2014 Producers Guild Award Nominations - Theatrical Film Categories

by Amos Semien

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

The nominations for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards (also known as the 2014 Producers Guild Awards) were announced Thursday, January 02, 2014.  All 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Robert Iger (Milestone Award), Peter Jackson & Joe Letteri (Vanguard Award), Chuck Lorre (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Chris Meledandri (Visionary Award) and FRUITVALE STATION (Stanley Kramer Award).

The 2014 Producers Guild nominated films and television programs are listed below in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers’ names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.  The programs in some categories were not vetted for producer eligibility this year (2013), but winners in these categories will be announced at the official ceremony on January 19th.

25th Annual Producers Guild Awards nominations:

The theatrical motion picture nominees are:

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

American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Jon Gordon, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle

Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum

Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Producers: Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter

Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Her (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay

Nebraska (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

Saving Mr. Banks (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producers: Ian Collie, Alison Owen, Philip Steuer

12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner

Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Riza Aziz, Emma Koskoff, Joey McFarland

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The Croods (DreamWorks Animation)
Producers: Kristine Belson, Jane Hartwell

Despicable Me 2 (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Janet Healy, Chris Meledandri

Epic (Twentieth Century Fox)
Producers: Jerry Davis, Lori Forte

Frozen (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Monsters University (Pixar Animation)
Producer: Kori Rae

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:

A PLACE AT THE TABLE (Magnolia Pictures)
Producers: Julie Goldman, Ryan Harrington, Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush

FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH: THE TOMI UNGERER STORY (First Run Features)
Producers: Brad Bernstein, Rick Cikowski

LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM (HBO Documentary Films)
Producers: Andrea Nix Fine, Sean Fine, Miriam Weintraub

WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS (Focus Features)
Producers: Alexis Bloom, Alex Gibney, Marc Shmuger

WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON (HBO Documentary Films)
Producers: James Brabazon, Nick Quested

In 1990, the Producers Guild held the first-ever Golden Laurel Awards, which were renamed the Producers Guild Awards in 2002. Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck took home the award for Best Produced Motion Picture for DRIVING MISS DAISY, establishing the Guild’s awards as a bellwether for the Oscars. Last year, the PGA awarded ARGO with its Darryl F. Zanuck Outstanding Producer Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, marking the sixth consecutive year the Producers Guild has presaged the Motion Picture Academy’s choice. 

Sponsors of the 2014 Producers Guild Awards includeCadillac, an official automotive partnerof 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. 

About the Producers Guild of America (PGA)

The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The Producers Guild has more than 5,900 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members with employment opportunities, seeking to expand health benefits,promoting fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts such as encouraging sustainable production practices. Visitwww.producersguild.org,www.pgagreen.org,www.pgadiversity.orgfor more information.

END

2014 Producers Guild Award Nominations - Television Categories

by Amos Semien

The nominations for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards (also known as the 2014 Producers Guild Awards) were announced Thursday, January 02, 2014.  All 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

25th Annual Producers Guild Awards nominations:

The television nominees are:

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:

American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)
Producers: Brad Buecker, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, Ryan Murphy, Chip Vucelich

Behind the Candelabra (HBO)
Producers: Susan Ekins, Gregory Jacobs, Michael Polaire, Jerry Weintraub

Killing Kennedy (National Geographic Channel)
Producers: Mary Lisio, Larry Rapaport, Ridley Scott, Teri Weinberg, David W. Zucker

Phil Spector (HBO)
Producers: Michael Hausman, Barry Levinson

Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel)
Producers: Philippa Campbell, Jane Campion, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman

The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

Breaking Bad (AMC)
Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett

Downton Abbey (ITV - United Kingdom; PBS - United States)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge

Game of Thrones (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, D.B. Weiss, Christopher Newman, Greg Spence, Carolyn Strauss

Homeland (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm

House of Cards (Netflix)
Producers: Joshua Donen, David Fincher, Karyn McCarthy, John Melfi, Eric Roth, Kevin Spacey, Beau Willimon

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

30 Rock (NBC)
Producers: Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Luke Del Tredici , Tina Fey, Matt Hubbard , Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer , Colleen McGuinness, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Dylan Morgan , Jeff Richmond , Josh Siegal, Tracey Wigfield

