Tuesday, November 29, 2011

INDIE SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS



The Indie Spirit Awards nominations were also announced today:


BEST FEATURE
50/50
 Beginners
 Drive
 Take Shelter
 The Artist
 The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Mike Mills (Beginners)
Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Lauren Ambrose (Think of Me)
Rachael Harris (Natural Selection)
Adepero Oduye (Pariah)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

BEST MALE LEAD
Demián Bichir (A Better Life)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Ryan Gosling (Drive)
Woody Harrelson (Rampart)
Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)
Anjelica Huston (50/50)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs"
Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road)
Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Albert Brooks (Drive)
John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
John C. Reilly (Cedar Rapids)
Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joseph Cedar (Footnote)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Tom McCarthy (Win Win)
Mike Mills (Beginners)
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (The Descendants)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joel Hodge (Bellflower)
Benjamin Kasulke (The Off Hours)
Darius Khondji (Midnight in Paris)
Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
Jeffrey Waldron (The Dynamiter)

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Another Earth
 In the Family
 Margin Call
 Martha Marcy May Marlene
 Natural Selection

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Mike Cahill (Brit Marling Another Earth)
J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)
Patrick deWitt (Terri)
Phil Johnston (Cedar Rapids)
Will Reiser (50/50)

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (best feature under $500,000)
 Bellflower
 Circumstance
 Hello Lonesome"
 Pariah
 The Dynamiter Writer

BEST DOCUMENTARY 
  An African Election
 Bill Cunningham New York
 The Interrupters
 The Redemption of General Butt Naked
 We Were Here

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
 A Separation
 Melancholia
 Shame
 The Kid With a Bike
 Tyrannosaur


It is good to see some of the better movies from the first of the year in the list like, WIN WIN and CEDAR RAPIDS. How quickly these get forgotten.

BEGINNERS is getting a lot of attention the last few days.

More nominations for THE ARTIST.

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE WINNERS



Today the New York Film Critic Circle winners were announced via Twitter. They changed the date as early as they could to be the first ones out of the gate. It was delayed a day so that THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO could be screened., which didn't make a difference in the end. It is a shame that EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE was not finished in time to be considered. How about we wait until Christmas to start awarding movies for the year? That way nobody needs to rush a final cut or be left out all together. They are supposed to be the best critically acclaimed movies of the YEAR, not of the first 10 months. But, enough about that. Here is the list of today's winners:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Best Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball
Best Actor: Brad Pitt for Moneyball, and Tree of Life
Best Actress: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for Drive
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain for Tree of Life, The Help and Take Shelter
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for Tree of Life
Best First Feature: Margin Call
Best Documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Critics everywhere love THE ARTIST. It is well on it's way to a Best Picture nomination and maybe even a win. It could also be this years THE SOCIAL NETWORK where it won every major critic award and not Best Picture.

This also keeps MONEYBALL and TREE OF LIFE in the game. I seemed like both were fizzling out, but this win will keep the momentum.

I am disappointed that THE DESCENDANTS was shut out, but it is still way early in the game.

GOTHAM AWARD WINNERS



The Gotham Award winners were announced last night. This is the first of many movie awards to come in the next few month. There were plenty of surprises which furthermore confirms a crazy award season ahead.

For the first time in Gotham Award History there was a tie for Best Feature between THE TREE OF LIFE AND BEGINNERS. BEGINNERS had a little bit of Oscar buzz, but it's win for Best Feature and Best Ensemble (over the Descendants?) gives it more legs.

I thought for sure Elizabeth Olsen would win Breakthrough Actor. Felicity Jones is a surprise considering the mixed reviews from LIKE CRAZY.

Best Documentary was not THE INTERRUPTERS and not in the running for a Best Doc. Oscar. This is a surprise to many. 

Last years winner for Best Feature was WINTER'S BONE which went on to be nominated for Best Picture.

