Comparing this year's pool of Academy Award nominees to last year's, one major difference is evident: the obvious lack of minorities among the contenders. In fact, this year represents the whitest group of Oscar contenders in the major acting categories in 10 years, since the 73rd Oscars.
"These are some seriously white Oscars, I can't lie. I kind of imagined Mo'Nique wanting to go all 'Precious' upside Tom Sherak's head with an ashtray this morning by the time they got to the end of the Best Picture category," says Movieline Editor S.T. VanAirsdale.
One of the reasons minorities were not represented among this year's nominees, says Hollywood Reporter Film Editor Gregg Kilday, is that there simply weren't any African American-themed movies that had a legitimate chance to get a nomination.
"The problem with this year [was] there wasn't a real small, serious-themed movie about African American subjects that the Academy could turn to for nominations," Kilday says.
Kilday believes that at one point during the fall it looked like Tyler Perry's star-studded drama 'For Colored Girls,' with performances from Kimberly Elise, Anika Noni Rose and Macy Gray, could emerge as a contender.
"But it didn't get a great critical reception, and it didn't turn into a crossover hit," Kilday told PopEater. "Tyler Perry is a very successful pop entertainer who isn't yet taken as a serious director, and that movie fell by the wayside. It wasn't a legit contender."
VanAirsdale adds that Kerry Washington could have been a contender for one of the actress awards, but her two films, 'Night Catches Us' and 'Mother and Child,' were just too inconsistent to attract serious awards attention.
Denzel Washington, always an Academy favorite, was in two films this year, but both were the kind of genre movie that isn't typically nominated for an Oscar.
Part of the blame can also be attributed to the way the Oscar process is heavily influenced by publicists and marketers waging multimillion-dollar Oscar campaigns.
"I'm not exactly sure what the Academy can do. On the one hand, they're a historically lazy group of viewers who aren't going to discover or nominate anything independently," VanAirsdale says.
He explains that 'Precious' grew into the phenomenon it was because of its Sundance roots, and this year's big Sundance hit happened to be 'Winter's Bone.'
"These films are cultivated that way for months. Their ethnic representation from year to year is dictated by a handful of marketers and publicists, very, very few of whom are minorities."
Next year could be a different story. Jennifer Hudson is in the process of making a movie about Winnie Mandela that is already starting to generate Oscar buzz before it is officially in the can, and the Academy is sure to take note of the lack of diversity at this year's awards. Still, that lack of diversity could point to a deeper problem in Hollywood.
"Hollywood is happy to cast black actors like Don Cheadle in 'Iron Man 2,' Queen Latifah in 'The Dilemma,' but it doesnt make that many serious-themed films that take a serious look at African American themes," Kilday says. "It doesn't make that many serious movies of any different stripe or color."
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
It's Sundance's Year At the Oscars
In most years, covering the Sundance Film Festival in the cold and snow when the Oscar nominations are being announced in balmy Southern California might seem like an exile of the cruelest sort. But 2011 is not most years: 2011 is the year that Sundance ruled.
It was exactly one year ago that I saw Jacki Weaver, the chilling criminal matriarch in the Australian movie “Animal Kingdom,” which had its world premiere at Sundance, walking cheerfully alone and unnoticed on this city’s Park Avenue. Now she is an Oscar nominee for supporting actress.
“It’s great the way they nurture and bring attention to little independent films that wouldn’t get a lot of attention otherwise,” Weaver said Tuesday. “A lot of what’s happened to me is thanks to Sundance.”
“Animal Kingdom” was far from the only feature film from Sundance’s 2010 edition to get Oscar recognition. In fact, if you add up the number of nominations from last year’s festival — 14 all told — it’s a more impressive total than the dozen for “The King’s Speech.”
The two Sundance films that did best were “The Kids Are All Right” and the festival’s Grand Jury Prize winner, “Winter’s Bone,” each of which got four nominations.
And these were not just any four nominations either. Both Sundance films were among the 10 to receive best picture nods, both had screenplays selected and both had two acting nominations apiece: Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo were picked for director Lisa Cholodenko’s “Kids,” and for Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone,” the nominees were John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence. (In fact, the lead actress category is dominated by performers from Sundance films: Bening, Lawrence and Michelle Williams from “Blue Valentine.”)
The category that Sundance films really dominated, however, was documentary: Four of the five films nominated — “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “Gasland,” “Restrepo” and “Waste Land” — were in Park City a year ago.
And one could argue that just an accident of timing prevented the fifth selection, Charles Ferguson’s “Inside Job,” which premiered at Cannes, from being in Sundance as well. Ferguson’s first doc, the Oscar-nominated “No End in Sight,” had its world premiere at where else but this indie film festival in 2007.
So what is going on here? Aside from being a tribute to Sundance’s programmers, the choices underline what has been the most fascinating Academy Awards trend of the last decade: the dominance of independent films during Oscar season.
