Posts Tagged ‘Oscars’

Nomination: Reaction

Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

“I am thrilled! Loved making this film. I would work with Tom anytime, anywhere. Jake and Aaron and Karl made it easy for me. Nice to get some good news in the midst of all the carnage, so to speak.” – Michael Shannon

 

“I was just lying in bed when I found out. I jumped out of bed screaming, ‘Mom, Dad I was nominated!’ ”  – Lucas Hedges

“My dad hopped out of the shower and put some clothes on soaking wet and just started crying. He was nominated for an Academy Award about 10 years ago, too, so I’m the second generation. It’s awesome.” – Lucas Hedges

 

“We talked a lot about the political climate and I thought the release was a little bit of gamble but felt it worked. Even though it was relevant to what happened several years ago, it still felt fresh now. As for the Jeff, we always saw this as him even when his schedule might get in way, we needed him. From the first day, I felt that he delivered another memorable performance.” – Julia Yorn

 

“This is beyond exciting and I am so happy to have been honored with this nomination.  A Man Called Ove is a simple story that contains the basic human elements of love, community and a certain level of decency.  Elements that feel very relevant these days.  There is a surprising love affair in the film and now I think we can also speak of a budding love affair between the film and the american audience. I am looking forward to introducing a man named Ove to a man named Oscar!” – Hannes Holm

 

“I am thrilled! Loved making this film. I would work with Tom Ford anytime, anywhere. Jake Gyllenhaal and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Karl Glusman made it easy for me. Nice to get some good news in the midst of all the carnage, so to speak.” Michael Shannon

 

“I continue to feel proud of the world wide team of artists and coders that made PEARL a reality.  Thanks especially to the pirates of Google ATAP for rallying behind our little labor of love and thanks to the Academy for this morning’s recognition!” – Patrick Osborne, “Pearl”

 

“I’m excited to go to the Oscars. I’m the kid who used to tape the Oscars and memorize Billy Crystal’s musical monologues. And you know, the Jack Palance running jokes… I used to tape them every year, so I’m thrilled to get to go to the party. And I’m really just so excited for the entire Moana team. I mean, I worked on the movie for the past three years. They’ve been working on it for five years. It’s a wonderful sort of congratulations from many, many years of hard work, so I’m thrilled to be a part of it.” – Lin-Manuel Miranda

 

“Just beside myself, I was just told that no African-American women has ever come back to be nominated so very grateful. I think this film is timely because these women are getting their time to shine. Young girls of all ethnicities should see this film becase it really reflects the American Dream for girls of races. The moment that got me was with Taraji and Kevin when she figures out the numbers and runs it all the way back to him in the finale and has John Glenn’s life in her hands. He almost doesn’t get on that rocket and his put his life in her hands and it really validated the movie in that moment.”  – Octavia Spencer

 

“I was hoping our movie would get lucky and I’m really proud to be able to represent Captain Fantastic. It was the little movie that could. It was one of the finest I’ve ever been part of … For a small movie like ours, it means the world to us.”- Viggo Mortensen

 

“It’s been quite the ride, it feels like I’m full circle. Yesterday was the day the film premiered at Sundance, it really is full circle. I always wanted to make movies that people connected with that encouraged and inspired people. To see it do so well and have people come to me and say how they connected is truly overwhelming. After I read the script and met Kenny, I was all in, and after seeing the first cut of the I knew it was something special. It’s been a marathon working this film but it’s been a good one. ” – Kimberly Steward

 

“We want to thank the Academy for honoring the hard work and passion that each and every artist put into Zootopia – the film, and its message of unity in a complex world, has been recognized in ways we couldn’t have possibly imagined.”  – Directors Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Producer Clark Spencer, Zootopia

 

“Ok, so I just received a call to say that I’ve been nominated for an Academy Award…To be totally honest, the news hasn’t made it’s way into my brain yet, but I’m looking at these beautiful smiling faces around me… Faces of the ones I love. And I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. What makes this moment so much more poignant is that I’m in India right now. This enthralling country holds such a deep place in my heart, and it is where Saroo’s journey was born. This film would be nothing without Garth Davis. Without his love, commitment and vision this ‘Lion’ wouldn’t have been able to roar. To that extent I want to share this incredible feeling with Luke, Grieg, Jenny Kent, Iain, Angie, Emile, Sunny, Nicole, David, Rooney, Divian, Priyanka, the Brierley family as well as the Weinstein Co team.  ‘Lion’ reaffirms the message that love is not dictated by the color of your skin, not by race, gender, sexuality, social status, or origin. It is a message I am proud to be spreading during these uncertain times. This will forever be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.” – Dev Patel

 

Thank you so much to the Academy for this recognition. Making this film was incredibly rewarding and none of it would have been possible without the guidance from our fearless leader, Kenneth Lonergan. I am thrilled to share this nomination with Kenny, Casey, Lucas, and the rest of the cast, producers and crew. Congratulations to my fellow nominees. It is truly an honor to be included among such amazing women in this category.” – Michelle Williams

 

“I was watching my kids grow, learn and take brave steps in the journey of growing up when the idea for ‘Piper’ came to me. Since bringing it out into the world, I have realized ‘Piper’ is very much like a child to me, and I’ve watched with awe as it has been embraced by audiences worldwide. Now, to be recognized with a nomination is truly humbling. To the Academy, and all those that have helped shepherd Piper along her way, I am truly thankful.” – Alan Barillaro

 

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Barry, I am really grateful to have expierence to work with him and Naomi. We were all there for the right reasons and I think these nominations show that. Barry has an infectious optimism and is very clear what he wants that day while also doing an incredible job of empowering you. That makes for a more confident actor and a more confident cast.” – Mahershala Ali

 

“I’m very grateful to the Academy for recognizing my work in La La Land. It was a true collaboration, so to see everyone else’s wonderful work on the film acknowledged so generously makes it even more special.” – Ryan Gosling

 

“I’m so happy but I’m also disappointed for Amy [Adams] because she’s the heart and soul of the movie, if you’d asked me yesterday what were we going to be nominated for, I would have said 100% that she’d be nominated.” – Denis Villaneuve

 

“What a morning. I am so grateful for this honor and I’m so happy to share this feeling with my ‘La La Land’ family. The greatest part of life is connecting with people, and I love the deeply talented, kind and passionate people I was lucky enough to work with on this movie. I’m also overjoyed that the movie has connected with audiences in the way it has, and that it’s hopefully bringing a kick in their step to those who watch it. This is beyond any of our wildest imaginings and we can’t wait to celebrate together.” – Emma Stone

 

“Thanx to @TheAcademy for amplifying injustices of mass criminalization in @13THFilm. Love to our fellow nominees. xo” – Ava DuVernay

 

“Woke up this morning in beautiful Solano Beach after playing a cool gig at the Belly Up with my band the Abiders to find out I’ve been nominated for my performance in “Hell or High Water”.  What a thrill, especially for a movie that is so close to my heart. I really dug playing with Gil, Chris and Ben and being directed by the talented David Mackenzie. And such a GREAT script from Taylor. Woo Hoo! Thanks Academy.” – Jeff Bridges

 

“I haven’t taken it in yet, I said to myself no matter what it’s been a great year, and I was watching with my mom and I said turn it off when they started, but then my brother called to tell me.” – Naomie Harris

 

“What could be more exciting than listening to the nominations being announced while holding my newborn son! This is a truly wonderful honor.  I’m especially happy for Andrew Garfield, our producers Bill Mechanic and David Permut, our editor John Gilbert and our incredible sound teams.  The Academy’s recognition of our film is a testament to every single person who worked on Hacksaw Ridge, and to every soldier who made the sacrifices they made to fight for their country, including Desmond Doss.” – Mel Gibson

 

“I’m over the moon!  An Academy Award nomination is an extraordinary and cherished gift.  Two nominations is more than anyone could hope for.  Every filmmaker dreams of a moment like this.  But the truth is, I already lived my dream by making this film. Movies have always given me great joy. They enriched my life.  They inspired me to dream.  That’s the kind of film our team at Laika sought to make with ‘Kubo and the Two Strings.’  A film is a slice of a hundred souls.  In this case many more.  An incredible, immense community of artists gave ceaselessly and selflessly to breathe life into this story.  I’m so thankful for their talents and efforts and so proud of what we’ve done together.  I’m profoundly grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who somehow saw fit to include us among the finest storytellers in film.  It is a tremendous honor to stand alongside them.” – Travis Knight, “Kubo and the Two Strings”

 

“It’s amazing, the thing that makes me the happiest of all is the people I made the movie with got nominated as well, this was a team effort and I’m just beaming with pride. It sure makes it that much more rewarding but also that much more shocking that it got made let alone get nominated. It just makes it more surreal and amazing that it’s getting recognized. The benefit of it taking so long to get made is we ended up making it with all the right people in the end.” – Damien Chazelle

 

“When I wrote the Lion screenplay, I set out to move people – to shift their emotional center. I wasn’t entirely certain if, or how much, I might succeed. But I hoped. So it was deeply gratifying and humbling to learn at our screenings – one person, one comment at a time – that I’d had some success in the matter. But the pleasantly surreal news of an Oscar nomination that I woke to this morning added a sweet note of delight: the thought that Lion might have moved peers and colleagues who had done such great work they had earned a place in the Academy. It is a terrific boost to be thought of in such a positive light by a group of people you look up to and admire.I think of the film as an anthem to the persistence of love. I didn’t consciously set out to write a film that would spark wider conversations about the ethics of adoption or the worldwide scourge of child sex trafficking. But I am so very grateful it seems to be doing that, too.” – Luke Davies

 

“Thank you to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—thank you so much for this honor.  I spent a good chunk of my childhood memorizing Billy Crystal’s musical Oscar monologues, so this is insane. Seeing The Little Mermaid changed my life at 9-years-old, so to work with its directors Ron Clements and John Musker on Moana has been a dream come true.  I share this humbling honor with them, my Moana songwriting partners Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, and the entire Disney family. Congratulations to all this morning’s incredible nominees. And future congratulations to the kids watching the telecast this year, singing along with their favorite songs, performing epic private concerts for the mirror with a comb or a toothbrush microphone. You’re next.” – Lin-Manuel Miranda

 

“As much as Kubo and the Two Strings is an homage to Japanese culture and to woodblock artists including Kiyoshi Saito, it is also a tribute to special effects pioneers Ray Harryhausen, Willis O’Brien, Jim Danforth, and the many innovative FX artists who tell stories using in-camera effects, puppets, and human hands. We’re thrilled for the artists at LAIKA who put years into realizing Kubo. For all of us at the studio, being recognized alongside such distinguished and talented members of the VFX community is truly an honor.” – Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean & Brad Schiff,  “Kubo and the Two Strings”

Kubo Trivia:  The first time an animated film has been nominated in the visual effects category since The Nightmare Before Christmas in 1994

 

“Whenever I showed up at a Q&A it felt that it was timely, I’m not that plugged in but that seemed to be the real sense. I was so close to it I wasn’t aware of what we had until we were at Telluride at that first screening, it was one of those mystical things that it started to come together at those early screenings. On set, I’m just working so hard that I didn’t really take the time to realize what was coming together.” – Barry Jenkins

 

“I want to thank the Academy for all of the acknowledgements you have given this heartfelt film. But, most importantly, I want to thank the Brierley family for putting themselves in such a vulnerable place and sharing their story with the world. And thanks to Garth Davis for putting his heart and soul into all of us. Woo Hoo!” – Nicole Kidman

 

“I think I knew I had something special when the cast came together and then I guess that first screening I understood that people related to the film like this. To me it’s one of the greatest performances, Matt’s also a great actor too but Casey really nailed it. Me and Casey just tried to focus on what is happening with that character and what he’s trying to do and what is getting in his way. It sounds kind of simple cause you do that with every character but this character dealing with a terrible loss while also trying to figure out to function and I think Casey is so good and narrowing those waters and always asked the right questions about the character. I didn’t really need to say that much, he liked to explore and I liked to explore, which made the experience that much more enjoyable.” – Kenneth Lonergan

 

“I was willing for these three women to be known, and now they finally are, and the friendship and camaraderie that develops between them is for me the most inspirational part of the film.” – Allison Shroeder

Nomination Reactions

Thursday, January 14th, 2016

“I am sitting in a coffee shop with my mum and just found out I have an Oscar nomination. Feeling very overwhelmed and just can’t believe it. Better pick out a gown.” – Sam Smith

“I am in London and just heard the good news! We gave it our all on this film and this appreciation from the Academy means a lot to me and my colleagues who made it possible. Champagne and Mezcal will run tonight!” – Alejandro G. Inarritu

 

“I am incredibly humbled by this honor. I was not expecting it … especially at this time in my life.” – Sylvester Stallone

“We made this movie with a lot of love: love for science, love for cinema, a sort of radical optimism about human beings. We didn’t know if the world would embrace it. They did, and now I’m so thrilled the Academy has embraced it too.” – Simon Kinberg, The Martian producer
“I don’t think we can expect any Oscars, but we’re perfectly happy just to be invited to the party. I think I’ll just keep looking around and go, ‘Wow. These people are supposed to be my peers?” – Nick Hornby, Brooklyn
“We were screaming like idiots in the pitch black with the smell of waffles in the room.” – Adam McKay, The Big Short
“”I was eating my lunch and the news came through. It gave me indigestion, but it was great news.” – Mark Burton, Shaun the Sheep
From the bottom of my heart thank you to the Academy. You have given our film the strongest of spotlights on a subject matter so cru”cial for many women across the world today. As a female director this support is crucial and I trust the absolute power of cinema to trigger change. Thank you to the five young actresses of Mustang for their courage and their persistence in defending freedom, the entire team of the film and to Cohen Media for having carried Mustang to such a beautiful day. Thank you to France, I am extremely proud and grateful to represent this country here today. This nomination is an absolute honor and a dream come true. ” – Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Mustang

“When we made Brooklyn, we had no idea of what was to come. It is the most personal film I have ever done, the hardest one too. I am honoured to represent this film with my friends – John, Nick, Finola, Yves, Colm, Amanda. This has all been a dream. To see how the film has been embraced has been heartwarming. Thank you so very much to The Academy – you are a group of people I respect greatly and to be recognized by you means so much.” – Saoirse Ronan

 

“I am profoundly honored by this Oscar nomination. Since 2007, over 100,000 people have been killed in the Mexican drug wars and over 25,000 have disappeared. I made CARTEL LAND to put a face to this violence and to examine the ramifications of what happens when citizens take the law into their own hands to fight back.Hopefully, this nomination will give voice to those trapped by this senseless cycle of violence, suffering, and corruption.” – Matthew Heineman, Cartel Land

“This is incredible news to wake up to. I am thrilled. I didn’t think the experience of working with Quentin [Tarantino] and this cast could get any more rewarding….to get this recognition for this role is such a joy.” – Jennifer Jason Leigh

 

“The Oscar noms were announced today. We now know who’s going to be throwing up at the Vanity Fair party.” – Chris Rock, via Twitter

 

“This nomination lends a voice to so many victims and their families around the world. Thank you to The Academy for recognizing the movement of people who have come together around The Hunting Ground and ‘Til It Happens To You’ in the name of sexual assault. Diane Warren and I are simply honored to represent the voices of so many survivors.” – Lady Gaga

 

“It makes it feel very personal, even though that’s kind of silly to say about an animated film with lots of color. It’s completely absurd in that it has emotions as characters, yet at its heart it really feels like this is something that came from my personal experience that was meaningful and difficult for me, both myself growing up and watching my kids grow up, specifically my daughter.” – Pete Docter, Inside Out

 

“I am so grateful to the Academy for their recognition of this film. Making ‘The Revenant’ was one of the most rewarding and collaborative experiences of my life. None of this would have been possible without Alejandro’s talent, vision and determination. Our dedicated crew also deserves to share in this moment. Together, they have created a truly unique cinematic experience. Congratulations to all of my fellow nominees this season. Thank you to the Academy.” – Leonardo DiCaprio

 

“I am beyond grateful and humbled by this nomination. I feel incredibly honored to be recognized among the other amazing women in this category. Joy is an incredibly inspiring story about an ordinary woman who does extraordinary things. For me, working with David O. Russell has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I share this nomination with him as well as our incredible supporting cast. I could not be more proud to be a part of this film and thankful to the producers and Fox for their unyielding support.” – Jennifer Lawrence

 

“I am deeply grateful to The Academy for this honour. To be recognized alongside these actresses and their inspiring performances is humbling. To be a part of bringing The Danish Girl to life was such a gift and to receive this nomination is a thrill.” – Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

 

“Wow! Our film #Prologue has been nominated for an #oscarnoms. Mo and I thrilled.” – Richard Williams, via Twitter

 

“This is an incredible day for everyone involved in Room. Thank you to the Academy for honoring us with four nominations — it’s beyond all our wildest dreams. It is a testament to everyone who gave so much of themselves to make this film happen. I am so proud of Emma Donoghue whose incredible novel started the journey, of Ed Guiney, my filmmaking other half who has been with me, driving the train, from the beginning, and to everyone at Element Pictures Dublin, my filmmaking home, of the extraordinary Brie Larson and the prodigy that is Jacob Tremblay. Also love and thanks go to Stephen Rennicks, Nathan Nugent, Ethan Tobman and Danny Cohen, my filmmaking team. What a day for Irish cinema! I am so delighted.” – Lenny Abrahamson, director of Room

 

“I’m unbelievably honored and excited to be recognized by the Academy, and even more thrilled to share this honor with Lenny Abrahamson, Emma Donoghue and the entire ROOM family of filmmakers, cast, and crew. I’m so lucky and humbled to be a part of this beautiful story, in a once-in-a-lifetime role. Congratulations to my fellow nominees. Truly, I am very grateful this morning.” – Brie Larson

 

“It is a delight to be celebrated as a supporting actor in Steven’s beautiful film, Bridge of Spies. I cannot separate my work in the film from the work of my friend Tom Hanks. Every thought, every look, every expression you are celebrating in my portrayal of Rudolph Abel, I found them all in the thoughtful generous presence of Tom Hanks beside me, or behind the camera, yet still with me 100%, every take, every moment. Of course you would witness none of it without Steven, nor are any of the choices of what you witness mine. The performance belongs equally to him and all his wonderful crew, who I am proud to call friends, as I admire them enormously. May I say, I am particularly proud to be nominated as a supporting actor, as I find the level of supporting acting in films these days utterly convincing and very often extremely moving, even the smallest parts.” – Mark Rylance

Academy “Celebrates the Movies” as Poster Art Kicks Off Oscar® Campaign

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Academy “Celebrates the Movies” as Poster Art Kicks Off Oscar® Campaign

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled the poster for the 84th Academy Awards®. The art features the iconic Oscar statuette alongside memorable images from eight films spanning eight decades: “Gone with the Wind” (1939), “Casablanca” (1943), “Giant” (1956), “The Sound of Music” (1965), “The Godfather” (1972), “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989), “Forrest Gump” (1994) and “Gladiator” (2000). All the films featured on the poster won the Academy Award® for Best Picture, except “Giant,” for which George Stevens won the Oscar for Directing.

