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The 7th Annual Edgy Award Nominations

February 22, 2017 Leave a comment

7th-edgy-collage

Alas, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Time to take stock of what’s been seen and shower you all with my opinions. On schedule for once.

To remind everyone, while there may only be 6 previous editions of the Edgies available online, the awards are cataloged by yours truly going all the way back to 1940. The recipients’ nomination and win counts are grouped according to each category, with the exception of the two music categories and the four acting categories being linked. So while Martin Scorsese may be getting only his 3rd nomination for producing, that certainly does not include the wealth of nominations he’s accumulated for directing.

Without further ado, here are my nominations for the best craftsmanship and talent on display in 2016:

__________

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Audition
featured in “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz (2nd nom), Lyrics by Benj Pasik (2nd nom) and  Justin Paul (2nd nom)

City of Stars
featured in “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz (2nd nom), Lyrics by Benj Pasik (2nd nom) and  Justin Paul (2nd nom)

Drive It Like You Stole It
featured in “Sing Street”
Music and Lyrics by Gary Clark (1st nom)

Heathens
featured in “Suicide Squad”
Music and Lyrics by Tyler Joseph (1st nom)

Letter to the Free
featured in “13th”
Music and Lyrics by Common (2nd nom)

__________

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Arrival
Johann Johannsson (2nd nom, 1 win – “Sicaro”)

Jackie
Mica Levi (2nd nom)

Midnight Special
David Wingo (1st nom)

Moonlight
Nicholas Britell (1st nom)

The Witch
Mark Korven (1st nom)

__________

BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING

 Green Room
Nancy J. Hvasta Leonardi (1st nom) and Stephen Prouty (1st nom)

Hacksaw Ridge
Shane Thomas (1st nom)

The Light Between Oceans
Michael Marino (4th nom)

Suicide Squad
Alessandro Bertolazzi (1st nom) and Christopher Allen Nelson (1st nom)

The Witch
Francois Deganais (1st nom) and Michael J. Walsh (1st nom)

__________

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Arrival
Alexander Lafortune (1st nom) and Louis Morin (1st nom)

The BFG
Mark Gee (1st nom), Joe Letteri (9th nom, 5 wins – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar,” “LOTR: The Return of the King,” and “LOTR: The Two Towers”), Kevin McGaugh (1st nom) and Kevin Andrew Smith (1st nom)

The Jungle Book
Andrew R. Jones (3rd nom, 1 win – “Avatar”), Robert Legato (5th nom), Dan Lemmon (3rd nom, 1 win – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) and Adam Valdez (1st nom)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Neil Corbould (4th nom, 2 wins – “Gravity” and “Gladiator”), John Knoll (6th nom, 1 win – “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest”), Hal T. Hickel (4th nom, 1 win – “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest”) and Mohen Leo (1st nom)

The Shallows
Scott E Anderson (4th nom, 2 wins – “Starship Troopers” and “Babe”), Nathan McGuinness (2nd nom) and David Nelson (1st nom)

__________

BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING

Arrival
Sylvain Bellemare (1st nom)

Hacksaw Ridge
Robert MacKenzie (1st nom) and Andy Wright (1st nom)

Midnight Special
Jeremy Bowker (1st nom) and Will Files (2nd nom)

A Monster Calls
Oriol Tarrago (1st nom)

 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
David Acord (2nd nom, 1 win – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Matthew Wood (8th nom, 1 win – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”)

__________

BEST SOUND EFFECTS MIXING

Arrival
Bernard Gariepy Strobl (1st nom) and Claude La Haye (1st nom)

Blair Witch
Andy Hay (1st nom) and Greg Townsend (1st nom)

 Green Room
Bob Chefalas (2nd nom, 1 win – “Apollo 13”) and Roland Vajs (1st nom)

Midnight Special
Will Files (2nd nom) and Brandon Proctor (1st nom)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
David Parker (7th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”), Christopher Scarabosio (4th nom) and Stuart Wilson (3rd nom)

