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 delivered to the […]
Month: September 2011
50/50 (****)
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 humor and drama. […]
Weekend Openings (September 30-October 2)
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 cancer. Reviews have […]
Oscar Circuit: “I Wish”
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 possibilities as almost […]
The Whale (***)
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 the narrator (and […]
Historical Circuit: Citizen Kane (****)
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 again in 2007, […]
Dancing with the Stars: Week 2 Results
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 cases. Bono had […]
Digging Into: Anna Belickis
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 the industry let […]
MPAA Ratings Bulletin No. 2191 (9/28/11)
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 of independent and […]
Under the Circuit: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
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 ‘(500) Days of […]
TV Review: Family Guy (****)
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 know there is […]
TV Review: Free Agents (**)
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 night. Alex recently […]
Red State (*½)
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 when it comes […]