The 86th Academy Awards aired last night and showcased everything we love about Hollywood and the film industry. Lots of great talent took home some deserving awards but it was Alfonso Cuarón‘s space fiasco Gravity which nabbed a total of 7 awards, including Best Director, Cinematography plus Best Original Score (go Steven Price!!). Dallas Buyers Club seemed to be a big surprise taking both the male acting categories and even hair and make-up. However the big shocker was that American Hustle, a film that was far less than the sum of its spectacular parts, took home zero awards after being nominated in 10 categories. It was a very competitive year but it looks like…
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Exclusive: Interview…Film Composer William Ross Talks Career Experiences as Music Director for the Academy Awards
William Ross has had a hand in all avenues of the music industry. A four-time Emmy winner, Ross has decades of experience as a composer, orchestrator, arranger, conductor and music director. Aside from scoring titles like Tin Cup and Ladder 49, he’s worked with a dizzying array of artists and musicians over the years from fellow famous Hollywood composers (John Williams, Alan Silvestri) to pop music icons (Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson). Ross has quite a lot of Olympics experience as well as he’s arranged the music for the opening and closing ceremonies for various Olympic games from 1998 to 2010. But beyond that he’s also tasked with the music of Hollywood’s biggest night. This year’s Academy Awards ceremony marks…
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Full List of Nominations for the 86th Annual Academy Awards
Nominations for the 86th Academy Awards were announced this morning and the interweb is all a buzz either cheering or sneering at the nominees. 2013 was a strong year for film and those lucky/good enough to warrant an invite to Hollywood’s glitziest night are some truly deserving pictures and personalities. But just like film and our opinions of them, the nominations are all subjective. Most of the nominees in this the crop of Oscar hopefuls have been making waves for a while (even as far back as their respective festival runs) but some, like Lone Survivor, managed to grab a last minute nod(s) of recognition Sony’s American Hustle and Warner Bros’…
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The Oscars: Post-Script
Strange that days after this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, I feel like I have little to say about it. As it happens– as it usually does– there’s plenty to be said about the honors meted out to the slender sample size of 2012’s “best”, but dishing about the process is exhausting and nearly futile in the tidal wave of faux-analysis that invariably follows every Oscar presentation. (And actual, respectable analysis. Not all analyses are made equal.) That’s to say nothing of the baggage that we all bring to the AMPAS’s annual self-congratulatory shindig and the conflicting frustration and indifference many of us feel toward them; put another way, it’s hard…
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The 85th Annual Academy Awards – Full Winners List
Last night, the 85th Annual Academy Awards ceremony went off without a hitch and aside from some real shockers (like Ang Lee beating out Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino winning for best screenplay) it was an immensely delightful few hours. Despite what some think about Seth MacFarlane he really brought some life to the evening replete with some crass but still witty jokes, classic zingers, sock puppets as well as song and dance numbers that just made you smile. Like him or not we, and the crowd at the BigFanBoy/GoSeeTalk Oscar screening at The Angelika Film Center Dallas, thought he was a treat. But he was only the first in a…
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Here Are Your Nominees For the 85th Academy Awards
This morning, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the full list of nominees for the 85 Annual Academy Awards and it’s a surprising compilation. Like yesterday’s BAFTA nomination announcement there’s some love for Life of Pi and Django Unchained so that makes me happy. Also I’m happy to see all 5 animated films (and the superb Paperman short) get recognized. Take that BAFTAs! If you haven’t already seen the list, have a look at all of the 2013 nominees below. PICTURE: Amour Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Django Unchained Les Misérables Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Zero Dark Thirty DIRECTOR: Michael Haneke – Amour Benh Zeitlin – Beasts…
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Oscar's Make-Up Shortlist Might Throw You For a Loop
Well, here’s some cool news– especially if you liked Rian Johnson’s Looper anywhere near as much as we did. The AMPAS released the last seven films still in competition for this year’s “Best Makeup” category, and while I can think of a lot of other areas where Looper deserves recognition (and in which it might still receive said recognition, for all I know), it’s still nice to see Johnson’s film competing with giants like Spielberg and Jackson. On that note, I’m probably not the only person who finds the absence of Cloud Atlas to be more than a little startling. If that picture– which we also liked–seemed like it had…
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Ohhh, Look…'The Fansastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore' Oscar-Winning Short Film
Last night William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg’s The Fansastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore won an Oscar for Best Animated Short. Those of you curious to know why it won can find out for yourself as the delightful 15 minute film is now available for all to see. Combining nostalgic visuals with a peppy and heartfelt tale this short film is a sheer delight. Have a look, a laugh and enjoy… Thanks to Collider for the heads up. Now if you got a kick out of that and want to take the fun of the short even further than visual enjoyment this might interest you. Last December the filmmakers released…
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The 84th Annual Academy Award Winners (Plus Tribute To The Snubbed Films of 2011)
The 84th Annual Academy Awards came to a close at the Kodak Theater (we’ll move past the fact they’re filing for Chapter 11) with some big wins from some expected but very deserving films and film makers. Hugo and The Artist went toe to toe and both walked away with 5 golden statues. The supporting/leading actor categories were really a tough call as the fields were all populated with masterful performances and talented individuals. But in the end Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer, Jean Dujardin and Meryl Streep took the wins for their fine, crowd pleasing and powerful roles. With such a wide range of some really quality films this year it really was…
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Full List Of Nominees For The 84th Annual Academy Awards Released
As far as awards go, the Academy Awards is the Super Bowl of the film/entertainment world recognizing (and snubbing) the very best of what the previous calendar year had to offer. In what some consider a stellar year for films there are some crowd pleasing favorites which have made such an impact and have kept strong buzz going throughout all of 2011. When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards this morning, it was no surprise who some of the front-runners would be. Pulling in some big nominations were The Descendants, The Artist and Hugo. But little engines that could like…