Here is a list of the winners:


BEST FEATURE
**The Tree of Life
**Beginners
The Descendants
Meek's Cutoff
Take Shelter

BEST ENSEMBLE
**Beginners
The Descendants
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Margin Call
Take Shelter

BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
**Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road)
Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Jacob Wysocki (Terri)

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
Mike Cahill (Another Earth)
Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Vera Farmiga (Higher Ground)
Evan Glodell (Bellflower)
**Dee Rees (Pariah)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Bill Cunningham New York
 *Better This World
 Hell and Back Again
 The Interrupters
 The Woodmans

BEST FILM NOT PLAYING AT A THEATER NEAR YOU
 Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
 Green
 The Redemption of General Butt Naked
 *Scenes of a Crime
 Without

Later today the Independent Spirit Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle announce their nominations.

Monday, November 28, 2011

WEEKEND WRAP UP

GONE WITH THE WIND called and wants their shot back.


Here are a few notes from the Holiday weekend...

*No surprise, BREAKING DAWN won the box office weekend with $42 million, THE MUPPETS were in 2nd place. Oscar Contender HUGO came in 5th, J. EDGAR was down 16% to come in 10th place.

*Lots of WAR HORSE drama this weekend on the internets. It was screened for many of the critics over the weekend. Everyone seems to have a love or hate it reaction. Kris Tapley and Jeff Wells, both Oscar bloggers, went back and forth on it's Best Picture chances. Kris says absolutely, while Jeff can't believe anyone would think  "a sugary, caramel-covered, Hallmark greeting card" could win. The question is will it or should it? Yes WAR HORSE is very in your face and manipulative. Some of it could even be called cheesy. The scenes with the duck are a little over the top and the last shot of the movie is a little much, but the question is will The Academy vote for WAR HORSE as their number one film of the year? I think that it has too many flaws, but it also has all of the ingredients of Best Picture 6 years ago. The last few years more grittier films have won like THE DEPARTED, CRASH and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. No doubt the WAR HORSE debate will continue.

*THE DESCENDANTS and MY WEEK WITH MARILYN opened in more theaters this weekend. Both have received mostly positive reviews. I did see THE DESCENDANTS this weekend and I will post my thoughts tomorrow.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

THE ARTIST



A few months ago I asked if a silent, black and white film could win an Oscar for Best Picture. As the months have passed, more and more critics are screening it. The reviews have been great. The New York Times called it  “dazzling cinematic object d’art”. The key word is art. I think that the cinephiles will love it for its movie making achievements. As I remind you all of the time, I am not a blogger that gets to see advance screenings, so I have to go by word of mouth for now. But the trailer really showcases some incredable movie making.  It appears that THE ARTIST will play great in art house cinemas across the country. But will the average person who goes to the theater maybe 5 times a year spend a night to go see a silent, black and white 4:3 movie?  In this day when special effects and loud crashes are everything it seems like a tough sell. To that point it is right up the Academy's alley. THE ARTIST is a perfect fit for the old conservative Oscar voters.

It also has the Weinstein factor. They know how to promote a movie for The Academy. Rumor has it that Harvey Weinstein told Jean Dujardin, who plays the lead, to be available October through February to promote himself and THE ARTIST for an Oscar win. Dujardin speaks very little english, so he may have some obstacles promoting in it the US. If I were Harvey I would have Dujardin do all of the promotion in silence. What a better way to show off his talent and get the attention of the voters than to do it without saying a word. Either way he will most likely get a Best Actor nomination.

I predict THE ARTIST gets a nomination, but not the win. I am still going with THE DESCENDANTS as Best Picture.

Friday, November 25, 2011

CRITICS VS. THE ACADEMY



The Academy voters have always been thought of as the old stuffy crowd who are influenced by the wining and dining from the studios(The Academy has limited the parties this year). It all makes it into  a popularity contest where the best is not really voted for. The critics are known to vote with their heart and choose the better films. The Academy tends to vote for the obvious "Oscar bait" movies. Last year was a great example. All three major critic awards, National Board of Review, Los Angeles and New York critics chose THE SOCIAL NETWORK as Best Picture, but THE KING'S SPEECH won the Oscar. SOCIAL NETWORK really is the better movie, but THE KING'S SPEECH has all of the Oscar ingredients.THE SOCIAL NETWORK is a lot more hip than THE KING'S SPEECH. Most years though the winners of the most critic awards go on to get Oscar nominations.

