18th Satellite Awards Nominations - Television and New Media Categories

by Amos Semien

The 18th Satellite Awards ceremony will be held Sunday, February 23, 2014.  Nominations were announced Monday, December 2, 2013.

18th Satellite Awards nominations (for the year 2013):

TELEVISION CATEGORIES:

Television.Miniseries / Motion Picture Made for Television:
Dancing on the Edge - Starz
Parade’s End - HBO
Generation War - Film GmbH, teamWorx Television, ZDF
The White Queen - Starz
Burton and Taylor - BBC America
Mob City - TNT
Top of the Lake - Sundance Channel
Behind the Candelabra - HBO
Phil Spector - HBO
The Big C: Hereafter - Showtime

Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television:
Holliday Grainger  Bonnie & Clyde  Lifetime
Jessica Lange  American Horror Story: Coven  FX
Helen Mirren  Phil Spector  HBO
Rebecca Hall  Parade’s End  HBO
Laura Linney  The Big C: Hereafter  Showtime
Elisabeth Moss  Top of the Lake  Sundance Channel
Helena Bonham Carter  Burton and Taylor  BBC America
Melissa Leo  Call Me Crazy: A Five Film  Lifetime

Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television:
Matt Damon  Behind the Candelabra  HBO
Benedict Cumberbatch  Parade’s End  HBO
Matthew Goode  Dancing on the Edge  Starz
Chiwetel Ejiofor  Dancing on the Edge  Starz
Peter Mullan  Top of the Lake  Sundance Channel
Al Pacino  Phil Spector  HBO
Dominic West  Burton and Taylor  BBC America
Michael Douglas  Behind the Candelabra  HBO

Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television:
Anna Gunn  Breaking Bad  AMC
Emilia Clarke  Game Of Thrones  HBO
Uzo Aduba  Orange is the New Black  Netflix
Merritt Wever  Nurse Jackie  Showtime
Margo Martindale  The Americans  FX
Laura Prepon  Orange is the New Black  Netflix
Judy Parfitt  Call the Midwife  BBC, PBS
Kathy Bates  American Horror Story: Coven  FX

Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television:
Aaron Paul  Breaking Bad  AMC
James Wolk  Mad Men  AMC
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau  Game Of Thrones  HBO
Peter Sarsgaard  The Killing  AMC
Jon Voight  Ray Donovan  Showtime
William Hurt  Bonnie & Clyde  Lifetime
Jimmy Smits  Sons of Anarchy  FX
Corey Stoll  House of Cards  Netflix

Television Series, Drama:
Last Tango in Halifax  BBC, PBS
Mad Men  AMC
The Americans  FX
Masters of Sex  Showtime
Homeland  Showtime
Downton Abbey  PBS
The Good Wife  CBS
House of Cards  Netflix
Breaking Bad  AMC
Rectify  Sundance Channel

Television Series or Miniseries, Genre:
American Horror Story: Coven - FX
Arrow - CW
The Walking Dead - AMC
Once Upon A Time - ABC
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - ABC
Grimm - NBC
Game Of Thrones - HBO
Orphan Black - BBC America
The Returned - Sundance Channel
Supernatural - CW

Actress in a Series, Drama:
Keri Russell  The Americans  FX
Vera Farmiga  Bates Motel  A&E
Anne Reid  Last Tango in Halifax  BBC, PBS
Olivia Colman  Broadchurch  BBC America
Robin Wright  House of Cards  Netflix
Lizzy Caplan  Masters of Sex  Showtime
Tatiana Maslany  Orphan Black  BBC America
Abigail Spencer  Rectify  Sundance Channel

Actor in a Series, Drama
Jon Hamm  Mad Men  AMC
Aden Young  Rectify  Sundance Channel
Michael Sheen  Masters of Sex  Showtime
Jeff Daniels  The Newsroom  HBO
Derek Jacobi  Last Tango in Halifax  BBC, PBS
Kevin Spacey  House of Cards  Netflix
Bryan Cranston  Breaking Bad  AMC
Freddie Highmore  Bates Motel  A&E

