FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Nov 6, 2010 23:46:04 GMT -5
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Nov 7, 2010 12:03:34 GMT -5
It would have been better if The Ghost Writer released this holiday season.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Nov 12, 2010 23:44:48 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/article/20101112/news/711139878/Article updated: 11/12/2010 04:15 PM ‘King's Speech,' ‘Social Network' seek Oscar glory By Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Two dramas unfolding in a new world of global communications could emerge as front-runners at the Academy Awards.
Director David Fincher's “The Social Network” is set in modern times as the founders of the website Facebook battle over their creation. Tom Hooper's “The King's Speech” takes place in the 1920s and '30s as Queen Elizabeth II's dad struggles with his speech impediment at a time when the royal family is counted on to voice reassurance through the new medium of radio.
“The Social Network” has almost universal acclaim, a hip subject and impressive box-office results since it opened Oct. 1. “The King's Speech” does not open until late November, but it's an old-fashioned awards contender, a classy period piece that has been an audience favorite at film festivals for its heart and humor.
“We didn't realize it was a comedy as well as a drama. We had no idea people enjoyed it on so many levels,” said Colin Firth, who stars as the stammering King George VI, reluctantly taking the throne after his brother abdicates and finding unexpected kinship with a wily Australian speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush).
“It ticks a lot of boxes that are notorious for being supposed nomination bait, you know monarchs and disabilities and that sort of thing. But it has very little to do with that as far as I'm concerned. The substance of this is to do with this friendship.”
“The Social Network” also deals with friendship the unraveling kind. Jesse Eisenberg stars as Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg, playing him as an abrasive, socially inept genius who ends up in ferocious legal feuds with his former best buddy (Andrew Garfield) and others claiming he stiffed them on the site's proceeds.
Fincher said he's hopeful but that Oscar talk is premature. “Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is even more tight-lipped about awards.
“I just won't talk about it,” Sorkin said. “I can tell you that right now, what means something to me is that people who have seen the movie seem very moved by it. It's everything we could have hoped for when we began the project.”
Nominations come out Jan. 25, with the Oscars presented on Feb. 27.
Here's a look at more possibilities for best picture as well as for other top Oscar categories:
Best Picture:
Assuming “The King's Speech” and “The Social Network” make the cut, eight other films will compete for the remaining slots as the Oscars go with 10 best-picture nominees again, continuing an experiment started last year that broadened the field to include mainstream hits such as “The Blind Side” and smaller productions such as “The Hurt Locker,” which won for best picture.
The category was expanded partly because of “The Dark Knight,” the 2008 Batman blockbuster that earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar but missed out on a best-picture nomination, despite rave reviews. This bodes well for “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan's follow-up, last summer's sci-fi smash “Inception,” one of Hollywood's smartest action thrillers in years.
It also elevates the prospects for the year's top-grossing hit, Lee Unkrich's animated comedy “Toy Story 3,” along with Ben Affleck's heist drama “The Town” and perhaps David Yates' “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” the next-to-last film in the fantasy franchise.
Smaller releases could slip into the field of 10, including Ozark thriller and top Sundance winner “Winter's Bone,” the family comic drama “The Kids Are All Right,” the survival story “127 hours,” and “Never Let Me Go,” a tragic tale set in an alternate reality.
Two-time best picture and director winner Clint Eastwood cannot be counted out for his afterlife drama “Hereafter,” and several upcoming films have Oscar buzz after becoming favorites on the festival circuit, including the ensemble drama “Another Year,” the father-daughter tale “Somewhere,” the curmudgeon chronicle “Barney's Version,” and the dance drama “Black Swan.”
Two films from Oscar-winning directors are on the awards radar, though they do not come out until year's end and have not been seen by Oscar watchers: Joel and Ethan Coen's new take on the Western “True Grit” and James L. Brooks' comic drama “How Do You Know.”
Best Director:
With 10 best-picture selections, it seems like five directing slots just aren't enough to go around.
Tom Hooper for “The King's Speech,” David Fincher for “The Social Network” and Christopher Nolan for “Inception” look like solid bets.
Past winners Danny Boyle for “127 Hours” and Clint Eastwood for “Hereafter” have fresh prospects, as does Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan,” Ben Affleck for “The Town” and Mike Leigh for “Another Year.”
Animation continues to gain in critical esteem, so Lee Unkrich might have a shot for “Toy Story 3.”
The question marks remain the filmmakers behind December's latecomers: past winners Joel and Ethan Coen for “True Grit” and James L. Brooks for “How Do You Know.”
And a year after the first woman won the directing Oscar, Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker,” past nominee Sofia Coppola could be back in the running for “Somewhere,” along with indie longshots Lisa Cholodenko for “The Kids Are All Right” and Debra Granik for “Winter's Bone.”
Best Actor:
Colin Firth earned his first Oscar nomination for last year's “A Single Man,” and some who have seen him as George VI in “The King's Speech” think Oscar voters should just hand him the best-actor prize. Often playing glibly sardonic characters in the past, Firth is mesmerizing as the stammering king, striking a wonderful balance between imperious and wretched.
There's plenty of glibness to be had among other contenders, including Jesse Eisenberg's savagely biting Facebook founder in “The Social Network”; James Franco as a one-man force of nature, playing a climber trapped alone in a canyon in “127 Hours”; and Paul Giamatti in the life story of a crusty producer of schlock TV in “Barney's Version.”
Other possibilities: Ben Affleck, “The Town”; Javier Bardem, “Biutiful”; Jim Broadbent, “Another Year”; Matt Damon, “Hereafter”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “Inception”; Stephen Dorff, “Somewhere”; Michael Douglas, “Solitary Man” or “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”; Robert Duvall, “Get Low”; Aaron Eckhart, “Rabbit Hole”; Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”; Sean Penn, “Fair Game.”
Still unseen is last year's winner, Jeff Bridges, in “True Grit,” and the male cast of “How Do You Know,” Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.
Best Actress:
Natalie Portman is an unholy terror in “Black Swan,” which takes the give-your-all-for-dance commitment of “The Red Shoes” to deeply disturbing places. A past supporting-actress nominee for “Closer,” Portman gives herself over completely to her role as a goody two-shoes ballerina whose menacing dark side emerges as she prepares for her dream role in “Swan Lake.”
