[Updated] 2013 BAFTA nominations announced

The nominations for the 2013 BAFTA's (aka, British Academy of Film and Television Arts) have been announced. Like the other award shows so far the leader is Lincoln as it landed 10 nominations.
So far I am disappointed with the lack of recognition for Quevanzhane Wallis who played Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. She was the best actress I saw all year and she was only 6-years old at the time. I'm hoping she is going to be nominated for an Oscar but at this point I guess I shouldn't hold my breath.

UPDATED [2-10-13]: The winners are highlighted in red.

BEST FILM
ARGO 
LES MISÉRABLES
LIFE OF PI
LINCOLN
ZERO DARK THIRTY

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
ANNA KARENINA
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
LES MISÉRABLES
SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
SKYFALL

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AMOUR
HEADHUNTERS
THE HUNT
RUST AND BONE
UNTOUCHABLE

DOCUMENTARY
THE IMPOSTER
MARLEY
McCULLIN
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
WEST OF MEMPHIS

ANIMATED FILM
BRAVE
FRANKENWEENIE
PARANORMAN

DIRECTOR
AMOUR - Michael Haneke
ARGO - Ben Affleck
DJANGO UNCHAINED - Quentin Tarantino
LIFE OF PI - Ang Lee
ZERO DARK THIRTY - Kathryn Bigelow

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMOUR - Michael Haneke
DJANGO UNCHAINED - Quentin Tarantino
THE MASTER - Paul Thomas Anderson
MOONRISE KINGDOM - Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
ZERO DARK THIRTY - Mark Boal

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARGO - Chris Terrio
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD - Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
LIFE OF PI - David Magee
LINCOLN - Tony Kushner
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - David O. Russell

LEADING ACTOR
BEN AFFLECK - Argo
BRADLEY COOPER - Silver Linings Playbook
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - Lincoln
HUGH JACKMAN - Les Misérables
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - The Master

LEADING ACTRESS
EMMANUELLE RIVA - Amour
HELEN MIRREN - Hitchcock
JENNIFER LAWRENCE - Silver Linings Playbook
JESSICA CHASTAIN - Zero Dark Thirty
MARION COTILLARD - Rust and Bone

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ALAN ARKIN - Argo
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - Django Unchained
JAVIER BARDEM - Skyfall
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN - The Master
TOMMY LEE JONES - Lincoln

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS - The Master
ANNE HATHAWAY - Les Misérables
HELEN HUNT - The Sessions
JUDI DENCH - Skyfall
SALLY FIELD - Lincoln

ORIGINAL MUSIC
ANNA KARENINA - Dario Marianelli
ARGO - Alexandre Desplat
LIFE OF PI - Mychael Danna
LINCOLN - John Williams
SKYFALL - Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
ANNA KARENINA
LES MISÉRABLES
LIFE OF PI
LINCOLN
SKYFALL

EDITING
ARGO
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LIFE OF PI
SKYFALL
ZERO DARK THIRT

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA
LES MISÉRABLES
LIFE OF PI
LINCOLN
SKYFALL

COSTUME DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA - Jacqueline Durran
GREAT EXPECTATIONS - Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
LES MISÉRABLES - Paco Delgado
LINCOLN - Joanna Johnston
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN - Colleen Atwood

MAKE UP & HAIR
ANNA KARENINA
HITCHCOCK
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
LES MISÉRABLES
LINCOLN

SOUND
DJANGO UNCHAINED
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
LES MISÉRABLES
LIFE OF PI
SKYFALL

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
LIFE OF PI
THE AVENGERS (aka, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE)
PROMETHEUS

SHORT ANIMATION
HERE TO FALL
I’M FINE THANKS
THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD

SHORT FILM
THE CURSE
GOOD NIGHT
SWIMMER
TUMULT
THE VOORMAN PROBLEM

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
ELIZABETH OLSEN
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH
SURAJ SHARMA
JUNO TEMPLE
ALICIA VIKANDER

Les Misérables - Review

Les Misérables follows Jean Valjean after he is released from prison on parole in 19th century France. After breaking parole and disappearing he vows to care for a poor factory worker's daughter despite constantly hiding from the law and running to avoid his old fate at the hands of Inspector Javert.


I was excited to see Les Misérables because I knew the story and had seen a school version of the musical years ago when my sister was in high school. That and the cast intrigued me. I have to say that I don't think it was perfect and it wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was pretty damn good. 
The pacing was a bit odd for me at first and it took me a while to fully get into the movie, but I think they rushed through the beginning a bit so they had more time to focus on the end. Given that the movie is like 2 and a half hours long they definitely needed to condense. It worked for the most part. 
As far as the singing goes, I thought most of the cast was quote good. Hugh Jackman nailed it, Russell Crowe surprised me, and Eddie Redmayne was a pleasant surprise. I also thought Samantha Barks was really good. But, of course, the vocal cake must go to Anne Hathaway. I am not the biggest fan of Hathaway as an actress but she really killed it here in both singing and in acting. When she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" I was in tears by the end of the song. Very moving and she was by far the best singer in the whole cast. The worst for me was Amanda Seyfried. Something about her voice was just painful to listen to. I also want to point out that I really liked Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. They were a perfect pair and they were the perfect actors for those characters. 
I also find it funny that Adam Lambert went out there this week and trashed everyone in the cast for their vocals. If he had such a big problem why doesn't he go back to Broadway and stop acting a hot mess in the music scene. No one likes his music anyway. Either that or he should have tried to get a role himself.

