2014 Oscar Nominations Announced!

The nominations for the 86th Oscars were announced early this past Thursday morning at 5: 30 am PST in Los Angeles by AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor).

 

This year, there were so many great films (strangely from the latter half of the year) that the competition was fierce and the possibility of snubs and surprises in such a tight race was high.  In the end, 9 films ended up being nominated for Best Picture. Why not 10, if the field was crowded? Chalk it up to complicated Academy rules that make ten nominees impossible to get in recent years. And I'm guessing I'm not the only one is who driven mad by the uneven number. I wish they would just go back to 10 nominees for best picture.

As a result, there were several films that failed to score any nominations (Lee Daniels' The Butler, Fruitvale Station, Rush) and others who surprised with solid presence (Philomena, Nebraska, Captain Phillips). Some films like Inside Llewyn Davis and The Grandmaster ended up only with technical nominations when many were expecting them to show up in the Best Picture and Best Foreign Film categories respectively.

Once again, American Hustle and Gravity are leading the pack with 10 nominations each and 12 Years a Slave not far behind with 9 nominations.  David O. Russell became the rare director to have his actors receive nominations in all the acting categories two years in a row. I imagine all actors will be queuing up to act in his films.  That is, if Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper or Jennifer Lawrence allow them!

The full list is below:

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Christian Bale in “American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Bruce Dern in “Nebraska” (Paramount)
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (Paramount)
Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)
Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features)

My take: Except for Bruce Dern, all the other actors in this field are playing characters based on real people. Most notable snubs in this category include Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips and Robert Redford for All is Lost. I was also hoping to see Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) score his first ever nomination. The Academy rarely rewards young actors (though Jennifer Lawrence is the exception to every rule) so I knew the chances were rare. But one can always hope that Jordan will be nominated one day. Christian Bale is the lone previous winner here.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)
Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (Paramount)
Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features)

My take: None of these actors have ever won an Oscar before and for Bradley Cooper and Jonah Hill, it's their second nomination. But the story is here is Jared Leto, previously of the band Thirty Seconds on Mars, who returned to acting after a long break in Dallas Buyers Club. This is a once-in-a-lifetime-role and Leto is the overwhelming favorite.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Amy Adams in “American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sandra Bullock in “Gravity” (Warner Bros.)
Judi Dench in “Philomena” (The Weinstein Company)
Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County” (The Weinstein Company)

My take: Except for Amy Adams, all of these wonderful actresses have won an Oscar before. But Adams does have 4 previous nominations, albeit in the supporting actress category. This is her first lead actress nomination. Might she sneak through the veterans and score her first win? American Hustle seems to be quite beloved with critics and audiences across America so it is quite possible. But count out acting powerhouses Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep at your risk.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Sally Hawkins in “Blue Jasmine” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)
Julia Roberts in “August: Osage County” (The Weinstein Company)
June Squibb in “Nebraska” (Paramount)

My take: This is one category that usually produces the most upsets (see: Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aprodite or Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton) so who will break through this year or will it go to the Girl on Fire, Jennifer Lawrence? The race for now seems to be between Lupita Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence who seem to be dividing up all the major awards up so far.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
“The Croods” (20th Century Fox)
Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson
“Despicable Me 2” (Universal)
Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri
“Ernest & Celestine” (GKIDS)
Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner
“Frozen” (Walt Disney)
Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
“The Wind Rises” (Walt Disney)
Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki

My take: Last year's winner for Best Animated Feature for Brave, Pixar Studios' latest feature film, Monsters University, failed to land a nomination. Instead, Walt Disney Animation's Frozen along with The Croods and Despicable Me 2 ended up as the studio-produced films. Ernest & Celestine from France and Japan's The Wind Rises (also master animator Hayao Miyazaki's last film) ended up with the final two nominations. For me, the race is on between Disney's Frozen which is having such a hot streak both at the box office and as a pop culture phenomenon and The Wind Rises, which is atop many critics' lists for best animated feature.