Annette Bening dominates “The Kids Are All Right” as the acerbic authoritarian in a family of lesbian parents, whose household unravels after they meet the sperm donor who fathered their children. Julianne Moore as Bening's spouse also has Oscar prospects, though she could end up in the supporting category.
Other possibilities: Anne Hathaway, “Love & Other Drugs”; Sally Hawkins, “Made in Dagenham”; Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”; Diane Lane, “Secretariat”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter's Bone”; Helen Mirren, “The Tempest”; Carey Mulligan, “Never Let Me Go”; Ruth Sheen, “Another Year”; Hilary Swank, “Conviction”; Naomi Watts, “Fair Game”; Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine.”
Still unseen are past winners Gwyneth Paltrow in “Country Strong” and Reese Withersthingy in “How Do You Know.”
Supporting Actor:
Andrew Garfield is just starting his blockbuster career in the title role of the next “Spider-Man.” After acclaim and honors for the British drama “Boy A,” Garfield also may be getting his first taste of awards season, Hollywood style, with excellent supporting roles as the betrayed co-founder of Facebook in “The Social Network” and a boarding school youth with a grim destiny in “Never Let Me Go.”
“The Social Network” co-star Justin Timberlake also has prospects, playing the Napster creator who comes between the two best friends behind Facebook.
Other possibilities: Pierce Brosnan, “The Ghost Writer”; Vincent Cassel, “Black Swan”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “Inception”; John Hawkes, “Winter's Bone”; Bob Hoskins, “Made in Dagenham”; Dustin Hoffman, “Barney's Version”; Tommy Lee Jones, “The Company Men”; Bill Murray, “Get Low”; Sam Rockwell, “Conviction”; Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”; Geoffrey Rush, “The King's Speech.”
Supporting Actress:
British actress Lesley Manville is a veteran of such Mike Leigh films as “Vera Drake” and “All or Nothing,” but she is little known in Hollywood.
That's changing with Leigh's “Another Year,” in which Manville is the mirror reverse of Sally Hawkins' eternal optimist in the director's 2008 film “Happy-Go-Lucky.” Manville is heartbreaking as a lovelorn woman who sees everyone around her getting at least some of what they want, while she perpetually holds an empty glass.
While reviews are mixed at best for Tyler Perry's “For Colored Girls,” the ensemble drama does offer some excellent performances, with Loretta Devine and Kimberly Elise among the standouts.
Other possibilities: Helena Bonham Carter, “The King's Speech”; Marion Cotillard, “Inception”; Minnie Driver, “Conviction”; Cecile de France, “Hereafter”; Greta Gerwig, “Greenberg”; Gemma Jones, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”; Keira Knightley, “Never Let Me Go”; Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”; Ellen Page, “Inception”; Rosamund Pike, “Barney's Version”; Sissy Spacek, “Get Low”; Olivia Williams, “The Ghost Writer.”
&bul; Associated Press writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Dec 3, 2010 11:22:31 GMT -5
All eyes on the Oscars
The Courier-Mail December 04, 2010 12:00AM
TWO very different films, both dealing with the themes of communication and friendship, are early contenders in the Oscar race.
The King's Speech, starring Australia's Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce, due out here on Boxing Day, is already a clear front runner.
It's up against director David Fincher's The Social Network, which shows the founders of the website Facebook battling over their creation.
Tom Hooper's The King's Speech is set in the 1920s and 1930s as Queen Elizabeth II's father, King George VI, struggles with a speech impediment at a time when the royal family is counted on to voice reassurance through the new medium of radio.
The Social Network has received almost universal acclaim and impressive box-office results since it opened.
The King's Speech opens in the US at the end of the month but it's an old-fashioned awards contender, a classy period piece that has been an audience favourite at film festivals.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
"We didn't realise it was a comedy as well as a drama - we had no idea people enjoyed it on so many levels," says Colin Firth, who stars as the stammering King George VI, reluctantly taking the throne after his brother abdicates and finding unexpected kinship with a wily Australian speech therapist, played by Rush, who could prove a contender in the supporting actor category.
The Social Network also deals with friendship - the unravelling of it. Jesse Eisenberg stars as Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg, playing him as an abrasive, socially inept genius who ends up in legal feuds with his former best buddy (Andrew Garfield) and others who claim he stiffed them on the site's proceeds.
Fincher says he's hopeful but that Oscar talk is premature.
The Social Network screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is even more tightlipped about awards. "I just won't talk about it," he says. "I can tell you that right now, what means something to me is that people who have seen the movie seem very moved by it."
Here's a look at more possibilities for best picture as well as for other top Oscar categories, including Australia's Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts in the best actress category.
Best Picture
Assuming The King's Speech and The Social Network make the cut, eight other films will compete for the remaining slots as the Oscars go with 10 best-picture nominees again, continuing an experiment started last year that broadened the field to include mainstream hits such as The Blind Side and smaller productions such as The Hurt Locker, which won.
The category was expanded partly because of The Dark Knight, the 2008 Batman blockbuster that earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar but missed out on a best-picture nomination, despite rave reviews.
This bodes well for The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan's follow-up, last summer's sci-fi smash Inception, one of Hollywood's smartest action thrillers in years.
It also elevates the prospects for the year's top-grossing hit, Lee Unkrich's animated comedy Toy Story 3, along with Ben Affleck's heist drama The Town and perhaps David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Smaller releases could slip into the field of 10, including Ozark thriller and top Sundance winner Winter's Bone, the family comic drama The Kids Are All Right, the survival story 127 Hours, and Never Let Me Go, a tragic tale set in an alternate reality.
Two-time best picture and director Oscar-winner Clint Eastwood cannot be counted out for his afterlife drama Hereafter, and several upcoming films have Oscar buzz after becoming favourites on the festival circuit, including the ensemble drama Another Year, the father-daughter tale Somewhere, the curmudgeon chronicle Barney's Version, and the dance drama Black Swan.
Two films from Oscar-winning directors are on the awards radar, though they do not come out until year's end and have not been seen by Oscar-watchers: Joel and Ethan Coen's new take on the western True Grit and James L. Brooks' comic drama How Do You Know.
Best Director
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech, David Fincher for The Social Network and Christopher Nolan for Inception look like solid bets. Past winners in with a chance include Danny Boyle for 127 Hours and Clint Eastwood for Hereafter. Others with claims are Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan, Ben Affleck for The Town and Mike Leigh for Another Year.
Animation continues to gain in critical esteem, so Lee Unkrich might have a shot for Toy Story 3.
