Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh talks about My Week with Marilyn

(special thanks to ArcLight Cinemas and The Mission Control for the footage)




It's always great to watch Q&A's like this - where it isn't all business. I like watching actors and directors have a chance to sit back and just be goofy for a few minutes.

And you gotta love all the Harry Potter appreciation. 

2012 Academy Award Nominations - Full List

'Always a bridesmaid, never a bride' my foot. - Peter O'Toole

It's not often that you can have diarrhea in a sink and get an Oscar nomination out of it. But, Melissa McCarthy proves that it is indeed possible, with her heart-on-her-sleeve, hilariously unashamed performance in Bridesmaids. It was a pleasure to hear Kristen Wiig's name called to, when the film caught a surprise nomination in Best Original Screenplay. 

I haven't made any official or un-official predictions about anything this year, except that J Edgar would probably suck (and I was right. there's a review coming this week). But, I'm thrilled that Gary Oldman has finally gotten his due, getting his first nomination ever for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (look for a review of that this week, as well). 

Best Picture

The Artist

The Descendants

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Best Director

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Best Actor

Damien Bichir - A Better Life

George Clooney - The Descendants

Juan Dujardin - The Artist

Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Best Actress

Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis - The Help

Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn 

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn

Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Nick Nolte - Warrior

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer - The Help

Best Original Screenplay

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

JC Chandor - Margin Call

Asghar Farhadi - A Separation

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo - Bridesmaids

Best Adapted Screenplay 

Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin - Moneyball

George Clooney, Beau Willimon, and Grant Heslov - The Ides of March

John Logan - Hugo 

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash - The Descendants

Bridget O'Conner and Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Foreign Language Film 

Bullhead

Footnote

In Darkness

Monsiuer Lazhar

A Separation

Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

Best Art Direction

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo 

Midnight in Paris

War Horse

Best Cinematography

The Artist

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Best Costuming

Anonymous

The Artist

Hugo

Jane Eyre

W.E.

Best Documentary Feature 

Hell and Back Again

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Pina

Undefeated

Best Documentary Short Subject

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of a Civil Rights Movement 

God is the Bigger Elvis

Incident in New Baghdad

Saving Face

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Best Editing

The Artist

The Descendants

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

Best Make-Up

Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

The Iron Lady

Best Original Score

The Adventures of Tin Tin

The Artist

Hugo

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

War Horse

Best Original Song

"Man or Muppet" from The Muppets

"Real in Rio" from Rio

Best Sound Editing

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

War Horse

Best Sound Mixing

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

War Horse

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Real Steel

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Animated Short Film

Dimanche/Sunday

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

La Luna

A Morning Stroll

Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film

Pentecost

Raju

The Shore

Time Freak

Tuba Atlantic

That's all well and good, sure. But... who's winning? Well, if we tune in on February 26th, on ABC, Billy Crystal will lead us to the answers!

Check back in later today for thoughts on the nominees and guesses on the winners. 

The Best Picture Category Changes. Again.

It's all his damn fault.

I'm sitting at home alone in my room, working, and waiting on a call from my girlfriend to tell me she's arrived in Dresden safely. Game of Thrones is on HBO, and if that's not enough, here's further proof that the night is totally beyond redemption. 

More after the cut--

Inside Job, Jackass 3D, and Others on DVD this week

Apologies for the late posting. Life has been hectic, and my finger is still... incapacitated. But, such is blogging, no?

On DVD this week, five films are being released. A few promising films that turned flop, and a couple of surprises that wound up highlighting the year all the way from left field. Morning Glory, Jackass 3D, Four Lions, Inside Job, and The Next Three Days. The most important thing, however, is which one is worth your money! Let's take a closer look, yeah?

I'd like to start with one of the biggest surprises of last year, for me - Jackass. Admittedly, I'm a fairly big Johnny Knoxville fan. His screen presence is huge, and he's a decently talented actor. I find him compulsively watchable. Even if he's electrocuting his friends, or getting hit in the balls, or vomiting, or getting hit in the balls, or getting hit in the balls. He's just... fun to watch. So, as a fan of the show, and of the last couple of films, I was surprised even at myself at how much I enjoyed this outing of violent and stupid behavior - please note, I'm not one of those guys who tried to perform these stunts when growing up (except for the grocery store jousting. I did that one.) But, I enjoyed it from this perspective: it wasn't made to please anyone but the people involved, and eventually, it became what will surely be a staple in the 3D discussion. Live action 3D is something that isn't used fairly well. And without the over-abundance of computer effects, the 3D in this film is... mind-blowingly impressive. I'll be around for the fourth one. If indeed there is a fourth one.