Arrested Development (Netflix)
Producers: John Foy, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Mitchell Hurwitz, Dean Lorey, Troy Miller, Richard Rosenstock, Jim Vallely

Big Bang Theory, The (CBS)
Producers: Bill Prady, Chucke Lorre, Steve Molaro, Faye Oshima Belyeu

Modern Family (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeffrey Morton, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Chris Smirnoff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker

VEEP (HBO)
Producers: Simon Blackwell, Christopher Godsick, Armando Iannucci, Stephanie Laing, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Frank Rich, Tony Roche

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

30 for 30 (ESPN)
Producers: Bill Simmons, John Dahl, Erin Leyden, Connor Schell

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)
Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandra Zweig

Duck Dynasty (A&E Networks)
Producers: Deirdre Gurney, Scott Gurney, Mike Odair, Hugh Peterson, Adam Saltzberg, Charlie Van Vleet

Inside The Actors Studio (Bravo)
Producers: James Lipton, Shawn Tesser, Jeff Wurtz

Shark Tank (ABC)
Producers: Mark Burnett, Becky Blitz, Bill Gaudsmith, Yun Lingner, Clay Newbill, Jim Roush, Laura Skowlund, Max Swedlow

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:

Colbert Report, The (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Matt Lappin, Emily Lazar, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart

Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Producers: David Craig, Ken Crosby, Doug DeLuca, Gary Greenberg, Erin Irwin, Jimmy Kimmel, Jill Leiderman, Molly McNearney, Tony Romero, Jason Shrift, Jennifer Sharron, Josh Weintraub

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Producers: Hillary Hunn, Lorne Michaels, Gavin Purcell, Michael Shoemaker

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Matt Wood

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Producers: Ken Aymong, Erin Doyle, Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, Lindsay Shookus

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:

Amazing Race, The (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo

Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens-Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur

Project Runway (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Colleen Sands

Top Chef (Bravo)
Producers: Tom Colicchio, Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Erica Ross, Nan Strait, Andrew Wallace

Voice, The (NBC)
Producers: Stijn Bakkers, Mark Burnett, John de Mol, Chad Hines, Lee Metzger, Audrey Morrissey, Jim Roush, Kyra Thompson, Nicolle Yaron, Mike Yurchuk, Amanda Zucker

The following programs were not vetted for producer eligibility this year, but winners in these categories will be announced at the official ceremony on January 19:

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program:
24/7 (HBO)
Hard Knocks (HBO)
Monday Night Football (ESPN)
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
SportsCenter (ESPN)

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program:
Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon)
iCarly (Nickelodeon)
Phineas and Ferb (Disney Channel)
Sesame Street (Sprout)
SpongeBob Squarepants (Nickelodeon)

The Award for Outstanding Digital Series: 
Burning Love (http://screen.yahoo.com/burning-love/)
Epic Rap Battles of History (www.epicrapbattlesofhistory.com)
Lizzie Bennet Diaries, The (www.youtube.com/lizziebennet)
Video Game High School (http://www.rocketjump.com/category/vghs)
Wired: What’s Inside (http://video.wired.com/series/what-s-inside)

END

Fifth "Paranormal Activity" Flick Opens Thurs., Jan 2nd

Don't go in the basement....

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones opens Thursday, January 2, 2014

Watch an all new clip from PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES:
http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/paranormal-activity-marked-ones-clip-pays-homage-horror-174436647.html

Review: "Murder My Sweet" is Flawed But Compelling (Rembering Dick Powell)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 79 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Murder, My Sweet (1944) – Black & White
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
DIRECTOR:  Edward Dmytryk
WRITER:  John Paxton (from the novel Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler)
PRODUCER:  Adrian Scott
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Harry J. Wild
EDITOR:  Joseph Noriega
COMPOSER:  Roy Webb

FILM-NOIR/MYSTERY/CRIME

Starring:  Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger, Mike Mazurki, Miles Mander, Douglas Walton, Donald Douglas, Ralf Harolde, and Esther Howard

The subject of this movie review is Murder, My Sweet, a 1944 film noir detective movie from director Edward Dmytryk.  This film stars Dick Powell (one of my favorite actors) as a private detective drawn into a complex web of mystery and deceit after being hired to find an ex-con’s former girlfriend.

