Telluride Film #37, The OC, BAFTA and Oscar

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts named their 2011 winners two nights ago and, as you might expect, "The King's Speech" did very well. But there was a surprise or two along the way...

Here's the complete BAFTA run-down from Hollywood.com:

Best Film- The King’s Speech

Director - The Social Network - David Fincher

Leading Actor - Colin Firth - The King’s Speech

Leading Actress - Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush - The King’s Speech

Supporting Actress - Helena Bonham Carter - The King’s Speech

Adapted Screenplay- The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Original Screenplay - The King’s Speech - David Seidler

Animated Film - Toy Story 3 - Lee Unkrich

Outstanding British Film - The King’s Speech

Film Not In The English Language - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer - Four Lions - Chris Morris (Director/Writer)

Cinematography - True Grit - Roger Deakins

Editing - The Social Network - Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

Production Design - Inception - Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat

Sound - Inception - Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo, Ed Novick

Special Visual Effects - Inception - Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb

Make Up & Hair - Alice In Wonderland - Valli O'Reilly, Paul Gooch

Original Music - The King’s Speech - Alexandre Desplat

Costume Design - Alice In Wonderland - Colleen Atwood

Short Film - Until The River Runs Red - Paul Wright, Poss Kondeatis

Short Animation - The Eagleman Stag - Michael Please

The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award (voted by the public) - Tom Hardy

Biggest surprise was that English director and TKS helmer Tom Hooper did NOT win Best Direction...David Fincher did for "The Social Network" in what was essentially an upset of the home team that was dominant in almost every other category.

It wasn't really a surprise that Geoffrey Rush won Supporting Actor but a bit of a surprise that Helena Bonham Carter did...even with the home field advantage she wasn't expected to win Supporting Actress.

Finally, the American Society of Cinematographers awarded its top prize a couple of nights ago to Wally Pfister for "Inception." That leads one to second guess the expected Oscar for Roger Deakins and "True Grit."

Coming tomorrow, The OC updates the Big 8 races...

Telluride Film #37/The OC and the SAG awards

Did you hear that door slamming 36 hours ago?

It was the door closing on anyone's thoughts that "THE KING'S SPEECH" might not be your Best Picture winner on Feb. 27.

After a week that had included surprise wins for TKS at The Producer's Guild and The Director's Guild, the SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) awards were thought to be the last chance to derail the juggernaut that was building. Some experts still holding to the notion the "The Fighter" or even "The Social Network" would prevail in the SAG"s version of"Best Picture" which is their Ensemble Award.

But when they opened the envelope, the TKS train just kept right on running.

Here (directly from the SAG website) are the winners from Sundays presentations:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: COLIN FIRTH / King George VI - "THE KING’S SPEECH" (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)

Firth and Bale were not surprises. Portman solidified her chances as she continues to best what was thought to be her close competitor, Annette Bening. And in the Female Supporting category, Melissa Leo's win makes her the front-runner in a category that was thought to be the most fluid of the 4 individual acting categories.

With the Ensemble win, all signs now point to TKS having a big night at the Oscars. We're talking Slumdog type numbers (Slumdog won 8 Academy Awards). You have to think that TKS wins Picture, probably Director (DGA), Actor and Original Screenplay. Costume, Art Direction and Score are also likely. Unlikely are Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography and Sound Mixing. Leaving Film Editing as its only chance for an 8th Oscar, and that's not terribly likely either.

Who benefits from the TKS mini-sweep? "Inception," which likely ends Oscar night with the second largest total number of Oscars and "The Fighter," which will be the only film with more than one acting winner.

Who gets hurt: well...you know.."The Social Network" which increasingly looks as if it will win one Oscar for Aaron Sorkin's script and that's all.

Next time on Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Oscar Clearinghouse...we look at how the Oscar race mutated from September to now...and also, we'll start handicapping the Oscar categories for the winners on Feb. 27.

TFF #37/Oscar Clearinghouse and the DGA

Tom Hooper won the Director's Guild of America award late last night for Best Direction in 2010 for "The King's Speech." A whole host of Oscar watchers and critics are, again, dumbfounded this morning. Many thought that David Fincher would win for "The Social Network." Mmmmm....Nope.