The special features are as follows, from the film's Amazon page -

MTV Making Of Special
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
Time Magazine Trailer


The film is on all DVD formats (as well as Blu-Ray), and maintains its 3D structure. So, you went to see a 3D film, you will be buying a 3D film. 


More after the cut --

The Indie Spirits clash with The Razzies

Probably the most useless award

For those who didn't catch the subtle difference, that, above, is a golden raspberry. That award, commonly known as a "Razzie" is designated for the worst of the worst in film releases and is meant to be the antithesis of the Oscars (which air tonight). Traditionally, or it has been so for the last handful of years, both the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Razzies are held the day prior to the Academy awards. The Razzies honor what everyone hated, and the Indie Spirits honor - as John Waters once prophetically stated - "the movies that come in sixth at the Oscars". Since the expansion of the Academy's Best Picture category to ten nominees, he was apparently exactly right. Not long before they're relegated to honoring what comes in eleventh.

More after the cut --

God Save the King, Book II

In preparation for the new adaptation of The Stand, due in theaters... sometime in the next few years (the project has only just been announced), I'm taking a look back at Stephen King's contribution to the world of film - the good, the bad, and the 'wtf'. Last time, we focused on the good: Carrie, The Shining, on down to The Mist. Overlooking... several. 

He's laughing because Maximum Overdrive still makes money.

More after the cut -- 

The King's Speech

G-g-got any k-k-k-kings?

It's the type of film we've all seen before - the "high brow British drama", the man who overcomes adversity, the "buddy" movie, etc. The thing that separates The King's Speech from, say... The Queen, or The Deal, or any Stephen Frears pic, is that this film has no pretense. That isn't to say that a certain amount of pretense is a bad thing (I quite enjoy The Queen and The Deal, and most Stephen Frears pictures), but it's to say that this film most certainly knows where its boundaries are, and there isn't a need to ever cross the lines to make a "movie" out of it. It's a storyteller's film - it's a true story. 

More after the cut --

The State of the Race - Our Screenplays

In part three of our discussion on how things might shape up on Oscar nomination morning, we're brought to this - the Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. Several new faces will be nominated alongside a handful of Academy veterans, each deserving of their place. But only two will take home the above naked gold man. 

So. Let's get down to brass tacks. Or, gold tacks, if you will.

127 Hours

Directed by Danny Boyle

Fifteen minutes of sunlight every day. At 8:30am, a lone raven flies overhead. Almost out of water. No more food. God knows how long is left to go. 

A Complete List of Academy Eligible Films - 2010

Anne Hathaway and impending nominee James Franco host

Throughout the course of the year, specifically through January 1st - December 31st at midnight, hundreds of films fight for the coveted Best Picture of the Year award in the following February or March, handed out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Or, for those of us not so verbose, the Oscars. Here is a complete list, from Oscar's website, of eligible films from 2010 -

All Eligible Films

From The A-Team all the way down to Youth in Revolt, nearly 250 films are in competition. Realistically, only about 15-20 have any real meaning to the awards, but still - they're all technically up for anything.


How many films from the year have you seen so far? I'm at close to 60, myself.

My favorite FYC ads so far

This has been a fabulous year for the annual For Your Consideration sweep over Hollywood, provided by the internet and, of course, Daily Variety. Some of my favorites so far?


FYC - Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio - Shutter Island

My personal favorite, so far. 

I'm not talking about the performance itself or anything, rather the art that is the FYC ad. To me, it's as crucial a form as the Criterion artwork, though for different reasons. I love the multi-page format and the shot of Martin Scorsese in the lower right. That, and the lovely Michelle Williams (who deserves her own FYC for the film) is featured. 

FYC - Best Picture: Toy Story 3

A-damn-men.

"Not since..." is probably my favorite marketing tool in a long time. And it makes complete sense. Not since Shakespeare in Love has a comedy won, not since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has a billion dollar movie won... The catch is, this film actually deserves these comparisons. But, keeping personal feelings at bay, I love the style of the poster. One of the funnier moments in the movie, a semi-mockery of the epicness its tag evokes, and... it's the monkeys. It's all about the monkeys. 

FYC - Best Animated Feature: Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

I know, right?

I have nothing to say about the ad. I don't even really like it. I just think it's awesome that they're pushing the film. Go, Zack Snyder. Go.

Share some of your favorites! I'll post some more as I find ones that stand out to me.