 Some critics say that they don't have any influence on the Oscars and don't want any part of their decisions. In reality they have a huge influence. There is no better way to keep a film in the race than giving it a critic award. Many Oscar contenders will fall off the map this year when they don't get any love from the critics. As Sasha Stone points out, what better way to promote your film than to have "Winner of New York Film Critic Award" in the ad. So like it or not, the critics are important to the Oscar race.

There are 2 stories to tell each year. The Academy side shows us how a film is being promoted and what their chances are of getting votes. Sometimes votes depend on how well an actor or director are liked in the industry, their entire body of work, how well it was promoted and sometimes how well it did at the box office.  Then there is the critics side that tell us the real reviews of the films.  Every critic has a top 10 list of the year, which often don't match the nominations. 

I always try to tell both sides of the story, but it often gets muddy. The best does not always win. The best way to sum it up is a quote by Scott Feinberg. He pointed out that Hillary Swank had more Oscar statues than Meryl Streep!!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE




The New York Film Critics are announcing their nominations November 29th via Twitter. It was previously going to be November 28th, but they needed one more day to screen THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Which brings up a problem with the early awards. EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE will not be screened until December 3rd. This will knock it's chances out of getting any NYFC nominations. This effort to be the first one out of the gate will no doubt leave out films that would otherwise be considered. What is the rush? Being first is not always better.


Saturday, November 19, 2011

DOCUMENTARY SHORT LIST



15 documentaries made the list for possible nominations. 124 films qualified and it is now narrowed down to 15. Some of the top contenders were left off of the list, like SENNA who was pushing hard for a nomination. THE INTERRUPTERS, PAGE ONE and most surprisingly INTO THE ABYSS. I had predicted ABYSS as the winner. I guess I need to rethink this one. Here is the list of the 15 eligible docs:

Battle for Brooklyn
Bill Cunningham New York
Buck
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Jane’s Journey
The Loving Story
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Project Nim
Semper Fi: Always Faithful
Sing Your Song
Undefeated
Under Fire: Journalists in Combat
We Were Here (this one seems the most popular of the bunch)

Friday, November 18, 2011

BREAKING DAWN WEEKEND



This weekend is all about THE TWILIGHT SAGA:BREAKING DAWN PART 1. It is going to kill at the box office despite bad reviews. It is predicted to do a whopping $150 million this weekend. It probably won't get any Oscar nominations, but it will get plenty of MTV Movie Awards, like Best Pregnant Vampire In A Leading Role?  All it takes is a popular franchise to make a ton of money. HAPPY FEET 2 also comes out this weekend. Another movie for kids that will perform very well.


This weekend also begins the slow releases of many of the Oscar contenders. They usually begin in NY and LA, go to limited release and then slowly move to theaters across the country. THE DESCENDANTS (my pick for Best picture this year) was released Wednesday in limited theaters. It grossed $39,777 in 5 theaters on Wednesday. It expands to 29 theaters today with a prediction of  $1.6 million for the weekend. Not to worry, once word of mouth hits and more people see it will be on it's way to a Best Picture win. If you happen to see it please post your review in the comments section.

MORE IRON LADY



Apparently a few Oscar bloggers were able to see a screening of IRON LADY this week. I am not one of those bloggers yet. I still have to see my movies like the commoners at a movie theater. Anyway the word is that Meryl Streep lives up to the hype as well as the movie itself. As of right now Meryl Streep is the front runner for the Best Actress win.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

THE IRON LADY


Meryl Streep unveiled the poster for THE IRON LADY this week. Paul Lynch says Streep's performance is "astonishing and all but flawless".  For a better past of the year Streep has been the front runner for the Best Actress win for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher fans may find her portrayal not so flattering. I read that the film shows Thatcher as forgetful and "a little crazy". Regardless of the fact that people need to lighten up and look at a film objectively and really realize how Streep portrays Thatcher brilliantly. An actress that can change her eyes just enough to look exactly like Thatcher is pretty amazing. She can play Julia Child and Margaret Thatcher 100% convincingly without making it a caricature of them. She has the record as having the most nominated actress in history with 16. She has only won twice (Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie's Choice). The odds are that this will be her third win.

