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Tag Archives: The Artist
The Highlights of the 2012 Oscar Award Winners
At the 84th Academy Awards on February 26, 2012, many films were honored. Some awards were not surprises, while others caused great excitement amongst lesser-known filmmakers. Here are a few of the most notable awards of the evening:
Best Picture: The winner of the most esteemed award given by the Academy was The Artist, a silent film directed by French director Michel Hazanavicius. The film starred a range of actors of different nationalities and reputations. The acclaimed American actor John Goodman starred alongside the Argentinean Bérénice Bejo and the French Jean Dujardin, who won the award for Best Actor. The film is the perfect combination of the storytelling of early cinema and the appearance of contemporary film. The Artist is a magnificent love letter to the art of filmmaking.
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film Beginners. In it, Plummer, who is best known for his role as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, plays an aging father who has finally come out as gay to his son and must face a fatal illness just as he becomes his true self. The quiet joy that Plummer lends to the piece is fascinating, and his performance is more than enough of a reason to watch Beginners.
Best Foreign Language Film: Iran was honored with award of Best Foreign Language Film for A Separation. It was the first Academy Award for an Iranian filmmaker, making it a historical landmark of sorts. The film, directed by Asghar Farhadi, is about a married couple’s struggle to make the right choice for their family. Since the award was given, Iranian audiences have flocked to theaters in Iran to see it for themselves.
Photo: Warner Bros. 2011.
“The Artist” Steals Show at 2012 BAFTA Awards
At this month’s BAFTA Awards in London, it seemed there was only one movie that really mattered, the silent picture The Artist.
It may be almost entirely wordless, but this film certainly knows how to make a lot of noise, scooping seven awards, including Best Director and Original Screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius, and Best Lead Actor for Jean Dujardin.
The movie also proved silence really is golden by taking home the Costume Design, Original Music and Cinematography prizes.
However, the US industry was honored, with supporting actress and actor awards going to Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer for The Help and Beginners respectively, while Meryl Streep took home Best Actress gong for The Iron Lady, in which she played former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The King’s Speech actor and Mamma Mia co-star Colin Firth had to leap chivalrously to Ms. Streep’s assistance when a shoe slipped off her foot as she stepped up to the podium to collect her award. But, even missing an item of footwear she still saw off fellow nominees Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn), Viola Davis (The Help) and Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk about Kevin). It was exactly 30 years since Streep won her last BAFTA, for The French Lieutenant’s Woman.
Meanwhile, Thor actors Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston both left empty-handed having missed out on the Orange Rising Star award, which went to Adulthood actor Adam Deacon.
At the end of the ceremony, hosted by Stephen Fry, Martin Scorsese was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship.
Photo: Reuters February 2012.
Top Dog Movie Honor for The Artist’s Canine Star
Surprise hit silent movie The Artist seems to be up for every award going at the moment. It won three big prizes at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards, including Film, Director, and Actor of the Year and is leading the Bafta Awards with 12 nominations – all this after its success at the Golden Globes.
Now even its non-human star, Uggie the dog, who was also at hit at the Golden Globes, is up for a glittering new trophy: the Golden Collar Award. The nomination comes in the first annual Dog News Daily prize which honors dogs in films.
The nominations for best dog in a theatrical movie were announced by Penelope Ann Miller, one of the human stars of The Artist. And as well as the nod for that picture, Uggie is also in the running for his part in circus flick Water for Elephants. Other canine nominees included Cosmo from Beginners, Hummer from Young Adult, and Hummer and Denver from 50/50.
The winners of the Golden Collar Awards will be announced on the day before Valentine’s Day.
Miller said: “There’s a scene in The Artist where I throw a newspaper at Uggie, and I felt awful because I love dogs. And he was such a good little actor. I think he deserves all the praise and all the accolades he is getting.”
Her words were echoed by lead actor in the move Jean Dujardin, who said on the red carpet that the movie’s runaway success was not just down to the bewitching and romantic storyline but to his charming canine co-star.
