The Awards Circuit - By Clayton Davis - Academy Awards, Oscars, and Other Award Show Predictions

‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Captivates the crowd at Cannes!

Joey Magidson — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:17:18 +0000

The latest high-profile film to debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival is Inside Llewyn Davis by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, a movie I know many around these parts are greatly looking forward to. I’m more lukewarm on the Coen Brothers overall, but this one is of interest to me. The first wave of Tweets have come in, and most of the movie-goers at Cannes are pleased with what they’ve seen. After the jump you can see some of the initial reactions, and again thanks to Matt Singer of Criticwire. Take a look below.

August: Osage County

Clayton Davis — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:08:27 +0000

FOR IT:

Acclaimed play and source material.
John Wells, an up and coming director to be embraced.
The Weinstein Company backing it up.
Likely a frontrunner for SAG Ensemble that includes Three-time Oscar Winner Meryl Streep, Oscar-Winner Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, and more.

AGAINST IT:

The Wolf of Wall Street

Clayton Davis — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:46:42 +0000

FOR IT:

Being directed by Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time.
Leonardo DiCaprio, an overdue actor by Oscar standards, starring.
Seems to have a strong supporting cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, and Kyle Chandler.

The Butler

Clayton Davis — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:39:02 +0000

FOR IT:

The Weinstein Company behind it, who have been proven to do wonders on films despite reviews.
An all-star cast including Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, Alan Rickman, John Cusack, and more.

Gravity

Clayton Davis — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:33:21 +0000

FOR IT:

Alfonso Cuaron, an innovative and talented director helming this project.
Word has been very positive at early footage.
Starring Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

AGAINST IT:

May be too innovative for Oscar voters.

The Monuments Men

Clayton Davis — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:24:33 +0000

FOR IT:

George Clooney is directing, starring, and producing. He’s the equivalent to the prom king of the Oscars.
World War II subject matter, something that Oscar tends to love.
Great cast that includes Jean Dujardin and Cate Blanchett, all previous Oscar-winners.

AGAINST IT:

Augustine (**½)

Joseph Braverman — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:14:20 +0000

Alice Winocour’s debut feature Augustine is perfectly sufficient cinema: it’s stuffed with convincing performances, is period precise, and manages to compact a compelling drama within its limited space — in this case, a mental institution. However, Augustine left me thoroughly dissatisfied by way of indirectly asking its audience to research its tale’s history for contextual meaning; it refuses to openly explore or discuss the issue of female “hysteria” plaguing the 19th-century Victorian period. Without doing so, there’s less meaning to be had in Augustine than perhaps Winocour intended, especially following such marvels that tackle the subject with verve and critical understanding like David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method. As absurd as its proceedings are, even Tanya Wexler’s Hysteria shed valuable light on the topic, grappling with history in an educational manner while still affirming itself as a Hollywood commodity. I’m at a crossroads in this regard, because I fully acknowledge Augustine as a fine introductory piece to what I can only assume is an auteur genius in the making, director Alice Winocour, but can’t fully recommend her film due to its lack of thematic investment and non-offerings of beneficial context.

Is Christopher Nolan Considering James Bond?

Joey Magidson — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:13:35 +0000

This is the type of news that more likely than not is based only somewhat in fact (charitably), but word has recently been going around that the folks behind the James Bond franchise have been talking to Christopher Nolan about him taking over from Sam Mendes to direct the 24th Bond flick. The intriguing thing is, Nolan apparently is listening and has some level of interest. More likely than not, this won’t wind up happening, but can you imagine if it did? Skyfall was a Bond film that definitely had more than a bit of The Dark Knight influencing it, so imagine a movie that was full on of that ilk and by the helmer of that franchise himself? It could turn out to be rather epic. After the jump you can find out a bit more, but for now at least this is just a really cool rumor.

Captain Phillips

Clayton Davis — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:40:39 +0000

American Hustle

Clayton Davis — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:20:47 +0000

FOR IT:

Film streak of David O. Russell has been very strong with last year’s Silver Linings Playbook and his other nominated work for The Fighter.
All-star cast that includes Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper.