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4th Annual Edgy Award Winners
I didn’t commit to writing up my Top Ten List for last year. Under normal circumstances, one would think such circumstances would provide an element of suspense going through these awards. Any other year, that might be true, but unfortunately there was a heavyweight that didn’t have much trouble cleaning up the lion’s share of the categories. In fact, not since “The Return of the King,” and before that “Schindler’s List.” has a single film taken out the competition as extensively as, well…you’ll find out soon enough.
I’ve tried to provide as many video clips as possible, to help to justify my decisions here. No winner would also be complete without a runner-up because my labor of indecision is insurmountable. Finally, once you’ve seen what’s been crowned the top honors, keep scrolling for some fun extra awards that will tie up any loose ends of 2014.
Without further adieu, here are the winners of the 4th Annual Edgy Awards:
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BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Young and Beautiful” featured in “The Great Gatsby”
Music and Lyrics by Lana Del Ray
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1aF54DO60]
Runner-Up: “The Moon Song” featured in “Her”
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The 4th Annual Edgy Award Nominations
That’s right, I’ve returned again from the ashes to shower all of you with my cinematic opinions. For what reason? I suppose that’s ultimately up for you all to decide. For me, the cinematic process exists on three levels: people make films, people watch films and, finally, people discuss films. I’m here to plant my flag in the discussion, for that’s the only way that a film lives beyond the first two steps.
With the announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominations, I am compelled to throw my hat in the ring and let you all know of where they went wrong and, occasionally, strike gold. But most of all, I can’t help but get a metaphysical high from this; taking all of my cinematic conquests that I’ve spent my hard-earned money seeing, and lining them up in neat, organized columns. Maybe as a child, I spent too much time organizing my action figures and baseball cards, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And given that I made my first “Top 100 Films” list when I was 11, I don’t think it could have turned out differently.
Now, as much as I can’t wait to dig into 2014, and all of its brightest points, I’ve still got a lot to see in the next 4 weeks. Meanwhile, due to a few too many unfortunate stints by my wife’s side in the hospital last winter (she’s fine, now, don’t worry), the 4th Annual Edgy Awards never had a chance to come to pass. Since you can’t have a 5th without the 4th, I’ll spend a bit more time covering my bases for this year and will offer a up a little blast from the past. We’ll get back to 2014 by the time the Oscars roll through, but for now, the year that was lost can now be found.
To remind everyone, while these are the “4th” Edgy Awards, I keep records going back to the 1940s. So while nominees’ records might not be published, they exist, nonetheless. Meanwhile, their nomination and win counts are restricted to the category they are nominated in (with the exception of all acting and music awards).
Here are the 2013 Nominations for the 4th Annual Edgy Awards:
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BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Amen“
featured in “All is Lost”
Music and Lyrics by Alex Ebert (1st nom)
“The Moon Song“
featured in “Her”
Music and Lyrics by Karen O (1st nom)
“Please Please Mr. Kennedy“
featured in “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Music and Lyrics by T Bone Burnett (3rd nom, 1 win – “The Weary Kind” in “Crazy Heart”), George Cromarty (1st nom), Ed Rush (1st nom) and Justin Timberlake (1st nom)
“Silhouettes“
featured in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Music and Lyrics by Of Monsters and Men (1st nom)
“Young and Beautiful“
featured in “The Great Gatsby”
Music and Lana Del Ray (1st nom)
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BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“12 Years a Slave“
Hans Zimmer (8th nom, 3 wins – “Gladiator,” “The Thin Red Line” and “Rain Man”)
“Gravity”
Steven Price (1st nom)
“Her“
Arcade Fire (2nd nom)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Mike Patton (1st nom)
“Stoker“
Clint Mansell (3rd nom, 1 win – “Moon)
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BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“12 Years a Slave“
Nikki I. Brown (2nd nom) and Nick London (1st nom)
“American Hustle“
Lori McCoy-Bell (1st nom) and Evelyn Noraz (1st nom)
“Dallas Buyers Club“
Melanie Deforrest (1st nom) and Robin Mathews (2nd nom)
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire“
Ve Neill (10th nom, 3 wins – “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Batman Returns” and “Beetlejuice”)
“Prisoners“
Donald Mowat (1st nom)
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BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“All is Lost“
Colin Davies (1st nom) and Bob Munroe (2nd nom)
“Gravity“
Neil Corbould (5th nom, 1 win – “Inception”), Chris Lawrence (1st nom) David Shirk (1st nom) and Timothy Webber (4th nom)
“Oblivion“
Eric Barba (4th nom, 1 win – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Bjorn Mayer (1st nom)
“Pacific Rim“
Lindy DeQuattro (1st nom), Hal T. Hickell (4th nom, 1 win – “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), John Knoll (8th nom, 2 wins – “Avatar” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”)
“Star Trek: Into Darkness“
Burt Dalton (4th nom, 1 win – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Ben Grossman (3rd nom), Robert Guyett (6th nom), Paul Tubach (1st nom)
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BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Captain Phillips”
Oliver Tarney (2nd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)
“Gravity”
Glenn Freemantle (1st nom)
“Oblivion“
Al Nelson (1st nom)
“Star Trek: Into Darkness”
Ben Burtt (11th nom, 6 wins – “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: A New Hope”) and Matthew Wood (6th nom)
“World War Z“
Nigel Stone (1st nom) and Ethan van der Ryn (7th nom, 2 wins – “LOTR: The Two Towers” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”)
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BEST SOUND MIXING
“Captain Phillips“
Chris Burdon (3rd nom), Chris Munro (5th nom, 1 win – “Black Hawk Down”), Mike Prestwood Smith (3rd nom) and Mark Taylor (1st nom)
“Gravity“
Niv Adiri (1st nom), Christopher Benstead (1st nom), Skip Lievsay (3rd nom) and Chris Munro (5th nom, 1 win – “Black Hawk Down”)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Peter F. Kurland (3rd nom), Skip Lievsay (3rd nom) Greg Orloff (3rd nom)
“Star Trek: Into Darkness”
Peter J. Devlin (5th nom), Will Files (3rd nom, 1 win – “Cloverfield”) and Andy Nelson (22nd nom, 5 wins – “Les Miserables,” “Cloverfield,” “Munich,” “Saving Private Ryan” and L.A. Confidential”)
“Stoker”
James Bolt (1st nom), Chuck Michael (1st nom) and John Morris (1st nom)
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BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“12 Years a Slave“
Patricia Norris (6th nom, 3 wins – “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “The Elephant Man” and “Days of Heaven”)
“42”
Caroline Harris (1st nom)
“American Hustle”
Michael Wilkinson (1st nom)
“The Great Gatsby”
Catherine Martin (2nd nom, 1 win – “Moulin Rouge”)
“Oz: The Great and Powerful“
Gary Jones (2nd nom)
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BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“12 Years a Slave”
Alice Baker (1st nom) and Adam Stockhausen (2nd nom)
“The Conjuring”
Julie Berghoff (1st nom) and Sophie Neudorfer (1st nom)
“Gravity“
Andy Nicholson (1st nom), Rosie Goodwin (2nd nom) and Joanne Woollard (2nd nom)
“The Great Gatsby“
Catherine Martin (3rd nom, 2 wins – “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo and Juliet”) and Beverley Dunn (1st nom)
“Her”
K.K. Barrett (2nd Nom) and Gene Serdana (1st nom)
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BEST EDITING
“12 Years a Slave“
Joe Walker (2nd nom)
“Captain Phillips”
Christopher Rouse (3rd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)
“Gravity”
Alfonso Cuaron (2nd nom) and Mark Sanger (1st nom)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Joel and Ethan Coen (3rd nom, 1 win – “Fargo”)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Jim Helton (1st nom) and Ron Patane (1st nom)
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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“12 Years a Slave“
Sean Bobbitt (3rd nom)
“Gravity”
Emmanuel Lubezki (4th nom, 2 wins – “The Tree of Life” and “Children of Men”)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Bruno Delbonnel (4th nom, 1 win – “A Very Long Engagement”)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Sean Bobbitt (3rd nom)
“Prisoners“
Roger Deakins (13th nom, 4 wins – “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Fargo,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Barton Fink”)
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BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“20 Feet from Stardom“
Gil Friesen (1st nom), Morgan Neville (1st nom), Caitrin Rogers (1st nom)
“The Act of Killing”
Joshua Oppenheimer (1st nom)
“Blackfish“
Gabriela Cowperthwaite (1st nom)
“Room 237“
Rodney Ascher (1st nom)
“Stories We Tell“
Sarah Polley (1st nom)
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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“12 Years a Slave“
John Ridley (2nd nom)
“Before Midnight“
Julie Delpy (1st nom), Ethan Hawke (1st nom) and Richard Linklater (4th nom)
“Captain Phillips”
Billy Ray (1st nom)
“Philomena“
Steve Coogan (1st nom) and Jeff Pope (1st nom)
“The Wolf of Wall Street“
Terrence Winter (1st nom)
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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Her”
Spike Jonze (1st nom)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Joel and Ethan Coen (8th nom, 3 wins – “No Country for Old Men,” “Fargo” and “Barton Fink”)
“Mud“
Jeff Nichols (1st nom)
“The Place Beyond the Pines“
Derek Cianfrance (2nd nom) Ben Coccio (1st nom) and Darius Marder (1st nom)
“Short Term 12“
Destin Daniel Cretton (1st nom)
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BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
“12 Years a Slave”
Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Garret Dillahunt, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Adepero Oduye, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard
“American Hustle”
Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Louis C.K., Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Alessandro Nivola, Michael Pena, Jeremy Renner, Said Taghmaoui, Shea Whigham
“August: Osage County“
Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholoson, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Meryl Streep, Misty Upham
“The Place Beyond the Pines“
Rose Byrne, Emory Cohen, Bradley Cooper, Dane DeHaan, Ryan Gosling, Bruce Greenwood, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn, Eva Mendes,
“Prisoners”
Maria Bello, Paul Dano, David Dastmalchian, Viola Davis, Wayne Duvall, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Melissa Leo, Dylan Minette
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BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine”
(2nd nom, 1 win – “Happy-Go-Lucky”)
Jennifer Lawrence – “American Hustle”
(3rd nom)
Lupita Nyong’0 – “12 Years a Slave”
(1st nom)
Julia Roberts – “August: Osage County”
(3rd nom)
June Squibb – “Nebraska”
(1st nom)
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BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
(1st nom)
Bradley Cooper – “American Hustle”
(1st nom)
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave”
(2nd nom)
James Franco – “Spring Breakers”
(2nd nom)
Jared Leto – “Dallas Buyers Club”
(1st nom)
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BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine”
(5th nom, 2 win – “I’m Not There” and “Elizabeth”)
Sandra Bullock – “Gravity”
(1st nom)
Julie Delpy – “Before Midnight”
(3rd nom)
Brie Larson – “Short Term 12”
(1st nom)
Meryl Streep – “August: Osage County”
(14th nom – 6 wins – “Adaptation,” “A Cry in the Dark,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “The Deer Hunter”)
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BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf of Wall Street”
(7th nom, 1 win – “The Aviator”)
Chiwetel Ejiofer – “12 Years a Slave”
(1st nom)
Tom Hanks – “Captain Phillips”
(8th nom – 1 win – “Cast Away”)
Oscar Isaac – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
(1st nom)
Michael Shannon – “The Iceman”
(3rd nom)
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BEST DIRECTOR
Joel and Ethan Coen – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
(6th nom, 1 win – “Fargo”)
Alfonso Cuaron – “Gravity”
(3rd nom)
Paul Greengrass – “Captain Phillips”
(3rd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)
Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”
(2nd nom)
Denis Villeneuve – “Prisoners”
(1st nom)
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BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
“12 Years a Slave”
Dede Gardner (2nd nomination), Jeremy Kleiner (1st nom), Steve McQueen (1st nom) and Brad Pitt (4th nom, 1 win – “Moneyball”)
“The Act of Killing”
Jeremy Oppenheimer (1st nom) and Signe Byrne Sorenson (1st nom)
“Captain Phillips”
Dana Brunetti (2nd nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”), Michael De Luca (3rd nom, 2nd win – “Moneyball” and “The Social Network”) and Scott Rudin (11th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“Gravity“
Alfonso Cuaron (3rd nom) and David Heyman (2nd nom)
“Her“
