Tag Archives: Oscars

Oscar winners: ‘The King’s Speech’ receives top honors

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Hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco failed to bring excitement to this year’s Academy Awards. Despite all the hype leading up to the film industry’s biggest night, the young pair did not leave up to the promise of injecting the show with a younger, hip vibe. Hathaway tried too hard (so much giddy giggling) while Franco didn’t try hard enough (was the soap actor high as a kite or what?). Most jokes fell flat, including the opening Inception-y dream sequence. The auto-tuned bit was quite enjoyable, however. But let the numbers speak for themselves: In the 18-49 demo, ratings dropped twelve percent from last year (11.7 rating vs. 13.3); this year’s ceremony attracted 37.6 million viewers compared to last year’s Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin treat which garnered 41.7 million. Since the show itself really wasn’t all that memorable, let’s just skip right past it and onto the winners.

The King’s Speech ruled the night with wins in the major categories including Best Picture, Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler). The Social Network took home three wins; Aaron Sorkin was recognized again for Best Adapted Screenplay, as was Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Best Original Score. The film also received Best Achievement in Film Editing. Though it’s still a damn shame that Christopher Nolan was not nominated for his directing, Inception did managed to snag four awards including Best Achievement in Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was not ignored; it won Best Achievement in Art Direction and Costume Design.

Other notable winners include Natalie Portman as Best Actress (Black Swan), Christian Bale and Melissa Leo as Best Supporting Actors in The Fighter, and Best Animated Feature was Toy Story 3. The animated flick was also recognized for Randy Newman’s “We Belong Together” original song. Sadly Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop did not receive Best Documentary. Look after the break for the rest of the Oscar winners. Continue reading Oscar winners: ‘The King’s Speech’ receives top honors →

2011 Oscar nods are in!

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Today the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards show.  Leading the pack is The King’s Speech with 12 nominations, followed by True Grit with 10.  In addition for being up for Best Picture, The King’s Speech is also being recognized for its actors (Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter are up for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) director (Tom Hooper), and screenwriter (David Seidler).  True Grit is also up for Best Picture, Best Director (Joel & Ethan Coen), and Best Adapted Screenplay (the Coens).  Actors Jeff Bridges and the young but brilliantly talented Hailee Steinfeld nabbed Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nods, respectively.  127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, and Winter’s Bone round out the coveted Best Picture category.

Time to talk snubs.  First up: Christopher Nolan, the man behind Inception.  Though the fantastical mind trip nabbed 8 nods (including Best Picture and Screenplay), Nolan was not recognized for his superb direction.  Next: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Mila Kunis (Black Swan) are noticeably absent from the Best Supporting Actor/Actress category.  Then there’s the Best Animated Feature category; though Toy Story 3 is locked for the win, Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me deserves a spot there amongst TS3 and How to Train Your Dragon.  As critically acclaimed as Ben Affleck’s The Town was this past year, the flick only picked up a nod for Best Supporting Actor (Jeremy Renner).  And finally there’s Tron: Legacy; it’s one thing not to nominate Daft Punk’s wonderfully electric score, but it’s quite laughable that the Academy did not nominate the movie for Best Visual Effects.

Look after the break to see the full rundown of all 24 award categories.  The 83rd Annual Academy Awards, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, airs live Sunday February 27 at 8PM on ABC.

[Via EW] Continue reading 2011 Oscar nods are in! →

‘Inception’ featurette acts as a reminder to the Oscar crowd

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In an attempt to remind the Oscar voters about the summer blockbuster that was Inception, Warner Bros. is pushing out this mini featurette to theatres and online outlets.  Christoper Nolan’s script and direction and Leonardo DiCaprio’s stellar emotional performance should not be overlooked by more recent contenders found in The Social Network and Black Swan.  Watch the featurette above and remind yourself how amazing the film really is, and let’s hope the voters feel the same way.  No big nominations for Inception would be a total disgrace.

[Via Deadline]

James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host Oscars

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Today it was announced that actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards.  They follow last year’s hosting duo Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.  Says Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer: “James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons— fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27. We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that.”

Injecting some fresh, young blood into the prestigious award show is a nice way to switch things up, but will Franco and Hathaway’s comedic experience (or lack thereof) prove to be entertaining enough to draw in viewers?  At 32 and 28 years old, respectively, Franco and Hathaway have only dabbled in comedic roles.  Franco is best know for his role as Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man films, but he also has Pineapple Express under his belt; and there’s this. Hathaway’s career hit its stride when she starred in The Princess Diaries and she recently shined as SNL host last weekend.  When you think about it these two might just make a hilarious Oscar duo, or it might all go up in flames. What’s interesting is the Franco is a likely contender for Best Actor for his work in the critically acclaimed film 127 Hours and Hathaway has a shot at a Best Actress nom for Love and Other Drugs.  It’ll be fun to see how they handle that situation if it arises.

The Oscars air February 27, 2011 on ABC.

[Via Deadline]

Oscars: ‘The Hurt Locker’ trumps ‘Avatar’

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This year’s Academy Awards was actually quite entertaining.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin proved to be great hosts; the Neil Patrick Harris surprse opening number was a hit (the Paranormal Activity spoof was spot on); the horror film montage was long overdue; Ben Stiller dressed as a Nav’i blue humanoid with fishline-controlled tail was great; the Best Picture featurettes worked well; the dance routines performed for each song in the Best Original Score category was fun; the Best Actor/Actress introductions were touching; and there was even a “imma let you finish but…” moment by some strange woman.  AND the Best Director award went to a woman for the first time!  So those were the highlights; now let’s discuss the notable winners.

Let’s start with the king (or should I say queen) of the night Kathryn Bigelow and her brilliant film The Hurt Locker.  The critically acclaimed film nabbed six Oscar wins in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.  Avatar, directed by Biglow’s ex-husband James Cameron, walked away with many technical awards including: Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction.  (Side note: District 9 totally would have won all these awards if Avatar had not been competition!)  Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), no surprise there; and Best Actress went to Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side).  Best Supporting Actor deservedly went to Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds); and Best Supporting Actress went to Mo’Nique (Precious), again no surprise there.  Precious also picked up Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other notable winners include: Pixar’s UP nabbed Best Animated Film and Best Score (well done, Michael Giacchino); and Star Trek won Best Makeup.  Look after the break for the full breakdown of the night’s winner and losers.  Overall, the 82nd Academy Awards show was entertaining, fun, and full of deserved wins.  Congratuations to Kathryn Bigelow & crew for The Hurt Locker.  James Cameron, go wallow in your boatloads of cash.

Continue reading Oscars: ‘The Hurt Locker’ trumps ‘Avatar’ →

Oscar nods are announced; ‘Avatar’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ 9 nods each

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This year’s Oscar nominations are in!  Let’s have a look see…

Best Picture: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

A bunch of these films deserve the win.  However, there can be only one, and my prediction lies with The Hurt Locker.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

As much as I want Quentin Tarantino to take this category for Basterds, I have a feeling James Cameron will reign once again.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

You know who deserves a big win here?  Jeremy Renner.  And he will get it.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Christoph Waltz.  Period.

Look after the break for all nominations and more predictions.  The 82nd Academy Awards, hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, airs March 7 at 8PM on ABC. Continue reading Oscar nods are announced; ‘Avatar’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ 9 nods each →