Oscar Nominations: The shoe-ins and the snubs

The nominations for the 83^rd Annual Academy Awards was announced yesterday afternoon by Academy President Tom Sherack and last year’s supporting actress winner Mo’Nique - and as expected The King’s Speech led the way.

The King’s Speech took 12 nods with the Coen Brothers True Grit shortly following with 10. Inception and The Social Network came away with 8 nominations, followed by The Fighter and Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours with 6 each. After that came Black Swan, Indie-hit Winter’s Bone and Pixar’s Toy Story 3 with 5 nominations apiece.

This year’s Best Picture nominees are Black Swan, The Social Network, The Fighter, The King’s Speech, Inception, True Grit, Toy Story 3, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours and Winter’s Bone.

The King’s Speech is without question the front-runner for this year’s Oscars with Colin Firth an almost certainty to pick up his first Academy Award. Safe to say his reaction to yesterday’s news was something of pure elation, “Currently celebrating with my colleagues 3 feet above the ground. Not used to this much joy, or this much champagne at this hour.” His co-stars had a reason to celebrate as well with Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush getting supporting nods for their roles in the historical epic about a stammering King George VI.

 

The Coen Brothers are making a habit of attracting Oscar buzz to their recent work. You only have to look back a few years when they shone with No Country For Old Men picking up Best Picture and even 2009’s A Serious Man was in the mix for Oscar glory. Now with True Grit they have a solid chance to cause an upset in the major categories. Let’s not also forget The Social Network. Doing well in the Golden Globes picking up major honours, it still has momentum to finish strongly.

Tom Hooper was somewhat delighted of receiving word he picked up his first Oscar nomination for Direction, “This is sort of like a childhood dream come true, getting nominated for an Oscar. It's amazing.” He has fierce competition though with the likes of David Fincher, David O. Russell, Darren Aronofsky and the Coen Brothers also up for Best Director.

In the acting categories Natalie Portman is the favourite to pick up best actress for her stunning portrayal of a troubled ballerina in Black Swan. Her rivals include veteran Annette Benning for The Kids Are All Right, Jennifer Laurence for Winter’s Bone, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole and Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.



As mentioned above Colin Firth is a shoe-in to pick up his first Oscar. He was battle alongside last year’s winner and potential up setter Jeff Bridges (True Grit), a surprising nod for Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Javier Bardem (Biutiful) and Oscar co-presenter this year James Franco (127 Hours).

The supporting categories were as expected with Christian Bale the favourite to win for arguably his best performance in The Fighter. There were a few pleasant surprises with The Town’s Jeremy Renner (for his role as a loose cannon bank robber) and Winter’s Bone John Hawkes getting nods. On receiving the news Renner expressed, “I can't stop smiling, my face hurts! It still hasn't really even kicked in.” Also included is Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech and Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right.

The Fighter is also strongly represented in the supporting actress categories with Melissa Leo and Amy Adams both up for best supporting actress following their roles. Australian’s Jacki Weaver is also nominated for her turn in Animal Kingdom. But the surprise inclusion was for 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld for her strong turn in True Grit.

Now it’s time to focus on some of the people that unfortunately missed out on receiving nominations. In other words got robbed:

Mark Wahlberg - After a carefully balanced and stunning portrayal as “Irish” Mickey Ward in The Fighter, Wahlberg failed to receive a best actor nod join his co-stars in the nominations. Perhaps the Academy have yet to forgive him for The Happening.

Noomi Rapace - Transforming herself into goth hacker Lisbeth Salander, the Swedish actress was snubbed from a deserved best actress nod. After 3 riveting turns in the adaptation of the Millenium Trilogy what else did she need to do.

Andrew Garfield - One of the main focal points of David Fincher’s powerful film The Social Network was Garfield’s performance as one of the brain’s behind the creation of Facebook who ultimately gets screwed over. Now the Academy have done the same and screwed him over a deserved best supporting actor nod.

