“Argo” Wins Best Picture at a Surprisingly Unsurprising Oscars

On what was a night many said there could be several big upsets, tonight’s Academy Awards was actually rather predictable. With only Christoph Waltz beating out Tommy Lee Jones and Robert DeNiro in the Supporting Actor race, most of the other winners were pretty easy to guess. Argo took Picture, Editing and Adapted Screenplay while Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway won their respective races. Ang Lee topped Speilberg for Best Director while Quentin Tarantino won Original Screenplay for Django Unchained. One big surprise was a tie (only the 6th tie in Oscar history) for Sound Editing between Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall… Take a look at all the winners below and watch here for more on the show, Seth MacFarlane’s decent hosting debut and the amazing performances by Jennifer Hudson and the cast of Les Miserables tomorrow.

2013 Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture: Argo
Director: Ang Lee (Life o Pi)
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Original Screenplay: Django Unchained
Adapted Screenplay: Argo
Editing: Argo
Cinematography: Life of Pi
Score: Life of Pi
Song: “Skyfall”- Adele (Skyfall)
Production Design: Lincoln
Makeup & Hair: Les Miserables
Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Sound Editing: TIE~ Zero Dark Thirty & Skyfall
Sound Mixing: Les Miserables
Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man
Animated Film: Brave
Foreign Film: Amour
Doc Short Subject: Innocente
Animated Short: Paperman
Live Action Short: Curfew

Most Wins~
Life of Pi: 4
Argo: 3
Les Miserables: 3
Lincoln: 2
Django Unchained: 2

“Argo” is Unstoppable at the BAFTAS

Argo continued to roll over the competition this awards season as it took home three big awards at today’s BAFTA Awards, aka the British Oscars. The film won Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Director for Ben Affleck who has pretty much won every precursor directing award for this film but still has no shot at the Oscar because he mysteriously wasn’t even nominated. Nonetheless, watch for Argo to take Best Picture in two weeks… What we don’t know is who will win Best Actress. Yesterday I said Jessica Chastain might beat Jennifer Lawrence with an Emmanuelle Riva spoiler. Well, today Riva beat both her younger counterparts and now seems like a true contender for that spoil. Winning Best Actor was Daniel Day-Lewis while Anne Hathaway also continued her sweep with the Supporting Actress Award. Her film Les Miserables actually won the most awards tonight with 4 BAFTAS… Django Unchained picked up two for Original Screenplay and Christoph Waltz in the very competitive Supporting Actor Category… Skyfall walked away with the Best British Film honor while Silver Linings Playbook usurped Lincoln in the Adapted Screenplay category… Take a look at all the winners below and head to the BAFTA website here for more.

2013 BAFTA Award Winners~

Best Film: “Argo”
Outstanding British Film: “Skyfall,” Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: Bart Layton (director), Dimitri Doganis (producer), “The Impostor”
Film Not in the English Language: “Amour”
Documentary: “Searching for Sugar Man”
Animated Film: “Brave,” Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Director: Ben Affleck, “Argo”
Original Screenplay: “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino
Adapted Screenplay: “Silver Linings Playbook,” David O. Russell
Leading Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln:
Leading Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
Original Music: “Skyfall,” Thomas Newman
Cinematography: “Life of Pi,” Claudio Miranda
Editing: “Argo,” William Goldenberg
Production Design: “Les Miserables,” Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
Costume Design: “Anna Karenina,” Jacqueline Durran
Make Up & Hair: “Les Miserables,” Lisa Westcott
Sound: “Les Miserables,” Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
Special Visual Effects: “Life of Pi,” Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer
Short Animation: “The Making of Longbird,” Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson
Short Film: “Swimmer,” Lynne Ramsey, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
EE Rising Star Award: Juno Temple
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award: Tessa Ross

Most Wins Per Film:
Les Miserables: 4
Argo: 3
Django Unchained: 2
Life of Pi: 2
Skyfall: 2