The poster above has a release date of January 6th, but it is being released in NY and LA December 30th just in time to qualify for this year.

Monday, November 14, 2011

J. EDGAR DISAPPOINTMENT


J. EDGAR grossed around $11.5 million for the weekend. While it was in somewhat of a limited release (1,910 theaters) it came in a disappointing 5th place. The reviews have been mixed and with a Rotten Tomato's score of only 40% it's Oscar chances have faded. Leonardo Dicaprio's performance seems to be the only highlight. He still has a chance at a Best Actor nomination, but don't look for J. EDGAR in the Best Picture category.

p.s. Adam Sandler's JACK AND JILL has a Rotten Tomato score of 3%, but still made $26 million!  As long as they are making money, Sandler will continue to make horrible movies.

Friday, November 11, 2011

BILLY CRYSTAL IN



 It's official, Billy Crystal will be hosting this years Academy awards. Not exactly a draw for a younger crowd like they would like, but he really is the best for the job.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

BRIAN GRAZER IN



Brian Grazer has been named as the new producer of the Oscars. Now the search is on for a host. I have heard The Muppets, John Stewart, Neil Patrick Harris, but I think everyone agrees that Billy Crystal needs to come back.


AMPAS Press Release Announcing the Producer Swap of 2012
“Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work,” said Sherak. “He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars®.”
“I am thrilled to welcome Brian Grazer as my partner and that we will be collaborating to produce an outstanding show,” echoed Mischer.
“It’s very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career,” said Grazer. “Don is a legend, and I am excited to work with him.”

BEST PICTURE CONTENDERS




Now that most of the Best Picture contenders have been seen. Still waiting on EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, THE IRON LADY and a few others, but I will start to narrow down the list for each category. First is Best Picture:

THE DESCENDANTS: This one is currently the front runner to win it all. It finally arrives in theaters November 16th. It continues to gain momentum.

THE ARTIST: Will probably be more popular with the real movie buffs and more of an art house film. The general public may have a hard time embracing a black and white silent film. The Academy voters will embrace it.

-TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY: Reviews have been mostly positive, but it may be too quiet of a film to get a Best Picture nomination. Look for Gary Oldman in the Best Actor category.

-WAR HORSE: A little worried about this making the cut. Too much "Oscar bait" could be a bad thing.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE: Still being worked on and has not been seen. Oscar buzz has been with this movie all year. Will know more after reviews come in.

-MIDNIGHT IN PARIS: Probably a nomination, definitely not a win.

-THE TREE OF LIFE: Remember 5% of all Academy voter have to choose a film as their pic for the best picture of the year to be considered. Not sure if it will get enough votes.

-J. EDGAR: Has had some pretty bad reviews. Currently a MetaCritic score of 60 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 43% (ouch). This one is all about DiCaprio's performance. He will get a Best Actor nomination. It may get a make-up nomination.

-MONEYBALL: Has progressively lost its buzz, but if there are 8 or more nominations it could make the cut.

-THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: I have a feeling that this will be too edgy for the Academy.

-THE HELP: Yep

-DRIVE: My favorite movie of the year so far. Too many others disagree.

-THE IRON LADY: The debut was pushed back to December 30th. Wow that's late. All about Meryl Streeps performance. Its the female J.EDGAR.

-HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS PT. 1: It was the highest grossing film of the year. A nomination would be good way to honor the last of a huge franchise.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

MURPHY OUT!



Eddie Murphy decided to join Brett Ratner and resign from hosting the Oscars. I don't think Murphy wanted to do it all that much and was looking for the first opportunity to get out. It is certainly not a great loss. Murphy previously admitted he would be a lousy host. Rumor has it that Ratner was already behind in production and things were moving slowly.

Let's start this whole thing over!

RATNER OUT!



Beverly Hills, CA – This morning, Brett Ratner submitted his resignation as a producer of the 84th annual Academy Awards to Academy President Tom Sherak. Ratner then issued an open letter to the entertainment industry in which he explained his decision. “He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself,” Sherak said. “Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent.”


Well there you have it!! " Stupid is as stupid does"

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

SOME NOTES.....