__________

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Allied
Joanna Johnston (3rd nom)

Florence Foster Jenkins
Consolata Boyle (1st nom)

Jackie
Madeline Fontaine (1st nom)

 Silence
Dante Ferretti (1st nom)

The Witch
Linda Muir (1st nom)

__________

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Arrival
Paul Hotte (1st nom) and Patrice Vermette (1st nom)

 Hail, Caesar!
Jess Gonchor (1st nom) and Nancy Haigh (8th nom)

Jackie
Veronique Melery (3rd nom, 1 win – “A Very Long Engagement”) and Jean Rabasse (1st nom)

La La Land
Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (2nd nom) and David Wasco (2nd nom)

The Witch
Mark Kirkland (1st nom) and Craig Lathrop (1st nom)

__________

BEST EDITING

American Honey
Joe Bini (1st nom)

Arrival
Joe Walker (4th nom)

Hell or High Water
Jake Roberts (1st nom)

Midnight Special
Julie Monroe (1st nom)

Moonlight
Joi McMillon (1st nom) and Nat Sanders (1st nom)

__________

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Arrival
Bradford Young (2nd nom)

Jackie
Stephane Fontaine (1st nom)

La La Land
Linus Sandgren (1st nom)

Moonlight
James Laxton (1st nom)

The Witch
Jarin Blaschke (1st nom)

__________

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

13th
Spencer Averick (1st nom), Howard Barish (1st nom) and Ava DuVernay (1st nom)

Cameraperson
Kirsten Johnson (1st nom) and Marilyn Ness (1st nom)

Gleason
Seth Gordon (2nd nom, 1 win – “King of Kong: A Fistful of Dollars”), Mary Rohlich (1st nom) and Clay Tweel (1st nom)

Newtown
Maria Cuomo Cole (1st nom) and Kim A. Snyder (1st nom)

Tower
Megan Gilbride (1st nom), Keith Maitland (1st nom) and Susan P. Thomson (1st nom)

__________

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Arrival
Eric Heisserer (1st nom)

Loving
Jeff Nichols (2nd nom)

Moonlight
Barry Jenkins (1st nom) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (1st nom)

Nocturnal Animals
Tom Ford (1st nom)

Silence
Jay Cocks (2nd nom) and Martin Scorsese (3rd nom, 1 win – “Goodfellas”)

__________

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Everybody Wants Some
Richard Linklater (6th nom, 1 win – “Boyhood”)

Hell or High Water
Taylor Sheridan (2nd nom)

Jackie
Noah Oppenheim (1st nom)

Manchester by the Sea
Kenneth Lonergan (2nd nom)

Paterson
Jim Jarmusch (1st nom)

__________

 BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

American Honey
Chad Cox, Raymond Coalson, Veronica Ezell, Arielle Holmes, Gary Howell, Crystal Ice, Sasha Lane, Shia LaBoeuf, McCaul Lombardi, Shawna Ray Moseley, Will Patton, Johnny Pierce II, Isaiah Stone, Kenneth Kory Tucker, Christopher David Wright

Everybody Wants Some
Temple Baker, Will Brittain, Zoey Deutsch, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, J. Quinton Johnson, Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell, Juston Street

Manchester by the Sea
Casey Affleck, Anna Baryshnikov, Matthew Broderick, Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan, Kara Hayward, Stephen Henderson, Gretchen Mol, Ben O’Brien, Michelle Williams, C.J. Wilson

Moonlight
Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex R. Hibbert, Andre Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monae, Jaden Piner, Trevonte Rhodes, Ashton Sanders

The Witch
Kate Dickie, Lucas Dawson, Bathsheba Garnett, Ellie Grainger, Ralph Ineson, Harvey Scrimshaw, Anya Taylor-Joy

__________

 BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE

viola-davis-fences

Viola Davis – “Fences”
3rd nom

greta-gerwig-20th-century-women-copy

Greta Gerwig – “20th Century Women”
1st nom

naomie-harris-moonlight

Naomie Harris – “Moonlight”
1st nom

riley-keough-american-honey

Riley Keough – “American Honey”
1st nom

michelle-williams-manchester-by-the

Michelle Williams – “Manchester by the Sea”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”

