I was tempted to just post this article on Tuesday, because this week has been HUGE for Oscar news. Three categories shortlisted and the first of the critics’ awards dropped; that’s a lot to cover.
New York Film Critics Circle Announce 2012 Awards
I wrote more on the Oscar chances for all of these movies now that the NYFCC has had their say at a new blog called The Artifice. Just know that “Zero Dark Thirty” is now the movie to beat, McConaughey and Weisz have earned a new life, and “The Master” is facing an increasingly uphill battle at a nomination. (via nyfcc.com) UPDATE: Turns out the movies that do not appear on this list didn’t do as badly as everyone expected. The NYFCC has a complicated ballot voting system to determine winners in each category, and this year just about every category was taken to multiple rounds of voting to determine a consensus, proving that 2012 has a wide array of great movies with supporters in every camp. In fact, “Lincoln,” which performed so handsomely here, actually placed fourth on the overall ballot for Best Picture, behind “The Master” and “Moonrise Kingdom.” (via J. Hoberman)
Best Picture: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Best Screenplay: Tony Kushner – Lincoln
Best Actress: Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field – Lincoln
Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey – Bernie, Magic Mike
Best Cinematographer: Greig Fraser – Zero Dark Thirty
Best Animated Film: Frankenweenie
Best Non-Fiction Film: The Central Park Five
Best Foreign Film: Amour
Best First Film: David France – How to Survive a Plague
Documentary Feature category shortlisted
Maybe normal people think it’s crazy that documentaries, of all things, could make some movie buffs so up in arms. And yet that is the case every year when the Documentary Branch of the Academy announces their shortlist. Now granted, last year these people snubbed Werner Herzog, Errol Morris and Steve James, so it was unlikely there was going to be even greater fervor this year. But, despite me having seen only a handful, the number of films I’ve heard of on this list of 15 and the number still absent speak to how great a year it’s been for documentaries. All this despite the branch’s head Michael Moore instating new rules, such as the requirement to get your movie screened in New York and L.A. and reviewed by The New York Times. Here’s the list: (via Oscars.com)
“Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”
“Bully”
“Chasing Ice”
“Detropia”
“Ethel”
“5 Broken Cameras”
“The Gatekeepers”
“The House I Live In”
“How to Survive a Plague”
“The Imposter”
“The Invisible War”
“Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God”
“Searching for Sugar Man”
“This is Not a Film”
“The Waiting Room”
So missing from this list is “The Central Park Five,” which if you were paying attention above just won the NYFCC honors, “West of Memphis,” “The Queen of Versailles,” “Paul Williams Still Alive,” “Marley,” “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” “Samsara” and “Marina Ambrovic: The Artist is Present,” which, admittedly, could be a short list all its own. This list of 15 could be a lot worse than it is, and the few that have been snubbed won’t have any trouble getting seen. This is me trying to not get too angry.
Visual Effects category shortlisted
The Academy announced on Thursday the list of 10 potential nominees in the Visual Effects category. The full list is below: (via Oscars.com)
“The Amazing Spider-Man”
“Cloud Atlas”
“The Dark Knight Rises”
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
“John Carter”
“Life of Pi”
“Marvel’s The Avengers”
“Prometheus”
“Skyfall”
“Snow White and the Huntsman”
You’ll immediately notice the snub of “The Impossible,” which has an unbelievably lifelike depiction of a tsunami hitting Thailand. My guess is that “The Impossible’s” sequence, while dazzling, is just a small part of an otherwise effects free movie, thus paving the way instead for these 10 gargantuan Hollywood blockbusters. “Snow White,” “John Carter” and “Spider-Man” may all be surprises, but more pleasant surprises would’ve been something like “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “The Grey,” “The Cabin in the Woods,” “Looper,” “Flight” or even “Chronicle” from way back in February.
