tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72741667239201973332024-03-14T09:07:07.005-04:00MATT AWARDSFollow The Academy Awards all year long!MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-18186361785352613632012-03-01T16:48:00.000-05:002012-03-01T16:48:01.792-05:00LET'S DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuevlsAZHEGw73tKtDDfH1qj-zx8exrn8eOMMmXx-vAtfh6gBCB1kA0EiRXL5tFcLxP1DUxlxCOSUI1UAvQEGecxB436reMHE9N5WTYKPkbrfyDMdT02NF4dfzWDtkrJJcUO9kv4rnmhqX/s1600/6217242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuevlsAZHEGw73tKtDDfH1qj-zx8exrn8eOMMmXx-vAtfh6gBCB1kA0EiRXL5tFcLxP1DUxlxCOSUI1UAvQEGecxB436reMHE9N5WTYKPkbrfyDMdT02NF4dfzWDtkrJJcUO9kv4rnmhqX/s320/6217242.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Now that the 2011 Oscar season is over I am going to take a few weeks to redesign MattAwards. I tried a few different things this year, but none of them really worked. There are a million Oscar blogs so I am going to work on making MattAwards a more go to place for Oscar predictions, must see movies and reviews. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback for me. I really appreciate Joe Burns and Tom for taking time to add comments.<br />
<br />
We have a lot to look forward this coming year and I already see a few contenders. Some of the most anticipated movies of the year are could also be Best Picture candidates:<br />
<br />
The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)<br />
Promethius (June 8)<br />
The Hobbit (December 14)<br />
Django Unchained (December 25)<br />
Lincoln (TBD)<br />
The Great Gatsby (December 25)<br />
<br />
I have already seen a few people predicting Lincoln as the Best Picture winner next year.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-87252271292525143652012-02-28T01:27:00.000-05:002012-02-28T01:27:42.985-05:00ACADEMY AWARD RATINGS UPThe ratings for The 84th Academy awards were up 4% from last year. 39.3 million people watched the Oscars ceremony, up from the 37.6 million in 2011. ABC said it was the second largest TV audience for the Academy Awards since 2007. Not bad considering most Americans have not seen or are interested in seeing The Artist.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-1500715967612070462012-02-27T12:07:00.000-05:002012-02-27T12:07:43.376-05:00BEST PICTURE PROFANITY REELLook at all of the cursing and insults in the Best Picture nominees. NSFW.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9B9EgHlxtlA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-32921812131700411522012-02-27T11:59:00.000-05:002012-02-27T11:59:53.189-05:00OSCAR TELECAST REVIEW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hsUuBDcyFhXwDlebUZA286yrbnG0S9gHv73PE_5-1uVoQiZjDGhywt4bSOY6dd1p5PUHPa7i6vxidUHo7juWEJ5QqieSkkJ3ELzUKAXuT0wie6c8PzMVg-7Qu1PAzK_h5y50afzOTvvD/s1600/billy-crystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hsUuBDcyFhXwDlebUZA286yrbnG0S9gHv73PE_5-1uVoQiZjDGhywt4bSOY6dd1p5PUHPa7i6vxidUHo7juWEJ5QqieSkkJ3ELzUKAXuT0wie6c8PzMVg-7Qu1PAzK_h5y50afzOTvvD/s400/billy-crystal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Last nights Oscar telecast was certainly geared toward an older audience. It had all of the ingredients; Billy Crystal, old people movie nominees, old actor nominees and and old fashioned musical opening number. If the AMPAS is trying to get a younger audience this year did not work out. Except for a 20 second shot of Justin Bieber. Which my 18 year old son said ruined the whole show. But the theme of the night was to honor old Hollywood most likely due to the above average amount of nominated films that honor original film making. I am 43 years old, so I do fall into the older demographic. The Academy voters themselves are at the average age of 62. That is probably the reason that I enjoyed the show for the most part. I have read other reviews written by younger writers who tore it apart. It was as safe as it could possibly be. Which I think is better than trying bits that usually fall flat. Last year was a great example of how trying new things doesn't always work. If they want a younger audience they need to start by voting in a more diverse group of voters. Not only that but, some of them have been Oscar voters most of their lives and this point are just voting for their friends.<br />
<br />
Billy Crystal was comfortable he moved the show along nicely avoiding any awkwardness. His usual opening montage of the movies was just alright. They avoided Extremely Loud and Incredibly close like the plague. You can't mock a movie about 9/11. Even in Crystal's singing montage he only mentioned Tom Hanks and not the movie. The singing number fell flat. I didn't recognize most of the songs and couldn't understand some of the lyrics. The sound for the entire show was bad. Many people on twitter were asking if it was just them. There was a weird noise heard in the background. The cirque du soleil performance was good, but probably better in person. One of the first winners was Octavia Spencer who was truly moved and could have had a great speech, but they cut her off. They never seem to cut off the boring acceptance speeches.<br />
<br />
All in all it moved quickly and while Crystal did a fine job after Chris Rock presenting for animated feature, I realized what a great host he would be and would appeal to a younger audience.<br />
<br />
MY GRADE: B-MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-45004014999189683022012-02-27T01:34:00.000-05:002012-02-27T01:34:52.841-05:00MY RESULTSLast year I picked 17 correct out of the 24 nominees for 71% correct.<br />
<br />
This year I predicted 18 out of the 24 nominees for 75%. I thought I would do better with such a predictable year, but there are always a few upsets.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Picture</b><br />
<b>The Artist</b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Actor</b><br />
<b>Jean Dujardin, The Artist</b><br />
<br />
Best Actress<br />
<strike>Viola Davis, The Help </strike>(actual: Meryl Streep)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor</b><br />
<b>Christopher Plummer, Beginners</b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress</b><br />
