 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
 Tomorrow morning, the Critics Choice Awards will bestow their nominees for the world to see. While it might sound biased, I very much respect the organization’s choices more times than not. While their known for predicting the outcome of the Academy Awards, they do reward powerful and eclectic cinema when everyone else seems to be ignoring.
Last year the ten Best Picture nominees were:
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
As we all know, there were nine Best Picture nominees chosen by the Academy last year and ALL nine are represented. The group may be more telling then meets the eye, at least in Best Picture. The acting awards usually have their fair share of Academy picks but as you we see with nominations for Carey Mulligan for Shame, Ryan Gosling for Drive, Michael Fassbender for Shame, and Patton Oswalt for Young Adult, the group often chooses the “more” deserving and not the one’s with the “buzz.”
Below, find my predictions for the organization. The Critics Choice Movie Awards airs LIVE on January 10, 2013. Better yet, the BFCA is introducing several new categories including “Favorite Fan Franchise,” where The Awards Circuit will be one of the voting beacons for all fans to vote. Get ready!
Read more on Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Preview…
Categories: Article, Editor Tags: Artist, Best Acting Ensemble, BFCA, Carey Mulligan, Cinema of the United States, Director, Editor, emma stone, Entertainment/Culture, Films, Human Interest, Jesse Forever, John Hawkes, Kelly Reilly, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Freeman, Michael Fassbender, naomi watts, Paris, Patton Oswalt, Paul Thomas Anderson, Pierce Gagnon, PT Huntsman Indonesia, Rashida Jones, Ryan Gosling, Shame, The Academy Awards, The Amazing Spider-Man, the critics choice awards, the Critics Choice Movie Awards, Tree of Life, Wuthering Heights, Young Actor/Actress, Young Adult
Thanks to reader Jamie for the heads up!
Washington Film Critics have announced their winners after just announcing their nominees a day ago. Zero Dark Thirty emerged victorious along with director Kathryn Bigelow.
Read more on Bigelow and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ hit big with Washington Film Critics…
Categories: Precursors Tags: Amour, Anne Hathaway, arts editor, beloved D.C. film critic, Best Acting Ensemble, Bully, Cinema of the United States, Claudio Miranda, Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), David O. Russell, Director, District of Columbia, Entertainment, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Hugh Bateup, Human Interest, Jessica Chastain, Joe Barber, Jonny Greenwood, kathryn bigelow, Les Miserables, Lincoln, longtime arts editor, Michael Haneke, Osama Bin Laden, ParaNorman, Peter Walpole, Philip Seymour Hoffman, President, Rebecca Alleway, Rian Johnson, Shame, Silver Linings Playbook, The Hurt Locker, The Joe Barber Award, The Master, Tim Gordon, time travel mind-bender, U.S. intelligence, Washington, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards, Zero Dark Thirty
Washington Film Critics have announced their winners after just announcing their nominees a day ago. Zero Dark Thirty emerged victorious along with director Kathryn Bigelow.
Read the Press Release and check out the full list of winners down below:
Read more on Bigelow and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ hit big with Washington Film Critics…
Categories: Precursors Tags: Amour, Anne Hathaway, Arts, arts editor, beloved D.C. film critic, Best Acting Ensemble, Bully, Cinema of the United States, Claudio Miranda, Daniel Day-Lewis, David O. Russell, Director, District of Columbia, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Human Interest, Jessica Chastain, Joe Barber, Jonny Greenwood, kathryn bigelow, Les Miserables, Lincoln, longtime arts editor, Michael Haneke, Osama Bin Laden, ParaNorman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Precursors, Precursors 2012, President, Shame, Silver Linings Playbook, The Hurt Locker, The Joe Barber Award, The Master, Tim Gordon, time travel mind-bender, U.S. intelligence, Washington, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards, Zero Dark Thirty
 In what seems like an eternity, Tom Hooper’s long-awaited Les Miserables starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway has finally been screened and finished. Director Hooper came out to introduce his film at the Alice Tully Theater at Lincoln Center on Friday, November 23, 2012 and explained that he had just finished the picture at 2 a.m. the evening before. The wait was well worth it. Les Miserables is not only stunningly powerful, and beautifully crafted, it’s the best stage musical adaptation since Rob Marshall’s Chicago (2002). Incredibly moving and featuring some of the most powerful musical numbers ever constructed, Tom Hooper tops his previous film The King’s Speech (2010) with artistry and passion. Read more on Les Miserables (****)…
Categories: Editor, Film Reviews Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Arts, British films, Chicago, Chris Dickens, conductor, Cosette, Danny Cohen, Director, Eddie Redmayne, Editor, Editor Film Review, Entertainment/Culture, Eve Stewart, Fantine, Film, film reviews, Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Jackman, Human Interest, Javert, Jean Valjean, King, Les Miserables, Lincoln Center, Marius, Movie Release, Oscar, player, police inspector, principal actor, Rachel Getting Married, Rob Marshall, Romantic drama films, Russell Crowe, sacha baron cohen, Samantha Barks, single actor and craftsman, The Academy Awards, The King, the Oscars, Tom Hooper
 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
 Will be announced shortly! Check back for the winners as they are announced! My predictions are here.
