The annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation are no sure-fire Oscar indicator. Disney and Pixar have had their issues with the voting blocs and ways the awards are handled and have turned against them in the past.
But five Annies went to “Wreck-It Ralph,” a Disney NOT Pixar production. The short film attached to that in theaters, “Paperman,” won the best theatrical short award. No complaints from the Mouse this time.
With the Directors Guild of America handing out its top prize to “Argo” Saturday night, that makes it pretty much a clean sweep of pre-Oscar prizes of import for Ben Affleck’s fine “Hollywood version” of history and ticking clock thriller.
With the Globes, Critics Choice, SAG and other awards attached to the film, it looks like Ben Affleck won’t go home empty handed Oscar night after all. Best director? He may be the new Spielberg, the guy they NEVER want to acknowledge is of the first rank, even as he cranks out smart, prestigious hits for Warner Brothers.
“Lincoln,” “Les Mis, “Life of Pi” and “Silver Linings Playbook” all feel like long shots for the top prize Feb. 24. As this Deadline.com story notes, only six times since the ’40s has a DGA winner not turned out to be the director of a best picture winner.
But you never really know. The official Oscar ballots/voting don’t go out-take place until next weekend.
I have said before and I will repeat it here, I think Seth MacFarlane will do OK hosting the Oscars.
But you have to be too young to remember the Billy Crystal epoch to not find this incredibly lame. Played. What have you. Will he have his “Ted/Family Guy” edge? Or will they neuter him for a big international audience?
I was hoping for an American Ricky Gervais.
This reminds me that I wasn’t crazy about the one-joke “Ted,” and “Family Guy” appears to be an acquired taste for those love their their laughs low, obvious and broad. Bad sign? I hope not.
Love the set-up to this low budget Brittany Snow vehicle — sort of a “Dinner for Schmucks” with deadly and perhaps unjust dessert. Gather people together, strap-em down, and play “Would You Rather” get eaten by a shark or nibbled to death by piranhas? That sort of thing.
“Warm Bodies” is surfing the wave of middling expectations to a probable $20 million weekend at the box office on Super Bowl weekend, thanks to a $500,000 Thursday midnight/$8 million plus Friday.
Decent reviews for that one won’t hurt (Here’s mine).
“Mama” is still holding audience, “Hansel & Gretel” isn’t — a STEEP dive for the 3D horror fantasy. Ninth place in its second weekend? Ouch.
I would not have thought it possible that Sly Stallone would deliver a bigger retro bomb than Arnie Schwarzenegger’s “Last Stand” slapdown. But it looks as if Sly’s “Bullet to the Head” will be lucky to clear $5 million this weekend. His audience has aged out of going to the movies. Period. Weak reviews didn’t help.
“Stand Up Guys” needed great reviews and a sudden urge by 60somethings to go to the movies to be a hit. And it didn’t get either. It won’t even crack the top ten.
The DGA field for best film director — Bigelow, Affleck, Ang Li, Tom Hooper and Spielberg — is closer to conventional than the Oscar nominees in that category, with Affleck and Bigelow both left out.
And if “Argo” wins — yet again — tonight, giving Ben Affleck everything BUT the Oscar, you have to fdigure it’s the odds-on best picture favorite. Oscar voting kicks off Feb. 8 and the Oscars are handed out Feb. 24. The tide is flowing “Argo’s” way.
Yes, I know. Another vampire tale. From a guy who’s already done his time with the bat people.
This is the international trailer to Neil Jordan’s film, “Byzantium,” with Saoirse Ronan as the girl narrator and Gemma Arterton as the mom who “spared my life when I was born. Creepy. No firm US release date yet, but expect to see this one this spring.
Apparently, Magnolia has the makings of a a cult hit on its hands.
“John Dies at the End” has a good cast (Paul Giamatti has a supporting role), decent reviews and an offbeat plot and sensibility, and that’s drawing viewers to the few theaters where it’s playing.
So it’s going to open wider. Go figure. Happens a few times a year. This one rolled out on VOD in Dec. and in theaters a couple of weeks ago, and it’s catching on with the kids. Or somebody.
The stars of “Flight” and “Django Unchained” were feted at last night’s NAACP Image Awards.
As was the botched but well-intentioned “Red Tails,” the George Lucas-produced account of the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington earned praise for their work in “Django.” A bit of a head scratcher in each account.
Viola Davis won an award for “Won’t Back Down,” a good performance in a movie propped up by a conservative ideologue who wanted to bash teachers unions.
And “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and “The Intouchables” took honors in indie and foreign language film categories.
Here it is. A commercial. Previewed before it is actually on TV. Doing the studio’s dirty work, but hey…