Supported by the tagline “Celebrate the movies in all of us,” the design is meant to evoke the emotional connections we all have with the movies. “Whether it’s a first date or a holiday gathering with friends or family, movies are a big part of our memory,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “The Academy Awards not only honor the excellence of these movies, but also celebrate what they mean to us as a culture and to each of us individually.”

The public is encouraged to download the poster image to use as wallpaper and profile icons, and to share with friends. The image is available on the Academy’s website, www.oscars.org/poster.

The artwork was created by award-winning graphic designer Anthony Goldschmidt, and Mark and Karen Crawford of the design firm Blood&Chocolate.

Posters will be available to theaters in the U.S. and internationally, along with a theatrical trailer, which will begin screening on January 6.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Some Post-Oscar Tidbits

Monday, February 28th, 2011

My favorite and not-favorite Oscar moments, which may be updated as I think of more of them …

Hailee “pretty in pink” Steinfeld, looking sweetly age-appropriate. But it cracks me up to have dolled-up television entertainment reporters being all, “Oh, it’s so NICE and REFRESHING to see (insert every young actress ever nominated for Supporting here) dressed so appropriately for her age. She just looks like a little girl playing princess, which is as it should be.” Well, yes, okay, it is. And Ms. Steinfeld will have another moment, if she wants it.

Jeff Bridges grabbing the mic on the red carpet and interviewing his entire family about their Oscar experience. The Dude abides. Always.

The whole set-up-with-zero-payout about the trifecta of art, cinematography and picture felt so completely random. WTF was that about? I mean, if I was placing a bunch of really obscure bets with a bookie, maybe, but who else cares?

Listening to the post-show blither-blather about fashion hits and misses. But okay, since I was listening anyhow … if I was going to have an opinion on the fashions, it would be that I hated Melissa Leo’s dress. She looked so lovely otherwise, but I would have loved to have seen her in something sleek in black or silver tonight. Loved Jennifer Lawrence’s simple, sexy red. Loved Hathaway’s Valentino. Loved the black lace on Russell Brand’s mom.

Hated the opening thing with the mom/grandma. Ugh. File under bad idea.

Definitely a mom theme going on, with resplendently pregnant Portman, radiant postpartum Penelope, and Celene Dion, who I guess just had twins. Glad that Hailee Steinfeld was not in maternity wear. She seems like a nice, level-headed kid. I hope she doesn’t Lohan.

Liked Hathaway and Franco overall. Actually, dang … I really like Hathaway a lot. Franco seemed stoned the whole time — what was with the squinting? Steve Martin with thinning hair makes me feel old. Mila Kunis looks great in lavender.

The mash-up of the Harry Potter song was awesome.

Melissa Leo having a vocabulary malfunction is exactly why we love her. More, please.

WTF was up with the Oscar guy commentator going off about King’s Speech being a great feel-good movie that people love and it makes them feel all happy-happy, and then specifically referencing Blue Valentine as “ugh, depressing, who wants to see that?” What a load of BS. I saw The King’s Speech last night finally, and I liked it, for what it is. It’s feel good, it has populist appeal, it’s the kid who’s popular for being a nice guy with a winning personality.

Blue Valentine is dark and daring and gritty, Ryan Gosling is soul-felt and terrific and Michelle Williams even better (she may just be the actress of her generation when all’s said and done), even the end credits sequence is relevant and artful.

… oh, and the Charlie Sheen joke was funny, I get it. But not. It’s sad to see someone nose-diving in the wake of addiction.

After Oscar

Sunday, February 27th, 2011
Award And the Oscar Goes to … Who I Said WOULD win Who I said SHOULD win Neve’s Picks And the Gurus Picks
Best Picture

The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech

Inception

The Social Network

The King’s Speech
Best Director

Tom Hooper

Tom Hooper

Darren Aronofsky

David Fincher

Davd Fincher
Best Actor

Colin Firth

Colin Firth

Javier Bardem

Jesse Eisenberg

Colin Firth
Supporting Actor

Christian Bale

Geoffrey Rush

John Hawkes

Christian Bale

Christian Bale
Best Actress

Natalie Portman

Annette Bening

Michelle Williams

Annette Bening

Natalie Portman
Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo

Helena Bonham-Carter

Hailee Steinfeld

Melissa Leo

Melissa Leo
Animated

Toy Story 3

n/a

n/a

n/a

Toy Story 3
Documentary

Inside Job

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Inside Job

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Foreign

In a Better World

n/a

n/a

n/a

In a Better World
Adapted Screenplay

Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

The Social Network

Winter’s Bone

Toy Story 3

Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Original Screenplay

David Seidler, The King’s Speech

The Kids Are All Right

Inception

Inception

The King’s Speech

Nominations Sidebar

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Toy Story 3 is the third fully animated feature film nominated for Best Picture. Previous nominees were Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Up (2009). Beauty and the Beast and WALL-E (2008) each received a total of six nominations, the most for a fully animated feature to date. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), which combined live action and animation, also had six nominations.

For only the second time since 1951, when individual producers rather than companies were first cited in the Best Picture nominations, a producer has received two Best Picture nominations in the same year. Scott Rudin has been nominated for The Social Network and True Grit. In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola and Fred Roos received Best Picture nominations for both The Conversation and the eventual winner, The Godfather Part II.

With their nominations for Best Picture, Directing and Writing for True Grit, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen join Warren Beatty, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Jackson and Oliver Stone in having been nominated in those three categories for two different films. Only Stanley Kubrick has been nominated in those categories for three different films (Dr. Strangelove in 1964, A Clockwork Orange in 1971, Barry Lyndon in 1975). The Coens were previously nominated for No Country for Old Men (2007).

In the acting categories, eight individuals are first-time nominees. Four of the nominees (Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Rush and Nicole Kidman) are previous acting winners. Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth and Jeremy Renner were also nominated last year.

