And the Oscar goes to...

Wow, that was some Oscar ceremony, not the greatest ever but then again how do you follow up the return of Billy Crystal? Next year, guys, listen to Captain Kirk and get Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, you know they're going to kill it.  

Seth MacFarlane tried his darnedest but it just didn't cut it for me.  Movie musicals were the theme of the night and unfortunately the show ended up being too much like the Tonys and not enough like a celebration of the greatest movie awards in the world.  And what was up with only celebrating the musicals released in the last decade? It makes sense knowing the producers.  But what about Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Funny Girl or for that matter musicals like Newsies, Hairspray or even the current Pitch Perfect? Time to expand your horizons folks.

(Photo: The Hollywood Reporter)

 That said, the stage was spectacular and never looked better.  The opening monologue featured great dancing from Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe all of whom were extremely sporting.  The first award of the night was a shocker with Christoph Waltz of Django Unchained winning Best Supporting Actor.  All the other men in the category had won previously so it wasn't like anyone was robbed but it would have been nice to see Tommy Lee Jones (who was smiling so frequently! Who called him Grumpy?) win one for Lincoln.  Waltz's role is actually that of a co-lead not supporting.  

(Courtesy ABC)

From thereon in, it was on the technical awards which I did pretty well predicting with wins for Life of Pi, Les Miserables and Anna Karenina.  Brave won Best Animated Feature Film over Wreck-It Ralph which I felt was a big surprise. In the end, it was lovely to see Brenda Chapman become the first female director to win for animated feature. She had a long journey with the film which ended up with her being replaced with Mark Andrews but she got to have her moment and dedicate the Oscar to her inspiration, her daughter. Hard not to get emotional there. Ralph, you have my permission to go wreck out your frustrations. 

(Photo: Zap2it)

Life of Pi also won three great technical awards with Cinematography (Claudio Miranda), Original Score (Mychael Danna) and of course, Visual Effects.  When the guys from Rhythm & Hues were accepting their award and trying to talk about their difficult situation and honor the artists, the orchestra (which wasn't even  in the same room!) played them off with the Jaws theme and cut off their mic.  Not cool, guys, not cool.  You've got a whole legion of vfx artists online, who take their jobs very seriously, very pissed off at that. Not helping the cause they're fighting for.

Also what was up with John Williams score being used throughout the ceremony? I also heard the scores from E.T. and Jurassic Park.  A nice way to honor Spielberg and his longtime collaborator even though neither of them won yesterday. The Academy did a great new initiative this year by having film students onstage to assist with the awards instead of models.  For the first time, I did quite well in the documentary short, documentary feature and most importantly, the sound categories. I would have been two for two if it wasn't for that unexpected tie, the last time that happened was 1994.

(Photo: The Telegraph)

The two musical performance of the night were for me, the amazing Adele and the even more amazing Barbara Streisand.  I can't believe Adele is only 24 years old.  She's already halfway on her way to EGOT now.  

(Photo: Associated Press)

The rest of the acting awards predictably went to Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables, Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook and Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln. I surprised that the light emanating from Meryl Streep and Day-Lewis onstage didn't blind us completely.  His speech was both funny and moving.  

(Photo: The Hollywood Reporter)

When the editing award went to William Goldenberg for Argo, the writing was already on the wall for Argo. All that needed to be decided was best director which eventually went to Ang Lee.  I was extremely pleased to see the hard efforts behind the film recognized and how adorable was Lee in his happiness over the win. The crowd in the Dolby Theater was extremely vocal in their support for Life of Pi.  Though I did feel terrible for Spielberg after all what he has put in on Lincoln but it was either him or Lee and I'm happy if either of had won. 

(Photo: IBN Live)

And so there is it, another year gone by with Argo winning Best Picture and adding another Oscar to producers George Clooney and Ben Affleck.  What a career trajectory he's had and what a year it's been!  Here's to another great year of movies and we'll see you all again next year. 

