 With no shortage of films to decide between, besides the ones that were being offered and he turned down, Ben Affleck is in a pretty enviable position. Not only is he courted for nearly every big project out there, especially from Warner Brothers, but he can more or less decide to make whatever he wants. Well, he’s decided on what movie is next for him, and it’s going to be another adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel. It’s called Live By Night and pre production has officially begun. It’s another collaboration with WB, so I’m sure they’re getting their awards campaign going as I write this. After the jump you can learn a little more about the book, but I know I’m definitely looking forward to this one.
Read more on Ben Affleck Decides on ‘Live By Night’ for his Next Directorial Project!…
 It’s no secret that Terrence Malick is a filmmaker who isn’t for everyone, but up until now it’s always seemed like his movies have at least been for someone. With To the Wonder however, this seems like the type of film he made for him and him alone, resulting in absolutely no enjoyment for the viewer. One only has to look at the scowl on star Ben Affleck’s face throughout most of the film to see how painful an experience Malick’s latest is to experience. That’s about the type of look that I had on while watching the flick. Read more on To the Wonder (*½)…
 Almost exactly a year ago, I mentioned Ben Affleck’s film Argo as a potential Best Picture winner at the 85th Academy Awards. We had just finished the prior season and with The Artist about to be crowned an Oscar winner, the staff of The Awards Circuit had turned our attention to this potential crop. I wasn’t making any huge claims, but merely saying that it had a shot if things broke the right way. Little did I know what was to come over the course of a year, but we wound up with Argo winning. As fall changed to winter, I wasn’t alone in that line of thinking, but as the calendar changed from 2012 to 2013 and the especially when Affleck was snubbed for Best Director, few stuck with that prediction. The thing is, it was always going to be Argo in the end. We all just over thought things (yes, even I briefly predicted Zero Dark Thirty for a week or two and once even contemplated a Silver Linings Playbook upset) and made the job harder.
Read more on In The End, Was It Always ‘Argo’?…
(The annual “Will Win/Should Win” of the Awards Circuit has been our most popular yet most challenging series where each writer let’s their final thoughts be known on the Oscar categories. Each writer will reveal their choices everyday leading up to the Oscar ceremony. Think you can do better? Let your final thoughts be known in the comment section or by joining our Oscar Pool. -CD)
Read more on Oscar 2013 Will Win/Should Win Selections (Young)…
Categories: Article Tags: Amour, ang lee, Anna Karenina, Anna Young, Anne Hathaway, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Brave, Chris Terrio, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Django Unchained, Emmanuelle Riva, End of Watch, Holy Motors, Inglourious Basterds, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, John Goodman, John Hawkes, Joss Whedon, kathryn bigelow, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Logan Lerman, Mark Boal, Moonrise Kingdom, oscar predictions, Oscar snubs, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin Tarantino, Robert DeNiro, Samantha Barks, Samuel L. Jackson, Searching for Sugarman, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Stephen Chbosky, Steven Speilberg, The Academy Awards, the avengers, the dark knight rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Impossible, The Sessions, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Win/Should Win, Wreck-It Ralph, Zero Dark Thirty
Well this should be interesting, shouldn’t it? Of course I’m talking about the famously snubbed Ben Affleck accepting the offer to present at the Oscars. I’m sure there will be some light humor involving his omission from the director field. Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain join Affleck as presenters on Oscar night. Have a look at the release which includes a full list of presenters and performers for the big event.
Read more on Oscar® Nominees Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, and Jennifer Lawrence To Present…
 As Ben Affleck’s Argo builds momentum, some of which many of us didn’t expect, it’s looking more and more likely that the film could be crowned the winner on Oscar night. While many of us are talking about the film being the film since Driving Miss Daisy (1989) to win the top award without a Directing nomination attached. I’m taking it a step further. Argo could be the first film since Grand Hotel (1932) to win Best Picture along with no other Oscar. What makes Grand Hotel a true anomaly is Edmund Golding’s film was only nominated for Best Picture with no acting, directing, screenplay, or editing. A clean sweep so to speak. Argo could be heading for an Oscar win for Best Motion Picture and that’s all.
Read more on How ‘Argo’ Looks More Like ‘Hotel’ than ‘Daisy’…
- Just when The Awards Circuit thought Argo would put the brakes on its steamrolling of the competition, it shocks us again with key victories at SAG and DGA. It’s now abundantly clear that Ben Affleck’s third directorial outing is the frontrunner heading into the Oscar ceremony. Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 2/3)…
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 2/3)…
Categories: Circuit Round-Up Tags: anna belickis, Argo, Awards Circuit Power Hour, Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, clayton davis, DGA, Joey Magidson, joeys dvd pick of the week, Joseph Braverman, Mark Johnson, Michael Ward, Nicole Melkonian, Oscar Circuit, Robert Hamer, SAG, seven psychopaths, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, Tiff Chai
 The Directors Guild of America will be announcing their winners later today. The big question is Ben Affleck and Argo making the uphill climb to win Best Picture on Oscar night. While, I’m not totally convinced yet, I do believe it is very much in the running with Lincoln.