A few things have happened in the last few days:



*J. EDGAR was screened several times in the last week. The word on the street is mixed. Reviews for the movie as a whole haven't been great, but Leonardo Dicaprios performance is thought to be worthy of a Best Actor nomination and pssibly a win. Some are questioning the quality of "aging" make-up". Clint Eastwood did not want to CGI the older Edgar, but used mak-up to age him. I am not a fan of aging make-up it always looks fake. I will judge for myself when I see it.



*HUGO was screened with mostly positive reviews, but I am not ssure that will be enough for a Best Picture nomination, but maybe some techincal awards.


*Bret Ratner continues to put his foot in his mouth. As this years Producer of the very conservative Oscar group he better calm down. He had to apologize for saying that "rehearsals are for fags". He had to clear up a story he told about Micheal Jackson taunting a homeless man when they were hanging out. He recently did an interview on Howard Stern discussing his sexual experiences, how big his balls are, were he likes to ejaculate, etc. None of this is a big deal unless you are producing the Oscars! Many are asking for his resignation from the job.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

18 animated films will compete for Best animated feature this year. According to The Academy the number of nominees depends on the number of submissions:

All submissions sent to the Academy will be screened by the Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee(s). After the screenings, the committee(s) will vote by secret ballot to nominate from 2 to 5 motion pictures for this award. In any year in which 8 to 12 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, either 2 or 3 motion pictures may be nominated. In any year in which 13 to 15 films are released, a maximum of 4 motion pictures may be nominated. In any year in which 16 or more animated features are released, a maximum of 5 motion pictures may be nominated.  

With that being said there are 18 submissions this year, so there will be 5 Beast animated feature nominations. Here is a list of the submitted animated movies:                   

The Adventures of Tintin
Alois Nebel
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Gnomeo & Juliet
Happy Feet Two
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
Kung Fu Panda 2
Mars Needs Moms
Puss in Boots
Rango
Rio
The Smurfs
Winnie the Pooh
Wrinkles

I think in the end it will come down to RIO or RANGO.

Friday, November 4, 2011

WAR HORSE REVIEW


As mentioned in the previous post I attended a screening of WAR HORSE on Wednesday night. This has been one of the most anticipated movies of the year. You really can't get a feel for how a film will preform during awards season until critics and bloggers review the movie.



Going in I did not have any preconceived notions about the story of WAR HORSE. I knew that it was a huge hit on Broadway and I had seen the movie trailer.  The trailer pretty much tells us that a lovable horse runs through some war stuff. During the first 30 minutes of the movie I wanted to hang myself.  The first act looked like some of the worst "green screen" I have ever seen. The lighting was harsh and uneven.  I am pretty sure Helen Keller edited the first part. There is a weird zoom into the mother' hands while she is knitting that dissolves to a running horse. The effect is so cheesy that I think I heard a few people chuckle. I will toss this up to the possibility that this was not the final cut and hopefully it will be cleaned up before it's release. Also, the story line and script in the first act are so predictable I readied myself for a big disappointment. But then it all changed. After the agonizing story of WAR HORSE being raised we begin to meet other characters who lives cross with this horse. It is here that we see the real Spielberg. We see various stories about people that have come into contact with this horse. One of the stories involving two brothers fighting in the war is way too long and goes off in an odd direction, but the others are very well done. The scenes from the war are Spielberg at his best.



In summary WAR HORSE is a very good film. With some cleaning up it can even be a great film. Yes there are some flaws in the story and some of them may be it's down fall. Sure it is text book "Oscar bait" which could turn off some people but, if the audience goes in with an open mind they will feel like they just witnessed a classic. Look for it December 25th.

MY GRADE: A-

Thursday, November 3, 2011

WAR HORSE SCREENING




Thanks to Sasha Stone at Awards Daily I was tipped off to an early screening of WAR HORSE in my area. WAR HORSE has been the most anticipated movie of the year and nobody had seen it yet. Everyone had WAR HORSE in their Best Picture top 10 due to nothing other than the Spielberg factor. In other words you don't have to see it to know Spielberg will make an Oscar movie. WAR HORSE has not been shown to critics or screened at any film festivals, so many have been waiting to see how this movies rates.

