oscar winners 2012

2 Ocak 2013 Çarşamba

Spirit Award Nominations 2013 | Independent Spirit Award Nominations

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The 2013 Independent Spirit Award Nominations are as follows:

Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild- Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn
Bernie - Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On - Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom - Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook -- Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon

Best Director
Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Julia Loktev- The Loneliest Planet
Ira Sachs -- Keep the Lights On
Benh Zeitlin -- Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Screenplay
Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs -- Keep the Lights On
Zoe Kazan -- Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh - Seven Psychopaths

Best First Feature
Fill the Void -- Director: Rama Burshtein; Producer: Assaf Amir
Gimme the Loot -- Director: Adam Leon; Producers: Dominic Buchanan, Natalie Difford, Jamund Washington
Safety Not Guaranteed -- Director: Colin Trevorrow; Producer: Derek Connolly, Stephanie Langhoff, Peter Saraf, Colin Trevorrow, MarcTurtletaub
Sound of My Voice -- Director: Zal Batmanglij; Producers: Brit Marling, Hans Ritter, Shelley Surpin
The Perks of Being a Wallfower -- Director: Stephen Chbosky; Producers: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith

Best First Screenplay
Rama Burshtein - Fill the Void Derek Connolly -- Safety Not Guaranteed
Christopher Ford -- Robot & Frank
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack -- Celeste and Jesse Forever
Jonathan Lisecki -- Gayby

John Cassavetes Award (given to best picture made for under $500K)
Breakfast with Curtis -- Writer/Director/Producer: Laura Colella
Middle of Nowhere -- Writer/Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay; Producers: Howard Barish, Paul Garnes
Mosquita y Mari -- Writer/Director: Aurora Guerrero; Producer: Chad Burris
Starlet -- Writer/Director: Sean Baker; Producers: Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Kevin Chinoy, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, FrancescaSilvestri
The Color Wheel -- Writer/Director/Producer: Alex Ross Perry; Writer: Carlen Altman Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith

Best Female Lead
Linda Cardinelli - Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi- Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhane Wallis -- Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead -- Smashed

Best Male Lead
Jack Black- Bernie
Bradley Cooper- Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes- The Sessions
Matthew McConaughey -- Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce -- Four
Thure Lindhardt -- Keep the Lights On

Best Supporting Female
Rosemarie DeWitt -- Your Sister's Sister
Ann Dowd -- Compliance
Helen Hunt -- The Sessions
Brit Marling -- Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussant -- Middle of Nowhere

Best Supporting Male
Matthew McConaughey -- Magic Mike
David Oyelowo -- Middle of Nowhere
Michael Pena -- End of Watch
Sam Rockwell -- Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis -- Moonrise Kingdom

Best Cinematography
Yoni Brook -- Valley of Saints
Lol Crawley -- Here
Ben Richardson -- Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov -- End of Watch
Robert Yeoman -- Moonrise Kingdom

Best Documentary
How to Survive a Plague -- Director: David France; Producers: David France, Howard Gertler
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present -- Director: Matthew Akers; Producers: Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre
The Central Park Five -- Directors/Producers: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
The Invisible War -- Director: Kirby Dick; Producers: Tanner King Barklow, Amy Ziering
The Waiting Room -- Director/Producer: Peter Nicks; Producers: Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch

Best International Film
Amour -- Director: Michael Haneke
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia -- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Rust and Bone -- Director: Jacques Audiard
Sister -- Director: Ursula Meier
War Witch -- Director: Kim Nguyen

Piaget Producers Award
Nobody Walks -- Producer: Alicia Van Couvering
Prince Avalanche -- Producer: Derrick Tseng
Stones in the Sun -- Producer: Mynette Louie
Someone to Watch Award
Pincus -- Director: David Fenster
Gimme the Loot -- Director: Adam Leon
Electrick Children -- Director: Rebecca Thomas

Truer Than Fiction Award
Leviathan -- Directors: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and VÃ©rÃ©na Paravel
The Waiting Room -- Director: Peter Nicks
Only the Young -- Directors: Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims
Robert Altman Award
Starlet -- Director: Sean Baker; Casting Director: Julia Kim; Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ransone

1 Ocak 2013 Salı

2012 Chicago Film Critics Nominations

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Scene from The Impossible, courtesy
of redcarpetcrash.com

Below are the nominees - my thoughts after the full list.

