Once again, 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle lead an awards show. The Critics' Choice Awards are led by the two films with 13 nominations each. I think this list will serve as more of an Oscar precursor than the Golden Globes will. At least I hope so. The 19th annual show will be held on January 16, 2014.
Here are the nominees!
Best Picture:
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor:
Christian Bale - American Hustle
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford - All is Lost
Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Brie Larson - Short Term 12
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini - Enough Said
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Actress:
Scarlett Johansson - Her
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb - Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels' The Butler
Best Young Actor/Actress:
Asa Butterfield - Ender's Game
Adele Exarchopoulos - Blue is the Warmest Color
Liam James - The Way Way Back
Sophie Nelisse - The Book Thief
Tye Sheridan - Mud
Best Acting Ensemble:
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Lee Daniels' The Butler
Nebraska
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Director:
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Spike Jonze - Her
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Original Screenplay:
Eric Singer & David O. Russell - American Hustle
Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine
Spike Jonze - Her
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis
Bob Nelson - Nebraska
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Tracy Letts - August: Osage County
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke - Before Midnight
Billy Ray - Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope - Philomena
John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter - The Wolf of Wall Street
Click the jump to see the rest of the nominations.
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Showing posts with label Sandra Bullock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sandra Bullock. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Gravity - Review
After a Russian satellite is destroyed, two surviving members of an American space crew drift into space as they struggle to make it back to earth in Gravity.
I didn't know much about Gravity until just recently. The only thing I knew was that Natalie Portman had been attached at one time but either dropped out or wasn't officially cast. I got interested after seeing the first previews surfaced and I finally did get to see it today. All I can say is I sense some Oscars coming their way.
I liked just about everything about this movie. It had great effects (repeat, great effects), amazing sound design, and great acting. I was a bit concerned about watching a movie that only had two actors in it, but it worked great. Sandra Bullock knocked it out of the park and George Clooney was a great support for her.
The only thing I would have loved is if the movie was a little bit longer. Because it was only 94 minutes there was a lot that could have been expanded on that wasn't. For example, the mission itself. You get that the mission was to put some new software on the Hubble Telescope but that was it. You don't really get why Sandra Bullock's character was hired by NASA, you don't really learn what kind of doctor she was, etc.. You also don't find out a whole lot about Clooney's character except for the fact that this was going to be his last mission before retirement.
But despite the minor issues with the plot I did like Gravity a lot. It was played out very smoothly and was very high anxiety for the audience. It kept me interested and stressed. Well done.
I didn't know much about Gravity until just recently. The only thing I knew was that Natalie Portman had been attached at one time but either dropped out or wasn't officially cast. I got interested after seeing the first previews surfaced and I finally did get to see it today. All I can say is I sense some Oscars coming their way.
I liked just about everything about this movie. It had great effects (repeat, great effects), amazing sound design, and great acting. I was a bit concerned about watching a movie that only had two actors in it, but it worked great. Sandra Bullock knocked it out of the park and George Clooney was a great support for her.
The only thing I would have loved is if the movie was a little bit longer. Because it was only 94 minutes there was a lot that could have been expanded on that wasn't. For example, the mission itself. You get that the mission was to put some new software on the Hubble Telescope but that was it. You don't really get why Sandra Bullock's character was hired by NASA, you don't really learn what kind of doctor she was, etc.. You also don't find out a whole lot about Clooney's character except for the fact that this was going to be his last mission before retirement.
But despite the minor issues with the plot I did like Gravity a lot. It was played out very smoothly and was very high anxiety for the audience. It kept me interested and stressed. Well done.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Gravity shatters October box office records
Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity has opened to a record breaking box office weekend. The space drama opened to $55.5 million making it the biggest opener for both Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Bullock's closest opening weekend is The Heat which opened to $39 million and Clooney's is Batman & Robin which opened to $42 million.
The real frontrunner here is the film's 3D option. 3D theaters accounted for $44 million of the film's revenue. IMAX screens also made the impact with $11 million of the total sales. The 3D also shined overseas as 3D income accounted for 70% of the film's $27 million international weekend. Having over 80% of the opening weekend be because of 3D makes Gravity the biggest 3D opener in box office history ahead of Ang Lee's Life of Pi (68%) and James Cameron's Avatar (72%).
The real frontrunner here is the film's 3D option. 3D theaters accounted for $44 million of the film's revenue. IMAX screens also made the impact with $11 million of the total sales. The 3D also shined overseas as 3D income accounted for 70% of the film's $27 million international weekend. Having over 80% of the opening weekend be because of 3D makes Gravity the biggest 3D opener in box office history ahead of Ang Lee's Life of Pi (68%) and James Cameron's Avatar (72%).
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The most overlooked movie performances
The topic pretty much says it all. I have been thinking about doing something like this for a while and I finally thought of a couple performances to talk about. If you have any performances you think are way "underrated" or overlooked, share them with me! These are all I could think of at the moment.
These aren't in any particular order, just fyi.
