Via press release, the nominees are:
“Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer”
“Earth Made of Glass”
“Inside Job”
“Smash His Camera”
“The Tillman Story”
“Waiting for Superman”
Tag: guild awards
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PGA nominates documentaries
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Lifetime Achievement Awards for Deakins and Freeman
A pair to report. First up, Morgan Freeman gets the AFI tribute treatment this year. I wonder if we’ll get some quality discussion of his work with David Fincher on “Se7en.” The press release, in part:Morgan Freeman has been selected by the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Board of Trustees to receive the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film, it was announced today by Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. The award will be presented to Freeman at a gala tribute on Thursday, June 9, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. TV Land will broadcast the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute on TV Land PRIME later in June 2011.
“Morgan Freeman is an American treasure,” said Stringer. “Across decades, whether playing a prisoner, a president or God, he embodies a calm authority that demands respect for the character and for the art form. His gifts to the cultural record are also underscored by his unmistakable voice that echoes through the hearts and minds of movie lovers around the world. AFI is proud to present him with its 39th Life Achievement Award.”
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Cameron to be feted by PGA
The press release, in part:The Producers Guild of America (PGA)…announced today that the legendary Oscar award-winning producer, director, writer James Cameron will be honored with the 2011 Milestone Award. The award will be presented to Cameron at the 22nd Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 22nd at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The Milestone Award is the Guild’s highest honor that recognizes an individual (or team) who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry. The Producers Guild has paid tribute to such luminaries as Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ron Howard & Brian Grazer, and Walt Disney, among others.
“James Cameron is an exceptionally talented producer—a true innovator with the rare combination of technical ingenuity and creative vision,” said Paula Wagner, Chair of the 2011 Producers Guild Awards. “Jim has continued to change the film landscape with his ability to deliver groundbreaking masterpieces that present audiences and the industry with unrivaled beauty, originality and impact.”
[Photo: 42 West]
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Stop the presses: ‘Avatar’ sweeps VES
ZOMG! Well, actually, it wasn’t a clean sweep, as “District 9” managed to win in the compositing category (one of many that saw “Avatar” as a multiple nominee). But it was unsurprisingly dominated by Cameron and company throughout, with six awards going to the blockbuster. Go to The Circuit to see the damage.
(Also, while I’m at it, any word out there on the International Film Music Critics Association’s list of winners, which was supposed to have been announced Friday? That’s literally the last precursor left standing at the moment.)
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‘Avatar,’ ‘Basterds’ win with MPSE
See the full list of winners here. We covered the sound editing category last week in the Oscar Guide. I think “Avatar” is still safe to win there, but there could still be a splitting seeing “The Hurt Locker” take sound mixing.
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‘Up in the Air,’ ‘Hurt Locker,’ ‘Cove’ win at WGA
Insert token analysis here. Longest…Oscar…season…ever.
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WGA awards on the way
The Writers Guild of America awards are tonight, and they couldn’t feel less relevant given the slew of ineligibilities this season. The nominees are here if you need a refresher.If I were to take a stab, I’d call it for “Up in the Air” and “The Hurt Locker,” coincidentally my same picks for the Oscars. Although the original screenplay race can’t be considered foreshadowing here, given that Quentin Tarantino isn’t eligible, but Mark Boal is gaining traction by the minute as Harvey’s megaphone has chafed members a bit this week.
Other Oscar nominees that weren’t eligible with the guild include Nick Hornby for “An Education,” Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for “District 9” and the guys behind “In the Loop.” Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon, ironically enough, were eligible for “The Messenger” at the guild and were snubbed, yet they made it in with the Academy.
If you have any thoughts you’d like to offer up, rifle them off here.
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‘Hurt Locker,’ ‘Hangover’ win with ACE
Friday we spotlighted the film editing category in our daily Oscar Guide feature. Tonight at the Beverly Hilton, the editors themselves had their say at the 60th annual ACE Eddies ceremony.Bob Murawski and Chris Innis were the big winners in the drama category for “The Hurt Locker” (my prediction for the Oscar win), while in something of a surprise, Debra Neil-Fisher won in the comedy category for “The Hangover,” toppling the Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man.” It makes you wonder just how close the Warner Bros. romp was to a Best Picture nomination with all of this industry love.
Pixar and Kevin Nolting predictably won in the animated category for “Up,” while Geoffrey Richardson won in the documentary field for “The Cove,” a film that frankly deserved Oscar recognition in the category.
As always, keep track of the season’s goings on at The Circuit.
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Art Directors Guild winners
Happy to see my pick for the year’s best in the category get its due. Check out The Circuit for the winners.
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‘Hurt Locker,’ ‘The Cove’ win with DGA
I don’t want to be presumptuous and say something like, “It’s time to call this thing,” but it’s difficult to argue with the two biggest guild crowns ON TOP OF the critical sentiment “The Hurt Locker” is dragging into phase two.Kathryn Bigelow has won the DGA award for her work on the film, becoming the first woman to be awarded by the guild to date and taking one step closer to the same designation on Oscar night. (Louie Psihoyos won the documentary prize for “The Cove”). Left in the dust with its billions, it seems, is James Cameron’s “Avatar,” with nothing but a Golden Globe to its credit.
