Xixax Film Forum

'Finding Neverland' Wins First Award of the Season

"Finding Neverland," a fictionalized account of the creation of children's classic "Peter Pan," was named best film of 2004 by The National Board of Review on Wednesday in the first major award of the season.

Oscar hopeful Jamie Foxx was named best actor for "Ray," about legendary singer Ray Charles, while Annette Bening won the best actress award for her role as a 1930s stage diva in "Being Julia."

The awards, voted on by about 150 members of a screening committee along with a 12-member awards panel, are sometimes an early indicator of what to expect in the race of the Academy Awards in February, though frequently its choices are more esoteric than the Oscars .

Michael Mann was named best director for his thriller "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise, while "The Sea Inside" ("Mar adentro") won best foreign language film.

The board's list of top 10 films of the year had in second place "The Aviator" starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a young Howard Hughes, followed by Mike Nichols' "Closer," Clint Eastwood 's "Million Dollar Baby" and "Sideways."

Here's the full list:

TOP TEN FILMS OF 2004
1. Finding Neverland
2. The Aviator
3. Closer
4. Million Dollar Baby
5. Sideways
6. Kinsey
7. Vera Drake
8. Ray
9. Collateral
10. Hotel Rwanda

TOP FIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS
1. The Sea Inside
2. Bad Education
3. Maria Full of Grace
4. Les Choristes
5. The Motorcycle Diaries

TOP FIVE DOCUMENTARIES OF 2004
1. Born into Brothels
2. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
3. Paper Clips
4. Supersize Me
5. The Story of the Weeping Camel


Best Film: Finding Neverland

Best Foreign Language Film: The Sea Inside

Best Documentary: Born into Brothels

Best Animated Feature: The Incredibles

Best Actor: Jamie Foxx, Ray

Best Actress: Annette Bening, Being Julia

Best Supporting Actor: Thomas Hayden Chuch, Sideways

Best Supporting Actress: Laura Linney, Kinsey

Best Acting by an Ensemble: Closer

Breakthrough Performance Actor: Topher Grace, In Good Company and P.S.

Breakthrough Performance Actress: Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera




Best Director: Michael Mann, Collateral

Best Directorial Debut: Zack Braff, Garden State

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sideways, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Best Original Screenplay: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman

Outstanding Production Design: House of Flying Daggers

Career Achievement: Jeff Bridges

Special Filmmaking Achievement: Clint Eastwood, for producing, directing, acting, and scoring Million Dollar Baby

William K. Everson Award for Film History: Richard Schickel

Producers Award: Jerry Bruckheimer

Special Recognition of Films that Reflect the Freedom of Expression: Fahrenheit 9/11, The Passion of the Christ, Conspiracy of Silence


Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking

The National Board of Review, in keeping with its long tradition of recognizing excellence in filmmaking, is proud to salute the following films, crafted by visionary artists which demonstrate the creativity and determination which have always been vital to the film industry:

(Listed alphabetically)
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Before Sunset
Door in the Floor
Enduring Love
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Facing Windows
Garden State
A Home at the End of the World
Imaginary Heroes
Since Otar Left
Stage Beauty
Undertow
The Woodsman

I haven't seen much of those movies but I'm happy with Mann winning for Collateral...everything great about that movie has to do directly with his attention to detail and commitment to his vision.

It seems that Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator are actually as great as I've been reading since a couple of weeks.

Maybe with this win Mann will get a push for the academy awards...although I would like Marty to win if aviator is as entertaining as I'm hearing...

And cool for Eternal sunshine, right??? time for charlie to win an oscar...

hell yeah on the following:
aviator ranked #2 (marty back with his A-game. i'm excited)
charlie kaufman (duh)
michael mann


:shock: on the following:
no fahrenheit for best doc
bruckheimer for producer award

overall, i give these awards a big WOW.

Quote from: ©brad:shock: on the following:
no fahrenheit for best doc

Not sure about his eligibility though.. or was that just the Oscars?

Quote from: cinephiléNot sure about his eligibility though.. or was that just the Oscars?

That's just Oscars. These are similar to critics picks.

Oh then that's harsh.

Has nobody noticed Incredibles got Best Animated. That is in my opinion the best pick there. I'm hoping Incredibles beats Shrek at the Oscars.

I'm quite satisfied with everything else, and it makes me excited for Finding Neverland and Aviator. What I'm more amazed with is that I've seen pretty much all the movies, not counting the ones that haven't come out.

Quote from: Chest RockwellI'm hoping Incredibles beats Shrek at the Oscars.

it will. there's no doubt in my mind.

The Incredibles will own, my roommate predicts a Best Feature nom at the oscars. I hope to god Farhenheit goes no further the Palme d'Or it won....guys, it is such a bad movie compared to the other docs that came out, Hijacking Catastrophe is brilliant.

Gothams Find 'Sideways' Ripe for Nod

Director Alexander Payne's acclaimed comedy "Sideways" continued its winning ways at the IFP/New York's 14th annual Gotham Awards Wednesday.

The Fox Searchlight release, set in California's wine country, was hailed as best feature of the year at the Gothams, which were held at Pier Sixty at the Chelsea Pier. A day earlier, the picture received a leading six nominations for the IFP's Independent Spirit Awards, the arthouse world's equivalent of the Oscars .

The Gothams also hailed Jonathan Demme's "The Agronomist," about Haitian human rights activist Jean Dominique, as best documentary. The film has been distributed by ThinkFilm in association with HBO cinema Documentary Films.

The Breakthrough Actor award went to Catalina Sandino Moreno, the star of HBO Films/Fine Line Features' "Maria Full of Grace," while that film's director, Joshua Marston, also took home the breakthrough director honors.

The feature and documentary awards are new categories at the Gothams, which aired live for the first time on IFC.

The evening also included tributes to Mike Leigh (Filmmaker Award for Lifetime Achievement), Michael Moore (Filmmaker Award), Don Cheadle (Gotham Actor Award) and Dan Talbot (Industry Lifetime Achievement Award).

In addition, a Celebrate New York salute was given to Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abortion Film Sweeps British Film Awards

Mike Leigh's moving portrayal of a back-street abortionist in 1950s London swept the British Independent Film Awards late Tuesday, taking six awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

"Vera Drake" also snared the Best Actress award for Imelda Staunton and Best Actor for Phil Davis.

The film, which deals with a working class abortionist whose views are at odds with the society around her, found similar success at the Venice Film Festival, where it took the Golden Lion for Best Film and Best Actress for Staunton.

The Best Documentary award went to "Touching the Void," a gripping true story about climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates who reached the peak of the Siula Grande in Peru, only to face death on the way down.

"Oldboy," a violent Korean film about a man locked up in a hotel room for 15 years who seeks revenge, took the prize for Best Foreign Film.

The London ceremony was attended by a raft of stars, including Christian Slater, Kelly Brook, Billy Zane and Gillian Anderson.

The British Independent Film Awards were established in 1998.

Quote from: MacGuffinThe London ceremony was attended by a raft of stars, including Christian Slater, Kelly Brook, Billy Zane and Gillian Anderson.

pfft, talk about B-list.

The blurb about the Brit Indies omits the fact that Pegg and Wright won best screenplay for 'Shaun of the Dead.'  Glad to see those boys get some props.

HK Movies to Take Center Stage at Chinese Oscars

Hong Kong movies are likely to take center stage at the Chinese-language version of the Oscars in Taiwan on Saturday, with Wong Kar-wai's latest art house movie "2046" topping the list of nominations.

The film by the internationally acclaimed Hong Kong director about the love life of an erotic novelist received eight Golden Horse nominations, including best feature film, actor and actress.

Finished just in time to debut in the Cannes film festival last May, "2046" is another example of an Asian movie that has transcended language and cultural barriers to hit international screens.

The film looked to be the strongest contender, said film critic Li Ya-mei.

"It's not just Chinese movies. Korean movies especially are also gaining interest in Hollywood. The rise of Asian movies shows audiences are tired of a lack of creation by Hollywood and are trying to find good movies elsewhere," Li said.

But Taiwan director Alex Yang, whose "Taipei 21" won the top prize for best film at this year's Asia Pacific Film Festival, was less certain about the prospects for Asian films, which face much tighter budget constraints than Hollywood rivals.

The director said Asian movies that have enjoyed huge following around the world, such as Ang Lee's martial arts epic, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," are rare exceptions.

It is still difficult for independent Asian filmmakers to compete in Hollywood, he said.

"Movies that are popular in the West have similar characteristics. They have the backing of well-funded international movie companies and the stories fulfil the fantasy of Western audiences about the East," Yang said.

"You need the necessary ingredients to be recognized internationally and be commercially successful," he said.

DARK HORSE

Taiwan has played host to the Golden Horse awards, which showcases films from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, for 41 years. This year they will be held in the central city of Taichung.

But contestants from Hong Kong and China have stolen the spotlight in recent years with Taiwan's once-thriving movie industry in decline.

Critics say Taiwan's slow-moving art films have lost support at home as viewers find them dull and difficult to understand and opt instead for more nail-biting U.S. blockbusters.

Apart from "2046," which stars a bevy of top Asian actors including best actor nominee Tony Leung and best actress nominee Zhang Ziyi, Chinese director Lu Chuan's "Kekexili" is seen as a dark horse candidate for best film.

"Kekexili," a bleak portrayal of life on the Tibetan plateau, was nominated in four categories, including best director and best actor.

Other contestants for best film are "Breaking News," which combines Hong Kong's favorite cop drama genre with its paparazzi-style journalism, and "One Nite in Mongkok," which is about gang fighting -- another popular tale.

Taiwan's "The Moon Also Rises," directed by Lin Cheng-sheng, is also vying for best film and tells the story of a divorced single mother and her adolescent daughter in their sunny but isolated seashore hometown.

The melancholy drama competes in five other categories, including best actress and best screenplay adaptation.

To revive the past glory of Taiwan cinema, once the darling of international film festivals, the government is offering tax breaks and state subsidies to the industry.

"Korean movies were no better than ours in the past. If they can do it, so can we," said Liu Ching-hsiung, a cabinet adviser with the job of drafting plans to reinvigorate Taiwan movies.

For a full list of nominations, go to www.goldenhorse.org.tw

I think Taiwan and Iran make most numbers of painfully slow arthouse films each year, way more than the other countries.  A lot of it is just necessity though.  If you can't afford cranes and steadicams, then you can either go hand-held gritty like Wong KarWai's films, or you can do it Ozu-style like the Taiwanese films.

From http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338751/board/nest/13612521

THE BIG PICTURE
Amid early blog rumbles, vetting Oscar's horse race
The year's not yet over, but already the Internet is abuzz with predictions for next year's Oscar nominations.
By Patrick Goldstein
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Nov 30 2004

With its multimillion-dollar campaign ads, crafty consultants, shoot-from-the-lip pundits and grueling "Survivor"-style fight to the finish, is it any wonder the Oscar race often feels like a presidential election campaign? Just as this was the year of the blogger in presidential politics, the Oscar campaign is being dominated by Internet blogmeisters offering sometimes sophisticated, sometimes crackpot predictions about how various awards will play out.

This past week offered a typical Web viewpoint of the emerging Oscar race. If you turned to GoldDerby.com, you could find raves about "The Aviator" from the site's platoon of spies, with one claiming the film was "a strong contender for every award out there," saying it offered "superb" performances, starting with Leonardo DiCaprio, "who confirms he could do 'Hamlet' if he so chose."

At Oscarrace.com, there was a link to Net columnist Jeffrey Wells, who offered hosannas for Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby," writing, "Trust me, it's a multi-Oscar nominee — Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress.... " Over at Foxnews.com, columnist Roger Friedman gave a rave to "The Aviator" and touted "The Woodsman," writing, "add the underrated Kevin Bacon to this year's list of potential Best Actor Oscar nominees."

