Despite the reception the film seemed to get from the top critics and even some of our own staff, Les Miserables was an unquestionable hit at the box office and garnered 8 Oscar nominations, winning 3 (Supporting Actress, Sound Mixing, and Makeup and Hairstyling). The cast album was also one of the best selling soundtracks in years and the producers have decided to give us even more goodness as a two disc edition of the score will be released on March 19th. As many of you noted songs like “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “A Little Fall of Rain” were excluded from the original 20 track recording released in December, but they’ve been included in this version. View the track list after the jump! Read more on Two Disc Deluxe Edition of ‘Les Miserables’ Cast Album to arrive March 19th…
(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)
The calendar year for most people runs January through December, but for such Oscar-obsessed people as you will find writing here at The Awards Circuit the year ends with Oscar Sunday. Everything we do at this site leads to and culminates in the big ceremony. We’ve spent countless hours going back and forth trying to figure out just where the pieces fit best into the jigsaw puzzle that the Academy Awards race has become, and I have to tell you, I have never seen a year quite like this.
Years from now when I think back on 2012 and what it had to offer, I’m sure the cinematic landscape that was presented will surely stick out as many directors and filmmakers pushed the thematic narrative with breathtaking visuals, stupendous performances, and uniquely driven story structures. One thing that will be near the top was the daunting task the Academy, pundits, and even myself, had in narrowing down the Lead Actor race to five simple slots.
There were debates going back and forth about who deserved a spot, who was miscategorized, and who was given the light of a day for consideration. The Academy did an admirable job and when push comes to shove, these five performances that are nominated are all worthy of citation and acceptable as a Best Actor winner.
(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)
The most wide-open and unpredictable Oscar season in modern history is set to twilight in less than 100 hours and perhaps the biggest surprise Oscar has in store for us is that there will be no surprises. An anti-climactic ending would be fitting to a season that, for one year at least, has rewritten so many of the hard and fast rules we Oscar pundits and prognosticators have come to rely on in making our predictions.
It is the costume designer’s job to properly design a wardrobe of costumes that symbolize the characters in a film and to set the right mood for every scene. The following nominees did a fantastic job completing this task.
And the nominees are…
Anna Karenina- Jacqueline Durran
Les Miserables- Paco Delgado
Lincoln- Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror- Eiko Ishioka
Snow White & The Huntsman- Colleen Atwood
It’s no lie Oscar voters tend to go for a particular style of costumes. With past winners including Alice in Wonderland, Young Victoria, The Duchess, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Marie Antoniette, and Memoirs of a Geisha, it’s easy to see Oscar voters like elaborate costumes. But sometimes we get fooled and films like The Aviator and The Artist take the top honor. I can’t say I disagree with their voting process; if I was voting I too would vote for the costumes that pay the most attention to detail over a simple suit. This category has been locked up for a while with Anna Karenina winning most of the costume design awards. Let’s review the nominees for Best Costume Design. Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Costume Design…
On late Saturday night, the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) handed out their prizes for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing, awarding Les Misérables with their award for a live action film. This probably puts Les Misérables as the frontrunner for the Sound Mixing Oscar (if it wasn’t already), especially on the heels of last weekend’s victory with BAFTA in the same category. Meanwhile, they handed out their award for an animated film to Pixar’s Brave, who gained a lot of momentum this weekend taking both CAS and the ACE Eddie.
(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)
The Oscars are less than two weeks away. It seems everyone and his mother is choosing Argo to take it all in the end, which is perfectly sound since the film did pick up Producers Guild, Directors Guild, SAG Ensemble, Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and – a bit surprisingly – BAFTA. If Ben Affleck had been nominated for Best Director, there would be no argument that the film would be taking it on Oscar night, but Affleck was snubbed, and 2012 was an amazing year for cinema. I suspect Oscar is going to want to spread their love in a lot of areas for different films.