Breaking Down the 2013 Best Actress Race

This Oscar season has been one of the most exciting and unpredictable races in recent history. While it seems that Argo, Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway now look like sure things in their respective categories, there are a few races that remain a serious horse race. The two biggest question marks are the Best Supporting Actor race where a different contender has won in each of the precursors (Tommy Lee Jones, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Christoph Waltz) and the Best Actress Race which has been a serious catfight between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence. Today, I will take a look at the latter race which could end up with a truly surprising winner.
When the race began in earnest last fall, the word was that Jennifer Lawrence would win hands down for her wonderful, emotionally naked work in Silver Linings Playbook. However, that was before the very secretive Zero Dark Thirty finally began screening and Jessica Chastain’s fierce, intelligent and controlled performance wowed critics and audiences. Both women have won a number of pre-cursors that have put them squarely in a duel for the Oscar win. Among the biggest wins, Lawrence took home the Golden Globe (Musical/Comedy), Critic’s Choice (Actress in a Comedy Film) and the all-important SAG Award while Chastain grabbed a Golden Globe (Drama) and the overall Critic’s Choice Award for Best Actress.
They are both up for the BAFTA Award this evening as well. I’d say Chastain has the edge there as her film received more nominations from the British Academy and they tend to honor more “important” films and performances. For example, last year Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) took home the Best Actress BAFTA over Viola Davis (The Help) after Davis had just won the SAG Award… I could see the same turnover happen here for Chastain. If that happens, then Chastain could follow Streep’s path to an Oscar victory.
Both Chastain and Lawrence have several factors working in their favor. Both women are attractive young actresses with a “babe factor” that the Academy loves, reaching a peak in their careers which has helped actresses like Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Kidman to take home the big prize in the past. Both are also previous nominees. Chastain was nominated last year for Supporting Actress for The Help while Lawrence was nominated for Best Actress two years ago for Winter’s Bone. Plus, both have worked the awards circuit like a pro this season.
Where they differ is in their “industry status”. While Lawrence is now a bona-fide box office star with The Hunger Games franchise, Chastain is seen as the more serious actress with a bigger body of lauded work. She could’ve received Oscar noms for practically all of her seven films released in 2011 and Chastain is also building box office clout with hits ZD30, The Help and Mama. It just seems like it may be too “early” in Lawrence’s career to give her Hollywood’s highest honor while Chastain seems to have “earned” it more. So, with all of that said, I’m going out on a limb and giving the edge to Chastain for the win.
However there remains one big obstacle in their way. They both will have to fend off another critical favorite, French icon Emmanuelle Riva for her harrowing and physically demanding work as a woman suffering from Dementia at the end of her life in Amour. This performance could be the real key to this Oscar race. Riva could easily usurp both of them at the BAFTAs and set the stage for a crazy three-way fight on Oscar night.
As for the final two nominees, Quevanzhane Wallis should be thrilled she got a nomination in the first place for her debut performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild over more deserving heavy weights like Marion Cotillard (Rust & Bone) and Helen Mirren (Hitchcock), and while she was amazing in The Impossible, and I’d love to see her win, Naomi Watts will probably be an also ran. (No worries though Naomi, you should be back in the race next year for playing Princess Diana!)
To sum up, it’s a serious race this year. Lawrence and Chastain are in the best position to win with Riva as a potential spoiler. And if there is crazy vote splitting, maybe Watts can sneak in. Yet, I’m still betting on Chastain. See if I’m right Sunday night February 24th when the Oscars air on ABC.

“Les Mis” Wins Big at the Golden Globes

Did you hear the people sing? Or at least the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press? You did if you watched tonight’s highly entertaining Golden Globe show where they awarded Les Miserables with a leading 3 awards including Best Picture (Musical/Comedy), Best Actor Musical/Comedy (Hugh Jackman) and Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway). I was thrilled with these incredibly deserving wins for what I consider the Best film of last year…. Other big wins included Daniel Day-Lewis and Jessica Chastain for Drama Actor and Actress, Jennifer Lawrence for Musical/Comedy Actress and Christoph Waltz for Supporting Actor… Ben Affleck continued to stick it to the Academy as he won his second Director trophy this week for Argo which also usurped Lincoln to take home the Best Picture Prize….
On the TV front, Homeland and Game Change won big with three awards while Girls  picked up two…. Check back here tomorrow for my take on the telecast and see all the winners below… For more on all the winners and the show which was hosted by the incredibly hysterical and brilliant Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, head here.