Murder, My Sweet is the film adaptation of the Raymond Chandler 1940 novel, Farewell, My Lovely, which was also the film’s original title.  For the U.S. release, the film’s name was changed to Murder, My Sweet so that people wouldn’t mistake it for a musical, as the film’s star, Dick Powell, was, up to that point, known as a singer.  The role revitalized Powell’s career, and he went on to play many tough guys.

The plot is convoluted and takes some effort to follow.  It begins when a big bruiser named Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) shows up at the office of private detective, Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell).  Malloy has been in prison for eight years; recently released, he wants Marlowe to find his girl Velma, with whom he hasn’t spoken in six years.  However, another person hunting for something or someone walks into Marlowe’s office – Lindsay Marriott (Douglas Walton), a foppish fellow who claims to be acting as a middleman to retrieve a rather expensive jade necklace from the thieves who took it and who are willing to make a deal.

After Marriott is killed, the police consider Marlowe to be the lead murder suspect, but Marlowe has his eyes on a dysfunctional family trio:  a beautiful young woman named Ann Grayle (Anne Shirley), her wealthy father, Mr. Grayle (Miles Mander), and her stepmother, Helen Grayle (Claire Trevor).  Each one wants the jade necklace, for various reasons and is trying to manipulate Marlowe to get what he or she wants.  He, however, just isn’t having it, and he begins to connect his first case with his second.

Convoluted plot aside, some consider Murder, My Sweet to be the definitive film-noir movie in spite of its shaky script and throwaway and/or underdeveloped characters.  The characters don’t really stick and their connections to one another are flimsy and contrived, which drove me crazy because they had such potential.

The film is likely beloved because of its seductive vision of nighttime Los Angeles, here, shrouded in rich, lush shadows suggesting the quintessential film-noir setting for a hardboiled roughneck dick like Philip Marlowe.  There is hardly a daytime scene in this picture; it’s a dreamy nocturnal setting for night owls, and this is just the environment to make you forget a weak script and vastly undercooked characters.  Director Edward Dmytryk and cinematographer Harry Wild combine the former’s tendency towards flashy effects and the latter’s brilliant sense of noir into an atmosphere that is pure detective film from beginning to end.

The performances are mixed, although Claire Trevor as Helen Grayle creates a great femme fatale out of a very small part.  When she comes onto Marlowe, we know that she’d use her sexuality on him without hesitation in order to get her way, and this lady is just plain dangerous; you realize that from the moment you see her.  All that aside, the main attraction is Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe.  He interprets Marlowe as a no-nonsense kind of kind guy, but a glib fellow with a droll sense of humor.  He doesn’t pretend to play along with other’s bull, and he’s the proverbial straight shooter who calls bullshit when he sees it.  He’s not the strong, silent type because he talks a lot, but his verbalizing is merely the quick and tricky moves of a savvy fighter.  Powell adds life, a blazing presence, and practicality to the film-noir art of this movie.  Powell or artful noir – either one is more than enough reason to see this sadly flawed, but compelling film.

6 of 10
B

Monday, May 23, 2005

Updated:  Thursday, January 02, 2014

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

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

by Amos Semien

The Phoenix Film Critics Society announced the winners for it 2013 Annual Awards on Tuesday, December 17, 2013.  Director Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave was named "Best Picture" of 2013, continuing its domination of the 2014-14 movie awards season.  Alfonso Cuaron continues his dominance winning "Best Director" awards for the film, Gravity.  Gravity also dominated the Phoenix Film Critics Society 2013 Awards with five wins; Walt Disney Picture's smash animated film, Frozen, won three awards.