The question marks remain for the filmmakers behind December's latecomers: past winners Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit and James L. Brooks for How Do You Know.
And a year after the first woman won the directing Oscar, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, past nominee Sofia Coppola could be back in the running for Somewhere, along with indie longshots Lisa Cholodenko for The Kids Are All Right and Debra Granik for Winter's Bone.
Best Actor
Colin Firth earned his first Oscar nomination for last year's A Single Man, and some who have seen him as George VI in The King's Speech think Oscar voters should just hand him the best-actor prize. He is mesmerising as the stammering king.
There's plenty of class to be had among other contenders, including Jesse Eisenberg's savagely biting Facebook founder in The Social Network; James Franco as a one-man force of nature, playing a climber trapped alone in a canyon in 127 Hours; and Paul Giamatti in the life story of a crusty producer of schlock TV in Barney's Version.
Other possibilities: Ben Affleck, The Town; Javier Bardem, Biutiful; Jim Broadbent, Another Year; Matt Damon, Hereafter; Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception; Stephen Dorff, Somewhere; Michael Douglas, Solitary Man or Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Robert Duvall, Get Low; Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole; Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine; and Sean Penn, Fair Game.
Still unseen is last year's winner, Jeff Bridges, in True Grit, and the male cast of How Do You Know - Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.
Best Actress
Natalie Portman is an unholy terror in Black Swan, which takes the give-your-all-for-dance commitment of The Red Shoes to deeply disturbing places. A past supporting-actress nominee for Closer, Portman shines as a goody two-shoes ballerina whose dark side emerges as she prepares for her dream role in Swan Lake.
Annette Bening dominates The Kids Are All Right as the acerbic authoritarian in a family of lesbian parents, whose household unravels after they meet the sperm donor who fathered their children. Julianne Moore as Bening's spouse also has Oscar prospects, though she could end up in the supporting category.
Other possibilities: Anne Hathaway, Love & Other Drugs; Sally Hawkins, Made in Dagenham; Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole; Diane Lane, Secretariat; Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone; Helen Mirren, The Tempest; Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go; Ruth Sheen, Another Year; Hilary Swank, Conviction; Naomi Watts, Fair Game; and Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine.
Still unseen are past winners Gwyneth Paltrow in Country Strong and Reese Withersthingy in How Do You Know.
Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield is just starting his blockbuster career in the title role of the next Spider-Man. After acclaim and honours for the British drama Boy A, Garfield also may be getting his first taste of awards season, Hollywood style, with excellent supporting roles as the betrayed co-founder of Facebook in The Social Network and a boarding school youth with a grim destiny in Never Let Me Go. His The Social Network co-star Justin Timberlake also has prospects, playing the Napster creator who comes between the two best friends behind Facebook.
Other possibilities: Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer; Vincent Cassel, Black Swan; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Inception; John Hawkes, Winter's Bone; Bob Hoskins, Made in Dagenham; Dustin Hoffman, Barney's Version; Tommy Lee Jones, The Company Men; Bill Murray, Get Low; Sam Rockwell, Conviction; Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right; Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech.
Supporting Actress
British actress Lesley Manville is a veteran of such Mike Leigh films as Vera Drake and All or Nothing, but she is little known in Hollywood.
That's changing with Leigh's Another Year, in which Manville is the antithesis of Sally Hawkins' eternal optimist in the director's 2008 film Happy-Go-Lucky.
While reviews are mixed for Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls, the ensemble drama does offer some excellent performances, with Loretta Devine and Kimberly Elise among the standouts.
Other possibilities: Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech; Marion Cotillard, Inception; Minnie Driver, Conviction; Cecile de France, Hereafter; Greta Gerwig, Greenberg; Gemma Jones, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger; Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go; Mila Kunis, Black Swan; Ellen Page, Inception; Rosamund Pike, Barney's Version; Sissy Spacek, Get Low; and Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer.
Nominations are released on January 25, and the Oscars presented on February 27
|
|
|
Post by Gambit on Dec 4, 2010 13:11:37 GMT -5
It would be nice for Brosnan if he got nominated.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Dec 4, 2010 14:08:30 GMT -5
Pierce deserves to have movies that are nominated by the Oscars......something that hasn't happened since 1998's The Quest for Camelot, which was nominated for Best Song.
|
|
|
Post by 009 on Dec 4, 2010 18:48:35 GMT -5
I've never heard of The King's Speech.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Dec 10, 2010 10:34:06 GMT -5
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/its-all-about-oscar/story-fn6ccwsa-1225969140760Once again, it's all about Oscar * David Germain * From: The Daily Telegraph * December 10, 2010 6:47PM WHILE the rest of the world prepares to ring in 2011, Hollywood is gearing up for its awards season. It begins this week with the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations. As with every year, though, all eyes will be on the main prize: the Oscars. This year, two very different films, both dealing with the themes of communication and friendship, are early contenders in the Oscar race. The King's Speech, starring Australia's Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce, due out here on Boxing Day, is already a clear frontrunner. It's up against director David Fincher's The Social Network, about the founders of Facebook. Tom Hooper's The King's Speech is set in the 1920s and 1930s as King George VI struggles with a speech impediment at a time when the royal family is counted on to voice reassurance through the new medium of radio. The Social Network has received almost universal acclaim and strong box-office results since it opened. The King's Speech opens in the US at the end of the month but it's an old-fashioned awards contender, a period piece that has been an audience favourite at film festivals. "We didn't realise it was a comedy as well as a drama; we had no idea people enjoyed it on so many levels," says Colin Firth, who stars as the stammering King George VI, reluctantly taking the throne after his brother abdicates and finding unexpected kinship with a wily Australian speech therapist, played by Rush, who could be a contender in the supporting actor category. The Social Network also deals with friendship - the unravelling of it. Jesse Eisenberg stars as Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg, playing him as a socially inept genius who ends up in legal feuds with his former best buddy (Andrew Garfield) and others who claim he stiffed them on the site's proceeds. Fincher says he's hopeful but that Oscar talk is premature. Here's more possibilities for best picture as well as for other Oscar categories, including Australia's Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts in best actress category. Best Picture Assuming The King's Speech and The Social Network make the cut, eight other films will compete for the remaining positions. Likely contenders will be Inception, the animated comedy Toy Story 3, Ben Affleck's heist drama The Town and