Though blockbusters created through the studio system once had a lock on these awards, things have so changed that “The King’s Speech,” the most classically Hollywood film on the best picture list, was distributed not by a major studio but by the savvy Weinstein Co.
While the studios focus almost exclusively on dumbing down their product on an often-fruitless quest to increase revenue, five of the 10 best picture nominees were distributed by specialty divisions or small companies.
Aside from the Weinstein’s “King’s Speech,” Roadside Attractions handled “Winter’s Bone,” Universal Picture’s Focus Features division did “The Kids Are All Right” and Fox Searchlight put out both “Black Swan” and “127 Hours.”
One might even argue that many of the Oscar-nominated movies distributed by the majors were so free of studio control (because of the power and status of their filmmakers) that they were independent films in spirit, if not in name. No one is going to tell the auteurs behind “Toy Story 3” at Pixar how to operate, no one is going to give notes to Joel and Ethan Coen on “True Grit” and no one but Christopher Nolan could have persuaded Warner Bros. to go through with as nervy a project as “Inception.” More power to Sony, then, for taking a risk and giving the green light to David Fincher’s “The Social Network.”
Speaking of Nolan, one of the real scandals of this Oscar season is his absence from the best director list. Why that branch didn’t recognize Nolan’s vision and skill, not only with special effects but with actors as well, is a mystery. It’s similarly disheartening to see Lesley Manville’s marvelous performance in Mike Leigh’s “Another Year” slighted, and to have Mark Wahlberg’s non-showy but absolutely essential work as the heart of “The Fighter” sadly ignored.
And don’t get me started about this year’s foreign-language category, which inexplicably excluded France’s marvelous “Of Gods and Men,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes and dominated the recent Cesar nominations, France’s version of the Oscars. If not for the inclusion of Susanne Bier’s richly humanistic “In a Better World,” the likely winner, it would be an unusual group indeed. No, Bier’s film didn’t premiere at Sundance, but it is playing here now.
For this wintry Utah town, it’s been that kind of a year.
It was exactly one year ago that I saw Jacki Weaver, the chilling criminal matriarch in the Australian movie “Animal Kingdom,” which had its world premiere at Sundance, walking cheerfully alone and unnoticed on this city’s Park Avenue. Now she is an Oscar nominee for supporting actress.
“It’s great the way they nurture and bring attention to little independent films that wouldn’t get a lot of attention otherwise,” Weaver said Tuesday. “A lot of what’s happened to me is thanks to Sundance.”
“Animal Kingdom” was far from the only feature film from Sundance’s 2010 edition to get Oscar recognition. In fact, if you add up the number of nominations from last year’s festival — 14 all told — it’s a more impressive total than the dozen for “The King’s Speech.”
The two Sundance films that did best were “The Kids Are All Right” and the festival’s Grand Jury Prize winner, “Winter’s Bone,” each of which got four nominations.
And these were not just any four nominations either. Both Sundance films were among the 10 to receive best picture nods, both had screenplays selected and both had two acting nominations apiece: Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo were picked for director Lisa Cholodenko’s “Kids,” and for Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone,” the nominees were John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence. (In fact, the lead actress category is dominated by performers from Sundance films: Bening, Lawrence and Michelle Williams from “Blue Valentine.”)
The category that Sundance films really dominated, however, was documentary: Four of the five films nominated — “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “Gasland,” “Restrepo” and “Waste Land” — were in Park City a year ago.
And one could argue that just an accident of timing prevented the fifth selection, Charles Ferguson’s “Inside Job,” which premiered at Cannes, from being in Sundance as well. Ferguson’s first doc, the Oscar-nominated “No End in Sight,” had its world premiere at where else but this indie film festival in 2007.
So what is going on here? Aside from being a tribute to Sundance’s programmers, the choices underline what has been the most fascinating Academy Awards trend of the last decade: the dominance of independent films during Oscar season.
Though blockbusters created through the studio system once had a lock on these awards, things have so changed that “The King’s Speech,” the most classically Hollywood film on the best picture list, was distributed not by a major studio but by the savvy Weinstein Co.
While the studios focus almost exclusively on dumbing down their product on an often-fruitless quest to increase revenue, five of the 10 best picture nominees were distributed by specialty divisions or small companies.
Aside from the Weinstein’s “King’s Speech,” Roadside Attractions handled “Winter’s Bone,” Universal Picture’s Focus Features division did “The Kids Are All Right” and Fox Searchlight put out both “Black Swan” and “127 Hours.”
One might even argue that many of the Oscar-nominated movies distributed by the majors were so free of studio control (because of the power and status of their filmmakers) that they were independent films in spirit, if not in name. No one is going to tell the auteurs behind “Toy Story 3” at Pixar how to operate, no one is going to give notes to Joel and Ethan Coen on “True Grit” and no one but Christopher Nolan could have persuaded Warner Bros. to go through with as nervy a project as “Inception.” More power to Sony, then, for taking a risk and giving the green light to David Fincher’s “The Social Network.”