WINNERS
Best Picture – Zero Dark Thirty!!!!!
Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Screenplay – Tony Kushner for Lincoln
Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
Best Actress – Rachel Weisz for The Deep Blue Sea
Best Foreign Language Film – Amour
Best Animated Feature – Frankenweenie
Best Supporting Actor – Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike and Bernie
Best Supporting Actress – Sally Field for Lincoln
Best Cinematography – Greig Fraser for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Non-Fiction Film – The Central Park Five
Best First Feature – How to Survive a Plague
Read more on New York Film Critics Winners Announced!!…
Categories: Editor, News, Precursors Tags: British people, Cinema of the United States, Daniel Day-Lewis, Director, English people, Entertainment/Culture, Hospitality/Recreation, Human Interest, Kathryn, kathryn bigelow, Lincoln, Matthew McConaughey, Rachel Weisz, Sally Field, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Tony Kushner
 Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and Oscar-winning screenwriter Mark Boal take their newest effort, Zero Dark Thirty, to places I couldn’t have imagined. Based on the events leading up to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the two display an impressive amount of control in the way the film is told and showcases some brilliant moments in filmmaking. Zero Dark Thirty hooks you from minute one and just DOESN’T. LET. GO. It’s one of the best pictures of the year!
Read more on Zero Dark Thirty (****)…
Categories: Editor, Film Reviews Tags: alexandre desplat, Cinema of the United States, Director, Dylan Tichenor, Editor, Editor Film Review, Entertainment/Culture, Film, film reviews, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, kathryn bigelow, Kyle Chandler, Mark Boal, Mark Strong, Osama Bin Laden, Oscar, screenwriter, The Academy Awards, William Goldenberg, Writer, Zero Dark Thirty
The precursor award season is about to kick off on Monday with the New York Film Critics naming their best of the year. This is when all the speculation, hope, and despair is laid to rest for many contenders and films but as performances like Tommy Lee Jones in In the Valley of Elah or films like The Blind Side and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close will tell you, it’s not over until the President and guest read your name off the teleprompter.
This month brings the following announcement schedule:
- Monday, 12/3 – New York Film Critics
- Wednesday, 12/5 – National Board of Review
- Friday, 12/7 – Los Angeles Film Critics
- Sunday, 12/9 – New York Film Critics Online & Boston Film Critics
- Tuesday, 12/11 – Broadcast Film Critics Association Announces Nominees!!!
- Wednesday, 12/12 – Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations
- Thursday, 12/13 – Golden Globe Award Nominations
Read more on Previewing the New York Film Critics Circle…
Categories: Article, Editor Tags: ang lee, Anne Hathaway, Artist, Ben Affleck, Ben Lewin, Bradley Cooper, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Daniel Day-Lewis, Director, Dwight Henry, Entertainment/Culture, Garrett Hedlund, Helen Hunt, Human Interest, Jean-Louis Tringnant, Joaquin Phoenix, John Goodman, Lincoln, Logan Lerman, Matthew McConaughey, Michel Hazanavicius, National Society of Film Critics, New York City, Octavia Spencer, On the Road, Oscar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, private server, Richard Gere, Ridley Scott, Steven Soderbergh, the New York Film Festival, the Oscar, the Oscar ceremony, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Phantom of the Opera, Tom Hooper
 WE’RE BACK!!!