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Grandmaster” (The Weinstein Company) Philippe Le Sourd
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Emmanuel Lubezki
“Inside Llewyn Davis” (CBS Films) Bruno Delbonnel
“Nebraska” (Paramount) Phedon Papamichael
“Prisoners” (Warner Bros.) Roger A. Deakins

My take: And we're back on Roger Deakins watch again this year. The famed cinematographer has been nominated 10 times before, this year is his 11th nomination. Will he ever win an Oscar? This category is actually very competitive as some of the most gorgeously and stylishly shots films of the past year are all together. I'm so torn, this is going to be one tough category to predict though I must say that Gravity does have a slight edge here over the others.

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
“American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Michael Wilkinson
“The Grandmaster” (The Weinstein Company) William Chang Suk Ping
“The Great Gatsby” (Warner Bros.) Catherine Martin
“The Invisible Woman” (Sony Pictures Classics) Michael O’Connor
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight) Patricia Norris

My take: I'm not aware about the costumes in The Grandmaster and The Invisible Woman but the favorites here are American Hustle (that 70s and 80s fashion!), The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin is previous winner for Moulin Rouge!) and 12 Years a Slave (nominee Patricia Norris is 83 and has been nominated five times before). If The Great Gatsby wins any Oscar, it's this one.

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
“American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing) David O. Russell
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Alfonso Cuarón
“Nebraska” (Paramount) Alexander Payne
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight) Steve McQueen
“The Wolf of Wall Street” (Paramount) Martin Scorsese

My take: The only one of the directors who has previously won in this category is Martin Scorsese. But sadly, that's the only Oscar he owns. Will that be changed this year? Or will history be created as Steve McQueen becomes the first black director to win the directing Oscar? Other strong contenders include David O. Russell and Alfonso Cuarón whose films have received 10 nominations each. I have a feeling it might a repeat of last year when Ang Lee won for the Life of Pi, the most technically difficult film out of all the nominees. Gravity, a script he wrote and edited, easily fits the bill for that.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Act of Killing” (Drafthouse Films)
Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” (RADiUS-TWC)
Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” (IFC Films)
Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” (Netflix in association with Worldview
Entertainment and Participant Media)
Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” (RADiUS-TWC)
Nominees to be determined

My take: The Act of Killing was named the Best Film of 2013 by Sight and Sound and featured in the lists of many critics' best of 2013. The others I'll have to acquaint myself with, though The Square and 20 Feet from Stardom have also received honorable mentions this past year.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
“CaveDigger”
Jeffrey Karoff
“Facing Fear”
Jason Cohen
“Karama Has No Walls” (Mudhouse Films)
Sara Ishaq
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life”
Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall”
Edgar Barens

My take: Time to do some homework.

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
“American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
“Captain Phillips” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Christopher Rouse
“Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features) John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight) Joe Walker

My take: Alfonso Cuarón scored his second nomination this year for editing Gravity with Mark Sanger. They were previously nominated for editing Children of Men (2006). Big surprise not to see Thelma Schoonmaker here for editing that wild ride that was The Wolf of Wall Street. The jerky camerawork of Captain Phillips gave me a headache so I'm not considering it as a threat in this category. It's the big 3, American Hustle, Gravity and 12 Years a Slave that are battling it out here.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
“The Broken Circle Breakdown” (Tribeca Film) – Belgium
“The Great Beauty” (Janus Films) – Italy
“The Hunt” (Magnolia Pictures) – Denmark
“The Missing Picture” (Strand Releasing) – Cambodia
“Omar” (Adopt Films) – Palestine

My take: The year started with such a bang at Cannes and The Past and Blue is the Warmest Color immediately became the frontrunners for the foreign film. But The Past never made it to the shortlist and Blue is the Warmest Color never made it past the eligibility rules. Italy's The Great Beauty and Denmark's The Hunt are the frontrunners by default. The rest I'll have to read up on.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
“Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features) Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” (Paramount) Stephen Prouty
“The Lone Ranger” (Walt Disney) Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

My take: Fruitvale Station has zero, I repeat, zero nominations and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa is not only a nominee but the clear frontrunner in this category. Sometimes the Academy Award nominations baffle me.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
“The Book Thief” (20th Century Fox) John Williams
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Steven Price
“Her” (Warner Bros.) William Butler and Owen Pallett
“Philomena” (The Weinstein Company) Alexandre Desplat
“Saving Mr. Banks” (Walt Disney) Thomas Newman