perhaps Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Smaller releases could also slip into the exclusive field. They include the Sundance winner Winter's Bone, the family comic drama The Kids Are All Right, the survival story 127 Hours, and Never Let Me Go, a tragic tale set in an alternate reality. Two-time best picture and Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood cannot be counted out for his afterlife drama Hereafter. Several upcoming films have an Oscar buzz after becoming favourites on the festival circuit. They include the ensemble drama Another Year, the father-daughter tale Somewhere, the curmudgeon chronicle Barney's Version, and the dance drama Black Swan. Two films from Oscar-winning directors are on the awards radar, though they do not come out until year's end and have not been seen by Oscar-watchers: Joel and Ethan Coen's new take on the western True Grit and James L. Brooks' comic drama How Do You Know. Best Director Tom Hooper for The King's Speech, David Fincher for The Social Network and Christopher Nolan for Inception look like solid bets. Past winners in with a chance include Danny Boyle for 127 Hours and Clint Eastwood for Hereafter. Others with claims are Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan, Ben Affleck for The Town and Mike Leigh for Another Year. Animation continues to gain in critical esteem, so Lee Unkrich might have a shot for Toy Story 3. The question marks remain for the filmmakers behind December's latecomers: past winners Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit and James L. Brooks for How Do You Know. And a year after the first woman won the directing Oscar, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, past nominee Sofia Coppola could be back in the running for Somewhere, along with indie longshots Lisa Cholodenko for The Kids Are All Right and Debra Granik for Winter's Bone. Best Actor Colin Firth earned his first Oscar nomination for last year's A Single Man, and some who have seen him as George VI in The King's Speech think this will be the year that the Oscar will bear his name. There's plenty of class to be had among other contenders, including Jesse Eisenberg's savagely biting Facebook founder in The Social Network; James Franco as a one-man force of nature, playing a climber trapped alone in a canyon in 127 Hours; and Paul Giamatti in the life story of a crusty producer of schlock TV in Barney's Version. Other possibilities: Ben Affleck, The Town; Javier Bardem, Biutiful; Jim Broadbent, Another Year; Matt Damon, Hereafter; Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception; Stephen Dorff, Somewhere; Michael Douglas, Solitary Man or Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Robert Duvall, Get Low; Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole; Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine; and Sean Penn, Fair Game. Still unseen is last year's winner, Jeff Bridges, in True Grit, and the male cast of How Do You Know; Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. Best Actress Natalie Portman is an unholy terror in Black Swan, which takes the give-your-all-for-dance commitment of The Red Shoes to deeply disturbing places. A past supporting-actress nominee for Closer, Portman absolutely shines as a goody two-shoes ballerina whose dark side emerges as she prepares for her dream role in Swan Lake. Annette Bening dominates The Kids Are All Right as the acerbic authoritarian in a family of lesbian parents whose household unravels after they meet the sperm donor who fathered their children. Julianne Moore as Bening's spouse also has good Oscar prospects, though she could end up in the supporting category. Other possibilities: Anne Hathaway, Love & Other Drugs; Sally Hawkins, Made In Dagenham; Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole; Diane Lane, Secretariat; Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone; Helen Mirren, The Tempest; Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go; Ruth Sheen, Another Year; Hilary Swank, Conviction; Naomi Watts, Fair Game; and Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine. Still unseen are past winners Gwyneth Paltrow in Country Strong and Reese Withersthingy in How Do You Know. Supporting Actor Andrew Garfield is just starting his blockbuster career in the title role of the next Spider-Man. After acclaim and honours for the British drama Boy A, Garfield also may be getting his first taste of awards season, Hollywood style, with excellent supporting roles as the betrayed co-founder of Facebook in The Social Network and a boarding school youth with a grim destiny in Never Let Me Go. His The Social Network co-star Justin Timberlake also has prospects, playing the Napster creator who comes between the two best friends behind Facebook. Other possibilities: Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer; Vincent Cassel, Black Swan; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Inception; John Hawkes, Winter's Bone; Bob Hoskins, Made In Dagenham; Dustin Hoffman, Barney's Version; Tommy Lee Jones, The Company Men; Bill Murray, Get Low; Sam Rockwell, Conviction; Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right; Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech. Supporting Actress British actress Lesley Manville is a veteran of such Mike Leigh films as Vera Drake and All Or Nothing, but she is little known in Hollywood. That's changing with Leigh's Another Year, in which Manville is the antithesis of Sally Hawkins' eternal optimist in the director's 2008 film Happy-Go-Lucky. While reviews are mixed for Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls, the ensemble drama does offer some excellent performances, with Loretta Devine and Kimberly Elise among the standouts. Other possibilities: Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech; Marion Cotillard, Inception; Minnie Driver, Conviction; Cecile de France, Hereafter; Greta Gerwig, Greenberg; Gemma Jones, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger; Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go; Mila Kunis, Black Swan; Ellen Page, Inception; Rosamund Pike, Barney's Version; Sissy Spacek, Get Low; and Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer. Nominations are released on January 25, and the Oscars presented on February 27
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Jan 21, 2011 10:21:19 GMT -5
Not giving any of Pierce's recent/upcoming movies an Oscar nomination is not only unfair and injustice but also an insult and a crime, especially after Bond.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Jan 23, 2011 15:59:49 GMT -5
www.nj.com/entertainment/movies/index.ssf/2011/01/oscar_nominations_who_will_be_who_wont_and_who_should.htmlOscar nominations: Who'll be nominated, who won't, and who should
Published: Sunday, January 23, 2011, 8:08 AM By Stephen Whitty/The Star-Ledger
The Oscars have always been glamorous, controversial, silly and just about inescapable. But lately they’ve become sadly predictable. I lost my Kreskin’s ESP Game a long time ago, yet I still seem to have no problem seeing the future here. For the past two years, I’ve picked all six major winners. It’s getting boring.
And that feeling of predestination starts with the nominations, which are getting way too easy to handicap.
Take a fast look at who has already picked up critics’ prizes and guild nominations — and had their studio take out big trade ads on their behalf — and not only do you get a sense of who is getting a nod, you even begin to feel who’s going to win.
But some who’d be surprise nominees are equally deserving — count Marion Cotillard (“Inception”) and Noomi Rapace (“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) among them.
Both Jeff Bridges (“True Grit”) and Jesse Eisenberg, inset (“The Social Network”), are considered locks for Oscar nods.
Christian Bale, who just picked up a Golden Globe for his turn in “The Fighter,” is considered likely to win the Supporting Actor Oscar.
