Gotham Award Nominees

And so it begins (insert evil laugh and twirling of the handle-bar mustache), the awards season that is.  The Gotham Awards, a New York based society that showcases the best in independent American filmmaking.  They are also the first one's out of the gate every time, and while eventual Academy overlap may bear little on the group as a whole, recent films like Winter's Bone and The Hurt Locker were awarded the top prize here on their way to the Kodak stage.  The nominees are:

BEST FEATURE

• Beginners
• The Descendants
• Meek's Cutoff
• Take Shelter
• The Tree of Life

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

• Beginners- Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurant, Goran Visnjic, Kal Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos
• The Descendants- George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel
• Margin Call- Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Aasif Mandvi
• Martha Marcy May Marlene- Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, John Hawkes, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner, Louisa Krause, Sarah Paulson
• Take Shelter- Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Robert Longstreet

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• Better This World
• Bill Cunningham New York (available on Netflix instant play)
• Hell & Back Again
• The Interrupters
• The Woodmans

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR

• Mike Cahill, Another Earth
• Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene
• Vera Farmiga, Higher Ground
• Evan Glodell, Bellflower
• Dee Rees, Pariah

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER

• Felicity Jones, Like Crazy
• Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
• Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
• Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
• Jacob Wysocki, Terri

BEST FILM NOT PLAYING AT A THEATER NEAR YOU

• Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
• Green
• The Redemption of General Butt Naked
• Scenes of a Crime
• Without

HONOREES (Previously announced):

• Charlize Theron (handily right in time for her mainstream Oscar bid, Young Adult)
• Gary Oldman (likewise, for Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy)
• David Croenberg (what do you know, his A Dangerous Method opens next month)
• Tom Rothman (big studio hotshot- Meryl Streep famously thanked him for signing the checks in her hilarious Golden Globe acceptance speech for The Devil Wears Prada...aside)

I always find it a little strange when even organizations that go for the tiny, anti-establishment films, always tend to, in some way, pander to the exact opposite at the same time.  At the same time, where Drive in the Gotham selection?

Or we can rename this tribute to the I <3 Fox Searchlight Awards, as The Tree of Life, The Descendants, Martha Marcy May Marlene and Another Earth all got shout-outs today.  The one surprise of the nominations is that 2011's queen of ubiquity, Jessica Chastain wasn't acknowledged in the breakthough category, though she was spotlighted as part of the ensemble of Take Shelter and was a member of two of the films nominated for Best Feature; perhaps they just didn't quite know which of her four-thousand performances to acknowledge.

Best acknowledgement: Beginners in the Ensemble field, the warm and gentle father\son tragicomedy was one of most generous films so far in terms of its actors.

Best film title: Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeking Same; I feel a strong need to watch this immediately!

Women Critics Circle Awards

BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN (tie)
Coco Before Chanel
My One & Only

BEST MOVIE WRITTEN BY A WOMAN
Julie & Julia- Nora Ephron

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER
Megan Holley, Sunshine Cleaning (screenwriting)

BEST ACTOR
Ben Foster, The Messenger

BEST ACTRESS
Abbie Cornish, Bright Star

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST FOREIGN FILM ABOUT WOMEN
Seraphine

BEST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
American Violet
Amreeka
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Inglourious Basterds
Lemon Tree
The Messenger
My Sister's Keeper
Sweet Crude

BEST TV MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN
Grey Gardens

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES
Julie & Julia

BEST ANIMATED FEMALE
The Princess & the Frog-- Tiana

BEST FAMILY FILM
Up

Washington D.C. Film Critics

PICTURE: Up in the Air
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: George Clooney, Up in the Air
ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan, An Education
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Inglourious Basterds-- Quentin Tarantino
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air-- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
ENSEMBLE: The Hurt Locker
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
FOREIGN FILM: Sin Nombre
DOCUMENTARY: Food, Inc.
ART DIRECTION: Nine
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Up in the Air is two for two with critics-- how far will it go? When will the inevitable backlash begin: Sidenote- the film made $1 million in ticket sales over it's first weekend on only 10 screens-- that's $70,000 per-screen average.