2013 Golden Globe Award Winners:

FILM~

Best Picture (Drama): Argo
Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress (Drama): Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Best Picture (Musical or Comedy): Les Miserables
Best Actor (Musical/Comedy): Hugh Jackman
Best Actress (Musical/Comedy): Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Best Director: Ben Affleck (Argo)
Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)
Best Score: Life of P9
Best Original Song: “Skyfall” by Adele (Skyfall)
Best Animated Film: Brave
Best Foreign Film: Amour

TV~

Drama Series: Homeland
Actress Drama: Clare Danes (Homeland)
Actor Drama: Damian Lewis (Homeland)
Musical or Comedy Series: Girls
Actress Musical/Comedy: Lena Dunham (Girls)
Actor Musical/Comedy: Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
Supporting Actor TV Movie/Drama Series or Musical/Comedy Series: Ed Harris (Game Change)
Supporting Actress TV Movie/Drama Series or Musical/Comedy Series: Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
TV Movie or Miniseries: Game Change
Actress TV Movie/Miniseries: Julianne Moore (Game Change)
Actor TV Movie/Miniseries: Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys)

Cecil B. DeMille Award: Jodie Foster

Will “Carnage” make Mincemeat out of the Oscars?

Adapting a four character play set in one location for the big screen is a pretty daunting task, and when you realize the play is the Tony winning smash God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, it seems practically impossible. However, Hollywood is giving it a try of course. And Sony Pictures Classics has attached some big guns to the project now titled Carnage  to ensure its success. The film is directed by Oscar winner Roman Polanski (The Pianist) and stars Oscar winners Jodie Foster (The Accused, The Silence of the Lambs), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Oscar nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago). That’s a strong pedigree which will hopefully make for a great picture. The movie is a dark comedy about two sets of parents clashing together after their sons get in a fight at school and it presents a lot of opportunity for scenery chewing. Just check out the trailer below. We may see all four actors in the Oscar race again. It will be interesting to see if they campaign them in separate categories with Foster and Reilly going Lead while Waltz and Winslet go Supporting as some pundits have suggested. We will know about its kudos chances after it premieres at the upcoming Venice Film Festival. Until then, check out your first taste of Carnage below.

Carnage trailer

This is not your Father’s Three Musketeers

Go ahead and blame Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes for this post… You see after the big success of his re-imagination of the classic sleuth as an action hero starring Robert Downey Jr. made a boatload of money, studios clearly went nuts trying to reinvent the classics. It worked well for Alice in Wonderland which grossed over $1 billion worldwide despite being an utterly dreadful movie. However, the new fangled Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Twilight’s disastrous helmer Catherine Hardwicke has been a critical and commercial disappointment…. And of course Hollywood has lots more in store for you with several updates of the Snow White story heading into production (starring various big names like Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron), a Holmes sequel due at Christmas, and a big 3-D effects laden version of The Three Musketeers hitting screens on Oct. 14th. This one features Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Matthew McFadden, Milla Jovovich, Ray Stevenson and recent Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) and is sure have literary purists spinning in their graves and/or classrooms that is. I, for one, am intrigued but have very low expectations. At least it looks fun if not totally ridiculous. So, check it out for yourself with the brand new trailer below.

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Seth Rogan, the Super Hero?

Seth Rogan has been called a lot of things~ funny guy, schlub, slacker, the guy next door~ but he’s about to add a rather surprising moniker to that list… super hero. Yes, Seth Rogan is about to take on the comic book legend in the new film, The Green Hornet. The slimmed down actor will star in the action comedy alongside Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson, recent Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as the big villain, newcomer Jay Chou as Kato, and Cameron Diaz as his love interest. It all sounds interesting on paper, but will it translate. Given the somewhat strange release date of Jan 14 next year, I’m not sure. Apparently, it’s not going to be a tent pole for its studio, Sony, but it could be fun. See for yourself as you watch the trailer below.

The Green Hornet trailer: