(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)
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.
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 SAG bells rang today but they rang for many surprising and jaw-dropping exclusions. As going on record stating this is the most competitive Oscar race I’ve covered in years. Not one category seems assured with their lineups and we got many curveballs thrown at us this morning.
In Best Supporting Actress, Amy Adams was left off for performance in The Master, a turn many of cited wasn’t in the same league as co-stars Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Sally Field in Lincoln, Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, and Helen Hunt in The Sessions, all made their appearances as expected. With Maggie Smith announcing she wasn’t going to be campaigning, she still managed to pull in four nominations for herself including her performance in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Nicole Kidman jumped back into the race for a film that was pulverized by critics. While her role in The Paperboy is quite extraordinary, the film that surrounds her doesn’t do any favors. Older members of the Academy might find it difficult to get passed some of the more controversial scenes. Also missing big here was Ann Dowd from Compliance, something that really needed a boost from the acting branch. Many pundits have speculated on the possibility of Samantha Barks finding wiggle room into the race along side co-star Hathaway for Les Miserables. That notion may have just been put to bed. Read more on SAG Nomination Analysis – What Does It All Mean?…
It’s an awards bonanza here at the Awards Circuit today, with the latest entry coming courtesy of the International Press Academy. The Satellite Awards, which cover 31 film and TV categories, were announced today with Les Miserables leading the pack with 10 nominations. The awards will be presented at a dinner Dec. 16 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City.
Motion Picture Argo Warner Bros. Silver Linings Playbook The Weinstein Co. Beasts Of The Southern Wild Fox Searchlight Pictures Les Misérables Universal Skyfall Columbia Pictures Moonrise Kingdom Focus Features The Sessions Fox Searchlight Pictures Lincoln Dreamworks/Touchstone Life Of Pi Twentieth Century Fox Zero Dark Thirty Columbia Pictures Read more on Satellite Awards nominations announced, ‘Les Miserables’ leads with 10…
In Sam Mendes’ Skyfall, the 23rd installment in the James Bond franchise and the first since 2008, MI6 - and more notably M (Judi Dench) – is under attack by former operative Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), and it is up to James Bond (Daniel Craig) to once again thwart the evildoer’s plans before they come to fruition.
It’s time to visit the week that was via our Around the Circuit piece, where we look back at articles that we feel are worth your time covering the Oscar race, new releases, or really just anything film related.
Link(s) of the week:
Sasha Stone of Awards Daily gave us her latest state of the race piece, breaking down her perceived fifteen favorites for the Best Picture race. She curiously does not have Hitchcock listed as a top-tier contender, but I give her extra points for considering The Hobbit, of course. Later in the week she covered the Lead Actress race, and in a move that will shock more than it will surprise, she has Anne Hathaway for The Dark Knight Rises in her current predicted five. I admire her guts, but don’t even give that a flicker of a shot at happening. We all assume that Hathaway will be up for Supporting for Les Mis, but even if she were to fall short there, her odds at cracking Lead Actress for a comic book film seem slim to none.
It was only a matter of time before someone gave John Hawkes a true starring role in a film to run with. That man is writer/director Ben Lewin and the movie in question is the charming dramedy ‘The Sessions’. Hawkes absolutely owns the screen playing real life Polio victim and poet Mark O’Brien, a man who sought in his late 30′s to lose his virginity. This is an incredibly likable film, from Hawkes’ tremendous lead performance to the excellent supporting turns from Helen Hunt and William H. Macy, all the way to the consistently optimistic tone that this flick takes, even when things threaten to get dark. Lewin has a strong handle on the material and lets his actors have at it with zeal, resulting in a movie that’s hard not to like. I may not be quite as in love with it as many are, but I certainly had fun with it and wouldn’t gripe if it wound up one of the nominees for Best Picture when all is said and done. You can write Hawkes in with ink for a Best Actor nod and Hunt is a lock for a likely Best Supporting Actress nomination as well. This movie opens later on this week and should begin winning over audiences shortly thereafter. It certainly won me over with its deft handling of tone and overall good feeling that it leaves you with.
