Well, we are here. The big show. The last day. The 83rd Academy Awards are tonight. Despite what your opinions may be about James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting, or about Christopher Nolan getting snubbed for Best Director, we are here. For the Fantasy Film League, that means one last chance to grab some points.
Last night we had the Independent Spirit Awards. Black Swan and Winter's Bone were big winners. Darren Aronofsky took director, and Black Swan took Best Picture and Best Actress. That meant a few more points for Kristie Palovcsik, a Best Picture win for Steve and Erin, and a few wins for ME! FINALLY, I am at least on the board and will not end the season with a goose egg. I know that was keeping many of you up at night.
Here are the standings going into the Academy Awards tonight:
Name / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Steve & Erin / 34 / 13 / 107
Paul Hogseth / 33 / 8 / 90
The Dekkers / 35 / 6 / 88
Mike Palovcsik / 33 / 4 / 78
Jake & Rachel / 22 / 7 /65
Danny Sarnowski / 29 / 2 / 64
Dave Sarnowski / 26 / 3 / 61
Kristie Palovcsik / 19 / 5 / 53
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The British Have Spoken
Well, to absolutely nobody's surprise, The King's Speech was the runaway winner at last weekend's BAFTA awards. The BAFTAs, the equivalent of the Academy Awards in England, recognize film excellence and even have special awards for British stars and filmmakers.
The King's Speech took home awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay (all of which it has won previously this season). It also took home awards for Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), and Best Score. These have all been solid nominees for the film, but rarely, if ever, winners. This was all good news to several members of our Film League who took home some additional points based on all of this. Kudos, also, to Mike Palovcsik who got David Fincher for Best Director (he held off Tom Hooper for a total The King's Speech run on the awards) and to Kristie Palovcsik who has gotten some serious mileage out of Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan (Best Actress).
The BAFTA awards, along with the Writer's Guild Award winners (The Social Network for adapted and Inception for original screenplay), are some of the last of the season. We have the Indpendent Spirit Awards, which are presented the day before the Academy Awards, and then the big show on the 27th. The score board has been updated below. I think we still have a good chance for additional movement based on those last two awards shows and it still could be up for grabs. Not by me, who is the only studio to have ZERO wins of any kind from any award this season. A new record. Also, please be sure to swing over to the other site to capture your picks for the Academy Awards if you'd like to participate in the pool (www.thesarnowskis.com/oscars)
Names / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Erin & Steve / 34 / 12 / 104
Paul Hogseth / 22 / 8 / 90
The Dekkers / 35 / 5 / 85
Mike Palovcsik / 33 / 4 / 78
Jake & Rachel / 22 / 7 / 65
Dave Sarnowski / 26 / 3 / 61
Danny Sarnowski / 29 / 0 / 58
Kristie Palovcsik / 19 / 4 / 50
The King's Speech took home awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay (all of which it has won previously this season). It also took home awards for Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), and Best Score. These have all been solid nominees for the film, but rarely, if ever, winners. This was all good news to several members of our Film League who took home some additional points based on all of this. Kudos, also, to Mike Palovcsik who got David Fincher for Best Director (he held off Tom Hooper for a total The King's Speech run on the awards) and to Kristie Palovcsik who has gotten some serious mileage out of Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan (Best Actress).
The BAFTA awards, along with the Writer's Guild Award winners (The Social Network for adapted and Inception for original screenplay), are some of the last of the season. We have the Indpendent Spirit Awards, which are presented the day before the Academy Awards, and then the big show on the 27th. The score board has been updated below. I think we still have a good chance for additional movement based on those last two awards shows and it still could be up for grabs. Not by me, who is the only studio to have ZERO wins of any kind from any award this season. A new record. Also, please be sure to swing over to the other site to capture your picks for the Academy Awards if you'd like to participate in the pool (www.thesarnowskis.com/oscars)
Names / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Erin & Steve / 34 / 12 / 104
Paul Hogseth / 22 / 8 / 90
The Dekkers / 35 / 5 / 85
Mike Palovcsik / 33 / 4 / 78
Jake & Rachel / 22 / 7 / 65
Dave Sarnowski / 26 / 3 / 61
Danny Sarnowski / 29 / 0 / 58
Kristie Palovcsik / 19 / 4 / 50
Monday, January 31, 2011
We're Getting Close!