Javier Bardem’s nominated performance is in Spanish. Five performers have won Academy Awards for roles using spoken languages other than English. They are Sophia Loren (1961, Actress in Two Women), Robert De Niro (1974, Supporting Actor in The Godfather Part II), Roberto Benigni (1998, Actor in Life Is Beautiful), Benicio Del Toro (2000, Supporting Actor in Traffic) and Marion Cotillard (2007, Actress in La Vie en Rose). In addition, Marlee Matlin received the 1986 Leading Actress award for a performance almost entirely in American Sign Language. The other nominees have been Marcello Mastroianni (1962, Actor in Divorce – Italian Style; 1977, Actor in A Special Day and 1987, Actor in Dark Eyes), Sophia Loren (1964, Actress in Marriage Italian Style), Anouk Aimee (1966, Actress in A Man and a Woman), Ida Kaminska (1966, Actress in The Shop on Main Street), Liv Ullmann (1972, Actress in The Emigrants and 1976, Actress in Face to Face), Valentina Cortese (1974, Supporting Actress in Day for Night), Isabelle Adjani (1975, Actress in The Story of Adele H. and 1989, Actress in Camille Claudel), Marie-Christine Barrault (1976, Actress in Cousin, Cousine), Giancarlo Giannini (1976, Actor in Seven Beauties), Ingrid Bergman (1978, Actress in Autumn Sonata), Max von Sydow (1988, Actor in Pelle the Conqueror), Gerard Depardieu (1990, Actor in Cyrano de Bergerac), Graham Greene (1990, Supporting Actor in Dances With Wolves), Catherine Deneuve (1992, Actress in Indochine), Massimo Troisi (1995, Actor in The Postman [Il Postino]), Fernanda Montenegro (1998, Actress in Central Station), Catalina Sandino Moreno (2004, Actress in Maria Full of Grace), Penélope Cruz (2006, Actress in Volver), and Rinko Kikuchi (2006, Supporting Actress in Babel).

Alan Menken’s nomination for Original Song is his fourteenth in that category, with four wins. If he were to win a fifth award, he would move ahead of Sammy Cahn, Johnny Mercer and James Van Heusen, each of whom won four awards in the Song category. Menken also has five nominations and four wins in the Original Score category.

Best Picture Release Dates:
Winter’s Bone – June 11, 2010
Toy Story 3 – June 18, 2010
The Kids Are All Right – July 9, 2010
Inception – July 16, 2010
The Social Network – October 1, 2010
127 Hours – November 5, 2010
The King’s Speech – November 26, 2010
Black Swan – December 3, 2010
The Fighter – December 10, 2010
True Grit – December 22, 2010

15 Features in Line for 2010 VFX Oscar

Friday, December 10th, 2010

15 Features in Line for 2010 VFX Oscar

Frenzy on the Wall: How to Fix the Oscars

Monday, November 29th, 2010

I am an unabashed fan of the Academy Awards. I have watched every telecast since I was a young boy and I still anticipate Oscar Day as much as I always have. Historically, I have never really been a fan of the choices the Academy has made, but I still see the show itself as a celebration of cinema. It’s really the one day a year that American audiences can reflect on the past year of film; whether we agree with the choices or not, the Academy Awards offers a remarkable insight into the politicking at the time.

Future generations will look back and try to deduce how Crash could have won Best Picture, but if they dig hard enough they’ll find that the Academy at that time was most likely squeamish about giving the award to a “gay” film like Brokeback Mountain and were overwhelmed by the publicity machine behind Crash.

Aside from the massive changes I would make to the awards themselves (oh, how I’d love to implement campaign finance reform in regards to the Oscars), I’d like to talk about what we can do to make the show itself better. Ultimately every year, I’m surprised by the lack of creativity behind the folks that produce the show. It’s shocking that so many creative people would be so reluctant to mess with a crappy formula.

Anyway, here are some changes I’d like to see:

Go Back to Five Best Picture Nominees

I don’t know whose bright idea it was to expand the category to ten nominees, but it’s made it much less of an honor to achieve a Best Picture nomination now. This is supposed to be something that is difficult to attain. Remember that old cliché of “it’s an honor just to be nominated?” Well, now it’s not.

I used these silly statistics last year when I first found out about the 10 Best Picture nominees, but if you think about the fact that 300 or so films are eligible for nominations every year, that means that if there are five nominations to be had, then there’s a 1.6% chance of getting one. If you double the field to ten, then there’s now a 3.3% chance. Still not a great chance, you say? I’d say that if you consider there are about 200 films or so that have no aspirations to get an award, those chances seems much higher.

I don’t like that we live in a culture that wants to reward as many people for their “achievements” as possible. This isn’t elementary school soccer, where everybody gets a trophy. You’re the Oscars, start acting like it.

Tell Us the Vote Count … or at Least the Order of Finish

William Goldman constantly pleaded with the Academy to tell us the vote counts. His contention was that it would make it so much more instructive and fascinating if we found out how close the races really were. Did The Hurt Locker barely edge out Avatar? By how many votes did Roberto Benigni win his Best Actor Oscar? When Robert Redford beat out Scorsese for Best Director, was it even close? The answers to these questions would be utterly fascinating to film nerds like myself.

But let’s say that for some reason, the Academy is really against that. I don’t see why they would be, but for the sake of argument, let’s go with it. Why wouldn’t they at least let us know the order of finish? Better yet, why wouldn’t they incorporate that into the broadcast? If you’re going to go with the idiotic notion of having ten Best Picture nominees, then wouldn’t it be fun if you announced them throughout the evening in reverse order? Can you imagine how exciting it would be if last year, we counted backwards until it was just The Hurt Locker and Avatar?

Beyond the excitement that it would bring the ending of the show, it would be incredibly interesting to see where each film finished. Hell, why stop with just the films themselves? Why not do the same thing with all of the major categories? I don’t really see any argument against doing this; who wouldn’t sign up for this in a heartbeat?

Is someone really going to be embarrassed if it turned out they gave “only” the fifth best supporting performance of the year? And anyone who says that it would be wrong to make it such a competition…well, it’s a competition anyway. It would be like watching the Olympics – it’s always most interesting to find out who wins the race, but if you’re a fan of a particular racer, it’s nice to know where they finish.

Make the Show Longer

This is something I’ve been harping on forever. Every year, there are the same idiots who complain about how long the show is. Let me tell you something: the show is going to be long! Get over it. I mean, if you don’t like how long the show is, then stop watching the damned Oscars. Personally, I’ve never once felt like the show was too long – I’ve found parts that were boring, but that’s when I grab a snack. You see, nobody is actually forcing me to watch the whole thing and I’m usually in the comfort of my home, where I have other things to do if I’m bored.