And So It Begins

After a long break of personal matters and unforgivable laziness I've returned-- and what do you know it-- awards season is right, as we speak, getting started...say it isn't so, it's only September!! But festival season is in full swing-- Venice and Telluride have already had their say, and Toronto is currently going on. From all the online sources thusly, I hear Jason Reitman's Up in the Air starring George Clooney is a definite hit, as is The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man, while Creation, the Charles Darwin biopic starring real-life married couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connolly is a miss, and The Road is mixed...

Anyway the real big news is the announcement of the winners of this years Venice Film Festival, and drum roll...

Golden Lion for Best Film: Lebanon (Israel, France, Germany)

Silver Lion for Best Director: Shirin Neshat, Women Without Men (Germany, Austria, France)

Special Jury Prize: Soul Kitchen (Germany)

Best Actor: Colin Firth, A Single Man (USA)

Best Actress: Ksenia Rappaport, La Doppia Ora (Italy)

Best Screeplay: Life During Wartime- Todd Solondz (USA)

Queer Golden Lion: A Single Man (USA)-- special award given to Tom Ford


So the big news-- not much, with the exception of Colin Firth winning for fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man, also starring Julianne Moore, Lee Pace and Matthew Goode about a gay man coming to odds with the loss of a lover. It's the first significant prize for an actor that could potentially be an Oscar contender, that is granted the film gets US distribution in time for a 2009 release (sucks to be a small time film in a recession-ville America.) Also goods news for longtime troublemaker Todd Solondz (Happiness, Welcome to the Dollhouse), but doubt Oscar will ever be brave enough for him.

London Film Critics Circle

FILM: The Wrestler
BRITISH FILM: Slumdog Millionaire
DIRECTOR: David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
BRITISH DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, The Reader & Revolutionary Road
BRITISH ACTOR: Michael Fassbender, Hunger
BRITISH ACTRESS: Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
BRITISH SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky
BRITISH SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Tilda Swinton, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
SCREENWRITER: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
FOREIGN FILM: Waltz With Bashir
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILMMAKER: Steve McQueen, Hunger

By the Numbers

Just found this interesting-- it's a graph of some of the top awards contenders on IMDB's top 250 chart from Christmas til now-- does it reflect any awards momentum, or just insanity of jazzed film goers.

BAFTA Nominations

The nominees for the British Academy of Film & Television Awards are:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST BRITISH PICTURE
Hunger
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Man on Wire
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Clint Eastwood, Changeling
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
Tilda Swinton, Burn After Reading
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Burn After Reading- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Changeling- J. Michael Straczynski
I've Loved You So Long- Phillippe Claudel
In Bruges- Martin McDonagh
Milk- Dustin Lance Black

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Eric Roth
Frost/Nixon- Peter Morgan
The Reader- David Hare
Revolutionary Road- Justin Haythe
Slumdog Millionaire- Simon Beaufoy

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Baader Meinof Complex
Gomorrah
I've Loved You So Long
Persepolis
Waltz With Bashir

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
WALL-E
Waltz With Bashir

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling- Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight- Wally Pfister
The Reader- Chris Menges & Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire- Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Changeling- James J. Murakami & Gary Fettis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Donald Graham Burt & Victor J. Zolfo
The Dark Knight- Nathan Crowley & Peter Lando
Revolutionary Road- Kristi Zea & Debra Schutt
Slumdog Millionaire- Mark Digby & Michelle Day

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Changeling- Deborah Hopper
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Jacqueline West
The Dark Knight- Lindy Hemming
The Duchess- Michael O'Connor
Revolutionary Road- Albert Wolsky

BEST FILM EDITING
Changeling- Joel Cox & Gary D. Roach
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall
The Dark Knight- Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon- Mike Hill & Dan Hanley
In Bruges- Jon Gregory
Slumdog Millionaire- Chris Dickens

BEST MUSIC
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight- Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard
Mamma Mia!- Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus
Slumdog Millionaire- A.R. Rahman
WALL-E- Thomas Newman

BEST MAKEUP/HAIR
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Frost/Nixon
Milk

BEST SOUND
Changeling
The Dark Knight
Quantum of Solace
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum of Solace

ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
Michael Cera
Noel Clarke
Michael Fassbender
Rebecca Hall
Toby Kebbell

Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button lead the way with 11 nominations each, while Kate Winlset added further confusion by being nominated twice for leading actress...plus some really crazy acting nods (Dev Patel- lead actor?, Freida Pinto?, Tilda Swinton?) Hmmmm.