Speaking of Nolan, one of the real scandals of this Oscar season is his absence from the best director list. Why that branch didn’t recognize Nolan’s vision and skill, not only with special effects but with actors as well, is a mystery. It’s similarly disheartening to see Lesley Manville’s marvelous performance in Mike Leigh’s “Another Year” slighted, and to have Mark Wahlberg’s non-showy but absolutely essential work as the heart of “The Fighter” sadly ignored.
And don’t get me started about this year’s foreign-language category, which inexplicably excluded France’s marvelous “Of Gods and Men,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes and dominated the recent Cesar nominations, France’s version of the Oscars. If not for the inclusion of Susanne Bier’s richly humanistic “In a Better World,” the likely winner, it would be an unusual group indeed. No, Bier’s film didn’t premiere at Sundance, but it is playing here now.
For this wintry Utah town, it’s been that kind of a year.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What Could Have Been: Eight Movies That Should Be Nominated for Oscars But Probably Won't Be
The countdown to the 83rd Academy Awards is on, with the official nomination press conference set for the early hours of tomorrow morning. As is the custom, bloggers and critics have been hypothesizing for weeks now as to which movies and actors will be recognized by the Academy. Everyone seems to agree that 'The Kids Are Alright,' 'The Fighter,' 'Black Swan,' 'Toy Story 3,' 'The King's Speech' and 'The Social Network' will pick up several nominations, including Best Picture. Nods for 'True Grit,' '127 Hours' and 'Inception' are also on the table.
But what about the many standout films and performances that are likely to be overlooked by Oscar this year?
"This year, there just aren't that many studio projects aside from 'Inception' and 'Toy Story 3' -- there's no 'Avatar' like last year or 'Wall-E' from the previous year," says Lucas Carter, vice president of LA-based production company Intrigue Entertainment and a former VP at The Weinstein Company, where he worked on the Oscar campaigns for 'The Reader,' 'Vicki Cristina Barcelona' and 'A Single Man.' "The surprise could be 'Winter's Bone.' 'True Grit,' which was snubbed by the HFPA [Golden Globes], will be nominated, possibly 'Blue Valentine.'"
"The 10th slot is always up in the air," Carter continued. "[But] the big titles are 'Kings Speech,' 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'Fighter,' 'The Kids Are Alright,' 'Inception' and 'Toy Story 3.'"
A quick look at this year's Golden Globe nominations -- which have historically served as a reliable predictor for the Oscars -- would suggest there were no such movies. After all, how dreadful must the other contenders be for a critical (and box office) bomb like 'The Tourist' to pick up three nominations? But in reality there were many films and performances that are every bit as worthy of Oscar gold as this year's predicted nominees, despite the fact that they probably won't receive any nominations.
Here are eight of them.
'Harry Brown':
Michael Caine's role as a badass British vigilante who takes down a gang of local hoodlums was one of the year's best performances.
'Mother and Child':
Sure, Annette Bening's role in 'The Kids Are Alright' was great, but her performance in Rodrigo Garcia's thoughtful (though shamefully underpublicized) drama was positively spectacular.
'Casino Jack':
Who but Kevin Spacey could make corrupt lobbyist and businessman Jack Abramoff seem lovable?
'The Ghost Writer':
Both Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan delivered excellent performances in Roman Polanski's intelligent thriller. If only Kim Cattrall had left her dreadful British accent at home, 'The Ghost Writer' might be a serious contender for Best Picture.
'Conviction':
While Hilary Swank is no slouch as the female lead in this under-hyped film, it is Sam Rockwell, as a man wrongfully convicted of murder, whose performance is truly remarkable.
'Greenberg':
The only consolation in knowing that neither Ben Stiller nor Greta Gerwig are likely to be nominated for 'Greenberg' is the thought of how much Greenberg himself would abhor everything about awards season altogether.
'Catfish':
With any luck, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' and 'Inside Job' will receive nominations for Best Documentary, and they deserve to. But this low-budget documentary -- which has all the complexity and intrigue of a scripted film -- would be a welcome, if unlikely, addition to the category.
'I Love You Phillip Morris':
Jim Carrey's depiction of real-life gay con artist Steven Russell proves the actor has come a long way since 'Ace Ventura.' But, sadly (if as always), it seems there may only be room for one nomination for a gay performance, and this year it's going to lesbians.
But what about the many standout films and performances that are likely to be overlooked by Oscar this year?