What's fascinating about all these huzzahs is that it will be weeks before any of these films actually arrive in theaters. But the same movie studios that used to weep and wail when Ain't It Cool News would post early reviews have no complaints about Oscar bloggers jumping the gun with a raft of superlatives about their Oscar contenders. It just goes to show that no one gets upset about people breaking embargoes as long as they write glowing blurbs. In fact, studios often invite bloggers to see key Oscar films before they show the pictures to the mainstream press.

It simply demonstrates what a key role bloggers now play in the insanely competitive Oscar race, where a best picture or best actor nomination is often worth millions, if not tens of millions, in extra box-office grosses for a serious film. The blogs are the leading indicators of early buzz for an Oscar picture: the initial upbeat word-of-mouth on the upcoming Joel Schumacher adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera" (now quieted by less-than-adulatory reports) was driven by positive blog postings.

The blogs themselves are a mixed bag, some offering sober commentary, others spouting theories that would be right at home at a UFO conspiracy fest. The most cerebral blog is Emanuellevy.com, hosted by Levy, an erudite critic and author whose site recently had a lively dissertation on how a disproportionate amount of Oscar winners played parts in which they suffered from various afflictions, illnesses and disabilities. On the other hand, there's moviecitynews.com's David Poland, who recently made the argument that "The Passion of the Christ" would be hurt by the academy's preponderance of Jewish voters. Poland wrote: "If you start with only 60% of the academy being non-Jewish, with few Jews willing to support the film for awards, you need 37.5% of those non-Jews to vote the film highly. If you figure that half of the non-Jews never saw the film and ... " Well, you get the drift.

While bloggers sometimes trash movies, most of their vituperativeness is directed at each other. Tom O'Neil, who hosts GoldDerby.com, dismisses Poland as "a terrible Oscar forecaster. He said the only movie that could beat 'Aviator' was 'Phantom of the Opera,' which is ridiculous — 'Phantom' isn't even a player in the race." Poland argues that O'Neil's record as an Oscar seer "is no better than mine"; Poland says he was the first pundit to identify Charlize Theron as a serious best actress contender for "Monster" last year. However, Poland in turn regularly vilifies Friedman, calling him a Miramax "stooge," a reference to the fact that Friedman unfailingly touts Miramax's top Oscar hopefuls, rarely mentioning that he has written for Miramax-owned magazines and was a producer of a film Miramax released. In fairness to Friedman, he is perhaps the best showbiz columnist on the Net. Unlike most of his peers, he actually does real reporting, including an exposé of the questionable credentials of the people who make up the National Board of Review, whose awards — due Wednesday — are nonetheless treated as an important barometer by the media and studios, who will blurb them incessantly in upcoming Oscar ads.

The blogs consistently beat the old media on Oscar scoops. But they also are littered with dubious opinions. As O'Neil puts it: "You should take most of what you read with a grain of salt the size of the Kodak Theatre."

Which brings us to our annual assessment of the top Oscar best picture contenders. Our predictions are far from infallible, though last year we had the winner, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," in second place at 8 to 1, and in 2002, we picked the winner with "Chicago" at 5 to 1. Here's a peek at this year's race:

Favorites:

"Ray" (6 to 1). A rousing film starring best actor favorite Jamie Foxx, "Ray" comes equipped with an academy-friendly dramatic trajectory (see "A Beautiful Mind"): the troubled artist who triumphs over a smorgasbord of obstacles, including blindness, drugs, poverty and prejudice. It can't hurt with academy liberals that there are more great African American roles in this film than nearly all the other pictures combined.

"Million Dollar Baby" (7 to 1). With academy icon Clint Eastwood directing and giving an elegiac performance as a fight manager who reluctantly trains a woman boxer played by Hilary Swank, this powerful drama has the finely honed craft and packs the emotional wallop voters traditionally value in a best picture.

"Sideways" (8 to 1). Perhaps the year's best-reviewed picture, it offers breakthrough performances, nuanced direction from Alexander Payne and is getting a huge push from Fox Searchlight. While critics' favorites rarely carry the day with conservative academy voters, "Lost in Translation" broke that rule last year, as could this superb film.

"Spanglish" (10 to 1). If there ever was an academy favorite, it's James L. Brooks, who has scored best picture nominations for three films he directed. It still may be a huge leap for the academy to laud a film featuring Adam Sandler, but the crackling dialogue and showy performances make it a serious contender, especially because this comic culture-clash saga of a Mexican maid's entanglement with a wealthy Westside family will hit home with many industry voters.

Contenders:

"Finding Neverland" (12 to 1). This tale of "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie is essentially about the drama of the creative process, always a favorite theme with academy voters. With another strong performance from Johnny Depp, this deft biopic should resonate with many academyites who value artful filmmaking.

"Kinsey" (14 to 1). If they gave Oscars for the film most mentioned in Op-Ed pieces, this well-reviewed biopic of Alfred Kinsey would win hands down. Populated with respected actors, it has the kind of thought-provoking heft that could earn a nomination, though films that deal with sex in such a frank manner (à la "Quills") often get a lukewarm reception by the academy.

"The Aviator" (16 to 1). On paper this sprawling biopic about Howard Hughes is right in the academy's wheelhouse. It's a star-filled film about a bigger-than-life adventurer who not only changed the shape of aviation but also knew his way around Hollywood. On the other hand, reaction to the film has been wildly mixed, as is the academy's attitude about directorial giant Martin Scorsese, who came up empty last year with an even more ambitious film ("Gangs of New York").

"Hotel Rwanda" (18 to 1). An old-fashioned punch-to-the-gut biopic about a hotel manager (Don Cheadle) who saves thousands during a genocidal civil war in 1990s Rwanda, this well-told story has the clout of real-life drama behind it. It also invariably leaves audiences moved and shamed, two qualities that have served as engines to propel Holocaust films to Oscar recognition in the past.

"Closer" (20 to 1). Oscar voters adore director Mike Nichols, who coaxes marvelous performances out of the film's star cast, but this theater adaptation's furtive sexual couplings may be too chilly and emotionally raw for many academy types.

Longshots:

"The Incredibles" (25 to 1). Glowingly reviewed, the film is a consummate technical achievement with grown-up artistic themes. Alas, the academy has been stubbornly resistant to past animation triumphs, largely because its mammoth actors' branch (bigger than the next three biggest branches together) continues to view animated films as greasy kid stuff. It will have to settle for a best animated film nod.

"The Sea Inside," "The Motorcycle Diaries," "A Very Long Engagement" and "The House of Flying Daggers" (30 to 1). As soulful and visually arresting as these movies are, they are stigmatized as foreign films, which barely fare better than animated pictures with the academy. Since 1973, only three foreign films have managed a best picture nod; none has won. Someday Oscar voters will acknowledge that many of the best films are made abroad, but don't count on it this year.

"The Phantom of the Opera" (40 to 1). Sumptuous and theatrical, this will appeal to Andrew Lloyd Webber-ophiles, but it's unlikely to survive comparisons to acclaimed musicals like "Chicago" or "Moulin Rouge."

"The Passion of the Christ" (50 to 1). If Wal-Mart shoppers gave Oscars, this would win going away, but the academy is not exactly this film's core constituency.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" (70 to 1). If ever a movie peaked too early, this is it. Even in Hollywood, no one wants to think about the presidential campaign anymore.

"Alexander" (100 to 1). Put it this way: No way!

I don't know how accurate some of this information is.  See some of the replies in the thread this is from.  But I am happy that Sideways' odds are looking good.  Lots of buzz about The Aviator it seems, but it's going to take an AMAZING biopic to top Sideways (in my eyes, anyway).  Funny, though, how there was NO mention of Eternal Sunshine whatsoever.

this guy is full of shit.

Care to expound?  Something more in-depth than "This guy is really full of shit?"

Taiwan's Golden Horse Goes to Chinese Film

A sleeper hit about saving the Tibetan antelope from poachers became the first movie from China to win Taiwan's Golden Horse Award on Saturday the Oscar for Chinese-language cinema.

"Hoh Xil: Mountain Patrol," also known as "Kekexili," was picked over two star-studded Hong Kong blockbusters "Infernal Affairs III" and "2046" in the 41st edition of the annual ceremony.

Although China has produced a steady stream of critically acclaimed films in recent years, few movies from the mainland have entered the Golden Horse competition.

This was mostly due to the long-standing political feud between Taiwan and China, split by a civil war in 1949. But in recent years, cultural exchanges have been increasing.

Lu Chuan, the director of "Hoh Xil," avoided politics in his acceptance speech. He thanked Hollywood studios Sony Columbia and Warner Brothers for investing in his movie about volunteers protecting Tibetan antelope from ruthless poachers in remote western China.

"I hope you can continue to trust me, because I will certainly make different movies," the 33-year-old director said.

Hong Kong's Andy Lau was honored as best actor for his role as a gangster in the thriller "Infernal Affairs III." A modest Lau told the judges, "To make everybody believe I can act is a bit difficult, but in the future, my acting will not embarrass you."

The best actress award went to Taiwan's Yang Kuei-mei, who portrayed a divorcee trying to salvage her life in the "The Moon Also Rises."

As she grabbed her Golden Horse, Yang noted that she was nominated four times before but never won. "Can my speech be a little bit longer, because I have four years' experience," joked Yang, who starred in the 1994 romantic comedy "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman."

Yang also made a plea for supporting Taiwan's struggling film industry. "Beginning this year, you really must support Taiwanese movies, Taiwanese movies are Taiwan's culture. You cannot forget this," she said.

Hong Kong's Johnnie To won the best director award for his action movie "Breaking News," which explored the relationship between the media and the fight against crime.

Hong Kong heartthrob Daniel Wu won the best-supporting actor award for his role beside kung fu king Jackie Chan in the action movie "New Police Story."

Receiving his prize, Wu noted that when he started out in movies, he was "a fool with no ideas. Now I am a fool with an award."

Bai Ling of China was named best supporting actress for playing an aging actress who eats dumplings stuffed with embryos because she believes it will keep her young in the horror movie "Three ... Extremes: Dumplings" by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan.

The best cinematography award went to Cao Yu for "Hoh Xil: Mountain Patrol," shot in western China's rugged Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

How about Collateral for cinematography. Will it get an Oscar nod?

Quote from: MyxomatosisHow about Collateral for cinematography. Will it get an Oscar nod?

my magic 8-ball told me to ask again later. stupid ball never has time for me.

L.A. Critics Name 'Sideways' Best Film

"Sideways," a quirky comedy about two friends on a road trip through California's wine country, was picked as 2004's best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the group announced Saturday.

The movie won four other awards: best director for Alexander Payne; best supporting actor for Thomas Haden Church; best supporting actress for Virginia Madsen; and best screenplay, which was written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor.

Top acting honors went to Imelda Staunton of the abortion drama "Vera Drake" and Liam Neeson of the sex-researcher biopic "Kinsey."

"Sideways" co-star Paul Giamatti was runner-up for best actor. He also starred in "American Splendor," which was the critics association's choice for best movie last year.

The best film runner-up was "Million Dollar Baby," directed by Clint Eastwood, who also starred as a gym owner who trains a female boxer.

The best director runner-up was Martin Scorsese for "The Aviator"

The runner-up for best actress was Julie Delpy of "Before Sunset," a sequel to the 1995 cult hit "Before Sunrise."

Runners-ups for supporting actress and actor were Cate Blanchett of "The Aviator" and "Coffee & Cigarettes" and Morgan Freeman of "Million Dollar Baby."

The runner-up for best screenplay was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" by Charlie Kaufman.

The awards ceremony was scheduled for Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.

