arts award in the country.  The awards was presented to the Watermark’s director’s, Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky.  The runners-up will each receive $5,000.

Under the TFCA’s guidelines, contenders eligible for the 2013 awards include films released in Canada in 2013 plus films that qualify for the 2013 Oscars and have Canadian distribution scheduled by the end of February 2014.

The full list of 2013Toronto Film Critics Association Awards winners and runners-up:

BEST PICTURE: “Inside Llewyn Davis” (Mongrel Media)

Runners-up:
“Her” (Warner Bros.)
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ACTOR: Oscar Isaac, “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Runners-up
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

Runners-up
Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight”
Greta Gerwig, “Frances Ha”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

Runners-up
Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”
James Franco, “Spring Breakers”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”

Runners-up
Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
June Squibb, “Nebraska”

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón, “Gravity”

Runners-up
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED OR ORIGINAL: Spike Jonze, “Her”

Runners-up
Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight”
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis”

BEST FIRST FEATURE: “Neighboring Sounds”, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho

Runners-up
“Fruitvale Station”, directed by Ryan Coogler
“In a World …”, directed by Lake Bell

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “The Wind Rises” (Touchstone Pictures)

Runners-up
“The Croods” (20th Century Fox)
“Frozen” (Walt Disney Pictures)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM:  “A Touch of Sin” (Films We Like)

Runners-up
“Blue Is the Warmest Color” (Mongrel Media)
 “The Hunt” (Mongrel Media)

BMO ALLAN KING DOCUMENTARY AWARD: “The Act of Killing” (Films We Like)

Runners-up
“Leviathan” (Films We Like)
“Tim’s Vermeer” (Mongrel Media)

ROGERS BEST CANADIAN FILM AWARD FINALISTS
“Watermark” (Mongrel Media) – WINNER - $100,000 przie

Runners-up ($5,000 to each):
“The Dirties” (Phase 4 Films)
“Gabrielle” (Entertainment One)

www.torontofilmcritics.com

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2014 Scientific and Technical Achievement Academy Award Recipients Announced

19 Scientific And Technical Achievements To Be Honored With Academy Awards®

Peter W. Anderson to receive Gordon E. Sawyer Award; Charles “Tad” Marburg to receive John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 19 scientific and technical achievements represented by 52 individual award recipients will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Saturday, February 15, at The Beverly Hills Hotel.

In addition, visual effects supervisor and director of photography Peter W. Anderson will receive the Gordon E. Sawyer Award (an Oscar® statuette) for technological contributions that have brought credit to the industry.  Post-production and distribution executive Charles “Tad” Marburg will receive the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy.

For the first time in the history of the Scientific and Technical Awards, a large number of individuals, collectively, will be recognized with an Academy Award® of Merit (an Oscar statuette). The award is dedicated to “all those who built and operated film laboratories, for over a century of service to the motion picture industry.”

“This year’s honorees have in a myriad of ways enabled today’s moviegoing experience,” said Richard Edlund, Academy Award-winning visual effects artist and Scientific and Technical Awards Committee Chair. “Their efforts have advanced not only the art and science of motion pictures, but the work of countless global industries.”

Unlike other Academy Awards to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during 2013. Rather, the achievements must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements are: 

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (ACADEMY CERTIFICATES)

To Olivier Maury, Ian Sachs and Dan Piponi for the creation of the ILM Plume system that simulates and renders fire, smoke and explosions for motion picture visual effects.
The unique construction of this system combines fluid solving and final image rendering on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) hardware without needing an intermediate step involving the CPU. This innovation reduces turnaround time, resulting in significant efficiency gains for the ILM effects department.

To Ronald D. Henderson for the development of the FLUX gas simulation system.
The use of the Fast Fourier Transform for solving partial differential equations allows FLUX a greater level of algorithmic efficiency when multi-threading on modern hardware. This innovation enables the creation of very high-resolution fluid effects while maintaining fast turnaround times.

To Andrew Camenisch, David Cardwell and Tibor Madjar for the concept and design, and to Csaba Kohegyi and Imre Major for the implementation of the Mudbox software.
Mudbox provides artists powerful new design capabilities that significantly advance the state of the art in multi-resolution digital sculpting for film production.

To Martin Hill, Jon Allitt and Nick McKenzie for the creation of the spherical harmonics-based efficient lighting system at Weta Digital. 
The spherical harmonics lighting pipeline precomputes and reuses a smooth approximation of time-consuming visibility calculations. This enables artists to quickly see the results of changing lights, materials and set layouts in scenes with extremely complex geometry.

To Florian Kainz, Jeffery Yost, Philip Hubbard and Jim Hourihan for the architecture and development of the Zeno application framework. 
For more than a decade, Zeno’s flexible and robust design has allowed the creation of a broad range of Academy Award-winning visual effects toolsets at ILM.

To Peter Huang and Chris Perry for their architectural contributions to, and to Hans Rijpkema and Joe Mancewicz for the core engineering of, the Voodoo application framework.
For more than a decade, Voodoo’s unique design concepts have enabled a broad range of character animation toolsets to be developed at Rhythm & Hues.

To Matt Pharr, Greg Humphreys and Pat Hanrahan for their formalization and reference implementation of the concepts behind physically based rendering, as shared in their book Physically Based Rendering.
Physically based rendering has transformed computer graphics lighting by more accurately simulating materials and lights, allowing digital artists to focus on cinematography rather than the intricacies of rendering. First published in 2004, Physically Based Rendering is both a textbook and a complete source-code implementation that has provided a widely adopted practical roadmap for most physically based shading and lighting systems used in film production.

