Awards Season 2014

[ordinaryperson]

Fun facts about this year's Best Picture race

[Jeff]

Fun facts about this year's Best Picture race

While I have no doubt that the Nic Cage Left Behind is awful, they'll have to dig a little deeper to find the "worst" movie of the year. It looks like that honor goes to Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas, which has 0% at Rotten Tomatoes and has the lowest user ranking out of all 3.1 million movies and television shows listed at IMDb (1.5/10). The descriptions of the film make it sound both unintentionally hilarious and, ironically, about as opposed to Christ's principles as you can get. I kind of want to watch it.

[ordinaryperson]

Fun facts about this year's Best Picture race

While I have no doubt that the Nic Cage Left Behind is awful, they'll have to dig a little deeper to find the "worst" movie of the year. It looks like that honor goes to Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas, which has 0% at Rotten Tomatoes and has the lowest user ranking out of all 3.1 million movies and television shows listed at IMDb (1.5/10). The descriptions of the film make it sound both unintentionally hilarious and, ironically, about as opposed to Christ's principles as you can get. I kind of want to watch it.

Saving Christmas is also not eligible.

[TMDaines]

It's interesting that Tangerines is actually an Estonian/Georgian co-production, filmed and set in Georgia, with a Georgian writer and director. So in a sense, Georgia has two films on the shortlist, both of them about characters caught in the crossfire of the 1992/93 war in Abkhazia. Strange....

In Bloom is also great and was submitted last year, but has also been doing the rounds during 2014. This one is set in Tbilisi though, yet during the same period.

[Kirkinson]

Yes, I adored In Bloom (as of now it's still on my top ten this year) though somehow I thought Georgia had submitted a different film last year. The country has been quietly but steadily turning out some really interesting films over the past several years, though they haven't had a really prominent breakthrough yet. At any rate, I've read a couple of excellent reviews of Corn Island, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.

[mfunk9786]

Kris Tapley's always awesome Top 10 Shots list for this year (part one)

[mfunk9786]

Kris Tapley's always awesome Top 10 Shots list for this year (part one)

Part Two

[ordinaryperson]

Razzie Shortlists:
Worst Picture

Atlas Shrugged: Part III
A Haunted House 2
I, Frankenstein
The Interview
Left Behind
The Legend of Hercules
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Saving Christmas
Sex Tape
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transcendence
Transformers: Age of Extinction

Worst Actor

Nicolas Cage - Left Behind
Kirk Cameron - Saving Christmas
Johnny Depp - Transcendence
Aaron Eckhart - I, Frankenstein
James Franco - The Interview
Kellan Lutz - The Legend of Hercules
Seth MacFarlane - A Million Ways to Die in the West
Alex Pettyfer - Endless Love
Seth Rogen - The Interview
Adam Sandler - Blended
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Sabotage
Marlon Wayans - A Haunted House 2

Worst Actress

Jennifer Aniston - Horrible Bosses 2
Elizabeth Banks - Walk of Shame
Drew Barrymore - Blended
Cameron Diaz - The Other Woman / Sex Tape
Nicole Kidman - Before I Go to Sleep
Melissa McCarthy - Tammy
Lea Michele (voice only) - Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
Charlize Theron - A Million Ways to Die in the West
Gaia Weiss - The Legend of Hercules
Gabriella Wilde - Endless Love

Worst Supporting Actor

Jack Black - Sex Tape
Russell Crowe - Winter's Tale
Morgan Freeman - Transcendence
Mel Gibson - The Expendables 3
Kelsey Grammer - The Expendables 3 / Transformers: Age of Extinction
T.J. Miller - Transformers: Age of Extinction
Liam Neeson - A Million Ways to Die in the West
Shaquille O'Neal - Blended
Johnathon Schaech - The Legend of Hercules
Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Expendables 3
Kiefer Sutherland - Pompeii

Worst Supporting Actress

Emily Browning - Pompeii
Cameron Diaz - Annie
Jane Fonda - This Is Where I Leave You
Megan Fox - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Carrie-Anne Moss - Pompeii
Sophia Myles - Transformers: Age of Extinction
Nicola Peltz - Transformers: Age of Extinction
Jaime Pressly - A Haunted House 2
Bridgette Ridenour - Saving Christmas
Susan Sarandon - Tammy
Amanda Seyfried - A Million Ways to Die in the West

