“Lincoln” and “Les Mis” Lead the BAFTA Noms

Lincoln continues its run as the Oscar front-runner as it pulled in 10 BAFTA nominations this morning ahead of Les Miserables and Life of Pi with 9 each and Skyfall with 8 (including Javier Bardem and Judi Dench in the Supporting Actor categories). The big surprise was the snub of Lincoln and Les Mis directors Steven Spielberg and Tom Hooper who both missed the cut… In fact, the story of the day is actually the other people snubbed by the British academy. Getting no love this morning were Denzel Washington, Naomi Watts, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert DeNiro who all didn’t make the cut…. So just who did? Take a look at the full list below which featured a surprisingly strong showing for Anna Karenina and a huge shocker with Ben Affleck in the Best Actor category. Winners will be announced just before the Oscar ceremony next month.

2013 BAFTA Award Nominations~

BEST FILM:
Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST BRITISH FILM:
Anna Karenina
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Seven Psychopaths
Skyfall

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AMOUR Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz
HEADHUNTERS Morten Tyldum, Marianne Gray, Asle Vatn
THE HUNT Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann
RUST AND BONE Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
UNTOUCHABLE Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun
DOCUMENTARY
THE IMPOSTER Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis
MARLEY Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel
McCULLIN David Morris, Jacqui Morris
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
WEST OF MEMPHIS Amy Berg
ANIMATED FILM
BRAVE Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
FRANKENWEENIE Tim Burton
PARANORMAN Sam Fell, Chris Butler
DIRECTOR
AMOUR Michael Haneke
ARGO Ben Affleck
DJANGO UNCHAINED Quentin Tarantino
LIFE OF PI Ang Lee
ZERO DARK THIRTY Kathryn Bigelow
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMOUR Michael Haneke
DJANGO UNCHAINED Quentin Tarantino
THE MASTER Paul Thomas Anderson
MOONRISE KINGDOM Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
ZERO DARK THIRTY Mark Boal
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARGO Chris Terrio
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
LIFE OF PI David Magee
LINCOLN Tony Kushner
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK David O. Russell
LEADING ACTOR
BEN AFFLECK Argo
BRADLEY COOPER Silver Linings Playbook
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS Lincoln
HUGH JACKMAN Les Misérables
JOAQUIN PHOENIX The Master
LEADING ACTRESS
EMMANUELLE RIVA Amour
HELEN MIRREN Hitchcock
JENNIFER LAWRENCE Silver Linings Playbook
JESSICA CHASTAIN Zero Dark Thirty
MARION COTILLARD Rust and Bone
SUPPORTING ACTOR
ALAN ARKIN Argo
CHRISTOPH WALTZ Django Unchained
JAVIER BARDEM Skyfall
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Master
TOMMY LEE JONES Lincoln
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS The Master
ANNE HATHAWAY Les Misérables
HELEN HUNT The Sessions
JUDI DENCH Skyfall
SALLY FIELD Lincoln
ORIGINAL MUSIC
ANNA KARENINA Dario Marianelli
ARGO Alexandre Desplat
LIFE OF PI Mychael Danna
LINCOLN John Williams
SKYFALL Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
ANNA KARENINA Seamus McGarvey
LES MISÉRABLES Danny Cohen
LIFE OF PI Claudio Miranda
LINCOLN Janusz Kaminski
SKYFALL Roger Deakins
EDITING
ARGO William Goldenberg
DJANGO UNCHAINED Fred Raskin
LIFE OF PI Tim Squyres
SKYFALL Stuart Baird
ZERO DARK THIRTY Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg
PRODUCTION DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
LES MISÉRABLES Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
LIFE OF PI David Gropman, Anna Pinnock
LINCOLN Rick Carter, Jim Erickson
SKYFALL Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
COSTUME DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA Jacqueline Durran
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
LES MISÉRABLES Paco Delgado
LINCOLN Joanna Johnston
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN Colleen Atwood
MAKE UP & HAIR
ANNA KARENINA Ivana Primorac
HITCHCOCK Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater
LES MISÉRABLES Lisa Westcott
LINCOLN Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou
SOUND
DJANGO UNCHAINED Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward
LES MISÉRABLES Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
LIFE OF PI Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D. M. Hemphill
SKYFALL Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
LIFE OF PI Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer
MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE Nominees TBC
PROMETHEUS Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth
SHORT ANIMATION
HERE TO FALL Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath
I’M FINE THANKS Eamonn O’Neill
THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson
SHORT FILM
THE CURSE Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries
GOOD NIGHT Muriel d’Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir
SWIMMER Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
TUMULT Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews
THE VOORMAN PROBLEM Mark Gill, Baldwin Li
THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
ELIZABETH OLSEN
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH
SURAJ SHARMA
JUNO TEMPLE
ALICIA VIKANDER