"This year, there just aren't that many studio projects aside from 'Inception' and 'Toy Story 3' -- there's no 'Avatar' like last year or 'Wall-E' from the previous year," says Lucas Carter, vice president of LA-based production company Intrigue Entertainment and a former VP at The Weinstein Company, where he worked on the Oscar campaigns for 'The Reader,' 'Vicki Cristina Barcelona' and 'A Single Man.' "The surprise could be 'Winter's Bone.' 'True Grit,' which was snubbed by the HFPA [Golden Globes], will be nominated, possibly 'Blue Valentine.'"
"The 10th slot is always up in the air," Carter continued. "[But] the big titles are 'Kings Speech,' 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'Fighter,' 'The Kids Are Alright,' 'Inception' and 'Toy Story 3.'"
A quick look at this year's Golden Globe nominations -- which have historically served as a reliable predictor for the Oscars -- would suggest there were no such movies. After all, how dreadful must the other contenders be for a critical (and box office) bomb like 'The Tourist' to pick up three nominations? But in reality there were many films and performances that are every bit as worthy of Oscar gold as this year's predicted nominees, despite the fact that they probably won't receive any nominations.
Here are eight of them.
'Harry Brown':
Michael Caine's role as a badass British vigilante who takes down a gang of local hoodlums was one of the year's best performances.
'Mother and Child':
Sure, Annette Bening's role in 'The Kids Are Alright' was great, but her performance in Rodrigo Garcia's thoughtful (though shamefully underpublicized) drama was positively spectacular.
'Casino Jack':
Who but Kevin Spacey could make corrupt lobbyist and businessman Jack Abramoff seem lovable?
'The Ghost Writer':
Both Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan delivered excellent performances in Roman Polanski's intelligent thriller. If only Kim Cattrall had left her dreadful British accent at home, 'The Ghost Writer' might be a serious contender for Best Picture.
'Conviction':
While Hilary Swank is no slouch as the female lead in this under-hyped film, it is Sam Rockwell, as a man wrongfully convicted of murder, whose performance is truly remarkable.
'Greenberg':
The only consolation in knowing that neither Ben Stiller nor Greta Gerwig are likely to be nominated for 'Greenberg' is the thought of how much Greenberg himself would abhor everything about awards season altogether.
'Catfish':
With any luck, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' and 'Inside Job' will receive nominations for Best Documentary, and they deserve to. But this low-budget documentary -- which has all the complexity and intrigue of a scripted film -- would be a welcome, if unlikely, addition to the category.
'I Love You Phillip Morris':
Jim Carrey's depiction of real-life gay con artist Steven Russell proves the actor has come a long way since 'Ace Ventura.' But, sadly (if as always), it seems there may only be room for one nomination for a gay performance, and this year it's going to lesbians.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
James Franco on Oscars: 'I'm Going With the Flow'
Now that the Golden Globes have come and gone, it's time to talk Oscars.
The actor, among other things, James Franco will take the stage at the famous Kodak Theatre on Feb. 27 alongside Anne Hathaway to host the Academy Awards.
So what do the pair have in store for Hollywood's big night?
"There will be some singing and some dancing," Franco told PEOPLE. "We haven't started choreographing that yet or rehearsing that, but there will be some of that."
Though nothing has been set in stone, Franco, who will likely get a best actor nomination for his harrowing role in '127 Hours,' isn't worried.
"I'm just kind of going with the flow," he said, getting cues from a past Oscar host. "Billy Crystal said to wear tennis shoes, or something, but I don't think I'm going to follow that advice."
As for his co-host, Franco couldn't have nicer things to say, although he seems to be counting on her to make sure their hosting gig pulls in rave reviews.
"She is the youngest to ever host the Oscars so I guess that's special in itself. She's a great person -- great personality -- so I'm basically depending on her to pull it off," he said. "I don't think I could ask for a better co-host."
So sweet. The 83rd Academy Awards air Feb. 27 at 8PM EST on ABC.
The actor, among other things, James Franco will take the stage at the famous Kodak Theatre on Feb. 27 alongside Anne Hathaway to host the Academy Awards.
So what do the pair have in store for Hollywood's big night?
"There will be some singing and some dancing," Franco told PEOPLE. "We haven't started choreographing that yet or rehearsing that, but there will be some of that."
Though nothing has been set in stone, Franco, who will likely get a best actor nomination for his harrowing role in '127 Hours,' isn't worried.
"I'm just kind of going with the flow," he said, getting cues from a past Oscar host. "Billy Crystal said to wear tennis shoes, or something, but I don't think I'm going to follow that advice."
As for his co-host, Franco couldn't have nicer things to say, although he seems to be counting on her to make sure their hosting gig pulls in rave reviews.
"She is the youngest to ever host the Oscars so I guess that's special in itself. She's a great person -- great personality -- so I'm basically depending on her to pull it off," he said. "I don't think I could ask for a better co-host."
So sweet. The 83rd Academy Awards air Feb. 27 at 8PM EST on ABC.
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