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11 articles
‘Zero Days’: How the World Caught Up with Alex Gibney’s Oscar-Shortlisted Cyberwarfare Documentary
13 January 2017 2:01 PM, PST
Gibney now has two films that explore the myriad ways that the internet can wreak havoc, with 2013’s “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” and the Oscar-shortlisted “Zero Days,” which stemmed from the U.S. and Israeli Stuxnet operation that destroyed 1000 nuclear centrifuges. Initially, producer Marc Shmuger, who brought him both projects, “knew more about it than I did,” said Gibney. “He had access to people telling him interesting things about the Stuxnet operation. It seemed like an event that deserved a deeper dive.”
Gibney dug deeper and found out how scary the world of cyberwarfare could be. And as the election took its twisty turns, revealing the Russia hacks, more of us caught up with a new reality that had only been imagined in science-fiction. The Matrix is here.
Read More: ‘Zero Days’ Exclusive Promo: See Alex Gibney’s New Cyberwar Documentary Thriller
“What is jaw-dropping,” Gibney said, »
- Anne Thompson
Why ‘Lion’ Stands to Gain the Most Oscar Momentum From the DGA Nominations
12 January 2017 2:09 PM, PST
The Directors Guild of America nominations confirm what we already know: There are four frontrunners for the Best Picture and Director Oscars. Two are critically hailed, small-scale dramas, Kenneth Lonergan‘s “Manchester By the Sea” and Barry Jenkins‘ “Moonlight;” two are movies of scale and scope, Denis Villeneuve‘s sci-fi drama “Arrival” and Damien Chazelle’s retro musical romance “La La Land.”
Read More: 2016 Directors Guild of America Awards Nominations: ‘Lion,’ ‘Moonlight,’ ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ and More
The surprise was the fifth DGA slot went to Garth Davis for “Lion,” one of two DGA nominations he received. The Australian commercials director who collaborated with Jane Campion on lauded series “Top of the Lake” also landed the less-significant nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Filmmaker. So did Nate Parker, who can derive some small consolation from the recognition of his peers for his excellent rookie effort, “Birth of a Nation, »
- Anne Thompson
‘Arrival’: How DGA Nominee Denis Villeneuve Shaped His Unique Oscar Contender
12 January 2017 8:00 AM, PST
There’s no question that “Arrival” is one of the best-crafted movies of 2016 — its many critics group and guild nominations attest to this. On Oscar nominations morning, the sci-fi drama will likely dominate the field along with “La La Land.” And in a competitive year for the Best Actress Oscar, Amy Adams is in contention for a slot.
Read More: ‘Arrival’ Star Amy Adams: Queen of the Fall Festivals ands Maybe Oscar
All that said, there’s no way this film’s smart script and unique visuals would have survived a studio’s development process.
The movie boasts an unusual pedigree: Independently produced by Fox’s 21 Laps producer Shawn Levy, Film Nation and Lava Bear, and acquired by Paramount at auction for $20 million at Cannes 2014, “Arrival” is far from Hollywood standard fare. It’s custom-made and idiosyncratic in all the right ways. Montreal filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, who has charted »
- Anne Thompson
Cinematographers Guild Nominates Oscar Frontrunners ‘La La Land,’ ‘Moonlight’
11 January 2017 1:10 PM, PST
The American Society of Cinematographers nominees for the 31st annual Asc Awards (February 4) boost Oscar frontrunners “La La Land” and “Moonlight” as well as Rodrigo Prieto’s 35 mm work on “Silence,” Greig Fraser’s “Lion” and “Arrival,” whose cinematographer Bradford Young would be the first African-American Oscar nominee.
“Arrival,” “La La Land” and “Lion” also landed BAFTA nods.