Sometimes a winner just looks like a winner. Not to take the intrigue out of it. But seriously, the money thing, it’s just not hurting “The Hurt Locker,” and perhaps the Oscars will serve a purpose in a year the Academy became craven enough to expand its field to allow for critical successes. An independent that barely brought in $12 million at the box office will get the exposure it deserves on a global stage and perhaps reach a new audience.
The irony is unbelievable. On to phase two.
(Photo of Bigelow holding nomination plaque, not winner’s plaque.)
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Costume Designers Guild nominees
A nice guild mention for “Crazy Heart” which establishes some wider-spread love for the film. It’s still a threat to slide into the 10, I’m telling you.I expect this to be the period field minus “Julie & Julia” and add “Inglourious Basterds” (which was surprisingly snubbed) or “Bright Star” (which, the fact that it missed here is a friggin’ TRAVESTY).
Then again, I suppose Nora Ephron’s film, or even the flashy “Bruno,” are certainly possibilities. Maybe even the vibrant threads of “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” my pick for best in show in this category.
“Avatar” gets another guild boost, while Danny Glicker is cited for “Up in the Air,” reminding me of our discussion of his vision for the threads in Jason Reitman’s film. Check out the full list after the jump and at The Circuit.
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‘Hurt Locker,’ ‘Up,’ ‘The Cove’ win with PGA
Wow. Summit Entertainment’s “The Hurt Locker” took down Goliath to win the PGA award tonight. I’m at a total loss. The film has asserted itself, rather dramatically, as a film to contend with, one that won’t be stampeded by the “Avatar” express. And I am, quite frankly, ecstatic at the notion.Actor Jeff Bridges presented the award to producers Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicholas Chartier and Greg Shapiro. We wanted a horse race. We got one. Wow.
Pixar’s “Up,” also nominated in the field of 10 Best Picture contenders, won the animated feature award, the highest grossing film of the category. Louie Psihoyos’s “The Cove,” meanwhile, won the documentary prize.
Mo’Nique presented the Stanley Kramer Award to “Precious” director Lee Daniels, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen presented the David O. Selznick Award to Pixar honcho John Lasseter and Will Smith presented the Milestone Award to Sony’s Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton.
On to the DGAs next weekend, which will likely go in Kathryn Bigelow’s favor, too. Watch out.
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SAG on the way
Saturday night the Screen Actors Guild Awards will go down, televised on TNT, and I can’t really believe the race is THIS sewn up. Right down the line, most are calling it for Bridges, Streep, Waltz and Mo’Nique. There are some differences of opinion on the ensemble performance category, but for the most part, those four Oscar favorites are the expected victors with the guild.The last time SAG went four-for-four with the Academy’s ultimate winners was 2004. The last time before that was 1997, which actually featured a tie between Gloria Stewart and Kim Basinger, so it’s a bit less definitive. And in point of fact, those are the only times things have matched up.
The reason for this is fairly simple. The Screen Actors Guild (a 90,000-member body of people) votes for the winners at large, while the nominees are decided upon by a roughly 2,000-member nominating committee, 1,200 of them based in Los Angeles. The nominating committee obviously sees more of the contenders than the vast membership. For that reason, generally speaking, you can expect the unexpected.
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ASC nominees
“Avatar” continues its guild steamroll with a mention from the ASC today, a mention I frankly didn’t think the film would get. Then again, the guild is typically kind to digital photography where AMPAS is not (examples are “Collateral” and “Apocalypto”), so I wouldn’t say it’s a slam dunk in this category for Oscar. Then again, maybe I’m blind to the writing on the wall here. And “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” may have gone a long way toward dispelling digital bias in the Academy.I don’t get the love for Christian Berger. I haven’t since day one. There is nothing appealing to me about the way Michael Haneke visually captures his films. There’s rarely anything appealing to me about his films period, truth be told. But somehow going with black and white and employing his usual brand of tracking shots, long takes, etc., rarely with compelling composition (all my opinion, of course), it has managed to bring Berger laurel after laurel. Critics awards are one thing, but an organization like the ASC, which I trust and respect, I don’t know. Maybe I just missed the boat completely.
“Nine” finally gets a guild mention and Robert Richardson, as always, is an ASC favorite once more.
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‘Avatar,’ ‘Star Trek’ among WGA nominees
And, there we are. “Avatar” gets a nomination for best writing from a 10,000 member-strong guild and plenty will find reason to argue with it. But let’s look at the rest.“The Hangover” managed to get a nomination in the original screenplay field in the wake of a number of eligibility rulings on some top contenders. I’m most excited for Scott Cooper and “Crazy Heart,” because I’m getting the feeling he might turn this and his USC Scripter bid into something tangible for Oscar consideration. “District 9,” of course, was not eligible here and is still a threat, ditto “An Education,” but the race is a little more interesting now. Especially when you consider Nora Ephron (also nominated today), who I’ve always felt was a threat with the Academy for navigating two sources and making some entertaining sense of it all.
Elsewhere it’s the usual suspects, except for the appearance of “Star Trek” in the adapted ranks. Yes, the writers of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” are WGA nominees. But in my view, they deserve the pat on the back for this film, a high octane entertainment that was smartly conceived and remains one of the true gems of 2009.
Check out the nominees after the jump.