Television Series, Comedy or Musical
A Young Doctor’s Notebook  Ovation TV
Modern Family  ABC
Brooklyn Nine-Nine  Fox
Enlightened  HBO
Veep  HBO
Alpha House  Amazon Studios
The Wrong Mans  BBC, Hulu
The Big Bang Theory  CBS
Orange is the New Black  Netflix

Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical
Lena Dunham  Girls  HBO
Julia Louis-Dreyfus  Veep  HBO
Laura Dern  Enlightened  HBO
Amy Poehler  Parks And Recreation  NBC
Zooey Deschanel  New Girl  Fox
Taylor Schilling  Orange is the New Black  Netflix
Edie Falco  Nurse Jackie  Showtime
Jessica Walter  Arrested Development  Netflix

Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical
Jake Johnson  New Girl  Fox
Jim Parsons  The Big Bang Theory  CBS
James Corden  The Wrong Mans  BBC, Hulu
Don Cheadle  House Of Lies  Showtime
Andre Braugher  Brooklyn Nine-Nine  Fox
John Goodman  Alpha House  Amazon Studios
Mathew Baynton  The Wrong Mans  BBC, Hulu

Original Short-Format Program
#JustSaying, #SamoKažem  Tuna Fish Studio
EastSiders  Logo TV
High Maintenance  Jankyclown Productions
Burning Love  Abominable Pictures, Paramount Insurge, Red Hour Films, Yahoo!
Ask A Slave  AzieDee Productions
Little Horribles  Barnacle Studios
Blue  Wigs
Ghost Ghirls  Electric Dynamite, Shine America, Yahoo!

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:

Best Ensemble, Television:
Orange is the New Black

NEW MEDIA CATEGORIES: DVD/BLU-RAY

Best Overall Blu-Ray
Les Misérables  Universal
Star Trek: Into Darkness  Paramount Home Entertainment
The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition  MGM
Waiting for Lightning  First Run Features
Breaking Bad: The Complete Series  Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
JFK 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition  Warner Bros.
To Be or Not To Be  United Artists
Love Actually 10th Anniversary Edition  Universal
The Talented Mr. Ripley  Miramax
Argo  Warner Bros.

Youth Blu-Ray
Planes  Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Monsters University Collector’s Edition  Walt Disney Home Entertainment
The Smurfs 2  Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
The Croods  20th Century Fox
Rise Of The Guardians  DreamWorks Video
The Muppet Movie  Henson Associates

VIDEO GAME CATEGORIES:

Outstanding Action / Adventure Video Game
Grand Theft Auto V  Rockstar North
Beyond: Two Souls  Quantic Dream
Crysis 3  Crytek Frankfurt / UK
Battlefield 4  EA Digital Illusions CE
BioShock Infinite  Irrational Games

Outstanding Mobile Game
XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS  Firaxis Games
Warhammer Quest  Rodeo Games
The Room  Fireproof Games Studios
Ridiculous Fishing  Vlambeer
Badland  Frogmind

Outstanding Role Playing Game
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch  Level 5, Studio Ghibli
Tales of Xillia  Namco Tales Studio
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn  Square Enix Product
Sacred 3  Keen Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim  Bethesda Studios

Outstanding Sports / Racing Game
NBA 2K14 - Visual Concepts
Grid 2 - Codemasters Southam
Forza Motorsport 5 - Turn 10 Studios
FIFA 14 - Electronic Arts
Need for Speed Rivals - Electronic Arts, Ghost Games


END

San Francisco Film Critics Choose "12 Years a Slave"

by Amos Semien

The San Francisco Film Critics Circle chose 12 Years a Slave as the "Best Picture" of 2013, one of three awards the group gave to the film.  American Hustle and Gravity were also big winners.

The San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC) was founded in 2002 and is comprised of critics from Bay Area publications.  Its membership includes film journalists from the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, the East Bay Express, KRON-TV, Variety, and RottenTomatoes.com, among others.