Best Live Action Short Film Category shortlisted
This may come as a shock, but the Live Action short category is actually news! The news here is that the shortlist has a record 11 films on it due to a tie in the voting. That won’t mean any more or less nominees, still anywhere from three to five, but it’s something. The only names you’ll recognize however are Ron and Bryce Dallas Howard for their short film “when you find me.” Good luck seeing any of these. (via Oscars.com)
“A Fábrica (The Factory),” Aly Muritiba, director (Grafo Audiovisual)
“Asad,” Bryan Buckley, director, and Mino Jarjoura, producer (Hungry Man)
“Buzkashi Boys,” Sam French, director, and Ariel Nasr, producer (Afghan Film Project)
“Curfew,” Shawn Christensen, director (Fuzzy Logic Pictures)
“Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw),” Tom Van Avermaet, director, and Ellen De Waele, producer (Serendipity Films)
“Henry,” Yan England, director (Yan England)
“Kiruna-Kigali,” Goran Kapetanovic, director (Hepp Film AB)
“The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars,” Silvia Bizio and Paola Porrini Bisson, producers (Oh! Pen LLC)
“9meter,” Anders Walther, director, and Tivi Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions A/S)
“Salar,” Nicholas Greene, director, and Julie Buck, producer (Nicholas Greene)
“when you find me,” Ron Howard, executive producer, and Bryce Dallas Howard, director (Freestyle Picture Company)
“Amour” sweeps European Film Awards
It isn’t so often a Palme D’Or winner can actually devour every other award its up for. “Amour” won Best European Picture, Director for Michael Haneke, Actor for Jean-Louis Trintignant and Actress for Emmanuelle Riva. That’s why this is increasingly looking like an even bigger Oscar contender than some are predicting. For what it’s worth, Haneke has already won Best Director for both “The White Ribbon” and “Cache.” (via Indiewire)
Week 7 Predictions
Best Picture
Front Runners
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Argo
Life of Pi
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdrom
Probables
Skyfall
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Amour
The Master
Flight
Long Shots
Hitchcock
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
The Sessions
Promised Land
The Impossible
The Hobbit
Rust and Bone
Can I now just call the “probables” category the “long shots” and the “long shots” “prayers?” “Hitchcock” is not that special, nor is “Anna Karenina,” which I had already lopped off last week. “ZDT” and “Lincoln” move to the top of the heap, but that will likely change. Still waiting on “Django.”
Best Actor
Front Runners
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Denzel Washington – Flight
Probables
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Anthony Hopkins – Hitchcock
Matt Damon – Promised Land
Jean-Louis Trintignant – Amour
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Long Shots
Suraj Sharma – Life of Pi
Richard Gere – Arbitrage
Jamie Foxx – Django Unchained
Jake Gyllenhaal – End of Watch
Bill Murray – Hyde Park on Hudson
Jack Black – Bernie
Denis Lavant – Holy Motors
Best Actress
Front Runners
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren – Hitchcock
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Probables
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Judi Dench – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Keira Knightley – Anna Karenina
Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Smashed
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Long Shots
Anne Hathaway – The Dark Knight Rises
Meryl Streep – Hope Springs
Maggie Smith – Quartet
Best Supporting Actor
Front Runners
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Alan Arkin – Argo
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook
Leonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained
Probables
Matthew McConnaughey – Magic Mike/Bernie
Eddie Redmayne – Les Miserables
Russell Crowe – Les Miserables
Samuel L. Jackson – Django Unchained
Javier Bardem – Skyfall
John Goodman – Argo/Flight
Irrfan Kahn – Life of Pi
Jim Broadbent – Cloud Atlas
Long Shots
Jude Law – Anna Karenina
William H. Macy – The Sessions
Chris Tucker – Silver Linings Playbook
Tom Holland – The Impossible
Aaron Paul – Smashed
Omar Sy – The Intouchables
Dwight Henry – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Supporting Actress
Front Runners
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Amy Adams – The Master
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Maggie Smith – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Probables
Amanda Seyfried – Les Miserables
Helena Bonham Carter – Les Miserables
Judi Dench – Skyfall
Jackie Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Kelly Reilly – Flight
Long Shots
Frances McDormand – Promised Land
Kerry Washington – Django Unchained
Shirley MacClaine – Bernie
Directing
Front Runners
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Ben Affleck – Argo
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Tom Hooper – Les Miserables
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Probables
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master
Michael Haneke – Amour
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Long Shots
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Juan Antonio Bayona – The Impossible
Robert Zemeckis – Flight
Ooh boy. Bigelow could be on her way to another historic Oscar. So who’s out? O. Russell maybe, but Lee could be on the chopping block as well, as could Spielberg, who has been recognized so many times and forgotten just as many.
Best Original Screenplay
Front Runners
Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson
Amour – Michael Haneke
Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal
Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino
Probables
The Intouchables – Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
Flight – John Gatins
Magic Mike – Reid Carolin
Looper – Rian Johnson
Seven Psychopaths – Martin McDonagh
Promised Land – Matt Damon, Dave Eggers, John Krasinski
Long Shots
Smashed – James Ponsoldt, Susan Burke
Arbitrage – Nicholas Jarecki
Take This Waltz – Sarah Polley
Best Adapted Screenplay
Front Runners
Argo – Chris Terrio
Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell
Lincoln – Tony Kushner, John Logan, Paul Webb
Life of Pi – David Magee
Les Miserables – William Nicholson
Probables
The Sessions – Ben Lewin
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeithlin
On the Road – Jose Rivera
Anna Karenina – Tom Stoppard
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
This is 40 – Judd Apatow
Long Shots
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Ol Parker
Hitchcock – John J. McLaughlin
Cloud Atlas – Tom Tykwer, Andy and Lana Wachowski