Writer's Guild Award Winners 2013!

PGA, SAG, DGA and now WGA.  That's a clean sweep of the guilds for Argo.  Can anyone derail the Argo train? My Magic 8 ball says 'Don't count on it.' There are some great movies out there but this really has become Argo's year.  Zero Dark Thirty also pick up an award for Original Screenplay for writer Mark Boal.  I really do hope it doesn't get shut out at the Oscars.  That would be a shame.

Here are the complete film winners:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Zero Dark Thirty (Sony/Columbia Pictures), Written by Mark Boal

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo (Warner Bros Pictures) – Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendjelloul; Sony Pictures Classics

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

Screen Actors Guild 2012 Nominees announced!

They're here.  The shortest awards show (thankfully) also known as The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominees for 2012.  Here are the lucky nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper (“Pat”) - Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Daniel Day-Lewis (“Abraham Lincoln”) – Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)
John Hawkes (“Mark”) - The Sessions (Fox Searchlight)
Hugh Jackman (“Jean Valjean”) - Les Misérables (Universal Pictures)
Denzel Washington (“Whip Whitaker”) – Flight (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain (“Maya”) – Zero Dark Thirty (Columbia Pictures)
Marion Cotillard (“Stephanie”) – Rust and Bone (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jennifer Lawrence (“Tiffany”) – Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Helen Mirren (“Alma Reville”) – Hitchcock (Fox Searchlight)
Naomi Watts (“Maria”) - The Impossible (Summit Entertainment)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin (“Lester Siegel”) – Argo (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Javier Bardem (“Silva”) – “SKYFALL” (Columbia Pictures)
Robert De Niro (“Pat, Sr.”) – Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Lancaster Dodd”) – The Master (The Weinstein Company)
Tommy Lee Jones (“Thaddeus Stevens”) - Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Sally Field (“Mary Todd Lincoln”) - Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)
Anne Hathaway (“Fantine”) – Les Misérables (Universal Pictures)
Helen Hunt (“Cheryl”) – The Sessions (Fox Searchlight)
Nicole Kidman (“Charlotte Bless”) – The Paperboy (Millennium Entertainment)
Maggie Smith (“Muriel Donnelly”) - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Bourne Legacy
The Dark Knight Rises
Les Misérables
Skyfall

Surprises? Skyfall and the seniors over The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel broke through!  Beasts of the Southern Wild wasn't eligible for this as the actors weren't from the SAG union so it is a bit of a bummer.  This award is a huge boost to any movie's campaign.  The rest are all the usual suspects, Lincoln, Les Miserables, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook.  Though I am surprised not to see the cast of Zero Dark Thirty nominated for Ensemble.  I personally think the leading actor category is spot on.  All five actors are the major contenders for the Academy Awards as well.  Your thoughts?

National Board of Review 2012 Award Winners

The National Board of Review presents its picks of the best of 2012 from the over 250 films that they viewed this year.  On top of the list is Zero Dark Thirty with wins for best picture, director and best actress as well.  I'm so pleased to see Looper's screenplay get a well deserved win for Rian Johnson.  A big hurrah for the sic-fi genre.  

Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Best Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd, Compliance

Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson, Looper

Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: Ben Affleck, Argo

Breakthrough Actor: Tom Holland, The Impossible

Breakthrough Actress: Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Directorial Debut: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

Best Documentary: Searching for Sugarman

William K. Everson Film History Award: 50 Years of Bond Films

Best Ensemble: Les Miserables

Spotlight Award: John Goodman (Argo, Flight, Paranorman, Trouble with the Curve)

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Central Park Five

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Promised Land

Top Films (in alphabetical order)

ARGO

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

DJANGO UNCHAINED

LES MISÉRABLES

LINCOLN

LOOPER

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

PROMISED LAND

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK



Top 5 Foreign Language Films (In Alphabetical Order)

BARBARA

THE INTOUCHABLES

THE KID WITH A BIKE

NO

WAR WITCH



Top 5 Documentaries (In Alphabetical Order)

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY

DETROPIA

THE GATEKEEPERS

THE INVISIBLE WAR

ONLY THE YOUNG



Top 10 Independent Films (In Alphabetical Order)

ARBITRAGE

BERNIE

COMPLIANCE

END OF WATCH

HELLO I MUST BE GOING

LITTLE BIRDS

MOONRISE KINGDOM

ON THE ROAD

QUARTET

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

New York Film Critics Circle 2012 Winners!

The first of the Critics awards to be announced are from the New York Film Critics Circle with their pick for the best of 2012.  Here are the winners!

• Best Picture: Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Screenplay: Tony Kushner, Lincoln
• Best Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field, Lincoln
• Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Bernie/Magic Mike
• Best Cinematographer: Greig Fraser, Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Animated Film: Frankenweenie
• Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary): The Central Park Five
• Best Foreign Film: Amour
• Best First Film: David France, How To Survive a Plague

And it looks like Zero Dark Thirty has grabbed first momentum with a pair of impressive wins for Best Picture and Director.  How long do you think this is going to last?

3 New Trailers: Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained and Hitchcock

The competition at next year's Oscars is going to be fierce.  Just look at the movies that will be going up against each other.  Among them is Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, a behind-the-scenes look at the top secret stealth mission to capture (at any cost) Osama Bin Laden that shocked the world.  The movie features actors Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, Chris Pratt and Edgar Ramirez.  Will Bigelow be able to recapture the success of her last film, The Hurt Locker?  Judging by the second trailer released, it looks like extremely interesting with a solid cast of very good actors.  The curiosity factor about the mission might just get the film nominated.  The film is out December 19th in the US just in time for the nominations announcement in early January.

The second trailer of Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated Django Unchained shows more of the partnership between Django (Jamie Foxx) and the bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and them going up against Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) who has Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). After a long time, DiCaprio is in an anti-hero role.  Could this possibly get him the Oscar after being nominated for it thrice already? He'll face competition from his own cast which also features Samuel L Jackson, Jonah Hill and Don Johnson. Django Unchained opens on Christmas day in the USA and around the rest of the world in January.

And finally, we have Hitchcock, the film about a man "obsessed with murder.'  With a pair of Oscar winners, Anthony Hopkins (virtually unrecognizable) and Helen Mirren play the legendary director and his wife Alma during the making of one of his most famous films, Psycho. I feel this could be hit or miss at the Oscar, it might have a shot at the acting awards but I don't whether it can be nominated for Best Picture against all the other heavyweights which are also due to release in December, like The Hobbit, Lincoln, etc. But it all depends on what number of films ends being nominated for Best Picture. Hitchcock releases late November in USA.