<b>Octavia Spencer, The Help</b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Director</b><br />
<b>Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay</b><br />
<b>Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay</b><br />
<b>Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, The Descendants</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Animated Feature</b><br />
<b>Rango</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film of the Year</b><br />
<b>A Separation (Iran)</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Original Score</b><br />
<b>The Artist, Ludovic Bource</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Original Song</b><br />
<b>Man or Muppet, The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Achievement in Art Direction</b><br />
<b>Hugo</b><br />
<br />
Best Achievement in Cinematography<br />
<strike>The Tree of Life</strike> (actual: Hugo)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Achievement in Costume Design</b><br />
<b>The Artist</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Documentary Feature</b><br />
<b>Undefeated</b><br />
<br />
Best Documentary Short Subject<br />
<strike>The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom</strike> (actual: Saving Face)<br />
<br />
Best Achievement in Film Editing<br />
<strike>The Artist</strike> (actual: Hugo)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Achievement in Makeup</b><br />
<b>The Iron Lady</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Animated Short Film</b><br />
<b>The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore</b><br />
<br />
Best Live Action Short Film<br />
<strike>Raju</strike> (actual: The Shore)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Achievement in Sound Editing</b><br />
<b>Hugo</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Achievement in Sound Mixing</b><br />
<b>Hugo</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Best Achievement in Visual Effects<br />
<strike>Rise of the Planet of the Apes</strike> (actual: Hugo)MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-17945914974193494982012-02-27T01:22:00.000-05:002012-02-27T01:22:09.699-05:002012 OSCAR WINNERS<b><u><br />
</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIX57jOqjjxODblMNWiW-AdxEJQzpCXSNrkD6ndlHILPZxtaJQSJIqb9HENDK7qBjx3ZYusZ4Bvojq9qvLf0rRZ85ZROGissVcM7txZr7MRshAv9TAmvArcpNWsUDHIXbH2C7J_d4YpMH/s1600/Academy-Awards-2010_20100307023052_640_480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIX57jOqjjxODblMNWiW-AdxEJQzpCXSNrkD6ndlHILPZxtaJQSJIqb9HENDK7qBjx3ZYusZ4Bvojq9qvLf0rRZ85ZROGissVcM7txZr7MRshAv9TAmvArcpNWsUDHIXbH2C7J_d4YpMH/s400/Academy-Awards-2010_20100307023052_640_480.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><b><u><br />
</u></b><br />
<u><b><br />
</b></u><br />
<u><b>Best Picture</b>: The Artist</u>-Everyone knew this was going to win Best Picture this year. It may not be the best film of 2011, but it really is amazing that a silent black and white movie can maintain enough support to get the votes. Making this movie was huge risk and could have been a disaster. The important people bought into it and rewarded it all season. The general public was not that interested and many complained about it's front runner status. So when you step back and stop comparing it to the other nominees, you have a pretty good piece of art. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Director</b>: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist</u>-He should be commended on telling a good story without words.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Actress</b>: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady</u>-Like most I was surprised at Streeps win. Even she was surprised. But when you consider that Meryl Streep carries the entire film herself and Viola Davis is technically in more of a supporting role, it makes sense.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Actor:</b> Jean Dujardin, The Artist</u>-No surprise. He was great in the role and the movie would not have worked without him. He played the character at just the right pace without over acting as the tendency might be in a silent role.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Supporting Actress</b>: Octavia Spencer, The Help</u>-No surprise and well deserved.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Supporting Actor</b>: Christopher Plummer, Beginners</u>-No surprise and well deserved. Oldest actor to ever win an Academy Award.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Original Screenplay</b>: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris</u>-No surprise. Funny how Woody has no desire to show up for awards shows.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Adapted Screenplay</b>: Alexander Payne & Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants-Great movie, great Screenplay. </u><br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Foreign Language Film:</b> Iran, A Separation</u>-No surprise and a well deserved win. I think we all learned a little more about Iran after seeing this movie.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Documentary Feature</b>: TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay & Richard Middlemas, Undefeated</u>-This was a tough category, but everyone who has seen Undefeated loved it.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Animated Feature</b>: Gore Verbinski, Rango</u>-No surprise, not much competition this year.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Cinematography</b>: Robert Richardson, Hugo</u>-Big surprise and I think Tree of Life should have won this one. Every frame in the first 20 minutes in Tree of Life could stand alone as a still shot and tell a story.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Film Editing</b>: Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</u>-Huge surprise that came out of nowhere.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Art Direction:</b> Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo, Hugo</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Costume Design</b>: Mark Bridges, The Artist</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Original Score</b>: Ludovic Bource, The Artist</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Sound Editing</b>: Philip Stockton & Eugene Gearty, Hugo</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Sound Mixing</b>: Tom Fleischman & John Midgley, Hugo</u><br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Visual Effects</b>: Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman & Alex Henning, Hugo</u>-This is the one place that they could have awarded Planet of the Apes, but you really can't beat Hugo's 3D.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Makeup</b>: Mark Coulier & J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Documentary Short: </b>Daniel Junge & Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Saving Face </u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Animated Short</b>: William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u><b>Best Live Action Short:</b> Terry George & Oorlagh George, The Shore</u><br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Original Song</b>: Bret McKenzie, Man or Muppet</u>-They had a 50/50 chance.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-55594365093118262542012-02-26T17:47:00.000-05:002012-02-26T17:47:25.528-05:00THE YEAR THAT WAS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQrJphzM8NOIQJuSclApPmROOKDY5J3TgEwJm6I_IQ9feiibjf0fdscjGP4z1dHGHtZ0e2v3mbF6oDw7UXr2i11V596heokiTtIH6JQ2jiOWxXmv7lp4NsZZ6GDre0hV6RBwW0jc8TRQY/s1600/lose-win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQrJphzM8NOIQJuSclApPmROOKDY5J3TgEwJm6I_IQ9feiibjf0fdscjGP4z1dHGHtZ0e2v3mbF6oDw7UXr2i11V596heokiTtIH6JQ2jiOWxXmv7lp4NsZZ6GDre0hV6RBwW0jc8TRQY/s320/lose-win.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
As we are hours away from knowing who is going to win this years Oscars, it is a good time to look back on this crazy year.<br />
After The Cannes Film Festival I asked if a black and white silent movie could win an Academy Award. I thought that it was a cool thought, but would not happen. Back then we thought Warhorse was a sure thing for a Best Picture nomination and the winner. How could Spielberg direct an Epic with so much anticipation and not win Best Picture or get a Directing nomination? Well it happened. We Bought a Zoo was greatly anticipated and fell flat. Everyone assumed J.Edgar would get a Best Picture nomination as well as Best Actor for Leonardo Dicaprio. How could he not? Well he didn't. We also predicted The Iron Lady as a Best Picture nominee but, the poor reviews pretty much counted it out. As usual, Meryl Streep stood the test of time and was rewarded with another nomination, but I don't think that she will win. Many predicted Nicolas Winding Refn as Best Director for Drive as well as a Best Picture nomination. That didn't happen. Remember when Micheal Fassbender was a shoe for a Best Actor nomination and nobody even knew who Demian Bichir was? We all were convinced that Tilda Swintion for We Need to Talk About Kevin was going get a nomination as well as Elizabeth Olsen and Kirstin Dunst. James Brooks was certainly going to win Best Supporting Actor. Best Supporting Actress was going to be Shailene Woodley or Cary Mulligan for Shame. Then surprise Summer hit The Help washed all of those away. Then Eddie Murphy was going to host and acted like he could care less. Brett Ratner was brought on to produce the show and said "rehearsal was for fags". Well the Oscar bosses don't really like that, so Ratner decided to quit. In a desperate attempt to save the show, Billy Crystal was brought back as an already successful Host.<br />
So it goes to show that I never really know what is going to happen. As I looked back I was frustrated at how many things I was convinced would happen and never did. I had to remind myself that it is not about getting things right, but about following a race that can change on a dime. Just enjoy the ride and hope that some day your favorite movie will win.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-44819087438634697422012-02-26T02:19:00.000-05:002012-02-26T02:19:15.089-05:00INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS 2012<b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqnapZtwnLSGzbU2GDbX7axCv-PhFpkDJ6U42jZjM1UK2AZSKyPHc9z077YPzIBeh3o_Jlx1EuVO3X-TvovWrtaGsq2zfIuES5e6BRS8ELydSjAaJ0TBK9h1Sqccuh44bHaHd3V7Oih-e/s1600/FISA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqnapZtwnLSGzbU2GDbX7axCv-PhFpkDJ6U42jZjM1UK2AZSKyPHc9z077YPzIBeh3o_Jlx1EuVO3X-TvovWrtaGsq2zfIuES5e6BRS8ELydSjAaJ0TBK9h1Sqccuh44bHaHd3V7Oih-e/s320/FISA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Usually the Spirit Awards Best Picture does not translate to the the Oscars Best Picture. This year will be the exception. The Artist's strength continues to be proven by winning 4 Spirit Awards. It was good to see a few Oscar snubs get some recognition like, Shailene Woodley, 50/50 and Margin Call. Still nothing for Melancholia, but I will get over it.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Best Film</b>: The Artist<br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist<br />
<b>Best First Feature:</b> Margin Call<br />
<b>John Cassavetes Award:</b> Pariah<br />
<b>Best Female Lead:</b> Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn<br />
<b>Best Male Lead Award:</b> Jean Dujardin, The Artist<br />
<b>Best Supporting Female Award:</b> Shailene Woodley, The Descendants<br />
<b>Best Supporting Male Award:</b> Christopher Plummer, Beginners<br />
<b>Best Screenplay</b>: The Descendants<br />
<b>Best First Screenplay</b>: 50/50<br />
<b>Best Cinematography</b> : The Artist<br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> The Interruptors<br />
<b>Best International Film</b>: A Separation<br />
<b>Piaget Producers Award:</b> Sophia Linn, Take Shelter<br />
<b>Someone to Watch Award</b>: Mark Jackson, Without<br />
<b>Truer Than Fiction Award</b>: Heather Courtney, Where Soldiers Come From<br />
