Final Oscar 2008-2009 Nomination Predictions
Will The Dark Knight get its Best Picture nod? Will Slumdog nab the most nominations? Will Woody Allen spoil the day for another director? Will Kate Winslet get the two nods she deserves? What’s going to happen?! Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST the Academy will announce the Oscar nominees. Anyone who has watched the Oscar knows there are bound to be surprises. People are starting to doubt The Dark Knight, but I’m not betting against it. TDK fans will have their day. My final predictions are listed below, but check out the Oscar Predix page to see the evolution of Oscar 2008/2009. Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire – And the winner is… The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Solid, classy, the future of Hollywood. Milk – The kind of politically-charged, fight-for-what’s-right kind of story the Academy loves....
Read MoreSlumdog takes Best Picture at Critics’ Choice Awards
No real surprise as Slumdog Millionaire takes top prize (and 4 others) at the BFCA Critics’ Choice Awards. (Sorry, The Dark Knight fans.) All signs continue to point to Slumdog as the Best Picture favorite. Damn me for not having cable television. I’d would have liked to seen some of these acceptance speeches, especially Kate Winslet’s for her surprise win in the Supporting Actress category. These speeches are make or break for a potential Oscar winner. You’ll see more of them on Sunday at the Not the Oscars… err… Golden Globes. Here are all your Critics’ Choice winners (courtesy of AwardsDaily.com): Best Comedy Movie: Tropic Thunder Best Acting Ensemble: Milk Best Young Actor/Actress: Dev Patel Best Writer: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire Best Action Film: The Dark Knight Best Composer: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire Best Song: Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler...
Read MoreWGA Nominees 2009
And the WGA Nominees are: ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures The Dark Knight, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures Doubt, Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films...
Read MoreNY Film Critics pick Milk
It’s not an out-of-left-field choice like LAFCA’s WALL-E pick, but the NYFCC solidifies Milk‘s position as a serious contender in the Best Picture race. It’s also worth noting that Penelope Cruz is sweeping the Supporting Actress awards so far this season. She’s 3 for 3 at with her NBR, LAFCA, and NYFCC wins. Best Picture – Milk Best Director – Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky Best Actor – Sean Penn, Milk Best Actress – Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky Best Supporting Actor – Josh Brolin, Milk Best Supporting Actress – Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona Best Screenplay – Jenny Lumet, Rachel Getting Married Best Cinematographer – Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire Best Foreign Film – 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Best Animated Film – WALL-E Best First Film – Courtney Hunt, Frozen River Best Documentary – Man on Wire Official NYFCC...
Read MoreFilm Independent’s Spirit Awards – Demme’s Rachel for Oscar?
Film Independent announced the nominations for the 24th annual Independent Spirit Awards today, and Oscar-hopeful Rachel Getting Married got a lot of attention. The film tied smaller indies including the Melissa Leo-starrer Frozen River and my favorite film so far this year Ballast (a film that I’m sure you won’t hear about in the Oscar race) with 6 nominations. You can see all the nominees here. What does this mean for the Demme picture? Well, the bad news is it may be this year’s Half Nelson or I’m Not There, films embraced by the film aficionados, but hardly bankable indies like Little Miss Sunshine or Juno. The good news is there isn’t a Juno or Little Miss Sunshine in the bunch this year. Given the Spirit Awards’ penchant for rewarding films that make a splash, the acclaimed, star-powered Rachel (starring Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger) is the...
Read MoreQuickie: Rachel Getting Married
Rachel Getting Married (2008)–**** Quickie Review Just out of rehab, Kym returns home for her sister’s wedding, but it may be more than she and her family can handle. A rare family drama that is both unnervingly raw and decidedly heartfelt, this Jonathan Demme picture can take pride in its acute realism. It never sensationalizes the tragic subject matter, avoiding melodrama with an inspired cinéma vérité style that would make even Paul Greengrass envious. Anne Hathaway’s star-making turn as ex-junkie Kym propels this former Disney princess into serious actress territory for the first time after a few solid tries. Also starring an equally superb Rosemarie DeWitt as the title character. Rachel Getting Married is in theaters...
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