The BAFTAs were announced some hours ago (Jan. 18th). The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that (as they describe it) "supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public." Of course, the group is known for handing out an award known as the BAFTA.
In the states, we primarily pay attention to the BAFTA film awards. The British film, The King's Speech, has the most nominations, 14, while the current American darling, The Social Network, received six. For those who are not familiar with the BAFTAs, there are two best film categories: "Best Film" and "Outstanding British Film," and The King's Speech is nominated in both. The also have a "Rising Star Award," which is voted on by the public. The awards will be handed out Sunday, February 13, 2011.
2010 NOMINATIONS
(presented in 2011)
BEST FILM
BLACK SWAN Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin
INCEPTION Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan
THE KING’S SPEECH Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin
THE SOCIAL NETWORK Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Céan Chaffin
TRUE GRIT Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
127 HOURS Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy, Christian Colson, John Smithson
ANOTHER YEAR Mike Leigh, Georgina Lowe
FOUR LIONS Chris Morris, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Mark Herbert, Derrin Schlesinger
THE KING’S SPEECH Tom Hooper, David Seidler, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin
MADE IN DAGENHAM Nigel Cole, William Ivory, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
THE ARBOR Clio Barnard (Director), Tracy O’Riordan (Producer)
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP Banksy (Director), Jaimie D’Cruz (Producer)
FOUR LIONS Chris Morris (Director/Writer)
MONSTERS Gareth Edwards (Director/Writer)
SKELETONS Nick Whitfield (Director/Writer)
DIRECTOR
127 HOURS Danny Boyle
BLACK SWAN Darren Aronofsky
INCEPTION Christopher Nolan
THE KING’S SPEECH Tom Hooper
THE SOCIAL NETWORK David Fincher
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BLACK SWAN Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, John McLaughlin
THE FIGHTER Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
INCEPTION Christopher Nolan
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
THE KING’S SPEECH David Seidler
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 HOURS Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel
THE SOCIAL NETWORK Aaron Sorkin
TOY STORY 3 Michael Arndt
TRUE GRIT Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
BIUTIFUL Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik, Fernando Bovaira
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Søren Stærmose, Niels Arden Oplev
I AM LOVE Luca Guadagnino, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Marco Morabito, Massimiliano Violante
OF GODS AND MEN Xavier Beauvois
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES Mariela Besuievsky, Juan José Campanella
ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
TOY STORY 3 Lee Unkrich
LEADING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM Biutiful
JEFF BRIDGES True Grit
JESSE EISENBERG The Social Network
COLIN FIRTH The King’s Speech
JAMES FRANCO 127 Hours
LEADING ACTRESS
ANNETTE BENING The Kids Are All Right
JULIANNE MOORE The Kids Are All Right
NATALIE PORTMAN Black Swan
NOOMI RAPACE The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
HAILEE STEINFELD True Grit
SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTIAN BALE The Fighter
ANDREW GARFIELD The Social Network
PETE POSTLETHWAITE The Town
MARK RUFFALO The Kids Are All Right
GEOFFREY RUSH The King’s Speech
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS The Fighter
HELENA BONHAM CARTER The King’s Speech
BARBARA HERSHEY Black Swan
LESLEY MANVILLE Another Year
MIRANDA RICHARDSON Made in Dagenham
ORIGINAL MUSIC
127 HOURS AR Rahman
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Danny Elfman
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON John Powell
INCEPTION Hans Zimmer
THE KING’S SPEECH Alexandre Desplat
CINEMATOGRAPHY
127 HOURS Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak
BLACK SWAN Matthew Libatique
INCEPTION Wally Pfister
THE KING’S SPEECH Danny Cohen
TRUE GRIT Roger Deakins
EDITING
127 HOURS Jon Harris
BLACK SWAN Andrew Weisblum
INCEPTION Lee Smith
THE KING’S SPEECH Tariq Anwar
THE SOCIAL NETWORK Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
PRODUCTION DESIGN
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara
BLACK SWAN Thérèse DePrez, Tora Peterson
INCEPTION Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat
THE KING’S SPEECH Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
TRUE GRIT Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
COSTUME DESIGN
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Colleen Atwood
BLACK SWAN Amy Westcott
THE KING’S SPEECH Jenny Beavan
MADE IN DAGENHAM Louise Stjernsward
TRUE GRIT Mary Zophres
SOUND
127 HOURS Glenn Freemantle, Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Steven C Laneri, Douglas Cameron
BLACK SWAN Ken Ishii, Craig Henighan, Dominick Tavella
INCEPTION Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo, Ed Novick
THE KING’S SPEECH John Midgley, Lee Walpole, Paul Hamblin
TRUE GRIT Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F Kurland, Douglas Axtell
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Nominees TBC
BLACK SWAN Dan Schrecker
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Nicolas Ait'Hadi, Christian Manz
INCEPTION Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb
TOY STORY 3 Nominees TBC
MAKE UP & HAIR
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Nominees TBC
BLACK SWAN Judy Chin, Geordie Sheffer
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
THE KING’S SPEECH Frances Hannon
MADE IN DAGENHAM Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
SHORT ANIMATION
THE EAGLEMAN STAG Michael Please
MATTER FISHER David Prosser
THURSDAY Matthias Hoegg
SHORT FILM
CONNECT Samuel Abrahams, Beau Gordon
LIN Piers Thompson, Simon Hessel
RITE Michael Pearce, Ross McKenzie
TURNING Karni Arieli, Saul Freed, Alison Sterling, Kat Armour-Brown
UNTIL THE RIVER RUNS RED Paul Wright, Poss Kondeatis
THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
GEMMA ARTERTON
ANDREW GARFIELD
TOM HARDY
AARON JOHNSON
EMMA STONE
http://www.bafta.org/.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
2011 Nominations for British Academy Film Awards Announced
Press release:
NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE ORANGE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS IN 2011
The King’s Speech receives 14 nominations. Black Swan is nominated in 12 categories, Inception has nine nominations and 127 Hours and True Grit are each nominated eight times. The Social Network has six nominations.
Alice in Wonderland has five nominations; The Kids Are All Right and Made in Dagenham have four nominations apiece; and The Fighter, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Toy Story 3 each receive three nominations.
The King’s Speech has been nominated in the categories Best Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Original Music, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Sound and Outstanding British Film. Tom Hooper is nominated for Director and Colin Firth is nominated for Leading Actor. His co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are nominated for Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor.
Black Swan has been nominated for Best Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Darren Aronofsky is nominated for Director, Natalie Portman for Leading Actress and Barbara Hershey for Supporting Actress.
Inception is nominated for Best Film, Cinematography, Editing, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Christopher Nolan is nominated for Director.
Completing the Best Film line up are The Social Network and True Grit, both of which are also nominated for Adapted Screenplay.
David Fincher is nominated for Director for The Social Network and Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield are nominated in the Leading and Supporting Actor categories, respectively. The film is also nominated for Editing.
True Grit has six further nominations: Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design and Sound as well as Leading Actor and Leading Actress nominations for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.
Danny Boyle is nominated for Director for 127 Hours and the film’s star James Franco is nominated in the Leading Actor category. The film is also nominated in Outstanding British Film, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Original Music and Sound.
Javier Bardem is nominated in the Leading Actor category for Biutiful, which is also nominated for Film Not in the English Language.
Joining Andrew Garfield and Geoffrey Rush in the Supporting Actor category are Christian Bale for The Fighter, Pete Postlethwaite for The Town and Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right.
Mark Ruffalo’s co-stars in The Kids Are All Right, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, are both nominated in the Leading Actress category. The film is also nominated for Original Screenplay.
Noomi Rapace completes the Leading Actress category, for her performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which has two further nominations, for Adapted Screenplay and Film Not in the English Language.
In the Supporting Actress category, Amy Adams is nominated for The Fighter, which also has an Original Screenplay nomination. Lesley Manville is nominated for Another Year and Miranda Richardson for Made in Dagenham.
Both Another Year and Made in Dagenham are nominated for Outstanding British Film. Made in Dagenham also has nominations for Costume Design and Make Up & Hair.
Four Lions is nominated for Outstanding British Film and the film’s writer/director Chris Morris is nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Joining him in that category are: Clio Barnard and Tracy O’Riordan, director and producer of The Arbor; Gareth Edwards, writer/director of Monsters; Nick Whitfield, writer/director of Skeletons; and Jaimie D’Cruz and Banksy, producer and director of Exit Through the Gift Shop.
Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 are the nominees in the Animated Film category. Toy Story 3 also has nominations for Adapted Screenplay and Special Visual Effects. How to Train Your Dragon is nominated in the Original Music category.
Alice in Wonderland’s five nominations are for Costume Design, Make Up & Hair, Original Music, Production Design and Special Visual Effects.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 has two nominations: for Make Up & Hair and Special Visual Effects.
I Am Love, Of Gods and Men and The Secret in Their Eyes are nominated in the Film Not in the English Language category alongside Biutiful and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The Short Animation nominations are The Eagleman Stag, Matter Fisher, and Thursday and the Short Film nominations are Connect, LIN, Rite, Turning and Until the River Runs Red.
