"The critics are coming! The critics are coming!" Today the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Boston Film Critics announced their "best of the year" for 2006. They are the first of dozens of announcements from critical organizations which I'll be tracking here.Los Angeles shows lots and lots of love for Letters From Iwo Jima and The Queen and (rather interestingly) Children of Men which does have stunning cinematography. Boston went crazy for The Departed set in, where else, Boston... Both groups were kind to Pan's Labyrinth and United 93. You can see the complete list here (where I'll be tracking everything)
The Departed was snubbed by LAFCA (the second most important critics group, the biggie NYFCC announces tomorrow) and also missed the AFI Top Ten List which reads in full: Babel, Borat, The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Half Nelson, Happy Feet, Inside Man, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and United 93. Which is a rather self conciously hip list but still all kindsa cool for slipping Inside Man and The Devil Wears Prada, two popcorn delights, into the mix.
So, it was a great day for Clint Eastwood (whose soul is good and pure and free from earthly desires like awards!) and not a great one for Martin Scorsese (whose name is tallied in the devil's books, tainted as it is with dirty Oscar lust!) suggesting that the Los Angeles Film Critics and the American Film Institute are eager to live 2004 all over again. *sigh*
There's still lots more to go. Awards Season is underway!
Tags: movies, cinema, The Departed, Clint Eastwood oscars, Academy Awards,film, Martin Scorsese, top ten,Los Angeles, Boston
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21 comments:
In a weird way I think this helps Dreamgirls or The Queen (Who swept through the New York Online Film Critics today) as voters might get sick of Clint vs. Marty again. Also looks like Paul is leading the pack for Lone Director for Untied 93.
The Top Ten Lists from these are interesting so far as LMS is the only one to not be a miss any of them which says they can become comprise picks for Best Picture either at NY tomorrow or other critc awards down the line where they go to the round by round voting (Like Capote winning Chicago after the History of Viloence can not find the couple of votes needed to win)
NYFCC is out, so is D.C.
NYFCC is tomorrow --today's was that pretenders group NYFCO which is just some onliners getting lots of mileage from naiming themselves virtually the same thing.
http://64.33.65.238/films/death_of_mr_lazarescu.jpg
a pic of the romanian woman the LA film critics picked
Looks like Forest Whitaker is getting a lot of help.
DC - not that I like U93 this much, but I am sure critics will go its way and put it in the fight for that 5th LMS place.
Whitaker and Mirren get DC too. I know it'll get boring, but I hope they keep winning everything. They'd never win in lead without absolute critical sweep, just like Hoffmann lest year. It's their chance, now or never.
- cal roth
All I have to say is that I'm a bit perplexed.
Noooooo! This isn't happening. Not again, please. I can't do another Eastwood romp, I only have so much patience left. If Eastwood beats Marty again for Best Director, I might have to wait before Clint retires to follow the Oscars again.
Moving right past the whole Eastwood/Scorsese squabble (since I saw Apocalypto, and I know to avoid the quicksand when I see it in my path...), I would like to say that I'm stunned by the win for Luminita Gheorghiu in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. I finally caught up with the movie a few nights ago, and I fast-tracked her for a Best Actress slot on my website's annual awards. It's clearly one of the most efficient, eloquent, marvelous detailed performances of the year—she's on-screen so much, working and revealing her character every single minute, but in such an unshowy way that you sometimes forget she's in the frame (and you sometimes forget that she's an actress).
Even critics' groups rarely remember a perf like this in a movie with zero Oscar hopes, but after anointing Vera Farmiga as their Best Actress last year for Down to the Bone and picking Luminita Gheorghiu as Best Supporting Actress this year, I've gotta give the LAFCA props for resisting the general trend toward lockstep consensus among the critics groups. The problem, to me, isn't so much that the groups keep agreeing with each other but that they're often quite narrow about which movies they're willing to investigate for awards possibilities. Yay, LAFCA!
I figured Clint would come through in the end. Damn it all.
...but major props to Boston for "Departed" love, and to the majority of film groups for their acknowledgement of Greengrass and his brilliant "United 93".