Hayden Christensen - Life as a House
If you have never seen Life as a House I strongly suggest renting it right now and watching. It is a fantastic movie overall and I have loved it for years. I consider Hayden Christensen's performance overlooked primarily because it got overshadowed with his mediocre and below par performances in the Star Wars prequels. This is by far the best role I have seen him in and I wish he would have gotten more recognition for it. His character Sam is tragic on his own, but the way Hayden brought it out was fantastic. He always got a thumbs up from me.
Kristen Stewart - Welcome to the Rileys
This is another movie that I recommend in general and not just because it was very good. I tell people to watch it to prove that in some capacity, Kristen Stewart can actually act. I watched this movie out of sheer curiosity and I wound up really liking it and a lot of it had to do with Stewart's performance. She was really a pleasure to watch and I wish that she would do this more often. It is a rare performance from her that was severely overshadowed by her work in Twilight which is a shame because she sucks absolute balls in Twilight. It brings you back to what she did as a kid in Panic Room. People were screaming that she didn't get recognition for On the Road this past year, but I still think if she was going to get seriously recognized for anything it should have been Welcome to the Rileys.
Chloe Moretz - Let Me In
I say this pretty lightly because Chloe did get a lot of props for her performance, but from a standpoint of award status and serious recognition... she got stiffed big time. Her performance as Abby was so incredible. I was blown away. A lot of it was her great chemistry with Kodi Smit-McPhee, who also did a great job. I think people overlooked it because it was a horror film and probably because the kids were so young at the time. However, with Quevenzhane Wallis earning an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 that might have changed the way the high-up Hollywood types look at kids in film. For Chloe's sake I sure hope so. She was overlooked for Hugo as well.
Freddie Highmore - Finding Neverland
Don't get me wrong, there were people who gave Freddie the praise he deserved for this movie. I don't think it was enough, though. His performance brought me to tears. Enough said. He was better than Johnny Depp in this movie.
Tobin Bell - the Saw franchise
This guy got severely overlooked due to the fact that he was in Saw movies. Tobin's performances in Saw II and Saw III were very good. The odd humanity he brought to this killer he was playing was very well done and it is a true shame that more people outside of the horror genre didn't recognize it. I can't say enough about this guy's acting chops. They really lucked out that Tobin was the man on the floor in the first Saw.
Logan Lerman - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This boy has come a long way from being the kid in The Butterfly Effect. Yes, he is also Percy Jackson but his performance as Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower was fantastic and I just fell in love with him. The movie itself got shafted, but if it were up to me I would have given Lerman a Golden Globe nomination or something. He really did his part.
Natalie Portman - Garden State
Natalie Portman has received tons of recognition and praise throughout her career so far. She finally won an Oscar for Black Swan and had been previously nominated. She has also been criticized for her involvement in such films as the Star Wars prequels, but so be it. However... Garden State is a role not many people think of that that is really unfortunate. It is one of her best performances and characters that I have seen. This should have been a Golden Globe or Oscar nomination, in my opinion. She deserved it.
Sandra Bullock - 28 Days
I have always liked this movie in general, but not many people think of it when the topic of Sandra Bullock comes up. Most think of The Blind Side, Speed, or Miss Congeniality. I have always thought of 28 Days. For what it is worth I thought she was great in this movie and it showed that she did have some good chops. It is a severely overlooked performance.
Michael Shannon - Take Shelter
I want to start by saying Michael Shannon is a great actor. His performance in Take Shelter took me places that I wasn't expecting and I loved every second of it. The fact that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar is absurd. He'll get there someday, I hope.
Enrico Colantoni - Galaxy Quest
I feel like Galaxy Quest is kind of a cult classic at this point and all the actors were great, but the role of Mathesar was so overlooked. He was great at creating a believable "alien" leader and set a good precedent for the other Thermian race. He was just fantastic.
Brittany Murphy - Girl, Interrupted
So many performances were overshadowed by Angelina Jolie but specifically Brittany Murphy. Her character not only was crazy as hell, but Murphy made her so believable. It was like you imagined that is how this girl was and what she would be like. To this day I watch Girl, Interrupted and love Daisy. That is all because of Brittany Murphy.
Kirsten Dunst - Drop Dead Gorgeous
Talk about an underrated... everything! Not only is the movie great, but this was one of Dunst's most remembered performances for me. She had everything nailed. The Fargo accent was even perfect. She made her character completely believable, too. Yet another movie that I would recommend seeing if you have never seen it. It's absolutely hilarious and Kirsten Dunst is great. I wish more people knew about it.
The rest of these I don't really want to explain because you wind up saying the same things about each performance, so I will list some more without any explanation.
Kevin Zegers - Transamerica
Siobhan Fallon - Greedy
Denzel Washington - The Bone Collector
Jake Gyllenhaal - End of Watch
Michael Pena - End of Watch
Jared Gilman - Moonrise Kingdom
Joel Courtney - Super 8
Isabelle Fuhrman - Orphan
Lauren Ambrose - Can't Hardly Wait
These aren't in any particular order, just fyi.