Last year, the critics group initially canceled its awards to protest a ban on special video copies of competing films that studios traditionally sent to Academy Awards voters and other groups that bestow movie honors, including critics. Studios implemented the ban in fall 2002 over worries that bootleggers might use the videos to make counterfeit copies.

The Los Angeles critics rescheduled their awards after a judge lifted the ban in a lawsuit brought by independent producers, who said the awards videos helped their lower-budgeted movies compete against big studio films.

Other 2004 picks:

Foreign-language film: "House of Flying Daggers."

Documentary/nonfiction film: "Born into Brothels."

Production design: Dante Ferretti, "The Aviator."

Animation: Brad Bird, "The Incredibles."

Music-score: Michael Giacchino, "The Incredibles."

Cinematography: Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron, "Collateral."

Career achievement: Jerry Lewis.

New generation: Joshua Marston, writer and director of "Maria Full of Grace."

Douglas Edwards experimental/independent film/video: "Star-Spangled to Death" by Ken Jacobs.

Special citation: Brian Jamieson of Warner Brothers and Richard Schickel for the reconstruction of Samuel Fuller's 1980 "The Big Red One"

AFI Names Its Top 10 Movies of the Year

The superhero adventures "Spider-Man 2" and "The Incredibles" made the American Film Institute's list of 2004's top 10 movies.

Also on the list released Sunday were the not-yet-released Howard Hughes film biography "The Aviator" and boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby."

Rounding out the group's list, which did not rank the films, were the hit-man thriller "Collateral"; the quirky romances "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Sideways"; the football drama "Friday Night Lights"; the drug-smuggling drama "Maria Full of Grace"; and "Kinsey," a film biography of sexuality researcher Alfred Kinsey.

The institute's top 10 television programs of the year were HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Deadwood," "The Sopranos" and "Something the Lord Made," ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," FX's "Nip/Tuck" and "The Shield," Fox's "Arrested Development" and Comedy Central's "South Park."

The lists were chosen by 13-member panels of filmmakers, critics, scholars and AFI board members. Top films and shows will be honored at an AFI luncheon Jan. 14.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

'Sideways' Wins Top N.Y. Online Honors

"Sideways" has taken another step forward with critics, winning top honors from the New York Film Critics Online.

The group named the comedy, about mismatched best friends on a wine-tasting road trip, as the year's best film Saturday. Two of the movie's stars, Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, won the supporting acting categories.

Jamie Foxx was named best actor for his uncanny portrayal of Ray Charles in "Ray," and Imelda Staunton won the best-actress award for playing a housekeeper who secretly performs abortions in 1950s England in "Vera Drake."

Martin Scorsese was named the top director for the Howard Hughes epic "The Aviator" and Charlie Kaufman won screenplay honors for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," about a lovelorn man who wants to erase his ex-girlfriend from his memory.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association also chose "Sideways" as the year's best film on Saturday, and earlier this month the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures listed it among the top 10 movies of the year.

Other 2004 picks from the New York Film Critics Online, composed of writers who are either exclusively online or who are broadcast or print critics with a strong online presence:

Cinematography: "Hero," Christopher Doyle.

Animated film: "The Incredibles."

Foreign-language film: "The Motorcycle Diaries."

Documentary: (tie) "Broadway: The Golden Age" and "Super Size Me."

Breakthrough performance: Topher Grace ("p.s." and "In Good Company.")

Debut director: Joshua Marston "Maria Full of Grace."

N.Y. Film Critics Name 'Sideways' Best Picture

"Sideways," a comedy about two buddies on a wine-soaked, midlife romp in California grape-growing country, was the big winner on Monday in the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, taking best picture and three other honors.

Paul Giamatti was named best actor and his co-star, Virginia Madsen, was cited as best supporting actress for their roles in "Sideways," which has grossed less than $13 million so far in a limited release.

Best director honors, however, eluded "Sideways" helmsman Alexander Payne and went instead to 74-year-old Clint Eastwood for his movie about a female boxer, "Million Dollar Baby."

The New York film critics tapped Imelda Staunton as best actress for "Vera Drake," and gave the best supporting actor award to Clive Owen for "Closer."

Payne did win recognition for his writing as he took best screenplay honors with co-writer Jim Taylor for "Sideways."

Michael Moore's Bush-bashing political documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" was cited as best nonfiction film, while "The Incredibles" was named best animated film.

Top foreign film was "Bad Education," directed by Spain's Pedro Almodovar, while the award for best first film was given to "Maria Full of Grace," directed by Joshua Marston.

"Hero," the Chinese action film, was cited for best cinematography.

Toronto Critics Raise Glass to 'Sideways'

Toronto movie critics jumped on the "Sideways" bandwagon Tuesday, naming the Fox Searchlight comedy as their best film of 2004.

Falling in line with critics groups in New York, Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco, the Toronto Film Critics Assn. toasted Paul Giamatti as best actor and Virginia Madsen as best supporting actress for their turns in "Sideways," a quirky buddy picture set in southern California's wine country.

The film also leads the field for both the Golden Globes and the Independent Spirits.

The TFCA, representing 29 film critics in Toronto, also hailed "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" helmer Michel Gondry with the best director award and Charlie Kaufman with the honor for best screenplay.

Imelda Staunton was given the best actress award for her role in Mike Leigh's 1950s abortion drama "Vera Drake" and Clive Owen the best supporting actor award for his role in "Closer."

The TFCA also honored Joshua Marston's "Maria Full of Grace" with the best first feature award, gave best animated feature and best Canadian film to "The Triplets of Belleville," awarded the best foreign-language film award to Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and tapped Errol Morris' "The Fog of War" as best documentary.

I guess I should see Sideways now.

You should've already. Don't let the hype get to you though. It's really good.

Quote from: Jeremy BlackmanI guess I should see Sideways now.

hah. yeah no joke.

Critics' Choice Chooses "Sideways"

It's official: Lindsay Lohan is a bigger Oscar season threat than Alexander.

The teenage tabloid queen was nominated Wednesday for a Critics' Choice Award by the Broadcast Film Critics Association; Oliver Stone's Alexander the Great opus wasn't.

As has become the way, Sideways led all contenders with eight nominations, including ones for Best Picture, Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Haden Church), Best Supporting Actress (Virginia Madsen) and Best Director (Alexander Payne).

Finding Neverland, the story of Peter Pan author JM Barrie, picked up seven nods, including one for star Johnny Depp. Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes opus, The Aviator, stayed in the game with six.

Jamie Foxx, who scored a hat trick with three nominations at the Golden Globes, made do with a pair of Critics' Choice Awards nominations--a Best Actor nod for Ray, a Best Supporting Actor nod for Collateral.

Lohan earned her ticket to the Jan. 10 awards ceremony with a nomination as Best Young Actress for Mean Girls.

Stone's Alexander, meanwhile, got its now usual snub. Spanglish, another movie with an Oscar pedigree from writer-director James L. Brooks, likewise was ignored.

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 received just one nomination each. Passion will battle the likes of Spider-Man 2 for Best Popular Movie; Fahrenenheit 9/11 will vie for Best Documentary Feature. The controversial box-office hits missed out on the biggest prize--Best Picture. Although Golden Globe rules prevented the films from competing for the top award there, no such red tape existed at the Critics' Choice Awards. The movies just didn't get the votes.

Unlike most award-giving groups, the Critics' Choice contingent makes plain what its members think of the award contenders. The Broadcast Film Critics Website offers ratings on all the year's releases, save for those that have yet to hit theaters.

Among the Best Picture contenders (all 10 of them), Sideways was the highest rated film by the group's critics, with an average score of 96 out of a possible 100. Collateral was the lowest rated, with an 86. Numbers were not available on The Aviator, Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby and The Phantom of the Opera.

Passion, meanwhile, had an 82; Faherenheit, an 84. (Nominations are determined by balloting, not the group's average scores.)

Comprised of TV, radio and online reporters, the Broadcast Film Critics Association claims to be the most accurate predictor of Oscar nominations, citing a 94 percent match rate of its Best Picture contenders to the Academy Awards' Best Picture contenders. (Of course, the BFCA does nominate twice as many films--10, to the Academy's five.)

With Sideways dominating, this year's crop of Critics' Choice nominees is in line with the other pre-Oscar stages, including the Globes. Other now usual nominees include Imelda Staunton, up for Best Actress for Vera Drake, and Laura Linney, up for Best Supporting Actress for Kinsey.

The 10th Annual Critics' Choice Awards are to be presented in a live WB telecast from Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater. Will & Grace star Eric McCormack is set to host; Tom Cruise is set to receive the career-achievement tribute.

Here's a complete look at the nominees for the Critics' Choice Awards:

Best Picture:

The Aviator
Collateral
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
Kinsey
Million Dollar Baby
The Phantom of the Opera
Ray
Sideways

Best Actor:

Javier Bardem, The Sea Inside
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
Jamie Foxx, Ray
Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Best Actress:

Annette Bening, Being Julia
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Volume 2
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Best Supporting Actor:

Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Jamie Foxx, Collateral
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
Clive Owen, Closer
Peter Sarsgaard, Kinsey

Best Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
Laura Linney, Kinsey
Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Natalie Portman, Closer
Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland

Best Acting Ensemble:

Closer
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Ocean's Twelve
Sideways

Best Director:

Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Marc Forster, Finding Neverland
Taylor Hackford, Ray
Alexander Payne, Sideways
Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

Best Writer:

Bill Condon, Kinsey
Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
John Logan, The Aviator
David Magee, Finding Neverland
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Sideways

Best Animated Feature:

The Incredibles
The Polar Express
Shrek 2

Best Young Actor:

Liam Aiken, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Cameron Bright, Birth
Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland
Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
William Ullrich, Beyond The Sea

Best Young Actress:

Emily Browning, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Dakota Fanning, Man on Fire
Lindsay Lohan, Mean Girls
Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera
Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Popular Movie:

The Bourne Supremacy
The Incredibles
Napoleon Dynamite
The Passion of the Christ
Spider-Man 2

Best Family Film (Live Action):

Finding Neverland
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Miracle
Spider-Man 2

Best Picture Made for Television:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Something the Lord Made
The Wool Cap

Best Documentary Feature:

Control Room
Fahrenheit 9/11
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Super Size Me

Best Foreign Language Film:

House of Flying Daggers
Maria Full of Grace
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Sea Inside
A Very Long Engagement

Best Song:

"Accidentally in Love" from Shrek 2, Counting Crows
"Believe" from The Polar Express, Josh Groban
"Old Habits Die Hard" from Alfie, Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart

Best Soundtrack:

Alfie
Beyond the Sea
De-Lovely
Garden State
Ray

Best Composer:

Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles
Rolfe Kent, Sideways
Howard Shore, The Aviator

Does this mean the 2005 Xixax Awards are coming up?

Quote from: Walrus, KookookajoobDoes this mean the 2005 Xixax Awards are coming up?

Haven't we done it around Oscar time in the past?

I know I still have a lot to see.

More Critics Veer "Sideways"

Another day, another batch of movie reviewers are saluting Sideways.

The quirky wine-quaffing road movie was toasted as best picture of 2004 by two more groups: the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association.

Already the toast of the pre-Oscar awards season, Sideways has been named Best Picture by professional movie watchers in New York (both the New York Film Critics Circle and the New York Film Critics Online), Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. The indie comedy was named one of the year's 10 best by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review and led the list of nominees for the Golden Globe Awards, Critics' Choice Awards and Independent Spirit Awards.

In addition to Best Picture, the Chicago Film Critics Association bestowed four other honors on the film, which follows two middle-aged friends on a quest for wine, women and adventure before one of them marches down the aisle. The Chitown types lauded Sideways for Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Supporting Actor (Thomas Haden Church ) and Actress (Windy City native Virginia Madsen) and Best Screenplay (shared by director Alexander Payne and writing partner Jim Taylor).

