Vancouver Film Critics Awards

More film critics awards. This time it's "Milk" walking away with the top prize:

BEST FILM
Milk

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Sean Penn, Milk

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road/The Reader

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Edge of Heaven

BEST CANADIAN FILM
C’est pas moi, je le jure!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Natar Ungalaaq, The Necessities of Life

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
Marianne Fortier, Maman est chez le coiffeur

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN
FILM
Randy Quaid, Real Time

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN
FILM
Suzanne Clément, C’est pas moi, je le jure!

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM
Philippe Falardeau, C’est pas moi, je le jure!

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM
Fifty Dead Men Walking

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM INDUSTRY
William Vince

Slumdog Sweeps Globes

"Slumdog Millionaire" turns out to be the top winner, winning Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Score. Full list below, more comments later:

FILM

• Best Picture, Drama: Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Picture, Comedy Musical: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
• Best Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
• Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
• Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy: Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
• Best Animated Feature: WALL·E
• Best Actor, Musical/Comedy: Colin Farrell
• Best Actress, Musical/Comedy: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
• Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millonaire
• Best Original Song: Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
• Cecil B. DeMille Award: Stephen Spielberg

Golden Globes This Sunday

This Sunday NBC will be airing the Golden Globes to what is likely going to be an empty audience. No, there isn't another strike on the horizon, but never before have a felt such a lack of interest in the Globes before. Granted, the Globes are always the bastard child of the awards shows, but people usually tune in to at least see actors get drunk. This year though is different: People actually care about the movie awards. All of them. I've talked to people at work who haven't cared about Oscar in years, but they are paying attention to every guild nomination, every win, because there are movies that people actually want to see in the running. In this regard, the Globes blew it. Big time. By leaving out such important films as "The Dark Knight," "Milk," and "Wall-E" in favor of lesser fare like "The Reader" and "Revolutionary Road" shows just how out-of-touch the Globes truly are.

So out of touch are the Globes, that this is the first year I can think of where everybody wrote off the Globes as having much of an effect on the Oscars just because of the nominations. When discussing Oscars the Globes don't even come up in conversation. Why? Because people aren't taking them seriously this year. So much so, that I wouldn't be too surprised if the ratings for the Globes are actually lower this year then previous year (you know, the year with that pathetic "show" because no one would show up due to the Writers Strike). But watch it I will, and we'll see if it effects anything at this point.

'Clever' Ain't So Observant

Though there are plenty of YouTube videos out there that have legitimate film fans and critics talking about the upcoming Oscars, with worthwhile predictions and interesting insights, it's pretty sad that typing in "oscar predictions" leads to this video being first in line...



...which shows that YouTube is still owned by sponsers. Not only does this woman NOT remind me of a film critic, but for making a movie close to January she shows a shocking lack of knowledge about the Oscar race! She lists "Revolutionary Road," "Doubt," and *snicker* "Australia" as major contenders. Obviously if she were a movie fan she would know that (with the small exception of "Doubt) all those movies are pretty much out of the race. No mention of "Milk," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," or "The Reader" are to be found. She doesn't mention "The Dark Knight," and Heath Ledger isn't so much as mentioned (which, considering how that race is going, must be a first at this point). I'm surprised she even mentioned Sally Hawkins in the video.

This is why, fellow Oscar lovers, you make sure you choose your prediction sites/videos carefully. There are informed opinions out there, and you don't have to settle for stuff like this, that seems to be popular just because they have money to advertise. If you want my personal picks for good campaign sites, I have a list of them on the side underneath predictions. I recommend you start clicking and informing yourself.

Some Fun RT Numbers

I thought it would be interesting to see where, critically, the nominated Globe films stand on Rotten Tomatoes.com:

The Reader: 59% (Rotten: Based off 44 reviews)
The Curious Case of Benjiman Button: 90% (Fresh: Based off 10 reviews)
Revolutionary Road:100% (Fresh: Based off 10 reviews)
Slumdog Millionaire: 92% (Fresh: Based off 118 reviews)
Frost/Nixon: 92% (Fresh: Based off 85 reviews)

Well now, doesn't THAT change things a bit! There are some reveling things in these numbers. First of all, "The Reader" got a "rotten" certification, so chances are pretty good that that won't be nominated for Best Picture come Oscar time. The second is that while four of these films are certified as fresh, only two are legitimately so: "Frost/Nixon" and "Slumdog Millionaire." "Revolutionary Road" and "The Curious Case of Benjiman Button" haven't really been seriously weighed in on, and I don't have high hopes for Road seeing as how it's been snubbed at other critics award shows. This is more proof that the Globes nominate more on campaigns then good film making and critical reception. It will be interesting to see how these numbers morph once these movie open wider (and that includes "Frost/Nixon," which has only opened in two cities thus far).