Attempting to catch up on news, the 11 Live Action Short Finalists have been announced! Check them out after the jump with the press release:
Read more on 11 Live Action Shorts Advance in Oscar® Race…
Categories: News Tags: Aly Muritiba, Anders Walther, Animation, Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C.), Ariel Nasr, Bryan Buckley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Director, Ellen De Waele, Entertainment/Culture, executive producer, Freestyle Picture Company, Fuzzy Logic, Goran Kapetanovic, Hepp Film AB, Highland Center®, Hollywood & Highland Center, Human Interest, Julie Buck, Kigali, Los Angeles, M & M Productions A/S, Margaret Herrick Library, Mino Jarjoura, motion picture technology, neutral advocate, New York, New York City, Nicholas Greene, Oh! Pen LLC, Paola Porrini Bisson, producer, ron howard, Sam French, Samuel Goldwyn, san francisco, Serendipity Films, Shawn Christensen, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee, Silvia Bizio, the 85th Academy Awards, the Oscar, Tivi Magnusson, Tom Van Avermaet
 2013 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Bernie
- Keep the Lights On
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Silver Linings Playbook
BEST DIRECTOR
- Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
- Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
Read more on 2013 Independent Spirit Award Nominations…
Categories: News, Precursors Tags: Artist, Avalanche, Bone, CBS Films Productions Inc, Celeste Forever, Cinema Guild, Director, director and producer, director of non-fiction features, Docurama Films, Entertainment/Culture, Fill the Void, FILM (Award, Human Interest, IFC Films LLC, INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD, Jesse Forever, John Cassavetes, Marina Abramovic, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., Middle of Nowhere, Music Box Films, Once Upon a Time, Open Road Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories, Phase 4 Films Inc, Prince, Public Domain, ROBERT ALTMAN, Ruby Sparks, Rust, Soni Kabushiki Kaisha, STELLA ARTOIS TRUER, The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC, USD, Valley of Saints
 Evidently there is an embargo on Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables that screened yesterday. The review was up for twelve hours or so before I had to pull it down until December 11th.
I can talk about some points from last night’s Q & A with director Tom Hooper and stars Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, and Samantha Barks. Also, general shape of the race Oscar talk as it stands now.
Read more on Les Miserables Embargoed, Quick Thoughts from NY Screening…
Categories: Article, Editor Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Carl Barks, Cinema of the United Kingdom, Director, Eddie Redmayne, ER, Film, kathryn bigelow, Les Miserables, Nationality, Oscar, Samantha Barks, Seyfried, Tom Hooper
 Before it opens nationwide on December 7, catch a glimpse of Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel in their new romantic comedy, Playing for Keeps. You can download the seven new clips here. Also see the official trailer after the jump.
Read more on Watch New Clips from ‘Playing for Keeps’…
Categories: Clips Tags: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chris Gardner, Cinema of the United States, Dennis Quaid, Director, Entertainment/Culture, Gabriele Muccino, Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Playing for Keeps, The Pursuit of Happyness, Uma Thurman, United States
 Over the next few months to a year, many rumors will start circulating the web about who will be starring/writing/directing the upcoming “Untitled Star Wars Episode VII” film due out in 2015. Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood and Beth Hanna are reporting that director Matthew Vaughn, most responsible for directing X-Men: First Class (2011), Kick-Ass (2010), and Layer Cake (2004) is rumored to being considered for the project. Read more on Rumors Suggest Matthew Vaughn being considered to direct ‘Star Wars Episode VII’…
Categories: News Tags: Andrew Stanton, Anne Thompson, Beth Hanna, Brad Bird, Director, director at Disney, Edward Douglas, Entertainment/Culture, Epic films, Film, Greg Mottola, Guillermo del Toro, Harrison Ford, Human Interest, Illusionist, Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn, Movie Release, Neil Burger, Neill Blomkamp, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Tom Tywker, X-Men: First Class
Forgive the obvious pun, but I’ve got my money on Ralph wrecking his competition at the box office this weekend to cap off a nice week of triumphs for Disney. Robert Zemeckis is also back at it with the help of a non-animated Denzel Washington. And perhaps a little stylized kung fu from a hip-hop chameleon to feed the eclectic palate?