Things I loved: 

• Ted pronouncing 'Argo' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' in his very Boston accent. Nailed it! Ted was also surprisingly well behaved. And Mark Wahlberg not getting freaked out by the surprising tie in the sound editing category. "No B.S."
• The Von Trapp family bit, that worked, we should have seen more of that.  But it didn't look like Christopher Plummer was amused.
• Hugh Jackman, the only one to assist Jennifer Lawrence when she fell on the stairs.  Can he win just for being the coolest guy ever?
• Stephen Spielberg getting choked up whenever anyone won for Lincoln (which sadly only occurred twice). It's okay, you'll get them with Robopocalypse next.  That'll show 'em.
• Suraj Sharma getting all teary eyed when Ang Lee won. All that was missing was Richard Parker to round out the trio.
• Edited to add: I can't believe I forgot to add Quvenzhane Wallis' mean muscle look. Even Denzel Washington is amused. 

(Photo: Vulture)

Here is the full list of winners:

Best motion picture of the year
"Argo" Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Anne Hathaway in "Les Misérables"


Best animated feature film of the year
"Brave" Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

Achievement in cinematography
"Life of Pi" Claudio Miranda

Achievement in costume design
"Anna Karenina" Jacqueline Durran

Achievement in directing
"Life of Pi" Ang Lee

Best documentary feature
"Searching for Sugar Man"
Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn

Best documentary short subject
"Inocente"
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

Achievement in film editing
"Argo" William Goldenberg

Best foreign language film of the year

"Amour" Austria

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
"Les Misérables"
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Life of Pi" Mychael Danna

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"
Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

Achievement in production design
"Lincoln"
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Best animated short film
"Paperman" John Kahrs

Best live action short film
"Curfew" Shawn Christensen


Achievement in sound editing

TIE"Skyfall" Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
"Zero Dark Thirty" Paul N.J. Ottosson


Achievement in sound mixing
"Les Misérables"
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes

Achievement in visual effects
"Life of Pi"
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott


Adapted screenplay
"Argo" Screenplay by Chris Terrio

Original screenplay

"Django Unchained" Written by Quentin Tarantino

11th Annual VES Award Winners

A bit late blogging about the awards from last week but here it is.  The 11th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards were held on February 5th, 2013 and the night's big honors went to Life of Pi and Brave who walked away with four awards each.  Director Ang Lee was also honored with VES Visionary Award for his exemplary work and techniques in the film.

Here are the winners in the film categories:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Life of Pi
Donald R. Elliott
Susan Macleod
Guillaume Rocheron
Bill Westenhofer

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture

The Impossible
Felix Bergés
Sandra Hermida
Pau Costa Moeller

Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave
Mark Andrews
Steve May
Katherine Sarafian
Bill Wise

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

Life of Pi: Richard Parker
Erik De Boer
Sean Comer
Betsy Asher Hall
Kai-Hua Lan

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave: Merida
Travis Hathaway
Olivier Soares
Peter Sumanaseni
Brian Tindall

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

The Avengers: Midtown Manhattan
Richard Bluff
Barry Williams
David Meny
Andy Proctor

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave: The Forest
Tim Best
Steve Pilcher
Inigo Quilez
Andrew Whittock

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Matt Aitken
Victor Huang
Christian Rivers
R. Christopher White

Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture

The Avengers: Helicarrier
Rene Garcia
Bruce Holcomb
Polly Ing
Aaron Wilson

Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

Life of Pi: Storm of God
Harry Mukhopadhyay
David Stopford
Mark Williams
Derek Wolfe

Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave
Chris Chapman
Dave Hale
Michael K. O'Brien
Bill Watral

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
Life of Pi: Storm of God
Ryan Clarke
Jose Fernandez
Sean Oharas
Hamish Schumacher

17th Annual Art Directors Guild winners

It was a busy night in Hollywood with big awards in directing, animation and art direction being handed out.  The art directors announced the winners for the 17th annual Art Directors Guild awards.  Here are the winners:

WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2012

Period Film

ANNA KARENINA
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood


Fantasy Film

LIFE OF PI
Production Designer: David Gropman

Contemporary Film

SKYFALL
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner

The Golden Globe 2013 nominations!

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today and it looks like Django Unchained, Lincoln, Argo and Zero Dark Thirty are leading the pack with nominations in acting as well as screenplay, director and best picture.  The HFPA also have two separate categories for Drama and Comedy so the nominations get spread out.  Though I also feel bad for the supporting actor/actress categories, it's drama and comedy both thrown in together and it usually is the drama actors and actresses that have the upper hand.  

