Tuesday, January 12, 2010

(Kind of) Broken Embraces.

Jose here with some European awards news.


Luis Tosar in Celda 211

The nominees for the 24th annual Goya Awards were announced this past Saturday with Daniel Monzón's Celda 211, a prison drama, leading the field with 16 nominations including Best Picure and Best director. Alejandro Amenábar's Ágora followed with 13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress (Rachel Weisz).

The big news was the snub of Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces in the top categories. This makes it the first Almodóvar movie of the past decade not to be nominated for Spain's Best Picture (Volver won in the top categories three years ago and Bad Education and Talk to Her were nominated but lost in their respective years).

Broken Embraces however received five nominations including Best Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design, Hair & Makeup and Best Actress for Penélope Cruz.

Joining Cruz and Weisz in the Best Actress category were Maribel Verdú for Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro and Lola Dueñas (Cruz's Volver co-star) for Yo, También.

The top two categories stand as follows:

Best Picture and Best Director
Ágora, Alejandro Amenábar
Celda 211, Daniel Monzón
El Baile de la Victoria, Fernando Trueba
El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Juan José Campanella

It's interesting to note that both El Baile de la Victoria from Spain and El Secreto de Sus Ojos from Argentina were submitted by their respective countries to be considered for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for 2009. Trueba won that prize for Belle Époque in 1992 and Campanella was also a nominee for Son of the Bride in the 2001 film year.

Argentinean actor Ricardo Darín (9 Queens) was a double nominee for his lead performance in El Secreto de Sus Ojos and his supporting work in El Baile de la Victoria.

Other important categories include...

Best Latin American Film: Dawson Isla 10 from Chile, Gigante from Uruguay, El secreto de sus ojos from Argentina, La teta asustada from Perú (all of the entries, except for Uruguay, are also submitted for the 82nd Oscars)

Best European Film: Welcome to the North from France, Let the Right One In from Sweden, The Class from France and Slumdog Millionaire from the UK.

The 24th Annual Goya Awards will be held February 14th in Madrid.
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16 comments:

Noecito said...

I still cannot believe they snubbed Almodóvar... I'm actually considering revoking my Spanish nationality.

butcherboy. said...

I understand they snubbing Almodovar: To see one country´s filmography as just one author is not right. More when he has an ego as big as Real Madrid´s stadium (yes, I am also spanish, and while we really love him, it is boring to see him looking for media attention all the time).
Tecnically it is a wonderful film, and Angela Molina´s two scenes were very intense, but it is not among Almodovar´s finest. A director nomination maybe, the script or the movie, not at all.
I think the same to "El baile de la victoria": It is a pretentious and empty film, just nominated because the academy loves the director. As it happens with Jose Luis Garci, who makes boring, un-naturalistic films but spanish academy loves them.
I hope Celda 211 not only to win, but to receive an international promotion: American public and critics would enjoy it, a lot. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a prision thriller as good as it gets-

Boyd said...

Celda 211 is a perfectly calibrated genre entertainment, with great acting, some neat plot twits, gritty camerawork and a heart-stopping score. If I'm not mistaken it was already sold to the US (one of the smaller distribs like IFC...)

Andrew K. said...

Has anyone seen Agora, is it a 2010 release or 2009?

NATHANIEL R said...

Andrew -- well in Spain it was apparently 2009. But not here in the States.

Andrew K. said...

Thanks, Nathaniel. I have to say Weisz and Amenabar make me want to see very much.

Jim T said...

Luise Rainer is 100! I guess now I have to see a movie with her.

El Argentino said...

I'm particulary enjoyed LOS ABRAZS ROTOS, I loved the film and let's be hones: who, in the art world, dosen't have a gigantic ego? everybody!!.
But in the matter of the GOYA awards I hope that EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS win!!! I'm from Argentina and the film is exquisite!
Sorry for my terrible english, I know I have a terrible writting

Nick M. said...

I don't understand the outrage over the so-called "snubbing" of Almodovar for Broken Embraces. The film received mixed reviews in Europe and has been seen by many, including myself, as a disappointment. Wait until he makes another brilliant film--and I'm sure he will--to reward him.

Is he the Spanish Clint Eastwood (not for quality of film, of course, but award-magnetic, outrageous-snub-if-not-nominated)?

Pf_Iggy said...

I still think that in spite of its flaws, bad wigs and Kira Miró :), Broken Embraces is one of the most underappreciated movies of the year and that it'll be much better appreciated after some time. So, given the history between Almodóvar and the Academy, it's no surprise.

That said, the Academy reflects in the nominations how small in the end the Spanish industry is. Movies with almost no life, nor critical nor popula, but with support from the voting members like El baile de la victoria can make it, and Map of the Sounds of Tokyo and Gordos can't, even though they were the other two finalists to represent Spain at the Oscars. Aren't they supposed to be part of the best of the year?

Glad to see the nomination for Rachel Weisz hasn't provoked any kind of controversy (big star, performance in English)as it happened some years ago when Kidman was nominated (and lost) for The Others.

I'd love to see an Àlex de la Iglesia movie, in La comunidad kind of way, telling the fights and tensions between the Academy Members and the different groups, now that he's the chairman. But maybe the result would be closer to [REC].

Pf_Iggy said...

@Nick M.

I don't think there isn't a Spanish Clint Eastwood, and probably Almodóvar himself wouldn't like the comparison :).

I think most of people don't find an Almodóvar snub outrageous, except maybe himself. In the past, he was outspoken talking about it when he was(or he felt) snubbed. He left the academy when he didn't feel supported, gone back again to it, and right now maybe Jose knows better if he's a member or not. I doubt he is. Let's say that in a possible contest for Diva of the year, as much as I love him, Almodóvar could be really a strong contender.

Pf_Iggy said...

Oops, sorry, that should read:

"I don't think there is a Spanish Clint Eastwood..."

I'll shut up now :)

javi said...

Rachel Weisz vs. Pene Cruz vs. Maribel Verdú is bound to be the most awesome Best Actress category in any awards show this year.

Peggy Sue said...

Good female list this year Javi but don't forget Lola Dueñas in "Yo, también". She IS going to be the winner.

By the way Nathaniel you should totally try to catch that performance in Sundance.

PS About snubbing Almodóvar... well, it's hurts just to think about it.

Broken Embraces said...

Broken Embraces are difficult to locate in the chronology of its fevered, convoluted narrative. They hover somewhere in the midst of not only the movie but also the movie’s genesis. We see an actress on a film set preparing for another take. Her name, we’ll later learn, is Lena, and she’s played by Penélope Cruz.

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