Argo is nominated for seven Oscars, with two of them being in Sound Mixing and Sound Editing – two categories I wouldn’t name as Argo‘s strong points. Terence said it best on this week’s Power Hour, Argo winning Best Picture is an expected achievement, but there are some problems with the thinking that the film could pull in a sweep in categories like Sound Mixing, Original Score, and Adapted Screenplay. The LA Times article that cited the votes of four Academy members had some scratching their heads, as they went for their favorite film in every single category in which it was nominated. Read more on Oscar Predictions – State of the Race and Peaking at Oscar Ballots…
Argo - John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
Les Miserables - Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi - Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln - Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall - Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
Arguably one of the most competitive years in Oscar history, the Sound Mixing category follows the same suit where any of the five nominated films can win. While there are some nominations that are questionable, there’s no denying the multitude and passion these mixers have for their craft. As many eyes that read this article can easily name the stars of Argo, the person who played Mary Todd Lincoln, not many, I dare to say any, can name any Sound Mixers besides the ones that follow in line with Oscar. If there are unsung heroes of cinema, a Sound craftsman (or woman) is near the top of the list. Read more on Oscar Circuit: Sound Mixing…
Supporting Actress has proven to be one of the best categories recently for the Academy Awards. For every year there was a clear front runner (Spencer, Monique, Hudson), there was another year when we had no idea who was winning (Leo, Swinton, Weisz, Cruz). Although after a few award shows, it’s clear that this year’s race is shaping up to be one of those “Frontrunner wins everything” years, there’s still an interesting slate of nominees and narratives to discuss.
New name. Same Category. The Academy Award for Best Production Design celebrates the best in art direction and set design. Production designers have an incredibly difficult role in the making of film. Whether it’s a fantasy film set in far off world or a recreation of a historical building, production designers create the physical building blocks that allow us into the world of the film. Last year this award (called the Academy Award for Art Direction), went to Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo for Hugo.
And the 2012 Nominees are…
Sarah Greenwood – Anna Karenina
Dan Hennah – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Eve Stewart – Les Miserables
David Gropman – Life of Pi
Rick Carter, Jim Erickson, and Peter T. Frank – Lincoln Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Production Design…
Every year, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) selects one lucky artist to create posters for the films nominated for their awards. This year, Jonathan Franks of handsomefrank.com was chosen, and the work is quite impressive. Have a look at the beautiful images after the jump or click the gallery below.
Well this is some interesting news. AMPAS has decided to honor three movie musicals from the past decade - Chicago (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), and Les Misérables (2012) – during the 85th Annual Academy Awards. The details aren’t too clear yet, but it might be fun to see the casts of each film reunite on stage for some song and dance numbers. Have a look at the official release after the jump.
Makeup can be a truly wonderful thing. I apply makeup to my face every morning and I am transformed into a better looking version of myself. In film, a makeup team is put together to transform an actor into their character. This team is compiled of artists with different talents ranging from hair design, to makeup design to creating prosthetics for the actor.
2012 went in the blink of an eye. By July of last year, I was fearful of how the year would turn out for film. At that point my top two films, Beasts of the Southern Wild and Moonrise Kingdom were very good but nothing that I wanted to be in the top-tier of my annual top ten list since neither received a top-notch review from myself. September rolled around and film after film was blowing audiences, critics, and prognosticators away. There’s always a narrative a critic and blogger tries to write for the year. Is it the year of action films? Is it the year of big studios? While large studios definitely stepped up their games, it was documentaries that pushed the boundaries of storytelling and bringing enigmatic issues to the surface. I can only hope a worthy documentary manages to get their due in the future and hit the cultural zeitgeist that will “allow” Oscar to recognize.
As I unveil my personal ballot over the next few days, looking over the citations as a whole make me very proud of what filmmakers, performers, and studios are choosing to do with their narrative techniques. Of course, our beloved readership will have a different top ten, criticize choices, and scream anarchy for glowing omissions, but that’s what the Awards Circuit is about. Make your choices known not only in the comment section but also in the Awards Circuit Community Awards which are currently underway.
The nominations for the 15th Annual Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards have been announced. The awards honor excellence in costume design throughout movies, television, and commercials, with the winners to be unveiled on Tuesday, February 19th, 2013. Being that the CDG divides their film awards into three categories (fantasy, contemporary, and period), it should be no surprise to learn that all five films nominated for Oscar’s Best Costume Design are nominated here. Have a look at the nominees after the jump.
The Cinema Audio Society recognizes excellence in Sound Mixing (or Sound, as it used to be called). The nominees for the 49th Annual CAS Awards have been announced in six categories, and the winners will be unveiled on February 16th. The CAS doesn’t always line up exactly with Oscar, and though usually a nomination here can only help your chances there, the Oscar ballots have already been turned in and thus we are in a predicament where we’re not sure what to make of these nominations. While expected frontrunners like Les Mis and Skyfall are present, other contenders like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and Django Unchained are noticeably absent. Have a look after the jump.