The nominees for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award, announced earlier this month, are Gemma Arterton, Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, Aaron Johnson and Emma Stone. This audience award is voted for by the British public and presented to an actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and promise.
The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 13 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. This is the fourteenth year of Orange’s sponsorship of the Film Awards.
The ceremony will be hosted for the fifth year by Jonathan Ross and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One. Red carpet coverage will be hosted by Edith Bowman on BBC Three.
About BAFTA:
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit http://www.bafta.org/.
NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE ORANGE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS IN 2011
The King’s Speech receives 14 nominations. Black Swan is nominated in 12 categories, Inception has nine nominations and 127 Hours and True Grit are each nominated eight times. The Social Network has six nominations.
Alice in Wonderland has five nominations; The Kids Are All Right and Made in Dagenham have four nominations apiece; and The Fighter, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Toy Story 3 each receive three nominations.
The King’s Speech has been nominated in the categories Best Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Original Music, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Sound and Outstanding British Film. Tom Hooper is nominated for Director and Colin Firth is nominated for Leading Actor. His co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are nominated for Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor.
Black Swan has been nominated for Best Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Darren Aronofsky is nominated for Director, Natalie Portman for Leading Actress and Barbara Hershey for Supporting Actress.
Inception is nominated for Best Film, Cinematography, Editing, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Christopher Nolan is nominated for Director.
Completing the Best Film line up are The Social Network and True Grit, both of which are also nominated for Adapted Screenplay.
David Fincher is nominated for Director for The Social Network and Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield are nominated in the Leading and Supporting Actor categories, respectively. The film is also nominated for Editing.
True Grit has six further nominations: Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design and Sound as well as Leading Actor and Leading Actress nominations for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.
Danny Boyle is nominated for Director for 127 Hours and the film’s star James Franco is nominated in the Leading Actor category. The film is also nominated in Outstanding British Film, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Original Music and Sound.
Javier Bardem is nominated in the Leading Actor category for Biutiful, which is also nominated for Film Not in the English Language.
Joining Andrew Garfield and Geoffrey Rush in the Supporting Actor category are Christian Bale for The Fighter, Pete Postlethwaite for The Town and Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right.
Mark Ruffalo’s co-stars in The Kids Are All Right, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, are both nominated in the Leading Actress category. The film is also nominated for Original Screenplay.
Noomi Rapace completes the Leading Actress category, for her performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which has two further nominations, for Adapted Screenplay and Film Not in the English Language.
In the Supporting Actress category, Amy Adams is nominated for The Fighter, which also has an Original Screenplay nomination. Lesley Manville is nominated for Another Year and Miranda Richardson for Made in Dagenham.
Both Another Year and Made in Dagenham are nominated for Outstanding British Film. Made in Dagenham also has nominations for Costume Design and Make Up & Hair.
Four Lions is nominated for Outstanding British Film and the film’s writer/director Chris Morris is nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Joining him in that category are: Clio Barnard and Tracy O’Riordan, director and producer of The Arbor; Gareth Edwards, writer/director of Monsters; Nick Whitfield, writer/director of Skeletons; and Jaimie D’Cruz and Banksy, producer and director of Exit Through the Gift Shop.
Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 are the nominees in the Animated Film category. Toy Story 3 also has nominations for Adapted Screenplay and Special Visual Effects. How to Train Your Dragon is nominated in the Original Music category.
Alice in Wonderland’s five nominations are for Costume Design, Make Up & Hair, Original Music, Production Design and Special Visual Effects.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 has two nominations: for Make Up & Hair and Special Visual Effects.
I Am Love, Of Gods and Men and The Secret in Their Eyes are nominated in the Film Not in the English Language category alongside Biutiful and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The Short Animation nominations are The Eagleman Stag, Matter Fisher, and Thursday and the Short Film nominations are Connect, LIN, Rite, Turning and Until the River Runs Red.
The nominees for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award, announced earlier this month, are Gemma Arterton, Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, Aaron Johnson and Emma Stone. This audience award is voted for by the British public and presented to an actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and promise.
The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 13 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. This is the fourteenth year of Orange’s sponsorship of the Film Awards.
The ceremony will be hosted for the fifth year by Jonathan Ross and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One. Red carpet coverage will be hosted by Edith Bowman on BBC Three.
