Monthly Archives: December 2011

Awards, Classic Film, Oscars, Poster

Official Oscar Poster Unveiled

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(Re-posted from The Hollywood Reporter)

by Michael O’Connell
December 28, 2011

For the 84th annual awards, the one-sheet pairs the Oscar statuette with images of eight winning films from eight decades.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the poster for the 2012 Academy Awards on Wednesday morning. And it promises the 84th annual Oscars will celebrate — as one might expect — movies.

Under the banner “Life. Camera. Action,” the poster features eight Oscar-winning films from eight decades of the show. Gone with the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1943), Giant (1956), The Sound of Music (1965), The Godfather (1972), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Forrest Gump (1994) and Gladiator (2000) make up the films highlighted. Only one of them, however, did not win best picture. That distinction goes to Giant, which won George Stevens an Oscar for directing.

Academy President Tom Sherak addressed the chosen tagline, “Celebrate the movies in all of us,” in an accompanying release. “Whether it’s a first date or a holiday gathering with friends or family, movies are a big part of our memory,” said Sherak. “The Academy Awards not only honor the excellence of these movies, but also celebrate what they mean to us as a culture and to each of us individually.”

The poster is available for public download on the Oscar website.

Animation, Coming Soon, Narrative, New Release, Oscars, Preview

Coming Soon: The Adventures of Tintin

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Belgian artist Georges Remi—under the pen name Hergé—introduced Tintin to the world in 1929. The beloved character who is a Belgian reporter sets out on a series of adventures with his dog Snowy and best pal Captain Haddock. Though the characters originally lived in a comic strip, throughout the years they were reproduced in a variety of media, including books, movies, TV, and theatre, and were translated into more than 50 languages. It seems the popular series is well known and loved in almost every part of the world—except America. But that’s soon to change.

As is by now widely known, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg (director) and fellow Oscar-winner Peter Jackson (producer) will bring The Adventures of Tintin to US audiences starting this Wednesday, following the film’s initial bow in oversees markets, where the characters and stories first found success and praise. In this first of at least two films by the filmmaking duo, Tintin (Jamie Bell) and Haddock (Andy Serkis) set off on a quest to find a sunken ship that was commanded by Haddock’s ancestor. (Though Spielberg directs this first installment, it’s been reported that Jackson will sit in the director’s chair for the film’s follow-up effort.)

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Actors, Awards, Oscars

My “Official” Oscar Nomination Predictions

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Awards season is upon us and several critics circles, SAG, and the Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globes) have listed their best films lists, awards, and nominations in a variety of categories. There’s no reason for me to sit back silently and not get my two cents in. Overall, there haven’t been many surprises, though a few notable snubs immediately come to mind upon reading some of these lists and nominations.

Based on my years of following such lists and awards shows, I’ve put together my “official” Oscar nomination predictions for the four acting categories and Best Picture. I follow each prediction with a “preliminary” winner. These are not my “official” winner predictions, as those will come closer to the Oscars.

The nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 24.

Best Actor

Demián Bichir – A Better Life

George Clooney – The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar

Jean Dujardin – The Artist

Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Alternates:

Michael Fassbender – Shame

Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March

Preliminary Winner:

Jean Dujardin

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Celebrating the 170 in a Big, LA Way

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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, so I wanted to make this next one worthwhile.

Last month, I completed an eight-year odyssey in completing my 170 list just before my 30th birthday. I wanted to celebrate finishing my list and this milestone birthday in a big movie way, so I decided to take my first trip to LA. Together with my friend Stephanie, we spent six days and six nights making our way through the Hollywood Walk of Fame, movie studios, and Sunset & Vine. Here’s how it all went down last month.

(For over 300 photos of my trip, click here.)

Day 1

November 8

We departed from New York’s JKF Airport and touched down at LAX on Tuesday, November 8. For years, I had heard about how great In-N-Out Burger is, but all of the restaurants seem to be concentrated around the West Coast, so I knew our first stop after landing had to be the famous burger joint where the food is always fresh. I had a Double Double with fries and a shake, and I have to say, although it was very good, it was just a burger and some fries. I’m left scratching my head, wondering where the hype ever came from. But this was just the beginning of what would be a long and exhausting day.

Stephanie and I took our rental van straight to Hollywood, where we headed straight to the Kodak Theatre, the home of the Oscars. I had been wanting to take a tour of the theatre for a long time, so I was excited to finally get the opportunity. We were the only ones on our tour, which made our trip through those hallowed halls a private one, making it that much more special. Our tour guide’s name was Barbara, and I have to say she was pretty awesome. A movie buff herself, she was thrilled to have Stephanie and me on the tour. She said that some people take the tour without ever having even heard of the Oscars! Blasphemy! She said she was happy to have real movie folk on the tour and Stephanie and I both engaged her in an educated way. In fact, the 30-minute tour was extended to just passed an hour, and no one minded. This was the highlight of my entire LA trip. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside.

Next up was Hollywood & Highland, the outdoor shopping mall that sits right in the heart of Hollywood (and just outside the Kodak Theatre). I was surprised to see a Crumbs Bake Shop there, as I didn’t know my favorite cupcake shop existed outside New York. Of course, I had to pay a visit. It was the day before my birthday, after all.

Next door to the Kodak is the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which was being set up for one of its many premiers to be held later that night. The film was The Artist, which will undoubtedly be a Best Picture nominee this year. Since the inside of the theatre was closed off, we had to come back another day. More on that later.

We walked down Hollywood Blvd. and found ourselves at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre, which was playing some AFI Fest films. (The festival was running during the first days of our visit, though we didn’t partake.) We stepped inside to take a look at the lobby and snap some photos before heading over to the Roosevelt Hotel, the site of the very first Academy Awards in 1929. Stephanie and I made our way inside, taking in the 1920s decor. I felt like we stepped into a Bogart film. The hotel was beautiful, inside and out.

Continue reading Celebrating the 170 in a Big, LA Way →