So wouldn’t it be wonderful if Tuesday’s upcoming honor roll held a few surprises, and suggested a real Oscar race to come?
If, instead of the usual suspects we heard a few fresh names? If every category had at least one wild card?
Below, a quick prognostication of the year’s probable nominees and apparent frontrunners — as well as an appreciation of some of the most deserving long-shots.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Probable Contenders: Christian Bale, “The Fighter”; Michael Douglas, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”; Jeremy Renner, “The Town”; Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”; Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech.”
Leading by a Length: Bale
Deserving Dark Horses: There are a couple of actors who might push Douglas or Renner aside to grab a spot — particularly Andrew Garfield as the put-upon pal in “The Social Network,” or John Hawkes, a frightening presence in “Winter’s Bone.”
But I think I was even more impressed by Garfield’s work in “Never Let Me Go” and “Red Riding Trilogy” — two performances that are guaranteed to go unnoticed — and I loved the perpetually underrated Sam Rockwell in the continually overheated “Conviction.”
And if you want to herald the fine supporting work in “The Social Network,” why not start with handsome Armie Hammer, who played identical (yet identifiably different) twins in the movie, a tricky technical feat?
Meanwhile, although I’m generally not a fan of sentimental awards, isn’t it time someone noticed that the post-Bond Pierce Brosnan is doing strong work in pictures such as “The Ghost Writer”? Or that Dustin Hoffman, on his second (or third) career by now, turned in a wonderfully lively job in “Barney’s Version”?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Probable Contenders: Amy Adams, “The Fighter”; Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”; Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”; Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”; Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom.”
Neck and Neck: Carter, Leo.
Deserving Dark Horses: Weaver is arguably one herself, although she’s been the focus of this small movie’s ad campaign for months. Another, almost equally offbeat choice in her place would be Mila Kunis, so duplicitously sexy in “Black Swan.”
But how about the fine actresses who probably won’t hear their names called on Tuesday? Like Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad and Kimberly Elise, all amazing in the otherwise underwhelming “For Colored Girls”? (Not only are they unlikely to be called, but this year’s nominations are likely to be the least diverse in a long time.)
Or why not applaud the never-disappointing Marion Cotillard as the femme fatale of “Inception,” the nicely surprising Blake Lively as the torch-carrying crackhead of “The Town,” or veteran Barbara Hershey, as the stage-mother-from-hell in “Black Swan”?
And please, let’s find some way to acknowledge quirky Juliette Lewis. “Conviction” may have been ho-hum, but Lewis has become one of those most-valuable-players that mediocre movies depend on — exactly the kind of performer this category is supposed to honor.
BEST ACTOR
Probable Contenders: Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”; Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”; Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”; James Franco, “127 Hours”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Fighter.”
Leading by a Length: Firth.
Deserving Dark Horses:
There are still one or two actors who might push Bridges or Wahlberg aside to claim a slot — Javier Bardem won some plaudits for “Biutiful” and the 80-year-old Robert Duvall was terrific as the cantankerous hermit in “Get Low” — but the rest have about as firm a lock on these nods as you can get.
Still, I’d love to see Paul Giamatti get some recognition for his work in “Barney’s Version” as an unforgettable (and, sometimes, nearly unforgivable) man. Ryan Gosling did superb work this year too, in both the (justly) ignored “All Good Things” and the unjustly underappreciated “Blue Valentine.”
It was, in fact, a year of paired great performances — although many went unnoticed.
Critics and audiences turned out for “Shutter Island” and “Inception,” for example, but few mentioned just how strongly both stylish movies relied on an anguished Leonardo DiCaprio. And Edward Norton not only (brilliantly) played twins in “Leaves of Grass,” he came back for a surprising (and surprisingly overlooked) turn in “Stone.”
A few actors even got attention for the wrong movie. Although I expect — and hope — Michael Douglas will get a nod for best supporting actor in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” he was even better in “Solitary Man,” an uncompromising (and, no doubt, sometimes uncomfortable) study of an aging egotist.
BEST ACTRESS
Probable Contenders: Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”; Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”; Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”; Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine.”
Neck and Neck: Bening and Portman.
Deserving Dark Horses: Lawrence and Williams have less buzz than the other three contenders, and might be pushed out by a late surge from another actress. But who?
Halle Berry’s “Frankie and Alice” still hasn’t had more than a token opening, but its multiple-personality heroine is made for awards. And the well-liked Hilary Swank — who, ironically, has twice beaten Bening out of an Oscar — could still get a shout-out for “Conviction.”
But why not surprise everyone and look further afield? It’s not as if there aren’t plenty of options.
Such as the always-intense Catherine Keener, so perfect as a liberally guilt-ridden Manhattanite in “Please Give”? Or Noomi Rapace, the out-of-nowhere sensation in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” or the ever-wonderful Diane Lane in the nearly forgotten “Secretariat”?
And trust me, if “Love & Other Drugs” had concentrated on the love and tragedy — instead of the drugs and comedy — Anne Hathaway would have an inside track right now, instead of just an outside chance.
I wish more people, and more Oscar voters, had seen “I Am Love,” in which Tilda Swinton was not only once again mesmerizing, but this time in Italian. And “Another Year,” in which Lesley Manville’s role — while “supporting” to some — was very much the core.
And, by the way, wouldn’t it be a kick if, despite her good work in “The Kids Are All Right,” Bening was honored instead for her superlative job in “Mother and Child”?
BEST DIRECTOR
Probable Contenders: Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”; Danny Boyle, “127 Hours”; David Fincher, “The Social Network”; Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”; David O. Russell, “The Fighter.”
Leading by a Length: Fincher.
Deserving Dark Horses: As much as you have to admit Hooper’s moving “The King’s Speech” was not particularly visual (and that Russell of “The Fighter” is often not very likable) the list above looks like the final five — unless the Coen brothers turn out to be last-minute subs with “True Grit.”
But then there are the real what-if wild cards.
You could, for example, follow up last year’s Katherine Bigelow lovefest by nominating another female director, Lisa Cholodenko, for the lively “The Kids Are All Right” (although it’s likelier she’ll just get a consolation screenplay nod). Or Debra Granik, who did an appropriately spare and scary job on “Winter’s Bone.”
I don’t expect either indie darling will find room at this year’s table, though — just as the Academy isn’t likely to repeat itself by honoring fave Martin Scorsese for the old-dark-house scares of “Shutter Island” (although it was as much a mad fever dream as “Black Swan”) or the reviled Roman Polanski for his elegant “The Ghost Writer.”