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer) The Imposter
DAVID MORRIS (Director), JACQUI MORRIS (Director/Producer) McCullin
DEXTER FLETCHER (Director/Writer), DANNY KING (Writer) Wild Bill
JAMES BOBIN (Director) The Muppets
TINA GHARAVI (Director/Writer) I Am Nasrine

The Critics Choice Award Nominations Love Them Some “Lincoln”

Steven Speilberg‘s fantastic Oscar bait drama Lincoln has gotten great reviews and is a hit at the box office, and now it’s the favorite of this morning’s Critic’s Choice Award Nominations. The film nabbed a record 13 nominations ahead of Les Miserables which is up for 11 Awards. All the usual suspects are up for Best Picture including the aforementioned two films alongside Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained, The Master, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moonrise Kingdom, Argo, Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook (which grabbed 10 nominations)…. The show which airs in January on the CW added a few new categories this year including Best SciFi/Horror Movie and Best Actor & Actress in a Comedy Film and an Action Film so there are a lot more nominees. It also gave a quadruple dose of love to nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence (Best Actress, Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Ensemble, Actress in an Action Film). Picking up 3 nods each were Bradley Cooper (Best Actor, Best Actor in a Comedy, Best Ensemble), Anne Hathaway (Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress in an Action Film, Best Ensemble) and Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress/Best Actress in an Action Film, Best Ensemble) and a double dose of individual love went to Quevanzhane Wallis (Best Actress, Best Younger Actor/Actress)… Some big snubs in the acting categories included Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables), Maggie Smith (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren (Hitchcock), Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Jackie Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Ewan MacGregor (The Impossible) and Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina). So, just who did get nominated? Take a look below and head here for more on the Critics Choice nominations… Plus I have to give a shout out to the nominations for The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Skyfall, two of my favorites from the year that are turning into serious awards players.

2012 CRITICS CHOICE AWARD NOMINATIONS~ 

BEST PICTURE
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
John Hawkes – “The Sessions”
Hugh Jackman – “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Denzel Washington – “Flight”

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard – “Rust and Bone”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin – “Argo”
Javier Bardem – “Skyfall”
Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Matthew McConaughey – “Magic Mike”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – “The Master”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Ann Dowd – “Compliance”
Sally Field – “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – “Ginger & Rosa”
Kara Hayward – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Tom Holland – “The Impossible”
Logan Lerman – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Suraj Sharma – “Life of Pi”
Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck – “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Tom Hooper – “Les Misérables”
Ang Lee – “Life of Pi”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino – “Django Unchained”
John Gatins – “Flight”
Rian Johnson – “Looper”
Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio – “Argo”
David Magee – “Life of Pi”
Tony Kushner – “Lincoln”
Stephen Chbosky – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Les Misérables” – Danny Cohen
“Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda
“Lincoln” – Janusz Kaminski
“The Master” – Mihai Malaimare Jr.
“Skyfall” – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Anna Karenina” – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer; Katie Spencer/Set Decorator
“The Hobbit” – Dan Hennah/Production Designer; Ra Vincent & Simon Bright/Set Decorators
“Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart/Production Designer; Anna Lynch-Robinson/Set Decorator
“Life of Pi” – David Gropman/Production Designer; Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
“Lincoln” – Rick Carter/Production Designer; Jim Erickson/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
“Argo” – William Goldenberg
“Les Misérables” – Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens
“Life of Pi” – Tim Squyres
“Lincoln” – Michael Kahn
“Zero Dark Thirty” – William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran
“Cloud Atlas” – Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud
“The Hobbit” – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor
“Les Misérables” – Paco Delgado
“Lincoln” – Joanna Johnston