But I always say that the show should actually be longer. If this is supposed to be a real celebration of the movies, then let’s give the cinema its due. Let’s get longer clips of the performances and the films, let’s allow the hosts to be more fully integrated into the show (more on that later), let’s allow the winners to speak (more on that later), let’s not cut the original song performances for time. We have all the time in the world and the ability to fast forward with Tivo.

Allow Actors to be Nominated in the Same Category in the Same Year

I don’t understand this rule at all. If an actor gives two wonderful lead performances in the same year, then they aren’t allowed to be nominated in the same category for those performances. So, even if you give the two best lead performances of the year, you have to put one of them in the supporting category or else it gets lost forever.

I think back to Kate Winslet, who had to choose between The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Unfortunately, she won the Oscar for the wrong role, but she never should have been in that situation. The same thing happened with Leonardo DiCaprio with The Departed and Blood Diamond. Again, he got nominated for the wrong role, but why couldn’t he have been nominated for both? They were both worthy of nomination, so what’s the big fear? That he’ll compete against himself? Um, who cares? He has to compete against four other performances and if one of them happens to be himself, then so be it.

Silly, silly rule.

Pay No Attention to What the Nominee Wants

Along the same lines as the last change, I don’t understand why actors have the right to choose which category they got nominated in. Julianne Moore – or her people – were lobbying for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Kids Are All Right despite sharing equal screen time with Annette Bening, who is lobbying for Best Actress. Apparently this was scrapped and now she’ll be campaigning in the lead category.

Still, I just don’t think the actors or their PR people or the studios should have that kind of input. I think I’m smart enough to understand the distinction between a lead performance and a supporting one, I don’t need anybody to guide me in that department.

Show Us the Short Films

Every year, the same idiotic people who shout for the show to be shorter talk about getting rid of the “stupid” categories, like Best Animated Short or Best Live Action Short or Best Documentary Short. Well, I like the fact that the filmmakers behind those works of art get equal footing – or close to it – on Oscar night as the feature filmmakers and famous actors. I just think if we were to have a dog in the race, then everybody would be much more interested and invested in who wins, just like with the other categories.

Right before the Oscar telecast, whichever channel is broadcasting the Oscars should show us the short films. Take like an hour or two before the famous people show up for the red carpet and just show us these films. It would help these little-seen films get viewers and it would give us the ability to watch these movies and therefore care more about the outcome of the awards.

Bring the Honorary Oscars Back to the Show

I really hate the idea that Lauren Bacall, Gordon Willis, and Roger Corman didn’t give speeches at the actual Oscar ceremony last year and instead had to settle for the Governor’s Awards. I want to see those speeches given at the Oscars themselves. Same goes this year for Eli Wallach, Francis Ford Coppola, and Jean-Luc Godard. Some of the best speeches I’ve seen at the Oscars were given by folks who received honorary awards – Peter O’Toole comes to mind.

I think it’s a travesty that this practice of giving the honorary winners their own separate non-televised dinner was not only implemented, but is in practice for yet another year.

Let People Speak

Going back to the idea of making the show longer – let these winners give their speeches. This is supposed to be the highest honor for their profession, so why not allow them to have more than 45 seconds without that annoying orchestra shooing them off the stage? I hate boring speeches as much as the next person, but these people have earned the right to thank whomever they feel like. It’s not like people are going to get up there and ramble for three minutes.

The most annoying part of it is that the knowledge of the coming orchestra cue takes up an inordinate amount of time in a nervous winner’s speech. They always waste at least a few seconds talking about the music and how they have to speak very quickly. If they weren’t living in fear of the orchestra coming, they might be relaxed enough to give a coherent and interesting speech.

Hire One of the Following People to Host — and Let Them do Their Shtick

My biggest problem with the hosts has been that the show always follows the same format: the host does a monologue and then pops up for about two more bits throughout the evening and sometimes drops a witty bon mot here and there. That’s it.

I want the host of the show to be more fully integrated into the proceedings, to not only guide me through the evening, but to keep me entertained during the parts of the show that are just never going to be that interesting. I liked Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin last year, but they were used so sparingly after the opening that I was left wanting a lot more.

If you’re going to hire a host, let them run wild and do their own shtick. That means that if you hire Jon Stewart, let him do political humor because that’s what he does. If you hire Chris Rock, let him take about race because that’s where he excels. If you want someone who appeals to a broader audience, then don’t simply hire the funniest guy.

I mean, I love Louis C.K. but I don’t think he’d be the best choice for the Oscars because he’d be hamstrung. I like Jim Gaffigan too, but he’s way too droll. Whitney Cummings would be great, but there’s no way she’d be able to keep it clean enough for the fuddy-duddies. Here are my top choices for hosts:

Steve Martin – I think he’s one of the sharpest comedians who has ever lived and he’s never disappointed me as a host. He’s always in command of the room and his jokes are always incisive and cutting. A personal hero of mine.

Tina Fey – I didn’t really think of her as someone for this job until I saw her speech when she won the Mark Twain Prize for Humor and she just killed it. She absolutely slayed the room and owned it. I think she’d be fantastic.

Conan O’Brien – It would be a mutually beneficial move for both parties. The Academy can hope that the Team Coco train is still rolling and Conan would get a big boost of legitimacy for his fledgling new show. Also, the Masturbating Beat could hand out an award.

Justin Timberlake – Love him or hate him, the dude is a born performer. He can sing, dance, and sell a joke. Watch him on SNL and tell me he’s not capable of being a flat-out outstanding Oscars host.

Martin Scorsese – Nope, not a particularly funny guy. But he’s a film historian who has forgotten more about cinema than I will ever know, and I think it would be interesting if the show was hosted by someone who actually was coming from a place of love for film rather than comedy. It would be interesting to see how he’d navigate the proceedings, perhaps throwing in clips of old films to compare to the newer ones, showing us how we got from there to here. I’d sign up for that.

Of course, I know many of you will disagree with my thoughts on how to make the Oscars better, particularly about making the show longer rather than shorter. I’d love to hear what ideas you have, and what you think about mine. Should the Oscars be shorter or longer, or would you rather they just went away? Would you like to see the shorts, or should Oscars not be given for short films at all? Sound off with your own Oscar thoughts; I’ll share your best ideas, and my own thoughts on them, in a follow-up post on the Frenzy On blog later this week.