My take: The legendary John Williams at age 81 scored his 44th nomination (beat that, Meryl Streep!) for best original score. He's only won 5 times. The scores for Gravity, Her and Saving Mr. Banks were my personal favorites this past year. Thomas Newman (son of Alfred Newman and cousin of Randy Newman) really needs to win one of these someday but I really do believe this one belongs to Steven Price.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone” (Enthuse Entertainment)
Music by Bruce Broughton Lyric by Dennis Spiegel
“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2” (Universal)
Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go” from “Frozen” (Walt Disney)
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“The Moon Song” from “Her” (Warner Bros.)
Music by Karen O Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (The Weinstein Company)
Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Lyric by Paul Hewson

My take: While I'm thrilled with the nominations of 'The Moon Song' from Her, 'Happy' from Despicable Me 2 and I'm guessing 'Ordinary Love' from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is really popular, 'Let It Go' from Frozen needs to win this category. Firstly because I'm dying to see incomparable Idina Menzel perform the song live and secondly, (this is very important), Robert Lopez is on EGOT watch! If he wins, he will have an Emmy (a Daytime Emmy but an Emmy nevertheless for The Wonder Pets),Tonys for Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon and a Grammy for The Book of Mormon. To experience an EGOT happening live in front of you is something else indeed.

ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
“American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
“The Great Gatsby” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Catherine Martin; Costume Design: Beverley Dunn
“Her” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight) Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

My take: My personal favorite here is the set and production design for Her, a futuristic world with muted, soft colors I could totally imagine myself in. The big 3 are again quite strong here but the visuals in The Great Gatsby were eye-popping extravagant and quite amazing.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“Feral”
Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
“Get a Horse!” (Walt Disney)
Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
“Mr. Hublot”
Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
“Possessions”
Shuhei Morita
“Room on the Broom”
Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

My take: The only one of these that I've seen is the startling Get a Horse! the rediscovered short from the Mouse House. It's time to watch some animated shorts!

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” (FREAK Independent Film Agency)
Esteban Crespo
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)”
Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
“Helium”
Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)”
Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
“The Voorman Problem”
Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

My take: Time to do some major homework. I don't recognize any of the shorts here.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
“All Is Lost” (Lionsgate & Roadside Attractions) Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
“Captain Phillips” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Oliver Tarney
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Glenn Freemantle
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (Warner Bros.) Brent Burge
“Lone Survivor” (Universal) Wylie Stateman

My take: I had system of figuring out these categories last year, I need to go back and find that again this year.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
“Captain Phillips” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (Warner Bros.) Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges,
“Inside Llewyn Davis” (CBS Films) Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
“Lone Survivor” (Universal) Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

My take: See above.

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (Warner Bros.) Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
“Iron Man 3” (Walt Disney) Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
“The Lone Ranger” (Walt Disney) Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
“Star Trek Into Darkness” (Paramount) Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

My take: A superhero, a hobbit, a lone ranger are up against two stories set in space. Like last year, there's a clear frontrunner here. Gravity is a definite lock.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Before Midnight” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by John Ridley
“The Wolf of Wall Street” (Paramount) Screenplay by Terence Winter

My take: All solid nominees here for adapted screenplay although this category does throw in some surprises now and again. I'd love to see the trio of Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke recognized for their intellectual 'Before' trilogy.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
“Blue Jasmine” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Woody Allen
“Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features) Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
“Her” (Warner Bros.) Written by Spike Jonze
“Nebraska” (Paramount) Written by Bob Nelson

My take: I'm incredibly biased here, I'm rooting for Spike Jonze's Her all the way and not considering anyone else.

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
“American Hustle” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
“Captain Phillips” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers
“Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features)
Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers
“Gravity” (Warner Bros.)
Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers
“Her” (Warner Bros.)
Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers
“Nebraska” (Paramount)
Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers
“Philomena” (The Weinstein Company)
Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers
“The Wolf of Wall Street” (Paramount)
Nominees to be determined

My take: Finally, we come to the big Kahuna. 9 pictures, one surprise nominee (Philomena, the lone Weinstein Company product), 3 frontrunners and 5 other pictures hoping to break through. This year, I've already seen 8 of the 9 nominees with Nebraska being the only one to watch from this list. This is a first for me.