Payne, however, came up short in the Best Director race, finishing behind Hollywood veteran Clint Eastwood for the boxing drama, Million Dollar Baby. Scrubs star Zach Braff was dubbed Best New Director for his debut, Garden State.

Imelda Staunton added to her growing Oscar buzz by nabbing the Chicago critics' Best Actress award for her performance in Mike Leigh's abortion-themed period piece Vera Drake. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's sweeping World War I epic, A Very Long Engagement, which reunited him with his Amélie star Andrey Tautou, was selected Best Foreign Film.

Michael Moore's controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 walked away with Best Documentary honors. Most Promising Performer went to actress Catalina Sandino Moreno for her turn as a drug smuggler in the indie hit Maria Full of Grace.

There was a tie for Best Cinematography between famed Hong Kong-based lensman Christopher Doyle for his work on Hero and Robert Richardson for The Aviator. The Aviator also earned composer Howard Shore a nod for Best Score.

Meanwhile, the Southeastern Film Critics Association gave its Director Award to Payne, Adapted Screenplay to Payne and Taylor, and supporting acting honors to Church and Madsen.

Jamie Foxx was named Best Actor for Ray, while Annette Bening earned Best Actress props for Being Julia. Charlie Kaufman reeled in Best Original Screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fahrenheit 9/11 grabbed Best Documentary, and Maria Full of Grace snagged Best Foreign-Language Film.

Voice film critics see beauty in 'Sunset'

"Before Sunset," Richard Linklater's romantic talkfest, was named the year's best film by the sixth annual Village Voice Film Critics' Poll. A survey of 94 film critics from throughout the country, the poll also chose Linklater as best director for the Warner Independent Pictures release. The survey also recognized Imelda Staunton for best performance for her work in the drama "Vera Drake" and Mark Wahlberg for best supporting performance for his role in the comedy "I Heart Huckabees." In other categories, the best screenplay award went to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" by Charlie Kaufman; best documentary, Thom Anderson's "Los Angeles Plays Itself"; best cinematography, "Hero" by Christopher Doyle; best first feature, Shane Curruth's "Primer"; and best undistributed film, Hou Hsiao-hsien's "Cafe Lumiere."

Quote from: MacGuffinVoice film critics see beauty in 'Sunset'

"Before Sunset," Richard Linklater's romantic talkfest, was named the year's best film by the sixth annual Village Voice Film Critics' Poll. A survey of 94 film critics from throughout the country, the poll also chose Linklater as best director for the Warner Independent Pictures release. The survey also recognized Imelda Staunton for best performance for her work in the drama "Vera Drake" and Mark Wahlberg for best supporting performance for his role in the comedy "I Heart Huckabees." In other categories, the best screenplay award went to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" by Charlie Kaufman; best documentary, Thom Anderson's "Los Angeles Plays Itself"; best cinematography, "Hero" by Christopher Doyle; best first feature, Shane Curruth's "Primer"; and best undistributed film, Hou Hsiao-hsien's "Cafe Lumiere."

ideally, this would be the xixax award winner list.

Quote from: Jeremy BlackmanI know I still have a lot to see.

You and me both. I wrote a tentative "best of" list, but it's going to be quite significantly revised early next year...

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: Walrus, KookookajoobDoes this mean the 2005 Xixax Awards are coming up?

Haven't we done it around Oscar time in the past?

I know I still have a lot to see.

Oh yeah, Oscars... nevermind.  

There is plenty I still need to see as well, and this time around in the awards, I doubt it will be so cut and dry as to who will win.  In 2002 it was clear PDL and Adaptation were going to sweep, in 2003 it was pretty apparent that Lost In Translation and Return of the King was gong to sweep, but this year there were so many great titles, I can't wait to see how voting goes.

London Looks Abroad
American and foreign language films, including The Aviator and The Motorcycle Diaries, touted by the London film critics.

The London film critics have narrowed their selections and announced the nominees for the 2004 London Film Critics Awards, with American and foreign language films leading the way. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Aviator and Sideways and the foreign language films The Motorcycle Diaries and House of Flying Daggers are the contenders for the best film of 2004.

In addition, each of the five films' directors - Michel Gondry, Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne, Walter Salles and Zhang Yimou, respectively - will battle it out for director of the year. Salles and Zhang will also compete in the foreign language category with both Motorcycle and Daggers making the cut. They'll be up with Bad Education, The Return and A Very Long Engagement for that honor.

In the actress category, Imelda Staunton, who plays the title character in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, was the only Brit to make the cut. She'll square off against Nicole Kidman for Birth, last year's Oscar winner Charlize Theron for Monster, Annette Bening from Being Julia and Natalie Portman from Closer.

The London critics do have their own category for British Actress and Actor of the Year, however. On the actress side, Eva Birthistle of Ae Fond Kiss..., Kate Winslet of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Natalie Press of My Summer of Love, Judi Dench of Ladies in Lavender and Emily Mortimer of Dear Frankie all received nominations.

This year's season favorites Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland) once again garnered mention in the acting category, as did Geoffrey Rush for the HBO presentation The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. Brit actors Clive Owen (Closer), Paddy Considine (Dead Man's Shoes), James McAvoy (Inside I'm Dancing), Ben Kingsley (House of Sand and Fog) and Daniel Craig (Enduring Love) were all cited in the British Actor of the Year category.

British films also have their own category: British Film of the Year - The Attenborough Award. The nominees in that category include Ae Fond Kiss..., Shaun of the Dead, Finding Neverland, My Summer of Love and Vera Drake.

This year's award ceremony will be held on Feb. 9 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Mariella Frostrup, a TV presenter and journalist, will host the evening with benefits going to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

A complete list of nominees follows:

FILM OF THE YEAR:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)
The Motorcycle Diaries (Walter Salles)
The Aviator (Martin Scorsese)
House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou)
Sideways (Alexander Payne)

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR - THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD:
Ae Fond Kiss... (Ken Loach)
Shaun of the Dead (Simon Pegg)
Finding Neverland (Marc Forster)
My Summer of Love (Pawel Pawlikowski)
Vera Drake (Mike Leigh)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR:
Bad Education
The Motorcycle Diaries
House of Flying Daggers
The Return
A Very Long Engagement

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR:
Nicole Kidman (Birth)
Charlize Theron (Monster)
Natalie Portman (Closer)
Annette Bening (Being Julia)
Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake)

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR:
Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss...)
Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Natalie Press (My Summer of Love)
Judi Dench (Ladies in Lavender)
Emily Mortimer (Dear Frankie)

BRITISH ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Ruth Sheen (Vera Drake)
Eileen Atkins (Vanity Fair)
Minnie Driver (The Phantom of the Opera)
Romola Garai (Inside I'm Dancing)
Emily Woof (Wondrous Oblivion)

ACTOR OF THE YEAR:
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator)
Geoffrey Rush (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers)
Paul Giamatti (Sideways)
Jamie Foxx (Ray)
Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland)

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR:
Clive Owen (Closer)
Paddy Considine (Dead Man's Shoes)
James McAvoy (Inside I'm Dancing)
Ben Kingsley (House of Sand and Fog)
Daniel Craig (Enduring Love)

BRITISH ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Eddie Marsan (Vera Drake)
Brian Cox (Troy)
Phil Davis (Vera Drake)
Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2)
Rupert Everett (Stage Beauty)

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR:
Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Alexander Payne (Sideways)
Martin Scorsese (The Aviator)
Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries)
Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers)

BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR:
Pawel Pawlikowski (My Summer of Love)
Shane Meadows (Dead Man's Shoes)
Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy)
Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)
Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice)

BRITISH NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:
Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland)
Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss...)
Amma Asante (A Way of Life)
Natalie Press (My Summer of Love)
Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love)

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR:
David Magee (Finding Neverland)
Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (Sideways)
Brad Bird (The Incredibles)
Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnes Jaoui (Look at Me)

BRITISH SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR:
Paul Laverty (Ae Fond Kiss...)
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead)
Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)
Pawel Pawlikowski (in collaboration with Michael Wynne) (My Summer of Love)
Joe Penhall (Enduring Love).

Producers Boost "Aviator," "Sideways"

It looks like Howard Hughes and a schlubby wine aficionado are in this Academy Awards race together.

The Aviator, the epic biopic about the larger-than-life Hughes, and Sideways, the painfully funny comedy about a struggling novelist finding his way in California's wine country, were among the big-screen nominees Wednesday for the latest Oscar tune-up--the 2005 Producers Guild of America Awards.

Finding Neverland, the fanciful take on Peter Pan author JM Barrie, Million Dollar Baby, the Clint Eastwood boxing drama, and The Incredibles, the incredible-grossing Pixar adventure, were the other theatrical contenders.

Sideways, by virtue of its sweep of the critics awards, and The Aviator, by virtue of its sweeping scale, would appear to be the front runners among the front runners.

A PGA Award nomination seals their status. The honor seemingly is a prerequisite for a Best Picture Oscar nomination, if not a Best Picture Oscar win.

Since the PGAs were first presented for the 1989 film year, 11 of the 15 movies honored with the guild's top award have gone onto claim the Academy Award. Recent movies to perform that trick include: Gladiator, Chicago and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

One exception to the rule occurred at the 2002 PGA Awards, when producers honored Moulin Rouge. Oscar voters opted for A Beautiful Mind over the manic musical.

Moulin Rouge, however, was at least nominated for the Academy's prestige prize. Critically acclaimed films shut out of Wednesday's PGA Award nominations--perhaps dimming their chances for Best Picture nods come Oscar time--included: Closer, Hotel Rwanda, Kinsey and Ray.

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ also was shut out, but that occurrence is seeming less like a snub, and more like a trend.

The PGA Awards honor television, as well as film.

In the TV categories, HBO's The Sopranos will look to notch another award-show win as Best Drama Series against CBS' CSI, FX's Nip/Tuck, HBO's Six Feet Under and NBC's The West Wing.

Fox's reigning Emmy winner Arrested Development will go up against HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, NBC's Scrubs, HBO's Sex and the City and NBC's Will & Grace in the comedy series category.

DreamWorks exec Jeffrey Katzenberg, Spiderman producer Laura Ziskin, ER executive producer John Wells and former Warner Bros. honcho Terry Semel are set to receive honorary awards.

Here's a complete look at the 2005 PGA Awards nominations:

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award (for Theatrical Motion Pictures)

Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby
Sideways
The Aviator
The Incredibles

David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award (for Long-Form Television)

Angels In America (HBO)
Horatio Hornblower (A&E)
Ike (A&E)
Lion In Winter (Showtime)
Something the Lord Made (HBO)

Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award (for Episodic Drama)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
Nip/Tuck (FX)
Six Feet Under (HBO)
The Sopranos (HBO)
The West Wing (NBC)

Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award (for Episodic Comedy)

Arrested Development (Fox)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Scrubs (NBC)
Sex And the City (HBO)
Will & Grace (NBC)

Producer of the Year Award: Non-Fiction Television

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
Inside the Actors Studio (A&E)
The Amazing Race (CBS)
The Apprentice (NBC)
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo)

Producer of the Year Award: Variety Television

Chapelle Show (Comedy Central)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated)
The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
The 76th Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Director's Guild nominations came out today and went to Clint Eastwood, Marc Forster, Taylor Hackford, Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese.

'9/11,' 'Passion' Tops at People's Choice

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fentertainment.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fent%2Fap%2F20050109%2Fcadb122_peoples_choice.sff.jpg&hash=7114f9874eb83ac363f4e1ac70b0242c1c8b139c)

Two controversial films that defied the odds to earn millions at the box office joined a familiar green ogre to take top honors at the 31st Annual People's Choice Awards on Sunday.