Photo © Pangfolio.com – Fotolia.com
Gervais to Step Down as Golden Globes Host
British comic Ricky Gervais has said he will not be back to host next year’s Golden Globe awards, after spending three years ruffling more than a few Hollywood feathers and making jibes about some of its biggest stars.
The number of viewers of this year’s recent ceremony is down slightly compared to the number for 2010, with many viewers noting that the comedian seemed to have toned down his jokes from previous years.
Now he has posted on his website: “I’ve told my agent never to let me be persuaded to do it again.”
But, at this year’s ceremony he still managed to slip in a few near-the-knuckle gags about the British actor Colin Firth, star of The King’s Speech. He also introduced Robert Downey Jr. by saying his most well-known roles were at the LA county jail and the Betty Ford clinic, and poked fun at the movie I Love You, Philip Morris.
Last year, many felt Gervais would not be allowed back to the awards, with some critics saying they reckoned he had “crossed lines of taste and civility.”
But organizers heralded the ceremony with an ad campaign hinting that the funnyman would go further than before with his humor at the 2012 gig.
However, reviewers described his performance as “subdued” and “a let-down.”
Still, the show was the most-watched in the US on the night it took place, with 16.8 million viewers, a slight decrease from the 17 million who tuned in in 2011.
Gervais told David Letterman that he would definitely be stepping down but said the 2012 event had been his favorite to date.
At the ceremony, The Artist and The Descendants took the best motion picture awards, and Jean Dujardin and George Clooney, stars of each one respectively, the best actor awards. Meryl Streep won best actress in a drama for The Iron Lady, and best director went to Martin Scorsese for Hugo.
Photo © John Polo – Fotolia.com
Tagged Golden Globes, Hugo, Ricky Gervais, The Artist, The Descendants, The Iron Lady
“The Artist” Dominates Critics’ Choice Awards
Silent movie The Artist dominated this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards, taking four of the top prizes.
As well as claiming the award for best picture, it took best score and best costume design, along with best director award for Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, who said as he accepted the honor, “I made a silent movie. I don’t like to speak so much.”
The Help won three awards, including best actress for Viola Davis. Based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel, it tells the story of African-American maids who are persuaded by a young white woman to work in secret on a book about their lives during the US civil rights movement.
Octavia Spencer, who plays a feisty, defiant domestic servant called Minny, collected Best Supporting Actress.
George Clooney was named best actor for his role in The Descendants, while Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s family yarn, got just one award, despite having been nominated in 11 categories.
However, there was some consolation for Scorsese, in the form of a special prize for his use of music in films, such as Shine a Light, his Rolling Stones documentary, and The Last Waltz.
Christopher Plummer received best supporting actor award for Beginners, while Bridesmaids was awarded best comedy. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 picked up two prizes for best make-up and best sound.
Winners in these awards are voted for by members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the US and Canada’s largest film critics’ organization.
Photo © Rob Bouwman – Fotolia.com
End-Of-November Movies To Catch
Movie fans have some great releases to look forward to for the end of the month, with a range of cinematic treats in store.
There’s family drama Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese, set in 1930s Paris and centering on an orphan living in the walls of a train station who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving his dead father and a robot …
Another family treat on offer is The Muppets, with Jason Segel bringing the adorable puppets back to the big screen. Jim Henson would surely approve.
There’s yet more family fun with the animated comedy drama Arthur Christmas, featuring the voices of Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent and James McAvoy.
For a thriller of a drama, catch Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method, a study of the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, and how it gave rise to psychoanalysis.
Another drama to keep an eye out for is My Week With Marilyn, in which an employee of Laurence Olivier’s, Colin Clark, documents the rising tension between the great British actor and screen icon Monroe while The Prince and the Showgirl is being shot. Starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn, with Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Redmayne in his first really interesting role, this picture also features Emma Watson in her first post-Potter movie. Unmissable.
Finally, The Artist, set in Hollywood in 1927, tells the tale of silent movie star George Valetin as he ponders whether the new talking movies will cost him his job. A spark is ignited between him and young dancer Peppy Miller, who is all set for her big break. This picture from French director Michel Hazanavicius is poised to become an instant classic.
Photo © Phil_Good – Fotolia.com