The howling has been at a fever pitch for a week now. Beginning with the Producer's Guild Award to TKS last week and the "lead the pack" total of 12 nominations on Tuesday morning and culminating with last night's "surprise," The King's Speech" has been on a real roll...and it has the film "intelligentsia" up in arms..."How dare they?" has been the not-so-subtle refrain. Last night's DGA award, went the implicit narrative, will "restore some sanity" to the awards season. "Fincher gets the DGA," the thinking went, "because, surely, the directors 'get' the inherent superiority of "The Social Network." And that will also assure that the march of TKS to a Best Picture Oscar has been tempered and it's back to a real race...

And then, Boom!

A lot of people this week have been moaning that it's "Crash" beats "Brokeback" all over again...well...maybe.

But I'd submit the following:

1) I've been saying that TSN has been over-rated from the get go...I'd argue that it's overwhelming success with critics groups this past few months is at least as much a result of group-think and, really, a fear by some critics of an astonishing level of vitriol directed at any of them who dared to suggest that it might not actually be the year's best film.

2) As has been said in a lot of places, TSN certainly has a stronger appeal generationally to a younger demographic, and even older critics want to be regarded as hip...doesn't mean it's actually the best film or that it will win the Oscar...or should.

3) The "Crash/Brokeback" comparison stems, at least in part from the perception that the"Academy" is old and stodgy and scared of anything new or "controversial" and just doesn't "get it" which might explain why "Crash" won and probably does. But TSN "controversial"? Not really. And this week started with the PGA and ended with the DGA...NOT the Academy...I contend you can't use their results to paint that picture of the Academy..."the DGA doesn't get it?" Really???

4) Harvey Weinstein makes a salient point this week when he talks about "feeling" a movie...TSN celebrates its emotional distance...it's central to the film...how can anyone be surprised that that might not resonate with feeling, non-automatonic human beings?

5) Then there's this, maybe the majority of critics are just plain wrong...and make no mistake, I'm almost always on the side of critics...I live in a part of the world wherein the "celebration of film" is dwarfed by "what's on at the movies." Admittedly, I'm on the other side of the "generational" analysis mentioned above in point #2...and, further, I'm not even saying "The King's Speech" IS the year's Best Picture...I'd be inclined to vote for "True Grit." But, I have been pleased that the hubris of so many who had decided that it was all over months ago has been soundly shaken this past week.

"The King's Speech" opened (finally) in my town Friday night...of course, I saw it in September at Telluride...but I'm pleased to tell you that I'm going to go see it again tonight. I will be happy when it wins the Oscar for Best Picture in a month.

Telluride Film and The PGA/The Oscar Clearinghouse

PRODUCER'S GUILD PRODUCES A STUNNER!!!

Last night the Producers Guild of America awarded its awards for motion picture achievement and threw a big monkey wrench into the stately march of "The Social Network" to Oscar glory as the producers named producers Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin of "THE KING'S SPEECH" the winner of its "Producer of the Year" award.

This morning all of the Oscar handicappers are abuzz with whether or to what extent this changes the race. Personally, I don't know if this portends the downfall of "The Social Network" (hope so, because I've been saying for months that it has been hugely over-rated), but I do know that it just made the next month a whole lot more interesting and that a race that many Oscar prognosticator's had asserted was done...isn't.

Also winning last night were "Toy Story 3" as animated film and "Waiting for Superman" as documentary.

Tomorrow The Oscar Clearinghouse will be up with its last evaluation of the Oscar race before the nominations are announced on Tuesday morning. Tuesday we'll post the breakdown of nominees and assess Telluride #37's impact on this year's Oscar race.

Stay tuned. This just got a whole lot more fun.

Telluride Film and The Golden Globes/TFF #37 and The OC

Colin Firth and Natalie Portman win Golden Globes...Oscars in their immediate future?

A great night for "The Social Network" as it won 4 awards, Drama Film, Director, Screenplay and Score.

TFF #37 participants won 3 Globes...Colin Firth/Best Actor-Drama for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman/Best Actress-Drama for "Black Swan" and "Carlos" for Best TV Movie/Mini-Series. Telluride constant Laura Linney won a Globe for Best Actress in a TV Comedy for "The Big C." TFF #37 film "Biutiful" was upset in the Foreign Film category by Denmark's "In a Better World" in one of the few surprises of the evening.

