A Forecast of 2012

I have a hunch that 2012 will be a good year for movies, for we have the return of two great series, one as a sequel and the other as a prequel. You know which two I'm talking about: The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I think I can almost assure you now that these two will certainly compete in the 2013 Oscar, and aside from the almost guaranteed technical award nods, quite possibly they will also compete in the Best Picture race.

We have two relatively young yet incredibly talented directors with us. Peter Jackson scored 3 Oscars in the 2003 Academy Awards for the directorial, writing, and producing work, for his extraordinary product and a classic to remember - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Christopher Nolan, on the other hand, has already received 3 Oscar nominations at 41, and I was totally astonished by his work in 2010's Inception.

They will probably continue their glory for their two coming films, and as I said, their films will probably also be in the Oscar Best Picture race. For The Hobbit, I believe the reason is simply sufficient if you are aware that all of the previous three installments in The Lord of the Rings series were nominated for Best Picture. The Dark Knight was considered a possibility for Best Picture back in 2008, but I believe next year its possibility will rise significantly. (Remember back in 2008 when there were only 5 nominees for Best Picture and now there can be 5-10)

It doesn't end here. There is Lincoln, the next Steven Spielberg film coming out next year. People who pay close attention to the Oscar can easily notice that the Academy has a thing for films set in the past and films with historical value, and a film about the sixteenth President of the United States will be most certainly loved by the Academy if nothing major goes wrong, not to mention Spielberg is a veteran and a favorite among the Academy members himself.

I'm not sure whether Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be nominated for his superb performance in 50/50 this year (that seems highly unlikely unfortunately), I'm hoping for him to score his first Best Actor nod in Spielberg's movie. He's going to play Robert Todd Lincoln, the President himself.

Last but the least, we have Les Misérables. It's been long since such a strong musical contender enters the Oscar race, right? I remember Chicago, and I also recall Johnny Deep's cold-blooded character in Sweeny Todd. I'm sure this movie definitely has the potential to be one of the Best Picture nominees. Les Misérables will be directed by Tom Hooper, the recent Oscar-winner for directing The King's Speech.

I'm certain I've failed to cover the entire excitement of cinema in the year of 2012, but for now these are the four films that I think have a very strong chance in next year's Academy Awards.

I guess it's never too early to make Oscar predictions, though it does sound pretty funny that I'm making predictions for next year's Oscar even before the nominee announcement of this year's Oscar contenders. Anyway, here's what I think.

Best Picture:

Les Misérables

Lincoln

The Dark Knight Rises

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Best Director:

Tom Hooper for Les Misérables

Steven Spielberg for Lincoln

Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises

Peter Jackson for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

DGA Nominations Out

The Directors Guild of America Nominations have been useful in predicting the Best Director category in the Oscar. For the record, since the presentation of DGA Awards back in 1948, only six times the DGA selected director did not succeed in continuing the glory in the Academy Awards. This year, I find the only surprise to be David Fincher for his work in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.


Nominees: 
Woody Allen for "Midnight in Paris"
David Fincher for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist"
Alexander Payne for "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese for "Hugo"

When the winner is announced on Jan 28, 2012, we can have a clearer picture of the Oscar-winner for Best Director, or at least that is what the statistics tell us. Personally, I don't think this year will be the seventh mismatch.

Movie Review - Another Happy Day - RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

Another Happy Day (2011) is Highly Recommended.

An Ensemble of Outstanding Performances 

also on imdb.com, posted on 8 January 2012

"Another Happy Day" does not operate in the way usual films do. It does not give you a certain point of climax or intensity and a so-called satisfying, complete closure that many people may expect. Well, these are exactly the things not to be expected.


Look forward to a distinctive drama about a family and the relationships in it. Look forward to a unusual film with both happy and sad moments yet not necessarily with even the slightest of predictability and cheerfulness. It is not necessarily sad, but for certain it does not try to cheer you up.


You can call this film many things. Call it hilarious, call it depressing, call it reality, call it family. It has its share of heartbreaking and heartwarming moments, and it is certainly harsh when it comes to show that this may be exactly what reality may be like. Not all problems can be solved in real life like in the movies, and this is a piece that does not present itself as a typical film; it presents itself as a potential reality, and it goes from there.