A lot of money has been put behind Lincoln’s campaign and it is the type of film that usually gains voters attention à la The King’s Speech and Shakespeare in Love. The period piece with an outstanding performance by one of the greatest living actors is sure to pull some votes. If Argo is winning Best Picture though, who is winning Best Director?
Speculation exists that Spielberg could be winning in a walk but I think if Spielberg is winning Director, Picture should come without question. If Lincoln is in fact, losing Best Picture, I’d expect someone like Ang Lee or even more surprising, Michael Haneke or David O. Russell to pull it off.
The DGA will prove Argo’s power. We’ll be talking in-depth analysis on Sunday’s Power Hour, so make sure you stand by for that.
My predictions are down below: Read more on Directors Guild of America Predictions – Is ‘Argo’ on Top?…
 I was speaking with some of my writers recently about who and what could be winning Best Picture and the subject came up about Argo. With Argo winning Best Picture and Director at the Critics Choice Movie Awards and Golden Globes, Ben Affleck’s film is in a position to make unprecedented history and I’m not just talking about being the first film to win without a Director nomination since Driving Miss Daisy (1989).
When it comes to the Producers Guild of America, this is when you can really start talking up the Daisy example. Critics and Oscar-lovers love to cite the missing Director fact but not many remember that Driving Miss Daisy was the first film to win the Producers Guild of America award in 1990. The group didn’t choose nominees for the first three years of its inception but the light-hearted comedy managed to best Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July, Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society, and Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot. Granted, the film was announced as the winner after the actual Oscar ceremony, three days to be exact, so this is a unique circumstance to say the least.
Read more on The Unprecedented Nature of ‘Argo’…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit Tags: Argo, Ben Affleck, Best Director, DGA, Directors Guild of America, oscar predictions, PGA, Producers Guild of America, SAG, Screen Actors Guild
Here we go again! The Screen Actors Guild has announced their third list of presenters for the SAG Awards, which includes Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Taye Diggs, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington, and Liev Shreiber. See who else is presenting here and here. Have a look at the official release after the jump, and stay tuned for more announcements, which I’m sure are bound to come!
Read more on De Niro Among New List of SAG Presenters Announced…
 Two (or perhaps three) of our presumed locks missed out on Director citations this year at the Academy Awards. It happened and now we have to try to sift out the “real” contender that will stand on stage at the end of the evening to be crowned Best Picture of the Year. Many, including myself, think Ben Affleck’s Argo stands a real chance to win it all if enough momentum builds in its favor. Our own Joey Magidson has a piece going up tomorrow to break it down more in-depth.
Today’s question might be one of our toughest yet.
Can you think of a film you would crown worthy of being named Best Picture of the Year without having its director make your personal five for Best Director?
Read more on Oscar Question of the Day – The Missing Director…
The stars didn’t just align tonight — they congregated! The celebrity-filled awards show ended with a huge victory for a film we all thought had been out of the running for the Best Picture Oscar. Check out the entire list of winners below, and a huge thanks to everyone who watched the telecast with us via LIVE blog.
Read more on 70th Annual Golden Globe Award Winners!…
- The only way to sum up the week is with two simple words: Oscar® Nominations. As you might have heard in our special LIVE Power Hour episode, The Awards Circuit staff was more than a little shocked by the unveiling of the nominees. All we kept thinking as the Director’s category was being announced was, “Okay, where’s Bigalow; where’s Affleck?” And when neither appeared, we felt like a sick joke had been played on the prognostication community. But oh no, this was actually the case, and many more snubs and surprises lay ahead for us and the rest of the country. Here’s how you reacted in a special edition of Circuit 3. Also, don’t forget to check how our predictions matched up with the results (for those who are curious, Staff Writer Mark Johnson was this year’s prognostication champion with 89/122 correct predictions).
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 1/13)…
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 1/13)…
Categories: Circuit Round-Up Tags: anna belickis, Ben Affleck, clayton davis, Compliance, critics choice award winners, DGA, Gangster Squad, golden globe predictions, Joey Magidson, joeys dvd pick of the week, John H. Foote, Joseph Braverman, Mark Johnson, Mike Ward, Nicole Melkonian, oscars 2013, Robert Hamer, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, Tiff Chai
The Houston Film Critics Society has named Argo the best film of the year, and likewise bestowed its Best Director honors on the film’s helmer, Ben Affleck. Lincoln came in with the most nominations, and while it didn’t take home the big prize, the film still won for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), and Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner). It’s hard, really, to argue with any of their choices. Have a look after the jump.