Who will win? We'll find out all when the awards will be held on March 2, 2014 in a ceremony hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. I can't wait until then. Can you?

Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

On Wall Street, you have the bulls and the bears. And then there's Jordan Belfort. He needs a whole separate category unto himself that's explained in this grand opus of greed, excess and the single-minded pursuit of riches.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's fifth collaboration together, The Wolf of Wall Street, is yet another example of ambitious moviemaking. I don't think they'd have it any other way.  DiCaprio is Jordan Belfort, a young eager stockbroker ready to do whatever it takes to rise up the corporate ladder.   His first job at a major Wall Street firm with mentor Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey in a too-small role) doesn't last after the epic collapse on Black Monday in 1987. However, young Jordan manages to bounce back quite neatly when he stumbles upon a scheme of selling penny stocks for higher personal profits on Long Island. He's the lone shark amongst the fishes.

Belfort sees and seizes upon the potential the opportunity that has fallen in front of him. Along with his over-enthusiastic neighbor and partner Donnie Azoff (a hysterical Jonah Hill), he recruits these inexperienced suburbanites and turns them and himself into an established company with street-cred on Wall Street.  Behind the scenes, the crazy shenanigans are afoot and gluttony of every manner, sex, drugs, alcohol and hard cash, you name it, Jordan and his cohorts have tried and thrived on them.  I doubt they could survive a single day without them.   

But as they say, the higher you rise, the harder you fall. Belfort has built his company stealing from the poor and the rich and making himself and his partners wealthy.  He has no compunctions about it too which a lot of the audience might be turned off by but if not for Leonardo's superb and fearless lead performance, the film would collapse completely.  And in the hands of a lesser actors, the whole film would be off-putting.

Jonah Hill, who for the second year in row, has turned a stellar supporting performance (those pearly whites are startling, you won't be able to take your eyes off them!) with his portrayal of Belfort's right hand man.  The rest of the cast is just as good with Rob Reiner in his first acting job in 10 years, Margot Robbie as Jordan's second wife, Kyle Chandler as his nemesis from the FBI and a splendid cameo by director Spike Jonze (see if you can spot him!).

As usual, ace director Scorsese and his editor Thelma Schoonmaker continue to surprise us with their vivacity with each new film (Scorsese is 71 and Schoonmaker is 74).  I especially loved the soundtrack choices and editing cuts.  As I mentioned before, the content of the film might be off-putting or just too much for many but I suggest you watch The Wolf of Wall Street primarily for Leonardo DiCaprio, this is his one performance where everything is just laid out on the table, warts and all. Don't look away. 

Directed by Martin Scorsese; Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on the book by Jordan Belfort; Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto; Editing by Thelma Schoonmaker

Additional cast: Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean DuJardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti

Rating:

66th Directors Guild of America nominees announced!

With all the guilds announcing their nominations in the weeks leading up to the Oscar nominations, things are definitely getting interesting and hopefully a clearer picture is starting to emerging this awards season.  The Directors Guild of America announced their feature film nominees for 2014 and their prestigious list features three first time honorees, one with his second nomination and one living legend with his eleventh (yes, eleventh!).  Alfonso Cuarón, Paul Greengrass, Steve McQueen, David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese are all nominated for the 66th annual awards which will be given out on January 25th, 2014.  The ceremony will be hosted by actress Jane Lynch. 

Here are the nominees and their details:

ALFONSO CUARÓN - Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mr. Cuarón’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: David Siegel (Arizona Unit)
• First Assistant Directors: Josh Robertson, Stephen Hagen (Arizona Unit)
• Second Assistant Director: Ben Howard

This is Mr. Cuarón’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.


PAUL GREENGRASS - Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Mr. Greengrass’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Todd Lewis, Gregory Goodman
• First Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
• Second Assistant Directors: Nick Shuttleworth, Mark S. Constance

This is Mr. Greengrass’s first DGA Award nomination.