Costume Designer Guild Nominations

PERIOD FILM
Changeling- Deborah Hopper
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Jacqueline Durran
The Duchess- Michael O'Connor
Milk- Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road- Albert Wolsky

CONTEMPORARY FILM
Iron Man- Laura Jean Shannon & Rebecca Bentjen
Mamma Mia!- Ann Roth
Sex & the City- Patricia Field
Slumdog Millionaire- Suttirat Larlarb
The Wrestler- Amy Westcott

FANTASY FILM
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- Isis Mussenden
The Dark Knight- Lindy Hemming
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor- Sanja Milkovic Hayes

Vancouver Film Critics

PICTURE: Milk
DIRECTOR: David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
ACTOR: Sean Penn, Milk
ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road & The Reader
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
FOREIGN FILM: The Edge of Heaven

American Cinema Editors Nominations

DRAMATIC FILM
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter
The Dark Knight- Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon- Mike Hill & Dan Hanley
Milk- Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire- Chris Dickens

MUSICAL OR COMEDY
In Bruges- Jon Gregory
Mamma Mia!- Lesley Walker
Tropic Thunder- Greg Hayden
Vicky Cristina Barcelona- Alisa Lepselter
WALL-E- Stephen Schaffer

And so the Editors Guild announced there nominations in what is always one of the most significant announcements, as the editing race is always linked to the big award. It's also one of the most confounding-- as what makes a well edited film? It's largely a unknown quality to judge-- how were these ten films in raw form versus there final outcome. Also confounding is the fact that the drama category is the same five films.

Art Directors Guild Nominations

PERIOD FILM
Changeling- James J. Murakami
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Donald Graham Burt
Doubt- David Gropman
Frost/Nixon- Michael Corenblith
Milk- Bill Groom

FANTASY FILM
The Dark Knight- Nathan Crowley
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- Guy Hendrix Dyas
Iron Man- J. Michael Riva
The Spiderwick Chronicles- James Bissell
WALL-E- Ralph Eggleston

CONTEMPORARY FILM
Burn After Reading- Jess Gonchor
Gran Torino- James J. Murakami
Quantum of Solace- Dennis Gassner
Slumdog Millionaire- Mark Digby
The Wrestler- Timothy Grimes

Central Ohio Film Critics

PICTURE: WALL-E

Top Ten:
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Frozen River
4. The Dark Knight
5. Frost/Nixon
6. Milk
7. The Wrestler
8. Let the Right One In
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10. In Bruges

DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
runner-up: Andrew Stanton, WALL-E

ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
runner-up: Sean Penn, Milk

ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, Frozen River
runner-up: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
runners-up: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt; Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
runner-up: Misty Upham, Frozen River

ENSEMBLE: The Dark Knight
runner-up: Slumdog Millionaire

ACTOR OF THE YEAR: Robert Downey, Jr., Iron Man & Tropic Thunder
runner-up: James Franco, Pineapple Express & Milk

BREAKTHROUGH FILM ARTIST: Melissa Leo, Frozen River
runner-up: Courtney Hunt, Frozen River (writer/director)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: WALL-E- Andrew Stanton & James Reardon
runner-up: Frozen River- Courtney Hunt

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire- Simon Beaufoy
runner-up: Frost/Nixon- Peter Morgan

ORIGINAL SCORE: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Alexandre Desplat
runner-up: Slumdog Millionaire- A.R. Rahman