Read more on ‘Argo’ Wins with Houston Film Critics Society…
The Internet Film Critic Society - a group that our very own Joey Magidson is a member of – has announced their yearly winners. Argo is the gang’s choice for Best Picture and Best Director (Ben Affleck). This is the society’s 6th annual awards selection. This international group is comprised of film critics and journalists who work primarily (or exclusively) through online outlets. You can learn more about the group here, and take a look at their winners after the jump.
Read more on The Internet Film Critic Society Honors ‘Argo’…
The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle and The Nevada Film Critics Society have both tipped their hats to Ben Affleck’s Argo. Along with naming it the best film of the year, both groups honored Affleck as Best Director (Nevada actually had a tie between Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty). Oklahoma also recognized Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matthew McConaughey (tie) for having the Best Body of Work this year, two worthy choices. See the complete list of winners for both groups after the jump…
Read more on Oklahoma and Nevada Critics Honor ‘Argo’…
Terence Malick’s latest film, To the Wonder, played at the Venice and Toronto film festivals this year, and now we are finally getting a look at this first beautiful trailer. The film, as it seems to be with all Malick’s movies, looks stunning, thanks in large part to the great Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography. The early reviews have been divisive, which is also a commonality with Malick films. To the Wonder stars Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams, and Olga Kurylenko, and opens in the US on April 12th.
Read more on Malick’s ‘To the Wonder’ Trailer Arrives…
The Florida Film Critics Circle has named Ben Affleck’s Argo the best of the year. The film also won Director and Adapted Screenplay honors. Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) resume their march to Oscar, while Rian Johnson’s Original Screenplay for Looper continues to do well with critics groups. See the full winners after the jump.
Read more on ‘Argo’ Wins With The Florida Film Critics Circle…
The San Diego Film Critics Society has named Argo the best film of 2012. Ben Affleck won the society’s Best Director award, Chris Terrio won Best Adapted Screenplay, and William Goldenberg won Best Editing for their work on the film as well. But the group’s selection for Lead Actress was the standout pick, in my opinion. Michelle Williams won for her heartbreaking performance as a married woman who falls for another man in Take This Waltz. See what else won after the jump…
Read more on San Diego Critics Select Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’…
 18th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards
Winners to be announced live on the CW Television Network from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on January 10, 2013.
BEST PICTURE
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Read more on Critics Choice Nominations Announced!…
Categories: Article, Editor, News, Precursors Tags: alexandre desplat, Amy Adams, ang lee, Ann Dowd, Ann Maskrey, Anna Lynch-Robinson, Anna Pinnock, Anne Hathaway, Barker Hangar, Ben Affleck, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bob Buck, Bradley Cooper, Channing Tatum, Chris Dickens, Chris Terrio, Christian Bale, Cinema of the United States, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Claudio Miranda, Dan Hennah, Dan Hennah/Production, Daniel Craig, Daniel Day-Lewis, Danny Cohen, David Gropman, David Gropman/Production, david magee, David O. Russell, Denzel Washington, Designer, Director, Dylan Tichenor, elle fanning, Emily Blunt, Emmanuelle Riva, Entertainment, Entertainment/Culture, Eve Stewart, Eve Stewart/Production, Gina Carano, Helen Hunt, Herbert Kretzmer, Hugh Jackman, Jack Black, Jacqueline Durran, Jake Gyllenhaal, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Jim Erickson, Joanna Johnston, Joaquin Phoenix, John Gatins, John Hawkes, John Williams, Jonny Greenwood, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, judi dench, kara hayward, kathryn bigelow, Katie Spencer, Keith Urban, Kym Barrett, Leslie Mann, Lincoln, Logan Lerman, Madagascar, Marion Cotillard, Mark Boal, mark wahlberg, Matthew McConaughey, Melanie Ann Oliver, Memphis, Michael Kahn, Mihai Malaimare Jr., Mila Kunis, Monty Powell, Mumford & Sons, naomi watts, Nationality, Paul Epworth, paul rudd, Paul Thomas Anderson, Paul Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Pierre-Yves Gayraud, Queen, Quentin Tarantino, Ra Vincent, Rebel Wilson, Richard Taylor, Rick Carter, Rick Carter/Production, Robert De Niro, robert downey jr, Roger Deakins, Roman Coppola, Sally Field, Sarah Greenwood, Sarah Greenwood/Production, Set Decorator, Shirley MacLaine, Simon Bright, Stephen Chbosky, Steven Spielberg, Tim Squyres, TOM HOLLAND, Tom Hooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Tony Kushner, Valor Denmark A/S, William Goldenberg, Young Actor/Actress
 New York, National Board of Review, and Boston have all pounced on the awards and rewarded Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty both Best Picture and Best Director. Next up, the Los Angeles Film Critics will unveil their choices tomorrow. Many believe this is an opportunity for either Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master or Ben Affleck’s Argo to bounce back into the race in a big way. The two seem to be hemorrhaging at the moment in the awards race.