The Michael Moore film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which took a critical look at President Bush's actions after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, won the favorite movie award, while Mel Gibson's explicit "The Passion of the Christ" won in the favorite drama category.

Moore dedicated his win to the U.S. troops fighting overseas and said he was "amazed" that people voted his film their favorite.

"I love making movies and I'll take this as an invitation to make more 'Fahrenheit 9/11s,'" Moore said.

Gibson echoed Moore's appreciation, saying the award "means a lot more to me this time than anything before."

"I depended on you and you were there," Gibson said. "If it wasn't for you guys, we would have been dead in the water."

The animated "Shrek 2" swept a number of categories, being named favorite comedy, favorite sequel and favorite animated movie.

The character of Donkey in "Shrek 2," voiced by Eddie Murphy, was named favorite animated movie star, while the Fairy Godmother, voiced by Jennifer Saunders, won in the favorite movie villain category.

Perennial favorites took many of the top awards, including many of this year's new categories. Julia Roberts and Johnny Depp won for favorite female and male movie star. Matt LeBlanc and Marg Helgenberger won for favorite male and female TV stars.

"Will & Grace," won for favorite TV comedy. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was named favorite TV drama.

After votes cast via the Internet during the first hour of the live telecast were counted, "Joey" was named favorite new TV comedy, while "Desperate Housewives" won for favorite new TV drama.

The People's Choice Awards, hosted by Jason Alexander and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, were presented at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and broadcast on CBS. The awards covered 38 film, television and music categories, including a number of new ones.

The nominations were determined by editors at Entertainment Weekly, the People's Choice production team and a panel of pop culture fans. Winners were determined by Internet voting.

The complete list of winners:

_ Motion picture: "Fahrenheit 9/11"
_ Drama motion picture: "The Passion of the Christ"
_ Comedy motion picture: "Shrek 2"
_ Animated motion picture: "Shrek 2"
_ Favorite sequel: "Shrek 2"
_ Animated movie star: Donkey in "Shrek 2" (voiced by Eddie Murphy)
_ Movie villain: The Fairy Godmother in "Shrek 2" (voiced by Jennifer Saunders)
_ Favorite on-screen chemistry: Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in "50 First Dates"
_ Female movie star: Julia Roberts
_ Male movie star: Johnny Depp
_ Female action movie star: Angelina Jolie
_ Male action movie star: Will Smith
_ Leading lady: Renee Zellweger
_ Leading man: Brad Pitt
_ Funny female star: Ellen DeGeneres
_ Funny male star: Jim Carrey
_ Television drama series: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
_ Television comedy series: "Will & Grace"
_ New television comedy series: "Joey"
_ New television drama series: "Desperate Housewives"
_ Female television star: Marg Helgenberger
_ Male television star: Matt LeBlanc
_ Late night talk show host: David Letterman
_ Daytime talk show host: Ellen DeGeneres
_ Reality show competition: "American Idol"
_ Reality show makeover: "Extreme Makeover Home Edition"
_ Reality show 24/7: "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica"
_ Crest fans favorite smile: Julia Roberts
_ Pantene fans favorite hair: Jennifer Garner
_ Cover Girl fans favorite look: Kate Hudson
_ Favorite group: U2
_ Female singer: Alicia Keys
_ Male singer: Usher
_ Favorite remake: "The First Cut is the Deepest" by Sheryl Crow
_ Favorite combined forces: "Yeah" by Usher/Lil Jon/Ludacris
_ Country group: Brooks & Dunn
_ Country female singer: Shania Twain
_ Country male singer: Tim McGraw

Haha, looks like Michael Moore got made over by the Queer Eye guys.  It suits him.  It's amazing what a little spit and polish, shave and haircut, suit, and leaving the ballcap at home can do.

Internet voting, though?  Really?  Ah well, it's not like as if it's an award like that matters.

He looks like he's trying to crawl out of the picture

Critics Gaga for Clint's "Baby"

For once, Sideways didn't win a critics award. But in defeat, it may have kept its Oscar dream alive.

Alexander Payne's wine-praising film was bypassed by Clint Eastwood's sweaty boxing drama Million Dollar Baby for Best Film honors Saturday night from the National Society of Film Critics.

The group's award is among the most prestigious in movieland. It is also among the worst indicators of future Oscar success.

Since 1967, the National Society of Film Critics, comprised of top-flight newspaper and magazine scribes who care not if their picks coincide with conventional wisdom, have selected only two films (Annie Hall and Schindler's List) that have gone onto to claim the Best Picture Academy Award.

Many times, its members champion films, including Mulholland Drive, American Splendor and Out of Sight, to name three recent honorees, that don't even go onto claim Best Picture nominations.

Million Dollar Baby, up for Best Picture at Monday night's Critics' Choice Awards and Best Motion Picture, Drama at next weekend's Golden Globes, probably won't suffer that fate.

The Eastwood film is expected to rack up Oscar nominations across the board, including the high-profile acting categories where Hilary Swank, who buffed up for her role as a boxer, is a Best Actress contender.

The National Society of Film Critics didn't hurt Swank's chances in that regard, voting her Best Actress in a tie with Vera Drake's Imelda Staunton. (The group's acting picks have a better track record at the Oscars than its movie picks. Last year, Charlize Theron was honored by the group for Monster, en route to her Best Actress coronation at the Oscars.)

Jamie Foxx added to his pre-Oscar laurels with a narrow Best Actor win over Sideways' Paul Giamatti and Million Dollar Baby's own Eastwood. Foxx was honored for his work in both Ray and Collateral.

Overall, Sideways scored three wins, the most of any movie, for Best supporting Actress Virginia Madsen, Best Supporting Actor Thomas Haden Church and Best Screenplay for the tandem of Payne and Jim Taylor.

The comedy-drama, the darling of most critics groups, was denied a fourth win as Best Film possibly because of an East Coast bias against the California wine country-set tale, Roger Ebert wrote in Monday's Chicago Sun-Times. The Easterners tended to favor Eastwood, who last year was named Best Director by the group for Mystic River.

This year, Eastwood ran third in the Best Director race behind Payne and the winner, Zhang Yimou, of the Chinese epics House of Flying Daggers and Hero. (The group releases the tallies of the top three vote-getters in each category.)

Odds-on Oscar favorite The Aviator didn't win, show or place in any category. Which, all things considered, might not have been such a bad thing.

Here's a complete look at the winners of the National Society of Film Critics' awards for 2004:

Film: Million Dollar Baby
Actor: Jamie Foxx, Ray and Collateral
Actress: (tie) Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake; Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Supporting Actor: Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Supporting Actress: Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Director: Zhang Yimou, House of Flying Daggers and Hero
Screenplay: Sideways
Cinematography: House of Flying Daggers
Documentary: Tarnation

what are your feeling about 9/11 being elagible for a best pricture nod -- i personally think i woould be a damn shame if they allow this.

SAG Swayed by Foxx, "Sideways"

Jamie Foxx's peers have rewarded him for a series of jobs well done.

The hardworking star is contending for a leading four awards at the 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, including Best Actor and an Ensemble acting nod for his performance in Ray, Best Supporting Actor for his work in Collateral and Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for FX's Redemption.

Indie superstar Sideways also nabbed a quartet of nominations Tuesday morning, including a Best Actor nod for Paul Giamatti, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress nods for Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, as well as an Ensemble acting nod for the road-tripping, wine-swilling cast.

Finding Neverland found itself triple-nominated, raking in a Best Actor nomination for Johnny Depp and a Best Supporting Actor nom for his young costar, Freddie Highmore, as well as an Ensemble nomination for the cast.

The Aviator was flying high with a Best Actor nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio, a Best Supporting Actress nod for Cate Blanchett and an Ensemble nod for the cast.

Heavy-hitter Hilary Swank pulled in a nomination for Best Actress and an Ensemble nod for her hard-muscled performance in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, as well as a third nomination for Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries for her work in HBO's suffragette tale, Iron Jawed Angels.

On the small-screen side, Patricia Heaton accounted for three nods herself--Best Actress in a Comedy Series and Best Ensemble, Comedy Series for Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries nomination for her work in TNT's Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl.

The Sopranos earned four nominations in all, including competing Best Actress in a Drama Series nods for Edie Falco and Drea De Matteo. James Gandolfini nabbed a Best Actor nom and the entire cast was nominated in the Ensemble category.

Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher was the sole resident of Wisteria Lane to be individually nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series; however, the entire cast of ABC's newcomer sensation were nominated in the Ensemble Comedy category.

Notably snubbed was ABC's other new sensation, Lost, which was entirely shut out, despite its monster ratings.

Also lagging was Six Feet Under, which scored only an Ensemble Drama nomination as it prepares to head into its fifth and final season. Last year, the show earned Best Actor and Actress noms for Peter Krause and Frances Conroy in additional to an Ensemble nod for the cast. Conroy and the cast went on to win their categories at the 2004 SAG Awards.

The late Jerry Orbach earned a sentimental nod for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his longtime portrayal of Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order. It was his first nomination in the Best Actor category, though he had been nominated nine times previously in the Ensemble category. Orbach died last month of prostate cancer at the age of 69.

For the first time ever, the recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award also scored an individual SAG nomination. James Garner, who will receive the 41st Annual Life Achievement Award in recognition of his accomplished career and humanitarian contributions, also earned a Best Supporting Actor Nod for his work in The Notebook.

The 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be presented at a Feb. 5 ceremony in Los Angeles. Here's a complete roundup of the nominees:

MOTION PICTURES

Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Annette Bening, Being Julia
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Jamie Foxx, Collateral
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
James Garner, The Notebook
Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland

Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
Cloris Leachman, Spanglish
Laura Linney, Kinsey
Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda

Cast:
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
Million Dollar Baby
Ray
Sideways

TELEVISION

Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Jamie Foxx, Redemption
William H. Macy, The Wool Cap
Barry Pepper, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story
Geoffrey Rush, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Jon Voight, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Glenn Close, The Lion in Winter
Patricia Heaton, Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl
Keke Palmer, The Wool Cap
Hilary Swank, Iron Jawed Angels
Charlize Theron, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Hank Azaria, Huff
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace
Jerry Orbach, Law & Order
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Drea De Matteo, The Sopranos
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Jennifer Garner, Alias
Allison Janney, The West Wing
Christine Lahtii, Jack & Bobby

Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace
Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives
Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City
Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond

Ensemble in a Drama Series:
24
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Six Feet Under
The Sopranos
The West Wing

Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
Arrested Development
Desperate Housewives
Everybody Loves Raymond
Sex and the City
Will & Grace

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
James Garner

Quote from: MacGuffin(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fentertainment.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fent%2Fap%2F20050109%2Fcadb122_peoples_choice.sff.jpg&hash=7114f9874eb83ac363f4e1ac70b0242c1c8b139c)

That's not a mullet, is it?  :ponder:

ASC takes shot at 'Passion' among noms

In announcing its nominees for the year's best cinematography, the American Society of Cinematographers has become the industry's first professional organization to include Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" among its list of honorees. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who lensed Icon Prods.' "Passion," is among the film nominees for the 19th annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards, to be held Feb. 13 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland. Other nominees include Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron, who contributed to the cinematography on DreamWorks' "Collateral"; Bruno Delbonnel, for Warner Independent Pictures' "A Very Long Engagement"; Pawel Edelman, for Universal Pictures' "Ray"; and Robert Richardson, for Miramax Pictures' "The Aviator."

'Sideways,' Earns Nod for Guild Award

The Howard Hughes film biography "The Aviator" the boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" and the road-trip romp "Sideways" were among Writers Guild of America screenplay nominees Thursday.

Along with screenwriter John Logan for "The Aviator," original-screenplay nominees were Charlie Kaufman for the quirky love story "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; Zach Braff for the romance "Garden State"; Keir Pearson and Terry George for "Hotel Rwanda," based on a true story amid the 1994 Rwandan genocide; and Bill Condon for "Kinsey," a film biography of sexuality researcher Alfred Kinsey.

Adapted screenplay nominees were Paul Haggis for "Million Dollar Baby," based on stories from F.X. Toole's collection "Rope Burns"; Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for "Sideways," based on Rex Pickett's novel; Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke for the romantic drama "Before Sunset," based on characters Linklater and Kim Krizan created for their film "Before Sunrise"; Tina Fey for "Mean Girls," based on Rosalind Wiseman's book "Queen Bees and Wannabes"; and Jose Rivera for the Che Guevara road-trip adventure "The Motorcycle Diaries," based on memoirs by Guevara and traveling companion Alberto Granado.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony Feb. 19, about a week before the Academy Awards. The guild honors could give the winners a last-minute boost for the Oscars, whose balloting closes Feb. 22.

"Finding Neverland," a high-profile film in the running for Academy Award nominations, was ineligible because the film was not produced under conditions of the guild's current labor contract.

Another likely Oscar contender Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," his assault on President Bush's actions regarding the Sept. 11 attacks will compete in a separate documentary category created because of a surge in popularity for nonfiction films.

The documentary prize will be awarded in a separate guild ceremony sometime in February. (Moore's documentary "Bowling for Columbine" won the guild's 2002 original-screenplay honor.)

ACE makes Eddie Award nomination cuts

The American Cinema Editors announced nominations on Thursday for the 2004 ACE Eddie Awards recognizing outstanding editing in film, television and documentaries. Nominees for best edited dramatic feature film are Miramax Films' "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland" and "Kill Bill: Volume 2," DreamWorks' "Collateral," Fox Searchlight Pictures' "Kinsey" and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Million Dollar Baby." The five nominees for best edited comedy or musical include Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Fox Searchlight's "Sideways," MGM's "De-Lovely," Pixar Animation Studios' "The Incredibles," and Universal Pictures' "Ray." In the best edited documentary race are IFC Films' "Farenheit 9/11," New Yorker Films' "My Architect," and Sony Pictures Classics' "Riding Giants."

'Aviator' Leads British Film Award Nominations

Actress Kate Winslet will be competing with herself at Britain's prestigious film awards next month, winning two nominations for best actress for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Finding Neverland."

But it was Martin Scorsese's blockbuster "The Aviator" which led the way when the British Academy Film Awards shortlist was announced Monday, coming between Sunday's U.S. Golden Globes ceremony and the Oscar nominations later in January.

Leonardo DiCaprio , who starred alongside Winslet in the box office sensation "Titanic," was nominated as best actor for his portrayal of billionaire playboy Howard Hughes in The Aviator, which led the way with 14 nominations including best film.

As the cinema awards season reaches its climax, the BAFTA nominations are a further boost for the movie and its makers in the run-up to the Oscars .

"Vera Drake," Mike Leigh's moving portrayal of a back-street abortionist in 1950s London, won 11 nominations, leading the way for British films and performers after it failed to make an impression at the Golden Globes.

Also with 11 nominations, including best film, was "Finding Neverland," the story of J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

Its leading man Johnny Depp will be in the running as best actor, pitting him against DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx for "Ray," Jim Carrey for "Eternal Sunshine..." and Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal for "The Motorcycle Diaries."

Winslet goes against herself, Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake, Charlize Theron in "Monster" and Ziyi Zhang for "House of Flying Daggers" in the best actress category.

"Daggers," the martial arts extravaganza directed by Yimou Zhang, is up for nine BAFTA awards.

Critics bemoaned the lack of British films represented at the BAFTAs, noting that movies like "Shaun of the Dead," "My Summer of Love," "Vanity Fair" and "Phantom of the Opera" were not in the running for major gongs.

Votes for the nominees are cast by more than 6,000 film and television executives in Britain, who draw up "longlists" of 15 top contenders for each main category before whittling them down to shortlists of five.

One notable absentee from the nominations is Clint Eastwood 's acclaimed boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby," which won awards for best director and best actress at the Golden Globes.

An estimated 90 percent of the voters did not see the film, giving it no chance of featuring at the BAFTA award ceremony on February 12.

Film
THE AVIATOR
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
FINDING NEVERLAND
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA)
VERA DRAKE

The Alexander Korda Award for the outstanding British film of the year
DEAD MAN’S SHOES
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
MY SUMMER OF LOVE
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
VERA DRAKE

The Carl Foreman Award FOR SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT BY A BRITISH DIRECTOR/PRODUCER OR WRITER IN THEIR FIRST FEATURE FILM
AMMA ASANTE - Director/Writer (for A Way of Life)  
ANDREA GIBB - Writer (for Afterlife)  
MATTHEW VAUGHN - Director (for Layer Cake)  
NIRA PARK - Producer (for Shaun of the Dead)  
SHONA AUERBACH - Director (for Dear Frankie)  

The David Lean Award for achievement in Direction
THE AVIATOR - Martin Scorsese  
COLLATERAL - Michael Mann  
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - Michel Gondry  
FINDING NEVERLAND - Marc Forster  
VERA DRAKE - Mike Leigh  

Original Screenplay
THE AVIATOR
COLLATERAL
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
RAY
VERA DRAKE

Adapted Screenplay
THE CHORUS (LES CHORISTES)
CLOSER
FINDING NEVERLAND
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA)
SIDEWAY

Film Not In The English Language
LES CHORISTES (THE CHORUS)
DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA (THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES)
UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANCAILLES (A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT)
LA MALA EDUCACION (BAD EDUCATION)
SHI MIAN MAI FU (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS)

Actor In A Leading Role
GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL - The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta)  
JAMIE FOXX - Ray  
JIM CARREY - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  
JOHNNY DEPP - Finding Neverland  
LEONARDO DICAPRIO - The Aviator  

Actress In A Leading Role  
CHARLIZE THERON - Monster  
IMELDA STAUNTON - Vera Drake  
KATE WINSLET - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  
KATE WINSLET - Finding Neverland  
ZIYI ZHANG - House of Flying Daggers (Shi Mian Mai Fu)  

Actor In A Supporting Role
ALAN ALDA - The Aviator  
CLIVE OWEN - Closer  
JAMIE FOXX - Collateral  
PHIL DAVIS - Vera Drake  
RODRIGO DE LA SERNA - The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta)  

Actress In A Supporting Role
CATE BLANCHETT - The Aviator  
HEATHER CRANEY - Vera Drake  
JULIE CHRISTIE - Finding Neverland  
MERYL STREEP - The Manchurian Candidate  
NATALIE PORTMAN - Closer  

The Anthony Asquith Award For Achievenment In Film Music
THE AVIATOR
THE CHORUS (LES CHORISTES)
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA)
FINDING NEVERLAND
RAY

Cinematography
THE AVIATOR
COLLATERAL
FINDING NEVERLAND
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA)

Editing
THE AVIATOR
COLLATERAL
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)
VERA DRAKE

Production Design
THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)
VERA DRAKE

Costume Design
THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
VERA DRAKE

Sound
THE AVIATOR    
COLLATERAL    
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)
RAY    
SPIDER-MAN 2    

Achievement In Special Visual Effects
THE AVIATOR
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW    
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)    
SPIDER-MAN 2    

Make Up & Hair  
THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (SHI MIAN MAI FU)
VERA DRAKE

Short Animation
BIRTHDAY BOY
CITY PARADISE
HEAVY POCKETS
HIS PASSIONATE BRIDE
LITTLE THINGS

Short Film
THE BANKER
CAN’T STOP BREATHING
ELEPHANT BOY
KNITTING A LOVE SONG
SIX SHOOTER

Adrien Brody to Announce Oscar Nominations

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US actor Adrien Brody, who won the best actor Oscar for his role in "The Pianist," will unveil the nominations for the 2005 Academy Awards next week, organisers said.

Brody, who became the youngest person ever to win the best actor award for his performance in Roman Polanski's 2002 holocaust drama, will join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science President Frank Pierson in unveiling this year's nominees before dawn on January 25.

The pair will announce the nods in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 am (1330 GMT) on Tuesday, marking the official start of the 2005 race for cinema's highest honours.

The race moved into a high gear on Sunday, when Tinseltown's second most prestigious awards, the Golden Globes, were handed out, with Martin Scorsese's biopic "The Aviator" and Alexander Payne's bittersweet comedy "Sideways" taking top honours.

The golden Oscar statuettes will be bestowed out in Hollywood on February 27.

DGA nominates 5 docus' helmers

The DGA named the nominees Wednesday for its documentary filmmaker award, a field that includes the most profitable docu ever, "Fahrenheit 9/11." The nominees were Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni for "The Story of the Weeping Camel"; Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski for "Born Into Brothels"; Ross McElwee for "Bright Leaves"; Michael Moore for "Fahrenheit 9/11"; and Jehane Noujaim for "Control Room." All but Noujaim are first-time nominees for this award. It was Noujaim's second nomination; she won the award in 2001 for "Startup.com." The winner will be announced Jan. 29 at the 57th annual DGA Awards dinner at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Producers Guild Names 'The Aviator' Best Film

The Producers Guild of America, often an important barometer of Oscar sentiment, on Saturday night named "The Aviator" director Martin Scorsese's film biography of billionaire Howard Hughes, best film of 2004.

In 11 of the past 15 years, the Producers Guild has honored films that went on to win the best picture Oscar -- including "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" last year.

The producers are the first of three craft guilds to name their best picture for the year prior to the Oscars on Feb. 27. Next Saturday night, the Directors' Guild will select its best film and then on Feb. 5, the Screen Actors Guild will do the same.

"The Aviator," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has strong competition as Oscar season enters its final weeks. Critics have hailed comedy "Sideways" and Clint Eastwood's tragic boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" and many Oscar experts say there will be a tight race between the three films.

"The Aviator" was named best dramatic picture at last week's Golden Globe Awards, but Clint Eastwood was named best director for "Million Dollar Baby."

In other awards, the Producers Guild named HBO's "Angels in America" as the year's best TV movie or miniseries. It also gave two other HBO shows awards: "The Sopranos" was named best drama series and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" best comedy series.

NBC's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was named best TV variety program and "The Amazing Race" on CBS was named best reality series.

Aviator is new frontrunner for Oscars. $20 says Scorsese loses again at the Academy Awards.

'Alexander,' 'Catwoman' Lead Bad Pix Nominations

This could be the year in which Alexander the Great conquers Catwoman and President Bush wins a prize as worst actor.

Nominations for the 25th annual Razzies, which honor the worst films of the year, were announced on Monday with "Catwoman," the Halle Berry box office bomb, besting "Alexander," Oliver Stone's much maligned tale of the bleached blond conqueror, by seven nominations to six.

In addition, the president made the list for worst actor for his film clip appearances in "Fahrenheit 9/11," a movie he might well consider the worst of the year. Also nominated for their appearances in the politically-charged film about the Iraq war were Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

The Razzies are a traditional spoof award made at Oscar time by the non-profit Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. The group's prizes are given out on Feb. 26, the day before the Oscars . Never has one of its films gone on to win an Oscar.

"Catwoman" and "Alexander" were nominated for Worst Picture, a category which also drew "SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2," Ben Affleck 's career-eroding "Surviving Christmas," and "White Chicks," the Wayans brothers dress-up, gender-bending comedy that left critics cold.

Bush was nominated for worst actor along with Affleck for "Surviving Christmas" and "Jersey Girl," Vin Diesel for "Chronicles of Riddick," Colin Farrell for "Alexander." Ben Stiller was nominated for "Along Came Polly," "Anchorman," "Dodgeball," "Envy" and "Starsky & Hutch."