P.S. On the Hathaway/Franco hosting news: I’m fairly astounded by this news. Part of me likes the fact that the producers are thinking outside the box and I have enjoyed Hathaway and Franco’s hosting skills on SNL. However, I’ve also written columns in recent weeks on both of them and how I think they are over-rated as actors and performers.

There is precedent for this, of course. In the ’80s, Chevy Chase hosted with Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan one year and another year had Alan Alda with Robin Williams and Jane Fonda. However, considering that Hathaway and Franco are being bandied about as possible nominees this year, it rubs me the wrong way. It seems a bit like a bush-league move, something that MTV would do for their VMAs, trying to capitalize on the fact that the “kids” love James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

I’m usually more in favor of someone who is naturally funny doing the hosting or – as with my Scorsese suggestion – someone who is knowledgeable about film. But, I will reserve judgment until I see them perform. One suggestion: if you’re going to go this route, then lose Bruce Vilanch as the head writer and hire someone like Judd Apatow or Jody Hill to craft some more appropriate jokes for hosts of a much younger generation than the normal emcees.

The Kids Are All About Oscar Picks

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

David and I were talking about the latest Gurus chart, and I made the (half-joking) observation that we should do kind of an anti-Gurus chart of my kids’ random Oscar picks. In the past when I’ve had them choose Oscar winners with random methods including Magic-8 Ball, Twister, Guitar Hero, and “Pin the Oscar on the Donkey’s Butt” they’ve averaged just about as well as folks paid to pontificate on the politics of Oscar Night. Plus, they’ve had a lot of fun doing it.

It just goes to show you, no one really knows anything, maybe not even the people being paid to know about things.

There have been some occasionally heated discussions here and on The Hot Blog about film critics and what “qualifies” someone to write about film. Generally, for what it’s worth, I think having a broad knowledge of film, a passion for movies, and the ability to write about why you like or don’t like a given film in a coherent way that connects with your readership qualifies someone to write about movies, though this is not necessarily the same thing as more purely academic film criticism.

As to what qualifies someone to be or not to be an Oscar pundit, well, that depends, I think, on what you’re looking for. Random guesses abound on the internet, and once you get it down to a Top Ten or so, pretty much anyone who works in any aspect of this business is entitled to offer a qualified opinion on which films or actors they think should win. Understanding the politics involved behind the scenes may be a little more tricksy, but if you’ve kept up at all with the recent history of Oscar winners it’s not terribly difficult for the average person to make educated guesses that are as accurate as (maybe better than) those of the experts.

In the spirit of “the average folks” versus “the experts,” I asked my kids (plus one friend) to give me their early weigh-in on their Best Picture pick based on the Top Ten on the Gurus chart, based on the titles alone if they didn’t know anything else. (For the record, Neve has seen The Social Network and Inception, and all of them have seen Toy Story 3). I also asked them to weigh in on which film had the worst title.

Their not-so-expert opinions are below. I’ll check in with them closer to Oscars for their picks in the major categories. If you have ideas on how they should make their picks this year, let me know.

______________________________

LUKA (AGE 7)

BEST PICTURE PICK: I think Toy Story 3 will win because I really like it. It was kind of sad, but some parts were funny, and it had a really good story. And I think they’re gonna make a Toy Story 4.

WORST TITLE: I think 127 Hours is a really bad name for a movie because no one wants to watch a movie that’s that long. That sounds like a really, really, really long movie. And boring.

______________________________

VEDA (AGE 9)

BEST PICTURE PICK: Toy Story 3, because it was really good and sad and it had great animation and stuff. And great characters like Woody and Buzz.

WORST TITLE: The King’s Speech. Boring. I think it’s about a guy standing there who’s giving a boring speech to try to put everyone to sleep so he can steal the town’s rarest thing.

______________________________

JAXON (AGE 11)

BEST PICTURE PICK: Toy Story 3, because it had really good animation and also it had a really good story behind it.

WORST TITLE: The King’s Speech sounds like a guy standing on a big platform just speaking for two hours. Boring.

______________________________

NEVE (AGE 13)

BEST PICTURE PICK: Either True Grit or Inception. Inception because I thought it was very interesting and I liked all the plot twists and how you had to pay attention to every thing or you’d be lost. And True Grit because I loved the trailer and I read the summary and it looks really interesting. No Country for Old Men terrified me, but I appreciated its artistry, so I think this one will be good.

WORST TITLE: The King’s Speech. The title sounds boring, because who wants to see a movie that’s about some guy’s speech? A good title is everything, right? If it’s bad, and people think it sounds boring, no one will come see it. See, this is why I get Veda to help me with my titles for my writing.

______________________________

KENDRA (AGE 14)

BEST PICTURE PICK: The name Inception really grabs me. It sounds very dramatic. I also like the sound of Black Swan. That sounds interesting, too.

WORST TITLE: I concur on The King’s Speech. It just sounds really boring. Maybe it’s not, it might be a really good movie, but that’s how it sounds.

Oscars, Already?

Monday, October 11th, 2010

We have the new Gurus O’ Gold chart up, and in taking a look at the consensus votes du jour, I had a couple thoughts. I missed The King’s Speech at Toronto, so I’ll have to wait until screeners come in/Seattle screenings get set to weigh in on it. Could be the Oscar-bee’s knees like I heard from a lot of folks at Toronto, could be Colin Firth‘s year to win a statue. Or not. Time will tell.

Of the Best Pic-contending movies I have seen, I wouldn’t rank The Social Network as highly as it’s sitting right now. It’s very early for that film to be peaking, I think, and I still just don’t see its subject matter and cynicism as broadly appealing to the Academy voters. But we’ll see. Hereafter? Not so much. I wouldn’t even have that one on my Oscar radar at all except that it’s directed by Eastwood — but I personally found it to be maybe on par with Invictus, which wasn’t great, and maybe a tad below Million Dollar Baby (NOT my favorite movie) in terms of emotional manipulation.

Right now, I think my personal top Best Picture pics would be True Grit (haven’t seen that one yet either, but it’s the Coens and the trailer looks great), Black Swan, 127 Hours, Another Year, The King’s Speech (based on the buzz alone at this point) and Winter’s Bone OR The Kids Are All Right as strong outsiders.

I’m more interested at this point in the Adapted Screenplay race, where we have 127 Hours, True Grit and The Social Network as probably leaders of the pack. To this I would add Never Let Me Go, which I think, after reading the book, is a really solid adaptation — more on that one later. Unfortunately, I missed seeing Rabbit Hole (darn that weighty Toronto slate and its surprises), and I’ve heard so many things on that one (mostly positive) that I’m hoping to get to check it out soon.