2013 SAN FRANCISCO FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS:

Best Picture
AMERICAN HUSTLE
GRAVITY
NEBRASKA
WINNER – 12 YEARS A SLAVE
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Best Director
WINNER – Alfonso Cuaron, GRAVITY
Spike Jonze, HER
Steve McQueen, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
David O. Russell, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Martin Scorsese, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Best Actor
Bruce Dern, NEBRASKA
Leonardo DiCaprio, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
WINNER – Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Robert Redford, ALL IS LOST

Best Actress
WINNER – Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE
Sandra Bullock, GRAVITY
Judi Dench, PHILOMENA
Adele Exarchopolous, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
Brie Larson, SHORT TERM 12
Meryl Streep, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Michael Fassbender, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Harrison Ford, 42
Will Forte, NEBRASKA
WINNER – James Franco, SPRING BREAKERS
Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Best Supporting Actress
WINNER – Jennifer Lawrence, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Lea Seydoux, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
Octavia Spencer, FRUITVALE STATION
June Squibb, NEBRASKA

Best Screenplay, Original
WINNER – AMERICAN HUSTLE, Eric Singer and David O. Russell
GRAVITY, Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron
HER, Spike Jonze
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Joel and Ethan Coen
NEBRASKA, Bob Nelson

Best Screenplay, Adapted
BEFORE MIDNIGHT, Richard Linklater; Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke
PHILOMENA, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
THE SPECTACULAR NOW, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
WINNER – 12 YEARS A SLAVE, John Ridley
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Terence Winter

Best Cinematography
WINNER – GRAVITY, Emmanuel Lubezki
HER, Hoyte Van Hoytema
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA, Phedon Papamichael
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Sean Bobbitt

Best Production Design
AMERICAN HUSTLE, Judy Becker
WINNER – GRAVITY, Andy Nicholson
HER, K. K. Barrett
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Jess Gonchor
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Adam Stockhausen

Best Editing
ALL IS LOST, Pete Beaudreau
AMERICAN HUSTLE, Alan Baumgarten; Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, Christopher Rouse
WINNER – GRAVITY, Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Joe Walker
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Animated Feature
THE CROODS
DESPICABLE ME
WINNER – FROZEN
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
THE WIND RISES

Best Foreign Language Picture
WINNER – BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
A HIJACKING
THE HUNT
THE PAST
WADJDA

Best Documentary
WINNER – THE ACT OF KILLING
THE ARMSTRONG LIE
BLACKFISH
STORIES WE TELL
TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM

(6 nominations in a category indicates a tie)

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community:
Ryan Coogler for putting a human face to murder victim Oscar Grant in FRUITVALE STATION and to former Roxie Theater executive director Christopher Statton for putting the Roxie onto more solid ground by transforming it into a nonprofit enterprise.

Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema:
COMPUTER CHESS, Andrew Bujalski’s comedy merges documentary techniques and old video technologies to make light of the ’80s race to build a winning computer-chess program.

END

289 Films Compete for the Oscar as "Best Picture of 2013"

289 Feature Films In Contention For 2013 Best Picture Oscar®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Two hundred eighty-nine feature films are eligible for the 2013 Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced.

To be eligible for 86th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category. The “Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 86th Academy Awards” is available at http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/reminderlist.html.

The 86th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

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 also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Review: "Smokin' Aces" is Not Quite Smokin' (Happy B'day, Ray Liotta)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 117 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Smokin’ Aces (2006)
Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some nudity, and drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Joe Carnahan
PRODUCERS:  Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Joe Carnahan, and Liza Chasin
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mauro Fiore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Robert Frazen
COMPOSER:  Clint Mansell

CRIME/ACTION with elements of comedy and drama

Starring:  Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Common, Taraji Henson, Martin Henderson, Peter Berg, Christopher Michael Holley, Nestor Carbonell, Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, Maury Sterling, Tommy Flanagan, Curtis Armstrong, Jason Batman, Mike Falkow Joseph Ruskin, Alex Rocco, Joel Edgerton, and Matthew Fox

The subject of this movie review is Smokin’ Aces, a 2007 crime and action film from director Joe Carnahan.  The movie focuses on a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch and the large number of people trying to kill him.  The film was released theatrically in January 2007.