__________

BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE

mahershala-ali-moonlight

Mahershala Ali – “Moonlight”
1st nom

tadanobu-asano-silence

Tadanobu Asano – “Silence”
1st nom

ralph-fiennes-bigger-splash

Ralph Fiennes – “A Bigger Splash”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Schindler’s List”

shia-labeouf-american-honey

Shia LaBeouf – “American Honey”
1st nom

michael-shannon-nocturnal-animals

Michael Shannon – “Nocturnal Animals”
4th nom

__________

BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE

amy-adams-arrival

Amy Adams – “Arrival”
6th nom

annette-bening-20th-century-women

Annette Bening – “20th Century Women”
4th nom, 1 win – “American Beauty”

rebecca-hall-christine

Rebecca Hall – “Christine”
1st nom

ruth-negga-loving

Ruth Negga – “Loving”
1st nom

natalie-portman-jackie

Natalie Portman – “Jackie”
(4th nom, 2 wins – “Black Swan” and “Closer”)

__________

BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE

casey-affleck-manchester-by-the

Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
2nd nom

joel-edgerton-loving

Joel Edgerton – “Loving”
1st nom

andrew-garfield-silence

Andrew Garfield – “Silence”
2nd nom

jake-gyllenhaal-nocturnal-animals

Jake Gyllenhaal – “Nocturnal Animals”
4th nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”

viggo-mortensen-captain-fantastic

Viggo Mortensen – “Captain Fantastic”
1st nom

__________

BEST DIRECTOR

andrea-arnold-american-honey

Andrea Arnold – “American Honey”
1st nom

robert-eggers-witch

Robert Eggers – “The Witch”
1st nom

barry-jenkins-moonlight

Barry Jenkins – “Moonlight”
1st nom

pablo-larrain-jackie

Pablo Larrain – “Jackie”
1st nom

denis-villeneuve-arrival

Denis Villeneuve – “Arrival”
3rd nom

__________

BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR

13th

Spencer Averick (1st nom), Howard Barish (1st nom) and Ava DuVernay (1st nom)

American Honey

Lars Knudsen (2nd nom), Pouya Shahbazian (1st nom) and Jay Van Hoy (2nd nom)

Arrival

Shawn Levy (1st nom), Dan Levine (1st nom), David Linde (1st nom) and Aaron Ryder (1st nom)

Jackie

Darren Aronofsky (2nd nom), Paul Franklin (2nd nom), Ari Handel (1st nom) and Mickey Liddell (1st nom)

Manchester by the Sea

Matt Damon (1st nom), Chris Moore (1st nom) and Kevin J. Walsh (1st nom)

Moonlight

Dede Gardner (2nd nom, 1 win – “12 Years a Slave”), Jeremy Kleiner (2nd nom, 1 win – “12 Years a Slave”) and Adele Romanski (1st nom)

Paterson

Joshua Astrachan (2nd nom) and Carter Logan (1st nom)

Silence

Barbara De Fina (2nd nom), Randall Emmett (1st nom), Martin Scorsese (3rd nom) and Irwin Winkler (6th nom, 2 wins – “Goodfellas” and “Raging Bull”)

Tower

Megan Gilbride (1st nom), Keith Maitland (1st nom) and Susan P. Thomson (1st nom)

The Witch

Daniel Bekerman (1st nom), Lars Knudsen (2nd nom), Rodrigo Teixeira (1st nom) and Jan Van Hoy (2nd nom)

__________

NOMINATION TALLY

Films with more than 2 nominations a piece:

Arrival – 11
Moonlight – 9
Jackie – 8
The Witch – 8
American Honey – 6
Manchester by the Sea – 5
Silence – 5
La La Land – 4
Midnight Special – 4
13th – 3
Loving – 3
Nocturnal Animals – 3
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 3
20th Century Women – 2
Everybody Wants Some! – 2
Green Room – 2
Hell or High Water – 2
Paterson – 2
Suicide Squad – 2
Tower – 2