STEVE McQUEEN - 12 Years A Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Mr. McQueen’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager:  Anthony Katagas
• First Assistant Director: Doug Torres
• Second Assistant Director:  James Roque Jr.
• Second Second Assistant Director: Sherman Shelton Jr.
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Nathan Parker

This is Mr. McQueen’s first DGA Award nomination.


DAVID O. RUSSELL - American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Mr. Russell’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Managers: Shea Kammer, Mark Kamine
• First Assistant Director: Michele ‘Shelley’ Ziegler
• Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jason Fesel
• Location Managers: David Velasco, Guy Efrat (New York Unit)

This is Mr. Russell’s second DGA Award nomination.  He was previously nominated in this category for The Fighter in 2010.


MARTIN SCORSESE - The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)

Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Richard Baratta
• First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
• Second Assistant Director: Francisco Ortiz
• Second Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Scott Koche
• Location Manager: Nils Widboom

This is Mr. Scorsese’s eleventh DGA Award nomination.  He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed, and has also been nominated in that category for Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004) and Hugo (2011). Mr. Scorsese also won the DGA Award in 2010 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Television for Boardwalk Empire and he was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for George Harrison: Living in the Material World in 2011.  In 1999, Mr. Scorsese was presented with the Filmmaker Award at the inaugural DGA Honors Gala, and he was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

Movie Review: Hugo

After taking a requisite break from blogging after the Oscars, it's only fitting that my blog post back would be for Hugo.  The film was nominated for 11 Oscars and ended up winning 5 (and tying The Artist for wins) in the technical categories.  Having watched the film, it is easy to see why it did.

As everyone liked to point out in the weeks leading up to the film's release, Hugo is Martin Scorsese's first family film and many critics have rightly pointed out, his most personal ode to the movies.  Scorsese is known and famous for his gangster films such as Casino, Mean Streets, Goodfellas and The Departed for which he finally won the Best Director Oscar.  His films have a gritty realism to it with characters who inhabit them with many shades of grey.  Hugo, however, is unlike any other film he's ever made and I simply loved it and hope to see more of this "other" side of Scorsese.

The film opens in Paris, the opening sequence is quite astonishing; drawing us into Paris and the small world of the train station which Hugo Chabret (Asa Butterfield) calls home.  Hugo lives in the walls of the train station fixing and maintaining the various clocks.  He keeps an eye out for the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) who dislikes and carts away young orphans.  He steals small parts from different toys to fix an automaton found in a museum by his late father.  Hugo feels that the automaton is his last link to his father and wants to get it working again at any cost. 

However, one day, he is caught stealing a wind-up mouse at the toy store by the owner, Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley), who discovers his father's notebook of drawings of the automaton.  He confiscates the book and seems unsettled by it.  Hugo is distraught because this means he can't finish the automaton.  No matter of pleading works with Papa Georges either.  But he finds a sympathizer in Papa Georges' goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) who wants to help him out.  And thus begins their adventure into finding out the big clue to the automaton and its connection to Papa Georges.

Isabelle has a heart-shaped key which (surprise, surprise!) is the final key (pun intended) to making the automaton work.  The automaton comes to life and brings Hugo a message, an image of the moon with a bullet in his eye.  From there on, the film makes a reveal as to who Papa Georges really is and I'll allow you to find out his identity yourself.

After Isabelle and Hugo get the automaton working and help Papa Georges remember his past, those key moments are the strongest in the film.  Isabelle and Hugo make an adorable pair, both of them keen to have an adventure.  Hugo introduces Isabelle to the wonders of moving pictures and films and Isabelle brings Hugo to her sanctuary, the library filled with books of adventure.  They both have that wonder and awe that children have when you first discover a book you can't put down or see a film that changes your life and it consumes everything you think about after.

Scorsese captures the essence of how we first become movie buffs in the first place and it's his ode to preservation of older films which should be known to a newer generation of fans.  Because the current crop of movies owes a great debt to the innovations and techniques attempted by the pioneers.  Back when there was no color, each frame had to be painted painstakingly by hand and creating special illusions on film sometimes meant cutting the film to cover up the trick.  All this we take for granted and can easily be done with a few clicks on the computer but it's nice to show the younger generation that 'back in the day', you used your imagination to see how you could create this yourself by hand.