BEST PICTURE
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Lincoln
The Master
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck, Argo
Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Denis Lavant, Holy Motors
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jason Clarke, Zero Dark Thirty
Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Master
Emily Blunt, Looper
Judi Dench, Skyfall
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino
Looper by Rian Johnson
The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson
Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty by Mark Boal

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo by Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Lincoln by Tony Kushner
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Silver Linings Playbook by David O. Russell

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
Holy Motors
The Intouchables
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Rust & Bone

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Central Park Five
The Invisible War
The Queen of Versailles
Searching For Sugar Man
West of Memphis

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Secret World of Arrietty
Wreck-It Ralph

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln
Mihai Milaimare Jr., The Master
Roger Deakins, Skyfall
Greig Fraser, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Jonny Greenwood, The Master
Alexandre Desplat, Moonrise Kingdom
Alexandre Desplat, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ART DIRECTION
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom

BEST EDITING
Willian Goldenberg, Argo
Alexander Berner & Claus Wehlisch, Cloud Atlas
Leslie Jones & Peter McNulty, The Master
Stuart Baird, Skyfall
William Goldenberg & Dylan Tichenor, Zero Dark Thirty

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Samantha Barks, Les Miserables
Kara Hayward, Moonrise Kingdom
Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Tom Holland, The Impossible
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods
Nicholas Jarecki, Arbitrage
Colin Trevorrow, Safety Not Guaranteed
Benz Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

My Thoughts

This is the first time I've seen Once Upon a Time in Anatolia in the foreign film category. It's a shame - it's a great film.
Interesting to see Dench nominated for Skyfall, but not Javier Bardem.
I'm really fascinated by Holy Motors. It's a critical darling, but I doubt a guild will ever recognize it, specifically Levant's performance.
Same goes for The Master, which guilds don't seem to care about.
He doesn't get in here, but I don't think there's a chance Bradley Cooper isn't up for best actor.
Naomi Watts is making a pretty solid push in best actress. Golden Globe nomination and a few more of these, she may be in.

2012 Kansas City Film Critic Winners

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courtesy of timeinc.net

Here they are - my thoughts after the list.

Best Film
The Master

Robert Altman Award for Best Director
Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Best Supporting Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio, Argo

Best Original Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour (Austria/France)

Vince Koehler Award for Best Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Film
The Cabin in the Woods

Best Animated Film
Frankenweenie

Best Documentary
The Imposter

My Thoughts

Some jumps for The Master, which is on the fence right now for a nomination
Has there ever been a surer bet than Daniel Day-Lewis, at this point?
Again, animated film is going to be a highly contested race

2012 San Francisco Critics Awards

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Helen Hunt in "The Sessions" courtesy
of moviefanatic.com

San Fran comes in with more good news for PTA.

Best Picture - The Master
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Foreign Film - Amour
Best Actor - Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Best Actress - Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Best Supporting Actor - Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress - Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Best Original Screenplay - Zero Dark Thirty
Best Adapted Screenplay - Lincoln
Best Film Editing - Argo
Best Cinematography - Life of Pi
Best Production Design - Moonrise Kingdom
Best Animated Feature - ParaNorman
Best Documentary - The Waiting Room

My Thoughts

A nice bump for Riva, who is gaining ground fast
Surprise win for Phoenix - any time Day-Lewis doesn't win, it's strange
Another different winner for animated film
A nice win for Helen Hunt for a relatively small film
Documentary is going to be an interested race, too.

Life of Pi (2012)

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courtesy of hollywood.com

"The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself." - Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) in Castaway
Confabulation: to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication. My parents and brother are convinced I do this on a regular basis. I maintain that my memories are all real. Just because other people can't remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Besides, the stories I concoct in my mind are more interesting than my boring, mundane life. It's more exciting that way.