The 4th Annual Edgy Award Nominations

January 28, 2015 Leave a comment

4th Edgy Collage Final

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:

 __________

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)

__________

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)

__________

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)

__________

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)

__________

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”)

__________

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)

 __________

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)

 __________

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)

 __________

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)

 __________

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”)

___________

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)

__________

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)

__________

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)

__________

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

__________

BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE

sally hawkins edgy

Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine”
(2nd nom, 1 win – “Happy-Go-Lucky”)

jennifer lawrence edgy

Jennifer Lawrence – “American Hustle”
(3rd nom)

lupita nyongo edgy

Lupita Nyong’0 – “12 Years a Slave”
(1st nom)

julia roberts edgy

Julia Roberts – “August: Osage County”
(3rd nom)

june squibb edgy

June Squibb – “Nebraska”
(1st nom)

__________

BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE

Barkhad Adbi in Columbia Pictures' "Captain Phillips," starring Tom Hanks.

Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
(1st nom)

bradley cooper edgy

Bradley Cooper – “American Hustle”
(1st nom)

michael fassbender edgy

Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave”
(2nd nom)

james franco edgy

James Franco – “Spring Breakers”
(2nd nom)

jared leto edgy

Jared Leto – “Dallas Buyers Club”
(1st nom)

__________

BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE

cate blanchett blue jasmine

Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine”
(5th nom, 2 win – “I’m Not There” and “Elizabeth”)

sandra bullock edgy

Sandra Bullock – “Gravity”
(1st nom)

julie delpy edgy

Julie Delpy – “Before Midnight”
(3rd nom)

brie larson edgy

Brie Larson – “Short Term 12”
(1st nom)

meryl streep edgy

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”)

__________

BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE

leonardo dicaprio edgy

Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf of Wall Street”
(7th nom, 1 win – “The Aviator”)

chiwetel ejiofer edgy

Chiwetel Ejiofer – “12 Years a Slave”
(1st nom)

tom hanks edgy

Tom Hanks – “Captain Phillips”
(8th nom – 1 win – “Cast Away”)

oscar isaac edgy

Oscar Isaac – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
(1st nom)

michael shannon edgy

Michael Shannon – “The Iceman”
(3rd nom)

__________

BEST DIRECTOR

coen brothers edgy

Joel and Ethan Coen – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
(6th nom, 1 win – “Fargo”)

alfonso cuaron edgy

Alfonso Cuaron – “Gravity”
(3rd nom)

paul greengrass edgy

Paul Greengrass – “Captain Phillips”
(3rd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)

steve mcqueen edgy

Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”
(2nd nom)

 denis villeneuve edgy

Denis Villeneuve – “Prisoners”
(1st nom)

__________

 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)

__________

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

Read more…

Michael Shannon Gets Incredibly Adorable

January 5, 2012 Leave a comment

Okay, it took me a while getting around to watching this, but thank god I finally did. As many of you may or may not know, Michael Shannon is one of the finest actors currently blossoming in Hollywood. He previously received a surprise Oscar nomination for Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road” and is currently in the running for his second for his astonishing performance in this year’s psychological mind-screw “Take Shelter.” Currently, he’s fighting with Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender and Gary Oldman for the final spot.

Now, I’m currently on the fence for whether I want that to happen, for he’s dueling with some stiff competition. However, this video may just put me over the edge. I’d like to see Jean Dujardin attempt to be this ridiculously adorable, adorable of course being the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of Michael Shannon. If you can’t see the satire in what I just said, then you need to go on Netflix and start watching some of his films. On top of that, you can check out the video, below:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Washington D.C. Film Critics Announce Nominees

December 3, 2011 Leave a comment

I had a feeling that these guys were going to stick their heads up this week. They have a tendency of announcing early and without warning. While the results of their voting is apparently still being tallied and the winners will be announced on Monday, we can take a look at the nominees right now.