Golden Globe Nominees

So here are the nominees for the Golden Globes:

Best Picture, Drama
Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture Comedy/Musical
Burn After Reading
Happy Go Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, Ben Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

Actor, Drama
Leo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Actress, Drama
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Joie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved you So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. Tropic Tunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Actor, Comedy
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrel, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleason, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman Last Chance Harvey

Actress, Comedy
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I’ve Loved You So Long
Waltz with Bashir

Animated Feature
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Benjamin Button
Doubt

Score
Benjamin Button
Changeling
Defiance
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon

Song
Down to Earth, Wall-E
Gran Torino
I thought I Lost You, Bolt
Once in a Lifetime, Cadillac Record
The Wrestler, The Wrestler

Interesting set of nominees I'd say. Looks like Benjiman Button and "Doubt" lead the nominees with five nominations each (though "Doubt" does so without a nomination for either Picture or Director). I know we're all surprised to see "The Dark Knight" and "Milk" get mostly shut out, but don't count these films out of the Oscar race. Keep in mind the last time the Globes and Oscars actually awarded the same film Best Picture was in 2003, when "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" walked home with the top prizes. And 2004's Best Picture winner, "Crash," wasn't even nominated at the Globes. Plus they have two picture categories, so sometimes the vote gets split on those movies that fall somewhere in the middle. So in short, don't count Nolan and Van Sant out yet, with the critics and public choice awards going mostly in their favor, I think one of them will have the last laugh come Oscar night.

It IS nice to see both Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. get Best Supporting Actor nods for their work in "Tropic Thunder," and so my prediction that Tom Cruise may get a nomination in this category is looking more likely. Ultimately though the big push is going to come when the Director's Guild and Critics Choice give out their awards. They're the big ones, and they usually award the films that get nominated. So enjoy the Globes, and don't feel too bad about your favorite film not getting a nomination. It ain't over til it's over.

Pete's Top Ten

Peter Travis, film critic of Rolling Stone (and one of the few legit critics working these days), has posted his top ten best films of 2008 list. They are:

1. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. The Dark Knight
4. Frost/Nixon
5. WALL-E
6. Revolutionary Road
7. The Visitor
8. Doubt
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Man on Wire

Good to see "The Dark Knight" and "Wall•E" up on the list. It's also nice to see someone giving "Rachel Getting Married" some well deserved recognition. And "Milk" gets another number one spot. Is that our next Best Picture winner? I won't be putting my list together until early January, so I'll hold off commenting my opinions for the moment.

Nominees For The 14th Annual Critics Choice Awards Reveled

For your reading pleasure, here are the nominees for the Critics Choice Awards:

BEST PICTURE

Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler

BEST ACTOR

Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Kate Beckinsale - Nothing But the Truth
Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
James Franco - Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Vera Farmiga - Nothing But the Truth
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Milk
Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant - Milk

BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)

Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)

Dakota Fanning - The Secret Life of Bees
David Kross - The Reader
Dev Petal - Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters - Australia

BEST ACTION MOVIE

The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum of Solace
Wanted

BEST COMEDY MOVIE

Burn After Reading
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Role Models
Tropic Thunder
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

John Adams
Recount
Coco Chanel

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Christmas Tale
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You So Long
Let the Right One In
Mongol
Waltz With Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

I.O.U.S.A.
Man On Wire
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Standard Operating Procedure
Young At Heart

BEST SONG

“Another Way to Die” (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) - Quantum of Solace
“Down to Earth” (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman) - Wall-E
“I Thought I Lost You” (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele) - Bolt
“Jaiho” (performed by Sukhwinder Singh, written by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar) - Slumdog Millionaire
“The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) - The Wrestler

BEST COMPOSER

Alexandre Desp lat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
Danny Elfman - Milk
Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

Right now here are the leaders of the pack:

Milk (Eight Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Actor
Two Best Supporting Actor Nominations
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Director
Best Writer
Best Composer

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Eight Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Director
Best Writer
Best Composer

The Dark Knight (Six Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Director
Best Action Movie
Best Composer

Doubt (Six Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Writer

Slumdog Millionaire (Six Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Writer
Best Young Actor/Actress
Best Song
Best Composer

So what does this mean for Oscar season? Well, not too much, though we are starting to see a pattern emerge so that we have a slightly better idea of how the Oscar race is turning out. Here are some things we do know:

• "The Dark Knight" is more likely to get a Best Picture nomination if not outright become the favorite to win.
• "Revolutionary Road" may be trouble, based on it's total shut-out here.
• "The Curious Case of Benjiman Button" is looking to be more then just hype.
• "Slumdog Millionaire" could become this years "Little Film That Could" after all.

Other then that though we don't know much. The Golden Globes are going to be announcing their nominees soon, so once those are announced we may or may not have a good idea on how the Oscar noms will go. Remember, anything can happen and nothing is certain. I mean, just take a look at that song list: Miley Cyrus is a CCA nominee. Crickey!

Is "Dark Knight" Out of Reach To Elders?