Worst Screen Couple

Any two robots, actors or robotic actors - Transformers: Age of Extinction
Kirk Cameron and his ego - Saving Christmas
Johnny Depp and his "virtual doppelganger" - Transcendence
Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel - Sex Tape
The entire cast of Atlas Shrugged: Part III
The entire cast of The Expendables 3
James Franco and either Seth Rogen or Randall Park - The Interview
Kellan Lutz and either his abs, his pecs or his glutes - The Legend of Hercules
Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron - A Million Ways to Die in the West
Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde - Endless Love
The "rock monsters" - Noah

Worst Director

Vic Armstrong - Left Behind
Darren Aronofsky - Noah
Michael Bay - Transformers: Age of Extinction
Darren Doane - Saving Christmas
Renny Harlin - The Legend of Hercules
Jake Kasdan - Sex Tape
Jonathan Liebesman - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Seth MacFarlane - A Million Ways to Die in the West
J. James Manera - Atlas Shrugged: Part III
Wally Pfister - Transcendence
Michael Tiddes - A Haunted House 2

Worst Screenplay

Atlas Shrugged: Part III - screenplay by J. James Manera, Harmon Kaslow and John Aglialoro, based on the novel by Ayn Rand
Endless Love - screenplay by Shana Feste and Joshua Safran, based on the novel by Scott Spencer
The Expendables 3 - screenplay by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone, story by Sylvester Stallone, based on characters created by David Callaham
A Haunted House 2 - written by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez
I, Frankenstein - screenplay by Stuart Beattie, story by Kevin Grevioux and Stuart Beattie, based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux
Left Behind - screenplay by Paul LaLonde and John Patus, based on the novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
The Legend of Hercules - written by Daniel Giat, Guilio Steve, Renny Harlin and Sean Hood
A Million Ways to Die in the West - written by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild
Noah - written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel
Pompeii - screenplay by Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler and Michael Robert Johnson
Saving Christmas - written by Darren Doane and Cheston Hervey
Sex Tape - screenplay by Kate Angelo, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, story by Kate Angelo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - screenplay by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Evan Daugherty, based on the comic book created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Transcendence - written by Jack Paglen
Transformers: Age of Extinction - screenplay by Ehren Kruger, based on Hasbro's Transformers
Winter's Tale - screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, based on the novel by Mark Helprin

Worst Prequel, Sequel, Rip-Off or Remake

Annie
Atlas Shrugged: Part III
Endless Love
Exodus: Gods and Kings
The Expendables 3
A Haunted House 2
I, Frankenstein
The Legend of Hercules
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
Noah
Pompeii
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers: Age of Extinction

[The Narrator Returns]

I can't say I expect much from the Razzies, but I don't think that anyone involved with the Razzies has actually watched Noah, or have heard anything about it besides soundbites.

(Also, The Interview is clearly there only as an attempt to stay topical, like how they nominated the people interviewed in Fahrenheit 9/11 for awards, and most of them ended up winning.)

[ordinaryperson]

The National Society of Film Critics picks Goodbye to Language as best film.

[lacritfan]

The National Society of Film Critics picks Goodbye to Language as best film.

Boy, Boyhood lost by one vote.

[domino harvey]

I can't say I expect much from the Razzies, but I don't think that anyone involved with the Razzies has actually watched Noah, or have heard anything about it besides soundbites.

(Also, The Interview is clearly there only as an attempt to stay topical, like how they nominated the people interviewed in Fahrenheit 9/11 for awards, and most of them ended up winning.)

They are the schoolyard bully, picking on whoever is most vulnerable. Sometimes their target is worthy of ire, but often they're unfair by design. Like, even if you hated A Million Ways to Die in the West, which most did, there was nothing wrong at all with Liam Neeson's performance to merit calling it out. They just want to point and laugh and say, "Hey, you were in a film we didn't like, hahahahaa loser." It's nothing to get too worked up over

[ordinaryperson]

Birdman, Boyhood, and Nightcrawler among nominees for Outstanding Producer at the Producers Guild Awards

[ordinaryperson]

Writers Guild nominees

[PfR73]

ASC nominations announced

Glad to see Birdman & The Grand Budapest Hotel nominated, but I can't believe The Imitation Game was nominated. There was absolutely nothing outstanding about that film from a visual perspective. I mean, there's a whole litany of films more deserving of that slot: Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, Noah, Listen Up Philip...(I'm seeing Inherent Vice tonight, so can't really speak to it yet). I wasn't bowled over by them, but I'd even have nominated Selma or Whiplash before The Imitation Game.