I don't know if it's the fact that the previous awards season climaxed in an atrocity. Or maybe it's because 2006 has been such a miserably boring year for American cinema (and in the world of awards bodies, all other cinema is substandard) that something as candy-coated and mediocre as Little Miss Sunhine has ascended to the status of a critical darling. But man, am I not interested in this year's awards season.
However I may start getting a bit more enthusiastic if I catch any mention of Almodovar, Penelope Cruz or Sacha Baron Cohen.
Clint Eastwood can't win again over Martin Scorcese.
Nat do you still think Volver is the frontrunner? it only has the NBR... seems like the critics loved Pan's Labyrinth (winner at boston, washington, new york online) and The Lives of Others is getting a lot more attention, I actually think "Days of Glory" will be a SURPRISE! and take the award MARK MY WORDS...
The Academy thought are notoriously fickle when it comes to fantasy, aren't they? We'll see. I still say Volver is the frontrunner.
Anyway. Some thoughts.
LA
At least they didn't give Director to Eastwood. I really want Greengrass to get a Director slot (with a corresponding best picture nod would be splendid). And, I gotta say, Sasha Baron Cohen for Best Actor is hopefully going to show up more often. I was impressed more by him than people such as DiCaprio.
Boston
Who didn't see them doing that although, do I sense possibly some category confusion in the mix for Meryl Streep if more place her in Supporting and not Lead.
Washington DC
Yay for United 93, but if you're gonna proclaim that as your Best Picture it seems sort of silly to have Scorsese has Best Director.
Glad that Happy Feet looks to be picking up steam. I want George Miller to have an Oscar.
And lastly, that picture from Pan's Labyrinth freaks the bejesus outta me.
Was it really that bad a day for Marty? He now has 3 best director awards (Boston, DC, NBR), while Clint has approximately 0. No wait, exactly 0.
The only real shock is Departed missing the AFI top ten. I can't believe they threw it under the bus for Prada, Inside Man and Happy Feet, but then I can't say I disagree either.
I do think, though, that even if Letters takes best pic (which is looking likely) and best screenplay, they'll still give Marty best director. It really would look verrrrryyy mean of them not to.
this new Clint Vs. Marty round though should make things easier for Dreamgirls though...
doesn't it feel like it's a good thing for that movie if people don't assume it's going to win. Prevents that backlash from forming to some degree.
2003: An adaptation of a Broadway musical by Bill Condon is the presumed leader until a challenge by a WWII movie directed by a Hollywood veteran. Martin Scorsese: Overlooked again.
2006: An adaptation of a Broadway musical by Bill Condon is the presumed leader until a challenge by a WWII movie directed by a Hollywood veteran: Martin Scorsese: to be continued...?
I'm still predicting a Dreamgirls/Scorsese split (it just feels like a "split" year doesn't it?). I just can't see Scorsese losing again and to Eastwood again. People really seem to want him to win it this year.
But, I suppose, if the Academy is ever going to give the Best Picture prize to a foreign language film then it makes sense that it is infact an American film by one of their adorned. Hmmmm
Yeah I am also thinking Letters could be the one foreign film to finally get best picture, ironically by riding on its American director. Kind of like how Hillary could be the first female president due to her connection to Bill. But perhaps neither will happen.
It does feel like there will be a split of some kind. Either Letters/Scorcese or Dreamgirls Scorcese. Letters/Eastwood would just be too much.
This year has been incredibly disappointing. All studios experiencing major flops from all Oscar-bait dramas (see Running with Scissors, All the King's Men, The Black Dahlia, The Good German, The Good Shephard, etc... see my point). In any case, usually the Oscars require trimming down from a vast pool of worth nominees. This year, especially in the Best Actor category, we are stuggling to just fill the five.
Christ, I'm sick of Clint Eastwood winning everything. I can't even watch his films amymore because seeing his name on a screen has become exhausting. Not that I have ever been a fan, but this is just silly.
In my mind The Black Dahlia was far from a flop. In fact, it was the biggest wildest loopiest success known to mankind.
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