Though the box office run of "The Dark Knight" is coming to a close (and not going to be topping "Titanic's" record) the praise for the movie keeps coming. Now that Oscar potentials such as "Appaloosa," "W," and other films have crashed in the critical department, the likely-hood of a Best Picture nomination seems more likely. However the argument has now come up that the movie won't get nominated because the academy voters are too old to "get it." Some people actually think that the academy voters and the general public live on two different planets. There's some merrit to this (and if you've ever looked at the history of the People's Choice Awards you'll know what I mean). Case in point, the Reel Geezers...

...these are two members of the academy who are old, worn, and represent a good portion of the academy. These two have shared their thoughts of this film on YouTube...



...though don't take this video as a sure sign that the old folks won't vote for "The Dark Knight." Keep in mind one of these geezers wrote for the original Adam West "Batman" show, so seeing an updated film likely felt like stomping on his legecy. As for the woman...well, I don't want to sound sexist, but older women tend to not like violent films anyway. Therefor I think this isn't a good representation of the average voter. Right now we don't know what's going to happen. All of our predictions could turn out to be wrong, and for all we know "Wall-E" could still sneak up behind us. What I want to remind people is this: Nothing is certain. "The Dark Knight" may be slowing down, but once the BluRay is released it will be back in the spotlight (or so I assume, seeing as how it's likely going to break some BluRay records).

Plus with the film being re-released in January in IMAX theaters it will be harder to ignore. Then there's the fact that movies like "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," and "Revolutionary Road" could be bombs. I want them to be good, but a good trailer does not garentee a good movie. Right now the only other film that looks like a sure nomination that we've seen is "Rachael Getting Married," which was a film that had little Oscar attention outside of Anne Hathaway, and now the movie is being called Johnathan Demme's big comeback. So just chill everyone: It isn't over till it's over.

Cases For and Against Potential Nominees

A new predictions chart has appeared over at Awards Daily.com showing that there are five films that are predicted to be nominated for Best Picture at the end of the year ("The Dark Knight" just missed the boat, appearing at number six). Now I obviously haven't seen all of these films, but let's look at the films and, based on the trailers and posters alone, pick up some of the pros and cons of the material:

Number 1

Frost/Nixon

Cases For Nomination

• Academy Award winner Ron Howard is directing it.



• Frank Langella and Michael Sheen are looking promising.



• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!



• It's about a lousy Republican President. The voters tend to be very liberal and eat this stuff up.



• If John McCain wins election the voters will likely vote this film in just to make a point.

Cases Aginst Nomination

• Ron Howard hasn't directed anything of much critical acclaim in the last few years.



• The subject matter might not be compelling enough to make it great.



• If Barack Obama wins voting for this film could create a backlash for kicking the opposing party while their down

Final Verdict: Unless the movie isn't good I'd say this is a pretty good bet for a nomination.

Number 2

Milk

Cases For Nomination

• Love for Gus Van Sants "Good Will Hunting" could carry over to this film.



• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!



• Sean Penn looks like a scene stealer, which could help seeing as he's in the lead role.



• With bills debating on whether or not gay marriage is to be legalized the subject matter will be difficult to ignore.



• If voters vote down legalizing gay marriage the voters will give this film a synpathy vote.

Cases Against Nomination

• Though the trailer looks promising the movie could be a one man show (AKA: "Capote").



• The gay facter could be offputting.

Final Verdict: I think this ones in.

Number 3

The Curious Case of Benjaman Button

Cases For Nomination

• Brad Pitt attracts a lot of Academy attention



• David Fincher has been racking up critical hit after critical hit, and he's sure to be honored somewhere along the line.



• The trailer looks so very intriguing.

Cases Against Nomination

• The book isn't as popular with the general audience



• Brad Pitt tends to get more acclaim in supporting roles then leading roles.



• The secrecy surrounding this movie could hurt it in the long run.



• May be too weird for the voters taste.

Final Verdict: I personally don't see this film getting nominated unless the reviews are really, really good.

Number 4

Slumdog Millionaire

Cases For Nomination

• Raves reviews coming from Sundance



• Would fill the "uplifting comedy" criteria.



• Witty screenplay could get a big push from the writers.



• Audience discovery could make this a surprise hit at the box office.

Cases Against Nomination

• Raves could cool down.



• Audiences might not connect to film, and thus not see it.

Final Verdict: This is one of those cases where we really won't know until it's released. On paper it sounds like a sure hit, but you never know.

Number 5

Revolutionary Road

Cases For Nomination

• Kate and Lwo reunite for the first time since "Titanic."



• Subject of marriage that traps freedom ressonates more today then ever before.



• Sam Mendes first major hit since "American Beauty?"

Cases Against Nomination

• Reuion has gotten relatively little attention.



• Sam Mendes isn't an Academy favorite.



• "American Beauty" has held up poorly.



• Movies about lovely marriages are a dime a dozen since "American Beauty" was released.



• Audience anticipation for this movie is lower then the rest of the potential nominees.

Final Verdict: I'm not convinced this is going to get nominated. It might, but I would not put any stock in it happening.

Hey this was fun. How about we do this in a few days with the next potential five?