Christopher Nolan - The mind-boggling masterpiece that is Inception did pick up 9 nominations including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. So first of all well done to Nolan on those fronts and his co-producer and wife Emma Thomas. However the fact that he was robbed of a best director nod for Inception is disgraceful/ludicrous/shocking and so on. To take on a challenge of bringing such a complex and multi-layered narrative as he did in last year’s Inception fully and whole-heartedly deserved recognition and the fact that the Academy failed to do so is an utter shambles. Mind, I doubt Christopher Nolan will lose too much sleep over it!

My predictions for the 83^rd Annual Academy Awards in the major categories are as follows:

Best Picture - The Social Network

Best Actor - Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)

Best Actress - Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Best Director - David Fincher (The Social Network)

The Oscars will be held on Sunday 27^th February


Written by Michael Cunneen

The Dark Knight will rise against Catwoman and Bane

Hollywood beauty Anne Hathaway has won the role of Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros has confirmed. Christopher Nolan will direct the final part of the Batman trilogy and has stated, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story."

The comics depicted Catwoman as a frisky, high-class cat burglar who forms a complex love/hate relationship with the caped crusader. Screen tests for the role took place last week with the likes of Hathaway, Keira Knightley, Kate Mara and Jessica Biel all competing for the role once played by Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992’s Batman Returns.

It’s also been confirmed that Brit actor Tom Hardy will play the role of the muscular super-steroidal freak, Bane. In the comics Bane famously broke Batman’s back forcing the playboy to relinquish the mantle of the bat. The Inception star (30) has been attached to the project since Christmas and was linked to a variety of different roles.

Christopher Nolan (40) declared, "I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies." The British director will be continuing a trend of bringing multiple villains to his previous Batman films with the likes of The Joker and Two-Face in The Dark Knight.

Cast members from the previous Batman outing such as Sir Michael Caine and Gary Oldman will return for the final part of Nolan’s trilogy. Filming is slated to commence in April with a Summer release in 2012.

Perhaps if Nolan had committed for a fourth or fifth movie, matters might have been different. Selina Kyle (Catwoman) could have been introduced in Batman 3 and allowed to transform into her alter ego in a future film. But, despite the fact that only the name Selina Kyle (not Catwoman) is mentioned in Warner Bros' press release, that seems unlikely now, such will be the clamour to see the character on screen.

But you can’t help but think Nolan could have his work cut out with having multiple villains in his final Batman film. Taking into account we last saw the caped crusader running from the police and no doubt we will continue to see him on the run from the mob and the law. But introducing two new villains for The Dark Knight Rises could prove tasking to introduce the audiences with back-stories, it could all become a risky shoot for the Brit director. Having said that we are talking about one of the most talented and successful moviemakers working today, so if anyone was going to take on this challenge Christopher Nolan is your man.

Written By Michael Cunneen

The Social Network strikes gold at the Globes

The Social Network was the big winner at Sunday night’s 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

David Fincher’s film about Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook was crowned Best film drama with the surprise of the night going to Michael Douglas presenting the award receiving a standing ovation after recently recovering from throat cancer.

The Wall Street actor joked, "There's gotta be an easier way of getting a standing ovation... I'm very very happy to be here tonight."

The so-called “Facebook movie” also went on to win best screenplay for Aaron Sorkin who dedicated his award to Mark Zuckerberg describing him as a “a great visionary and an incredible altruist.” It also went on to win best score.

There were no surprises in the acting categories with Colin Firth bagging the best actor gong for his performance as stammering King George VI in historical drama The King’s Speech.

Humbly collecting his statuette, Firth thanked his co-stars and went on to joke, “Right now this is all that stands between me and a Harley Davidson.”

It was a slight disappointment for the film though going into the awards with seven nominations and only Colin Firth came out successful.

Pregnant actress Natalie Portman was named best dramatic actress for her role as a troubled ballet dancer in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller Black Swan.

She paid a giggly, tribute to her fiancé Benjamin Millipied, who she met on the set, “She said: "You may remember him as the guy in the movie who was asked if he would sleep with that girl and he said, "no".

The Fighter did well in the acting categories KO’ing its competitors with The Dark Knight star Christian Bale and Melissa Leo winning supporting gongs for their performances in the boxing drama about “Irish” Mickey Ward.

Family drama The Kids are All Right about a lesbian couple reunited with the biological father of their teenage children was named best comedy or drama and Hollywood veteran Annette Benning being named best actress for her role.