Phoenix Film Critics Society 2013 Awards:

BEST PICTURE:
"12 Years a Slave"

TOP TEN FILMS OF 2013 (in alphabetical order):
"12 Years a Slave"

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity"

"Mud"

"Nebraska"

"Philomena"

"Saving Mr. Banks"

"Short Term 12"

BEST DIRECTOR:
Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING:
"American Hustle"

BEST SCREENPLAY – ORIGINAL:
"Nebraska"

BEST SCREENPLAY – ADAPTATION:
"12 Years a Slave"

BEST LIVE ACTION FAMILY FILM (Rated G or PG):
"Oz, The Great and Powerful"

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
(TIE) "The Kings of Summer" and "The Spectacular Now"

BEST ANIMATED FILM:
"Frozen"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
"Blue is the Warmest Color"

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
"20 Feet from Stardom"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
Let It Go, "Frozen"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
"Frozen"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
"Gravity"

BEST FILM EDITING:
"Gravity"

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:
"Gravity"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
"The Great Gatsby"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
"Gravity"

BEST STUNTS:
"Fast & Furious 6"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE ON CAMERA:
Oscar Isaac, "Inside Llewyn Davis"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE BEHIND THE CAMERA:
Lake Bell, "In a World..."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH IN A LEAD OR SUPPORTING ROLE – MALE:
Tye Sheridan, "Mud"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH IN A LEAD OR SUPPORTING ROLE – FEMALE:
Sophie Nelisse, "The Book Thief"

END

Review: "Stealth" Has Plenty of Cool Moments (Happy B'day, Richard Roxburgh)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 123 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Stealth (2005)
Running time:  121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense action, some violence, brief strong language, and innuendo
DIRECTOR:  Rob Cohen
WRITER:  W.D. Richter
PRODUCERS:  Mike Medavoy, Laura Ziskin, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dean Semler
EDITOR:  Stephen Rivkin
COMPOSER:  BT

SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER with elements of war

Starring:  Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepard, Joe Morton, Richard Roxburgh, David Miller, and Wentworth Miller (voice)

The subject of this movie review is Stealth, a 2005 science fiction and action thriller from director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx).  The film follows three pilots, who are part of a top-secret military program, and their struggle to control an artificial intelligence used to operate a robotic stealth aircraft.

Lt. Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas), Kara Wade (Jessica Biel), and Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx) are three Navy pilots deeply ensconced in a top-secret military program that tests the next generation in fighter jets, the Talon.  The trio tests their Talons in preparation for strategic air strikes against terrorists and their leaders, and the strikes have to be dead perfect in order to absolutely minimize collateral damage, i.e. civilian deaths.  However, the pilots are saddled with a fourth jet; called EDI (voice of Wentworth Miller), the jet is unmanned, and is instead run by an artificially intelligent computer.  After being struck by lightning, EDI really develops a mind of its own and begins choosing its own targets.  Gannon, Wade, and Purcell must stop EDI before he/it starts a world war.

Rob Cohen, the man who directed The Fast and the Furious and xXx, brings us Stealth, and if The Fast and The Furious and Top Gun had a sci-fi baby, Stealth would be it.  Although the script by W.D. Richter borrows heavily from films such as the aforementioned Top Gun and also 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stealth is pure fun, packing all the eye-popping, adrenaline-rush, video game style action movie thrills of Cohen’s earlier films.  The dialogue is lame, and the acting is suspect, very much so at the beginning (don’t look for Jamie Foxx to come anywhere near the magic of his Oscar-winning performance in Ray); however, by the time we reach the middle of the film the cast is deep into action movie mode, spouting lines of intense dialogue and emoting just the way they should for a military thriller.

Stealth may be a throwaway summer action blockbuster, but like films such as Con Air, Face/Off, and Cohen’s other hit action flicks, this movie delivers, and it looks great on the big screen.  The jet flight sequences and battle scenes are thrilling; if you really dig such movies, this is a must see on the big screen.  Some may say that Stealth plays lightly with the consequences of dropping bombs on civilian populations and jets shooting missiles down from the sky, but this vicarious thrill is some of the best fun one can have at war games with nothing more than your eyes and neck strained or hurt.  Think of this as The Fast and the Furious of near future air combat, and sit back and enjoy the ride because Stealth can cure most any need for speed.

7 of 10
B+

Updated: Wednesday, January 01, 2014

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

Happy New Year - Negromancer 2014 is Open for Business

Happy New Year!  Welcome to Negromancer.  This is the rebirth of the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news website.  Let's make 2014 big for all of us and for Grumble, which wants to be big.

Thanks for visiting and hope you're back throughout 2014, which we can apparently call the year without a new Pixar movie.

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