Halle Berry was nominated for worst actress for "Catwoman," Hilary Duff for "Cinderella Story" and "Raise Your Voice," Angelina Jolie for "Alexander" and "Taking Lives," Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for "New York Minute" and Shawn and Marlon Wayans in their incarnation as the Wayans sisters in "White Chicks."

The nominations for worst screen couple include: Ben Affleck and either Jennifer Lopez or Liv Tyler in "Jersey Girl," Halle Berry and either Benjamin Bratt or Sharon Stone in "Catwoman, George W. Bush and either Rice or his pet goat in "Fahrenheit 9/11," the Olsen twins in "New York Minute," the Wayans Brothers, in or out of drag, in "White Chicks."

Worst supporting actress were Carmen Electra for "Starsky & Hutch," Jennifer Lopez for "Jersey Girl," Rice for "Fahrenheit 9/11," Britney Spears for her cameo role in that same movie and Sharon Stone for "Catwoman."

Val Kilmer was nominated for worst supporting actor for "Alexander." Also nominated were California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for "Around The World in 80 Days," Rumsfeld for "Fahrenheit 9/11," Jon Voight for SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2" and Lambert Wilson for "Catwoman."

"Catwoman" led with seven nominations to six for Alexander, five for "Fahrenheit 9/11," five "White Chicks," and four for "SuperBabies."

man people are really into this nominating politicians for bad actors things.

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetAviator is new frontrunner for Oscars. $20 says Scorsese loses again at the Academy Awards.

I still think Million Dollar Baby is the frontrunner, with Sideways 2nd and Aviator 3rd.

It is definitely a 3 horse race.

Michael Moore Fails to Make Cut with Writers Guild

Two days after being snubbed when the Oscar nominations were announced, Michael Moore was left off the list Thursday when the Writers Guild of America unveiled nominees for its first documentary writing award for a feature film.

The six nominated pictures are "The Hunting of the President," which alleges a campaign against Bill Clinton from his early days in Arkansas through his impeachment; "Control Room," an inside view of the Arab television network Al Jazeera during the war in Iraq; "Bright Leaves," a reflection on Big Tobacco by the great-grandson of a tobacco baron; "Home of the Brave," a study of murdered civil-rights activist Viola Liuzzo; "In the Realm of the Unreal," which follows artist, novelist and janitor Henry Darger; and "Super Size Me," a first-person take on the perils of overeating fast food.

Of those films, only Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" has been nominated for a best documentary Academy Award.

WGA officials said Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" was eligible but Moore elected not to submit it. Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" won the WGA Award for best original screenplay in 2003, the first time that a documentary had ever been nominated in that category.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" also failed to earn an Academy Award nomination this week. In that case, however, he had declined to submit "Fahrenheit" in the documentary category because he planned a TV airing before the Nov. 2 election -- and that disqualified the documentary under Academy rules. "Fahrenheit" was eligible in other categories, and Moore unsuccessfully campaigned for a best picture nomination.

The winner of the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award will be named at a reception for documentary filmmakers Feb. 15 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.

World Politics Dominate Top Sundance Awards

War, world politics and personal struggles dominated Sundance Film Festival awards on Saturday as a dark drama, "Forty Shades of Blue," and a documentary about the U.S. defense industry, "Why We Fight," won top honors.

"Forty Shades of Blue" tells of a Russian woman who marries a man twice her age to immigrate to America and must now come to a new reckoning of herself. It earned the American Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

The American Documentary Jury Prize was given to "Why We Fight," in which director Eugene Jarecki examines the U.S. military industrial complex to show audiences that the system's survival depends on constant world war.

Sundance is the top U.S. festival for independent film, and a prize here means instant recognition for filmmakers.

For the first time, Sundance held competitions for world documentaries and dramas to shed a brighter spotlight on foreign films.

The World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize was given to "The Hero" about men, women and children looking for normalcy following the end to the Angolan civil war in 2002. It received backing in three countries: Angola, Portugal and France.

The Netherlands' "Shape of the Moon" won the World Cinema Documentary Jury Award. It tells of three Christian families adapting their religious beliefs to life in Indonesia -- the world's largest Muslim country.

AUDIENCE AWARDS

The top Sundance awards come from juries of filmmakers, but the festival also offers an "Audience Award" to movies chosen by festivalgoers. The Audience Awards are often a better indicator of a film's popularity and potential box office.

Last year's dramatic jury award went to the low-budget science fiction film "Primer," which failed to ignite major ticket sales, while the dramatic film audience winner "Maria Full of Grace" met solid success at box offices.

Rap music film "Hustle & Flow," about a pimp suffering a mid-life crisis in a U.S. southern city, earned the Audience Award for a dramatic film, as well as taking home the Sundance trophy for cinematography for Amelia Vincent.

"Hustle & Flow" was acquired this past week at Sundance by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films for $9 million -- a hefty price for a low-budget film -- making it perhaps the festival's biggest winner, overall.

"Murderball," about quadriplegic men who play a rugby-like game in their wheelchairs, won the Audience Award for a documentary. It has been one of the talked-about movies on the snowy streets of this mountain town east of Salt Lake City.

The World Cinema audience trophy for a drama went to Denmark's "Brothers," about a man whose life changes after his brother vanishes while on a U.N. mission in Afghanistan .

The World Documentary audience trophy went to "Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire," a Canadian film about the career military man who commanded the undermanned U.N. peacekeeping force in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.

what r we to do with all these lists?

Clint Eastwood gets Oscars boost, wins director's union top prize

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news1.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Frids%2F20050130%2Fi%2Fr3124409883.jpg&hash=9565bfec4b53843a8c86af09c6066639bfa364b8)(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news1.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Frids%2F20050130%2Fi%2Fr51379640.jpg&hash=943b5196d7db6f62b4f547dd3bd3c4202cd59883)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Movie tough guy and "Million Dollar Baby" maker Clint Eastwood was crowned best director of 2004 by his fellow Hollywood filmmakers, giving him a major boost ahead of next month's Oscars.

Eastwood, 74, beat out fellow legend Martin Scorsese, the maker of "The Aviator," when the prestigious Director's Guild of America (DGA) awards were handed out at a banquet in Beverly Hills.

"The Aviator," a biopic about the life of eccentric US billionaire Howard Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is currently doing battle with Eastwood's dark story of a female boxer in the race for the Oscars.

Both men go to the Oscars armed with nominations for best director and each of their films has best picture Oscar nods as well as best actor or actress nominations.

Eastwood, who is still best known to moviegoers as the star of the "Dirty Harry" films, also trumped "Finding Neverland" director Marc Forster, Taylor Hackford for "Ray" and Alexander Payne for the acclaimed road movie "Sideways".

Winners of the DGA award have gone on to win the best director Oscar at the Academy Awards 51 times in the past 57 years, making the prizes a key barometer for the Oscars.

Eastwood's DGA win for "Million Dollar Baby," comes after he won the Golden Globe award for best director earlier this month.

He won the DGA award for his 1992 film "Unforgiven," and was nominated last year for "Mystic River" (2003).

Scorsese, 62, has never won a DGA award, despite six nominations for "Gangs of New York" (2002), "The Age of Innocence" (1993), "Goodfellas" (1990), "Raging Bull" (1980) and "Taxi Driver" (1976) and "The Aviator" this year.

Pundits have said the battle for the best director Oscar is a two-horse race between Scorsese, who has never won one of cinema's top honours, and Eastwood, who won the Academy Award for directing "Unforgiven."

The Oscars, nominations for which were announced earlier this week, will be handed out at a ceremony in Hollywood on February 27.

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news1.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Frids%2F20050130%2Fi%2Fr1947123195.jpg&hash=9f7562722fc377473e400cb1ebc6c07f850360f2)
Director Martin Scorsese holds his nominee plaque during the 57th annual Director's Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills January 29, 2005. Scorsese is nominated for best director for his film 'The Aviator.'

Chalk up another director loss for Scorsese at the Oscars.

I wouldn't be surprised if Aviator wins best picture however.

Scorsese's films have never won because they aren't personal anymore.  He was just getting started, he was the indie, back then when his films were admirable, gritty, and about a life he knew, and now his films are about other people who already exist instead of his own visions and dreams.  They lack heart.  I feel bad for him, I want him to be honored, but only for a deserving film.  Gangs wasn't it.  Maybe Aviator will be.  But not in a year where Sideways and Million Dollar Baby were made.

In full disclosure, cine tells me Aviator is more than just a biopic but a love letter to Hughes, I believe it, and am still looking forward to it (even though it's 2 hours, 50 minutes ... ugh).  so all you Scorsesephiles don't crucify me yet.  My argument to him was that I couldn't ever see a bio pic being better than a heartfelt drama.  Because it's about a real person, so there are bounds to the poignancy.  With fictional characters, the possibilities are endless.

I don't think Scorsese has jumped the shark or anything like that, but he certainly hasn't put together a movie that I enjoyed more than either Sideways or Million Dollar Baby. His movies do lack a genuine sense of warmth and vulnerability that he is so well known for. Gangs and Aviator both are a far cry from the rest of his work which is in your face no-nonsense Scorsese. Quentin Tarantino spoke well about this on Charlie Rose when he mentioned directors who, for whatever reason, just seem to run out of gas.

I think is cool that Eastwood wins for a great film, but the DGA's are even worst than the oscars towards marty...six nominations and not one single win???

anyway, i'm seeing an alfred hitchcock in scorsese´s future, his film winning the best picture oscar and some other guy getting the best director award (as with rebecca).

Quote from: Alexandroanyway, i'm seeing an alfred hitchcock in scorsese´s future, his film winning the best picture oscar and some other guy getting the best director award (as with rebecca).

you're just saying that cause your name is alexandro.

Quote from: ono mo cuishleScorsese's films have never won because they aren't personal anymore.

this sentence doesn't make sense. the word 'never' is the problem.

Haha, welcome  back.

Foxx, Swank Take Actors Guild Honors

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news2.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Fap%2F20050206%2Fcapt.sag22102060327.sag_awards_sag221.jpg&hash=7fb3f3aba962ac212e49188bf8c5383b4f1e4373)(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news2.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Fap%2F20050206%2Fcapt.sag21302060306.sag_awards_sag213.jpg&hash=e78cb6759dacfc913c6a6286221c863b8cbdf66c)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news2.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Fap%2F20050206%2Flthumb.sag20902060255.sag_awards_sag209.jpg&hash=5bf738e9e3503c4e3c08d347ae64ae474b7d92a5)(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.news1.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Frids%2F20050206%2Fs%2Fr4242351139.jpg&hash=e3b1bff0a04230e1715c65d8e4e7a912d978d87a)

LOS ANGELES - Jamie Foxx's uncanny re-creation of Ray Charles in "Ray" earned him the Screen Actors Guild Award for best actor Saturday, while Hilary Swank won the best actress prize for "Million Dollar Baby," playing a spirited boxer whose life takes a tragic turn. The cast prize for best movie ensemble went to the road-trip comedy "Sideways."

Cate Blanchett won the supporting-actress honor for her role as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator," and Morgan Freeman took the supporting-actor prize for "Million Dollar Baby," playing a sage-like ex-prizefighter.

"Thank you for Ray Charles for just living so complex and so interesting, and making us all just come together," said Foxx, the front-runner to win the best-actor prize at the Academy Awards on Feb. 27. Addressing his director on "Ray," Foxx added, "Thank you for Taylor Hackford for taking a chance with an African-American film. Taylor, you're my director of the year."

Swank offered gushing praise for her director and co-star, Clint Eastwood. "I bow down to you," Swank said to the 74-year-old Eastwood. "You are a talent beyond compare. If I'm half the person you are and half the talent you are when I'm 74, I will know that I've accomplished something great."