<b>Robert Altman Awards</b>: Margin CallMATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-53649168821183662232012-02-25T12:44:00.000-05:002012-02-25T12:44:41.358-05:00OSCAR DOES NOT EQUAL CASH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tr0mh4qUifcuIXD5FHN3XnF4FU7M8bnK0UepqSTFt5PPSVpSgoGdu8iAsKiMD2sxRSpMlTnjduLEXOlJ1RYeSYEpw8Cqp4LHmGiT2nqvvf9NebZSI2HhI9jMesrWQWh75oMF_y6BpAOT/s1600/4032931516_c2a3ea941c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tr0mh4qUifcuIXD5FHN3XnF4FU7M8bnK0UepqSTFt5PPSVpSgoGdu8iAsKiMD2sxRSpMlTnjduLEXOlJ1RYeSYEpw8Cqp4LHmGiT2nqvvf9NebZSI2HhI9jMesrWQWh75oMF_y6BpAOT/s320/4032931516_c2a3ea941c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here is an interesting article from David Germain regarding Oscar nominees and their box office performance.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's a common complaint among movie fans — that the Academy Awards honors films no one has seen.</i><br />
<i>Not quite right, but closer to the mark this year than most.</i><br />
<i>For the first time in the three years since Oscar organizers expanded the best-picture category to more than five films, there's not a single blockbuster in the running. Billion-dollar worldwide hits such as "Avatar" and "Toy Story 3" have been in the best-picture mix the last two years, along with such huge smashes as "Up," ''Inception" and "The Blind Side."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The only contender this time that has made it to the $100 million mark domestically is the Deep South tale "The Help" at $169.7 million — big business for a drama with a heavily female audience.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>But the rest of the best-picture lineup ranges from a slim $13.3 million domestically for the family drama "The Tree of Life" to a modest $78.8 million for the World War I saga "War Horse" — one of the smallest audiences ever for a film from blockbuster maestro Steven Spielberg.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>It's not just studio bottom lines that are affected when Oscar films fail to catch fire at the box office. The Oscar show itself can suffer, since bigger TV audiences tend to tune in when enormous hits such as "Titanic" or "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" are in the thick of the awards race.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>As of last weekend, the domestic haul for this season's nine best-picture nominees totaled $595.6 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. That's less than half the business done by the 10 nominees a year ago and about a third of the revenues for the 10 contenders two years ago (the Oscars have only nine nominees this time because of a rule change requiring that films receive a certain percentage of first-place votes).</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The big hits of 2011 — "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon," ''The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1," ''The Hangover Part II" — just were not best-picture material.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"I think there is a disconnect, but then I think there's supposed to be a disconnect. It's not about what are the most popular films. It's the films deemed by the voting body to be the best pictures of the year," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Often times, what the academy thinks is a great movie isn't a movie a general audience wants to see."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Only four times in the last 30 years has the year's top-grossing film won best picture at the Oscars — 1988's "Rain Man," 1994's "Forrest Gump," 1997's "Titanic" and 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"The Hurt Locker" — domestic gross just $17 million — won best picture two years ago over "Avatar," which pulled in $760 million domestically and $2.8 billion worldwide.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Critical acclaim and commercial success merged last year as "The King's Speech" was crowned best picture, the Oscar attention helping it to a domestic take of $138.8 million, a fortune for an old-fashioned period drama.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Most of "The King's Speech" riches came after Oscar nominations were announced, the film packing in audiences in the wake of all the awards buzz.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>That's often been the great value of Oscar nominations for films that lack big marketing budgets. But this season, that usual bump at the box office has lost much of its bounce.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>George Clooney's family drama "The Descendants" fared the best, pulling in $24.3 million domestically since the nominations Jan. 24 to raise its total through last weekend to $75.6 million.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"We still have a movie out there that's in release, and we want to get people to see it," ''Descendants" producer Jim Burke said on nominations morning. "Frankly, these nominations help in that cause. We make what we call human films, and it requires word of mouth and people telling others to see it and critical response and audience reaction. It all helps. It all helps a lot."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The silent film "The Artist," which has 10 nominations and is favored to win best picture, would be one of the lowest-grossing winners ever, with $28.1 million through last weekend. The Oscar attention certainly has helped, though. A bit more than half of its box-office cash has come in since the nominations.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Martin Scorsese's Paris adventure "Hugo," which leads with 11 nominations, has had a so-so commercial run, padding its domestic dollars to $67.3 million, up $11.4 million since nominations day. Yet it has a timeless appeal that could keep it alive on video for the long haul.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"It seems to be a picture that plays to the entire family and plays for different ages," Scorsese said. "It might have a life more than a year or two. Maybe in the future people will still see it and get more out of it as they grow older."