Midnight in Paris, Breaking Bad, Modern Family and Homeland have the Write Stuff at the WGA Awards

Ok, yes, that pun in the title for this article was pretty bad, but I couldn’t help myself. You see writing can be fun! That’s a fact I’m sure the winners of last night’s Writers Guild Awards would agree on as the wordsmiths honored their own. Woody Allen picked up another kudo for Original Screenplay for Midnight in Paris while The Descendants won Adapted Screenplay. On the TV front Modern Family, Breaking Bad and Homeland all picked up multiple awards. Check out all the big winners below, and for more on these awards, head to the WGA site here.

2012 WGA Award Winners~
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Midnight in Paris, written by Woody Allen
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Descendants, screenplay by by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY Better This World, written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega
DRAMA SERIES Breaking Bad, written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett
COMEDY SERIES Modern Family, written by Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Carol Leifer, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Brad Walsh, Ilana Wernick, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
NEW SERIES Homeland, written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Gideon Raff, Meredith Stiehm
EPISODIC DRAMA “Box Cutter” (Breaking Bad), written by Vince Gilligan; “The Good Soldier” (Homeland), written by Henry Bromell
EPISODIC COMEDY “Caught in the Act” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman
LONG FORM – “Cinema Verite,” written by David Seltzer
LONG FORM ADAPTED – “Too Big to Fail,” written by Peter Gould, Based on the book written by Andrew Ross Sorkin
ANIMATION “Homer the Father” (The Simpsons), written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox
COMEDY / VARIETY – The Colbert Report, writers: Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Dan Guterman, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Barry Julien, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Meredith Scardino, Scott Sherman, Max Werner; Comedy Central
COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS After the Academy Awards, Head Writers: Gary Greenberg, Molly McNearney; Writers: Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, John N. Huss, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Kimmel, Jacob Lentz, Danny Ricker, Richard G. Rosner
DAYTIME DRAMA General Hospital, written by Meg Bennett, Nathan Fissell, David Goldschmid, Robert Guza, Jr., Karen Harris, Elizabeth Korte, Mary Sue Price, Michele Val Jean, Susan Wald, Tracey Thomson.

David Fincher and his “Dragon Tattoo” Break into the DGA Nominations

This awards season has seen a few films emerge as Oscar front-runners. Among them are The Artist, Midnight in Paris, Hugo and The Descendants. And the directors of all four of those films were nominated for the DGA Award this morning. However, the fifth nominee was a little bit of a surprise: David Fincher for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I have to say, while pundits are surprised, I am not. His film was my second fave of the year and I think it’s going to be a big Oscar player. I’m going out on a limb and saying the film and Fincher will both be in the Oscar race when nominations are announced in a few weeks. (I wouldn’t count out the film’s star, Rooney Mara, either. As audiences continue to find this film, they all love it)…. But the question is can Fincher win? I don’t know about that. I’d say it’s Scorcesse vs. Hazanavicius. Anywho, take a look at the nominees below and watch for the winner to be announced on January 28th in a ceremony hosted by Kelsey Grammar.

2012 Directors Guild Award Feature Film Nominees:

Woody Allen: Midnight in Paris (his 5th nomination)
David Fincher: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (3rd nom, 1 previous win for a commercial)
Michael Hazanavicius: The Artist (1st nom)
Alexander Payne: The Descendants (2nd nom)
Martin Scorcesse: Hugo (9th nom, 2 wins)

Woody Allen marks his 20th Bid with the Writers Guild Nominations

Woody Allen is a writing machine. The iconic filmmaker grabbed his 20th nomination this morning for this year’s Writers Guild Awards. His nod for Midnight in Paris could be his 5th win. However, he’ll have to fight off those plucky Bridesmaids, a man fighting cancer (50/50), down on his luck coach (Win Win), and an alcoholic mean girl (Young Adult). Missing from the list are presumed Oscar front runners The Artist and Beginners who were inelligible to compete due to strict WGA rules about scripts being written under Guild guidelines…. In the Adapted Screenplay race, front runners Moneyball, The Help and The Descendants will face off against Hugo and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo… Among the big films that were snubbed despite being eligible were J. Edgar, War Horse, The Tree of Life and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Take a look at all the nominees below.

