If you’re anything like me, you’re sure to watch most (if not all) of the major Oscar-contending films before nominations are even announced (this year on January 10, 2013). Here are trailers and release dates for just some of this year’s major contenders in various categories.
THE AVENGERS
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIR8Ar-Z4hw]THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDY89LYxK0w](Re-posted from The Hollywood Reporter)
by Scott Feinberg
September 20, 2012
Fox Searchlight just shook up this year’s awards race by announcing that Hitchcock, which had been looking like a 2013 release, will now open on Nov. 23.
First of all, the facts: Hitchcock is a dramedy about the relationship between kinky master filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and his trusted wife, Alma Reville, during the making of his seminal 1960 film Psycho.
The film was adapted by Black Swan co-screenwriter John McLaughlin from film historian/Playboy contributing editor Stephen Rebello’s book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. It marks the feature directorial debut of Sacha Gervasi, who is best known for his 2008 hit doc Anvil: The Story of Anvil, and was produced by Tom Pollock and Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Picture Co., which also handled 2009 best picture Oscar nominee Up in the Air.
Continue reading Why Searchlight Slipped HITCHCOCK into This Year’s Oscar Race (Analysis)
Sure, it’s probably a bit early to be making such claims, particularly since Les Misérables hasn’t even hit theatres yet. (It opens on December 14th.) However, I’m an Oscar buff and I can’t help but be thinking year-round about which films and performances will be honored come February. And so I’m going on record to state that I believe Anne Hathaway will receive an Oscar nomination next year for her supporting role as Fantine in the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. (Whether Hathaway’s part is considered a lead or supporting role will depend on the adaptation. Those familiar with the stage version know that despite Fantine’s importance to the plot, she has limited stage time. So like Catherine Zeta-Jones’s role in Chicago [2002] and Kate Winslet’s role in The Reader [2008], Hathaway’s role in Les Mis could put her in either the lead or supporting races, depending on voters’ whims.)
Continue reading 5 Reasons Why Anne Hathaway Will be Oscar Nominated for LES MISÉRABLES
(Re-posted from Yahoo! News)
The motion picture academy said Thursday that there will be a minimum of five nominees in the original song category at next year’s ceremony.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says that the five nominated songs receiving the highest number of votes from music branch members will be up for the final award. The voting process previously only allowed songs that earned an average score to be nominated.
Only two songs were nominated for the trophy earlier this year for the first time in Oscar history, with “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets winning the prize.
The 85th annual Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
(Re-posted from The Hollywood Reporter)
Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have been named to produce the 85th Annual Academy Awards, the Motion Picture Academy said Thursday.
The veteran producers, whose work spans TV, film and Broadway, had not been involved with the Oscar show before, though they had a major Academy Award winner in Chicago, which they executive produced. The musical was named best picture of 2002 and also took home trophies in five other categories. Together, their film credits also include Hairspray and The Bucket List, and Zadan was one of the producers of 1984’s Footloose.
They are currently represented on TV by NBC’s Smash, which they executive produce, and have produced such TV films as A Raisin in the Sun and the upcoming Steel Magnolias. On Broadway, they have produced the musical revivals of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Promises, Promises.
Is there any side profile more famous than Lincoln’s? The penny has nothing on this newly released poster for Steven Spielberg’s new release starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The actor seems ready to snatch his third Oscar for this one. The formula is there: fall release, true story, a historic and tragic figure, period piece, directed by Steven Spielberg.
The film also stars an amazing cast of veterans, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, James Spader, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hawkes, Walton Goggins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.
Lincoln opens November 16.
This animated short film by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg is this year’s Oscar winner for Best Short Film (Animated). Immediately below the film is Joyce’s and Oldenburg’s acceptance speech.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adzywe9xeIU] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9rme79ptdA](Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Dear Academy,
Here we go again. The Super Bowl is over, and now it’s time for the real games to begin. You have a hefty task in front of you—choosing who’s most deserving of that little golden guy. With all the hype and buzz around, it’s easy to get confused. Here’s a little help.