There is something about the movies, "the place where you get to see your dreams in the afternoon".  We've all had that moment.  I remember watching Jurassic Park in the cinema and that scene where they encounter the dinosaurs (Brachiosaurs to be more specific) for the first time.  And I recall getting goosebumps at the time because when I first read the book, it was exactly how I had pictured it in my mind.  I kept thinking, how did they know?  That connection with the movies is so well captured in Hugo and that is why it is so enchanting.  The movie has its pacing issues, it could have done with eliminating 20 minutes or so off its running time but the its final moments and the buildup are the true reason you should watch it.

Fun Fact: Did you know this movie was produced by Johnny Depp?

Directed by Martin Scorsese; Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the novel by Brian Selznick; Cinematography by Robert Richardson; Music by Howard Shore; Edited by Thelma Schoonamaker.

Also starring: Jude Law, Helen McCory, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour.

Rating:

BAFTA winners 2012

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held their 64th annual awards show this past Sunday.  I really like their telecast, it's never live as it usually gets broadcast 2 hours later and there's no silliness present just awards handed out.  Brilliant!  This year, Stephen Fry was back as host with his superfluous compliments to the presenters and the winners too.  The Artist won big with 7 awards and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy won for Best British film.  Formula 1 racing documentary Senna also won big with wins in Best Documentary and Editing.  And of course, Meryl Streep won for The Iron Lady for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher.  Martin Scorsese was also honored with the BAFTA's highest honor, the Fellowship award for his contribution to cinema.  The final Harry Potter surprised even me with a lone win in the visual effects category.  Finally!

Best Film

The Artist

Outstanding British Film

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Tyrannosaur, Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema

John Hurt

Film Not In The English Language

The Skin I Live In

Best Documentary

Senna

Best Animated Film

Rango

Best Director

The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius

Best Original Screenplay

The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius

Best Adapted Screenplay

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

Best Leading Actor

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Leading Actress

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Original Music

The Artist, Ludovic Bource

Best Cinematography

The Artist, Guillaume Schiffman

Best Editing

Senna, Gregers Sall, Chris King

Best Production Design

Hugo, Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

Best Costume Design

The Artist, Mark Bridges

Best Make Up & Hair

The Iron Lady, Marese Langan

Best Sound

Hugo, Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley

Best Special Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery

Best Short Film Animation

A Morning Stroll

Best Short Film

Pitch Black Heist

The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)

Adam Deacon

The Directors Guild Nominations

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has announced their list of the best director of the past year.  And they are...

• Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)
• David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)
• Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist (The Weinstein Company)
• Alexander Payne, The Descendants (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Martin Scorsese, Hugo (Paramount Pictures)

Pretty surprising not to see Steven Spielberg's name on the above short list.  He came out with two big movies in the last month.  But great to see two of the living legends of American cinema, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese still at it.  And a big hurray to David Fincher for making the list despite the not-so-promising box office stats.  One of these days, he is definitely going to win it.  This year, I feel it's a competition between The Artist and Hugo.

First Look On Set: Hugo Cabret

Martin Scorsese, the director comes to the set with a smile.

Chloe Moretz with Asa Butterfield as the titular Hugo Cabret

I don't think I've ever seen Sir Ben Kingsley so happy.  It's infectious.

A very sneak peek at the upcoming 3D feature by Martin Scorsese.  Nothing much to see here except happy people reporting to work.  This is what happens when you love what you do.  Bliss!

More photos can be found at the film's Facebook page.  Go and "like" it!

What I'm Thankful for: Movies Edition

There are many things in life I'm grateful for but I'm always grateful for good movies and great cinema.  It's got the power to cheer you up when you're down and distract you from life's everyday problems and transport you to someplace special.

A little late but still nevertheless, here's what I give thanks for this past year:

• Christopher Nolan and Inception: One of the finest directors working today, Nolan has moved into the auteur category.  He can open a big movie with his name alone, despite having big Hollywood actors in it. This summer's biggest blockbuster, Inception, proved that he is in a league of his own, demanding complete control of his film from Warner Brothers and for having an original script in a sea of sequels and remakes.  Inception was on everyone's lips this summer, how did they do that? How is that possible? Is that real? And how do I get my own totem? (Yeah, that was all me.) Inception is that rare film that keeps you wondering long after you've left the theater.  For my new movie obsession and favorite director, I'm grateful.  Up next, Batman 3 and the Superman reboot, we can't wait.

