Awards Season 2015: WGA and BAFTA Winners

We're on the home straight with Awards Season 2016 - just one more weekend to go. However, this weekend has seen two sets of awards handed out.

WRITERS GUILD AWARDS (WGA)

The Writers' Guild Awards were handed out on Saturday 13th February. The film winners were:

Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Documentary Screenplay: Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief

Both Spotlight and The Big Short are nominated in their respective categories for the Oscars so that bodes well for them (however, I would much prefer Carol to win the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar as my main issues with The Big Short stem from the script). Alex Gibney's documentary about Scientology didn't make the cut for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar- wonder why?- but it's still interesting to see it being acknowledged.

BAFTA FILM AWARDS

Tonight (Sunday 14th February), at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the 69th British Academy Film Awards were given out in a star-studded ceremony hosted for the eleventh time by Stephen Fry. Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Stephen Spielberg, Julie Walters, Michael Fassbender, Maggie Smith, Benicio del Toro, Eddie Redmayne, Idris Elba and Bryan Cranston were among some of the stars in attendance to celebrate the best in film.

Here's a full list of BAFTA winners:

Best Film: The Revenant

Outstanding British Film: Brooklyn

Leading Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Leading Actress: Brie Larson (Room)

Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (Bridge Of Spies)

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer: Naji Abu Nowar and Riper Lloyd (writer/director and producer of Theeb)

Animated Film: Inside Out

Documentary: Amy

Film Not In The English Language: Wild Tales

Cinematography: The Revenant

Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Make Up And Hair: Mad Max: Fury Road

Original Music: The Hateful Eight

Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Sound: The Revenant

Special Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Short Animation: Edmond

Short Film: Operator

Rising Star: John Boyega

Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema: Angels Costumes

BAFTA Fellowship: Sidney Poitier


The Revenant was the night's big winner with five BAFTAs, with Mad Max: Fury Road closely behind on four.

So, assuming Ghostbusters is wrong and the world doesn't end tonight, there's one final weekend of Awards Seasons frippery to go this year- that's in two weekends' time when the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Razzies will be handed out on Saturday 27th February and then- the big kahuna - the 88th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday 28th February.

We're almost there, people. Almost there.

Tez

Awards Season 2016: Academy Award Nominations

As announced earlier today, here is a selection of the nominations for this year's Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge Of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR

Lenny Abrahamson (Room)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

Adam McKay (The Big Short)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Tom Hardy (The Revenant)

Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)

Mark Rylance (Bridge Of Spies)

Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

I work that out as 28 out of 33 (for 85%) which is higher than last year. Really pleased with that.

The Revenant has 12 nominations, with Mad Max: Fury Road on 10. It's a bit of a surprise not to see Carol named in the Best Picture category, but it's been fairly represented elsewhere (in the acting and screenplay categories). Shaun The Sheep Movie and When Marnie Was There from Studio Ghibli are in contention for the Best Animated Feature, but are up against Inside Out (which also got a screenplay nomination). Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets four nominations, all in the technical departments, whilst SPECTRE gets a nod for Best Original Song for 'Writing's On The Wall'. I was overjoyed to see Amy named in the Best Documentary Feature category. 

The 88th Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday 28th February, in a ceremony hosted by Chris Rock

Massive congratulations to all nominees!

Awards Season 2015: Tez's Official Academy Award Nomination Predictions

Tomorrow, the nominations for the 88th Academy Awards will be announced and, like last year, the nominees for all 24 categories will be announced in the telecast. At 5:30am PST, directors Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak, Pan's Labyrinth) and Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life Of Pi) will announce the nominees for some of the technical categories (including cinematography, make-up and hairstyling, sound editing) as well as Best Original Song and Best Documentary Feature. 

Then at 5:38am PST, Cheryl Boone Isaacs (President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) and actor John Krasinski (The Office) will announce the rest of the nominees, including the acting categories, Best Director and Best Picture.

As has been my practice for the last few years, I like to try and predict who will be nominated (this is done for Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting awards). Below is my list of who I think will be named on Thursday.

NB. Just like the last few years, the Academy rules state that there could be anywhere between five and ten Best Picture nominees. I have selected ten films. If the total number of films nominated is less than ten, but one of the movies selected is named in my list of ten, I will count it as a successful prediction.