The last ten days have been an exciting time in the movie world. We've seen the announcement of the BAFTA and Academy Awards and the presentation of the Director's, Producer's, and Actor's Guild Awards. What felt like a set of clear front-runners ten days ago, now seems to be changing.
Before we get into the standings for the Fantasy Film Studio League, a brief rant about the Academy Award nominations....
REALLY?!? No nomination for Christopher Nolan for Best Director? Really? We can agree that Inception is a masterfully made picture (as evidenced by its glut of technical nominations). We can agree that it was a genre picture done very well by a man in total control of his craft. We can even agree that it was one of the year's Best Pictures. But we cannot give the credit to the man who orchestrated the entire affair? Crazy.
REALLY?!? No Editing nomination for Inception? Really? The last thirty minutes of that movie are a master's class in editing and nesting story structure.
REALLY?!? Julianne Moore out, Annette Bening in? This one should not shock me as this was the way the wind was blowing for much of the season. But with the BAFTAs giving a shout to both ladies I was hoping that the Academy would see the light. If any of you end up sitting through this movie, I think you'll agree with me.
REALLY?!? Best Make Up for Barney's Version, The Way Back, and The Wolfman?!? Really? With all of the films this year pushing the boundaries in make up and special effects, this is the best the Make Up branch could come up with to nominate? Ouch.
REALLY?!? No Best Visual Effects for Tron: Legacy? I thought for sure that the extremely designed visuals and/or the three versions of Jeff Bridges would put this one squarely on the map. Perhaps one branch thought it was more of an impressive Make Up effect and the other thought it was a Visual Effect. Neither voted for it. Who knows.
REALLY?!? The Illusionist for Best Animated Film? I suppose this should not come as a surprise since the animators often pick smaller, less traditional fair in their nominees (last year's The Secret of Kells anyone?). Still, I find it hard to believe that anyone other than Mike Palovcsik would vote The Illusionist for Best Animated Feature.
Ok, with that out of the way, I can post the new results. As I mentioned, things are starting to turn. The King's Speech has won three critical awards since the last update. It won the Producer's Guild and Director's Guild awards as well as taking home the Screen Actor's Guild award for best ensemble. What seemed like a slow slog to The Social Network's in-the-bag Best Picture just got intersting.
Also, the British seem to be more in tune with me and a few other movie moguls who saw their stocks rise with the BAFTA nominations. For the record, I tied with Erin and Steve with 7 BAFTA nominations. I also take the prize for having the most nominations without a single win so far this season. While it stinks for me, it is awesome for some of you. Check out the udpated standings below.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Points
Erin & Steve / 33 / 8 / 90
The Dekkers / 34 / 4 / 80
Paul Hogseth / 32 / 5 / 79
Mike Palovcsik / 32 / 4 / 76
Danny Sarnowski / 29 / 0 / 58
Dave Sarnowski / 25 / 2 / 56
Jake & Rachel / 21 / 4 / 54
Kristie Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Before we get into the standings for the Fantasy Film Studio League, a brief rant about the Academy Award nominations....
REALLY?!? No nomination for Christopher Nolan for Best Director? Really? We can agree that Inception is a masterfully made picture (as evidenced by its glut of technical nominations). We can agree that it was a genre picture done very well by a man in total control of his craft. We can even agree that it was one of the year's Best Pictures. But we cannot give the credit to the man who orchestrated the entire affair? Crazy.
REALLY?!? No Editing nomination for Inception? Really? The last thirty minutes of that movie are a master's class in editing and nesting story structure.
REALLY?!? Julianne Moore out, Annette Bening in? This one should not shock me as this was the way the wind was blowing for much of the season. But with the BAFTAs giving a shout to both ladies I was hoping that the Academy would see the light. If any of you end up sitting through this movie, I think you'll agree with me.
