Here’s something I’d never thought I’d be doing. As many of you know, we here at the staff sometimes can’t stand one another and try to strangle each other through the phone have differing opinions on a myriad of subjects, so it shouldn’t shock anyone that we don’t all agree on the MPAA ratings system and its cultural impact. So when Joseph decided to form an Alliance of Evil Joseph’s with Joey, we engaged in a spirited debate regarding the ratings that I felt would be wonderful to expound upon here. Since the conversation following this is quite long I suggest you refresh your memory by going here (https://twitter.com/JBAwardsCircuit/status/314109978627690496) and here (https://twitter.com/LeNoirAuteur/status/314114480109936640) before reading the goodness after the jump. Read more on In Defense Of: The MPAA…
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…
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.
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:
With six nominations, Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winning film, Amour, leads the recently announced nominees for the European Film Awards. Receiving noms in all the major categories, including two acting nominations, it’s certainly got widespread appeal, could this translate to Oscar? Amour isn’t the only Oscar contender, past or present, included in the nominations with the European Film category including the likes of Barbara, Caesar Must Die, The Intouchables, Shame and The Hunt, the last two of which received five nominations a piece. View the full list of nominees after the jump!
Last year’s winner of Academy Idol 5, Steve McQueen’s “Shame.”
Five years ago, The Awards Circuit introduced its readers to Academy Idol, a movie-driven competition that mirrors the same formula as FOX’s popular American Idol franchise. Within the course of the season, twenty-four of the year’s best films (twelve adapted and twelve original) will duke it out for your votes until one film is left standing and crowned as the new champion of Academy Idol. Once the twenty-four are whittled down to the finalists (a group of twelve or thirteen), the film with the lowest number of votes each week will be eliminated from the competition. Just like on American Idol, the only way you can guarantee your favorites remain safe in the competition is to VOTE VOTE VOTE! Shame’s victory last season proved that no matter how small or seemingly unpopular a film might appear on paper, its chances of winning are equal to that of any other major film in the competition since votes determine who stays, who goes, and who ultimately wins. Finally, each week of competition will also include a theme that is related in some way to the awards race (Oscar categories, for instance). Read more on Academy Idol: A Refresher Course on The Awards Circuit’s Most Infamous Game…
In case you missed the announcement during the LIVE Blog last night, Steve McQueen’s emotionally resonate film, “Shame” won the fifth season of the Awards Circuit’s Academy Idol.
The film starring Michael Fassbender and Academy Award Nominee Carey Mulligan beat presumed early frontrunner, “Drive.” Both films had never been in the Bottom Three or Two during the voting weeks. Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” is also the second runner-up in history, joining Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” to never be in the bottom three and lose the title. This is also the first time that the ACCA winner (“The Artist”) did not make the finale. “Shame” also has the smallest box office of any previous Idol winner.
Thanks to all our readership for a productive and amazing season of Academy Idol. Make sure to join us in November when we do it all over again. Read more on Academy Idol Winner is…Shame…
Much like Kris Tapley over at In Contention does his list of the 10 best shots of each year, I like to do something similar as well here at The Awards Circuit. The wrinkle for me is that I go with the best/most memorable scenes of the year. It’s also kind of a tie in/companion piece with my article on what films from 2011 will stand the test of time. I couldn’t limit it to just 10, so I included 5 of the 15 runners-up and came up with 15 different scenes that were my personal favorites. 8 of my 10 favorite films of 2011 are on the final cut of the list (all wound up in the piece though when you factor in the honorable mentions), but overall I think these are going to be widely considered some of the best scenes of the year. Of course, I’m eager to read what you all have to say/view as the best of the year as well, so we’ll get to that at the end. For now, let’s get on with it and talk about the best scenes from 2011!
And because it’s so damn good and Oscar should have noticed. Sure it’s a dark choice for a Valentine’s Day movie but there is a sense of “love” at the center. It’s one of the best scenes and uses of music from 2011. Share your favorite moments from the film.
As the year stands behind us and we gear up for the upcoming award shows including the Critics Choice Awards which will be broadcast on VH1, Thursday, January 12th @ 8pm ET. Make sure you tune in.