Happy New Year (almost), readers of The Awards Circuit. In less than twenty-four hours, we’ll all be citizens of the year 2013, so get excited! I don’t need a crystal ball to know how many of you spent the last few days of the year. Based on the popularity of our “reaction” thread for Django Unchained and Les Misérables, I daresay much was being debated, loved and thrown to the wolves (nice knowing you, Tom Hooper!) amongst you moviegoers that saw these two awards juggernauts. Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 12/30)…
Photo: Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained”
We are in the final stretch of Phase 1 of awards season. Oscar ballots are due this coming Thursday, January 3rd, with nominations being announced exactly one week later. If there’s any time to pay attention to the “buzz” and “word on the street,” this past week was that time. Trying to keep the pulse on the season is always challenging, but this year the Golden Globes, SAG, Critics’ Choice, and a slew of the upper-tier critics’ awards were announced in such close proximity that it can be argued those groups captured the films and performances with the buzz at that particular moment. Which films and performances have the buzz now?
Over our Christmas break, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables opened with many audience members either defending or trashing it, either for poor directorial choices or offensive, cheap, revenge porn tactics. What’s interesting about the two is that they were both the talk of the town the past week, whether you liked it or not. Right when voters were checking off their ballots. Could 5% of the Academy come to the rescue for either film? Read more on Oscar Circuit – The Final Stretch and End of the Year Honors Begin!…
When actors study their craft, be it the method, the Miesner technique, Adler, or any other of the many forms taught around the globe, they are taught to use their entire body. Movement, often dance is taught to the students so they will understand how important the use of their entire being is in any performance.
When Hannibal Lector makes his first appearance in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) he is standing erect in the middle of his cell, as if at attention, his entire body taut, ready for the meeting he already knows is going to happen, like a predator patiently waiting for its prey. That was a decision made by actor and director, knowing already that the audience had heard so much about the character, they decided how best to allow that first visual. There are close ups in the film, several of Lector’s face, up close and personal, but the director, Jonathan Demme also knew when to pull back, when not to move in so tight. Read more on How Tom Hooper’s Direction Hurt ‘Les Miserables’…
It’s the end of the year, so “best of” and “worst of” lists are abound. But the people at Film School Rejects went all out, with best of lists that include everything from Best Cinematic Facial Hair to Best in Criterion Collection.
Quentin Tarantino’s career-long itch to put his stamp on the beloved Spaghetti Western finally takes form with the release of Django Unchained to begin the Christmas weekend. It’s going head-to-head with Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the epic musical drama, Les Miserables. Rounding out the long weekend is Gus Van Sant’s latest, Promised Land.
Django Unchained
Language: English
Rating: R
Genre: Action/Drama/Western
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx
Django, a bounty hunter and former slave, sets out with the help of his mentor to free his wife from a brutal plantation owner. See what Clayton had to say about Tarantino’s latest. Read more on Weekend Openings: 12/25-12/28…
Despite the reception the film seemed to get from the top critics and even some of our own staff, Les Miserables was an unquestionable hit at the box office and garnered 8 Oscar nominations, winning 3 (Supporting Actress, Sound Mixing, and Makeup and Hairstyling). The cast album was also one of the best selling soundtracks in years and the producers have decided to give us even more goodness as a two disc edition of the score will be released on March 19th. As many of you noted songs like “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “A Little Fall of Rain” were excluded from the original 20 track recording released in December, but they’ve been included in this version. View the track list after the jump!
It is the costume designer’s job to properly design a wardrobe of costumes that symbolize the characters in a film and to set the right mood for every scene. The following nominees did a fantastic job completing this task.
Supporting Actress has proven to be one of the best categories recently for the Academy Awards. For every year there was a clear front runner (Spencer, Monique, Hudson), there was another year when we had no idea who was winning (Leo, Swinton, Weisz, Cruz). Although after a few award shows, it’s clear that this year’s race is shaping up to be one of those “Frontrunner wins everything” years, there’s still an interesting slate of nominees and narratives to discuss.
New name. Same Category. The Academy Award for Best Production Design celebrates the best in art direction and set design. Production designers have an incredibly difficult role in the making of film. Whether it’s a fantasy film set in far off world or a recreation of a historical building, production designers create the physical building blocks that allow us into the world of the film. Last year this award (called the Academy Award for Art Direction), went to Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo for Hugo.