But, while we’re in against-all-odds mode, here’s a truly far-fetched idea: how about finally giving the director of an animated feature some credit? These things don’t make themselves, you know, and if you were moved by “Toy Story 3” — and if you saw it, you were — you have Lee Unkrich to thank.
BEST PICTURE
Probable Contenders: “Black Swan”; “The Fighter”; “The Kids Are All Right”; “The King’s Speech”; “Inception”; “127 Hours”; “The Social Network”; “The Town”; “True Grit”; “Toy Story 3.”
Out in Front: “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network,” “True Grit.”
Deserving Dark Horses: Once the Academy decided to super-size this category — in supposed reaction to the snubbing of “The Dark Knight,” and hopes of building a wider TV audience — the real parlor game became what film wouldn’t get a nomination.
Yet the breadth of the field now makes it harder to predict who’s going to break out. “True Grit” is both a popular and critical success — and on those rare occasions Westerns are nominated, they almost always win. And if the cast of “The King’s Speech” starts toting up awards, the film could take on real momentum.
But look again at that big list of probable nominees. Are there any movies not mentioned there that could still worm their way in? Particularly if “The Town,” the weakest entry here, gets dropped or “Toy Story 3” ends up being relegated to the best-animated-feature category?
Oh, of course.
The Academy could still surprise by giving some extra attention to “Rabbit Hole,” a quietly directed, uniformly well-acted story of loss. It might evoke some controversy by heralding the briefly NC-17 “Blue Valentine,” the wrenching story of a couple’s troubled romance. Or it could elevate modest successes such as “Winter’s Bone” and “Get Low.”
Ah, but will it?
Get out your magic pendulum, junior Kreskins — and wait till Tuesday.
Isn’t it time someone noticed that the post-Bond Pierce Brosnan is doing strong work in pictures such as “The Ghost Writer”? Well....YOU SAID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It would be an insult and a crime not to give Pierce and his work Oscar nominations, especially after Bond. The Academy really needs to WAKE UP and start PAY ATTENTION to Pierce. He's been proven himself after Bond.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Jan 24, 2011 15:43:25 GMT -5
www.wickedlocal.com/milford/fun/entertainment/x1235856973/Predicting-the-Oscar-nominees Predicting the Oscar nominees
By Al Alexander GateHouse News Service Posted Jan 24, 2011 @ 11:30 AM
All the lobbying, prognosticating and backstabbing comes to an end Tuesday morning, when the nominees are announced for the 83rd annual Academy Awards show.
Expect your usual array of surprises and snubs when the names are called out. Who and what makes the cut is never an exact science, but this year you can pretty much count on “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” “Inception” and “The Fighter” collecting the majority of the nominations.
As for the rest, here’s a rundown of how I believe voters will separate the pretenders from the contenders for the Feb. 27 telecast, beginning with:
Best Supporting Actress
The contenders: Amy Adams, “The Fighter”; Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”; Juliette Lewis, “Conviction”; Julianne Moore, “The Kids Are All Right”; Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”; Jackie Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”; Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”; Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”; Ruth Sheen, “Another Year”
Who should be nominated: Adams and Leo didn’t merely light a fire under “The Fighter”; they created a conflagration out of a script that was nothing but kindling. As for Steinfeld, she may have only been 13 during the filming of “True Grit,” but her rich, multifaceted performance had the depth and presence that actors twice her age could never hope to summon. That group, however, would not include Carter, who continues her string of fantastic performances with an endearing portrayal of the future Queen Mother in “The King’s Speech.” As for the fifth and final spot, it’s a wide-open race, but if the category is all about making a major contribution in a minor role, then it should go to Lewis, who in about five minutes of screen time totally blows your mind as the white-trash witness whose perjured testimony sends an innocent man to prison. Lewis made the character hilarious, pathetic and, sadly, very real.
Who will be nominated: All of the above, except I believe Kunis will edge out Lewis, simply because “Black Swan” is rightfully viewed as a much better film than “Conviction.”
For your consideration: In a movie dominated by its male stars, Rooney Mara bored her way into your consciousness in a riveting opening scene that set both the tenor and tone for “The Social Network.” In mere minutes, her character did to Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) what the highest-priced lawyers in the land couldn’t: shut down the soon-to-be billionaire.
Best Supporting Actor
The contenders: Christian Bale, “The Fighter”; Sam Rockwell, “Conviction”; Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”; Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, “The Social Network”; Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”; John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”; Matt Damon, “True Grit”; Jeremy Renner, “The Town.”
Who should be nominated: Bale will not only get nominated but he’s a prohibitive favorite to win for his penetrating portrayal of a directionless crackhead seeking redemption in “The Fighter.” The rest of the field is merely a formality, but if it is indeed “an honor just to be nominated,” then let the adoration be bestowed upon Ruffalo for his sexy and irresponsible sperm donor in “The Kids Are All Right,” Renner for his empathetic take on an under-educated street thug in “The Town,” and Rush for his hilarious and deeply moving turn as the failed actor who teaches the British sovereign how to ease his stutter in “The King’s Speech.” And in the fifth spot, I’d place a guy who is failing to get the Oscar buzz he’s due, and that would be Timberlake, who commanded the second half of “The Social Network” with his charismatic, slightly insane portrayal of Napster co-founder Sean Parker.
Who will be nominated: Same as the above, except Timberlake will likely be edged out by his “Social Network” costar, Garfield, who was good, but made nowhere near the contribution to the movie that Timberlake did. Also, watch out for Hawkes from the little-seen meth-in-the-Ozarks flick, “Winter’s Bone,” in which he played star Jennifer Lawrence’s villainous uncle.
For your consideration: Bill Murray is always great at delivering deadpan humor. Too good; which might explain why he’s getting so little notice for his turn as the cynical, money-hungry undertaker in “Get Low.” If you ask me, he was the most memorable thing in the movie.
Best Actor
The contenders: Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”; Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”; Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”; James Franco, “127 Hours”; Leonardo DiCaprio, either “Shutter Island” or “Inception”; Robert Duvall, “Get Low”; Aaron Eckhart, “Rabbit Hole”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Fighter”; Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”; Javier Bardem, “Biutiful”; Paul Giamatti, “Barney’s Version.”