• How to Train Your Dragon: Why do I love this animated film so? Mainly because it's about two leads, a one-of-kind dragon named Toothless with behavioral issues and a young Viking apprentice named Hiccup with daddy issues.  This unlikely pair become the pride of the Viking village, Berk, and how they do it is the reason why How to Train Your Dragon is my favorite animated film this year.  This movie has what was lacking in previous DreamWorks films, heart!  And it is this fierce heart and an attitude that being different is not necessarily bad that makes this a top movie for kids to watch and enjoy.  Bonus: The soundtrack composed by John Powell is one of the best of year behind only to Inception. 

• Kathryn Bigelow: She broke the glass ceiling and how! Going up against the big juggernaut that was Avatar, the studio system and director, James Cameron, who was also her ex-husband, Bigelow took a gritty independent war movie called The Hurt Locker and turned it into the movie that Hollywood was talking about.  The winner of almost every major directing award (what were you thinking, Golden Globes?), Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar and an Director's Guild of America (DGA) award.  For all the little girls who grow up wanting to be behind the cameras rather than in front of it, that's an amazing achievement to look up to.

• Robert Downey Jr: Now this is some comeback story.  A decade ago, Robert Downey Jr. headlining his own True Hollywood Story about his very public addiction problems.  But today, he is a highly respected and sought after actor for so many projects.  There is no genre he can't do.  Comedy (Tropic Thunder, Due Date) to drama (Zodiac, The Soloist) to becoming the ultimate hero Iron Man and leading The Avengers and rebooting how many imagined Sherlock Holmes to be, this is an actor we should be thankful for.  More please!

• Clint Eastwood: He makes us all ashamed to be young and idle.  At 70, he is churning out film upon film per year as an actor, a director, a producer, and composer too.  His past few films have all been Oscar and award contenders and they keep showing us again and again, that his best is yet to come.  Simply amazing!  

• Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio: It's no secret that Leonardo is my favorite actor.  But when he pairs up with his favorite director, he pulls out a performance that's extraordinary.  Shutter Island, the most recent collaboration of Scorsese and Leo, was a masterful film of suspense and thrills.  It shows us once again why Scorsese is America's most legendary directors and why the pair of them always produce movie magic.   

December 2011: The busiest movie month?

Come next December 2011, I'm going to have to have start living on weekends at the movie theaters because it seems like every movie is releasing that very month.  At least the ones I want to see anyway.  Lets look at the evidence.

It's starts off with December 9th.  Martin Scorsese's Hugo Cabret is up first.  His first 3D venture is about a young boy, Hugo, who lives in a train station in 1930s Paris and has to solve a mystery surrounding his late father.  The cast includes Asa Butterfield as Hugo, Chole Moretz, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley and Christopher Lee.  I'm really looking forward to see how Scorsese tackles 3D.

It goes up against New Year's Eve, the followup to Valentine's Day.  It's just an excuse to see as many good-looking and famous actors in one film.  Gary Marshall will be back as director.

The weekend after that brings Mission Impossible 4 and Sherlock Holmes 2 on December 16th.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo comes out on December 21st.  Do you know how it's been since Daniel Craig has a release, I can't possibly wait that long?  December 23 belongs to Cameron Crowe's movie with Matt Damon, We Bought a Zoo, which sounds very promising and The Muppets are back on the screen on Christmas Day with Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

And finally, my very own dilemma on December 28th, which Steven Spielberg film to watch first?  Will it be War Horse, a WWI epic about a boy and his horse or The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.  Hate the title, though I can't wait to see the collaboration with Peter Jackson.  So long between releases and they both end up on the same day! How is that fair?

So there you have it.  This isn't counting the other films that have yet to decide their release dates but all I know is we'll be spoiled for choices unless the studios blink first and decide to change their release date.