What I'm glad to see is five solid choices for Best Drama Motion Picture that spills into director and screenplay as well.  But what is Salmon Fishing in the Yemen doing in the Best Comedy category? I really thought the film was disappointing and not a great showcase for the actors in it.  

I'm delighted to see the recognition for Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Jack Black in Bernie.  Both of them shone in their respective films.  Somebody really does like Maggie Smith a whole lot, she's got both the TV and the film nominations to prove it.  

But as always, the Golden Globes are remembered more for the party and the impromptu moments that occur onstage and off then the actual awards themselves.  This year is Cecile B. de Mille Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Jodie Foster.  Francesca Eastwood, daughter of Clint, will be Miss Golden Globe 2013 and of course Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (both nominees for Best Actress -  Comedy for Television) will host the 70th awards show on January 13th, 2013, only 3 days after the Oscar nominations are announced.  

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook


Best Director
Ben Affleck, Argo
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Best Screenplay 
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
Tony Kushner, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Chris Terrio, Argo


Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Richard Gere, Arbitrage
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea

Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Ewan McGregor, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray, Hyde Park on Hudson

Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Maggie Smith, Quartet
Meryl Streep, Hope Springs

Best Animated Feature
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour (Austria)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
The Intouchables (France)
Kon-Tiki (Norway/UK/Denmark)
Rust and Bone (France)

Best Performance By An Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

Best Performance By An Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Alan Arkin, Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Original Score 
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil, Cloud Atlas
John Williams, Lincoln

Best Original Song
For You, Act of Valor - Music by: Monty Powell, Keith Urban Lyrics by: Monty Powell, Keith Urban
Not Running Anymore, Stand Up Guys - Music by: Jon Bon Jovi Lyrics by: Jon Bon Jovi
Safe & Sound, The Hunger Games - Music by: Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett Lyrics by: Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett
Skyfall, Skyfall - Music by: Adele, Paul Epworth Lyrics by: Adele, Paul Epworth
Suddenly, Les Miserables - Music by: Claude-Michel Schonberg Lyrics by: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg

Broadcast Film Critics nominees announced!

Now this is more like it.  The Broadcast Film Critics Association also announced their nominations for the best films of 2012 and I find myself nodding along at many of their choices.  And thank God for the separate categories so that good work done even in a 'sic-fi' or 'action' film can be recognized.  I can't wait to tune in and see what happens when the winners are announced on will air on January 10, 2012 which also happens to be the date when the Oscar nominations are announced.  Go figure!

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 18th ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
John Hawkes – “The Sessions”
Hugh Jackman – “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Denzel Washington – “Flight”

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard – “Rust and Bone”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin – “Argo”
Javier Bardem – “Skyfall”
Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Matthew McConaughey – “Magic Mike”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – “The Master”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Ann Dowd – “Compliance”
Sally Field – “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – “Ginger & Rosa”
Kara Hayward – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Tom Holland – “The Impossible”
Logan Lerman – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Suraj Sharma – “Life of Pi”
Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck – “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Tom Hooper – “Les Misérables”
Ang Lee – “Life of Pi”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino – “Django Unchained”
John Gatins – “Flight”
Rian Johnson – “Looper”
Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio – “Argo”
David Magee – “Life of Pi”
Tony Kushner – “Lincoln”
Stephen Chbosky – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Les Misérables” – Danny Cohen
“Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda
“Lincoln” – Janusz Kaminski
“The Master” – Mihai Malaimare Jr.
“Skyfall” – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Anna Karenina” – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer; Katie Spencer/Set Decorator
“The Hobbit” – Dan Hennah/Production Designer; Ra Vincent & Simon Bright/Set Decorators
“Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart/Production Designer; Anna Lynch-Robinson/Set Decorator
“Life of Pi” – David Gropman/Production Designer; Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
“Lincoln” – Rick Carter/Production Designer; Jim Erickson/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
“Argo” – William Goldenberg
“Les Misérables” – Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens
“Life of Pi” – Tim Squyres
“Lincoln” – Michael Kahn
“Zero Dark Thirty” – William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran
“Cloud Atlas” – Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud
“The Hobbit” – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor
“Les Misérables” – Paco Delgado
“Lincoln” – Joanna Johnston

BEST MAKEUP
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Les Misérables
Lincoln

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit
Life of Pi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

BEST ACTION MOVIE
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Christian Bale – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Daniel Craig – “Skyfall”
Robert Downey Jr. – “The Avengers”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Looper”
Jake Gyllenhaal – “End of Watch”

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – “Looper”
Gina Carano – “Haywire”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Anne Hathaway – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”

BEST COMEDY
Bernie
Silver Linings Playbook
Ted
This Is 40
21 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jack Black – “Bernie”
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Paul Rudd – “This Is 40”
Channing Tatum – “21 Jump Street”
Mark Wahlberg – “Ted”

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Mila Kunis – “Ted”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Shirley MacLaine – “Bernie”
Leslie Mann – “This Is 40”
Rebel Wilson – “Pitch Perfect”

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Cabin in the Woods
Looper
Prometheus

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
The Intouchables
A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bully
The Central Park Five
The Imposter
The Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man
West of Memphis

BEST SONG
“For You” – performed by Keith Urban/written by Monty Powell & Keith Urban – Act of Valor
“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy with Mumford & Sons/written by Mumford & Sons – Brave
“Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall
“Still Alive” – performed by Paul Williams/written by Paul Williams – Paul Williams Still Alive
“Suddenly” – performed by Hugh Jackman/written by Claude-Michel Schonberg & Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer – Les Misérables

BEST SCORE
“Argo” – Alexandre Desplat
“Life of Pi” – Mychael Danna
“Lincoln” – John Williams
“The Master” – Jonny Greenwood
“Moonrise Kingdom” – Alexandre Desplat

Recommended Links: Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Life of Pi and a Jumanji remake!

(Photo: Life of Pi)

• France has got it right!  At the premiere of Life of Pi in Paris, audiences viewed the film in lifeboats and life vests at the Piscine Pailleron.  How incredibly charming and appropriate for a film about a boy named Piscine!
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is getting a sequel.  I heartily approve, I'd love to see what the gang is up to next.  The Adventures of Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith!
• Great article in The Hollywood Reporter on the rise of female producers within DreamWorks. And Kung Fu Panda 2 is still the only successful solo outing by a female director, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, in animation. A rarity that needs to be remedied soon.  
• A blast from the past! A remake of the 1995 hit Jumanji is being penned by the screenwriter of Stranger Than Fiction, Zack Helm.   I used to love that movie as a kid but looking back it on now, the CGI does not hold up.  Those angry monkeys need updating.  There was a 2005 sequel Zathura directed by Jon Favreau and featuring Josh Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart.  
• Alice in Wonderland, however, is also getting a sequel and original screenwriter Linda Woolverton is back again to write it.  I do hope that most of the original gang will be back for round two.  

Around the World in Posters: Monsters University, The Host, Movie 43 and more!

The film adaptation of the popular YA series Beautiful Creatures featuring a solid adult cast of Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis.  Yes, seriously!

Yet another book adaptation, this time from Twilight's Stephanie Meyer.  It's The Host featuring Saoirse Ronan.  

Sulley and Mike as roomies in the new poster for Monsters University.

I really don't see the point of re-releasing every successful movie franchise in 3D.  But Jurassic Park... I can literally feel myself wavering.  

Les Miserables poster featuring Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and Marius (Eddie Redmayne).

And another featuring the colorful duo, the Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter).

A trio of gorgeous Life of Pi posters detailing a fantastical tale. And who can resist those adorable meerkats? I do believe the one in front is posing for us.

The mother of all star cast films, Movie 43.  

Spectacular banner poster for Oz: The Great and Powerful. 

And finally, my favorite out of the bunch, the Italian poster for Looper. Simple yet so effective.  

10 films still in the race for Best Visual Effects

10 movies are still in the hunt for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award nomination and the list is down below.  The superhero films (Batman, Spiderman, The Avengers) all made the cut as did four book adaptations including Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

• The Amazing Spider-Man
• Cloud Atlas
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• John Carter
• Life of Pi
• Marvel's The Avengers
• Prometheus
• Skyfall
• Snow White and the Huntsman

But only five films can be nominated and it's very likely going to be Life of Pi, The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and possibly a surprise nominee in either John Carter and Prometheus. Sadly, the praise for Cloud Altas and The Dark Knight Rises in the technical categories seems a bit muted now but I hope to see it recognized in some way or the other.