Who should get nominated: The category is shaping up as an interesting battle between a representative of the new guard, Eisenberg, and the establishment, Firth, that will pit the older, more traditional members of the Academy against the younger, hipper faction that realizes you don’t need a British accent and period costumes to deserve the award. The debate should dominate discussions in the weeks leading up to the awards. But members also should not forget about Franco, who was literally a one-man show as the trapped hiker in “127 Hours.” If it were up to me, the final two spots would go to Gosling for his haunting turn as a man whose marriage is falling apart in “Blue Valentine,” and reigning winner, Bridges, who made you forget all about John Wayne with his funny, deeply moving portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in the Coen brothers’ remake of “True Grit.”
Who will get nominated: All of the above, except Gosling, who I fear will lose the support of older members of the Academy due to the frank subject matter of “Blue Valentine.” Taking his place will be DiCaprio, a favorite among voters who had the privilege of starring in two high-profile movies directed by two highly respected filmmakers: Christopher Nolan in the sci-fi action extravaganza “Inception,” and Martin Scorsese in the mind-twisting “Shutter Island.” And if you’re looking for a dark horse, keep an eye on Duvall, always a favorite with the Academy.
For your consideration: Pierce Brosnan is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. The guy was not only great at playing 007, he was also terrific in art-house blockbusters like “The Tailor of Panama” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.” But in Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer,” he was at his absolute best, playing a disgraced British prime minister with more dirty little secrets than Tiger Woods, Brett Favre and John Edwards combined.
Best Actress
The contenders: Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”; Hilary Swank, “Conviction”; Anne Hathaway, “Love and Other Drugs”; Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”; Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”; Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”; Lesley Manville, “Another Year”; Kristin Scott Thomas, “Leaving”; Emma Stone, “Easy A”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone.”
Who should get nominated: The race is clearly between Bening and Portman, each of whom took home Golden Globes this past week. What’s interesting is that their performances couldn’t be any more different, with Portman doing most of her acting from within in portraying a ballerina slowly losing her grasp on reality, and Bening projecting outwardly in playing a lesbian doctor who proudly wears her crazy life on her sleeve. Two of the remaining three spots should go to Kidman, doing her best work in years as a grieving mother in “Rabbit Hole,” and Williams, brave and daring as a wife desperate to flee her failing marriage in “Blue Valentine.” As for the fifth spot, it should go to the largely unknown Manville, who was a force of nature as a depressed, wine-swigging middle-aged woman fast realizing time has passed her by in Mike Leigh’s “Another Year.”
Who will get nominated: Same as the above. But if the small indie film “Winter’s Bone” captures the attention of enough voters, it could be good news for newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, who played wise beyond her years as a teenager fighting to hold her family together while searching the backwoods for her meth-cooking dad.
For your consideration: She may only be 13, but Chloe Grace Moretz has already established herself as an A-list actress with her disparate but equally dazzling performances in “Kick-Ass,” in which she hilariously played an 11-year-old ninja assassin, and “Let Me In,” in which she broke hearts and sucked blood as a vampire doomed to forever be 12 years old.
Best Director
The contenders: David Fincher, “The Social Network”; Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”; Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”; Christopher Nolan, “Inception”; Lisa Cholodenko, “The Kids Are All Right”; Danny Boyle, “127 Hours”; David O. Russell, “The Fighter”; Joel and Ethan Coen, “True Grit”; Ben Affleck, “The Town”; Mike Leigh, “Another Year.”
Who should get nominated: Fincher is a heavy favorite to walk off with the Oscar on the strength of “The Social Network,” his mesmerizing, multifaceted tale about the founding of Facebook and the growing obsolescence of face-to-face communication in our increasingly cyber society. Hooper will give him a slight run for his money, but “The King’s Speech” is just a tad too old-fashioned and predictable to lure voters away from Fincher. In a perfect world, the rest of the field would be filled by Boyle for making a mountain of a movie out of a man and a boulder in “127 Hours,” the Coens for their imaginative reinvention of the Western in “True Grit,” and Aronofsky for a whacked-out psychological thriller that provided a behind-the-scenes look at the darker side of ballet that kept you on your toes.
Who will get nominated: All of the above, except don’t be surprised if Russell nudges out the Coens on the strength of the amazing performances he drew from Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and Christian Bale in “The Fighter,” the best-acted movie of the year.
For your consideration: Roman Polanski deservedly has a bad rap due to his legal troubles, but that should not influence voters’ opinions of an artist who has seldom been more brilliant than he was with “The Ghost Writer,” a film that melded political intrigue, infidelity and betrayal into an incredibly suspenseful yarn that would make Hitchcock proud.
Best Picture
The contenders: “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” “127 Hours,” “Black Swan,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “Inception,” “The Fighter,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” “The Town,” “Winter’s Bone,” “Please Give,” “Let Me In,” “Get Low,” “Another Year,” “Blue Valentine,” “Rabbit Hole,” “The Ghost Writer,” “Secretariat,” “Shutter Island.”
What should get nominated: The Academy is sticking to its ridiculous idea of nominating 10 pictures instead of the traditional five, but it doesn’t really matter because this year it’s clearly a two-picture race between “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech,” two films that define Hollywood’s future and its past, respectively. If there must be eight more nominees, they should include works as daring and innovative as “Black Swan,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “True Grit,” “The Ghost Writer,” “127 Hours,” “Let Me In,” “Another Year” and “The Town.”
What will get nominated: While most of the films above will make the cut, three will likely get bumped by a trio of vastly overrated entries in “Toy Story 3,” “Inception” and “The Fighter.” While all three are award worthy, their true value lies outside the best picture category. You can count on “Toy Story 3” picking up the Oscar for best animated feature, “The Fighter” scoring acting wins for Leo and Bale, and “Inception” sweeping the technical awards, like best editing, set decoration, cinematography and special effects.
For your consideration: It’s not getting the buzz the films above are receiving, but voters should be sure to take a look at “The Company Men,” a small indie with large ambitions that chronicles the lives of three upper-level executives at a Boston shipbuilding business after they’ve been laid off. It was timely, poignant and insightful – everything a best picture nominee should be.
Best Documentary
The contenders: “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer”; “Enemies of the People”; “Exit Through the Gift Shop”; “Gasland”; “Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould”; “Inside Job”; “The Lottery”; “Precious Life”; “Quest for Honor”; “Restrepo”; “This Way of Life”; “The Tillman Story”; “Waiting for ‘Superman”; “Waste Land”; and “William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe.”