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>That's a key purpose of the Oscars — calling attention to films that deserve to live on for years to come, rather than those that put up big numbers over opening weekend.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Oscar attention can make all the difference for tiny films such as the Irish drama "Albert Nobbs," which went into general release the weekend after the nominations and has pulled in $2.4 million since, largely on the strength of acting honors for Glenn Close and Janet McTeer.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"We did this little film for love and almost no money, and now we're here walking up red carpets," McTeer said. "It means that more people are likely to see the film. When you've done a film for the love of the beast, it's very, very exciting. It's wonderful that more people might go and see it. That's why we do it, isn't it?"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>___</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Associated Press Entertainment Writers Derrik J. Lang and Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.</i>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-38268986002347772102012-02-25T12:37:00.000-05:002012-02-25T12:37:17.474-05:00AWARDS DAILY POSTS MattAwardsThanks to AwardsDaily. com for including my predictions on their website. My picks are not any different than the others, but I appreciate them including me.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.awardsdaily.com/Predictions/main.php" target="_blank">AWARDS DAILY READER PREDICTIONS</a>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-43649722592375179862012-02-24T00:20:00.000-05:002012-02-24T00:20:23.033-05:00MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2011Even though we are well into 2012, I have finally seen most of the big movies of 2011. Many say that it was a lousy year in movies, but when you start to create a list of your favorites you realize that it wasn't that bad. The problem is that some of best were not nominated. We all know that it is subjective, but I have yet to hear anyone say that The Artist was their FAVORITE movie of the year. None the less, The Artist will forever be the Best Picture of 2011.<br />
<br />
<u>My Top 10:</u><br />
1. <a href="http://www.mattawards.com/2011/12/melancholia-my-review.html" target="_blank">MELANCHOLIA</a><br />
2. HUGO<br />
3. <a href="http://www.mattawards.com/2011/08/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin.html" target="_blank">WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN</a><br />
4. <a href="http://www.mattawards.com/2011/10/drive-my-review.html" target="_blank">DRIVE</a><br />
5. A SEPARATION<br />
6. THE DESCENDANTS<br />
7. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE<br />
8. 50/50<br />
9. THE HELP<br />
10. BRIDESMAIDSMATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-85038572355641584802012-02-22T15:18:00.000-05:002012-02-22T15:18:36.844-05:00OSCARS WILL NOT BE AT KODAK THEATER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUIUz2nF4Yhnf2NHXkjHobnFxcSeUVnM67EfeWsU37aQRNEm7SDICzKPkDXjCIJn0HsE9hnvxPNZinMgwh0wOB7UybmsSxKsewg02h90K_AWSPykWM2rMqeFp33qOxRYKTvik2CQwsqbG/s1600/la_hw_kodak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUIUz2nF4Yhnf2NHXkjHobnFxcSeUVnM67EfeWsU37aQRNEm7SDICzKPkDXjCIJn0HsE9hnvxPNZinMgwh0wOB7UybmsSxKsewg02h90K_AWSPykWM2rMqeFp33qOxRYKTvik2CQwsqbG/s320/la_hw_kodak.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Academy Awards will be coming to you live from the same place — but with a different name.<br />
Oscar organizers have agreed to drop mentions of the Kodak Theatre from Sunday's broadcast. The move follows bankruptcy proceedings for Eastman Kodak Co., which has received court approval to end its expensive naming-rights deal for the venue that's been home to the awards show for a decade.<br />
In an interview aired Wednesday on KABC-TV in Los Angeles, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak said the show will refer to the venue as the Hollywood & Highland Center — after the retail and entertainment complex where the theater is located.<br />
Sherak says the complex's landlord had asked that Oscar organizers drop the Kodak Theatre name from the ceremony.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-59863237822107830582012-02-21T19:05:00.000-05:002012-02-21T19:05:10.247-05:001ST ANNUAL MattAwards OSCAR POOL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1wK0XwGj2dvED_SUW2gaqMbYC67VUpgvHwkUkgQqmWEKBHon0r_OaVvg_G34AjGx2BQsP1g1SCrfbd0k60z50g_dm_vFmkQwtgj6TcVVAVWXezbRG48kI_J3AJYv4qx1yr_dDZFbTscM/s1600/LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1wK0XwGj2dvED_SUW2gaqMbYC67VUpgvHwkUkgQqmWEKBHon0r_OaVvg_G34AjGx2BQsP1g1SCrfbd0k60z50g_dm_vFmkQwtgj6TcVVAVWXezbRG48kI_J3AJYv4qx1yr_dDZFbTscM/s400/LOGO.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
It is not too late to join the MattAwards Oscar Pool. See how well you match up with other readers!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.picktainment.com/group/mattawards/show" target="_blank">LINK TO MATTAWARDS OSCAR POOL</a>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-65697522629479799032012-02-21T01:42:00.000-05:002012-02-21T01:42:47.119-05:00MattAwards FINAL OSCAR PREDICTIONS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z7In7jFkqQ0I2ZiHzoHcJB59ogpuC1uTkWkKolLVo8lOE8fzH5GZ_eORdyLiWYjkUHgjLcw2rLNIejBFVTR3yLRzA3jq00C1UE3awHEkesPjWNtJHVO10Lm3oafiDcwP_7cc2kX1LIox/s1600/oscar_statue_close_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z7In7jFkqQ0I2ZiHzoHcJB59ogpuC1uTkWkKolLVo8lOE8fzH5GZ_eORdyLiWYjkUHgjLcw2rLNIejBFVTR3yLRzA3jq00C1UE3awHEkesPjWNtJHVO10Lm3oafiDcwP_7cc2kX1LIox/s320/oscar_statue_close_1.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
There are several ways to predict The Academy Awards. You can choose the movies that you wish would win, you can choose movies that will upset their categories or you can choose what the consensus agrees has the best shot at winning. Since my goal is to predict the most categories correctly, I am going with the consensus. My picks are what the majority of Oscar predictors, critics and my own opinion on how The Academy members will vote. <br />