[Dr Amicus]

Bafta Nominations

The big shock is the almost complete snub for Mr Turner. Although, considering Bafta's usual snubbing of his films, maybe not such a surprise.

As Peter Bradshaw has noted, Paddington gets nominated as Best British Film, but not Mr Turner... [I haven't seen either yet to be fair - and the former has had great reviews]

[MichaelB]

Paddington is really terrific - I certainly wouldn't use it as a club to beat (alleged) BAFTA philistines with. Out of all the films I took my kids to last year, only The Lego Movie came anywhere close.

[Calvin]

Speaking of The Lego Movie, it's nomination for Best Animated Film is well deserved but perhaps the most surprising omission of all is the absence of what I assumed would be its closest competition - The Wind Rises

[Dr Amicus]

Paddington is really terrific - I certainly wouldn't use it as a club to beat (alleged) BAFTA philistines with. Out of all the films I took my kids to last year, only The Lego Movie came anywhere close.

Fair point - but I'm mainly annoyed because my 6 year old went with his friend and so I haven't had a chance to see it yet as it's now weekend matinees only. Still, we now have what is effectively a second run / revival house over here and I promised my boy I'd take him to see it again if it's screened there.

But there is a tendency by BAFTA to include a British film in that category seemingly for its box office rather than artistic qualities. I remember being distinctly unimpressed that the first Harry Potter film got nominated and there was nothing for Last Orders.

And as I said, there is a longtime seeming antipathy to Leigh by BAFTA which is really noticeable. As is, indeed as has also been picked up, their continuing blind spot with respect to non-white subjects - shown this time as nothing for Selma.

[mfunk9786]

Some notable Oscar trends gleaned from the BAFTA noms

I'm as surprised as I've been in years of being an Oscar nerd about this, considering its release date:

"Grand Budapest Hotel" was always going to do well but dominate?
Wes Anderson's critical and box office hit not only led the field with 11 nominations, but earned key Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing and, in a major surprise, Best Actor honors for Ralph Fiennes. It's unlikely that Fiennes repeats his BAFTA nod with an Oscar one, but Editing (a branch vote) was the most telling. The Scott Rudin production could also land the most Oscar nods next week and an Anderson nod for Best Director isn't out of the question either.

[MichaelB]

Thinking about it some more, I don't have the tiniest problem with Paddington winning Best British Film, for all sorts of reasons.

Not least because it's unarguably and gloriously parochially British (its London is of course imaginary, but it doesn't make the mistake that Notting Hill did and pretend that it's monocultural) - but it's also beautifully made, frequently laugh-out-loud funny, has some wonderfully imaginative touches (the entire Peruvian opening, the animated wallpaper, the dementedly Victorian geographers) and also has a very powerful and necessary message about tolerance - which in a year when a decidedly intolerant and xenophobic political party is likely to do distressingly well at the next election is something that needs the widest possible circulation.

Of course, I'm not saying that the film deserves a nod because of its message - otherwise I'd claim that the ghastly Crash is the most important Best Picture Oscar winner of the last couple of decades - but that's just one of its many bonuses.

[domino harvey]

No chance in hell Grand Budapest Hotel gets the most Oscar noms. None. Period. It will likely do quite well, but c'mon

[lacritfan]

ASC nominations announced

At this point I hope Dick Pope wins the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Someone from Leigh's company needs to win one eventually.

[Jeff]

No chance in hell Grand Budapest Hotel gets the most Oscar noms. None. Period. It will likely do quite well, but c'mon

No, but it's going to be close. I think it will come in second in total nominations to Birdman. I've been very pleasantly surprised by its award season performance thus far. It didn't get as many noms as Boyhood, Birdman, or The Imitation Game at the Golden Globes, but the Globes don't have categories for production design, costumes, or makeup -- areas where Grand Budapest is more likely to be recognized.

[ordinaryperson]

Have the Best Drama and Best Comedy or Musical winners been leaked?

Spoiler

Probably Not