What should get nominated: It was a terrific year for documentaries, as evidenced by the films short-listed by the Academy for consideration by voters. But if forced to choose, I’d give the five spots to “Inside Job,” which clearly and concisely exposed the thievery taking place on Wall Street; “The Tillman Story,” which examined the military’s exploitation of the combat death of former NFL safety Pat Tillman; “Restrepo,” which chronicled the 15-month deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan; “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” about a French immigrant’s obsession with street art in Los Angeles; and “Client 9,” which examined the rise and fall of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
What will get nominated: Oscar voters tend to penalize docs like “Restrepo,” “Inside Job” and “The Tillman Story” that are both popular and controversial. So I wouldn’t be shocked if either one, or all three, fail to make the cut. That leaves “safe” films like “Waiting for Superman,” an indictment of public schools, “Waste Land,” about a photographer’s obsession with garbage, and “Exit Through the Gift Shop” to make the cut.
For your consideration: There was no real narrative and few words, but “Sweetgrass” managed to dazzle with the mere sight of thousands of sheep being herded through Montana. Simply breathtaking.
Best Animated Feature
The contenders: “Toy Story 3,” “Despicable Me,” “Megamind,” “The Illusionist,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Tangled,” “Alpha and Omega,” “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” “The Dreams of Jinsha,” “Idiots and Angels,” “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” “My Dog Tulip,” “Shrek Forever After,” “Summer Wars,” “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue.”
What should get nominated: Though over-praised, the heavy Oscar favorite, “Toy Story 3,” had its moments of splendor, especially in its final 30 minutes. Still, I think both “How to Train Your Dragon,” the story of a Viking boy befriending a wounded dragon, and “The Illusionist,” about a lonely, aging magician, were better movies because neither pandered to emotions as overtly as “TS3.” The only other entry on Oscar’s short list worth nominating is “Despicable Me.” The rest were either terrible or mediocre and totally undeserving of consideration.
What will get nominated: “How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Illusionist” and “Toy Story 3.”
For your consideration: It was far outside the mainstream, but the little French lark, “A Town Called Panic,” deserves credit for being more daring than any film on the list. With three plastic toys – Cowboy, Indian and Horse – as our guides, the film took one deliciously surreal turn after another.
Reach Al Alexander at aalexander@ledger.com. Copyright 2011 Wicked Local Milford. Some rights reserved Pierce has been underrated FAR enough already. Now is the time for the Academy to realize Pierce and his work.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Jan 25, 2011 12:17:42 GMT -5
www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2011/jan/25/bc-us-oscar-nominations-surprises/?entertainment&national-entertainmentOscar's snubs and surprises: Nolan left out again
JAKE COYLE/None Originally published January 25, 2011 at 10:13 a.m., updated January 25, 2011 at 10:49 a.m.
NEW YORK (AP) - In handing out 120 nominations, the Oscars inevitably spurn others. "Snub" is the word of choice for these oversights, and Christopher Nolan is well acquainted with its meaning.
Two years after seeing his "The Dark Knight" earn neither a best picture nomination nor a directing nod, Nolan was passed over for directing "Inception," another film both acclaimed and popular at the box office.
This time, at least, "Inception" was included among the best picture nominees, which now number 10, a change made last year partly because of the outcry over the rebuff of "The Dark Knight."
"Inception" still counted eight nominations, including a best original screenplay mention for Nolan, yet nothing for Lee Smith's bravo editing.
Though many of the nominations announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Pictures were as expected, the most glaring omission was that of "Waiting for 'Superman'" in the best documentary category.
One of the most talked about documentaries of the year and a widely expected Oscar favorite, the education system examination was left out, perhaps because some experts deemed it an inaccurate exaggeration of charter schools.
Other surprises from this year's batch of Oscar nominees:
- BARDEM DISPLACES DUVALL: Earning an acting nomination for a performance in another language is never easy, but Javier Bardem has now done it twice. Before winning in 2008 for "No Country for Old Men," he was nominated in 2001 for "Before Night Falls." His nomination for the Spanish-language "Biutiful" likely took the spot some pegged for Robert Duvall's bearded hermit in "Get Low."
- A KING'S DOZEN: "The King's Speech" was a heavy favorite going into Tuesday's announcement, but its leading 12 nominations is still a surprisingly high total. Though a performance-based film, it still earned nods for cinematography and sound editing. (With 10 nominations, "True Grit" also proved especially strong, further highlighting the Golden Globes' questionable judgment in snubbing it altogether.)
- THIS YEAR'S INDIE DARLING: The Ozark Mountains drama "Winter's Bone" had long been a cause celebre for those who root for the smaller movies. Rather than sneak into the awards, it garnered a commanding four nominations, including best picture and best supporting actor for John Hawkes. Its star, the 20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, is the fifth youngest best actress nominee.
- GOSLING, MANVILLE MISSING: Many would say the two best performances of 2010 were Ryan Gosling in "Blue Valentine" and Lesley Manville in "Another Year." Both were left out, though Gosling's co-star, Michelle Williams, was nominated for best actress. Some questioned why Manville wasn't pushed in the perhaps more fitting supporting actress category.
- OTHER SNUBS: Expected by some prognosticators to be nominated were Andrew Garfield in "The Social Network," Julianne Moore in "The Kids Are All Right" and Mila Kunis in "Black Swan." Ben Affleck's "The Town" didn't squeak into the best picture category, and Disney's "Tangled" was booted from the best animated film category by "The Illusionist."
- NEVER IN THE CONVERSATION: The Oscar race often arrives at favorites in a curious, buzz-reliant way. There were many who never caught on with the Academy, but nevertheless are among the snubbed: Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island," Tilda Swinton in "I Am Love," Pierce Brosnan in "The Ghost Writer," Greta Gerwig in "Greenberg," Rebecca Hall in "Please Give" and surely many others.If Academy refuses to pat attention Pierce and his work from this 2011, they should get run over by bus and THEN a plane.
|
|
FormerBondFan
00 Agent
Posts: 5,455
Favourite James Bond Films: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Mission: Impossible and any upcoming action films starring Pierce Brosnan (no, it's not James Bond which is good because he'll need it to expand his reputation as an actor, especially in the action realm)
Favourite Films: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, The Matrix, Mission: Impossible
|
Post by FormerBondFan on Jan 25, 2011 15:27:14 GMT -5
I think the Academy is committing a crime for not recognizing Pierce and his work, especially after Bond.
|
|