Paul Giamatti was awarded best actor for a musical or comedy in Barney’s Version. On receiving his award from Halle Berry, he babbled several times, “Jesus Christ Halle Berry.”

In the television categories, Glee and Boardwalk Empire took away awards for best series in a comedy and drama respectively. It also did well in the acting categories.

Acting legend Robert De Niro got a warm reception upon receiving the Cecile B. DeMille lifetime achievement award from The Bourne Identity actor Matt Damon.

Ricky Gervais was the host for the night. It’s the second year in a row the comedian has presented the illustrious ceremony. He was controversial to say the least making references to Hollywood tear-away Charlie Sheen and 3D movies.

When introducing Robert Downey Jr, the Extras star joked, “Many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as the Betty Ford clinic and Los Angeles County jail, please welcome Robert Downey Jr.”

The globes are viewed as a guide to who will go on to win at the Oscars next month with pundits tipping The Social Network to win in the major categories.

Written by Michael Cunneen

James Bond will return

Last April alarm bells were ringing that the production of the 23rd James Bond film had to be put on hold due to financial issues. Long story short the production company MGM had to sort out it’s future and it’s worrying bankruptcy issues. Thankfully they have been resolved and a restructure of the company has taken place. Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and at the mercy of its creditors, MGM was in the news for more than a year because of its financial woes.

It was to considerable relief that MGM announced on Tuesday that production of the new James Bond film will begin shooting late 2011. Long-standing producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that the 23rd James Bond outing will be given a worldwide release date of 9th November 2012. This will incidentally fall on the 50th anniversary of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.

 

There are confirmed reports that Daniel Craig will return as the British Secret Service Agent and will be directed by Oscar Winning Director Sam Mendes. There had been fears with MGM’s future in doubt that Craig wouldn’t return as 007. But fans can be at ease now with the franchise continuing and dates confirmed for the next Bond outing currently entitled James Bond 23. The Layer Cake actor has a busy 2011 with starring in the American remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo currently filming. That commenced straight after filming of Jon Faverau’s Summer Blockbuster Cowboys and Aliens came to a close.

Writers from the previous two Bond movies Robert Wade and Neal Purvis will continue with scripting duties with fellow writer John Logan on board. Casting will now commence for the film. This will certainly be an intriguing process for Sam Mendes who was originally going to be a “consultant” for the film before MGM’s problems came about.

 

As he is now officially going to be in the director’s chair there are a flurry of rumours around who might join Daniel Craig. So long as Mendes wont be making any radical changes, it’s almost certain Judi Dench will reprise her role as M. In terms of the villian, Michael Sheen has been thrown out there as a potential baddie. Simon Russell Beale who unknown to some is an acclaimed British theatre actor is rumoured for the role and was even quoted in a UK newspaper saying, “every actor wants to be in Bond [and] I'd love to be a baddie."

James Bond is easily MGM's most profitable franchise. The 22 Bond movies are third in the list of most successful film franchises, according to the website Box Office Mojo. The last film in the series, 2008's Quantum of Solace, made $586m (£381.6m) worldwide. The 2006 movie Casino Royale, which unveiled Craig as a meaner Bond, took in $594m.

Fans worldwide will surely now be celebrating with a Martini that James Bond will return!

Written By Michael Cunneen

The Awards Season is building momentum

“And the winner is … “ Throughout January and February that phrase will be read out on countless occasions as the season for award giving and acceptance speech reading hots up. Yes it is that time where stick thin actresses fret over which designer label they’ll be wearing and practising their speeches with inevitable floods of tears to boot.

The awards ceremonies all have one thing in common – they are a dress rehearsal for the biggest night in the movie calendar, The Academy Awards (informally known as the Oscars). Ceremonies that we’ll look into such as the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild all offer a good indication as to who might walk away with a prized golden statuette in their grasp come Oscar night.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is responsible for deciding which films and TV shows get put up for nomination for the Golden Globe awards. It has been covering the awards ceremony for over 66 years and has been well established as the event to watch to get a good idea of what will happen at the Kodak Theatre on Oscar night.