2012 Writers Guild Film Award Nominees:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“50/50,” Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment
“Bridesmaids,” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios
“Midnight in Paris,” Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics
“Win Win,” Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight
“Young Adult,” Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Descendants,” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures
“The Help,” Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures
“Hugo,” Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures
“Moneyball,” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Better This World,” Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,” Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures
“Nostalgia for the Light,” Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films
“Pina,” Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects
“Position Among the Stars,” Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Films
“Senna,” Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency

The Artist and Take Shelter face off at the Independent Spirit Awards

The award races are coming fast and furious today as the Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced this morning (after last night’s Gotham Awards and this afternoon’s NYC Critic’s Choice winners announcement). Leading the way are the big Oscar contender The Artist and the little dramatic film Take Shelter with 5 nominations apiece. Just behind with 4 bids are Drive, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beginners and The Descendants. Interestingly, the star of The Descendants and supposed Oscar front-runner George Clooney was snubbed as were other likely contenders Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) and Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris). Take a look at all the nominees below and head to the Indie Spirit website here for more info on the show which honors the best in independent cinema (and films made in America for less than $20 million~ hence The Tree of Life was not eligible). Watch for the trophies to be handed out in early February the day before the Oscars.

2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominees:

Best Feature
The Artist
Beginners
The Descendants
Drive
50/50
Take Shelter

Best Female Lead
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachael Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Male Lead
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 
Mike Mills, Beginners
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Tom McCarthy, Win Win

Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill & Brit Marling, Another Earth
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Patrick deWitt, Terri

Best First Feature
Another Earth
In the Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

John Cassavetes Award (for features under $500,000)
Bellflower
Circumstance
The Dynamiter
Hello Lonesome
Pariah

Best Documentary
An African Election
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here

Best Cinematography
The Artist
Bellflower
The Dynamiter
Midnight in Paris
The Off Hours

Best International Film
The Kid With A Bike
Melancholia
A Separation
Shame
Tyrannosaur

Robert Altman Award (for ensemble cast): Margin Call

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris, Mosquita y Mari
Sophia Lin, Take Shelter
Josh Mond, Martha Marcy May Marlene

~And now a list of the big names that were snubbed by today’s nominees….

Indie Spirit Snubs~
Best Actor race: George Clooney (The Descendants), Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)
Best Actress: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)… the last two films may have been inelligible~ I’ll have to check
Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branaugh (My Week with Marilyn)
Supporting Actress: Bernice Bejo (The Artist), Kim Wayans (Pariah), Robin Wright (Rampart)
Screenplay: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Director: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Picture: Midnight in Paris

Harry makes Historical Magic at the Box Office

Everyone knew it would be big, but did they know it would be this big? Well, I dare say I did when I say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 would break all kinds of box office records. And it did. The film (which I gave a fantastic “A” grade too) cast its magical spell over the weekend to the tune of a huge $168.6 million giving it the best debut weekend ever besting The Dark Knight’s $158.4 million in 2008. It also broke the records for biggest midnight launch, biggest first day ($92 million), biggest international weekend and biggest worldwide weekend with a massive global take of $475.5 million in its first three days. Holy Harry! Now the question is how high will it go or how hard will it fall as the Potter films are notoriously front-loaded in terms of box office gross. I say the film will end up the highest grossing of the series in the U.S. and the world-beating the first Harry movie. Stay tuned… Faring well against the boy wizard were Horrible Bosses and Zookeeper which only slid 37% and 38% respectively in their second weekends and Midnight in Paris which slipped only 28% for a total of $41.7 million making it Woody Allen’s biggest grosser to date. (However it’s not it’s not the most attended Woody movie. That title still belongs to Annie Hall.) … Opening to poor results was the new Disney animated film, Winnie the Pooh, which was an afterthought for moviegoers taking in just $8 million. For more on the records and the box office, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 WB $168,550,000 – 4,375 – $38,526 $168,550,000 – 1
2 1 Transformers: Dark of the Moon P/DW $21,250,000 -54.9% 3,917 -171 $5,425 $302,800,000 $195 3
3 2 Horrible Bosses WB (NL) $17,630,000 -37.7% 3,134 +94 $5,625 $60,002,000 $35 2
4 3 Zookeeper Sony $12,300,000 -38.7% 3,482 – $3,532 $42,352,000 $80 2
5 4 Cars 2 BV $8,344,000 -45.1% 3,249 -741 $2,568 $165,326,000 $200 4
6 N Winnie the Pooh BV $8,000,000 – 2,405 – $3,326 $8,000,000 $30 1
7 5 Bad Teacher Sony $5,200,000 -41.7% 2,659 -303 $1,956 $88,505,000 $20 4
8 6 Larry Crowne Uni. $2,573,000 -56.7% 2,287 -689 $1,125 $31,628,000 $30 3
9 7 Super 8 Par. $1,925,000 -60.2% 1,459 -833 $1,319 $122,242,000 $50 6
10 11 Midnight in Paris SPC $1,891,000 -28.2% 706 -113 $2,678 $41,793,000 $30 9