Movie Review: Life of Pi

As a young boy, Pi says early in the film, "Animals have souls. I've seen it in their eyes." A teenage Pi (Suraj Sharma) gets to test out his theory completely as he gets stranded in the Pacific Ocean with a wounded zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Life of Pi is a fantastical tale based on the Man Booker Prize winning novel by Yann Martel which many people have read and enjoyed including me.

I have been waiting for a film adaptation for years, ever since I finished the book when it released back in 2001.  But I never expected it to be to so wondrous in this visual medium, so much so that it had the power to move me and take my breath away all over again.  Of course when a master filmmaker such as Ang Lee is at its helm, you will be treated to a story told skillfully through emotions and spectacular scenery.

The film opens in Pondicherry, a remnant of French colonization in India where the Patel family runs a zoo housing all kinds of animals.  The incredibly named Piscine Molitor Patel (after the finest pools in France by his father's best friend) is an eager and smart boy.  He manages to cleverly change his classmates' taunts of his name to a catchy and relevant nickname for himself.  He questions the world around him and embraces all religions by becoming a Hindu, a Catholic and a Muslim.

While this exasperates his father (Adil Hussain), Pi's mother (Tabu) reassures him that this is a natural way to question life.  A day arrives, however, that due to hard times the Patel family has to emigrate to Canada and they do so by packing up and moving their zoo animals with them to sell in North America and cross the Pacific Ocean. Here is where the tale takes a decidedly dramatic turn.

Up until now it has just been these interesting anecdotes told by an adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) to a writer (Rafe Spall) who wants to hear and maybe write about his incredible story.  Just what exactly is his story about anyway?  On a dark and stormy night in their ship's journey, sixteen-year-old Pi goes to investigate above deck and inadvertently becomes the lone human survivor of the ship that contains everything and everyone he loves and knows in his life.  It plunges him in the Pacific Ocean, save the company of four other animals and then eventually down to just him and Richard Parker.

After reading the book, I often wondered about Richard Parker and his point of view.  This film allows us to become a part of that challenging journey with them, those 227 days of helplessness, loneliness and emotional despair across a vast and unforgiving ocean.  Pi and Richard Parker are both foes in each other's survival and yet inexplicably linked together by their unique experience.

This is by far the best 3D film I have seen maybe because I felt a more emotional connection to this than watching Avatar.  I never imagined the 3D could be taken so further; the experiments with blurs, transitions, lens flares and aspect ratios all which seem so natural and right in capturing a novel to the big screen.  It's almost as if it was made only for this film.  Lee creates these moments of absolute devastation for Pi but in such wonderful scenes that it will make you gasp in conflicting emotions.  I heard the word, 'Wow' uttered many a time in the theater I was in.

But this is a story of survival against the odds even when one is adrift at sea with their faith sorely tested.  Ang Lee has made a difficult subject which many thought would never translate well onscreen come alive in ways we can't imagine.  One of the biggest reasons for this is also the absolutely jaw-droppingly realistic CGI creation that is Richard Parker (hats off to the talented crew over at Rhythm and Hues) and the genuine performance of Suraj Sharma in his debut film.  They become the emotional anchors for the story.

The rest of the cast has little screen time but they do their parts ably.  I loved the beginning sequences set in India which were simplistic in tone but contains a lot of history and detail.  The cinematography is so magnificent with frames that look like paintings out a dream and I especially enjoyed the recreation of the familiar book cover in the film.  Above all, the film and Ang Lee's direction upheld the spirit of the book and have given us another medium to enjoy this incredible adventure.  Don't miss it.

Life of Pi is a journey you must experience.  It's going atop my list of the best film experiences I've had in a theater in years.

Directed by Ang Lee; Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the book by Yann Martel; Cinematography by Claudio Miranda; Edited by Tim Squyres; Music by Mychael Danna.

Additional cast: Gerard Depardieu, Ayush Tandon

Rating: 

Trailer Time: Stoker, Life of Pi, Identity Thief, and Pitch Perfect

This upcoming 2013 English film debut by director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and produced by Ridley Scott and the late Tony Scott has an interesting story. The script written by Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) was on the 2010 Black List of best unproduced screenplays.  Young India's (Mia Wasikowska) father passes away and her mysterious Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) moves in with her and mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman).  Sound familiar?  Comparisons to Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (one of my favorite Hitchcock films) aside, this looks highly interesting and I can't wait see it.  Going on top of my list of must-see films for next year.