DOCUMENTARY: Man on Wire
runner-up: American Teen

FOREIGN FILM: 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
runner-up: Let the Right One In

ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E
runner-up: Kung Fu Panda

OVERLOOKED FILM: Ghost Town
runner-up: Rock N Rolla

Broadcast Film Critics Association

Yes, Slumdog Millionaire topped the Critics Choice Awards, but the real interesting development was the tie between The Devil Wears Prada co-horts in the best actress race-- the battle begins. Since the Critics Choice Awards like to be Oscar prognosticators more so than a divisive critical organization, I'm curious not about how this benefits Streep, but Hathaway-- could she be a stronger threat for the win than expected?

BEST PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire
BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
BEST ACTOR: Sean Penn, Milk
BEST ACTRESS (tie!)
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep, Doubt
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, The Reader
BEST ENSEMBLE: Milk
BEST WRITER: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Man on Wire
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Waltz With Bashir
BEST COMPOSER: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire BEST SONG: "The Wrestler," The Wrestler- written by Bruce Springsteen
BEST YOUNG ACTOR: Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
BEST ACTION FILM: The Dark Knight
BEST COMEDY FILM:Tropic Thunder

Directors Guild of America Nominations

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk

All the usual suspects rounded up again... gee guilds, more than five movies opened last year.

Writers Guild of American Nominations

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Burn After Reading- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Milk- Dustin Lance Black
Vicky Cristina Barcelona- Woody Allen
The Visitor- Thomas McCarthy
The Wrestler- Robert Siegel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Eric Roth & Robin Swicord
The Dark Knight- Christopher Nolan & Jonathon Nolan
Doubt- John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon- Peter Morgan
Slumdog Millionaire- Simon Beaufoy

Mostly solid mix, however the jarring omission of Rachel Getting Married doesn't settle well-- especially for Burn After Reading? Nice work, The Dark Knight-- I believe you've found Oscar credibility.

American Society of Cinematographers Nominations

The best filmed pictures of the year are:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Claudia Miranda
The Dark Knight- Wally Pfister
The Reader- Chris Menges & Roger Deakins
Revolutionary Road- Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire- Anthony Dod Mantle

Producers Guild of America Nominees

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Dark Knight
  

Kansas City Film Critics

PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire
DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
ACTRESS: Meryl Streep, Doubt
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Wrestler- Robert Siegel
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire- Simon Beaufoy
FOREIGN FILM: Let the Right One In
DOCUMENTARY: Man on Wire
ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E
VINCE KOEHLER AWARD: The Dark Knight

National Society of Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
Waltz With Bashir
runners-up: Happy-Go-Lucky; WALL-E

BEST DIRECTOR
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
runners-up: Gus Van Sant, Milk & Paranoid Park; Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
Sean Penn, Milk
runners-up: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler; Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino

BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
runners-up: Melissa Leo, Frozen River; Michelle Williams, Wendy & Lucy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky
runners-up: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight; Josh Brolin, Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Hanna Schygulla, The Edge of Heaven
runners-up: Viola Davis, Doubt; Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST SCREENPLAY
Happy-Go-Lucky- Mike Leigh
runners-up: A Christmas Tale- Arnaud Desplechin; Synecdoche New York- Charlie Kaufman

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Man on Wire
runners-up: Trouble the Water; Encounters at the End of the World

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Slumdog Millionaire- Anthony Dod Mantle
runners-up: The Flight of the Red Balloon; The Dark Knight; Still Life

Oklahoma Film Critics

PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire

Top Ten:
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-The Dark Knight
-Doubt
-Frost/Nixon
-Happy-Go-Lucky
-Milk
-Rachel Getting Married
-WALL-E
-The Wrestler

DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
ACTRESS: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Wrestler- Robert Siegel
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire- Simon Beaufoy
FOREIGN FILM: Let the Right One In
ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E
DOCUMENTARY: Man on Wire
FIRST FEATURE: Synecdoche, New York
WORST FILM: The Love Guru
NOT SO OBVIOUSLY WORST FILM: Mamma Mia!