The emotions are so rich and deep in this film that it is almost impossible to capture them all so vividly and put them forth on the screen for the audience. But thanks to a group of brilliant performances, the impossible becomes possible, and the power of film definitely emanates more from the incredibly stunning and entirely realistic acting than from the plot.

Despite the total ignorance of this film by the Academy, the performances here alone, not taking the storyline into account, form one of the greatest ensembles of the year. Ellen Barkin as Lynn and Ezra Miller as Elliot, Lynn's son, have delivered one of the most solid and promising performances of the year, and are undoubtedly, as most would say, Oscar-worthy. The emotional collapse of Ellen Burstyn as Doris, Lynn's mother, is another performance too powerful to not pay attention to. The only underachieving one here may be Academy Award nominee Thomas Haden Church, who plays Lynn's ex-husband, Paul, and now has a new spouse, Patty (Demi Moore).


There is a lot of love and hate in this film, and however immorally wrong it may be, this reflects reality in many families, especially bigger ones. The countless issues are not going to just vanish, and it is usually easier said than done to overcome these troubles. In Lynn's case it is even more difficult, with everyone in the family seeming to disapprove of her actions and as Lynn refers to, not on her side. During such a visit with so much hospitality, Lynn must resolve into getting over these problems in the wedding of his son Dylan (Michael Nardelli), who has stayed with Paul and Patty since little age.

Another problem arises as Lynn continues to think and have serious doubts whether she is a good mother. Elliot and Ben (Daniel Yelsky) are both raised by Lynn, and they also have "issues". The former has some kind of severe emotional disorder and can burst into an uncontrollable rampage all of a sudden while the latter is also said to have mildly autistic trouble. Alice (Kate Bosworth), another child raised by Lynn, also seems to have issues and has even hurt herself before. It is in this situation that brings Lynn to the edge. She is on the verge of breaking down, under an extremely uncomfortable environment with everyone pointing fingers at her from the outside and her inner sorrow of her failures on her children.


We have Elliot and Ben. Ben appears as a figure lacking confidence and often feels and reacts badly when others discuss his "autistic nature". Elliot is not your ordinary teenager. He takes teenage drugs and smokes cigarettes, but he is more than that. At times, he seems normal and behaves normally, but at other times, he can act incoherently and totally irresponsibly because of his apparent inability to control himself in certain circumstances. While Lynn has her unbearable load of issues to tackle, the two teenagers also have to deal with their hardships during this somewhat unwanted visit to Lynn's mother.


Alice is not presented to us as a main character though she has been the focus of conversations from time to time, and when she comes up, her problem is no longer her own. It is connected to other members in the family, like Lynn herself, and of course her father, Paul. The relationship between her and Paul is one kind of relationship, and the relationship between Lynn and Paul concerning her is another kind, and then it certainly also causes problems between Patty and Lynn. And between Patty and Lynn it does not end there. With Dylan being Lynn's son but being raised by Patty, his tendency towards Lynn for walking him down the aisle inevitably results in Patty's fury.


The relationships in this family are too complex describe in plain words and you will have to see for yourself how complicated it can be. 

"Another Happy Day" has depth in its diversity of emotions portrayed by a group of talented actors and actresses, and it is an enjoyable experience. It is a drama about a family in general. It covers life and death, sicknesses, teenage problems, emotional disorders, marriages, love, and of course, family.

All I have to remind you is that "Another Happy Day" may not really guarantee you a "happy" experience. For most of the audience, I would say "depression" should be the word. But I guess if you face it optimistically and bravely, it can still be a satisfying and happy journey somehow.

Either way, it is a film where extraordinarily great performances meet affluently rich sentimental displays and a film that should be appreciated. 

"Another Happy Day" is given a A/B grade, 8/10.

WGA Yearly Nominees

Though the WGA may not the best indicator for us movie-fans to predict the Oscar, it still gives us some frontrunners for the two screenplay categories in the Academy Awards. Below are the nominees.


Original Screenplay:
50/50 - Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids - Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios

Midnight in Paris - Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win - Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight

Young Adult - Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

Adapted Screenplay:
The Descendants - Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures

The Help - Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures

Hugo - Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures

Moneyball - Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

Documentary Screenplay:

Better This World, Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures

Nostalgia for the Light, Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films

Pina, Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects

Position Among the Stars, Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Films

Senna,  Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency

- Winners will be announced on February 19th.

