Climate Change

The tragic events that occurred in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises this past July, was something I felt I wanted to leave aside here.  For someone who values and holds true that some of the my savory and precious moments have occurred in the peaceful tranquility of the confines of a movie theater, there was a nod and threat that almost as if a tragedy had struck inside my own backyard.  The events were dreadful, as was the fearful loom of panic and anxiety that would come (and likely hasn't quite quelled) for ones safety in the most ordinary and commonplace of scenarios.  Big Hollywood made their usual immediate adjustments-- the cancelling of movie premieres and the like, Warner Bros. (the distributor behind The Dark Knight Rises) withheld opening weekend grosses out of respect to victims, and a saving face for the opening week records that suddenly seemed unattainable.  The same distributor also pushed back and retooled the violent feature Gangster Squad, the awards wannabe featuring Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn and a ill-timed movie theater melee.  Again the issues of violence presented in movies, television and video games was sought as a defacto claim for the horrific events.  A few months later, and dreadfully in tune with the yuletide season, another massive shooting occurred in another unforgivable place.  And yet again, fingers are pointed at the same targets, without underlying the greater problems.

A full week went on before the NRA made an official statement in the aftermath of the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut.  During the address, spokesman Wayne LaPierre posited a few ideas that will rattle around the media maelstrom, and again waged the war against violent content in movies, television and video games as a trigger for the insane trigger-happy likes.  And again, Hollywood made swift decisions like cancelling the movie premieres of the violent Tom Cruise film Jack Reacher and the ultra violent Django Unchained.  It's worth noting that similar causes of actions for major American players remains firmly similar, and without a proper measure or even the slightest bit of necessary dialogue in a culture permeating with unease and violent content.  That is what is missing-- pointing the fingers at one another does no such good, and until this nation can address violence without the need of "he said, she said," child-like back-talking, more of the same will be cause and effects relations.

There's another discussion to be raised to, if the effect of violent representations in artistic content is to be a factor in begetting violence in real life.  After all, there's two classes of representations of violence in film especially.  There's the gratuitous type that glorifies the like, and the rarer and more insightful of which explores violence in an artfully real world situation, without bestowing further glorification, instead raising the question of its purpose.  For instance another hard-hitting holiday offering, Zero Dark Thirty comes courtesy of Oscar-winning team of The Hurt Locker in director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Marc Boal.  The film explores the manhunt behind the eventual capturing and killing of Osama bin Laden.  Here's another film, that's striking a chord in Washington for different reasons-- that of the graphic scenes and questionable realities of torture and waterboarding used in the investigations.  Senators from the both sides, including Rep. John McCain and Dem. Dianne Fienstein argue no such methods were actually used.  It's a blow to a film that's seeking Oscar consideration on top of it's roaring critical reaction.  Again, rather than an exploration of the content itself, Hollywood is questioning how this blow will hurt in garnering further Oscar buzz.  On the basis, and at the very least for viewers who haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty yet, the real questions should be bestowed on the content themselves, and as The Hurt Locker showcased three years ago, the imagery and intensity of that the film was wrought, tense and moving because the filmmakers never once politicized or glorified the situation, instead leaving it the eyes of the beholders to decide what to think.

The world is scary, and media content (perhaps a largely ignored aspect could rest in twenty-four news coverage, which I would argue is more grisly than anything I typically see in a movie theater) is sometimes varying to far over the edge.  By now means should an argument ever be based on back up the second amendment by reducing the first amendment, and if the National Rifle Association seeks to uphold films and other content to such reductive confines that were introduced back in Production Code, that would be deplorable and inexcusable for all.  It's the discussion that needs to happen, and for that, by all means, we're at a stalemate.

Academy Award Winners

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Precious- Geoffrey Fletcher
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
FOREIGN FILM: El Secreto de sus Ojos
DOCUMENTARY: The Cove
ART DIRECTION: Avatar- Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg & Kim Sinclair
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Avatar- Mauro Fiore
COSTUME DESIGN: The Young Victoria- Sandy Powell
FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
ORIGINAL SCORE: Up- Michael Giacchino
ORIGINAL SONG: "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart; by T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham
ANIMATED SHORT FILM: Logorama
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM: Music by Prudence
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: The New Tenants
MAKE-UP: Star Trek
SOUND MIXING: The Hurt Locker
SOUND EDITING: The Hurt Locker
VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar

British Academy of Film & Television Awards

And the BAFTA (Britain's equivalent of the Oscars) winners are:


PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
BRITISH PICTURE: Fish Tank
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: Colin Firth, A Single Man
ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan, An Education
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
FOREIGN FILM: A Prophet
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Avatar- Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg & Kim Sinclair
COSTUME DESIGN: The Young Victoria- Sandy Powell
MAKE-UP & HAIR: The Young Victoria- Jenny Shircore
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker- Barry Ackroyd
FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
SCORE: Up- Michael Giacchino
SOUND: The Hurt Locker
VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar
BRITISH DEBUT: Duncan Jones, director of Moon
ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD: Kirsten Stewart

There's a surprise-- I wasn't expecting the British contingent to really go full force for The Hurt Locker, however with filmmaking that strong and vastly superior, I am delighted. I suppose you can sign me up for Team Bigelow.

Writers Guild Winners

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

Directors Guild Association of America

The winner for Best Director of the Year from the DGA is:


Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Becoming the first woman ever to be bestowed this honor will Oscar follow suit?

PGA

The Producers have spoken in a singular and beautiful way-- re-igniting a facade of a race for the Oscar season.



FEATURE FILM
The Hurt Locker

ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Cove

STANLEY KRAMER AWARD
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire


In what constitutes a shock, the Producers Guild of America are with the critics, decreeing The Hurt Locker as 2009's ultimate triumph. What does this mean? It means Avatar is not the here-by, end-all film of the year, as it's Golden Globe triumph and $550 million box office might suggest. This weekend Cameron's film became the second highest grossing film of all time in domestic receipts (only in terms of dollars and cents, not adjusted for inflation, or by attendance), but The Hurt Locker captures the PGA award, and Inglourious Basterds snarled the SAG award. It's not a lone race, and I am happy for that!

The PGA at a glance:

2008: Slumdog Millionaire (won Oscar)
2007: No Country For Old Men (won Oscar)
2006: Little Miss Sunshine (lost to The Departed)
2005: Brokeback Mountain (lost to Crash)
2004: The Aviator (lost to Million Dollar Baby)
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (won Oscar)
2002: Chicago (won Oscar)
2001: Moulin Rouge! (lost to A Beautiful Mind)
2000: Gladiator (won Oscar)
1999: American Beauty (won Oscar)
1998: Saving Private Ryan (lost to Shakespeare in Love)
1997: Titanic (won Oscar)
1996: The English Patient (won Oscar)
1995: Apollo 13 (lost to Braveheart)
1994: Forrest Gump (won Oscar)
1993: Schindler's List (won Oscar)
1992: The Crying Game (lost to Unforgiven)
1991: The Silence of the Lambs (won Oscar)

Online Film Critics Society

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
ACTRESS: Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Fantastic Mr. Fox- Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
DOCUMENTARY: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
FOREIGN FILM: The White Ribbon
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Inglourious Basterds- Ralph Richardson
SCORE: Up- Michael Giacchino
FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker- Chris Innis & Bob Murawski

National Society of Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTRESS
Yolande Moreau, Seraphine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
(tie)
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Paul Schneider, Bright Star

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique, Precious

BEST SCREENPLAY
A Serious Man- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Summer Hours

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Beaches of Agnes

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The White Ribbon- Christian Berger

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Mr. Fox- Nelson Lowry

Chicago Film Critics Assocation

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan, An Education
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
FOREIGN FILM: The White Ribbon
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
DOCUMENTARY: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker- Barry Aykroyd
SCORE: Up- Michael Giacchino
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Carey Mulligan, An Education
MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER: Neil Blomkamp, District 9

Golden Satellites Winners

BEST PICTURE (Drama)
The Hurt Locker

BEST PICTURE (Musical or Comedy)
Nine

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR (Drama)
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTRESS (Drama)
Shohreh Aghdashloo, The Stoning of Soraya M.

BEST ACTOR (Musical or Comedy)
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man

BEST ACTRESS (Musical or Comedy)
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique, Precious

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
(500) Days of Summer- Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Precious- Geoffrey Fletcher

BEST PICTURE (Mixed Media)
Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Maid

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Every Little Step

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Up in the Air- Rolfe Kent

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart; Ryan Bingham

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nine- Dion Beebe

BEST FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
A Single Man

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

BEST SOUND
2012

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
2012

Houston Film Critics

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
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: Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
DOCUMENTARY: The Cove
FOREIGN FILM: Sin Nombre
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker- Barry Aykroyd
SCORE: Up- Michael Giacchino
SONG: "Petey's Song," The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Las Vegas Film Critics Society