REALLY?!? Best Make Up for Barney's Version, The Way Back, and The Wolfman?!? Really? With all of the films this year pushing the boundaries in make up and special effects, this is the best the Make Up branch could come up with to nominate? Ouch.
REALLY?!? No Best Visual Effects for Tron: Legacy? I thought for sure that the extremely designed visuals and/or the three versions of Jeff Bridges would put this one squarely on the map. Perhaps one branch thought it was more of an impressive Make Up effect and the other thought it was a Visual Effect. Neither voted for it. Who knows.
REALLY?!? The Illusionist for Best Animated Film? I suppose this should not come as a surprise since the animators often pick smaller, less traditional fair in their nominees (last year's The Secret of Kells anyone?). Still, I find it hard to believe that anyone other than Mike Palovcsik would vote The Illusionist for Best Animated Feature.
Ok, with that out of the way, I can post the new results. As I mentioned, things are starting to turn. The King's Speech has won three critical awards since the last update. It won the Producer's Guild and Director's Guild awards as well as taking home the Screen Actor's Guild award for best ensemble. What seemed like a slow slog to The Social Network's in-the-bag Best Picture just got intersting.
Also, the British seem to be more in tune with me and a few other movie moguls who saw their stocks rise with the BAFTA nominations. For the record, I tied with Erin and Steve with 7 BAFTA nominations. I also take the prize for having the most nominations without a single win so far this season. While it stinks for me, it is awesome for some of you. Check out the udpated standings below.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Points
Erin & Steve / 33 / 8 / 90
The Dekkers / 34 / 4 / 80
Paul Hogseth / 32 / 5 / 79
Mike Palovcsik / 32 / 4 / 76
Danny Sarnowski / 29 / 0 / 58
Dave Sarnowski / 25 / 2 / 56
Jake & Rachel / 21 / 4 / 54
Kristie Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Movie Review - The King's Speech
The King's Speech is the most surprising, enjoyable, moving film in this year's crowded list of Best Picture nominees. I went into it expecting a stuffy, dry, Ivory-Merchant period piece about dusty aristocrats. I got an exciting, very funny, heart wrenching buddy picture.
The film tells the story of King George VI who, after his brother abdicates the throne of England, must lead his country into the second World War. He is thrust into a position of power and a quarter of the world's people look to him as their leader. The King, however, has a crippling speech impediment that makes every public address, every speech, a nerve-wracking affair. The audience looks away, ashamed and embarrassed for their monarch. Not the type of moving oratory the King would prefer to deliver. Enter Lionel Logue, a speech defect expert who, though highly unorthadox, helps the King prevail in his time of need.
The movie, while a period piece about British royalty before the second World War, is as contemporary as The Social Network. The film shows how our ability to communicate to "post our status" to others is essential to our ability to feel whole and to fulfill our ambitions. Firth's King is a fully-formed, decent leader who has the ability and the brains to lead his nation through a terrible period. But can he master the ability to communicate his ideas effectively? Can he help them see the monarch who will stop at nothing to protect and inspire them? The question of communication and the influence (both good and bad) of the media and technology are at the heart of this movie. The fact that the computer was decades away from being invented doesn't make this movie feel old fashioned or out of date. Quite the contrary.
Colin Firth's performance is powerful and bold. He deserves the critical praise he is receiving. As the stuttering King George VI, he breaks our hearts with his speech impediment and the quiet, punished dignity in his eyes. His suffering is palpable and his every struggle to communicate a slap in the face for him and his royal family. Geoffrey Rush has a blast as the crazy, family-centric man who works to break the King free of his shell. This is a wonderful performance and, hopefully, the one he'll be remembered for. And this guy already WON the Best Actor award in 1996 for Shine. He's really great in the movie and his screen time with Firth is electric, moving, and often hilarious. Helena Bonham Carter is the best she's ever been as a wife, so devoted to her husband and family. A single look from her tells volumes.
In the field of depressing, dark, pessimistic, jaded movies this year The King's Speech is a bright spot. An intelligent, emotional picture that allows all of us to see the humanity of royalty. This is a must see and truly deserving of its nomination for Best Picture.