Aside from that I liked the set design, the costumes, and the overall tone of the film. An important aspect of this story is desperation and I think Tom Hooper helped every actor truly bring that out and the emotion was very raw. I have no doubt Les Misérables has some awards coming its way and I hope a few of them are Oscars. It deserves them.

[Updated with winners] 2013 Golden Globe nominations; Lincoln leads

Ah yes, all the nominations are in full swing. The Globes at least gave us some variety by including Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and more of The Master and Django Unchained, but they are still quite similar to the Critics Choice and SAG nominees. I am surprised that they stiffed ParaNorman for Best Animated Film, though. It should have been there over Hotel Transylvania. I can only predict what the Oscars will be.
The Golden Globes are set to air on January 13, 2013.

UPDATE: The winners of the 2013 Golden Globes are highlighted in red. I wasn't expecting Argo to take Best Picture, that's for sure.


Best Picture (Drama):
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director:
Ben Affleck - Argo
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained

Best Actor in a Drama:
Daniel-Day Lewis - Lincoln
Richard Gere - Arbitrage
John Hawkes - The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Actress in a Drama:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Rachel Weisz - Deep Blue Sea

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy:
Jack Black - Bernie
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Ewan McGregor - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray - Hyde Park on Hudson

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy:
Emily Blunt - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Judi Dench - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Maggie Smith - Quartet
Meryl Streep - Hope Springs

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin - Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio - Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams - The Master
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy

Best Animated Film:
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Screenplay:
Argo
Django Unchained
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Original Score:
Anna Karenina
Argo
Cloud Atlas
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Best Original Song:
"For You" from Act of Valor
"Not Running Anymore" from Stand Up Guys
"Safe and Sound" from The Hunger Games
"Skyfall" from Skyfall
"Suddenly" from Les Miserables

To see all the rest of the nominees for television click the link here. I don't really feel like typing the rest because they are essentially the same as they were for the SAG Award nominees.

[Updated with winners] 2013 Critics Choice Award nominations

The 18th annual Critics Choice Movie Awards will air on the CW Network on January 10, 2013.
UPDATED: The winners are highlighted in red.

Best Picture:
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
John Hawkes - The Sessions
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin - Argo
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Matthew McConaughey - Magic Mike

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams - The Master
Judi Dench - Skyfall
Ann Dowd - Compliance
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions

Best Young Actor/Actress:
Elle Fanning - Ginger & Rosa
Kara Hayward - Moonrise Kingdom
Tom Holland - The Impossible
Logan Lerman - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Suraj Sharma - Life of Pi
Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Acting Ensemble:
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director:
Ben Affleck - Argo
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Tom Hooper - Les Miserables
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln

Best Original Screenplay:
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
John Gatins - Flight
Rian Johnson - Looper
Paul Thomas Anderson - The Master
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Adapted Screnplay:
Chris Terrio - Argo
David Magee - Life of Pi
Tony Kushner - Lincoln
Stephen Chbosky - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Cinematography:
Danny Cohen - Les Miserables
Claudio Miranda - Life of Pi
Janusz Kaminski - Lincoln
Mihai Malaimare Jr. - The Master
Roger Deakins - Skyfall

Best Art Direction:
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Best Editing:
Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Costume Design:
Jaqueline Durran - Anna Karenina
Kym Barrett * Pierre-Yves Gayraud - Cloud Atlas
Bob Buck, Ann, Maskrey, & Richard Taylor - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Paco Delgado - Les Miserables
Joanna Johnston - Lincoln

Best Makeup:
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Lincoln

Best Visual Effects:
The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi

Best Animated Feature:
Brave
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Action Movie:
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall

Best Action Actor:
Christian Bale - The Dark Knight Rises
Daniel Craig - Skyfall
Robert Downey Jr. - The Avengers
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Looper
Jake Gyllenhaal - End of Watch

Best Action Actress:
Emily Blunt - Looper
Gina Carano - Haywire
Judi Dench - Skyfall
Anne Hathaway - The Dark Knight Rises
Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games

Best Comedy:
Bernie
Silver Linings Playbook
Ted
This is 40
21 Jump Street

Best Comedy Actor:
Jack Black - Bernie
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Paul Rudd - This is 40
Channing Tatum - 21 Jump Street
Mark Wahlberg - Ted

Best Comedy Actress:
Mila Kunis - Ted
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Shirley MacLaine - Bernie
Leslie Mann - This is 40
Rebel Wilson - Pitch Perfect

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie:
Cabin in the Woods
Looper
Prometheus

Best Foreign Language Movie:
Amour
The Intouchables
A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone

Best Documentary:
Bully
The Central Park Five
The Imposter
The Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man
West of Memphis

Best Original Song:
"For You" - Act of Valor
"Learn Me Right" - Brave
"Skyfall" - Skyfall
"Still Alive" - Still Alive
"Suddenly" - Les Miserables

Best Original Score:
Alexandre Desplat - Argo
Mychael Danna - Life of Pi
John Williams - Lincoln
Jonny Greenwood - The Master
Alexandre Desplat - Moonrise Kingdom

AFI's annual Top 10 lists released

The American Film Institute released their annual Top 10 lists in both film and television categories. No real surprises, imo.

AFI Movies of the Year:
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
Les Miserables 
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

AFI Television Programs of the Year:
American Horror Story
Breaking Bad
Game Change
Game of Thrones
Girls
Homeland
Louie
Mad Men
Modern Family
The Walking Dead