BEST MAKEUP
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Les Misérables
Lincoln

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit
Life of Pi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

BEST ACTION MOVIE        
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Christian Bale – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Daniel Craig – “Skyfall”
Robert Downey Jr. – “The Avengers”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Looper”
Jake Gyllenhaal – “End of Watch”

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – “Looper”
Gina Carano – “Haywire”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Anne Hathaway – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”

BEST COMEDY
Bernie
Silver Linings Playbook
Ted
This Is 40
21 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jack Black – “Bernie”
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Paul Rudd – “This Is 40”
Channing Tatum – “21 Jump Street”
Mark Wahlberg – “Ted”

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Mila Kunis – “Ted”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Shirley MacLaine – “Bernie”
Leslie Mann – “This Is 40”
Rebel Wilson – “Pitch Perfect”

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Cabin in the Woods
Looper
Prometheus

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
The Intouchables
A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bully
The Central Park Five
The Imposter
The Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man
West of Memphis

BEST SONG
“For You” – performed by Keith Urban/written by Monty Powell & Keith Urban – Act of Valor
“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy with Mumford & Sons/written by Mumford & Sons – Brave
“Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall
“Still Alive” – performed by Paul Williams/written by Paul Williams – Paul Williams Still Alive
“Suddenly” – performed by Hugh Jackman/written by Claude-Michel Schonberg & Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer – Les Misérables

BEST SCORE
“Argo” – Alexandre Desalt
“Life of Pi” – Mychael Danna
“Lincoln” – John Williams
“The Master” – Jonny Greenwood
“Moonrise Kingdom” – Alexandre Desalt

Most Nominations by Film:
Lincoln: 13
Les Miserables: 11
Silver Linings Playbook: 10
Life of Pi: 9
Argo: 7
Skyfall: 7
The Master: 7
Zero Dark Thirty: 5
Moonrise Kingdom: 5
The Hobbit: 4
Looper: 4
The Dark Knight Rises: 4
The Avengers: 3
Bernie: 3
Cloud Atlas: 3
Ted: 3
This is 40: 3
Amour: 2
Anna Karenina: 2
Brave: 2
Django Unchained: 2
Flight: 2
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: 2
Rust & Bone: 2
The Sessions: 2
21 Jump Street: 2

First Listen~ Adele “Skyfall”

Multiple Grammy winning pop superstar Adele has owned the music world for the last two years with her massive smash album, 21, and its four hit singles. Three of those, “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” all hit # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 to boot. And now, after hearing her brand new single, “Skyfall”, she is likely to add another chart topper to her list. The new sexy and soaring anthem is the theme song she wrote for the latest James Bond film Skyfall starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Javier Bardem out Nov. 9th and it’s simply fantastic. It’s classic Bond and should go down in history alongside the best Bond anthems like “Goldfinger”, “For Your Eyes Only” and “Live and Let Die”. I’m also predicting it will become the second Bond theme song to hit # 1 following Duran Duran‘s “A View To a Kill” from A View to A Kill. The last Bond song to even hit the top ten was Madonna‘s “Die Another Day” from Die Another Day back in 2002 by the way. I’m also predicting the film will pick up Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Song at the end of the year. Could Adele be an Oscar winner? It’s possible, but she’ll have to beat a host of contenders including “Suddenly”, the new song written for the filmed adaptation of the Tony winning smash musical Les Miserables…. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Instead, just enjoy Adele’s amazing new single below and get it on iTunes and other digital retailers tomorrow!