Hayden Christensen - Life as a House
If you have never seen Life as a House I strongly suggest renting it right now and watching. It is a fantastic movie overall and I have loved it for years. I consider Hayden Christensen's performance overlooked primarily because it got overshadowed with his mediocre and below par performances in the Star Wars prequels. This is by far the best role I have seen him in and I wish he would have gotten more recognition for it. His character Sam is tragic on his own, but the way Hayden brought it out was fantastic. He always got a thumbs up from me.
Kristen Stewart - Welcome to the Rileys
This is another movie that I recommend in general and not just because it was very good. I tell people to watch it to prove that in some capacity, Kristen Stewart can actually act. I watched this movie out of sheer curiosity and I wound up really liking it and a lot of it had to do with Stewart's performance. She was really a pleasure to watch and I wish that she would do this more often. It is a rare performance from her that was severely overshadowed by her work in Twilight which is a shame because she sucks absolute balls in Twilight. It brings you back to what she did as a kid in Panic Room. People were screaming that she didn't get recognition for On the Road this past year, but I still think if she was going to get seriously recognized for anything it should have been Welcome to the Rileys.
Chloe Moretz - Let Me In
I say this pretty lightly because Chloe did get a lot of props for her performance, but from a standpoint of award status and serious recognition... she got stiffed big time. Her performance as Abby was so incredible. I was blown away. A lot of it was her great chemistry with Kodi Smit-McPhee, who also did a great job. I think people overlooked it because it was a horror film and probably because the kids were so young at the time. However, with Quevenzhane Wallis earning an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 that might have changed the way the high-up Hollywood types look at kids in film. For Chloe's sake I sure hope so. She was overlooked for Hugo as well.
Freddie Highmore - Finding Neverland
Don't get me wrong, there were people who gave Freddie the praise he deserved for this movie. I don't think it was enough, though. His performance brought me to tears. Enough said. He was better than Johnny Depp in this movie.
Tobin Bell - the Saw franchise
This guy got severely overlooked due to the fact that he was in Saw movies. Tobin's performances in Saw II and Saw III were very good. The odd humanity he brought to this killer he was playing was very well done and it is a true shame that more people outside of the horror genre didn't recognize it. I can't say enough about this guy's acting chops. They really lucked out that Tobin was the man on the floor in the first Saw.
Logan Lerman - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This boy has come a long way from being the kid in The Butterfly Effect. Yes, he is also Percy Jackson but his performance as Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower was fantastic and I just fell in love with him. The movie itself got shafted, but if it were up to me I would have given Lerman a Golden Globe nomination or something. He really did his part.
Natalie Portman - Garden State
Natalie Portman has received tons of recognition and praise throughout her career so far. She finally won an Oscar for Black Swan and had been previously nominated. She has also been criticized for her involvement in such films as the Star Wars prequels, but so be it. However... Garden State is a role not many people think of that that is really unfortunate. It is one of her best performances and characters that I have seen. This should have been a Golden Globe or Oscar nomination, in my opinion. She deserved it.
Sandra Bullock - 28 Days
I have always liked this movie in general, but not many people think of it when the topic of Sandra Bullock comes up. Most think of The Blind Side, Speed, or Miss Congeniality. I have always thought of 28 Days. For what it is worth I thought she was great in this movie and it showed that she did have some good chops. It is a severely overlooked performance.
Michael Shannon - Take Shelter
I want to start by saying Michael Shannon is a great actor. His performance in Take Shelter took me places that I wasn't expecting and I loved every second of it. The fact that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar is absurd. He'll get there someday, I hope.
Enrico Colantoni - Galaxy Quest
I feel like Galaxy Quest is kind of a cult classic at this point and all the actors were great, but the role of Mathesar was so overlooked. He was great at creating a believable "alien" leader and set a good precedent for the other Thermian race. He was just fantastic.
Brittany Murphy - Girl, Interrupted
So many performances were overshadowed by Angelina Jolie but specifically Brittany Murphy. Her character not only was crazy as hell, but Murphy made her so believable. It was like you imagined that is how this girl was and what she would be like. To this day I watch Girl, Interrupted and love Daisy. That is all because of Brittany Murphy.
Kirsten Dunst - Drop Dead Gorgeous
Talk about an underrated... everything! Not only is the movie great, but this was one of Dunst's most remembered performances for me. She had everything nailed. The Fargo accent was even perfect. She made her character completely believable, too. Yet another movie that I would recommend seeing if you have never seen it. It's absolutely hilarious and Kirsten Dunst is great. I wish more people knew about it.
The rest of these I don't really want to explain because you wind up saying the same things about each performance, so I will list some more without any explanation.
Kevin Zegers - Transamerica
Siobhan Fallon - Greedy
Denzel Washington - The Bone Collector
Jake Gyllenhaal - End of Watch
Michael Pena - End of Watch
Jared Gilman - Moonrise Kingdom
Joel Courtney - Super 8
Isabelle Fuhrman - Orphan
Lauren Ambrose - Can't Hardly Wait
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