Your friends,
Limité’s film staff
Nominees: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Dan Quitério—Hugo. For my money, Hugo is the best-composed film of the year—the imaginative performances, the vivid art direction, the crisp cinematography, the rich story—they all come together to provide the audience with a complex and colorful experience, all the while providing it with a lesson in film history without it feeling like sitting in a stodgy classroom. On top of that, the film provides some of the best use of 3D than any other film in recent memory—a format that surely isn’t going anywhere and was lovingly embraced by a true master of filmmaking in Martin Scorsese. No other film last year—except for maybe Midnight in Paris—has the capability of igniting the imagination quite like Hugo. This film reminds us why the film medium is so special.
Predicted Winner: The Artist
Stephanie Dawson—The Artist. I don’t think any of these films are as amazing or as groundbreaking as nominees in previous years. The Tree of Life is polarizing because of it’s “what?!” factor. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, and War Horse revel in their emotional manipulation of the audience. Moneyball and Midnight in Paris are better writing achievements than complete films. The story momentum in both Hugo and The Descendants keeps sputtering and the central stories change at least twice in each. The Artist is simple, enjoyable from the first frame, and just the right amount of “sweet,” and so it has my vote, unfortunately by default.
Predicted Winner: The Artist
Janice Perez—Midnight in Paris. I haven’t seen anything in a very long time that resonated with me on a very intimate and highly personal level the way Woody Allen’s darling of a film did. Maybe it stems from my being a dedicated Francophile, or probably because that film was a beautiful homage to art. Well, whatever the cause, I loved Midnight in Paris to the hilt for being a film that really brought my own fondest imagination to life.
Predicted Winner: The Artist
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Among this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Short Film—Live Action is “Time Freak,” the comedic story of a neurotic inventor who creates a time machine that he uses to travel around yesterday so that he can obsessively correct his social foibles. The short is the only American film nominated in its category. I had the chance to pick the brains of the film’s masterminds, including writer/director Andrew Bowler, his producer wife Gigi Causey, and lead actor Michael Nathanson, just before their big day in Hollywood.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_DLkVR7hK0]Where were you when you found out about the nomination?
Michael: I actually was sound asleep. My wife is a public school teacher in NYC, and she had been up early and found out at work. When she woke me up by screaming into the answering machine, I knew it was good news.
Andrew: We were at home when we heard the news. We got up at 4:45am, unable to sleep anymore. The telecast did not come on ’til about 5:50am, and then the results were posted online shortly after that. We wanted to share the possible moment with our friends and family in different parts of the country, so we shot it.
(Watch this video of Andrew and Gigi finding out they have been nominated for an Oscar.)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnwiOYhIExU&feature=youtu.be]Continue reading Q&A: Team from Oscar-Nominated Film “Time Freak”
This is the continuation of a Q&A with the team from the Oscar-nominated short film “Time Freak” that I conducted for LimitéMagazine.com. For the first part of my interview with writer/director Andrew Bowler, producer Gigi Causey, and lead actor Michael Nathanson, click here.
Andrew, did you go to film school?
I went to NYU’s film school. I think I had a similar experience to most people who go there in that I met my best friends whom I would collaborate with for years and almost no one else. Geoffrey Richman, Michael McDermott, and Adam Fleischhacker are all accomplished filmmakers in their own right and they all worked really hard on “Time Freak.” The four of us all met in the same video class sophomore year. Geoffrey and Mike were producers [on “Time Freak”], as well as the editor and production designer, respectively.
Michael, how and when did you first catch the acting bug? What have been your biggest challenges in developing your style and rhythm as an actor?
I remember being in my first school play when I was in sixth grade, playing the comedic villain in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, and getting in front of an audience and thinking, “Wow, this is what I want to do.” I was always a film buff, and I had the opportunity to see so many great films, growing up in NYC. It really wasn’t until I got to Northwestern in Chicago and studied theatre that it really hit me that this is what I’m going to be doing with my life. As an actor, kind of like the character in “Time Freak,” you’re always trying to get better, understand the craft more—sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I feel like I try, whether it’s stage or screen, to give the audience something edgy, something unexpected. I like when an audience is uncomfortable, and yet wants to know more. I think that’s when the most interesting work happens. There’s a fearlessness I admire in actors like Gary Oldman and in comedians like Bill Murray; they are so invested in their character work, you truly feel like anything can happen at any moment. I guess I would say I’m not into ever playing it safe.
Continue reading Continued Q&A: Team from Oscar-Nominated Film “Time Freak”
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