Based on Yann Martel's best selling novel, Life of Pi is a story told by main character Pi Patel as an adult (Irrfan Khan). He details a story that "will make you believe in God," where his family decides to sell their home and their zoo (and animals) to move from India to Canada so he and his siblings may have a better life. When the ship capsizes during a massive storm, the younger Pi (Suraj Sharma) finds himself the only survivor, floating in a rescue boat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and an adult Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (don't worry...the name gets explained). After expected bloodshed as a result of Richard Parker's hunger, Pi eventually finds himself alone on the boat with the jungle cat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where he must find a way to survive and keep from being his tiger's next meal.

Director Ang Lee has created what can only be described as a mix between Castaway and Big Fish. It takes the elements of solitude and mixes them with the excitement of storytelling. As a child, Pi is obsessed with religion of all kinds. He's born Hindu, but finds himself drawn to Christianity and other religions as he grows older. His father (Adil Hussain) is a man of science and reason, who discounts his son's obsession, wishing he would focus on more realistic endeavors. In the end, stuck on a boat with a Bengal tiger, Pi finds himself consulting the teachings his father bestowed upon him, while at the same time praying to a God he isn't sure is listening.

The entire film, as I said, is told by Pi as an adult to a writer (Rafe Spall) who has been sent to hopefully tell his story. He explains that when insurance adjusters asked him to explain how a cargo ship could sink and he detailed his story of survival, they balked at the epic tale. So, he told them a similar story that's much more realistic, much less magical, and much less "feel good." When all is said and done, does it really matter how the boat sunk? What's more important is how Pi survived and how he can frame his story into a tale of hope that can brighten the skies a little.

courtesy of nerdreactor.com

Life of Pi is tedious, at moments. Think about it - in a similar way that Castaway was a struggle to get through, this film follows the same flow. Unfortunately, Sharma is no Tom Hanks and lacks the type of charisma needed to make a performance like this work. It doesn't help that the entire film is narrated, which takes away a little bit of the mysticism. Somehow, while Pi is telling his own story, we are taken out of the surreal nature of the situation.

You can't dispel how absolutely gorgeous this film is, though. I'm not a big supporter of 3D, but the design and technical brilliance of the technology here was a great experience. The colors are spectacular, the ocean effects are vivid, and, while there are a few moments that feel a little too psychotropic, Lee and his team at least provide some breathtaking imagery to ease the lack of forward momentum in the story. Ang Lee's film is epic in scope and very ambitious, to say the least. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach the sort of life changing experience it is trying to be. It could have done so much to allow viewers to make decisions for themselves and interpret things in any way they want to. Instead, Life of Pi turns what is a tremendous story about determination and faith into an underdeveloped fairy tale that ends on a bit of a down note.

While it's the obvious overtone, I would hardly argue that Life of Pi is entirely about faith in a religious sense. While Pi turns to a number of different Gods at different points in his life (including on the boat), his story weaves in a way that more so restores a faith in man and an innate ability to be resourceful. Life of Pi is more about what we tell ourselves to believe. Some people choose to believe in God. Some choose to believe in a spiritual being that oversees the world. Some believe in numerous Gods spanning human history. And some believe that a young man can survive on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger. Whatever you need to help you get up in the morning should be good enough.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT: Possibly

The Onion AV Club's Best FIlms of 2012

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Scene from The Queen of Versailles
courtesy of realscreen.com

For the list with extra info, click here. My thoughts after the list.

20. I Wish
19. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
18. Miss Bala
17. Killer Joe
16. The Queen of Versailles
15. Only the Young
14. Lincoln
13. Life of Pi
12. Looper
11. The Cabin in the Woods
10. Wuthering Heights
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild
8. It's Such a Beautiful Day
7. Amour
6. The Loneliest Planet
5. The Deep Blue Sea
4. Holy Motors
3. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Zero Dark Thirty
1. The Master

My Thoughts

Again, The Master and Zero Dark Thirty go 1, 2. Critics don't vote for the Oscars, though.
I will admit that I haven't even heard of four of these movies. Always count of the AV Club to throw a wrench into the end year lists.
For a while, Rachel Weisz's performance in The Deep Blue Sea was an Oscar frontrunner. That's come and gone.
I'm hoping all the year end love for Looper gets it into the Original Screenplay list.