Smokin’ Aces is the first film from writer/director Joe Carnahan since his gritty crime flick, Narc, which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and went onto receive rave reviews (including praise from Harrison Ford).  The attention even earned him a deal to direct Mission: Impossible 3 before Carnahan departed the project over creative differences with Tom Cruise.

Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven) grew up amongst card sharks, gamblers, killers, and thugs.  By the time he was 21, Buddy was a wildly popular magician in Las Vegas, a celebrity who also got to hang out with the most dangerous criminals.  But Buddy wanted more.  He wanted to be gangster and became one before the law caught up with him.  After the sleazy Las Vegas illusionist agrees to testify against his former mob partners, he embarks on one last hurrah in Lake Tahoe before entering witness protective custody.

His one-time benefactor, Primo Sparazza (Joseph Ruskin), a mob power broker, isn’t about to let that happen.  Rumors are that Sparazza is willing to pay up to $1,000,000 for Buddy dead and his heart delivered back to Sparazza.  When word hits the street, a rogues gallery of degenerate assassins, killers, and psychopaths head for Lake Tahoe and the Nomad Casino where Buddy is hiding to claim the prize.  FBI Deputy Director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) sends his top agent, Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and Messner’s veteran partner, Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta), to keep Buddy safe, but can a few agents protect the seedy magician from a slew of would-be assassins?

Although the film has a delightful and wildly diverse cast, Smokin’ Aces is mostly a Pulp Fiction clone except that it has an even weirder cast of characters.  Defined by action movie frivolity, Smokin’ Aces attempts to make slime look glamorous.  Carnahan raises the crass display of bloodletting to new faux art heights.  The film has its moments, and its violence is as much cartoonish as it is nightmarish.  In a sense, it’s like some crazy, hyperactive crime comic book.  The film’s narrative is itself a card trick – an illusion in which the viewer keeps seeing what he expects to see and misses the obvious.  So the ending may come as a shock because it is something of a commentary on the dishonest and sometimes illegal means by which law enforcement goes after a large quarry.

Before that ending, there are some exceptional characters brought to life by actors giving rich performances.  Ryan Reynolds is the best of the lot, but Common as Sir Ivy and Alicia Keys and Taraji Henson as the badass assassin duo, Georgia Sykes and Sharice Watters, are fun to watch.

5 of 10
B-

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Updated:  Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Producers Guild of America to Honor "Fruitvale Station"

Producers Guild To Honor 'Fruitvale Station' With 2014 Stanley Kramer Award

The Producers Guild of America (PGA), announced today that the critically acclaimed feature FRUITVALE STATION will be honored with the 2014 Stanley Kramer Award at the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony.  The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Stanley Kramer Award was established in 2002 to honor a production, producer or other individual whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.  Stanley Kramer created some of the most powerful work in the history of American motion pictures, including such classics as INHERIT THE WIND, ON THE BEACH, THE DEFIANT ONES, and GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER.

"FRUITVALE STATION is an important film that raises awareness about an injustice that we encounter in the news with grim regularity.  First time writer/director Ryan Coogler has captured the hearts and minds of both audiences and critics with his poignant portrayal of the true story of Oscar Grant,” said PGA Awards Co-Chairs Lori McCreary (INVICTUS, "Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman”) and Michael De Luca (CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, MONEYBALL, THE SOCIAL NETWORK).  "FRUITVALE STATION has well earned the honor of the 2014 Stanley Kramer Award and we look forward to celebrating this extraordinary film.”

Forest Whitaker said, "We are very excited that FRUITVALE STATION is being honored with the Stanley Kramer Award. It is a testament to the director, the production team and the incredible efforts of the many talented people in our crew and cast who worked so hard because they believed in the message of this movie. Many thanks to the Producers Guild of America for this recognition. Our producing team is thrilled to have been able to tell a story that puts a human face on the issue of social injustice. We hope the film continues to have a positive impact on the ongoing dialogue that surrounds these issues.”

Previous recipients of the Stanley Kramer Award include: THE GREAT DEBATERS, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, HOTEL RWANDA, IN AMERICA, ANTWONE FISHER, PRECIOUS, IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY, and the 2013 honoree, BULLY.

Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, FRUITVALE STATION follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year's Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), with whom he hasn't been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family and strangers, Oscar starts out well, as the day goes on, he realizes that changes are not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year's Day. Oscar's life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area – and, ultimately, a worldwide audience - to its very core.

The Weinstein Company presents FRUITVALE STATION, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker.

Sponsors of the 2014 Producers Guild Awards include Cadillac, an official automotive sponsor of the PGA; Delta Air Lines, the sponsor of this year's Producers Guild Visionary Award; Panavision, the sponsor of the cocktail reception; PRG, Production Resource Group, an annual sponsor of the PGA; and Tiffany & Co.

75 Songs Compete for Five Oscar Nominations in 2014

75 Original Songs Tune Up For 2013 Oscar®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Seventy-five songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

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

     "Amen" from "All Is Lost"
     "Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"
     "Doby" from "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"
     "Last Mile Home" from "August: Osage County"
     "Austenland" from "Austenland"
     "Comic Books" from "Austenland"
     "L.O.V.E.D.A.R.C.Y" from "Austenland"
     "What Up" from "Austenland"
     "He Loves Me Still" from "Black Nativity"
     "Hush Child (Get You Through This Silent Night)" from "Black Nativity"
     "Test Of Faith" from "Black Nativity"
     "Forgiveness" from "Brave Miss World"
     "Lullaby Song" from "Cleaver's Destiny"
     "Shine Your Way" from "The Croods"
     "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2"
     "Gonna Be Alright" from "Epic"
     "Rise Up" from "Epic"
     "What Matters Most" from "Escape from Planet Earth"
     "Bones" from "For No Good Reason"
     "Going Nowhere" from "For No Good Reason"
     "Gonzo" from "For No Good Reason"
     "The Courage To Believe" from "Free China: The Courage to Believe"
     "Let It Go" from "Frozen"
     "100$ Bill" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "Over The Love" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "Together" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "Young and Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "The Moon Song" from "Her"
     "I See Fire" from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
     "Bite Of Our Lives" from "How Sweet It Is"
     "Try" from     "How Sweet It Is"
     "Atlas" from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
     "Better You, Better Me" from "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete"
     "Bring It On" from "Jewtopia"
     "Aygiri Nadani" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "Har Har Mahadeva" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "I Felt" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "Of The Soil" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "Sawariya" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "In The Middle Of The Night" from "Lee Daniels' The Butler"
     "You And I Ain't Nothin' No More" from "Lee Daniels' The Butler"
     "Let's Take A Trip" from "Live at the Foxes Den"
     "Pour Me Another Dream" from "Live at the Foxes Den"
     "The Time Of My Life" from "Live at the Foxes Den"
     "Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"
     "Monsters University" from "Monsters University"
     "When The Darkness Comes" from "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"
     "Sacrifice (I Am Here)" from "Murph: The Protector"
     "The Muslims Are Coming" from "The Muslims Are Coming!"
     "Oblivion" from "Oblivion"
     "Sweeter Than Fiction" from "One Chance"
     "Nothing Can Stop Me Now" from "Planes"
     "We Both Know" from "Safe Haven"
     "Get Used To Me" from "The Sapphires"
     "Stay Alive" from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
     "So You Know What It's Like" from "Short Term 12"
     "There's No Black Or White" from "Somm"
     "Cut Me Some Slack" from "Sound City"
     "You Can't Fix This" from "Sound City"
     "Let It Go" from "Spark: A Burning Man Story"
     "We Ride" from "Spark: A Burning Man Story"
     "Becomes The Color" from "Stoker"
     "Younger Every Day" from "3 Geezers!"
     "Here It Comes" from "Trance"
     "Let The Bass Go" from "Turbo"
     "The Snail Is Fast" from "Turbo"
     "Speedin'" from "Turbo"
     "My Lord Sunshine (Sunrise)" from "12 Years a Slave"
     "Make It Love" from "Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro"
     "One Life" from "The Ultimate Life"
     "Unfinished Songs" from "Unfinished Song"
     "For The Time Being" from "The Way, Way Back"
     "Go Where The Love Is" from "The Way, Way Back"
     "Bleed For Love" from "Winnie Mandela"