The film tells the story of King George VI who, after his brother abdicates the throne of England, must lead his country into the second World War. He is thrust into a position of power and a quarter of the world's people look to him as their leader. The King, however, has a crippling speech impediment that makes every public address, every speech, a nerve-wracking affair. The audience looks away, ashamed and embarrassed for their monarch. Not the type of moving oratory the King would prefer to deliver. Enter Lionel Logue, a speech defect expert who, though highly unorthadox, helps the King prevail in his time of need.
The movie, while a period piece about British royalty before the second World War, is as contemporary as The Social Network. The film shows how our ability to communicate to "post our status" to others is essential to our ability to feel whole and to fulfill our ambitions. Firth's King is a fully-formed, decent leader who has the ability and the brains to lead his nation through a terrible period. But can he master the ability to communicate his ideas effectively? Can he help them see the monarch who will stop at nothing to protect and inspire them? The question of communication and the influence (both good and bad) of the media and technology are at the heart of this movie. The fact that the computer was decades away from being invented doesn't make this movie feel old fashioned or out of date. Quite the contrary.
Colin Firth's performance is powerful and bold. He deserves the critical praise he is receiving. As the stuttering King George VI, he breaks our hearts with his speech impediment and the quiet, punished dignity in his eyes. His suffering is palpable and his every struggle to communicate a slap in the face for him and his royal family. Geoffrey Rush has a blast as the crazy, family-centric man who works to break the King free of his shell. This is a wonderful performance and, hopefully, the one he'll be remembered for. And this guy already WON the Best Actor award in 1996 for Shine. He's really great in the movie and his screen time with Firth is electric, moving, and often hilarious. Helena Bonham Carter is the best she's ever been as a wife, so devoted to her husband and family. A single look from her tells volumes.
In the field of depressing, dark, pessimistic, jaded movies this year The King's Speech is a bright spot. An intelligent, emotional picture that allows all of us to see the humanity of royalty. This is a must see and truly deserving of its nomination for Best Picture.
Movie Review - 127 Hours
127 Hours is a brave experiment in filmmaking. For Danny Boyle, hot off the Best Picture/Best Director double win of Slumdog Millionaire to choose to co-write, produce, and direct an adaptation of Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aaron Ralston was a ballsy move. This is a story which has an ending everyone is familiar with and with a climax that many people will not want to watch. That Boyle pulls it off and produces a hypnotic, enthralling, very human picture is something to be proud of and excited about.
127 Hours (for those not in the know) is about Aaron Ralston, a young, seemingly-invincible naturalist survival enthusiast who runs into trouble and gets stuck for days in the middle of nowhere. Ralston is trapped, crushed between two rocks for more than five days before he takes the drastic step of cutting his own arm off at the elbow and hiking out to find help. Boyle doesn't spend much time doing anything other than getting Ralston (played magnificently by James Franco) into his predicament and keeping him sealed there until the inevitable and gut-wrenching act that defines Ralston's will to live.
For a picture to keep it's main character alone and in one place for much of the movie is a great feat. That it remains interesting and watchable, with a sense of energy and character development, is even more impressive. Boyle has given us a second main character this year (after Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network) who is difficult to root for. Selfish, self-absorbed, and fully in love with himself and his abilities, Ralston is tough to love. He's cocky and abrasive. He screens his family's calls and ignores any safety precautions that he would consider basic for people taking the action he takes. He brags about how far and quickly he covers terrain, and draws other hikers into a dangerous situation out of bravado.
Yet, while Franco stands there, stuck by a rock we see him change. We see the reality of his situation sink in. We watch his best efforts to free himself fail. We agonize along with him at his low stores of food and water. We see the elements that Ralston feels so comfortable in and in command of, fully consume him. And, as Boyle tells the story, this affects him. Aaron uses his video camera to film testimonials (the result of watching too many reality TV shows) and messages to his family. He realizes his faults and apologizes for his many errors. Boyle also uses the situation to revel in his stylistic predispositions. Boyle is like Tony Scott with more edge and a little more reason to indulge himself. Ralston hallucinates, dreams, remembers, and has nightmares - all of which aid us in our understanding of his terrible predicament and his essential flaws.