Last year I predicted 17 out of the 24 categories for 71% correct. I am hoping to do a little better this year, but there are always a few upsets waiting in the wings. Feel free to comments on your own predictions!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Picture</u></b><br />
The Artist<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Actor</u></b><br />
Jean Dujardin, The Artist<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Actress</b></u><br />
Viola Davis, The Help<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Supporting Actor</u></b><br />
Christopher Plummer, Beginners<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Supporting Actress</u></b><br />
Octavia Spencer, The Help<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Director</u></b><br />
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Original Screenplay</u></b><br />
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Adapted Screenplay</u></b><br />
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, The Descendants<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Animated Feature</u></b><br />
Rango<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Best Foreign Language Film of the Year</b></u><br />
A Separation (Iran)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Original Score</u></b><br />
The Artist, Ludovic Bource<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Original Song</u></b><br />
Man or Muppet, The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Art Direction</u></b><br />
Hugo<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Cinematography</u></b><br />
The Tree of Life<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Costume Design</u></b><br />
The Artist<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Documentary Feature</u></b><br />
Undefeated<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Documentary Short Subject</u></b><br />
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Film Editing</u></b><br />
The Artist<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Makeup</u></b><br />
The Iron Lady<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Animated Short Film</u></b><br />
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Live Action Short Film</u></b><br />
Raju<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Sound Editing</u></b><br />
Hugo<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Sound Mixing</u></b><br />
Hugo<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Achievement in Visual Effects</u></b><br />
Rise of the Planet of the ApesMATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-32949014530956375032012-02-20T00:54:00.000-05:002012-02-20T00:54:09.698-05:00WGA AWARD WINNERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmrcsHgvvd1lr3zCJ54RKnAE3VVCjvgQuW14aVKzp0xyDlObxAluxgIGVPvnkRPUTkQAoGJDIalgxkJNuU17zgjrlYVt4mF_AwYB9IayKTIZDbOAewa1QvgmAoVH2AhKtppWTwDPEavSd/s1600/wga-awards-nominees-news-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmrcsHgvvd1lr3zCJ54RKnAE3VVCjvgQuW14aVKzp0xyDlObxAluxgIGVPvnkRPUTkQAoGJDIalgxkJNuU17zgjrlYVt4mF_AwYB9IayKTIZDbOAewa1QvgmAoVH2AhKtppWTwDPEavSd/s320/wga-awards-nominees-news-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The Writers Guild of America announced their winners on Sunday. Both of the wins for Adapted and Original Screenplay give Midnight in Paris and The Descendants a little bump closer to an Oscar win in those categories.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Original Screenplay</b>: Midnight in Paris<br />
<br />
<b>Adapted Screenplay</b>: The Descendants<br />
<br />
<b>Documentary Screenplay</b>: Better This World,<br />
<br />
<b>Paul Selvin Award</b>*: The Help, Written by Tate Taylor<br />
<i>Presented to that member whose script best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties which are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere</i>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-44114720846268356762012-02-19T12:37:00.000-05:002012-02-19T12:37:38.347-05:00BEST PICTURE MASH 2012Here is a great mash-up of the 9 Best Picture nominee:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/LLb_01RJTlg/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LLb_01RJTlg&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LLb_01RJTlg&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-55730739221105193292012-02-18T11:27:00.002-05:002012-02-18T11:27:33.698-05:00MY PREDICTIONSI have been working on my final Oscar predictions. I will post them on Sunday night.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-81380557625554701062012-02-15T11:08:00.002-05:002012-02-15T11:14:23.148-05:00BEST DOG IN A MOVIE<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUHIomaHjN3Jysuo-bwq9cgqenyi1WLYxSNTVxWHROliqN6dma8xHZ0xc-X9_9RkmguQtNafdi6pXs10N8kVTatBbvZqrCkn0yAD66tonZ0gXU8sHKcWQP2W84xfpwZxbrOjhjZfngbZH/s1600/uggie-335mk020712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUHIomaHjN3Jysuo-bwq9cgqenyi1WLYxSNTVxWHROliqN6dma8xHZ0xc-X9_9RkmguQtNafdi6pXs10N8kVTatBbvZqrCkn0yAD66tonZ0gXU8sHKcWQP2W84xfpwZxbrOjhjZfngbZH/s320/uggie-335mk020712.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>When <a href="http://www.mattawards.com/2012/02/hugo-vs-artist.html" target="_blank">The Artist</a> was first screened many of the critics asked if a dong could win an Academy Award. Uggie plays, believe it or not, a dog in The Artist that saves the day. Much like Lassie would. Uggie also starred in last years Water for Elephants. There was also the Doberman Pincer is Hugo, the Pomeranian in Young Adult, Skeletor in 50/50 and Arthur in Beginners. All of these dogs played roles that were pivotal to their films. So rather than try to get The Academy to honor these animals The Dog News Daily had their First Annual Golden Collar Awards.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>This year Uggie in The Artist won Best Dog in a Theatrical Film. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Here are the rest of the Golden Collar Winners:</div><div><br />