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

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

The 86th Academy Awards® nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

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 Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Review: "Force of Execution" Has a Cap for Every Ass

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 82 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Force of Execution (2013)
Running time:  99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence throughout, sexual content/nudity and pervasive language
DIRECTOR:  Keoni Waxman
WRITERS:  Richard Beattie and Michael Black
PRODUCERS:  Nicolas Chartier, Phillip B. Goldfine, and Steven Seagal
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Nathan Wilson
EDITOR:  Trevor Mirosh
COMPOSER:  Michael Richard Plowman

CRIME/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Steven Seagal, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, Bren Foster, Jenny Gabrielle, David House, Eric Steinig, Jermaine Washington, J.D. Garfield, Cajardo Lindsey, Marlon Lewis, Andy Brooks, and Jesus Jr.

Force of Execution is a 2013 action and crime thriller from director Keoni Waxman.  Starring Steven Seagal and Ving Rhames, Force of Execution focuses on a war between a crime boss concerned about his legacy and the new boss who wants to take his place.

Mob kingpin Mr. Alexander (Steven Seagal) is an old-school boss – the kind who rules his criminal empire with nobility as well as brutality.  His protégé is Roman Hurst (Bren Foster), a skilled fighter and hit man.  Alexander assigns to Hurst a simple prison hit that goes wrong, and Hurst is forced to pay a price for his “failure.”

Later, challenges to Alexander’s power arise on two different fronts.  The first is a cold-blooded gangster known as “The Iceman” (Ving Rhames) or simply, “Ice.”  Ice is a kind of prince of a powerful street gang, and he soon begins to consolidate power, using murder and mayhem strategically.  The second group of rivals is a merciless Mexican cartel, led by a man known as Cesare (J.D. Garfield).  As these groups divide and fight over territory, the body count rises.  A shadow player, Oso (Danny Trejo), ex-con and cook, has a few hidden moves of his own.  He is helping the man who may well decide the winner of this citywide gangway find redemption and healing.

Force of Execution is by no means a great movie, but it is a surprisingly entertaining crime flick.  It is kind of like a clunky version of a Hong Kong action movie/shoot ‘em up.  Force of Execution’s biggest problem is in the writing.  Like Brooklyn’s Finest or the recent Pawn, Force of Execution has a screenplay that would work better if it were the basis for a television series.  This movie has a lot of good characters, but writers Richard Beattie and Michael Black squeeze them into a storytelling timeframe that is not adequate for allowing several characters to emerge and to fully develop, at least not the way a television series would.

Still, the script seems tailored made to let Steven Seagal, Ving Rhames, and Danny Trejo portray the kind of on-the-edge, crazy characters that movie fans want to see these actors play.  Older and pudgier, Seagal does not have to move very fast to be a convincing bad ass, and he can still kick some ass.  As far as I’m concerned, Danny Trejo is always a good thing.  There is always a little bit more to his characters than is obvious, and in this movie, that little bit more involves a kind of person called a “curandero.”

As for Ving Rhames:  well, as The Iceman, he calls everybody “nigger.”  I love a movie that lets niggas call niggas “niggas,” and here, Ving Rhames calls blacks, whites, browns, etc. “nigger,” when he is feeling jolly and little bit dangerous.  As Ice, Rhames has this movie’s best dialogue, and he makes good use of it.

I do wish the story had a better focus on Bren Foster’s Ramon Hurst.  Foster is good in the fight scenes, although he needs to improve as a dramatic actor.  Still, Foster would be a good choice to play the lead if some studio remade a classic Seagal flick like Marked for Death or Out for Justice.

Force of Execution is enjoyable.  It’s fun to watch Seagal beat people up and throw them into furniture and stacks of whatever is nearby.  Hand-to-hand combat does not take a backseat to gunplay, and the executions do have force behind them.  I wouldn’t mind at sequel to Force of Execution, at all.

6 of 10
B

Monday, December 16, 2013


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