Franco's acting is really pretty amazing. In a less crowded year, and honestly in a year in which he was NOT hosting the Academy Awards, he'd receive a lot more love. This is a bravura turn amplified like a live wire. When Franco turns to the last possible salvation available to him, when he decides to do the unthinkable, it is becuase he really has no options left. Boyle and Franco have put us in that unbelievable position and dared us to ask ourselves "what would I do?"
I went into the film knowing the beginning, middle, and end. I went in knowing how everything will resolve itself. I was still surprised, pleased, shocked, and moved. While 127 Hours is not my pick for Best Picture this year, it is pretty powerful filmmaking and certainly a film to see.
127 Hours (for those not in the know) is about Aaron Ralston, a young, seemingly-invincible naturalist survival enthusiast who runs into trouble and gets stuck for days in the middle of nowhere. Ralston is trapped, crushed between two rocks for more than five days before he takes the drastic step of cutting his own arm off at the elbow and hiking out to find help. Boyle doesn't spend much time doing anything other than getting Ralston (played magnificently by James Franco) into his predicament and keeping him sealed there until the inevitable and gut-wrenching act that defines Ralston's will to live.
For a picture to keep it's main character alone and in one place for much of the movie is a great feat. That it remains interesting and watchable, with a sense of energy and character development, is even more impressive. Boyle has given us a second main character this year (after Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network) who is difficult to root for. Selfish, self-absorbed, and fully in love with himself and his abilities, Ralston is tough to love. He's cocky and abrasive. He screens his family's calls and ignores any safety precautions that he would consider basic for people taking the action he takes. He brags about how far and quickly he covers terrain, and draws other hikers into a dangerous situation out of bravado.
Yet, while Franco stands there, stuck by a rock we see him change. We see the reality of his situation sink in. We watch his best efforts to free himself fail. We agonize along with him at his low stores of food and water. We see the elements that Ralston feels so comfortable in and in command of, fully consume him. And, as Boyle tells the story, this affects him. Aaron uses his video camera to film testimonials (the result of watching too many reality TV shows) and messages to his family. He realizes his faults and apologizes for his many errors. Boyle also uses the situation to revel in his stylistic predispositions. Boyle is like Tony Scott with more edge and a little more reason to indulge himself. Ralston hallucinates, dreams, remembers, and has nightmares - all of which aid us in our understanding of his terrible predicament and his essential flaws.
Franco's acting is really pretty amazing. In a less crowded year, and honestly in a year in which he was NOT hosting the Academy Awards, he'd receive a lot more love. This is a bravura turn amplified like a live wire. When Franco turns to the last possible salvation available to him, when he decides to do the unthinkable, it is becuase he really has no options left. Boyle and Franco have put us in that unbelievable position and dared us to ask ourselves "what would I do?"
I went into the film knowing the beginning, middle, and end. I went in knowing how everything will resolve itself. I was still surprised, pleased, shocked, and moved. While 127 Hours is not my pick for Best Picture this year, it is pretty powerful filmmaking and certainly a film to see.
Movie Review - The Kids Are All Right
First of all, "The Kids" are JUST all right. If that.
This is one of those movies that came out of Sundance and seemed to have nothing but positive momentum behind it. Everyone was talking about it. How charming it is. How funny it is. How human and "real" it is. No one said a word about how completely average and disappointing it really is. No one told me that it would be an utter let down. So, let me be the first to tell all of you. This is not a great movie.
This movie does not deserve a third of the hype and praise it has received. The film does not deserve an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. If there is one picture in the field this year that highlights how far the ten Best Picture nominees stretches things, it is this movie. What is it doing there?! Also, Annette Bening does not deserve a nomination for Best Actress. I'm sorry, she doesn't. She's completely fine in the picture. She plays the highly-strung and tightly-wound Annette Bening-type. As she does in most pictures. Julianne Moore has the more profound experience on screen in this picture and, in my opinion, deserves the credit (if any) for carrying the film. For the record, Mark Ruffalo is fairly charming and does a nice job. I am not just saying that because he is from Wisconsin.