At last! The BFI London Film Festival 2012 hasarrived. Since receiving press honours for the site last month I’ve been counting down the days to this great city’s very own film fest. Who said my North American counterparts should have all the fun? Although the festival officially kicked off this evening, with the European premiere of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, I managed to take in four early press screenings earlier today, and honestly there wasn’t a bad egg among them.
Stay tuned over the next week and a half for all of the latest from London; I’ll be working around the clock to bring you reviews of everything I manage to see. Here’s the first instalment of what I saw on Day 1…
Could we have Marco Beltrami back in the race this year? We’ll see.
Read the Press Release:
(WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA) September 11, 2012— Two time Academy Award nominated composer Marco Beltrami scores Trouble with the Curve, opening September 21. The film’s all star cast includes Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, and John Goodman. This is the first film Eastwood has starred in but not directed in nine years (In the Line of Fire). The film marks the first feature-length directorial debut of Robert Lorenz, Eastwood’s Assistant Director for 15 years, with projects including Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, and Blood Work. Varese Sarabande will release the soundtrack album for Trouble with the Curve October 2. Composer Marco Beltrami provides an emotional score that supports the touching relationship between father and daughter and also the heroics of the game of baseball. Read more on Two-Time Academy Award Nominated Composer Marco Beltrami Scores Trouble with the Curve…
This week at The Awards Circuit was much ado about EVERYTHING. Before I begin recapping the monumental event that is the Toronto Film Festival — where our very own John H. Foote is currently at, sharing with us daily reviews and diary segments about the most promising films that are coming out of TIFF, right on course for Oscar season — I would like to turn our attention to the latest episode of Power Hour. In this most recent episode, the staff ponder how much weight should be given to Argo’s Oscar chances now that the raves from Venice are in. Is it a “Best Picture” contender, and will The Academy finally recognize Ben Affleck’s directorial efforts after ignoring him for both The Town and Gone Baby Gone? Personally, I never found either of those films “Best Picture” worthy — truth be told, I detested Gone Baby Gone for its convoluted story and melodramatic antics — but I have a very good feeling about Argo. Take a listen to the podcast and see what some of the staff have to say about Argo and its potential interaction with the Golden Man.We also reveal our personal favorite performances from the last decade. Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 9/9)…
John Hawkes and Helen Hunt deliver in Ben Lewin’s “The Sessions”
Everything we have heard about The Sessions is true. The film is a miracle of a movie, the sort of film that enables cinema in every way. The capacity press screening sat and were with the film throughout, laughing when they should have, weeping when it was necessary and felt moved when they needed too. How do I know this? I listened to the comments on the way out of the theater and saw more than one damp eye. Fox has every right to be confident of where this film is going, and its target is the Oscar for Best Picture.
This soul stroking film is the sort of film that enables cinema in every way, from the superb performances of the actors, the gentle direction and excellent, compassionate screenplay that pulls no punches and yet manages to be deeply moving. What I found remarkable about the work was that it explored how people should treat one another, how kindnesses are not difficult, and actually bring out the best in humanity. Read more on TIFF: The Sessions (****)…
In The Sessions, Academy Award nominee John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) plays real-life writer and poet Mark O’Brien, a man stuck in an iron lung after being stricken with polio as a child. When O’Brien decides that he wishes to lose his virginity, he enlists the help of Cheryl Cohen Green, a sexual surrogate played by Academy Award winner Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets). The first clip from the film shows O’Brien in a very anxious state, while Green lays out some ground rules for their relationship. The Sessions also stars Williams H. Macy, and the trio – along with the film itself – looks set to take on the upcoming awards season by storm. The Sessions will be in theatres October 26th.
It’s time to visit the week that was via our Around the Circuit piece, where we look back at articles that we feel are worth your time covering the Oscar race, new releases, or really just anything film related.