The SAG honors presented the first big head-to-head competition between Swank and Oscar rival Annette Bening, a nominee for the theater farce "Being Julia." At the Golden Globes, Swank won for best dramatic actress while Bening was honored for best actress in a musical or comedy.

The two actresses are the front-runners at the Oscars, a rematch of the showdown five years ago, when underdog Swank pulled an upset best-actress win for "Boys Don't Cry" over Bening, who had been the favorite for "American Beauty."

The wins gave all the actors an Oscar boost just as voting gets under way for Hollywood's top honors. Oscar ballots were mailed Wednesday to academy members, with voting scheduled to end Feb. 22, five days before the ceremony.

Freeman paid respect to fellow contender James Garner by singing a verse from the theme song of Garner's old TV Western "Maverick." Garner was nominated as supporting actor for the romantic drama "The Notebook" and received the guild's lifetime-achievement award.

Covering all his bases, Freeman added, "I want to thank everybody I ever met."

Blanchett thanked co-star Leonardo DiCaprio and especially "The Aviator" director Martin Scorsese. Looking at her trophy, a statue of a performer holding the comedy and tragedy masks that symbolize actors, Blanchett said, "I think the head, shoulders, knees and toes of this belong to Martin Scorsese, who led us all and brought us great courage."

For dramatic TV series, the late Jerry Orbach won the actor honor for "Law and Order." Orbach died in December.

"How bittersweet. But it's still sweet," said Orbach's widow, Elaine. "Jerry had a motto: Never leave a hit show. ... May you all never leave your hit show."

Jennifer Garner earned the dramatic actress honor for "Alias," and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" received the dramatic ensemble award for the entire cast.

Tony Shalhoub, star of "Monk," won the guild prize for the second straight year as actor in a TV comedy. Teri Hatcher won the TV comedy actress honor for "Desperate Housewives," which also won the comedy ensemble award.

The 11th annual guild awards provided a warmup bout for "The Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" before they duke it out for best-picture at the Oscars. Although "Sideways" won the guild ensemble honor, "The Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" are still considered the best bets for the top prize at the Oscars on Feb. 27.

The winner of the SAG cast-performance prize has gone on to receive the top Oscar four times in the nine years since the guild added that category.

11TH ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS WINNERS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Jamie Foxx / RAY

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Hilary Swank / MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Morgan Freeman / MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett / THE AVIATOR

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
SIDEWAYS

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Geoffrey Rush / THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Glenn Close / THE LION IN WINTER

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Jerry Orbach / LAW & ORDER

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Garner / ALIAS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub / MONK

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Teri Hatcher / DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION - CBS

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - ABC

London Critics Hail Scorsese, 'Sideways'

Martin Scorsese was named director of the year for "The Aviator" at the London Film Critics' Circle awards Wednesday.

But Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic was beaten for film of the year by "Sideways."

Local film "Vera Drake" proved to be the evening's biggest winner, walking off with five awards, including two for veteran filmmaker Mike Leigh: British director of the year and British screenwriter of the year.

Imelda Staunton, the movie's leading lady, was crowned actress of the year, while Phil Davis, her co-star in "Drake," was named best British actor in a supporting role.

Kate Winslet and Eva Birthistle shared the British actress of the year award for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Ae Fond Kiss," respectively.

Jamie Foxx took the actor of the year accolade for his performance in "Ray," and Daniel Craig took the British actor of the year award for his turn in "Enduring Love."

The London Critics' Circle, the film section of the Critics' Circle, has 100 members who write for British newspapers and magazines. The event came just days ahead of the British Academy Film Awards, due to be dished out Saturday.

'The Aviator' Soars at British Awards

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fentertainment.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fent%2Fap%2F20050212%2Flon824_britain_bafta_.sff.jpg&hash=b474a420e83d9cd54210312b975d0b5403943ab9)

"The Aviator" soared Saturday at the British Academy Film Awards, taking four prizes including best film. The abortion drama "Vera Drake" won three, including best director for Mike Leigh.

"The Aviator" which has 11 nominations for the Feb. 27 Academy Awards had led the field with 14 nominations. But members of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts scattered the prizes widely.

While "Aviator" director Martin Scorsese and star Leonardo DiCaprio went home empty-handed, the film won a best supporting actress award for Cate Blanchett, as well as prizes for production design and best hair and makeup.

Imelda Staunton won best actress for her wrenching performance as a 1950s Cockney housewife who performs illegal abortions in "Vera Drake." The film also took the costume design prize.

Jamie Foxx was named best actor for his uncanny depiction of singer Ray Charles in "Ray"; the film also won the award for best sound. British star Clive Owen was named best supporting actor for "Closer."

The British awards, known as BAFTAs, have become an essential pre-Oscars stop since they were moved in 2000 from April to a February date, preceding the Academy Awards.

A clutch of Hollywood stars including DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and model Claudia Schiffer braved the rain and cold to walk up the red carpet in London's Leicester Square, watched by hundreds of fans.

The Che Guevara road movie "The Motorcycle Diaries" won two awards best foreign-language film and best music. Another double winner was fractured romantic comedy "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which took BAFTAs for editing and for Charlie Kaufman's original screenplay.

The prize for best adapted screenplay went to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for the wine-tasting comedy "Sideways."

"My Summer of Love," Pawel Pawliowski's bittersweet tale of romance between two teenage girls, was named best British film. The Orange Film of the Year prize the only award decided by the public went to "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

The Baftas were pretty bad this year (in terms of entertainment anyway). As always its the foreign film contenders who really seem to appreciate it, so I was only really glad for their two wins. Particularly the score.

Quote from: ono mo cuishleScorsese's films have never won because they aren't personal anymore.  He was just getting started, he was the indie, back then when his films were admirable, gritty, and about a life he knew, and now his films are about other people who already exist instead of his own visions and dreams.  They lack heart.  I feel bad for him, I want him to be honored, but only for a deserving film.  Gangs wasn't it.  Maybe Aviator will be.  But not in a year where Sideways and Million Dollar Baby were made.

In full disclosure, cine tells me Aviator is more than just a biopic but a love letter to Hughes, I believe it, and am still looking forward to it (even though it's 2 hours, 50 minutes ... ugh).  so all you Scorsesephiles don't crucify me yet.  My argument to him was that I couldn't ever see a bio pic being better than a heartfelt drama.  Because it's about a real person, so there are bounds to the poignancy.  With fictional characters, the possibilities are endless.

this is one of the most idiotic arguements i've ever heard. how do you know that this film isn't personal to him? because it's based off a character that's non-fictitious? how does that logic work? did you ever think that he tells stories that inspire him, stories that he sees a peice of himself in, characters that he relates to and understands. -- to say it lacks heart because it a biopic is an ignorant statement. did raging bull lack heart for you? was that boring and uninspired -- it must of been becuase jake lamotta was real, and by your logic REAL lives can't be heartfelt. howard hughes is a character so rich and interesting because he WAS real. You do realize that many reasons why heartfelt dramas are powerful, is mainly due to the fact that the creator's are bringing REAL experince to the table -- experiences that are more real and powerful than fiction ever could be. Saying a real character has a disadvantage because they don't have endless possibilities  -- howard hughes's life was endless, he acheived what many dream of, which results in one of the most dynamic dramas I've scene in a while.  To each's own I guess.  But you're really not entitled to an opinion until you've seen the film. So I'll just write you off as a a critic who doesn't know the ground he walks on. Word of advice, don't open your mouth until you know the shot.

How old are you?

Quote from: ono mo cuishleHow old are you?

You guys got to get off that reply.

And besides, Scorsese is more likely to get an oscar with a film like Aviator. When has the Academy ever awarded personal and challenging works? The year Spike Lee made Do The Right Thing, they chose Driving Miss Daisy.

The Aviator will win best picture but Eastwood will get best director.

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetWhen has the Academy ever awarded personal and challenging works?

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.amazon.com%2Fimages%2FP%2FB00012QM8G.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg&hash=1db48b03ecd198d5f21b5a88734dea40d68049aa)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.amazon.com%2Fimages%2FP%2FB00005AUJQ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg&hash=f5cfed304765e6284382ce691c3e12928ade3582)

Quote from: ®edlumThe Baftas were pretty bad this year (in terms of entertainment anyway). As always its the foreign film contenders who really seem to appreciate it, so I was only really glad for their two wins. Particularly the score.

haha, my favorite part was when Gillian Anderson came out to present an award.. they focused on sum dude whose face was expressing what we were all thinking: "wtf is with the british accent?!". the dude quickly changed his expression when he realised he was on screen.

and i guess his expression was also a reaction to the weird joke she made, but anyway forget the dude, the point remains: haha, seriously.. she used to hav one of the hottest american accents around. :yabbse-sad:

We have accents?!? I thought that was something you goofy foreigners had, that's what made you you!

Delbonnel sets scene for ASC

Bruno Delbonnel took top honors for Warner Independent Pictures' "A Very Long Engagement" at the annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards, which took place Sunday. It is the first time the French cinematographer has won an ASC Award, though he also was nominated by the honorary cinematography society for his work on Jean Pierre Jeunet's "Amelie." The award was presented to Delbonnel at the 19th annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland. Robbie Greenberg claimed top honors for HBO's "Iron Jawed Angels" in the cable movie competition. Jonathan Freeman won for NBC's "Homeland Security" in the original movie for broadcast television heat. Nathan Hope won for the episodic series competition for the "Down the Drain" episode of CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

'Super Size' earns first WGA feature docu award

The WGA's inaugural award for documentary feature writing was presented Tuesday to Morgan Spurlock for "Super Size Me," a first-person study of America's fast-food industry and culture. The award was given out at a special ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, which also served as a mixer for about 400 nonfiction filmmakers. WGA West and WGA East will hold their full awards dinners Saturday at the Hollywood Palladium and the Pierre Hotel in New York, respectively. Tuesday's event marked the first time the WGA has honored a writer for documentary screenplay. Organizers say the recognition was driven by the rising popularity of documentary features and the primary role writers play in creating them. Producer Brian Grazer presented the award to Spurlock, Roadside Attractions, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Showtime Independent Films.

'Sunshine,' 'Sideways' Win Writers Guild Honors

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Sideways" were the big film winners at the 57th annual Writers Guild Awards Saturday.

"Sunshine," by Charlie Kaufman, based on a story by Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth, won for original screenplay. "Sideways," by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, and based on a novel by Rex Pickett, got the nod for adapted screenplay.

In television, the laurel for longform adapted screenplay went to HBO's "Angels in America," which Tony Kushner adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.

Fox's "The Simpsons" prevailed in the competition among animated TV series for the episode "Catch 'Em If You Can," by Ian Maxtone-Graham.

In the comedy-variety series field, the victor was NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" and for comedy-variety special it was "The Kennedy Center Honors" on CBS.

CBS' "The Guiding Light" was the winner for daytime serial and the winner for children's script was Showtime's "A Separate Peace" for Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of John Knowles' classic coming-of-age novel.

The episodic drama laurel went to NBC's "The West Wing," for the episode "The Supremes," written by Debora Cahn.

There was a tie for the winner in the episodic comedy category, both from Fox. The winners were "Arrested Development" for the episode "Pier Pressure," from writers Jim Vallely and series creator-executive producer Mitch Hurwitz; and "Malcolm in the Middle," for the episode "Ida's Boyfriend" written by Neil Thompson.

HBO's "Something the Lord Made," by Peter Silverman and Robert Caswell, prevailed in the category of original telefilm screenplay.

pretty excellent. glad desparate f'ing housewives was blatantly ignored.

i'm just getting into the west wing now that there are reruns on bravo and i must say it is some of the best writing on television by far.

not in this season...the ones on bravo are really reall great, but when aaron sorkin left, it went totally downhill.