Well folks, now that the holidays are behind us and we're back to business as usual tomorrow (YEAH!!!), the awards race, the road to Oscar, is back in full swing! Yesterday, the National Society of Film Critics announced their winners. The NSFC is the last critics group to release their awards for the year. They tend to be a bit more high-brow than other critics groups, and therefore, their picks can come as a bit of a surprise to many. That being said, sometimes they'll go with the flow (as they did last year when they gave P.T. Anderson's masterpiece There Will Be Blood a ton of awards including Best Picture). This year, the NSFC is back to their old tricks by awarding Ari Folman's animated documentary Waltz with Bashir Best Picture. If you haven't heard of the film, it is certainly a different, yet refreshing, concept. This is an Israeli film, so it's in the Hebrew language. Additionally, it's a documentary but also a cartoon. Again, perhaps this may be a tough sell to mainstream audiences in the United States, but it really is a brilliantly realized concept. Here is a brief synopsis of the film:One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can't remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images.
Interesting... I looks like it perhaps may be the Persepolis of 2008. In any case, this certainly has some connections to Season 5, so it's exciting to see it take home the award to make this race even more interesting. It will not likely be nominated for Best Picture, but it stands a great chance of a Best Foriegn Feature Film and Best Animated Feature Film nomination at the Oscars. Wall-E remains the favorite in the latter category, but Waltz with Bashir will likely also be nominated, forcing two films of little significance (I'm speaking of Kung-Fu Panda and Bolt) to duke it out for the final spot. I will also add that Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky did very well, making a Sally Hawkins nomination for Best Actress, and maybe even a screenplay nod, look more likely. Here's how everything hashed out...
BEST PICTURE
1. Waltz with Bashir, directed by Ari Folman (26)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (20)
3. WALL-E (20)
BEST NON-FICTION FILM
1. Man on Wire, directed by James Marsh (55)
2. Trouble the Water (34)
3. Encounters at the End of the World (26)
BEST DIRECTOR
1. Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky (36)
2. Gus Van Sant, Milk & Paranoid Park (20)
3. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (16)
BEST ACTOR
1. Sean Penn, Milk (87)
2. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (40)
3. Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (38)
BEST ACTRESS
1. Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky (65)
2. Melissa Leo, Frozen River (33)
3. Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy (31)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky (41)
2. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (35)
3. Josh Brolin, Milk (29)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Hanna Schygulla, The Edge of Heaven (29)
2. Viola Davis, Doubt (29, on fewer ballots)
3. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (24)
BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Happy-Go-Lucky, by Mike Leigh (29)
2. A Christmas Tale (24)
3. Synecdoche, New York (17)
So again, the NSFC doesn't disappoint in delivering a different list of choices. Next up: The Producers Guild of America announces their nominations tomorrow. This is a biggie, so stay tuned.
2 comments:
Wow! This one sounds very cool!
How are the top movies shown without being in our theatres when they are supposed to be the best ones? At all of these award times, I have usually only heard of 2 or 3 movies. It seems odd. Also, how are they voted on and named the top movies when they technically havn't even been released? Who votes, the critics?
here's the thing miss gustafson, these films are in theaters, but in limited release. in many cases, films open in new york and los angeles first, and then slowly open in other cities. the good news is that atlanta is a major city, so we have the chance to see films before most americans. the downside is for you suburbanites. films will open in midtown atlanta first, but then it takes awhile to get to the suburbs, and sometimes it never does. happy-go-lucky, for example, has been playing at a little theater on ponce de leon for weeks. no signs of popping into gwinnett though. critics vote on critics awards, like the one on this post. the oscars is voted on by the industry itself (producers, directors, writers, actors, and load of technical people).
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