As for our own critics here at the Awards Circuit, I am pleased to present the Staff Writers choices for the Top 10 Best Films of 2011. Having a hand in hiring most of these writers that are on board, I am also eager to see the eclectic tastes as we try to form a non-consensus here at the site. We fully embrace how we are all different and look at film in a different way from our next critic or reader. We respect and we view with curiosity. I sincerely hope the readership of the Awards Circuit will share your Top Ten films in the comment section because I’m eager to hear what you guys and gals loved in 2011 as well.
Putting together a best of the year list can be a daunting task, especially when you have so many films and performances you feel passionate about. There are obvious performances and films I thought I felt one way about, that either grew on me or was forgotten altogether by year’s end. You’ll never find a consensus on these types of citations but you go with your gut and see what you see. Without further ado, here are my choices for the Best in Film for 2011. Read more on Year-In-Review: 2011 Davis’ Film Awards (Editors’ Choices)…
The Year-In-Review continues with some non-traditional citations on certain films and performances that did or did not make head way in 2011. What are your choices for “Limited Performance” of the year? or Most Underrated Film? or share what you thought about the Year-in-TV as I dish out my favorites in Television Drama and Comedies. Read more after jump. Read more on Year-In-Review: Editor’s Specialty Awards…
Michael Fassbender Born: April 2nd, 1977 Place: Heidelberg, Germany Major Awards and Citations: BAFTA Awards (2009): Nominated for the Rising Star Award
British Independent Film Awards (2008): Won Best Actor for ‘Hunger’
British Independent Film Awards (2009): Nominated for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Fish Tank’
British Independent Film Awards (2011): Won Best Actor for ‘Shame’
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (2011): Won Best Actor for ‘A Dangerous Method’/‘Jane Eyre’/‘Shame’/’X-Men: First Class’
National Board of Review (2011): Won Spotlight Award for ‘A Dangerous Method’/‘Jane Eyre’/‘Shame’/’X-Men: First Class’
Venice Film Festival (2011): Won Best Actor for ‘Shame’
Oscar Snubs: ‘Hunger’ (2008), ‘Fish Tank’ (2009), and ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)
Never before in the history of the Under the Circuit series have we profiled an actor likely on his way to a nomination like Michael Fassbender is. Consider it an experiment or perhaps just a For Your Consideration type piece. It also ties in nicely with our new Circuit Consideration series, so consider this a combo type job. Anyway, dealing with Fassbender in any way is a unique experience. He brings the same level of commitment and intensity to playing a sex addict as he does a comic book character. He just gives it his all and the end result is that every single thing you see him in leaves an impression on you. I really do feel like he may be one of the 5 most talented actors working today. It’s time he got his due, and hopefully it happens this year for ‘Shame’ (or else add that to his emerging list of snubs, even though I see it happening for him right now), but either way, let’s get started here and go Under the Circuit with Michael Fassbender! Read more on Under the Circuit: Michael Fassbender…
For Your Consideration – Best Original Score – Harry Escott Film: “Shame” Director: Steve McQueen Screenplay: Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan Realistic Nominations: Best Actor (Michael Fassbender) Oscar Scene: Opening Sequence on the Train
Reviews for Steve McQueen’s “Shame” have been mostly positive citing the powerful performances of Michael Fassbender and Academy Award Nominee Carey Mulligan with many jumping for the screenplay by Writer/Director Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan. A forgotten and overlooked aspect of this dark yet hauntingly beautiful picture is the score set in place by Harry Escott. Escott has delivered unique, lingering scores on films like “Hard Candy” and “A Mighty Heart.”
Here’s something I’d never thought I’d be doing. As many of you know, we here at the staff sometimes can’t stand one another and try to strangle each other through the phone have differing opinions on a myriad of subjects, so it shouldn’t shock anyone that we don’t all agree on the MPAA ratings system and its cultural impact. So when Joseph decided to form an Alliance of Evil Joseph’s with Joey, we engaged in a spirited debate regarding the ratings that I felt would be wonderful to expound upon here. Since the conversation following this is quite long I suggest you refresh your memory by going here (https://twitter.com/JBAwardsCircuit/status/314109978627690496) and here (https://twitter.com/LeNoirAuteur/status/314114480109936640) before reading the goodness after the jump.