Read more on Los Angeles Film Critics Awards Preview…
Categories: Article, Editor Tags: alexandre desplat, Argo, Ava DuVarney, Ben Affleck, Best Music, best picture, Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington, Director, Entertainment/Culture, Jason Clarke, Joaquin Phoenix, John Goodman, Johnny Klimek, Jonny Greenwood, kathryn bigelow, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Mark Boal, New York City, Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Reinhold Heil, Supporting Actor, Tom Tykwer, Tony Kushner
 While Zero Dark Thirty, admittedly a brilliant, troubling film, has taken two of the major Best Picture and Best Director Awards, I am still a firm believer that Lincoln will take the Academy Award for Best Picture. Steven Spielberg I am less sure about, though the members of the Academy will acknowledge that his brilliant decision to allow the actors and the screenplay to shine was a superb directorial decision, the stuff of Best Director indeed. Audiences use to his stunning visuals, (and who isn’t?), instead found a film that focused on character, thereby performance, on words, and atmosphere, something he accomplished with Schindler’s List (1993) which won him his first Oscar for Best Director. Read more on Why ‘Lincoln’ Can Still Win Picture……
Categories: Blog Tags: American film directors, Ben Affleck, best picture, Cinema of the United States, Daniel Day-Lewis, Director, Director Oscars, Entertainment/Culture, Epic films, Film, first Oscar, Gandhi, George, John Ford, kathryn bigelow, Lincoln, Movie Release, Oscars, Patton, President of the United States, Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg, the Academy Award, The King's Speech, The Social Network, Tom Hooper, United Kingdom, United States
 The New York Film Critics have announced their winners for the best in cinema for 2012. The East Coast group that awarded Best Picture to Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist last year chose the brilliant Zero Dark Thirty directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The film won a total of three awards from the coveted group including Cinematography for Greig Fraser and Director for Bigelow. The film has put itself in a prime position for the Oscars.
In a surprising mention, Rachel Weisz won Best Actress for her portrayal in Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea. Buzz for Weisz’s performance and film had been dead for months and with her highly praised work, she has regained some momentum for an Academy Award nomination. After winning for The Constant Gardener (2005), Weisz has not been on critics’ radar. Her film performed minimally at the box office and had a very early release date. Is this mention to be taken seriously for a nomination? Let’s see if she shows up in more places for the season. She wasn’t the only surprise however; Matthew McConaughey beat out Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tommy Lee Jones to be named Best Supporting Actor for his works in Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike and Richard Linklater’s Bernie. Has a spot just freed up for the character actor in this year’s Oscar race? Read more on McConaughey and Weisz Surprise with NYFCC, Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln take 3 awards…
Categories: Editor, News Tags: American film directors, Argo Hooper, Artist, Ben Affleck, Cinema of the United States, Daniel Day-Lewis, Deep Blue Sea, Director for Bigelow, East Coast, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Human Interest, kathryn bigelow, Lincoln, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Haneke, Michel Hazanavicius, Movie Release, Rachel Weisz, Sally Field, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, Supporting Actress, The Constant Gardener, the Oscars, The Princeton Review Inc., Tom Hooper, Tony Kushner
 With two (really one) contender left to be unveiled, this is the most exciting awards race I’ve covered in all my years of Oscar prognosticating. Every category is competitive and with races like this, anything can happen. Along with updating the official Oscar Predictions, I’ve updated the major precursors such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
As New York gets ready to lift on Monday, which I’ve attempted to take a stab at, the National Board of Review and Los Angeles Film Critics will start the chain reaction of the awards season. Before anyone knows the winners, I’m seeing this as a three-horse race between Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, and Ben Affleck’s Argo, more particularly the first two films. Currently I’m foreseeing Hooper’s film to lead the way on Oscar nomination morning with 13 nominations, assuming lead Hugh Jackman and standout Eddie Redmayne can plow through some of the veterans in their categories.
Read more on Oscar Circuit – Music vs. History…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: Amy Adams, ang lee, Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Ben Lewin, Bradley Cooper, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Day-Lewis, David Ayer, David O. Russell, Dennis Quaid, Denzel Washington, Dwight Henry, Eddie Redmayne, Editor, Emmanuelle Riva, Entertainment/Culture, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, John Goodman, judi dench, kathryn bigelow, Keira Knightley, Leonardo DiCaprio, Les Miserables, Maggie Smith, Marion Cotillard, Mark Boal, Michael Haneke, Michael Pena, naomi watts, Oscar Circuit, oscar predictions 2013, Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin Tarantino, Robert DeNiro, Sally Field, Samantha Barks, Samuel L. Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Tony Kushner, Zero Dark Thirty
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