Well, there’s not much question as far as what film will likely go all the way here, and that is the emerging critical darling “The Artist.” The film received eight nominations, practically in every category that it was eligible. “Hugo” comes in second with six nominations, continuing to baffle me. I’m sure that I’m going to be saying that a lot this awards season.

The overrated, but still exceptionally cool, “Drive” picked up four nominations, including one for it’s phenomenal director Nicholas Wending Refn. “The Descendants” also continued its string of love with five nominations. Octavia Spencer receives her first of what I’m sure will be a long string of nominations for her work in “The Help,” likewise for Viola Davis. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing both of those ladies with gold in their hands come Oscar night.

A surprisingly absent film from these nods is a little title about a war and a horse. Not sure if you’ve heard of it. For a critics group that largely trends towards the Oscars, it’s highly unusual to find Mr. Spielberg’s latest largely vacant from these nominations. True it picked up a few tech nods, yet this film is believed by many to potentially be the nomination leader next month. One can’t say that the group has a beef with the director, either, for they were the first and one of the only to award “Munich” Best Picture back in 2005.

The big story here is Tom McCarthy’s “Win Win” picking up a nomination for Best Picture, beating out the above mentioned “War Horse” and a number of others. Quite a coup for this little delight of a film. Yet, as intriguing as this nomination is, I doubt it will pan out much for the rest of the year, at least in terms of Best Picture. However, a screenplay nomination for McCarthy is becoming more and more likely.

Some underdog victories abound here that are worth mentioning. Michael Shannon asserts himself as a certifiable contender, getting a nod for his fantastic work in “Take Shelter.” It’s also very refreshing to see Andy Serkis get his first and hopefully not last nomination as a motion captured ape in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” His is certainly the most interesting campaign of the season, and if it succeeds, it will make Oscar history. While I despise the precedent that it will set, I admit that I can’t help feeling proud of Andy Serkis. If it’s going to happen, it should happen to him. From Gollum, to Kong, and now Ceasar, the man has truly put his heart and soul into his work and has ultimately changed the face of cinema in a lot of ways.

Hands down, my favorite pick of the evening has got to be Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids.” A good movie that this lady really took to another level with her incredible comedic skills. Her performance, if it continues down this track, could end up being one of the funnest nominations since Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder.” Kudos to the WAFCA for getting the ball rolling, there.

Check out the full list of nominations after the cut:

Best Film
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“Win Win”

Read more…

Michael Shannon to Play Villain in “Superman”

April 10, 2011 Leave a comment

Once again, it’s pretty weird that I’m trying to be as on the ball as this on “Man of Steel” production updates, given that I’ve never been a huge fan of the comics or the character. I remember Amy Adams getting cast as Lois Lane and rushing to announce it, all the while, I’m asking myself why I care. Who knows? Maybe I’ve just completely given up on any potential aspiring from “The Dark Knight Rises,” what with its recent absurd string of press releases. I may end up eating those words but, come on. Pittsburgh as Gotham City? Yeah, good luck with that.

And now the news that they’re bringing back Ra’s Al Ghul as a villain in this film. He was one of the only things that heavily annoyed me in “Batman Begins” and now they’re bringing him back for another go-around? At least they picked a decent actor in Chris Pence, who did a hell of a job as the man behind the sunglasses (Armie Hammer’s body double) in “The Social Network.”

Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent. As I said, I have no overwhelming interest in the new “Super-Man” film, however, this recent news has me quite tickled. Michael Shannon, the audacious and exciting young actor from “Bug” “The Woodsman” and “Revolutionary Road” (which he received and Oscar nomination for), has been cast to play the villainous General Zod in Zack Snyder’s reboot. As I said, I know nothing about the comics. However, a segment of the report by Mike Fleming at Deadline.com shines some light on the character:

Snyder stated, “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”

Not sure how much this raises my expectations for the film. However, I’ll say that if there were a reason to go see it now, it would be for this fine actor.