Megan Ellison (3rd nom), Spike Jonze (1st nom) and Vincent Landay (2nd nom, 1 win – “Adaptation”)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Joel and Ethan Coen (3rd nom) and Scott Rudin (11th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Lynette Howell (3rd nom), Sidney Kimmel (1st nom), Alex Orlovsky (3rd nom) and James Patricof (3rd nom)
“Prisoners“
Kira Davis (1st nom), Broderick Johnson (1st nom) and Andrew Kosove (1st nom)
“Short Term 12“
Joshua Astrachan (1st nom), Ron Najor (1st nom) and Maren Olson (1st nom)
“The Wolf of Wall Street“
Leonardo DiCaprio (1st nom), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (1st nom), Joey McFarland (1st nom) and Martin Scorsese (1st nom)
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NOMINATION LEADERS
“12 Years a Slave” – 13 nominations
“Gravity” – 10 nominations
“Captain Phillips” – 8 nominations
“Inside Llewyn Davis” – 8 nominations
“The Place Beyond the Pines” – 6 nominations
“American Hustle” – 5 nominations
“Her” – 5 nominations
“Prisoners” – 5 nominations
“August: Osage County” – 3 nominations
“The Great Gatsby” – 3 nominations
“Short Term 12” – 3 nominations
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” – 3 nominations
“The Wolf of Wall Street” – 3 nominations
My Reaction: The Good, the Meh, and the Ugly, Part 3
And now, the final segment of my three part thought piece on yesterday’s announcement of the 2012 Oscar nominations. After I’ve had a day to contemplate everything that has transpired, there’s still more than a handful of things that just aren’t sitting well with me. Like a bad case of food poisoning, they just aren’t letting me get any sleep.
Expect this segment to be longer than the others…
THE UGLY
Let’s start with the elephant in the room, the nomination that was so phenomenally bogus, you could count on one hand the amount of pundits who were predicting it. And if they were, they did it through gritted teeth. Announced at the end of the linup, like Sharek and Lawrence were in on some kind of sick, inside joke, the ninth Best Picture nomination was “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” Despite not receiving nominations from the Producers, Directors, Writers or Screen Actors Guild, and being nearly universally panned by critics, the Academy somehow decided that this film was one of the nine best on the year. Granted, I will not be seeing it until sometime this weekend and therefore won’t be able to vent the movie through my own opinion until then. However, a film with a negative score from both Metacritic (46) and Rotten Tomatoes (48) has no business in any collective BEST Picture of the Year lineup.
Now, that we’ve gotten through with what shouldn’t be there, let’s get started on the long and sad list of the nominations that weren’t. Here come the snubs, and of them, one definitely reigns supreme. Steve McQueen’s unnerving and enlightening “Shame,” despite being one of the year’s greatest examples of direction, editing, writing, and all the other things that make up a damn good movie, failed to receive a single nomination. Even worse over was the exclusion of the film’s fine acting. Both Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan both delivered performances that all but topped their respective categories and are nowhere to be seen. While Demien Bechir’s nomination is an inspiring and heartwarming surprise, Fassbender should have shown up here based solely on merit. A fine waste of phenomenal acting.
There were a few other above-the-line snubs that really bothered me. For one, Bennett Miller should not only should have been among the Best Director nominees, but a part of the conversation this whole time. Who do people think directed this phenomenal film? It received some of the best critical reviews of the year and earned itself six Oscar nominations, and yet Miller has not received even a single mention from any awards body or film critics society this year? I suppose that the film’s script is so good that critics and industry-types thought that the film simply ran on autopilot, but I disagree. There’s a very visible sense of style, mood and pacing in the film that only a skilled director’s touch could have brought. I really wish this man made more films, but he picks his battles, very wisely.
Even though I didn’t come close to predicting her, for I knew that this would be in far too good of taste for the Oscars to stomach, Olivia Colman was the most unappreciated individual of the day. Her astounding work in “Tyrannosaur” is good enough to stand by some of the best of Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda. Poor U.S. distribution and a lousy campaign really stinted her chances, but I’d like to believe that, in a perfect world, this is the type of work that could take home the gold. Yet, as yesterday’s nominations showed, we do not live in a perfect world.