</div><div><div><b>Best Dog in a Foreign Film</b>: Koko from the Australian film "Red Dog,"</div><div><b>The Best Dog in a Television Series</b>: Brigitte from Modern Family.</div><div><b>Best Dog in a Reality Television Series </b>was a tie: Hercules from Pit Boss and Giggy from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Can't wait to predict next years winners.</div>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-17763122354486767612012-02-14T12:14:00.000-05:002012-02-14T12:14:54.995-05:00MOVIES SAY I LOVE YOU!Here is a great montage of "I love you" in the movies....HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/mCPZaX_foxU/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mCPZaX_foxU&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mCPZaX_foxU&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-32773280435065685632012-02-14T11:05:00.000-05:002012-02-14T11:05:17.479-05:00BAFTA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7YIqFPzcNAD48WCWdLQuSt4w-G5FvC38XJFHKvRTy1yTkrd8NOnnX2pEWZIfsMCPJ1WsvWFv-aZHfafmx_hvVv2DoeeWVEEcfXxcY_MuXCjrP3N0AfyVqp8o65qwo55jMM1B6l5uIgw3/s1600/bafta.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7YIqFPzcNAD48WCWdLQuSt4w-G5FvC38XJFHKvRTy1yTkrd8NOnnX2pEWZIfsMCPJ1WsvWFv-aZHfafmx_hvVv2DoeeWVEEcfXxcY_MuXCjrP3N0AfyVqp8o65qwo55jMM1B6l5uIgw3/s320/bafta.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
The British Academy Film Awards were held on Sunday. It pretty much told us what we already know. The Artist is the one to beat. It won 7 BAFTA's in all. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which had much more success overseas won Best British Film, but still could not compete with The Artist.<br />
<br />
Here is a look at my copy and paste skills....<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Film</b>: The Artist<br />
<b>Best Director</b> – Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)<br />
<b>Best Leading Actress</b> – Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)<br />
<b>Best Leading Actor</b> – Jean Dujardin (The Artist)<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress</b>: Octavia Spencer (The Help)<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor</b>: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)<br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay</b>: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan)<br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay</b>: The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)<br />
<b>Best British Fil</b>m: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy<br />
<b>Academy Fellowship</b>: Martin Scorsese<br />
<b>Best Animated Film</b>: Rango<br />
<b>Best Documentary</b>: Senna<br />
<b>Best Film not in the English Language</b>: The Skin I Live In<br />
<b>Production Design</b> – Hugo (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo)<br />
<b>Best Cinematography</b>: The Artist (Guillaume Schiffman)<br />
<b>Best Editing</b>: Senna (Gregers Sall, Chris King)<br />
<b>Best Original Music</b>: The Artist (Ludovic Bource)<br />
<b>Best Costume Design</b>: The Artist (Mark Bridges)<br />
<b>Best Sound:</b> Hugo (Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley)<br />
<b>Outstanding Debut</b>: Tyrannosaur<br />
<b>Best Visual Effects</b>: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2<br />
<b>Best Make Up & Hair</b> – The Iron Lady (Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan)<br />
<b>Best Short Film</b>: Pitch Black Heist<br />
<b>Best Short Animation</b>: A Morning Stroll<br />
<b>Outstanding Contribution To British Cinema</b>: John HurtMATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-44245975903649770692012-02-11T13:00:00.000-05:002012-02-11T13:00:18.937-05:00GO WATCH OSCAR NOMINEES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7vHrlYTOI6XQKdX1NovtnCvroiyCAuBPeXuesA4ziSmrkj9ehh1qj8ZxLCErzYsJP09aCpGWY0dxvg5rlsjiNGq7X89AlGAcBbGc6Sj16s1kSjeGF9G7Gxs9-batlIbe6YqVtehIqccf/s1600/channel_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7vHrlYTOI6XQKdX1NovtnCvroiyCAuBPeXuesA4ziSmrkj9ehh1qj8ZxLCErzYsJP09aCpGWY0dxvg5rlsjiNGq7X89AlGAcBbGc6Sj16s1kSjeGF9G7Gxs9-batlIbe6YqVtehIqccf/s320/channel_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Go Watch It is a cool site that lets you put movies you want to see in "Queue" and they will alert you as to when and where you can see them. I am not advertising this site, I just want to point out Roger Ebert's page has all of this years nominees on it. It is a great guide if you still want to see them before Oscar night.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://gowatchit.com/channels/roger-eberts-guide-to-watching-the-oscar-films" target="_blank">ROGER EBERT GO WATCH IT LINK</a>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-62453960009644315962012-02-10T11:40:00.000-05:002012-02-10T11:40:35.618-05:00BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS SUMMARY<b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OWx_b9FudTir7bdoRRenXsVPfcgdB2hBL2dpE59-q2bk21Izafx8LMTW7KxxpVNzQnvmJ0YvvfVf4FJKKqiQB55eF8qQenThLUYcD_oH6n273ZzwQSmnd-a4HJccwygx4mL4Fa46by99/s1600/67738914-30200428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OWx_b9FudTir7bdoRRenXsVPfcgdB2hBL2dpE59-q2bk21Izafx8LMTW7KxxpVNzQnvmJ0YvvfVf4FJKKqiQB55eF8qQenThLUYcD_oH6n273ZzwQSmnd-a4HJccwygx4mL4Fa46by99/s400/67738914-30200428.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Bérénice Bejo, The Artist-</b>Certainly great in The Artist, but it is going to be tough to beat Octavia Spencer.<br />
<br />
<b>Jessica Chastain, The Help-</b>This nomination is probably to recognize her work in all of the movies she was in last year, The Tree of Life, Take Shelter and Coriolanus. She just doesn't have enough recognition from previous awards to win this year.<br />
<br />
<b>Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids-</b>It is great to see her nominated and I am sure that is what they were thinking. She won a few precursor awards, but does not have a chance getting a Best Actress Academy Award.<br />
<br />
<b>Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs-</b>Any time an actress plays a man they move to front of the Oscar nomination line. Plus some think that she is well overdo for a nomination to represent all of her work. But that is all it will be a nomination.<br />
<br />