The film, as I'm sure most of you have heard, centers around a family and their pursuit of roots. Moore and Bening play a lesbian couple who have been happily married for more than twenty years. They play the couple sweetly as two people who have spent a long time together and who have, for the most part, accepted the other's faults. The film is quick to point out, however, that maybe Bening is getting a little annoyed by Moore's quirkiness and impulsiveness. Moore's character cannot seem to hold a job and is really searching for where she'll fit, especially with one of their two lovely children moving on to college soon.
The film starts wonderfully enough. It paints a portrait of this family as completely normal. There is no big deal made of the fact that these two intelligent, centered, perfectly normal kids were raised by two women. The couple is portrayed as healthy and happy. When the kids decide to reach out to their sperm donor dad (Ruffalo), he is portrayed as happy, successful, and normal. The first half hour of the movie is really pretty fun. I actually turned to my wife at the thirty minute mark and said "this is sort of cool. To see this type of family and their unique needs and situation played so straight is interesting. I hope they don't have some of the characters sleep together or one of the women develop a complex about whether they truly are a lesbian or something." No kidding. I said that OUT LOUD. You can guess where the rest of the movie goes from here.
For as many people that are heralding this movie as a triumph of gay-family values, I wonder how many have actually seen it. Yes this movie is about two lesbians who raised beautiful children. But it is also about one of those women having an affair with a man, for no real reason. It portrays her sexuality as a choice or something, that after twenty years in a happy, monogamous relationship, she suddenly questions. And plays that for "laughs," I suppose.
This movie just goes right off the rails and I wish it had stayed there. Buried deep in the "independent film" section of Netflix, languishing in anonymity. Instead, it has had fanfare heaped upon it. I recommend that you leave this one be and focus on one of the more deserving Best Picture nominees this year.
This is one of those movies that came out of Sundance and seemed to have nothing but positive momentum behind it. Everyone was talking about it. How charming it is. How funny it is. How human and "real" it is. No one said a word about how completely average and disappointing it really is. No one told me that it would be an utter let down. So, let me be the first to tell all of you. This is not a great movie.
This movie does not deserve a third of the hype and praise it has received. The film does not deserve an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. If there is one picture in the field this year that highlights how far the ten Best Picture nominees stretches things, it is this movie. What is it doing there?! Also, Annette Bening does not deserve a nomination for Best Actress. I'm sorry, she doesn't. She's completely fine in the picture. She plays the highly-strung and tightly-wound Annette Bening-type. As she does in most pictures. Julianne Moore has the more profound experience on screen in this picture and, in my opinion, deserves the credit (if any) for carrying the film. For the record, Mark Ruffalo is fairly charming and does a nice job. I am not just saying that because he is from Wisconsin.
The film, as I'm sure most of you have heard, centers around a family and their pursuit of roots. Moore and Bening play a lesbian couple who have been happily married for more than twenty years. They play the couple sweetly as two people who have spent a long time together and who have, for the most part, accepted the other's faults. The film is quick to point out, however, that maybe Bening is getting a little annoyed by Moore's quirkiness and impulsiveness. Moore's character cannot seem to hold a job and is really searching for where she'll fit, especially with one of their two lovely children moving on to college soon.
The film starts wonderfully enough. It paints a portrait of this family as completely normal. There is no big deal made of the fact that these two intelligent, centered, perfectly normal kids were raised by two women. The couple is portrayed as healthy and happy. When the kids decide to reach out to their sperm donor dad (Ruffalo), he is portrayed as happy, successful, and normal. The first half hour of the movie is really pretty fun. I actually turned to my wife at the thirty minute mark and said "this is sort of cool. To see this type of family and their unique needs and situation played so straight is interesting. I hope they don't have some of the characters sleep together or one of the women develop a complex about whether they truly are a lesbian or something." No kidding. I said that OUT LOUD. You can guess where the rest of the movie goes from here.
