Now that you’re here, nude-celeb-surfing keyword junkie, take a look around. We cover Oscars and stuff, too.
(This is from the DVD/Blu-ray release, by the way, which hits shelves a week from Friday. Couldn’t resist a little SEO fun with the headline.)
The annual announcement of the new members invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the latest batch of industry pros we get to blame for next year’s Oscar results — is a moment that always prompts as much satisfied head-nodding as bewildered head-scratching.
The latter action isn’t always in response to unworthy choices (though I imagine many will deem the inclusion of, say, relatively unproven comedian-turned-movie-star Russell Brand premature), but more to the tardiness of others: every year, I find myself surprised that so-and-so wasn’t already a member. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the first time they’ve been asked — not everyone accepts the invitation.
I’m surprised, for example, that one of this year’s most esteemed Oscar champs, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, is only now being brought into the fold. He’s one of a number of 2010 winners on this year’s list of 178 newcomers, including directors Tom Hooper and Susanne Bier, documentarian Charles Ferguson, writer David Seidler, editor Angus Wall, short filmmaker Luke Matheny and “The King’s Speech” producers Iain Canning and Gareth Unwin. A host of this year’s nominees are also joining, among them actors Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Jacki Weaver, as well as female writer-directors Lisa Cholodenko and Debra Granik.
Early in the season the lead actress category appeared to be more competitive than ever. An easy list of 10 contenders could be drawn up, many of them admittedly sight unseen, and it was anyone’s guess as to which lady could insinuate herself as the odds-on favorite to win.
Then the critics began narrowing things down, while certain films began to underwhelm and fall to the wayside. With them went a few of those potential contenders. The critics also began to mold a frontrunner, one who would eventually prove to have the vote of the industry before having that status challenged in the final lap. Indeed, it’s been a wild ride for Best Actress.
The nominees are:
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”
• Nick Davis’s actress digest moves to the lovely Jennifer Lawrence. [Nick’s Flick Picks]
• Tom Hooper at the BAFTAs: The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. [The Race]
• David Poland talks to “Black Swan” costume co-designers Rodarte. [The Hot Blog]
A bit of a diversion from the Oscar scene, though not really, seeing as Jennifer Lawrence stars (and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are surely not far away from their first nomination). But Fox has debuted the “X-Men: First Class” trailer via the film’s Facebook page and, if you’ve been online this afternoon at all, you’ve probably already seen it. I’m not as amped for the film as most, but the trailer certainly does no harm. If anything I’m intrigued by the potential for sparks to fly between McAvoy (as Charles “Professor X” Xavier) and Fassbender (as Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr). We’ll see this summer. Check out the trailer by clicking the image below or watch an embed after the jump.
I guess this whole episode is worth posting, given the Oscar relevance throughout. After the nervous-as-hell tone Eisenberg and Lawrence set (endearingly, sure), it was nice to have Bingham there to smooth things out on clean-up:
Bingham just Tweeted this pic of his Jay Leno appearance tonight. If you can’t tell, that’s Jennifer Lawrence off to the side. And I think you know the gentleman next to Leno. Nifty:
The fifth column in our new seasonal series — if you haven’t got the drill by now, we’re rounding up the most Oscar-worthy work from the oft-overlooked first half of the year — wraps up the performance categories with by far the most competitive race of all. Conventional wisdom has it that Best Actress is the most crowded field of this year’s awards derby, and as I looked over the January-to-June release schedule, I realized that’s just as true of the early birds.
Where I admit I had embroider a little to make up five-strong fields in one or two other categories, this week’s task found me scratching my head over who to leave out. Many of the year’s most lavishly acclaimed performances jostled for position: Kim Hye-ja may have taken the Los Angeles critics’ honors, but as much as I love the demented commitment of her performance in “Mother,” I was surprised to find myself leaving her on the sidelines. Tilda Swinton is on near-peak form in “I Am Love,” and yet she too finds herself in the honorable mention category.
I was all prepared to court controversy by citing Julianne Moore’s exemplary work in Atom Egoyan’s otherwise negligible “Chloe,” but there just wasn’t room to be that playful; in a regular year, “Father of My Children” star Chiara Caselli would easily have figured in at the halfway mark. Others might make cases for Noomi Rapace or Giovanna Mezzogiorno, and I’m still hamstrung by not having had access to “Everyone Else.” The bottom line is: there was a lot to sift through before arriving at the five names below. May future years also be this good to the ladies.
The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association will officially announce its winners tomorrow (after releasing a list of nominees yesterday), but we’ve got them for you in advance at The Circuit.
David Fincher’s “The Social Network” took the Film/Director/Screenplay trifecta, while Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” was the big winner over all, taking four awards including Best Original Screenplay.