<b>Octavia Spencer, The Help-</b>She will go home with the Oscar this year. I don't know many that disagree. She won the SAG and the Golden Globe as well as 10 other critics awards.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-20426886684279207522012-02-08T12:35:00.000-05:002012-02-08T12:35:54.705-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xOD0QbszIS5rFnGUQ_YIyXl_Tfb4kViDFpxlFs7xWK35WugAW0eIjc-5QzixxekcsThfFXMwX1ZxmkF4bMjQqyEwYHAAoSyLDMW29EC0bUm-uF9YSddAIpZ0-7YlfPheDJZZYBl5One4/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xOD0QbszIS5rFnGUQ_YIyXl_Tfb4kViDFpxlFs7xWK35WugAW0eIjc-5QzixxekcsThfFXMwX1ZxmkF4bMjQqyEwYHAAoSyLDMW29EC0bUm-uF9YSddAIpZ0-7YlfPheDJZZYBl5One4/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the winners of its Awards last night. The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.<br />
The film winners usually go on to win the Oscar in the effects categories. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Inception, Avatar were 3 recent VES winners that went on to receive an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Good news for Planet of the Apes for winning the top prize this year.<br />
<br />
The Reelz Channel will air the ceremony on February 19th.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Rise of the Planet of the Apes:Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Cyndi Ochs, Kurt Williams<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Hugo: Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning, Rob Legato, Karen Murphy<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Rango: Tim Alexander, Hal Hickel, Jacqui Lopez, Katie Lynch<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project</b><br />
Transformers the Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle: Lori Arnold, Yanick Dusseault, Delio Tramontozzi, Jeff White<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Caesar: Daniel Barrett, Florian Fernandez, Matthew Muntean, Eric Reynolds<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Rango – Rango: Frank Gravatt, Kevin Martel, Brian Paik, Steve Walton<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 155 Wacker Drive: Giles Hancock, John Hanson, Tom Martinek, Scott Younkin<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Rango - Main Street Dirt: John Bell, Polly Ing, Martin Murphy, Russell Paul<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Hugo: Martin Chamney, Rob Legato, Adam Watkins, Fabio Zangla<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Rango – The Dirt Saloon: Colin Benoit, Philippe Rebours, Nelson Sepulveda, Nick Walker<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Driller: Tim Brakensiek, Kelvin Chu, David Fogler, Rene Garcia<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture</b><br />
Captain America: The First Avenger – Skinny Steve: Casey Allen, Trent Claus, Brian Hajek, Cliff WelshMATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-17255888047760173662012-02-07T11:58:00.000-05:002012-02-07T11:58:56.058-05:00OSCAR LUNCHEONHere is the class photo of this years Oscar Luncheon where all of the nominees gather to create some excitement for Oscar night.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7IlqZ1vDOG_VCZQA9ucvC9rbiIHOOJgFFbuNTgTrfrGWD92nHNrce66RvdkzHkkGawxw04JmInEitoGzxxA6oJW7pZGp-1RI5dP442XdMzbe-HKSRHHC28AyhvTuDtIVlddAZPwcsSFj/s1600/oscar-nominees-luncheon-2012_1500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7IlqZ1vDOG_VCZQA9ucvC9rbiIHOOJgFFbuNTgTrfrGWD92nHNrce66RvdkzHkkGawxw04JmInEitoGzxxA6oJW7pZGp-1RI5dP442XdMzbe-HKSRHHC28AyhvTuDtIVlddAZPwcsSFj/s400/oscar-nominees-luncheon-2012_1500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7274166723920197333.post-59851080932781978412012-02-05T16:08:00.000-05:002012-02-05T16:08:01.361-05:00BEST ACTRESS SUMMARY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOECyjBmyBZqXjgmX3LHaRBzGraVC0n-kQFzvCvWhRXCgJkSI08cEj_KZ2D5QHKZDuWnivq0m8ixkbKVCKAlmfbJANn-uwQmN5jMiqG0NX-NJzYv6JhbxZ-QjiYlSm8EmZzvNq-p18htZO/s1600/80655780-27155431.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOECyjBmyBZqXjgmX3LHaRBzGraVC0n-kQFzvCvWhRXCgJkSI08cEj_KZ2D5QHKZDuWnivq0m8ixkbKVCKAlmfbJANn-uwQmN5jMiqG0NX-NJzYv6JhbxZ-QjiYlSm8EmZzvNq-p18htZO/s400/80655780-27155431.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The Best Actress race is one of the few categories that could go in one direction or another. It obviouslt has come down to Viola Davis or Meryl Streep. After Streeps' Golden Globe win it looked as though she could get the Oscar, but then Davis won the SAG. SAG is a much better Best Actress indicator than The Globes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs</b>-She has been in the mix all year. Albert Nobbs was not a very good film, but any time an actor portrays the opposite sex they seem to get a nomination.<br />
<br />
<b>Viola Davis, The Help</b>-I am leaning toward Davis getting the Oscar this year. The Help swept the SAG's and everyone loved her speech. As with Dijuardin I think that they want to see Viola Davis win Best Actress. The first and last black actress Academy Awards was won by Halle Berry for Monster's Ball in 2001.<br />
<br />
<b>Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</b>-There is usually a new up and comer nominated in this category. Rooney Mara was a surprise because Dragon Tattoo has not won many of the critics awards leading up. She has many many years to win another time.<br />
<br />
<b>Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady</b>-Certainly the runner-up. While The Iron Lady was flawed, her performance was great. Streep wins everything and we know that she is a great actress. It is time for someone else this year.<br />
<br />
<b>Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn</b>-She is one of the best actresses we have today. Again, My Week with Marilyn is not a perfect film, but her portrayal as Monroe is unbelievable. I am happy to see her get a nomination. Williams was not even aware that the nominations were being announced when she heard the news. She learned from a friend on the phone.MATT'S OSCARS PAGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01178511491921696510noreply@blogger.com1