Read more on Weekend Openings: 11/2/2012…
Categories: Weekend Openings Tags: Animation, Barry Levinson, Bradley Rust, Cast Away, China, Christopher Denham, Christopher Walken, Denzel Washington, Director, Don Cheadle, Entertainment/Culture, Francis McDormand, humble blacksmith, Jack McBrayer, Jacob Aaron Estes, jane lynch, Jane McNeill, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Judd Hirsch, Juno Temple, Katherine Keener, Kristen Connolly, Kylie Minogue, Late Quartet, Laura Linney, Lucy Lui, Movie Release, Paolo Sorrentino, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rich Moore, Riley Keough, Robert Zemeckis, Russell Crowe, Sean Penn, tobey maguire
 The Warner Brothers Awards Site has had their roster listed for a few weeks now. Big contenders like Ben Affleck’s Argo, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, and The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer’s Cloud Atlas have their respective categories listed. Even Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike is pushing a campaign for Matthew McConaughey and the rest of the cast. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a film that our own Mark Johnson has stood by all year-long, has started listing their categories for consideration. Read more on ‘The Hobbit’ submits an Original Song for Oscar Consideration…
Categories: Article, Editor, News Tags: An Unexpected Journey, Andy Serkis, Ben Affleck, Bilbo Baggins, Captain, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Nolan, David Donaldson, David Long, Director, Entertainment/Culture, Epic films, Film, For Your Consideration, Galadriel, Gollum, Human Interest, Ian McKellen, Into the West, Janet Roddick, King, Lead Actor, Lonely Mountain, Lord of the Rings, Magic, Makeup and Hairstyling, Mark Johnson, Martin Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, Movie Release, Neil Finn, Oscar, Peter Jackson, Picture, Predictably Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Steve Roche, Steven Soderbergh, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the Oscar, The Return of the King, Thorin Oaskenshield, Tom Tykwer
At the Singapore Gala
A loose cross between Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), the Chinese film, The Four (2012), marks the beginning of an amazing era of filmmaking for Asia. Bringing together the traditional Eastern fighting styles with the advancing technology in visual effects, it is believed that international films can, finally, compete with those made in Hollywood. One of the filmmakers in the forefront of bringing this about is none other than Gordon Chan (Ka-Seung), the producer, writer and director of The Four. Read more on China’s Answer to Scorsese…
Categories: Article Tags: America, Andy, Andy Lau, Asia, Asian, Avengers, Chan, Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of the United States, Collaboration, Director, Drama, Entertainment/Culture, Film, filmmaker, Gordon Chan, Hong Kong, Hong Kong films, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, legendary, legends, Li, Martin Scorsese, Marvel, movies, Mural, producer, Scorsese, story, The Four, Writer, writer and director of The Four
 Action packed, thrilling, and very beautifully shot, “The Four” takes the audience into the corrupt world of those who seek power attempting to overthrow those in power. Like an old story unfolding on the screen, the audience gets the lay of the land during the opening credits. Much like the beginning sequence of credits for “The Italian Job” (2003), the opening credits for “The Four” demonstrates how the “Divine Constabulary” operates as a team, the secret service of that society. The audience is then introduced to ‘Department Six’, the CIA of their day. The characters weave an intricate web of power struggles and self-validation before the end of the movie, where the bad guy, An Shigeng (Wu Xiubo), disappears into the night, a cliffhanger of sorts for the audience to wonder about and anticipate resurfacing again in the sequel. Read more on The Four (****)…
Read more on The Four (****)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Arts, beginning, Bourne Identity, Central Intelligence Agency, Che, China, Comedy, constabulary, Deng Chao, department, Director, Divine, Drama, Entertainment/Culture, epic, Fantasy, Fiction, fighting, Film, Film genres, Films, Foreign, Four, Gordon Chan, Gordon Ka-Seung Chan, historic, Hollywood, Hong Kong, Hong Kong films, Horror fiction, international, intricate web, Italian Job, Ji Yaohua, Jiang Yi-Yan, language, League of The Extraordinary Gentlemen, Liu Yifei, Martial arts films, movie, Movie Release, period, Peter Jackson, piece, Popular culture, qi gong, SHong Yayu, six, The Bourne Identity, The Italian Job, The Lord of the Rings, tragedy, Visual arts, Wu xiubo, Zombie
 The Oscar race is beginning to formulate itself. As it stands the Academy Awards have positioned themselves to be the wildest of wild cards of the Oscar season. Since Oscar ballots are due January 3rd, the nominations will be one of many awards ceremonies coming down like wildfire.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards announce their nominee choices first beginning on December 10th. The Broadcast Film Critics Association will name their best of the year with the Critics Choice Movie Awards being announced the next day on December 11th. The Hollywood Foreign Press will follow-suit with their Golden Globe nominations on December 13th. Mark my words; those four days will likely be the most important and telling aspects of the awards season. If you start hearing the usual suspects, back-to-back and over and over, Oscar will be referring to these groups for citations for their own nominees when they’re announced on January 10th. Read more on Oscar Circuit: “10 Weeks to Go”…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: ang lee, Anne Hathaway, Broadcast Film Critics Association, Cinema of the United States, Denzel Washington, Director, Entertainment/Culture, Golden Globe, Gus Van Sant, Helen Mirren, Hugh Jackman, Jessica Biel, Jessica Chastain, John Goodman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Strong, Matt Damon, Michael Stuhlbarg, oscar predictions, Peter Jackson, Robert Zemeckis, Sally Field, Scarlett Johansson, Screen Actors Guild, Steven Spielberg, The Academy Awards, The Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Critics Choice Movie Awards, the New York Film Festival, The Screen Actors Guild Awards, Tommy Lee Jones, Toni Collette, Training Day
Soon to be the latest in the ever-fascinating portrayals of U.S. Presidents, Mike Newell’s Cold War era historical drama, Reykjavik, is in the process of rounding out its cast. With 2-time Oscar winner, Michael Douglas, already booked to play President Ronald Reagan, Christophe Waltz steps in to take on the role of former Russian premier Mikhail Gorbachev. The film is to be produced by Headline Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Participant Media and Mark Sennet Productions and will center on the famous meeting in Reykjavik between the two influential leaders and how it was instrumental in bringing about the end of the Cold War. Still in pre-production, it is set to begin filming in the Icelandic capital in March 2013.
