After attending an early and advanced screening of the then-unfinished 2006 film “Bobby”, Clayton Davis, the respected and esteemed Awards Circuit editor was then a contributor to the website The Oscar Igloo.  Clayton was so taken by the film that he immediately went to work on writing his thoughts and feelings and...

Stricken with a shocking, confounding, and life-threatening cancer diagnosis, 27-year old Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is forced to deal with realities he never could have anticipated in the brilliant “50/50″, a comedy/drama that takes a considerable amount of risk in conveying a story of this subject matter with a liberal mix of...

As we wave goodbye to September, the awards season just keeps heating up.  A lot of interesting releases this weekend, both wide and limited, some of which could be serious Oscar contenders: First up in wide release is the dramedy 50/50, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man who is diagnosed with...

My Oscar Predictions are due this weekend and I’ve been playing with them quite a bit.  I’ve even been having mini-pow-wow’s with some of my staff talking it up with them and what we think will or will not make it.  It’s funny that this time of the year I foresee many...

An aquatic/animal welfare documentary that plays it pretty safe, and almost too safe if you ask me, ‘The Whale’ has an interesting topic and charm to spare, but it never really goes out there to make itself feel particularly relevant or important.  In fact, if you didn’t know that Ryan Reynolds was...

Let me be clear before I begin writing this and you begin reading…I do not believe for one minute that Citizen Kane (1941) is the greatest American film ever made.  Cue the howls of protest now please. Sorry. Though the American Film Institute has twice voted the film such, in 1997 and...

Tuesday’s results show on Dancing with the Stars was a big surprise. It’s normal that early in the season the lowest scores are the ones to get eliminated off the show. But sometimes the viewer’s chime in and fight for you to stay on the show. Chaz Bono is one of those...

In an industry dominated by testosterone, explosions, and hot-tempered men who think they know everything, Anna Belickis, one of the newest writers to The Awards Circuit as on her way to establishing herself as one the industries freshest critics. Many readers of the Awards Circuit can barely name any female critics in...

As a continuing feature here at Awards Circuit, here are the latest ratings provided by the MPAA Ratings Board – The Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA). In this edition, dated 9/28/11, two Oscar hopefuls, “Carnage” and “We Need To Talk About Kevin”, go in front of the Board and a whole host...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Born: February 17th, 1981 Place: Los Angeles, California Major Awards and Citations: Golden Globe Awards (2010): Nominated for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for ‘(500) Days of Summer’ Gotham Awards (2005): Nominated for Breakthrough Award for ‘Mysterious Skin’ Independent Spirit Awards (2010): Nominated for Best Male Lead for...

Now in its 10th season, there is no denying that Family Guy is one of the most popular shows on television. The absurd scenarios the Griffin’s get themselves into are hilariously fun and entertaining. It’s quite hard to summarize the plot of this following season but if you watch Family Guy, you...

Free Agents tells the story of an emotionally distressed man, Alex dealing with his recent divorce and an emotionally heartbroken women, Helen dealing with her fiancé’s recent passing who find comfort in each other’s bed. Co-workers Alex (Hank Azaria) and Helen (Kathryn Hahn), both recently single end up in bed together one...

Kevin Smith’s career has been very frustrating to observe.  Here is a man whose debut was hailed as a vanguard of a new kind of independent cinema, and since then (with the possible exception of Chasing Amy) he has not only failed to evolve but in some ways has moved backward, particularly...

To know Joey Magidson is to know you have a friend. The loyal readers of The Awards Circuit have read Joey’s work for years but, all you know is Joey the writer. When I became part of the staff on this amazing site, I began a friendship with Joey and got to...

A burgeoning teen movie star, a big budget political drama-slash-action film, an inspirational family drama from the producers of “The Blind Side”, and a highly anticipated Oscar hopeful receiving some of the year’s best reviews all failed to unseat a film first released 6,311 days ago. “The Lion King 3D” has pulled...

Metta World Peace is gone and the rest of the stars try to prove they are worthy or reaming apart of the competition. This week the stars had their work cut out for them dancing the Jive and the Quick Step. A difficult dance will show who has the potential to win...

Charlie Harper is dead and Walden Schmidt is in. During the premiere episode it begins with the death of Charlie Harper. All of his conquests show up to his funeral to make sure that he is actually dead and bash him during Alan’s eulogy. It is obvious the shows creator Chuck Lorre, who Sheen publicly...

I’m pretty sure that, by the time Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises actually hits theaters on July 20th, the internet will have leaked so many “inside scoops” about the film that every spoiler-hunting fanboy will know the whole damn plot already.  I try my best to avoid spoilers as much as...

Few names in the film community unite actors, filmmakers, bloggers, Oscar prognosticators, publicists, and the general media in respect like John Foote does.  Yes, a young man who spent his early days in Canada wanting nothing more than to play in the NHL now is one of the preeminent voices in film...

It’s a bit of a light week on DVD for me here at The Awards Circuit, especially considering my distaste for the major release of the week.  I’ll get to that piece of trash in a minute, though I’d be happier to forget it ever existed, but first let me point out...

To the average observer, Michael Ward is the definition of the American everyman.  An unassuming, workaday family man, it wouldn’t be immediately obvious that there lies a deep-seated passion for the motion picture.  Indeed, his entire philosophy of reviewing films takes on a removal of self rarely seen of most critics.  “My...

I’m of two minds about the current box office numbers for Ryan Gosling’s collaboration with Nicolas Winding Refn ‘Drive’.  On the one hand, it really is an art film and the money it’s making is good for that, but on the other, it did really have the potential to be a crossover...

Anne Hathaway is this generations “America’s Sweetheart”. In every film, including Rachel Getting Married, she manages to shine and win the audience’s heart.  They admire her because they love to watch her. She has an amazing sense of comedy, an outstanding dramatic side, a wonderful singing voice and obviously is incredibly attractive....