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
ACTRESS: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
SCREENPLAY: (500) Days of Summer- Scott Neustradter & Michael H. Weber
ANIMATED FEATURE: Fantastic Mr. Fox
FOREIGN FILM: Red Cliff
DOCUMENTARY: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker- Barry Ackroyd
COSTUME DESIGN: Inglourious Basterds- Anna B. Shepherd
FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski
ART DIRECTION: Avatar
SCORE: Star Trek- Michael Giacchino
SONG: "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart
VISUAL EFFECTS: Star Trek
FAMILY FILM: Fantastic Mr. Fox
YOUTH IN FILM: Saorsie Ronan, The Lovely Bones

Austin Film Critics Association

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

Top Ten of 2009

1. The Hurt Locker
2. Star Trek
3. Up
4. A Serious Man
5. Up in the Air
6. Avatar
7. Inglourious Basterds
8. District 9
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. (tie) Moon; The Messenger
    

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth, A Single Man

BEST ACTRESS
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Sin Nombre

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hurt Locker- Barry Ackroyd

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Up- Michael Giacchino

BEST FIRST FEATURE
District 9- Neil Blomkamp

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Christian McKay, Me & Orson Welles

AUSTIN FILM AWARD
Me & Orson Welles (director Richard Linklater is an Austin native)

Top Ten of the Decade

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Lord of the Rings
4. The Dark Knight
5. Requiem For a Dream
6. Kill Bill
7. No Country for Old Men
8. The Incredibles
9. Children of Men
10. (tie) Memento; The Departed
    

New York Film Critics Circle

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: George Clooney, Up in the Air and Fantastic Mr. Fox
ACTRESS: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
SCREENPLAY: In the Loop
ANIMATED FEATURE: Fantastic Mr. Fox
DOCUMENTARY: Of Time & the City
FOREIGN FILM: Summer Hours
BEST FIRST FILM: Hunger- Steve McQueen
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The White Ribbon- Christian Berger

San Francisco Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth, A Single Man

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian McKay, Me & Orson Welles

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique, Precious

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Fantastic Mr. Fox- Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline

BEST FOREIGN FILM
You the Living

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
A Serious Man- Roger Deakins

Not much in the way of surprises here-- The Hurt Locker is golden at the moment after it's amazing weekend (LA, Boston, AFI citation), as is Bigelow. My questions marks on terms of the Academy right now are Inglourious Basterds which so far has strong critical support, but still feels like it might not go all the way to the Oscar, because of subject matter (revisionist history\crossed genres) and divisiveness of Tarantino in general (after all both Kill Bills got a combined total of zero nominations, besides critical success and glorious box office. Another question mark is A Serious Man, which seems like a total Oscar-y film that's been somewhat absent from big prizes so far. That and is the momentum for Precious fading-- the critics thus far have been kind to Mo"Nique, but not the film as a whole strangley. Also is Christian McKay a potential nominee-- I kind of think if he scores a Golden Globe nod, he's in, even if Me & Orson Welles doesn't go anywhere critically or commercially-- he's playing Orson Welles for god's sake!

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker
runner-up: Up in the Air

I knew it, I knew it!

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
runner-up: Michael Hanake, The White Ribbon

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
runner-up: Colin Firth, A Single Man

BEST ACTRESS
Yolande Moreau, Seraphine
runner-up: Carey Mulligan, An Education

The LAFCA always seems to make funny choices here (thinking back to 2005 when Vera Farmiga won for Down by the Bone.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
runner-up: Peter Capaldi, In the Loop

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
runner-up: Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

BEST SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
runner-up: In the Loop

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Fantastic Mr. Fox
runner-up: Up

BEST DOCUMENTARY (tie)
The Beaches of Agnes The Cover

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Summer Hours
runner-up: The White Ribbon

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The White Ribbon- Christian Berger
runner-up: The Hurt Locker- Barry Ackroyd

BEST SCORE
Crazy Heart- T. Bone Burnett & Stephen Bruton
runner-up: Fantastic Mr. Fox- Alexandre Desplat

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
District 9
runner-up: Avatar

Boston Film Critics Society

PICTURE- The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR- Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR- Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
ACTRESS- Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
SUPPORTING ACTOR- Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Mo'Nique, Precious
SCREENPLAY- A Serious Man- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
DOCUMENTARY- The Cove
FOREIGN FILM- Summer Hours
ANIMATED FEATURE- Up
CINEMATOGRAPHY- The Hurt Locker- Barry Ackroyd
FILM EDITING- The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
NEW FILMMAKER- Neil Blomkamp, District 9
ENSEMBLE (tie)- Precious, Star Trek