Link of the week:
Kris Tapley at In Contentiondiscusses the Oscar potential for The Sessions, including high hopes Helen Hunt (Lead Actress; though Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger feels she might go Supporting) and William H. Macy (Supporting Actor), but gives the greatest odds to John Hawkes (Lead Actor) for his fantastic performance as a man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity. The majority of us here are in the Hawkes camp as well.
Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master”
Oscar Predictions, how I love thee yet how I hate thee. As I revealed the newest set of predictions this time around and took a look at the next five months, I haven’t dived into serious awards analysis in a while. A lot of the reason was I felt it was too early and we didn’t know enough. I had an epiphany recently however; we never know what the Oscars are thinking. Even after critics’ awards drop, Golden Globes, SAG, Critics Choice Awards are televised; all mean nothing at the end of the day. Oscar will always do what she wants to do, even when everyone is telling her the obvious choices.
Granted, I am one of the few that thinks they can actually pick some great choices among their winners. I was and still am in the camp that Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist was the best film of last year. I couldn’t have chosen a better film. Does that mean everything that accompanied The Artist was the best? Absolutely not. What Oscar often lacks are edgy, loud, or mainstream choices. Could they have found room for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive or for its leading man Ryan Gosling? How about Steve McQueen’s Shame with the best leading male performance of the year, Michael Fassbender? Like I said, they’re not perfect. And here’s a look into the future…they never will be.
The second half of the year is upon us. The race is about to heat up with big Oscar hopefuls coming down the pike. Our John Foote will be in attendance at the Toronto International Film Festival and many films will be unveiling themselves to critics alike. There is a very unclear yet still feasible shape to the race looking from ten thousand feet.
There are internet jitters building for Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. With the trailers released and now the film being pushed up to September, it looks as though we may be in store for a master class in filmmaking. Phoenix also looks to be a lead contender for his first Oscar after delivering in his previous nominated works, Gladiator (2000) and Walk the Line (2005). Phoenix does have tough competition ahead of him including what looks to be a critical darling-type performance coming from John Hawkes in Ben Lewin’s The Sessions. Early word is very positive for the film and the turns by Hawkes along with co-stars Helen Hunt and William H. Macy. Since Hawkes’ initial nomination two years ago for Winter’s Bone, he hasn’t shown any signs of letting up. He was arguably left off last year in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene and will be seen later this year in Julia Dyer’s The Playroom and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. There seems to be a tremendous following and support for him in his current state. Speaking of Spielberg, we’re still awaiting some type of marketing material for his upcoming Lincoln biopic. No poster or trailer has been released with very few stills leaked online. One starts to think if it will even be ready in time.
It’s the first of the month. Not only that, it’s the first day of the second half of the year. Anybody else feel like that was fast? Yet, here we are.
It’s time to start getting serious, Oscar-wise. Not many things have come out, and not many films are looking like Best Picture nominees from the first half. Some will argue The Avengers with a $600 million dollar bank is in talks. Some think the little indie-film Moonrise Kingdom from Wes Anderson could be our “Little Miss Sunshine” of the year. In limited release, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild has opened and received one of the best word-of-mouth reviews of the year. Is that a contender for the big prize? I’d say it is.
I’m ready to start getting down and dirty with these predictions.
The first trailer for the drama The Sessions (formerly Six Sessions, formerly The Surrogate) has arrived, and as someone who has been predicting John Hawkes to win his first Oscar for this vehicle, it does not disappoint. Hawkes plays a man in an iron lung who would like to lose his virginity. After confiding in his priest (played by the great William H. Macy), he seeks out a sexual surrogate (Helen Hunt) to aid him in fulfilling his goal. Based on the autobiographical writings of California-based journalist Mark O’Brien (Hawkes), The Sessions appears to be a real heart-warming comedy, something that could easily make it a contender this awards season.
The Sessions won the Audience Award (Dramatic) and Special Jury Prize (Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival, and opens October 26th. Check out the trailer and poster after the jump…
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.
The SAG bells rang today but they rang for many surprising and jaw-dropping exclusions. As going on record stating this is the most competitive Oscar race I’ve covered in years. Not one category seems assured with their lineups and we got many curveballs thrown at us this morning.
