The producers of the 85th Academy Awards Oscars continue to do a great job not only with who they are getting to present, but the order in which they are releasing the names of the presenters. Each announcement seems to have a good mix of veteran actors and young stars, as AMPAS continues to push toward appealing to a younger, wider audience. Jane Fonda, Jennifer Garner, Kristen Stewart, and Kerry Washington are the latest list of names announced, Garner’s being the one that jumps out the most to me. Wouldn’t it be a sweet moment if she were to announce the Best Picture winner for her husband’s film? Have a look at the official press release after the jump.
(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)
When it comes to fashion we all have different tastes. But sometimes we all find ourselves agreeing on one thing, the celebrities who really messed up on the red carpet. The popular trend at the Screen Actors Guild awards was bold colors and simplicity. The other popular trend that didn’t work too well on the red carpet was prints, ruffles, black and mesh fabric. Let’s take a look at who made the list of Worst Dressed at the SAG awards. Read more on Screen Actors Guild Awards: Worst Dressed…
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!
Does it every cross your mind what persuaded someone to pick a certain outfit to wear on the red carpet? Over the years I’ve grown to love fashion, and if I had the money to dress better I would, but alas I do not. Although, it’s free to judge our many famous celebrities on what they choose to wear. Sunday at the Golden Globes the stars sported many different trends. Take a look at my list of the Worst Dressed women at the Golden Globes.
There’s been no film more divisive or more igniting in terms of strong Oscar speculation then Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. After months of shooting, word of a last minute edit (some believe editing is still going on currently), the film has finally hit cinematic eyes and the “final” product is both bold and misguided. Django Unchained is big and full of Tarantino life and color that we’ve come to love about him. On sheer production value, it’s his finest film endeavor to date. Set designs are simply gorgeous, Robert Richardson captures some beautiful shots, and Sharen Davis proves once again, she’s one of the most awe-inspiring designers working today. Tarantino does go a bit “out there” in his choices of dialogue along with the developing and rising structure of the story. Where Tarantino succeeds is in digging some terrific performances out of his principal cast, even if his film is at times lunky, problematic, and a bit messy. Read more on Django Unchained (***)…
Usually I’ve focus on more “talky” types of screenplays, from ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ and ‘Margot at the Wedding’ years back, to ‘Funny People’, ‘The Social Network’, and ‘The Beaver’ more recently, not to mention of course last week’s piece on ‘This is 40′. Well, this time around I’m tackling a horse of a different color in Quentin Tarantino’s hybrid action film ‘Django Unchained‘. His script is very cinematic, down to him actually writing how he wants the scenes to play out, including the references you’re supposed to get, including one he expects you only to get on a second viewing. I think it’s actually better than what people were expecting, though certain aspects of it (hint, Leonardo DiCaprio, hint) aren’t quite what they may seem. This is pretty vintage Tarantino, if potentially a little more old-fashioned than usual for him. Certain similarities to ‘Inglourious Basterds’ will be noticed, but overall QT is doing less revisionist history and more just a bloody good revenge thriller set in the American South during the time of slavery.
Writing this LIVE in the middle of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, what’s a better time to talk about Oscar Predictions than now. As we enter the leg of the season this November, some categories start to look more clear and less of a mystery. Some films also emerge as the ones to beat.
This past weekend Ben Affleck’s Argotook the #1 spot at the Box Office with the word-of-mouth spreading, the film, at this point, looks like the one to beat in Best Picture and Best Director. In response to the acting possibilities, some think that Affleck could show up like Clint Eastwood did in the year of Million Dollar Baby (2004) in Best Actor. It’s hard to imagine Daniel Day-Lewis, John Hawkes, and Joaquin Phoenix missing out on nominations with Denzel Washington in a comfortable fourth spot. Affleck and about fifteen other leading hopefuls are fighting for the fifth spot. Richard Gere’s goodwill charm and the lack of Oscar nominations to his credit may catapult him forward to his first mention in his forty-year career in Nicholas Jarecki’s Arbitrage. The film itself could follow the way of last year’s Margin Call, which surprised with an Original Screenplay mention on Oscar nomination morning.