Adele “Skyfall”

Bond is Back! Check out the new trailer for “Skyfall”

James Bond is back and he’s bad ass! Check out the brand new trailer for the latest Bond installment, Skyfall below. It looks fantastic and I can’t wait! This time Bond and his cohorts at MI6 are under attack and Bond (Daniel Craig) must do anything he can to save them testing his relationship with M (Oscar winner Judi Dench). Co-starring in the film are Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End), Helen McCrory (The Queen), Ben Wishaw (Bright Star), Oscar nominee Albert Finney, and Oscar winner Javier Bardem as the film’s premiere villain. Oh, and there are rumors that Grammy winning superstar Adele will be doing the theme song for the film!!!! Watch for the movie in theaters on November 9th and for more on Skyfall, head here.

Skyfall trailer

The Artist, Tinker Tailor, Hugo and Marilyn lead the BAFTA Nominations

To no one’s surprise, the little silent French movie that could, The Artist, led this morning’s BAFTA nominations (i.e.: the British Oscars) nabbing 12 bids. However, it’s a little bit of a surprise that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was right behind with 11 noms. That film certainly benefits from being a British production and is the only movie contending for Best Picture and Best British Picture. My Week with Marilyn is up for the latter and grabbed 6 nods including acting bids for Michelle WIlliams, Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench. The other big contender was Hugo with 9 nominations., but it missed Best Picture… Other snubs this morning included Leonardo DiCaprio, Shailene Woodley, Albert Brooks, Rooney Mara, Charlize Theron, Ryan Gosling, Elizabeth Olsen and the ladies of Albert Nobbs (However, Glenn Close and Janet McTeer and the Nobbs film were ineligible because the film has yet to open in Britain)…. One other interesting note has The Artist’s Berenice Bejo competing in the Lead Actress race instead of Supporting. Could this be a harbinger of things to come at the Oscars? We will see, but for now take a look at all the nominees below.

2012 BAFTA Nominations:
Best Film
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Film Not in the English Language
Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Outstanding British Film
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Tomas Alfredson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Leading Actor
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame

Leading Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Viola Davis, The Help

Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March

Supporting Actress
Carey Mulligan, Drive
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Judi Dench, My Week with Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Original Screenplay
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Guard
The Iron Lady
Midnight in Paris
Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Editing
The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Senna
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

Production Design
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Make Up & Hair
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo
The Iron Lady
My Week with Marilyn

Costume Design
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Special Visual Effects
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
War Horse

Documentary
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Sound
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Original Music
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Animated Film
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Arthur Christmas
Rango
Outstanding British Debut by a Director or Producer
Joe Cornish, Attack the Block
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley, Sarah Brocklehurst, Black Pond
Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus
Richard Ayouade, Submarine
Paddy Considine & Diarmid Scrimshaw, Tyrannosaur

2011′s Acting Overachievers

It seemed everywhere you turned in 2011, there was a gorgeous new actress tearing up the screen. Whether playing a dim bulb Southern belle, a long-suffering wife, a young Mossad agent or a Shakespearean muse, Jessica Chastain was pretty much flawless. And it’s likely she’ll grab an Oscar nomination for her role in The Help (though some have championed her work in The Tree of Life). Regardless, Chastain is 2011′s biggest overachiever with roles in 7 films…. However, she’s not alone. Take a look at this list of the year’s biggest stars and their multiple film roles.

