Thursday, December 19, 2013

18th Satellite Awards Nominations - Motion Picture Categories

by Amos Semien

The International Press Academy (IPA) is an entertainment media association with voting members worldwide who represent domestic and foreign markets via print, television, radio, blogs, and other content platforms for virtually every notable outlet.

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

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):

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES:

Best Motion Picture:
Inside Llewyn Davis - CBS Films
12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Philomena - The Weinstein Co.
American Hustle - Sony
Gravity - Warner Bros.
Captain Phillips - Sony
The Wolf of Wall Street - Paramount
Saving Mr. Banks - Disney
All Is Lost - Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions
Blue Jasmine - Sony Pictures Classics

Director:
Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for Inside Llewyn Davis - CBS Films
Ron Howard for Rush - Universal
Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine - Sony Pictures Classics
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street - Paramount
Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity - Warner Bros.
Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips - Sony
David O. Russell for American Hustle - Sony

Actress in a Motion Picture:
Meryl Streep for August: Osage County - The Weinstein Co.
Judi Dench for Philomena - The Weinstein Co.
Sandra Bullock for Gravity - Warner Bros.
Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine - Sony Pictures Classics
Amy Adams for American Hustle - Sony
Julia Louis-Dreyfus  Enough Said - Fox Searchlight
Adèle Exarchopoulos for Blue Is the Warmest Color - Sundance
Emma Thompson for Saving Mr. Banks - Disney

Actor in a Motion Picture:
Christian Bale for American Hustle - Sony
Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips - Sony
Robert Redford for All Is Lost - Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions
Bruce Dern for Nebraska - Paramount Pictures
Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Forest Whitaker for Lee Daniels’ the Butler - The Weinstein Co.
Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club - Focus Features
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street - Paramount

Actress in a Supporting Role:
Julia Roberts for August: Osage County - The Weinstein Co.
Léa Seydoux for Blue Is the Warmest Color - Sundance
June Squibb for Nebraska - Paramount
Oprah Winfrey for Lee Daniels’ the Butler - The Weinstein Co.
Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine - Sony Pictures Classics
Emily Watson for The Book Thief - 20th Century Fox
Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle - Sony

Actor in a Supporting Role:
Jake Gyllenhaal for Prisoners - Disney, Warner Bros.
Harrison Ford for 42 - Warner Bros.
Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club - Focus Features
Casey Affleck for Out of the Furnace - Relativity Media
Bradley Cooper for American Hustle - Sony
Ryan Gosling for The Place Beyond the Pines - Focus Features
Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Tom Hanks for Saving Mr. Banks - Disney

Motion Picture, International Film
Denmark - The Hunt
France - Blue Is the Warmest Color
South Africa - Four Corners
Serbia - Circles
Saudia Arabia - Wadjda
Iran - The Past
Italy - The Great Beauty
United Kingdom - Metro Manila
Belgium - The Broken Circle Breakdown
Israel - Bethlehem

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media:
Ernest & Celestine - GKIDS
Turbo - DreamWorks
The Wind Rises - Studio Ghibli
The Croods - 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks
Frozen - Disney
Epic - 20th Century Fox
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 - Sony
Monsters University - Disney*Pixar

Motion Picture, Documentary:
20 Feet from Stardom - Radius-TWC
Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie - Ironbound Films
The Square - Netflix Originals, Noujaim Films, Participant
American Promise - Rada Film Group
The Act of Killing - Drafthouse Films
Blackfish - Magnolia Pictures
Stories We Tell - Roadside Attractions
Sound City - Roswell Films
Tim’s Vermeer - Sony Pictures Classics
After Tiller - Oscilloscope Pictures

Screenplay, Original:
Nicole Holofcener for Enough Said - Fox Searchlight
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for Inside Llewyn Davis - CBS Films
Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine - Sony Pictures Classics
Spike Jonze for Her - Warner Bros.
Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith for Saving Mr. Banks - Disney
David O. Russell, Eric Singer for American Hustle - Sony

Screenplay, Adapted:
Billy Ray for Captain Phillips - Sony
Peter Berg for Lone Survivor - Universal
John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Terence Winter for The Wolf of Wall Street - Paramount
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater for Before Midnight - Sony Pictures Classics
Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan for Philomena - The Weinstein Co.