Left out by the Asc but still vying for Oscar nominations are Charlotte Bruus Christensen (“Fences”), Roger Deakins (“Hail, Caesar!”), Stephane Fontaine (“Jackie”), Jody Lee Lipes (“Manchester By the Sea”), Seamus McGarvey (“Nocturnal Animals”), Giles Nuttgens (“Hell or High Water”) and Mandy Walker (“Hidden Figures”).
The Asc nominees below are all first-timers except for third-timer Prieto, who was also nominated “Frida” (2002) and “Brokeback Mountain” (2005). All other nominees this year are first-time contenders (see my Oscar predictions in this category):
Greig Fraser, Asc, Acs for “Lion”
James Laxton for “Moonlight”
- Anne Thompson
DGA Nominations Boost Oscar Documentary Contenders
11 January 2017 10:46 AM, PST
The five nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2016 are all on the Oscar shortlist of 15.
Getting a boost as Oscar documentary branch voters fill out their ballots this week are six first-time nominees:
Otto Bell “The Eagle Huntress” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Ezra Edelman “O.J.: Made in America” (Espn Films)
John Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg “Weiner” (Sundance Selects)
Raoul Peck “I Am Not Your Negro” (Magnolia Pictures)
Roger Ross Williams “Life, Animated” (The Orchard)
Overlapping with the PGA’s nominated documentaries are “Life, Animated,” “O.J.: Made in America,” and “The Eagle Huntress,” the last of which also landed a BAFTA nod, along with “13th” and “Weiner.”
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- Anne Thompson
Denzel Washington Interview: The Director Reveals How He Opened Up ‘Fences’
11 January 2017 8:56 AM, PST
Ever since I first met Denzel Washington on the set of Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X,” I’ve felt comfortable with him. Maybe it’s because he and my mother grew up in the same working-class New York suburb, Mount Vernon. Fact is, I grew up in the film industry with Washington, along with Mel Gibson, Debra Winger, Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, and John Travolta; we’re all close to the same age.
I know the way he swings his tall body into that loping, cocky walk. And it’s fun to watch him, in the green room at the Writers Guild, enthusiastically wave his hands around when he talks about directing. He’s in a good mood: His August Wilson film adaptation of “Fences” has been enthusiastically received, by critics, audiences and — perhaps most crucially for its Oscar chances — actors, landing the coveted SAG Ensemble nomination.
In his third directorial outing (“The Debaters, »
- Anne Thompson
2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Cinematography
10 January 2017 2:30 PM, PST
Read More: 2017 Oscar Predictions
Several newcomers could break into the ranks of nominated cinematographers this year, including “Arrival” Dp Bradford Young and Charlotte Bruus Christensen of “Fences.” Both would mark firsts for an African American or a woman landing an Oscar nomination in this category.
Read More: How the Election Could Impact Oscar Craft Nominations
(Listed in alphabetical order.)
Frontrunners
Greig Fraser (“Lion”)
Contenders
Charlotte Bruus Christensen (“Fences”)
Roger Deakins (“Hail, Caesar!”)
Stephane Fontaine (“Jackie”)
Jody Lee Lipes (“Manchester By the Sea”)
Seamus McGarvey (“Nocturnal Animals”)
Giles Nuttgens (“Hell or High Water”)
Mandy Walker (“Hidden Figures”)
Stay on top of the latest breaking Oscar news! Sign up for our Awards newsletters here.
Related storiesOscars 2017 Animated Features: Disney Scores Two With 'Zootopia' and 'Moana'Oscars 2017: Listen to the Songs and Scores Nominated for This Year's Academy AwardsConstance »
- Anne Thompson
2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Editing
10 January 2017 2:08 PM, PST
Read More: 2017 Oscar Predictions
The editors are often credited with picking the eventual Oscar-winner. So let’s assume that this year’s top four rivals, “Arrival,” “La La Land,” “Manchester By the Sea” and “Moonlight,” will land nods, along with war movie “Hacksaw Ridge.”