Read more on Christoph Waltz Signs on Opposite Michael Douglas in Mike Newell’s Cold War Drama “Reykjavik”…
Categories: News Tags: Cold War, Director, Entertainment/Culture, Kevin Hood, Michael Douglas, Mike Newell, Mikhail Gorbachev, premier, President, Reykjavik, Ronald Reagan, Russia, Scott Free, The Hollywood Reporter, United States
 Katherine Hepburn has the distinct honor of being awarded four Oscars in her lifetime, all for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Hepburn won for Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967), The Lion in the Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1982).
You mission, if you choose to accept it, is to award one actor/actress or director with four Oscars for their frame of work thus far. Read more on Oscar Question of the Day – Four-Time Oscar Winner…
Categories: Question of the Day Tags: American film directors, Cinema of the United States, Coach, Director, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Forrest Gump, gene hackman, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Human Interest, Jimmy Dugan, Katharine Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Movie Release, On Golden Pond, Oscar, Oscars, Penny Marshall, Philadelphia, Private, Robert Zemeckis, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Space advocacy, Steven Spielberg, Supporting Actor, The Color Purple, tom hanks
 Sizing Up Series continues with an in-depth look at the Director candidates for this year’s Oscar ceremony. As was the case last year, there are a few things to keep an eye for this particular category. One obviously is that a lot will have to do with which films get nominated for Best Picture at the end of the day. The other is the possibility of a Lone Director nod. It used to be something that happened, but it hasn’t come close of late. Now, with us in the brave new-ish world of anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees, it keeps the idea of the lone director alive, though it’s going to be unlikely for one to wind up breaking through. Not impossible, mind you…but I wouldn’t count on seeing it this year, or too many instances going forward.
Read more on Sizing Up: Best Director…
Categories: Article Tags: analysis, ang lee, Ben Affleck, Ben Lewin, Best Director, Christopher Nolan, David O. Russell, Director, Drew Goddard, Dustin Hoffman, Gus Van Sant, Jonathan Dayton, Juan Antonio, kathryn bigelow, Martin McDonagh, Michael Haneke, Mike Newell, Noah Baumbach, Oscar hopefuls, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Lorenz, Roger Michell, Sacha Gervasi, Sizing Up series, Stephen Chbosky, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, Tom Hooper
 This old-fashioned father-daughter story feels like an old chestnut from the world of theater, even though it has no roots in the stage. It’s the sort of film that used to be called “heartwarming” and “moving” or the type of movie that audiences flocked to see hoping for something that allowed them a good cry. Today, because we have seen so many of these sort of films, it looks clichéd and, as I have stated, very old-fashioned.
The picture marks the first time Clint Eastwood has acted in a film directed by another since In the Line of Fire (1993) which was helmed by Wolfgang Peterson. This time the director is one of Eastwood’s own, a man who has worked with him for many years, Robert Lorenz, and I wonder, well…Why? Why would Eastwood need a director at this point in his career to give a performance he has given before and that frankly, he could have phoned in? His reputation as a filmmaker is impeccable, he shoots fast and cheap, actors revere him and I struggle with the fact I cannot see another director guiding him!! Surely Lorenz would be wondering all the time what Eastwood was thinking? How was he doing? Was he doing a good job? Read more on Trouble with the Curve (**)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Amy Adams, Clint Eastwood, Director, Film, fine character actor, Human Interest, In the Line of Fire, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Madison County, Meryl Streep, Mickey, Million Dollar Baby, Movie Release, Robert Lorenz, the bridges of madison county, Wolfgang Peterson
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