2009 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Awards, Lists

Although a looming SAG strike may threaten next year’s Academy Awards, the Golden Globes ceremony should finally go on as planned. The 66th annual event is scheduled to air on Sunday, January 11th, just 11 days before the Oscar nominations are announced.

Here are some of the noteworthy mentions from this year’s list of film nominees:

• Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button both led the field with five nominations each.
• Despite being chosen Best Film by the New York Film Critics, Sean Penn was the only nod Milk received by the HFPA.
• Meryl Streep earned two nominations for her work in Doubt and Mamma Mia.
• Kate Winslet is also up for two awards. Her films - Revolutionary Road and The Reader - are also up for Best Picture.
• Heath Ledger did get a posthumous nomination as expected.
• Although he was recently recognized for his acting work in Gran Torino, director Clint Eastwood (Changeling) was only acknowledged for his musical achievements.

(You can find the full list of film nominees after the jump. Click here for the TV nominations.)

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Memorable Moments from the Unmemorable Academy Awards

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Awards, Celeb News

Last night’s Best Actor categories were as predictable as the Best Actress races were surprising.  Yesterday’s ceremony was also as disappointing as it was routine.

For months now, we’d been hearing about several plans being orchestrated for the Academy Awards.  If the writers’ strike was still in effect, the producers swore the telecast would continue with packages that celebrated Oscar’s 80-year history.  Interestingly enough, even with the scribes back at work, the show was still horribly written and crammed with unnecessary fillers.  (Even I could have penned ‘the always Fantastic…Jessica Alba’.)

As it was, the winners appeared to have been given less time last night to accept their awards than ever.  (Which may or may not have been a good thing.)  But did Javier Bardem really need to rush his lovely speech to his mother?  Did the organizers have to reshow the previous awards presentations?  Did the AMPAS President really need to waste time explaining how the selection process is done??

Click to continue reading Memorable Moments from the Unmemorable Academy Awards

Read More | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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2008 Academy Award Nominations

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Miramax, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Warner Independant Films, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Independent, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Awards, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Lists

The nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced bright and early Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  Assuming the ceremony goes on as scheduled, you can see the live broadcast Sunday, February 24th on ABC.

Notable additions/omissions from today’s announcement:

• Based on the major categories alone, it looks like Michael Clayton may be the frontrunner.  It received six nominations.
• Aside from one nod each in the Best Supporting Actor category, both Into the Wild and Charlie Wilson’s War were virtually shut out from the top prizes.
• Sweeney Todd - winner for Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes - was shut out for Best Picture.  Johnny Depp’s nom was the only major accolade for the film.
• A much-deserving Amy Adams did not receive a nom nor did her film, Enchanted.
• Atonement - the movie with the most nominations at the Globes - only received 3 in the major areas.  The two main stars (Knightley, McAvoy) were also shut out.
• Cate Blanchett earned two nominations this year (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
• Angelina Jolie was not recognized for her heartbreaking performance in A Mighty Heart.
• And last but not least, great news for (my personal) standouts this year: Ellen Page (Juno), Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) and screenwriter Click to continue reading 2008 Academy Award Nominations

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2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists

Assuming the ongoing writers’ strike doesn’t put a wrench into everyone’s plans, the 65th Annual Golden Globes ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Jan. 13th. (The NBC telecast will come just 9 days prior to the Academy Award nominations.)

Here are the most notable omissions/additions in this year’s list of film honorees:

• Atonement led the nominations with seven; Charlie Wilson’s War came in second with five.
• Musicals (Sweeney Todd, Across the Universe, Hairspray) dominated the Comedy/Musical category.
• Cate Blanchett received two acting nominations (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
• Philip Seymour Hoffman was also a double-nominee (The Savages, Charlie Wilson’s War)
• Hoffman’s Savages co-star, Laura Linney, was not nominated for her performance.
• The Kite Runner was nominated in the Foreign Film category.
• Javier Bardem was the only actor nominated from No Country for Old Men.
• Into the Wild was left out of all major categories.

(Click below for the full list of film nominees; click here for the TV nominations.)

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New York Film Critics Choose ‘No Country’

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Miramax, Animation, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Thrillers, Awards, Lists

On Monday, the New York Film Critics Circle revealed their 2007 film award winners.  This announcement comes shortly after the National Board of Review (NBR) and the Los Angeles Film Critics (LAFCA) revealed their honorees.  Although the Golden Globe nominations are still two days away, certain trends have already started to emerge from just these three lists.

The 2007 NYFCC winners:

• Best Picture: No Country for Old Men*
• Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis**, There Will Be Blood
• Best Actress: Julie Christie*, Away from Her
• Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
• Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan***, Gone Baby Gone
• Best Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen*, No Country for Old Men
• Best Animated Film: Persepolis**
• Best Foreign Film: The Lives of Others
• Best Documentary: No End in Sight**

*also the NBR winner
**also the LAFCA winner
***both the NBR and LAFCA winner

Read More | New York Film Critics Circle

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Los Angeles Film Critics Favor ‘There Will Be Blood’

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories:

An adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel, Oil!, was just selected Best Picture of the Year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.  There Will Be Blood, which opens in theaters December 26, stars Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) as an oil tycoon in the early 1900’s.  Blood won four honors overall including Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Actor (Lewis) and Best Production Design.  Just earlier this week, the National Board of Review gave its top prize to No Country for Old Men.

The New York Film Critics Circle is expected to announce its picks later today while the Golden Globe nominations come out this Thursday.

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‘No Country for Old Men’ Earns Big Honor

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Miramax, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists

Although there’s a large slate of movies yet to be released, the National Board of Review kicked off awards season this week with its list of honorees.  Joel and Ethan Coen’s film, No Country for Old Men, walked away with NBR’s prize for Best Film along with two other categories.

The NBR is not necessarily known for predicting Oscar success.  Nevertheless, the group consisting of educators, historians and film industry professionals did select Forrest Whitaker and Helen Mirren as its winners last year.

Here’s a list of the 2007 NBR honorees.  Even if you can’t use these selections in your Academy Awards betting pool, you now know which films you should become familiar with:

• Best Film: No Country for Old Men
• Best Director: Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
• Best Directorial Debut: Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
• Best Actor: George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away from Her  (Read the FilmCrunch review here.)
• Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Gone Baby Gone

  Click to continue reading ‘No Country for Old Men’ Earns Big Honor

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