The latest international trailer of Life of Pi promises to be a visual treat.  Based on the best-selling book by Yann Martel and directed by Ang Lee, the new trailer shows us more of Pi (Suraj Sharma) and Richard Parker the tiger and their ardous journey on the high seas.  We also see glimpses of Pi's life in Pondicherry at his family zoo.  The trailer opens with the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan), with a curly mop,  telling Rafe Spall about his incredible story.  Parts of the trailer come very close to how I imagined it when I was reading the story.  Eagerly awaiting this in November.

Also coming in 2013, Identity Theft features two big comedic talents in Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.  Bateman is Sandy Bigelow Patterson whose identity is stole by McCarthy and decides to go to Florida to get it back and teach her lesson.  Little does he know who he's dealing with.  The trailer is bit low on laughs but high on gags.  Directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses), the film is due to release this coming February 2013.

So Anna Kendrick can also sing, good to know.  Produced by Elizabeth Banks, Pitch Perfect brings the a cappella college scene to life that features a Glee type competition scenario (but without the annoying Mr. Schue).  The hilarious Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp and Brittany Snow are also part of the cast.  I should resist this film but I always have this absurd urge to watch anything featuring actors singing.  Jason Moore who directed the very funny Avenue Q on Broadway makes his directorial debut with this film that opens this October.  

Recommended Links: Life of Pi, Argo, a new J.K. Rowling book and the "other" Hollywood

(Photo: New York Times)

Some required reading this weekend:

• Great article in The New York Times on Ang Lee talking about the difficulties of making Life of Pi.
• Also from The New York Times, my old stomping grounds, Fort Lee (FYI, I graduated from Fort Lee High School) will celebrate Universal Studios' 100th anniversary.  Not many people are aware of this but Fort Lee once aimed to be the East Coast Hollywood as Universal Studios first started their offices there in 1912.
• Many of you are aware of that Argo is based on a true life story.  Here's the Wired magazine article that the film is based on, How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran. 
• This week, a new JK Rowling novel will release which have nothing to do with a young boy named Harry Potter.  The Guardian has an exclusive interview with her about the new book, The Casual Vacancy.
• While we are at it, another profile of Jo from The New Yorker.  Settle in for a long read!

Life Of Pi - Official Trailer

Wow, I'm speechless.  This looks amazing.  I have goosebumps already.  I adore the book and I can't remember the number of times I have recommended to people.  In fact, I can't find my current copy since I've lent it out to someone who has yet to return it back to me.  (If you're reading, please return it back to me, I'd like to sneak in a re-read before December.)

As I've mentioned before, there were times when this movie looked liked it would be forever shelved as it changed hands from director to director.  Finally, Ang Lee got onboard and the result looks spectacular.  I can't wait to finally meet Richard Parker.  Life of Pi will release first on November 21, 2012 in USA.  

First Looks: Life of Pi and Hitchcock

(Photo: Playlist)

Here it is, the first glimpse at Ang Lee's Life of Pi with newbie Suraj Sharma in the title role and more importantly debuting Richard the tiger, Pi's pal in the lifeboat adrift at sea.  According to Playlist, I doubt this is a real tiger as the film plans to use CGI animal characters for the challenging story sequences.  How long until a trailer surfaces?  I can't wait to see how this unfolds on the screen, there was awhile I thought this film would never get made.  Many directors were rumored before Ang Lee got the project.  Life of Pi hits theaters December 21, 2012 and also stars Irrfan Khan, Tobey Maguire and Tabu.

(Photo: Empire)

The other first look comes from director Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins playing the legendary director about the making of the film Psycho.  I can hardly recognize Hopkins.  I hope the voice will match, Hitchcock had a very distinct (and slow) way of talking.  The film also features Scarlett Johnasson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, along with Toni Collette, James D'Arcy and Helen Mirren.  The film will release next year.  

Weekly News Roundup: Tarsem Singh's Snow White, Brad Bird on his live-action debut and Tobey Maguire in Life of Pi.