While it still managed to earn a Best Picture nomination, I was disappointed by the underwhelming overall showing for “The Help.” Aside from its three acting nominations, the film was overlooked in a lot of areas. I think that Tate Taylor’s lively and entertaining screenplay deserved a mention. Also, the colorful and authentic costume design, which brilliantly accented the setting and vibe of the film, was overlooked. I can only hope that what little support it has is still enough to push Viola Davis through to a well-deserved victory in the Best Actress category.
Another film that was highly unappreciated was Joe Wright’s livewire action-fest, “Hanna.” Despite receiving a nod from the Cinema Audio Society, the film’s outstanding sound mix somehow missed the cut. On top of that, I had hoped that in the wake of honoring a fresh new style of scoring with last year’s “The Social Network,” the Academy would see the fantastic electronic rhythms of The Chemical Brothers score. Instead, the music branch opted to go back to traditional themes, not even giving mention to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ fantastic follow-up work in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
Speaking of the music branch, we come to probably the most appalling announcement of the morning. I am, of course, speaking of this year’s slate of nominees (or lack, thereof) for Best Original Song. There was a lot of fine work done by a wide range of artists this year, including “Lay Your Head Down” from Albert Nobbs,” “The Living Proof” in “The Help,” or the fantastic track “Think You Can Wait” from “Win Win.” And yet all they can conjure up is two nominations: “Man or Muppet,” one of the more underwhelming numbers from that title and “Real in Rio,” a song that most people who have actually seen the film cannot even remember.
I am so baffled by this category, I keep trying to search for explanations as to how they could have screwed up so bad. Perhaps it’s due to a flawed balloting system or maybe any sense of good taste really has been exhausted from said music branch. Some people think that the Academy just really wants to do away with the category all together, after emplacing more and more restrictions on it and even nixing last year’s nominated songs from even performing live during the telecast. If they a reserious about ditching the award, then they should just do it. Don’t insult songwriters and viewers of the Oscars by nominating songs that, quite simply, have no business being nominated at all, let alone ousting much more qualified work. This category is one of the biggest jokes in the history of the Academy Awards, plain and simple.
That about does it for my thoughts on the matter. Now starts the final leg of the race. My next order of business will be my first round of winner predictions for this year’s awards. To be quite honest, the image looked a lot clearer before the nominations were even announced. This is going to take a bit of effort. Stay tuned…
NEW “Shame” Trailer
I know that I said I would have my new Oscar predictions up, and I am working on that. However, this is something that any self-respecting movie aficionado should not miss. It’s almost a plain and simple fact that no film has been more talked about on the festival circuits then Steve McQueen’s visceral and provocative “Shame.” Michael Fassbender took home the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and the film had to have come close to taking down the grand prize both at Venice and Toronto. When Fox Searchlight picked up the distributing rights for the film, it was going to be very curious as to how they would go about marketing it. It seems that they have hit the nail on the head.
For those that don’t know, the film tells the story of Brandon (Michael Fassbender) a rising New York City businessman who has an insatiable and unwavering addiction to having sex. Things become more complicated when his needy sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him and attempts to help fight his situation. The film has been heralded as a masterpiece, while also cited for its unrelenting sexuality. It will indefinitely receive an NC-17 rating, with little doubt of a fight from its maverick director. Usually, this would potentially injure an independent film quite badly in its fight for viewers. However, if Searchlight continues to pump out incredible trailers like the one below, they should have no problem building up a cult army of box office supporters. All this is making a Best Actor nomination for Michael Fassbender more and more likely.
I will definitely be first in line when it is released. In the mean time, I think I’ll watch this trailer again. Enjoy.
Venice Film Festival Winners
Three down, one to go. After the Sundance and Cannes Film Festival announced their choices for best of the year, Venice has joined in. The 68th Annual Venice Film Festival had a lot on its plate and picked some interesting winners. It’s hard to tell what the frontrunner was in this battle, given the festival’s international diversity. If there was an American favorite, it would probably have been “The Ides of March.” George Clooney’s political thriller did pick up some descent reviews and some steam, but not enough to take down the big one. The festival’s grand prize went to Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov’s “Faust,” an adaptation of the classic German tale of Doctor Faustus. Little is yet known about this film in the states, but several reviews have called it a life-changing experience. I remain a bit speculative.