Right now I’m also interested in the Best Actor and Actress races as well. For Best Actor, everyone (ah yes, the ever-mysterious, yet oddly influential “they”) came out of Toronto saying James Franco is a “lock” for a nomination, and Firth virtually a “lock” for a nom and probable win. I’ve seen Duvall in Get Low and it’s a good performance, no doubt, and one that may appeal to the Academy. Not my personal top o’ the actor heap, but I have no idea what the Academy’s temperature reading is on that film, and no one’s counting my votes anyhow.

Bridges in True Grit may (will probably be) Oscar worthy, but he’s coming off a win last year for Crazy Heart. Personally (and again, not having seen True Grit or King’s Speech yet) my sentimental favorite is Javier Bardem for Biutiful, which I think is the best performance in a career of great performances. But the artfulness of Biutiful may not be enough to lift it up above the rather bleak subject matter to put it up there in the hearts of voters.

As for Best Actress, maybe it’s just me but this feels like a slightly less competitive field this year. After barely missing out on a Best Actress nom for Happy-Go-Lucky a couple years ago, this may be Sally Hawkins year with Made in Dagenham, the kind of uplifting Brit-flick that may be appealing to the Academy. I would probably put Lesley Manville‘s really solid turn in Another Year right up there with Hawkins. and if it were me, Jennifer Lawrence would be right in the mix for Winter’s Bone. I heard really amazing things about Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole out of Toronto, too, and I am a fan of Black Swan and Portman’s performance in it. I wouldn’t count her out completely yet.

The Oscar race will start to take shape more as screeners get sent out and buzz starts to bubble up for this film and peter out for that one. This is a fall with a lot of exciting movies to look forward to and it should be an interesting awards season to watch as well. Much as we all get sick of reading and writing about Oscars, our collective obsession with it drives this business to one extent or another.

I don’t plan to write as much about Oscars as the “Oscar pundits,” more to focus narrowly on specific bits and pieces — screenplay adaptations, docs, maybe foreigns depending on what’s nominated there. After years of having my kids do their Oscar picks randomly using everything from Magic 8-Ball to Twister to Pin the Tail on the Donkey (usually with surprising accuracy) I’ve come to believe that it’s really a crap shoot anyhow.

Fun to talk about and argue about and make charts about, but at the end of the day, I don’t know that any one person’s guesses are actually more accurate or better than the randomness of the Magic 8-Ball. So it goes, let the speculating begin.

The Men who Never Paid a Bill Without a Lawsuit Are Back in Business.

Tuesday, December 16th, 1997

Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, former proprietors of the infamous Cannon Pictures, have talked a health club chain into financing a movie start-up to the tune of about $2 million. Gotta hand it to these guys. They obviously still can make their manure smell sweet to others. Cannon was one of the clearest examples of a company that was killed by the excess opportunity of the Reagan era. After hitting big with the Death Wish series and then turning Chuck Norris into an action hero, the company got big bucks in the junk-bond economy of the ’80s. Suddenly, they went from Norris and Bronson to Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway. A few years later they were bankrupt after spending millions on films they never made and making some quality films, including Barfly, that no one ever saw. At least in theaters. Welcome back, boys. And readers: If they try to hire you, get cash.
MGM‘s desperation to hang onto the Bond franchise for themselves and themselves alone was made plain as day last week when the company filed their intentions to take a $30 million writedown for this quarter on Red Corner, the Richard Gere political drama. There will be no writedowns in first quarter 1998 with Bond on the way to save the day. But MGM, already off the list of “real” major studios, is becoming more of a mini-major every day. And, although Lindsay Doran has great taste, expect the film projects, excepting Bond, to get smaller and smaller.
As if to prove that barbarism is still in vogue, a group of Iranian militants attacked theatergoers, including a disabled veteran, as they left a showing of Snowman, a film about a man so desperate to get out of the desert that he disguises himself as a woman with the hope of marrying an American man who can take him/her away. The thing is, the guy falls in love with an Iranian woman and stays put. He doesn’t even go the whole route (or is that the full monty?)! Another theater pulled the film under threats of fire bombing. Finally, a movie that really is responsible for community violence.
L.A. Confidential surely has secured an Oscars berth for Best Picture after winning multiple best picture awards by critics already.
Want to bank roll my new studio? E-mail me a dollar figure. Or just drop me a line to say hi.

The National Board of Review

Thursday, December 11th, 1997

The National Board of Review wins the award for first major film awards given out this year, weeks before many of the films are released. In fact, all the major awards except the Oscars will announce winners or nominees by next Thursday. The N.B.R. picked L.A. Confidential for Best Film and Best Director. Helena Bonham Carter got best actress in Wings Of The Dove. Anne Heche received Best Supporting Actress for the combo of the upcoming Wag The Dog and Donnie Brasco. (Funny, they didn’t mention Volcano) And As Good As It Gets, the James L. Brooks film due Christmas Day, won two; for Jack Nicholson snagged Best Actor and Greg Kinnear Best Supporting Actor. The Kinnear choice strikes me as a Golden Globe-like mistake-ination. But I haven’t seen the film yet. Coincidentally, this week’s The Whole Picture is all about the second lap of the Oscar race. Vote with your mouse.
Local jails are overflowing out here. First, Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t pass drug test, doesn’t win 200 hours of community service. Now, Christian Slater gets 90 days for his rampage last summer during which he bit a cop. Maybe if he had been wearing panties like Marv Albert the state would have let him plead to a misdemeanor. Of course, if I were a conspiracy nut, I’d say that this is all Oliver Stone’s way of getting the boys close to the Menendez Bros. for a few months, prepping his saga on the misunderstood shotgun murderers. With Glenn Close as Leslie Abramson and Andy Garcia as Jose Menendez. (Yes, I made that all up. Thank God!)
Last week, The Hot Button covered the high-rent marketing for James Bond. This week, it’s the low-rent deal that New Line has made for Lost In Space. Long John Silver has come on board for a cross-promotional effort. Yuck! Is that fish’n’chips or chicken or what? Somehow, I don’t see New Line convincing Gary Oldman and William Hurt to slap on the trademark eyepatch. Maybe that’s why the mini-major’s original promo deal with Little Caesar’s, fell through. No togas. That one’s still in litigation.
Hey! Come on and e-mail me. It’s low-rent fun!