To Dr. Peter Hillman for the long-term development and continued advancement of innovative, robust and complete toolsets for deep compositing.
Dr. Hillman’s ongoing contributions to standardized techniques and a common deep image file format have enabled advanced compositing workflows across the digital filmmaking industry.

To Colin Doncaster, Johannes Saam, Areito Echevarria, Janne Kontkanen and Chris Cooper for the development, prototyping and promotion of technologies and workflows for deep compositing.
Their contributions include early advancements in key deep compositing features such as layer and holdout-order independence, spatial and intra-element color correction, post-render depth of field, and precise blending of complex layer edges.

To Thomas Lokovic and Eric Veach for their influential research and publication of the fundamental concepts of deep shadowing technology.
Providing a functional and efficient model for the storage of deep opacity information, this technology was widely adopted as the foundation of early deep compositing pipelines.

To Gifford Hooper and Philip George of HoverCam for the continuing development of the Helicam miniature helicopter camera system.
The current Helicam system is a high-speed, extremely maneuverable, turbine-engine, radio-controlled miniature helicopter that supports professional film and digital cinema cameras. Helicam provides a wide range of stabilized, remotely operated pan, tilt and roll capabilities, achieving shots impossible for full-size helicopters.

To John Frazier, Chuck Gaspar and Clay Pinney for the design and development of the Pneumatic Car Flipper.
This self-contained high-pressure pneumatic device safely launches a stationary full-sized car on a predetermined trajectory. The precision of operation enhances the safety of performers, and the physical design allows a rapid setup and strike.

To Joshua Pines, David Reisner, Lou Levinson, Curtis Clark, ASC, and David Register for the development of the American Society of Cinematographers Color Decision List technology.
The ASC CDL unifies color correction principles for use on- and off-set, providing for the faithful reproduction of color values across a variety of color correction devices. This technology provides basic image-processing mathematics that translate the lift, gamma and gain settings to a set of common color values to help preserve the cinematographer’s intent throughout production.

To Jeremy Selan for the development of the OpenColorIO color management framework.
OpenColorIO is an open source framework that enables consistent color visualization of motion picture imagery across multiple facilities and numerous software applications.

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARDS (ACADEMY PLAQUES)

To Ofer Alon for the design and implementation of the ZBrush software tool for multi-resolution sculpting of digital models.
ZBrush pioneered multi-resolution digital sculpting, transforming how artists conceive and realize their final designs. ZBrush has enabled artists to create models far more quickly and with much greater detail than previous approaches.

To Eric Veach for his foundational research on efficient Monte Carlo path tracing for image synthesis.
Physically based rendering has transformed computer graphics lighting by more accurately simulating materials and lights, allowing digital artists to focus on cinematography rather than the intricacies of rendering. In his 1997 Ph.D. thesis and related publications, Veach formalized the principles of Monte Carlo path tracing and introduced essential optimization techniques, such as multiple importance sampling, which make physically based rendering computationally feasible.

To Andre Gauthier, Benoit Sevigny, Yves Boudreault and Robert Lanciault for the design and implementation of the FiLMBOX software application.
FiLMBOX, the foundation of MotionBuilder, enables the real-time processing and control of devices and animation. For over two decades, its innovative architecture has been a basis for the development and evolution of new techniques in filmmaking, such as virtual production.

To Emmanuel Prevenaire, Jan Sperling, Etienne Brandt and Tony Postiau for their development of the Flying-Cam SARAH 3.0 system.
This battery-powered, radio-controlled, miniature helicopter camera system employs computer-assisted piloting and tele-operation in an airframe that utilizes GPS-assisted flight controls for aerial filming of unparalleled sophistication. Flying-Cam SARAH achieves shots impossible for full-size helicopters, cable systems or other traditional camera support devices.

ACADEMY AWARD® OF MERIT (OSCAR® STATUETTE)

To all those who built and operated film laboratories, for over a century of service to the motion picture industry.
Lab employees have contributed extraordinary efforts to achieve filmmakers’ artistic expectations for special film processing and the production of billions of feet of release prints per year. This work has allowed an expanded motion picture audience and unequaled worldwide cinema experience.

GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD (OSCAR STATUETTE): Peter W. Anderson
Presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.

JOHN A. BONNER MEDAL OF COMMENDATION (MEDALLION): Charles “Tad” Marburg
Presented in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Portions of the Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation will be included in the Oscar telecast.

Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Black Film Critics Name "12 Years a Slave" Best Picture of 2013

by Amos Semien

The Black Film Critics Circle named 12 Years a Slave the "Best Picture" of 2013.  The film claimed six BRCC awards, including "Best Director" (Steve McQueen) and "Best Actor" (Chiwetel Ejiofor).  Going against the 2013 awards pack, the BFCC named Brie Larson as "Best Actress" for Short Term 12.

The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) 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.

2013 Black Film Critics Circle Awards:

Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave"

Best Director: Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"

Best Actress: Brie Larson, "Short Term 12"

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years a Slave"

Best Adapted Screenplay: "12 Years a Slave"

Best Original Screenplay: "American Hustle"

Best Cinematography: "Gravity"

Best Animated Film: "Frozen"

Best Documentary: "20 Feet from Stardom"

Best Foreign Film: "Blue is the Warmest Color"

Best Ensemble: "12 Years a Slave"

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