I enjoy a black comedy as much as anyone, but I do require that there be a point to things. That’s an area where the well acted but hollow film ‘The Details’ utterly fails in regard to. Its tone is all over the place and never really figures out what it wants to be doing. The cast is mostly effective but writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes doesn’t quite know what to do with his material. It’s frustrating to watch because individual moments work pretty well, but the movie itself is a real mess. Tobey Maguire gives a lead performance far different than you’d normally expect from him, while Laura Linney has a scene stealing supporting role that’s pretty enjoyable, but neither is able to save this confused little film. Estes wants you to laugh at the misery that his main character is suffering through, but he never really gives you anything funny to actually cause the laughter. It’s quirky and uncomfortable, but never really funny, which is what sabotages the flick. I didn’t completely hate the film, but when such a big part doesn’t work for me, I can’t really embrace it at all. ‘The Details’ opens early next month, but I wouldn’t wait for it with baited breath. It’s just not worth that sort of effort.
I still have no idea what to make of ‘Django Unchained’ in terms of its awards potential, but one things for sure…every look I get of Quentin Tarantino’s new film makes me like it more and more. This latest Trailer features more of the cast, gives everyone more moments to shine, and suggests that this could wind up being one of the most purely enjoyable movies of 2012. Whether it can be an Oscar player remains to be seen, but this is looking like a real Christmas/Hanukkah gift to film fans. You can see the Trailer after the jump, but this flick has got me sold. Behold it below…
This is Part 2 of the Drama Series chat. You can check out Part 1 where Joseph and I discussed the supporting actors here.
Terence: Well since you mention sign sealed and delivered awards last time, do we see Jon Hamm finding some way to rig ballots so Bryan Cranston won’t win again?
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Jon Hamm realizing Cranston will win again
Joseph: No, no, and no. And I hate that. Jon Hamm has deserved his Emmy win for so long. Every time people think it’s his year, it suddenly isn’t and some other person gets the win, mostly Cranston. But Cranston’s new found Hollywood upsurge really makes him an even stronger contender than before, Hamm’s acting hasn’t been praised outside of Mad Men, whereas Cranston’s has been.
As we were all hoping, Quentin Tarantino’s anticipated follow-up to “Inglourious Basterds” got a trailer today. ”Django Unchained” (the “D” is silent) stars Academy Award winners Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and three-time Academy Award Nominee Leonardo DiCaprio. Is this Leo’s time to score his long anticipated Oscar? Will this meet the same fate as Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” series? Check it out after the jump.
Directed By: Quentin Tarantino Written By: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christoph Waltz, Don Johnson, Kurt Russell, Waltor Goggins, James Lemar, RZA, Anthony LaPaglia, Gerald McRaney, and James Russo.
Synopsis (From IMDB): Set in the Deep South during the 1850s, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) is a German bounty hunter/former dentist who buys Django (Jamie Foxx) as a slave so that he can help Schultz identify bounties for him. After successfully helping the good doctor with his bounty hunting, Django is given his freedom papers and is recruited by Schultz to continue being his partner in the bounty hunting business.
It begins. 2011 film year is behind us and we saw Octavia Spencer crowned Best Supporting Actress for her work in “The Help.” As we embark on the 2012 film year together, I will be breaking down each category individually throughout the month of March. I will also unveil the Awards Circuit Staff Predictions one at a time for all of you to enjoy. Trust me, we all have different takes on what the 2012 season will bring.
We break down the Supporting Actress category first. Any supporting category is difficult to analyze because you never know who will hit it out of the park with a mere eight minute screen time or what borderline Lead performance will be pushed in another category. The rankings of the Supporting Actress are ordered #1 through #25 as you see them on the predictions page but there are outside contenders that could just as easily make the lineup given a strong showing with critics and audiences.
Looking into a crystal ball, Amy Adams will be starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” and with three prior nominations (“Junebug,” “Doubt,” and “The Fighter”), Adams could finally score an Oscar. She also has a role in the long-awaited “On the Road” directed by Walter Salles which could catch on. Co-star Kristen Stewart can return to what we loved about her in “Into the Wild.” The question seems to be, is Oscar aching to reward Adams or does she need to be accepted as a leading lady? Have the “Twilight” franchise ruined Stewart forever? Perhaps.
