The first annual Awards Circuit Commmunity Awards (ACCA) for Television was announced last week. ABC’s “Modern Family” led with eight nominations including Best Comedy Series. Nearly all of the show’s performers were nominated as well leaving off Jesse Tyler Ferguson. “Mad Men” scored seven nominations including Lead Actor for Jon Hamm and Lead Actress for Elizabeth Moss, the second most nominated show of the awards.
HBO had a great showing with the community. “Game of Thrones” landed six nominations including Best Drama. Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey all scored nominations for their roles respectively. “Boardwalk Empire” also landed six nods including Supporting Actor for departing cast member Michael Pitt. Read more on ACCA TV Voting Open, “Modern Family” leads the way!…
The staff writers have taken over. Actually, I opted out because I haven’t seen Ridley Scott’s Prometheus yet (I know, I know, I’m getting to it this week…I hate watching movies with loud, obnoxious people). Staff Writers Terence, Joey, and Mark talk about the good, bad, and ugly with this weekend’s 2nd highest grossing film.
Saturday night the 39th Annual Student Academy Awards were held, and another crop of new filmmakers were honored as the potential future of the industry, this year by the likes of Laura Dern, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Greg Kinnear, Tom Sherak, and Mena Suvari. These may not be household names just yet, but one day they might be, so take note of them. After the jump you can see the winners of this latest ceremony, but join me first in offering them a hearty congratulations. Take a gander below…
Beauty & the Beast (1991) has the great honor of becoming the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. It took the Academy expanding the field to ten nominees to garner the likes of Pixar’s Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010), both arguably worthy of recognition in a year of five. Name as many animated feature films youfeel were either snubbed or questionably left off a Best Picture lineup at the Oscars.
We can go back to the introduction of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs (1937) as a crystal ball into a future of animation that would shape our very childhoods (even some adults). Two films that have a significant impact on me, standing toe-to-toe with the very best live action films ever created are Disney’s The Lion King (1994), a film that has a magic, aura, and presence I haven’t seen in film in a very long time. The other is Pixar’s Monster’s Inc. (2001), a very underrated achievement in their already impressive resume.
Planet of the Apes (1968) is a film I will watch over and over, loving every minute of the movie, still gasping aloud when Taylor first sees the apes on horseback, stunned when he finds the Statue of Liberty armpit deep in the sand on the beach, but not for a moment do I believe it to be among the ten greatest films ever made. Certainly I would include it among the best one hundred, but not the ten. Why?
What is a great film? Further, what makes a great film, a greatest film? How do go through the thousands of films you have seen, and decide which are then greatest in your humble opinion. Of course there is nothing humble about the task, which is what makes it fun. Certainly if you choose, a ten greatest films list can be your favorite films, it is entirely up to you because it is your list. However, the list will reflect how you are thought of as a critic or film writer, so it is not something I take lightly, but at the same time I encourage anyone doing it to be bold, to write what your heart tells you, to be honest above all with yourself.
With all that goes into a movie – even relatively small indies – I sometimes wonder how so many of them end up being as misguided as they are. You have writers, directors, producers, and who knows how many other outside collaborators all giving their inputs on a single story through several pre-production drafts and months of principle photography all the way to post plus test audiences. How does a movie like, say, The Blind Side go through all of that and not have anyone say, “Hey, maybe that line ‘I’m not changin’ that boy’s life…he’s changin’ mine!’ is a little…trite?” Then again, I guess you could apply that level of bafflement to a number of badlyexecutedplans from otherwise smart, driven people. Chalk it up to hubris, blind ambition, too many hands in the pot or whatever; at the end of the day, we’re still going to have to deal with the ill-conceived farrago that is Prometheus in front of us, the kind of bad movie that only a group of highly distinguished artists could make. Read more on Prometheus (*½)…
So many events went down this week at The Awards Circuit that my circuits threatened to overload! No, ladies and gentlemen, I am no android a la Fassbender’s David from Prometheus, but I was overwhelmed — in the best way possible, of course — by the plethora of great articles we delivered for you all week. After starting the week with a quick news round-up, courtesy of Terence Johnson’s Late Pass series, we quickly posted our brand new “Power Hour” episode for all interested ears! Where do you all stand on the debate of which actress is fairest of them all: Charlize Theron or Kristen Stewart? This, and many more topics are heavily discussed and weighed, so please check out the podcast! Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 6/10)…
The first annual Awards Circuit Commmunity Awards (ACCA) for Television was announced last week. ABC’s “Modern Family” led with eight nominations including Best Comedy Series. Nearly all of the show’s performers were nominated as well leaving off Jesse Tyler Ferguson. “Mad Men” scored seven nominations including Lead Actor for Jon Hamm and Lead Actress for Elizabeth Moss, the second most nominated show of the awards.