Green Lantern flickers out at the Box Office

It’s a sad thing to say a film that opens to $52 million at the box office is a disappointment, but that’s the case this weekend for Green Lantern. The ultra expensive comic book movie tumbled under expectations by at least $10 to $15 million for a lower opening than Thor and X Men: First Class which both had little starpower compared to this well-known comic entity starring the red-hot (and deserving of a better movie) Ryan Reynolds. Now, the opening was far from a disaster but due to bad reviews and word of mouth, the film has an uphill battle towards profitability in the weeks ahead…. Another film that opened under expectations this weekend was Jim Carrey’s latest Mr. Popper’s Penguins which took in a decent but not great $18.2 million and landed in third behind Super 8 which held up quite well. At least Carrey’s film could have good legs as many family films do in the summer. However, it will have to fight off Cars 2 this coming weekend…. Other films holding up well include Bridesmaids, the sleeper hit of the year, and Woody Allen’s most  in successful movie in decades, Midnight in Paris. For more on these films and the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Green Lantern WB $52,685,000 – 3,816 – $13,806 $52,685,000 $200 1
2 1 Super 8 Par. $21,250,000 -40.1% 3,408 +29 $6,235 $72,781,000 $50 2
3 N Mr. Popper’s Penguins Fox $18,200,000 – 3,339 – $5,451 $18,200,000 $55 1
4 2 X-Men: First Class Fox $11,500,000 -52.3% 3,375 -317 $3,407 $119,925,000 $160 3
5 3 The Hangover Part II WB $9,635,000 -45.5% 3,460 -215 $2,785 $232,674,000 $80 4
6 4 Kung Fu Panda 2 P/DW $8,700,000 -47.4% 3,469 -460 $2,508 $143,343,000 $150 4
7 6 Bridesmaids Uni. $7,487,000 -25.6% 2,573 -349 $2,910 $136,840,000 $32.5 6
8 5 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV $6,236,000 -43.0% 2,742 -691 $2,274 $220,337,000 $250 5
9 8 Midnight in Paris SPC $5,237,000 -10.2% 1,038 +94 $5,045 $21,799,000 $30 5
10 7 Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer Rela. $2,241,000 -63.1% 2,524 – $888 $11,167,000 $20 2

The Holiday Box Office: America loves a good “Hangover”

Hollywood finally had some good news as the box office slump officially ended over the long holiday weekend with huge grosses for three big sequels. Leading the way was The Hangover Part 2 which opened to $105 million over the four-day holiday and $137 million since Thursday. It also grabbed the record for the biggest comedy film opening to date. The film should hold up pretty well in the weeks ahead as its core audience is clearly enjoying the film despite poor reviews. (Personally I give the film a “B” grade. It’s pretty much a carbon copy of the original but it’s still pretty damn funny)…. Coming in second was Kung Fu Panda 2 with a good, not great, $62 million which was a tad below the opening for the original. However, it will likely have strong legs as most family films do in the summer. Also making news was Pirates of the Caribbean 4 which took in another $50 million for a two-week take of $163 million and only dropped 44%…. In limited release, Terrence Malick’s long-delayed drama The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn finally opened taking in a massive $489,000 in only 4 theatres. However, with mixed critical and audience reception, the road ahead could be shaky… One other big auteur got some good news at the turnstiles this weekend as well as Woody Allen’s latest comedy, Midnight in Paris, hit the top ten with $3.5 million on only 58 screens. This one is shaping up to be his biggest hit since 2008′s Vicky Christina Barcelona which also netted Penelope Cruz an Oscar….. For more on the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the new top ten below…

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Hangover Part II WB $105,765,000 – 3,615 – $29,257 $137,375,000 $80 1
2 N Kung Fu Panda 2 P/DW $62,200,000 – 3,925 – $15,847 $68,000,000 $150 1
3 1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV $50,372,000 -44.1% 4,164 +9 $12,097 $163,967,000 $250 2
4 2 Bridesmaids Uni. $20,987,000 +0.5% 2,958 +21 $7,095 $89,594,000 $32.5 3
5 3 Thor Par. $12,030,000 -22.2% 3,296 -628 $3,650 $162,375,000 $150 4
6 4 Fast Five Uni. $8,166,000 -22.8% 2,982 -640 $2,738 $197,576,000 $125 5
7 13 Midnight in Paris SPC $3,520,000 +487.6% 58 +52 $60,690 $3,520,000 $30 2
8 6 Rio Fox $2,400,000 -48.8% 1,672 -921 $1,435 $135,441,000 $90 7
9 7 Jumping the Broom TriS $2,350,000 -36.5% 939 -533 $2,503 $34,631,000 $6.6 4
10 8 Something Borrowed WB $2,320,000 -34.0% 1,440 -1,166 $1,611 $35,234,000 $35 4