2011′s Big Screen Overachievers:

1. Jessica Chastain: She’s the undisputed breakthrough star of the year and is being hailed as the heir to the Meryl Streep/Cate Blanchett throne.
Her output this year~ The Help, Take Shelter, The Tree of Life, The Debt, Corolianus, Texas Killing Fields, Wild Salome

2. Michael Fassbender: this sexy star first turned our heads in Inglorious Basterds. Now, he has three potential Oscar contenders and should grab his first nomination for his soul and body baring role in Shame.
His films: Shame, A Dangerous Method, X Men: First Class, Jane Eyre

3. Robin Wright: the critically respected actress finally parted ways with Sean Penn a while back and has been working nonstop in critically respected films big and small turning out amazing work this year, especially in Rampart as a conflicted boozy litigator and as the stoic woman being held responsible in the assassination of Lincoln in The Conspirator.
Wrights films: The Conspirator, Rampart, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

4. Daniel Craig: Mr. James Bond had a rather roller coaster year with a big summer bomb (Cowboys & Aliens) and a smash end of the year hit (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Craig’s films: Cowboys & Aliens, Dream House, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

5. Matt Damon: the guy just never stops working and he’s always good even when the movies are bad…
Damon’s films: The Adjustment Bureau, Contagion, Margaret, Happy Feet 2, We Bought a Zoo

And some honorable mentions go to these busy actors over the past year…

Kate Winslet: Carnage, Contagion and the epic miniseries Mildred Pierce
Ryan Reynolds: poor guy was bomb central with The Green Lantern, Fireflies in the Garden (what?) and The Change Up
Emma Stone: The Help, Friends with Benefits, Crazy Stupid Love
Chris Evans: Puncture, What’s Your Number, Captain America: The First Avenger
Dame Judi Dench: Jane Eyre, My Week with Marilyn, J. Edgar

And I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few, so if you want to add to the list, hit me up in the comments. And who do you think will be 2012′s overachiever?

Look out Meryl, Michelle Williams is comin’ for your Oscar!

The most talented actress of our time, Meryl Streep hasn’t won an Oscar since Sophie’s Choice in 1982. Sure she’s got two of them and a record-breaking 16 nominations. However, it’s been almost thirty years since she grabbed a Golden boy, and for my money, she should’ve won a few other times~ most recently for Julie & Julia. But I digress… Meryl looks to be the front-runner this year for her upcoming performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. That said, she has some strong competition from Glenn Close as a woman masquerading as a man in Albert Knobbs, Elizabeth Olsen as a cult survivor in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Rooney Mara in the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tilda Swinton as the mother of a mass murderer in We Need to Talk about Kevin and the other front-runner Viola Davis in The Help. And now, we can add one more big obstacle to Meryl’s victory: Michelle Williams.

The former Dawson’s Creek star turned two-time Oscar nominee (Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine) enters the race in a big way with her new film My Week with Marilyn where she plays the iconic legend, Marilyn Monroe. Looking at the first trailer which just hit the web, it seems like Williams knocks it out of the park and should grab that third nom and a possible first win. The movie takes place during one week of filming The Prince and the Showgirl in England and her fractious relationship with Sir Laurence Olivier (Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh) and her flirtation with his employee Chris Clark (Tony nominee Eddie Redmayne). Also starring in Marilyn are Oscar winner Judi Dench, Emmy winner Julia Ormond, Dominic Cooper, and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson. For more on the film, head here and check out the new trailer below…. Do you think Williams has what it takes to snatch Meryl’s Oscar away this year?

My Week with Marilyn (opening in select theatres 11/4/11)

Will “J Edgar” finally Land Leo an Oscar?

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most talented and bankable actors in Hollywood who pretty much has the world in his hands. What he doesn’t have in his little fingers is a golden statue named Oscar. Despite three previous nominations for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator and Blood Diamond, Leo has gone home empty-handed every time. However, that all may change with his next big movie, the biopic of J Edgar Hoover, J. Edgar, directed by five time Oscar winner Clint Eastwood. The film takes on this iconic man’s story as he embodied the face of law enforcement for decades running the FBI and becoming a very powerful and controversial figure, not to mention having a very secret private life. And that private life will be explored as well including his rumored romantic relationship with coworker and confidante Clyde Tolson played by Armie Hammer (The Social Network). The film also stars some heavy hitters including Oscar winner Judi Dench and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts plus Josh Lucas, Jeffrey Donovan and Ken Howard. Watch for the film to play into the Oscar race in practically every field from costumes, to score, writing, direction and of course performances when it opens on November 9th. And now, the first trailer has hit the web. Take a look at Leo in J. Edgar below and let me know if you think the fourth time will be his Oscar charm.