On the other hand, perhaps tellingly, Oscar hopefuls “20th Century Women,” “Jackie,” “Fences,” “Lion,” “Loving,” and “Hidden Figures” did not land drama or comedy editing nods from the American Cinema Editors, which leaves them on the cusp for Best Picture.
Frontrunners
Tom Cross (“La La Land”)
John Gilbert (“Hacksaw Ridge”)
Joe Walker (“Arrival”)
Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders (“Moonlight”)
Jennifer Lame (“Manchester by the Sea”)
Contenders
Roderick Jaynes (“Hail, Caesar!”)
Mark Livolsi (“The Jungle Book”)
Yorgos Mavropsaridis (“The Lobster”)
Jake Roberts (“Hell or High Water”)
Thelma Schoonmaker (“Silence”)
Joan Sobel (“Nocturnal Animals”)
Stay on top of the latest breaking Oscar news! Sign up for our Awards newsletters here. »
- Anne Thompson
2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Production Design
10 January 2017 1:09 PM, PST
Read More: 2017 Oscar Predictions
Degree of difficulty is key in this category. Movies of scale and scope and originality –especially if they are period or fantasy — get the advantage. Which is why the Coen brothers’ ambitious Hollywood comedy “Hail, Caesar!” — from musical numbers to synchronized swimming — is a strong contender.
(Contenders are listed in alphabetical order.)
Frontrunners
John Bush, Charles Wood (“Doctor Strange”)
Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”)
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh (“Hail, Caesar!”)
Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, David Wasco (“La La Land”)
Patrice Vermette; Paul Hotte (“Arrival”)
Contenders
Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”)
Guy Hendrix Dyas and Gene Serdena (“Passengers”)
Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo (“Silence”)
Gary Freeman; Raffaella Giovannetti (“Allied”)
Christopher Glass, Amanda Moss Serino (“The Jungle Book”)
Alan MacDonald (“Florence Foster Jenkins”)
Jean Rabasse; Veronique Melery (“Jackie”)
Barry Robison (“Hacksaw Ridge”)
Wynn Thomas (“Hidden Figures”)
Shane Valentino, Meg Everist »
- Anne Thompson
2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Costume Design
10 January 2017 12:47 PM, PST
Read More: 2017 Oscar Predictions
Period and fantasy always have an advantage over contemporary in the Oscar costume universe. The Costume Designers branch, more than many others, is often willing to go their own way (remember winner “Priscilla: Queen of the Desert”?) They may not care if “The Dressmaker,” say, or “Allied,” did badly at the box office, or if everyone else seems to love “La La Land.” They just look at the clothes. But if Mary Zophre is up for both “La La Land” and “Hail, Caesar!,” the advantage goes to the Best Picture contender.
Contenders are listed in alphabetical order:
Frontunners
Colleen Atwood (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”)
Consolata Boyle (“Florence Foster Jenkins”)
Contenders
Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson (“The Dressmaker”)
Sharen Davis (“Fences”)
Renee Ehrlich Kalfus (“Hidden Figures”)
Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh (“Love »
- Anne Thompson
How BAFTA, the Producers Guild, and Other Groups May Rewrite the 2017 Oscar Odds
10 January 2017 12:04 PM, PST
While the Golden Globes build momentum for their winners, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association can be whimsical. The latest collection of nominations, however, are a more solemn bunch. And while the HFPA has zero overlap with Oscar voters, there’s a few hundred Academy members who also hold membership in British counterpart BAFTA, and even more with the Producers Guild, the Cinema Audio Society, and the Visual Effects Society .
So what did we learn from Tuesday’s nods?
Well, “La La Land” is still on track to garner more Oscar nominations than any other film. It has one rival in scale and scope: “Arrival.” The sci-fi drama also got support from BAFTA with nine nominations through the categories, including director Denis Villeneuve and actress Amy Adams. “Manchester By the Sea” landed six and “Moonlight,” four, not including a Director nomination.
Read through the BAFTA nominations and clearly the actors agree »
- Anne Thompson
11 articles