For as many people that are heralding this movie as a triumph of gay-family values, I wonder how many have actually seen it. Yes this movie is about two lesbians who raised beautiful children. But it is also about one of those women having an affair with a man, for no real reason. It portrays her sexuality as a choice or something, that after twenty years in a happy, monogamous relationship, she suddenly questions. And plays that for "laughs," I suppose.
This movie just goes right off the rails and I wish it had stayed there. Buried deep in the "independent film" section of Netflix, languishing in anonymity. Instead, it has had fanfare heaped upon it. I recommend that you leave this one be and focus on one of the more deserving Best Picture nominees this year.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Field Narrows
Well, in the last two weeks we've seen a lot of movement. The Writer's, Producer's, and Director's Guilds all announced their nominees. The only real surprise was the absence of Toy Story 3 from the Writer's Guild awards and the presence of I Love You Phillip Morris. Without that change, the field continues to look as it did in late 2010 - dominated by The Social Network, The King's Speech, The Kids Are All Right, Black Swan, and Inception.
We also had the Broadcast Critic's Choice Awards and last night's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. With those, we saw that familiar list of nominees narrowed down to the short list of winners and front-runners for the season. Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Melissa Leo, and Natalie Portman are the actors to beat at this point. I'm not sure if any director other than David Fincher has picked up a statue of any kind this season. The Social Network continues to dominate in both Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards as well. Interestingly, these several awards are mixed throughout the studios in our league. No one studio has a lock on all of them.
Mike Palovcsik owns The Social Network for Best Picture. Jake Sarnowski and Rachel Stuhler own The Social Network for Director and Screenplay. Steve Hackbarth and Erin Dischler own Colin Firth and Melissa Leo. Natalie Portman belongs in Kritie Palovcsik's studio. This mix has kept the race close and lively. See below for the current standings. This week we'll see the BAFTA nominees and next week the Academy Award nominees will be announced. Look for another post that evening.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Jen & Nate Dekker / 24 / 3 / 57
Erin D. & Steve H. / 19 / 6 / 56
Paul Hogseth / 20 / 5 / 55
Mike Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Danny & Ann Sarnowski / 16 / 0 / 32
Jake S. & Rachel S. / 10 / 4 / 32
Kristie Palovcsik / 12 / 2 / 30
Dave Sarnowski / 12 / 0 / 24
As you can see, it's pretty close at the top. Kristie, Jake & Rachel, and Mike could all expect to see some movement in the next few weeks as more winners are announced. Good luck to everyone!
Cheers,
Danny.
We also had the Broadcast Critic's Choice Awards and last night's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. With those, we saw that familiar list of nominees narrowed down to the short list of winners and front-runners for the season. Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Melissa Leo, and Natalie Portman are the actors to beat at this point. I'm not sure if any director other than David Fincher has picked up a statue of any kind this season. The Social Network continues to dominate in both Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards as well. Interestingly, these several awards are mixed throughout the studios in our league. No one studio has a lock on all of them.
Mike Palovcsik owns The Social Network for Best Picture. Jake Sarnowski and Rachel Stuhler own The Social Network for Director and Screenplay. Steve Hackbarth and Erin Dischler own Colin Firth and Melissa Leo. Natalie Portman belongs in Kritie Palovcsik's studio. This mix has kept the race close and lively. See below for the current standings. This week we'll see the BAFTA nominees and next week the Academy Award nominees will be announced. Look for another post that evening.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Jen & Nate Dekker / 24 / 3 / 57
Erin D. & Steve H. / 19 / 6 / 56
Paul Hogseth / 20 / 5 / 55
Mike Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Danny & Ann Sarnowski / 16 / 0 / 32
Jake S. & Rachel S. / 10 / 4 / 32
Kristie Palovcsik / 12 / 2 / 30
Dave Sarnowski / 12 / 0 / 24
As you can see, it's pretty close at the top. Kristie, Jake & Rachel, and Mike could all expect to see some movement in the next few weeks as more winners are announced. Good luck to everyone!
Cheers,
Danny.
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