Off The Red Carpet: Week of 11/28 – 12/5

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

searching-for-sugar-man-main

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.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

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

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