I printed my ticket from the website for a screening in Plymouth Meeting, PA which was one of seven cities hosting a showing. I had my doubts that it was real or that I would even be able to get in. I do nothing but read critics and other bloggers who get to see movies first. I thought maybe this would be my chance to be one of those people.  I drove the hour and twenty minutes to the theater not knowing what to expect. When I arrived there was a line forming in an otherwise empty movie theater lobby. So I guessed this was for real. We were all told that no recording devices were aloud and before entering everyone was wanded and their bags searched. I was lucky enough to get in before the theater filled up. Some audience members had notepads for note taking and you could spot the real critics because they all had novels with them to read. Obviously from years of waiting in line for a screening and passing the time with no cell phone.  Someone asked us to please gather at the end of the screening to tell them what we thought. The movie began promptly at 7:30 with a 146 minutes running time. I will post my review later today, but I am curious as to why Dreamworks decided to screen WAR HORSE this way. My ticket stated that it was a "word of mouth" screening. But was it because their confidence was low and didn't want the big critics to trash it yet or was it just a way to build momentum?  The movie definitely needs some trimming, so I am anxious to see if the movie is edited more before it's December 25th release date. My full review is coming today.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM NOMINATIONS




Some people may not care about the British Independent Film nomination, but for now it is all we have to help us narrow down Oscar nominations. All of the various film awards leading up to The Academy Awards show which movies have legs to continue on. A lot of movies that have Oscar potential now will fade away in the next few months. It is good to see WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN getting so many nominations. Many critics are skeptical about it getting any Oscar nominations. This nomination can only help. The same goes for SHAME. The winners will be announced December 4th.  Here is the list of British Independent Film nominations:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
SENNA
SHAME
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
TYRANNOSAUR
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Wheatley – KILL LIST
Steve McQueen – SHAME
Tomas Alfredson – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Paddy Considine – TYRANNOSAUR
Lynne Ramsay – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Joe Cornish – ATTACK THE BLOCK
Ralph Fiennes – CORIOLANUS
John Michael McDonagh – THE GUARD
Richard Ayoade – SUBMARINE
Paddy Considine – TYRANNOSAUR

BEST SCREENPLAY
John Michael McDonagh – THE GUARD
Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump – KILL LIST
Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen – SHAME
Richard Ayoade – SUBMARINE
Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST ACTRESS
Rebecca Hall – THE AWAKENING
Mia Wasikowska – JANE EYRE
MyAnna Buring – KILL LIST
Olivia Colman – TYRANNOSAUR
Tilda Swinton – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST ACTOR
Brendan Gleeson – THE GUARD
Neil Maskell – KILL LIST
Michael Fassbender – SHAME
Gary Oldman – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Peter Mullan – TYRANNOSAUR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Felicity Jones – ALBATROSS
Vanessa Redgrave – CORIOLANUS
Carey Mulligan – SHAME
Sally Hawkins – SUBMARINE
Kathy Burke – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Smiley – KILL LIST
Tom Hardy – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Benedict Cumberbatch – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Eddie Marsan – TYRANNOSAUR
Ezra Miller – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Jessica Brown Findlay – ALBATROSS
John Boyega – ATTACK THE BLOCK
Craig Roberts – SUBMARINE
Yasmin Paige – SUBMARINE
Tom Cullen – WEEKEND

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
KILL LIST
TYRANNOSAUR
WEEKEND
WILD BILL
YOU INSTEAD

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Chris King, Gregers Sall – Editing – SENNA
Sean Bobbitt – Cinematography – SHAME
Joe Walker – Editing – SHAME
Maria Djurkovic – Production Design – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Seamus McGarvey – Cinematography – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST DOCUMENTARY
HELL AND BACK AGAIN
LIFE IN A DAY
PROJECT NIM
SENNA
TT3D: CLOSER TO THE EDGE

BEST BRITISH SHORT
0507
CHALK
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
RITE
ROUGH SKIN

BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM
ANIMAL KINGDOM
DRIVE
PINA
A SEPARATION
THE SKIN I LIVE IN

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
ACTS OF GODFREY
BLACK POND
HOLLOW
LEAVING BAGHDAD
A THOUSAND KISSES DEEP