About BAFTA:
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit http://www.bafta.org/.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Complete List of 68th Golden Globe Winners
The Golden Globe Awards, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were handed out last night. On the film side of things, things were fairly boring as the expected winners won. If you are starting to see a pattern, you are not paranoid. Once again, The Social Network triumphs. So here is a list of the winners in both the film and television categories:
2011 Golden Globe Awards Winners (For the year ended December 31, 2010)
FILM AWARDS
Picture, Drama: "The Social Network."
Picture, Musical or Comedy: "The Kids Are All Right."
Actor, Drama: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech."
Actress, Drama: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan."
Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network."
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right."
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Version."
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter."
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter."
Foreign Language: "In a Better World."
Animated Film: "Toy Story 3."
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network."
Original Score: "The Social Network."
Original Song: "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," (written by Diane Warren), "Burlesque."
TELEVISION AWARDS
Series, Drama: "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire."
Actress, Drama: Katey Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy."
Series, Musical or Comedy: "Glee," Fox.
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory."
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Linney, "The Big C."
Miniseries or Movie: "Carlos," Sundance Channel.
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin."
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack."
Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jane Lynch, "Glee."
Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Chris Colfer, "Glee."
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert De Niro.
2011 Golden Globe Awards Winners (For the year ended December 31, 2010)
FILM AWARDS
Picture, Drama: "The Social Network."
Picture, Musical or Comedy: "The Kids Are All Right."
Actor, Drama: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech."
Actress, Drama: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan."
Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network."
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right."
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Version."
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter."
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter."
Foreign Language: "In a Better World."
Animated Film: "Toy Story 3."
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network."
Original Score: "The Social Network."
Original Song: "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," (written by Diane Warren), "Burlesque."
TELEVISION AWARDS
Series, Drama: "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire."
Actress, Drama: Katey Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy."
Series, Musical or Comedy: "Glee," Fox.
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory."
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Linney, "The Big C."
Miniseries or Movie: "Carlos," Sundance Channel.
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin."
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack."
Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jane Lynch, "Glee."
Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Chris Colfer, "Glee."
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert De Niro.
Review: "Coming to America" is Still a Classic (Happy B'day, James Earl Jones)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux
Coming to America (1988)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: John Landis
WRITERS: David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein; from a story by Eddie Murphy
PRODUCERS: George Folsey, Jr. and Robert D. Wachs
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Woody Omens with Sol Negrin
EDITOR: George Folsey, Jr. and Malcolm Campbell
Academy Award nominee
COMEDY/ROMANCE
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, Paul Bates, Eriq La Salle, Frankie Faison, Vanessa Bell , Louie Anderson, Allison Dean, Calvin Lockhart, Clint Smith, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy, and Samuel L. Jackson
A pampered heir to an African throne, Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), wants more out of life, and he wants a woman with her own mind, someone other than the beautiful woman to whom he’s engaged, Imani Izzi (Vanessa Bell). His father, King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), the ruler of Zamunda, encourages Akeem to go to America and sow his royal oats. However, Akeem heads to New York City, specifically Queens, to find a mate who will fall in love with him for who he is not what he is. Accompanied by his trusty sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), Akeem takes a low-paying job at a McDonald’s-like fast food restaurant, McDowell’s. He keeps his true identity secret and eventually begins a romance with Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley), the daughter of the boss, Cleo McDowell (John Amos). But will his royal lineage ruin Akeem’s chances with Lisa?
Coming to America remains one of my favorite Eddie Murphy films. It’s both funny, and the film also reveals the romantic side of Eddie Murphy’s talents as an actor – something we’d see more of in later films. The script by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, two writers who wrote many of Murphy’s sketches while he was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” in the mid-80’s, crafted a light-hearted, but engaging romantic comedy, and sprinkle it with numerous comic sketches and scenes. The writers provide comic gems not only for Murphy and Arsenio Hall, but also for the rest of the cast, which gives even actors with the smallest parts something into which they can sink their teeth. James Earl Jones, John Amos, and Madge Sinclair as Queen Aoleon shine in supporting roles.
Many people remember the film for the fact that Murphy and Hall played more than one role, thanks in large part to the amazing makeup by Oscar-winning makeup effects whiz, Rick Baker (who earned an Oscar nomination for this film, but lost that year to the makeup team on Beetlejuice). Hall plays three characters in addition to Semmi, including one female character. Murphy plays three characters in addition to Prince Akeem, including a Caucasian male. The makeup and their performances were so convincing that some of the audience didn’t realize that Murphy and Hall were playing multiple parts, in particularly Murphy as the old white man, Saul.