I go away for a week and suddenly there's movie news and trailers all over the place.  Don't worry, I'm going to try to play catch up now.  Let's get to it then.

Snow White and her Prince Charming

• Out of all the projects currently in production on Snow White, I'd bet my money on Tarsem Singh's Untitled Snow White Project that has picked up quite a cast.  Julia Roberts is the Evil Queen, Armie Hammer (The Social Network) is Prince Charming and Lily Collins (The Blind Side), daughter of Phil Collins, has been named as Snow White.  Trust me, it's not going to be boring.  Comingsoon.net has a great video interview with the director here where he talks about his plans for the movie.  
• Steven Spielberg is back to serious filmmaking, the kind that's going to get him back on the award podiums.  The long neglected Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln, is back on, this time casting Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.  Here's a fun fact, Field has never worked with Spielberg before, while Daniel Day-Lewis will be Lincoln.
• James Cameron and Peter Jackson talk about speeding up 3D by using 48 frames per second in their next 3D projects The Hobbit and the Avatar sequels.
• Brad Bird discusses with EW his first live-action film, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and how live-action differs from animated filmmaking.
• Tobey Maguire joins the cast of Life of Pi as the interviewer who learns the story about Pi's journey across the seas.

Cast Additions: J. Edgar Hoover, New Year's Eve, and Life of Pi

• Armie Hammer (The Social Network) is being considered to join Clint Eastwood's Hoover biopic, J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  He would play the role of Hoover's confidante, advisor and rumored lover, Clyde Tolson.  Charlize Theron is also in talks as Hoover's personal secretary.  This will be the first time that Clint and Leo will be working together and I'm really excited to see the outcome.  This movie is going to have a lot of pretty onscreen.  I'm not complaining.
• It's time to start thinking about New Year's Eve.  But not about the upcoming holiday but rather the film.  The holiday-centric film's cast now has Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ashton Kutcher, Robert De Niro, Lea Michele, Hilary Swank, and Michelle Pffeifer.  Sofia Vergara may also join the cast.  Biel and Kutcher, in Garry Marshall's previous holiday film , will not be reprising their characters from Valentine's Day as this is an entirely different film altogether.  Blame it on Love Actually for the catalyst for inter-connected stories with a huge star cast.
• Like Galadriel, could Legolas also be coming to The Hobbit universe?  Orlando Bloom fans are holding their breath.
• Harvey Weinstein can rest easy that his film, Blue Valentine, has had a mini-victory.  The harsh NC-17 rating has now been lowered to an R.   This greatly eases Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams chances at an Oscar nomination.  Common sense prevailed, yes but his other film, The King's Speech, wasn't so lucky and retained the R rating for the string of curse words stammered out by Colin Firth.
• Disney's The Muppets Movie is moving up its release date from Christmas to Thanksgiving.  It will release on November 23, 2011.  My December 2011 viewing schedule is less crowded.
• Life of Pi has added to its cast Gerard Depardieu and Adil Hussain.  Irrfan Khan will then be playing the adult Pi who tells his story of a most wondrous sea journey.

Tuesday Tidbits: Life of Pi and Gravity news!

• I'm really really pleased to announce some important news for Life of Pi, one of my very favorite books in recent years.  The project has started and stalled for years and at one point, M. Night Shyamalan was slated to direct.  Now it's in the hands of the very capable Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and there is concrete evidence that this is moving ahead.  Variety reports that young Suraj Sharma has been cast in the role of Piscine Patel aka "Pi". This will be Lee's first 3D feature and David Magee (Finding Neverland) will be writing the script based on Yann Martel's novel.  It will be filmed in Taiwan and India and has a release date of December 14, 2012.  Until then, pick up the book, you will not be disappointed.  
• Tony Scott wants to direct Top Gun 2.  Question: Will Tom be back?  Hollywood these days is all about the sequels and remakes.  Is there no real room for original thought anymore?  We need more movies like Inception.
• Is Robert Downey Jr. out of Gravity? That would be a shame because I was looking forward to the onscreen pairing with Sandra Bullock.  I like MTV movieblog's choice in Jon Hamm.   
• Halle Berry's new film Frankie and Alice is set to release in December.  She plays a woman with multiple personality disorder.  Potential Oscar bait? Does Halle have another shot at Oscar? I sure hope so, we're all trying to forget Catwoman.