Original Score:
Alexandre Desplat for Philomena - The Weinstein Co.
Hans Zimmer for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Arcade Fire for Her - Warner Bros.
Steven Price for Gravity - Warner Bros.
Theodore Shapiro for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - 20th Century Fox
John Williams for The Book Thief - 20th Century Fox

Original Song:
“Young and Beautiful” from The Great Gatsby - Warner Bros.
“Let It Go” from Frozen - Disney
“I See Fire” from The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Warner Bros.
“So You Know What It’s Like” from Short Term 12 - Cinedigm
“Happy” from Despicable Me 2 - Universal
“Please Mr. Kennedy” from Inside Llewyn Davis - CBS Films

Cinematography:
Roger Deakins for Prisoners  Warner Bros.
Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis  CBS Films
Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity  Warner Bros.
Sean Bobbitt for 12 Years a Slave  Fox Searchlight
Stuart Dryburgh for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty  20th Century Fox
Anthony Dod Mantle for Rush  Universal

Visual Effects:
Andrew R. Jones, Jessica Norman, Matt Johnson, Scott Farrar for World War Z  Paramount
Markus Manninen, Matt Baer for The Croods  20th Century Fox, DreamWorks
James Schwalm, Scott Stokdyk, Troy Saliba for Oz the Great and Powerful  Disney
Antoine Moulineau, Jody Johnson, Mark Hodgkins for Rush  Universal
Charles Howell, Chris Lawrence, Tim Webber for Gravity  Warner Bros.
Brendon O’Dell, Colin Davies, Robert Munroe for All Is Lost  Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions

Film Editing:
Thelma Schoonmaker for The Wolf of Wall Street - Paramount
Gary D. Roach, Joel Cox for Prisoners - Warner Bros.
Crispin Struthers, Jay Cassidy for American Hustle - Sony
Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Sanger for Gravity - Warner Bros.
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill for Rush - Universal
Joe Walker for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight

Sound (Editing and Mixing):
Christopher Scarabosio, Craig Berkey, Dave Whitehead, David Husby for Elysium - Sony
Glenn Freemantle, Niv Adiri, Skip Lievsay for Gravity - Warner Bros.
Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker for All Is Lost - Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions
Danny Hambrook, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler for Rush - Universal
Greg Orloff, Paul Urmson, Peter Kurland, Skip Lievsay for Inside Llewyn Davis  -CBS Films
Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Oliver Tarney for Captain Phillips - Sony

Art Direction & Production Design:
Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald for The Invisible Woman - Sony Pictures Classics
Lauren E. Polizzi, Michael Corenblith for Saving Mr. Banks - Disney
Diane Lederman, Tim Galvin for Lee Daniels’ the Butler - The Weinstein Co.
Mark Digby, Patrick Rolfe for Rush - Universal
Beverly Dunn, Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby - Warner Bros.
Nancy Haigh, Robert Stromberg for Oz the Great and Powerful - Disney

Costume Design:
Michael O’Connor for The Invisible Woman - Sony Pictures Classics
Julian Day for Rush - Universal
Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby - Warner Bros.
Daniel Orlandi for Saving Mr. Banks - Disney
Patricia Norris for 12 Years a Slave - Fox Searchlight
Gary Jones for Oz the Great and Powerful – Disney

Special Achievement Awards:

Honorary Satellite Award:
Ryan Coogler

Breakthrough Performance Award:
Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale Station
Sophie Nelisse - The Book Thief

Best Ensemble, Motion Picture:
Nebraska

END


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.


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

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.