Also notable was Melissa Leo and Christian Bale’s wins in the supporting categories, a one-two punch for “The Fighter” that could well be reflected by the Academy in a couple of months. Meanwhile, “The Town” has taken its second ensemble award (along with last week’s National Board of Review honor). Could this all be prelude to a SAG ensemble nod and, eventually, a Best Picture nomination? I’m thinking yes.
If you were able to catch the live stream of the 20th anniversary Gotham Awards tonight (nominees here), then you saw the usual slap-dash, boozed up shenanigans.
Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” was carrying the big stick coming in with three nominations and it walked away with two awards, including Best Feature. Most surprising was the film’s hot young thing actress Jennifer Lawrence being upset in the Breakthrough Actor category by “Daddy Longlegs” star Ronald Bronstein. Did signing on to “X-Men: First Class” put a bad taste in voters’ mouths? Hmm…
Speaking of which, Natalie Portman went there in her cheeky intro for Darren Aronofsky’s tribute, mentioning his upcoming “The Wolverine” and “Machine Man.” His tribute reel, with just five films to pull from, looked killer. Talk about the beginnings of a brilliant career.
As we move into turkey (or tofurkey, if that happens to be your speed) week 2010, it seems proper, if a tad bit obvious, to take a moment and give thanks. So in lieu of a proper analysis of the season’s progression this week, allow me to express my boundless, breathless appreciation for the following:
The filmmakers.
I’m thankful for Mike Leigh’s consistently maturing perspective on life and how he manages to gift that to film audiences each and every time out, for Peter Weir’s tenacity in the face of an unfortunate shift in cinema investment and for Darren Aronofsky’s well-rewarded (in the form of a two-year studio deal) efforts pushing the envelope.
I’m thankful for Danny Boyle’s energetic perspective on the cinema and his obsession with filling his frame with that passion, as well as for Christopher Nolan’s determination to take studio goodwill and prove that there is an audience and payoff for pricey originality.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival may claim independent thought in the rationing of their performance awards, but rather like Santa Barbara, any West Coast fest that takes place in prime awards-season territory can’t claim to be free of the Oscar campaign circuit.
After all, when their press release states that the two actors being honored with their Desert Palm Achievement Awards (essentially Best Actor and Actress) “deliver Oscar-quality performances,” they’re effectively admitting to being another cog in the machine.
So it is that for the last three years running, their male Desert Palm Achievement Award winner was gone on to scoop the Best Actor Oscar. These folks know what they’re doing. Try and conceal your astonishment, then, that this year’s honoree is Colin Firth, the unanimously agreed-upon frontrunner (and to my mind, lone contender) for the Oscar. “Colin Firth brings a regal versatility to each of his roles, but his portrayal of King George VI in his latest film, ‘The King’s Speech,’ is extraordinary,” says PSIFF director Harold Matzner.
• Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson on “Toy Story 3” reviews, Oscar campaign, and sequel chances. [Vulture]
• Steve Pond reports a positive reaction to Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” at a recent Academy screening. [The Odds]
• Gregory Ellwood sits down with Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson, subjects of Doug Liman’s “Fair Game.” [HitFix]
Welcome to Oscar Talk.
In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.
You can feel the season rumbling to life with Halloween just around the corner. It’s been a lively enough week as contenders began to hit the circuit and more films were unveiled for eager press. Let’s see what’s on the docket today…
• AMPAS and mtvU launch the third annual “Oscars Correspondent Contest” for college journalists. [Oscars.org]
• Across the pond, Stuart Heritage counts down the ways “Rabbit Hole” could be an Oscar bet for Nicole Kidman. [The Guardian]
• The Durst family predictably threatens to sue over “All Good Things.” [Deadline]
• Jeffrey Wells does his part to re-inject Tilda Swinton’s performance in “I Am Love” back into the Oscar conversation. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• The Academy is ready for its close-up — on Twitter! [Twitter]
• Celebrating 15 years of Fox Searchlight Pictures. [/Film]
• President Obama met with children featured in the film “Waiting for Superman” yesterday. [Associated Press]
• Handicapping this year’s documentary feature Oscar race. [Vulture]
• Dave Karger explains his Gurus choices, calls “Love & Other Drugs” (one of his predicted Best Picture nominees) one of the sexiest films he’s seen in years. [Oscar Watch]
Welcome to Oscar Talk.
In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, a one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.
Two incredibly well-reviewed films are hitting theaters today and Academy voters already have screeners sitting on their doorsteps, not to mention a somber week for the Hollywood community, so there’s plenty to dive into. Let’s see what’s on the docket…