Full film winners listed here from IndieWire.com

Best Motion Picture - Drama“The Social Network” - Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing
Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical- The Kids Are All Right” - Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision, Gilbert Films; Focus Features
Best Director - Motion Picture-David Fincher (TFF #35 Honoree) – “The Social Network”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama-Natalie Portman – “Black Swan”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama- Colin Firth – “The King’s Speech”
Best Actress: Comedy or Musical- Annette Bening – “The Kids Are All Right”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical- Paul Giamatti – “Barney’s Version”
Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture- Melissa Leo – “The Fighter”
Best Supporting Actor-Christian Bale for “The Fighter”
Best Foreign Language Film-“In A Better World” (Denmark) (Hævnen) Zentropa Entertainment; Sony Pictures Classics
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture-Aaron Sorkin - “The Social Network”
Best Original Score - Motion Picture-Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - “The Social Network”
Best Animated Feature Film“Toy Story 3” - Disney * Pixar; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Best Original Picture - Motion Picture “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me” from “Burlesque” - Music & Lyrics By: Diane Warren

Telluride Film Festival #37/The OC and the BFCA

Best Acting hopeful Colin Firth at this year's Telluride Film Festival

The Broadcast Film Critics/Critics Choice Movie Awards last night continued to anoint "The Social Network" as the consensus film of the year. The results (from Incontention.com and Indie Wire.com) with TFF #37 films in CAPS AND BOLD:

Picture: The Social Network

Director: David Fincher/The Social Network

Actress: NATALIE PORTMAN/BLACK SWAN

Actor: COLIN FIRTH/THE KING'S SPEECH

Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo/The Fighter

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale/The Fighter

Young Actor/Actress: Hailee Steinfeld/True Grit

Ensemble: The Fighter

Original Screenplay: DAVID SEIDLER/THE KING'S SPEECH

Adapted Screenplay:Aaron Sorkin/ The Social Network

Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Action Movie: Inception

Best Comedy: Easy A

Foreign: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Documentary: Waiting for Superman

Art Direction: Inception

Cinematography: Inception

Film Editing: Inception

Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland

Makeup: Alice in Wonderland

Visual Effects: Inception

Sound: Inception

Best Song: IF I RISE/127 HOURS

Best Score: The Social Network

Multiple Winners: Inception-6, The Social Network-4, The Fighter-3, THE KING'S SPEECH-2, Alice in Wonderland-2

TFF #37-4 total awards. Now on to the Golden Globes tomorrow night.

News from the OC

"The Social Network" cleans up today. Best Pic from LA Film Critics, NY Film Critics Online, Boston Society of Film Critics...and AFI Top Ten. I've said it before...ehhh?

Here's the AFI Top Ten and a couple of extras. Telluride Film Festival 37 does all right.

BLACK SWAN

THE FIGHTER

INCEPTION

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

127 HOURS

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

THE TOWN

TOY STORY 3

TRUE GRIT

WINTER'S BONE

and...

AFI SPECIAL AWARDS
THE KING'S SPEECH

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN

New York's Online Critics awarded Natalie Portman of Black Swan Best Actress. Swan also was cited for Cinematography and Score. James Franco of 127 Hours was honored for Best Actor.

LA's Film Critics awarded Colin Firth of The King's Speech Best Actor and Niels Arestrup of the French prison drama A Prophet (TFF #36) Best Supporting Actor. Best Direction was shared by Olivier Assayas for Carlos. Carlos was also named Runner-Up for Best Film and Best Foreign Film. Edgar Ramirez , who played the title role, was runner-up to Firth. The King's Speech also scored as the runner-up in a number of categories including Geoffrey Rush as Supporting Actor as well as in Production Design and for David Seidler's Screenplay. The Illusionist was runner-up as Best Animated Film.

Boston's Society of Film Critics only cited Portman as Best Actress and the Film Editing of Black Swan from Telluride 37 films in their year end awards.

New York's Film Critics Circle announces tomorrow.