J. Edgar

Jane Eyre is the First Good Movie of 2011

So far this year, I have not wanted to go to the movies at all. There has been so much dreck (The Dilema, Drive Angry, Just Go With It) offered up, I have only seen a couple of films and those were for free. First was a screening of The Adjustment Bureau that was just a muddled sci-fi romance thriller mess that was saved by the appealing performances of its leads Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (Grade: B-). Next, I saw every studio executive’s wish fulfilment fantasy drama Limitless that basically says drugs are good and you don’t have any consequences if you’re a bad guy as pretty as Bradley Cooper (Grade: C). And finally, I somehow sat through the awful, moronic, homophobic and most importantly, not funny, “comedy” Paul that just made me plain angry. (Grade: D-)….

 So thank goodness, I finally got to see a good film when I went to a screening of the lovely Jane Eyre on Wed night. This latest update of the Charlotte Bronte literary classic stars the incandescent Mia Wasakowska (The Kids are Alright, Alice in Wonderland) as the titular character who survives a difficult childhood to become the governess for a rich, dashing and brooding man played with great heat and heart by Inglorious Basterd’s Michael Fassbender. From there, you have an epic romance full of tragic mysteries, class struggles, and female empowerment. The film is wonderfully and skillfully rendered by director Cary Fukanaga who also directed the dark and fantastic film Sin Nombre. All of the elements are great from the sweeping score by Dario Marianelli to the gorgeous cinematography by Adriano Goldman and the wonderful supporting performances by Sally Hawkins, Jamie Bell and Oscar winner Judi Dench. But the film belongs to Wasakowska who gives the first award worthy performance of the year. She displays so many layers of vulnerability, strength, intelligence and yearning that you’re always completely engaged and enamored by her. I actually wished the film had been a tad longer because it felt a bit rushed condensing all of the material from the book into two hours. Regardless, I highly recommend the film as the first good movie of 2011. (Grade: A-) … Jane Eyre hits theatres tomorrow.

Jane Eyre (2011) trailer

Michelle Williams chases Oscar and channels Marilyn

Michelle Williams is all growed up! The former star of Dawson’s Creek has already proven she has incredible talent far beyond the scope of that prime time soap with her lauded performances in Shutter Island, Wendy and Lucy and her Oscar nominated role in Brokeback Mountain. Now, she could be in the running again for her emotional performance in the upcoming relationship drama Blue Valentine opposite another former kid star turned Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson). The tumultuous relationship their characters endure gave the actors some very meaty roles that received raves at Cannes and Sundance earlier this year. Watch for both of them to factor into this year’s awards derby when the film is released in December.

If Michelle doesn’t land a nom this year, she needn’t worry because she may have another chance next year for her film My Week with Marilyn where she plays iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe. The film follows a week in Monroe’s life as she travels to London to escape the travails of Hollywood and her time with Colin Clark played by Tony Award winner Eddie Redmayne. Joining Williams in the cast is a heavyweight list of English actors including Oscar nominee Kenneth Branaugh (as Sir Laurence Olivier) and Oscar winner Judi Dench plus Julia Ormond (Sabrina, Temple Grandin), Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia), Derek Jacobi, Dougray Scott and Emma Watson (Hermione from Harry Potter!). It sounds like awards bait to me. We’ll see next year when the film is released. In the meantime, check out Williams in the trailer for Blue Valentine below.

Blue Valentine