The award for Best Actor was a bit more interesting. A number of contenders were abound at the start of the festival. However, once it debuted and its’ themes began to sink into audience’s minds, it was clear that Steve McQueen’s “Shame” held the front-running performance. Michael Fassbender has been generating enormous amounts of buzz ever since his breakthrough performance in Steve McQueen’s previous film “Hunger.” Since then, he has delivered electrifying work in films like “Fish Tank,” “X-Men: First Class” and “Inglorious Basterds.” Fassbender also starred in Venice entry “A Dangerous Method,” however, it was his role as a sex addict in “Shame” that won him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. The young performer even beat out the veteran Gary Oldman for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.” Michael did give props to his idol during his acceptance speech, saying that Oldman has inspired him since he was fifteen years old.
This news of Fassbender comes on the heels of an important announcement concerning Fox Searchlight picking up the distributing rights for “Shame.” This is a very bold stroke by the studio, considering the film will almost assuredly carry an NC-17 rating. Unlike “Blue Valentine’s” absurd and easily overturned brand, this one will most likely stick, considering the apparently graphic sex scenes and more than a little full frontal nudity. It will probably not do very well in box office terms, but this win definitely puts Fassbender into contention for the Oscar. This is good news for him considering that “A Dangerous Method,” while not DOA, is certainly taking a hit from a fairly lackluster response from critics and audiences.
As far as the rest of the victories go, nothing really exciting that will likely transmit into Oscar potential. The under-the-radar British “Wuthering Heights” adaptation won for Cinematography, but will probably fly under the radar in the U.S.. Giorgios Lanthimos’ follow-up to his disturbing Oscar nominee, “Dogtooth,” entitled “Alps” took down Screenplay. Overall, considering how outside the box and, no offense to Giorgios, weird his films seem to be, I’m surprised the AMPAS even embraced his last film. We’ll see how this one turns out.
Here’s the breakdown of the substantial winners:
Golden Lion for Best Film
Faust by Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Shangjun CAI for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai (People Mountain People Sea) (China – Hong Kong)
Special Jury Prize
Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in the film Shame by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress
Deanie Yip in the film Tao jie (A Simple Life) by Ann Hui (China – Hong Kong)
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress
Shôta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidô in the film Himizu by Sion Sono (Japan)
Osella for the Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan for the film Wuthering Heights by Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)
Osella for Best Screenplay
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for the film Alpis (Alps) by Yorgos Lanthimos (Grecia)
NEW – X-Men: First Class Trailer
Okay, I know it feels like this site is simply turning into a website for trailers, but what can I say? They pump me up. Now while the last two X-Men installments left a terrible taste in my mouth, I am excited for this one for a simple reason: Michael Fassbender. This dude is perhaps one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the industry. I simply cannot get enough of him, from his scene-stealing performance as the undercover British major in “Inglourious Basterds” to his award-winning turn as an Irish hunger striker in “Hunger.” He is a sight to behold on the screen, and how he gets to chew it up as a young Magneto. It’s also worth noting that the highly talented, and even more highly gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence will have a role in this, as well.
We’ll see if this film will pull its weight as well as the first two films did. View the new trailer, below:
“Jane Eyre” Poster and Trailer
So, I know that the present year’s Oscars are still months away, but it’s never too early (I guess) to start thinking about the future. Though, I kind of broke that mold already when I posted about “The Tree of Life.”
Not sure how many people have been following the most recent adaptation of “Jane Eyre,” but it seems to be on the fast track and looks more than a bit promising. The two leads, in particular, definitely make it worth a look. Mia Wasikoska from “Alice in Wonderland” and particularly shined in “The Kids Are All Right,” plays the title character and Michael Fassbender, of “Inglourious Basterds” and “Hunger” is her tortured lover.
Here are the poster and trailer for the film, scheduled for a Spring release (for some reason, not later, which would obviously put it on a better track for Oscar).
The Edge of the Frame 