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge Of Spies

Brooklyn

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Haynes (Carol)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Idris Elba (Beasts Of No Nation)

Mark Rylance (Bridge Of Spies)

Michael Shannon (99 Homes)

Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Helen Mirren (Trumbo)

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Usually a score of 15 is adequate, but given the fact that there could be anywhere between 5 and 10 Best Picture awards, I'ill be happy with a prediction of 18 or higher. Last year, I got 27 out of 33. I'm not that confident this year, and I'll tell you for why: there's a big question mark hanging over the lead Actress and Supporting Actress categories as there's a very real possibility that Rooney Mara and/or Alicia Vikander may be nominated as Best Actress for Carol and The Danish Girl, rather than in Supporting Actress. Different bodies have put them in different categories (although Mara has been more frequently placed in Supporting Actress, whilst Vikander has been equally in both). If one or both are bumped up to lead Actress then there are a couple of possibilities of what could happen; it's likely that Rachel McAdams will get a nod for her role in Spotlight or that Vikander herself will get a Supporting Actress nomination for Ex Machina. 

As for Supporting Actor, there's a lot of strong roles that have had previous nominations throughout awards season so it's the most fluid of categories in a way - you could easily see Paul Dano (Love & Mercy) or Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight) included in there, maybe even a nod for nine year old Jacob Tremblay for Room. 

In Lead Actor, I've gone for Matt Damon but wouldn't be too surprised to see Johnny Depp in his place for Black Mass (Depp got the SAG nomination ahead of Damon).

There are always sone surprises - last year, nothing for Laura Dern or Bennett Miller in the run-up and then Oscar nominations for Wild and Foxcatcher.

I'll post the nominees on Thursday afternoon so everyone can point and laugh and see how wrong I got it. Possibly.

Tez

Awards Season 2016: BAFTA Film Awards Nominations

Yesterday morning (8th January), bright and early, although luckily not as early as the Oscar nominations, the nominations for this year's BAFTA Film Awards was announced by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Stephen Fry.

Here is a selection of the nominees::

BEST FILM

The Big Short

Bridge Of Spies

Carol

The Revenant

Spotlight

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

45 Years

Amy

Brooklyn

The Danish Girl

Ex Machina

The Lobster

BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Maggie Smith (The Lady In The Van)

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Benicio del Toro (Sicario)

Idris Elba (Beasts Of No Nation)

Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)

Mark Rylance (Bridge Of Spies)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Julie Walters (Brooklyn)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Haynes (Carol)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

Adam McKay (The Big Short)

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

Steven Spielberg (Bridge Of Spies)

A full list of nominees can be found here

Carol and Bridge Of Spies both have nine nominations and lead the field. The Revenant has eight, whilst Mad Max: Fury Road has seven.

A lot of the usual names here which are no surprise. I was surprised to see The Big Short and Trumbo making the nominations (as I wasn't sure if they'd had a release here to make them eligible). It's interesting that BAFTA have put Alicia Vikander as Best Actress for The Danish Girl (although they're not the first awards body to do so) but that does mean she is also nominated for Ex Machina. They've also thrown up some interesting possibilities for the Best Supporting Actor category, which is arguably the most open category so far this year.

This year's BAFTA Rising Star award nominees are John Boyega, Taron Egerton, Dakota Johnson, Brie Larson and Bel Powley. This award is voted on by the general public and you can vote for your favourite here.

The BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out on Sunday 14th February at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. 

For those of you who aren't fans of this awards season frippery, you're in for a bit of a week of it. The blog's going to be teeming with the stuff until next Thursday, so at least you've got fair warning. Here's the timetable for the next week:

10/01/16 - Golden Globes ceremony
12/01/16 - Directors' Guild Awards nominations
13/01/16 - Golden Raspberry Awards nominations
14/01/16 - Oscar nominations

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, we'll have a review of The Hateful Eight for you shortly!


Tez

Awards Season 2016: Writers' Guild Awards Nominations

Today saw the nominations announced for this year's Writers' Guild Awards. As I've previously said, I don't tend to focus on the screenplay Oscars (certainly not to the same degree as the acting and directing ones; I certainly wouldn't attempt to predict what would get nominated), but- as a writer and a film fan- I do have an interest in what's been nominated. 

This year's nominations are as follows:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Bridge Of Spies

Sicario

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

Trainwreck

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Big Short

Carol

The Martian

Steve Jobs

Trumbo

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Being Canadian

Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief

Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck

Prophet's Pray

There are several films that were not eligible for consideration due to guild rules, so films like The Hateful Eight, Inside Out, Suffragette, Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, The Danish Girl and Brooklyn were not able to be considered. 

More awards nonsense on Friday (8th February) with the BAFTA Film nominations.