Academy Awards VFX Narrowed down to 10 Candidates

Final ten contenders:

Captain America: The First Avenger

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2

Hugo

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Real Steel

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Tree of Life

X-Men: First Class

Out of the race:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Cowboys and Aliens
Sucker Punch
Super 8
Thor

Well 4 of 5 from my predicted nominees made it to the shortlist. I'm quite happy for HP, Hugo, Real Steel and Planet of Apes, though I'm a bit disappointed in Super 8's departure. Still, I think Super 8 is a strong candidate in the two sound categories. And, my personal favorite remains Martin Scorsese's Hugo.

These 10 potential nominees will be narrowed down to the 5 final candidates and the results will be announced along with the other nominations on the Jan 24, 2012.

ADG

2012 Art Directors Guild Award Nominees are out! Films are divided into three categories, so more films are recognized. When it comes to the Oscar, usually films in the "Period Film" category will be nominated.

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2011:

Period Film

THE ARTIST		Production Designer: Laurence Bennett
HUGO		Production Designer: Dante Ferretti
THE HELP		Production Designer: Mark Ricker
ANONYMOUS		Production Designer: Sebastian Krawinkel
TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY		Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic

Fantasy Film

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY
HALLOWS PART 2		Production Designer: Stuart Craig
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE
FIRST AVENGER		Production Designer: Rick Heinrichs
THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN:
THE SECRET UNICORN		Production Designer: TBD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
ON STRANGER TIDES		Production Designer: John Myhre
COWBOYS & ALIENS		Production Designer: Scott Chambliss

Contemporary Film

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO		Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt
THE DESCENDANTS		Production Designer: Jane Anne Stewart
EXTREMELY LOUD &
INCREDIBLY CLOSE		Production Designer: K.K. Barrett
DRIVE		Production Designer: Beth Mickle
BRIDESMAIDS		Production Designer: Jefferson Sage

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION FOR 2011:
One-Hour Single Camera Television Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE
	Episode: 21		Production Designer: Bill Groom
GAME OF THRONES
	Episode: A Golden Crown		Production Designer: Gemma Jackson
AMERICAN HORROR STORY
	Episode: Murder House		Production Designer: Mark Worthington
THE PLAYBOY CLUB
	Episode: The Scarlet Bunny		Production Designer: Scott P. Murphy
PAN AM
	Episode: Pilot		Production Designer: Bob Shaw

Television Movie or Mini-Series

MILDRED PIERCE		Production Designer: Mark Friedberg
CINEMA VERITE		Production Designer: Patti Podesta
TOO BIG TO FAIL		Production Designer: Bob Shaw
THE HOUR		Production Designer: Eve Stewart
BLING RING		Production Designer: Robb Wilson King

Episode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series

MODERN FAMILY
	Episode: Express Christmas		Production Designer:	Richard Berg
30 ROCK
	Episode: Double-Edged Sword		Production Designer:	Keith Ian Raywood
				Teresa Mastropierro
WEEDS
	Episode: Game-Played		Production Designer:	Joseph P. Lucky
CALIFORNICATION
	Episode: Monkey Business		Production Designer:	Michael Wylie
NEW GIRL
	Episode: Pilot		Production Designer:	Jefferson D. Sage

Episode of a Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
	Episode: Host Justin Timberlake,			Production Designer:	Keith Ian Raywood,
		And Musical Guest - Lady Gaga			Eugene Lee, Leo
					Yoshimura, N. Joseph
					De Tullio
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
	Episode: Ducky Tie			Production Designer:	Stephan Olson
2 BROKE GIRLS
	Episode: And The Rich Peoples Problems			Production Designer:	Glenda Rovello
AMERICAN IDOL
	Episode: Top 12 Boys Perform			Production Designer:	James Yarnell
DANCING WITH THE STARS
	Episode: Round One			Production Designer:	James Yarnell

Awards, Music, or Game Shows

83rd ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS			Production Designer: Steve Bass
68th ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBES			Production Designer: Brian Stonestreet
2011 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS			Production Designer: Florian Wieder
63rd ANNUAL EMMY AWARDS			Production Designer: Steve Bass
IT'S WORTH WHAT?
	Best Buds		Production Designer: John Ivo Gilles

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR
COMMERCIALS AND MUSIC VIDEOS FOR 2011:

ACTIVISION: CALL OF DUTY
	Episode: Modern Warfare 3		Production Designer: Neil Spisak
VICTORIA'S SECRET
	Episode: Red		Production Designer: Jeffrey Beecroft
AUDI A8
	Episode: The Art of Progress		Production Designer: Marcos Lutyens
CHEVY VOLT
	Episode: Discovery		Production Designer: Jeremy Reed
JIM BEAM
	Episode: Parallels		Production Designer: Christopher Glass

PGA Nominations Out

Producers Guild of America just announced the nominations for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards. As usual, this is one of the great opportunities for predicting the Oscars. I think we can agree by now that having been nominated and won numerous awards, films like The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo will definitely be in the Best Picture race. Also highly likely are probably Midnight in Paris and Moneyball, as well as Steven Spielberg's War Horse.

The question may be: are there any surprises? Well, not really. And up till now we can almost be certain that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is out of the Best Picture race. Still it's sentimentally successful movie that manages to touch people, but having been "snubbed" by major awards and now even by the PGA seriously hurt its chances. The only possible bounce-back may be the Directors Guild Awards, but I think the chances are not looking bright.

Now that we can be almost sure about the seven nominees, the only fun left may be guessing what the 8th picture will be, or will there be an 8th, or even a 9th nominee? For me I think the more likely ones to fill the spot(s) will be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Tree of Life, and should there only be an 8th spot, The Tree of Life should probably come first.

The list of nomination is shown below:


Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ARTIST
Producer: Thomas Langmann
BRIDESMAIDS
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
THE DESCENDANTS
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
THE HELP
Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green
HUGO
Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese
THE IDES OF MARCH
Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
MONEYBALL
Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
WAR HORSE
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
CARS 2
Producer: Denise Ream
KUNG FU PANDA 2
Producer: Melissa Cobb
PUSS IN BOOTS
Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
RANGO
Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski

The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television:

“Cinema Verite” (HBO)
Producers: Zanne Devine, Karyn McCarthy
“Downton Abbey” (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame
“The Kennedys” (ReelzChannel)
Producers: Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow
“Mildred Pierce” (HBO)
Producers: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon
“Too Big To Fail” (HBO)
Producers: Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein

*The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.
In December 2011, the Producers Guild of America announced the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture, Television Series and Non-Fiction Television Nominations; the following list includes complete producer credits.

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
Producers: Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
Producer: Philip Gefter
PROJECT NIM
Producer: Simon Chinn
SENNA
Producer: James Gay-Rees
THE UNION
Producers: Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

“30 Rock” (NBC)
Producers: Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Jeff Richmond, John Riggi, Don Scardino
“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Producers: Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro, Faye Oshima, Bill Prady
“Glee” (FOX)
Producers: Ian Brennan, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Kenneth Silverstein
“Modern Family” (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
“Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
Producers: Greg Daniels, Dan Goor, Howard Klein, Amy Poehler, Morgan Sackett, Michael Schur

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

“Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter
“Dexter” (Showtime)
Producers: Sara Colleton, John Goldwyn, Chip Johannessen, Robert Lloyd Lewis
“Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Frank Doelger, Mark Huffam, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
Producers: Brooke Kennedy, Michelle King, Robert King, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker
“Mad Men” (AMC)
Producers: Jonathan Abrahams, Scott Hornbacher, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Blake McCormick, Dwayne Shattuck, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:

“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (Syndicated)
Producers: Mary Connelly, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Geiger Schrift, Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner, Kevin A. Leman II, Jonathan Norman, Derek Westervelt
“Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Producers: Ken Aymong, Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney
“The 64th Annual Tony Awards” (CBS)
Producers: Ricky Kirshner, Glenn Weiss

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo
“American Idol” (FOX)
Producers: Charles Boyd, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Simon Fuller, Patrick Lynn, Nigel Lythgoe, Megan Michaels, Ken Warwick
“Dancing with the Stars” (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur, Rob Wade
“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Colleen Sands
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
Producers: Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Murphy, Nan Strait


The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

“30 for 30” (ESPN)
Producers: John Dahl, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons
“American Masters” (PBS)
Producers: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks
“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (Travel Channel)
Producers: Christopher Collins, Julie Lei, Lydia Tenaglia, Tom Vitale
“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Ethan Prochnik, Bill Pruitt, Matt Renner
“Undercover Boss” (CBS)
Producers: Chris Carlson, Susan Hoenig, Eli Holzman, Sandi Johnson, Stephen Lambert, Allison Schermerhorn