The nominations are a mixed bunch this year but there are a usual handful of movies leading the way. The King’s Speech (Colin Firth as King George VI in Tom Hooper’s historical epic) with seven nominations. The Social Network (David Fincher’s powerful true story of the rise and fall of Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook) grabbed six nods as did The Fighter (Mark Wahlberg in the biopic of tough boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward.) Other films following with four nominations were Inception, The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan. Some surprise entries included the weak Alice in Wonderland and the below par The Tourist.  Winners to be announced on Sunday 16^th January.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, which made its debut in 1995, has become one of the industry’s most prized honours. The only televised awards shows to exclusively honour performers; it presents thirteen awards for acting in film and television. The Fighter and The King’s Speech led the way with four nominations apiece (both included in the Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture category). The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan followed closely with three nominations each (leading actresses Annette Bening and Natalie Portman being recognized respectively for their roles). Lagging behind is The Coen Brother’s version of the adaptation of True Grit and The Social Network with two nods each. Winners to be announced on Sunday 30^th January.

But first of all the Annual Critics Choice Awards will be headlining the awards season. Darren Aronofsky’s twisted ballet drama Black Swan snagged 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director. The King’s Speech and True Grit each received 11 nominations. Christopher Nolan’s Inception got 10 nods and The Social Network was liked nine times by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The 16^th Annual Critics Choice Awards will be announced on Friday 12^th January. 

 It is quite evident that there is a trend developing with more than five pictures battling it out for the big prizes. Black Swan, The King’s Speech, The Fighter, The Social Network, Inception and 127 Hours going head-to-head. However lets not begin to dismiss much smaller yet just as powerful films that may surprise a few people as the season progresses such as Winter’s Bone and The Kids Are All Right being highly praised also in some of the major categories. 

Written by Michael Cunneen

Pete Postlethwaite: The end of an acting legacy

We have barely settled into 2011 and already the film industry is mourning one of Britain’s most finest actors. Pete Postlethwaite died peacefully on Sunday in a Shropshire hospital after a battle with Cancer. The Warrington born actor who in 1994 was nominated for an Oscar for In The Name of the Father had a successful career on stage and screen that spanned over 40 years.

Once described by no lesser director than Steven Spielberg as, “the greatest actor in the world,” it was the Theatre that Postlethwaite kick started his career. He appeared alongside fellow British actors Bill Nighy and Julie Walters (whom they shared a relationship together in the 1970’s) at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre that got him recognition. He was also a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company appearing in countless productions including a powerful turn as King Lear.

He began his screen career in TV shows such as Coronation Street, Minder and Play for Today. But it was a small role in Ridley Scott’s The Duellists that made him the character actor people recognized him for. When reflecting on Postlethwaite’s filmography it was the 1990’s that his stature grew even more with roles in more than 20 feature films. Performances in David Fincher’s Alien 3 and Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans begun grabbing the attention of Hollywood and in 1993 he was recognized for his role as Giuseppe Conlon for In The Name of the Father appearing alongside Daniel-Day Lewis about the IRA’s Guilford pub bombing.

 His career illustrated further versatility after appearances in The Usual Suspects, implementing his Shakespeare training in Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo + Juliet, and doing two films with movie giant Steven
Spielberg - The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad. In 2003 he was recognized for his services to drama with being appointed an OBE.

More recently he has made appearances in the remake of The Omen, Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans, sci-fi blockbuster Inception and Ben Affleck’s Boston-set crime thriller The Town. His final appearance
will be in April with the release of Killing Bono.

Since his passing friends and colleagues have been pouring in messages expressing their sorrow and reflecting on many of the cherished memories spent with Pete Postlethwaite. Kevin Spacey who appeared alongside Postlethwaite in The Usual Suspects stated, “No-one was like Pete.”

Daniel Day-Lewis described him as, “The one. As students it was him we went to see on stage time and time again.” Former girlfriend Julie Walters praised him as, “The most exciting, exhilarating actor of his generation.” Meanwhile broadcaster Stephen Fry wrote on Twitter, “The loss of the great Pete Postlethwaite is a very sad way to begin a year.”

He leaves behind his wife, Jacqui and two children Will and Lily.

Written by Michael Cunneen