Awards Season 2016: Producers' Guild Awards Nominations

So today saw the nominations announced for 'one of the award season's marquee events' (as the website describes it) - the Producers Guild Awards. Usually a very good barometer of what's going to get a nod at the Oscars, there's a high proportion of PGA winners going on to win Best Picture (as happened last year with Birdman).

Below are the film nominations:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

The Big Short

Bridge Of Spies

Brooklyn

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

The big surprise here is that Straight Outta Compton got a nod whilst Carol didn't. Another nod for Mad Max: Fury Road strengthens the case for a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Also surprising to see both Ex Machina and Sicario included.

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Anomalisa

The Good Dinosaur

Inside Out

Minions

The Peanuts Movie

Whilst it's fun to see Minions included, I'll be flabberghasted if it doesn't go to Inside Out. 

Documentary Film

Amy

The Hunting Ground

The Look Of Silence

Meru

Something Better To Come

Amy is one of the best and most heart-rending pieces of documentary filmmaking I've seen in years and deserves its place here. 

Tomorrow (6th January) sees the Writers' Guild Awards whilst Friday (8th January) will be the BAFTA Film nominations.

Review: Bridge Of Spies (UK Cert 12A)

Inspired by true events, Bridge Of Spies tells the amazing story of James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer who- during the height of the Cold War- was asked to defend Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy (Mark Rylance) who had been arrested for espionage. Later, Donovan was asked to help negotiate the prisoner exchange of Abel for a captured American pilot (Austin Stowell).

Hanks is always a safe pair of hands. Here, he's an engaging presence as Donovan, a gee-shucks All-American guy, determined to play fair even in the toughest circumstances. It's the kind of role James Stewart would have played if this had been made in the 1950s. He puts his professional reputation on the line, first by defending Abel and then trying to appeal the decision. It puts his family in the firing line (literally, at one point) but he is prepared to go all the way to Berlin- and have to lie to his family- to help facilitate the exchange. It's a solid performance throughout.

Rylance puts in a dignified and measured turn as Abel, his voice barely raising throughout. He's remarkably calm, even in the face of a possible death penalty. When asked if he's nervous or afraid, Abel replies stoically 'would it help?' His accent wanders occasionally, although generally settles on a Scottish burr. He has some great interplay with Hanks and the two make a good pairing. As for the other actors, it's a solid job across the board even if the characters aren't particularly fleshed out. Amy Ryan isn't given much to do as Donovan's wife (although she is a warm and sympathetic presence) whilst Alan Alda feels wasted in the role of Donovan's boss. Stowell does well as the clean-cut All-American boy although his characterisation doesn't really go much beyond that. 

The script- by Matt Charman and Joel & Ethan Coen- is tightly plotted and, in places, surprisingly wry. The threat of nuclear war is ever present and the point comes home in Donovan's young son and his school lessons. Steven Spielberg's direction is as good as you'd expect. It's a long film (141 minutes) but really doesn't feel it; you get swept up in the story. The entire look of the film is just superb - the period detail is spot on and even the bombed out ruins of Berlin look authentic. 

I went into Bridge Of Spies with, admittedly, not very high expectations. I was expecting a solid drama. Instead, I got an exceptional piece of film-making, telling the story of an American hero who very few people will have heard of (and more should). 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Awards Season 2016: SAG Awards Nominations

So, awards season is getting into full swing with today's announcement of the nominations for the 22nd Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. These are for actors voted on by actors.

Below is a list of film nominations:

Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture

Beasts Of No Nation

The Big Short

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

Trumbo

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Johnny Depp (Black Mass)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Helen Mirren (Woman In Gold)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back)

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Idris Elba (Beasts Of No Nation)

Mark Rylance (Bridge Of Spies)

Michael Shannon (99 Homes)

Jacob Tremblay (Room)

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)

Helen Mirren (Trumbo)

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

As well as Helen Mirren picking up two nods, so too does Mark Rylance (who is also nominated in the TV awards for Wolf Hall) and Idris Elba (in the TV awards for Luther). 

Another 'Good Showing For The Brits(TM)' with Fassbender, Redmayne, Mirren, Elba, Rylance and Winslet's nods. No love for Maggie Smith in the film category for The Lady In The Van; however, she does get a nod in the TV awards for Downton Abbey.

It's interesting to see that SAG have put Rooney Mara in the Supporting Actress category for Carol rather than Leading Actress and I do wonder whether other awards will do the same.

Tomorrow (10th December) sees the nominations for the Golden Globes, so expect more awards season malarkey then.