Coming to America also had good production values, including an amazing array of colorful (though sometimes outlandish costumes) costumes and a multiplicity of sets reflecting everything from regal splendor to lower class squalor. Probably the best thing that the set decorator and art director did was create an African kingdom that reflects African-American fantasy and myth-making about African monarchies, but something with the whimsy of, say, the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. If that weren’t enough, the cast features many very talented black actors who rarely get work simple because they’re black, but this film gives us a chance to see these talented performers. That’s why Coming to America remains one of the great African-American romantic comedies, and it is also one of the first times in film that we see Eddie Murphy show the scope of his ability to play a variety of characters.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
1989 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Deborah Nadoolman) and “Best Makeup” (Rick Baker)
1990 Image Awards: 2 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture” and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Arsenio Hall)
Monday, February 13, 2006
Coming to America (1988)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: John Landis
WRITERS: David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein; from a story by Eddie Murphy
PRODUCERS: George Folsey, Jr. and Robert D. Wachs
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Woody Omens with Sol Negrin
EDITOR: George Folsey, Jr. and Malcolm Campbell
Academy Award nominee
COMEDY/ROMANCE
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, Paul Bates, Eriq La Salle, Frankie Faison, Vanessa Bell , Louie Anderson, Allison Dean, Calvin Lockhart, Clint Smith, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy, and Samuel L. Jackson
A pampered heir to an African throne, Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), wants more out of life, and he wants a woman with her own mind, someone other than the beautiful woman to whom he’s engaged, Imani Izzi (Vanessa Bell). His father, King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), the ruler of Zamunda, encourages Akeem to go to America and sow his royal oats. However, Akeem heads to New York City, specifically Queens, to find a mate who will fall in love with him for who he is not what he is. Accompanied by his trusty sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), Akeem takes a low-paying job at a McDonald’s-like fast food restaurant, McDowell’s. He keeps his true identity secret and eventually begins a romance with Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley), the daughter of the boss, Cleo McDowell (John Amos). But will his royal lineage ruin Akeem’s chances with Lisa?
Coming to America remains one of my favorite Eddie Murphy films. It’s both funny, and the film also reveals the romantic side of Eddie Murphy’s talents as an actor – something we’d see more of in later films. The script by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, two writers who wrote many of Murphy’s sketches while he was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” in the mid-80’s, crafted a light-hearted, but engaging romantic comedy, and sprinkle it with numerous comic sketches and scenes. The writers provide comic gems not only for Murphy and Arsenio Hall, but also for the rest of the cast, which gives even actors with the smallest parts something into which they can sink their teeth. James Earl Jones, John Amos, and Madge Sinclair as Queen Aoleon shine in supporting roles.
Many people remember the film for the fact that Murphy and Hall played more than one role, thanks in large part to the amazing makeup by Oscar-winning makeup effects whiz, Rick Baker (who earned an Oscar nomination for this film, but lost that year to the makeup team on Beetlejuice). Hall plays three characters in addition to Semmi, including one female character. Murphy plays three characters in addition to Prince Akeem, including a Caucasian male. The makeup and their performances were so convincing that some of the audience didn’t realize that Murphy and Hall were playing multiple parts, in particularly Murphy as the old white man, Saul.
Coming to America also had good production values, including an amazing array of colorful (though sometimes outlandish costumes) costumes and a multiplicity of sets reflecting everything from regal splendor to lower class squalor. Probably the best thing that the set decorator and art director did was create an African kingdom that reflects African-American fantasy and myth-making about African monarchies, but something with the whimsy of, say, the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. If that weren’t enough, the cast features many very talented black actors who rarely get work simple because they’re black, but this film gives us a chance to see these talented performers. That’s why Coming to America remains one of the great African-American romantic comedies, and it is also one of the first times in film that we see Eddie Murphy show the scope of his ability to play a variety of characters.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
1989 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Deborah Nadoolman) and “Best Makeup” (Rick Baker)
1990 Image Awards: 2 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture” and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Arsenio Hall)
Monday, February 13, 2006
-----------------------
Review: "Fun with Dick and Jane is Timely and Timeless" (Happy B'day, Jim Carrey)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 189 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux
Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for brief language, some sexual humor, and occasional drug references
DIRECTOR: Dean Parisot
WRITERS: Judd Apatow, Nicholas Stoller, and Peter Tolan; from a story by Judd Apatow, Nicholas Stoller, and Gerald Gaiser (based upon the novel by Gerald Gaiser)
PRODUCERS: Jim Carrey and Brian Grazer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jerzy Zielinski
EDITOR: Don Zimmerman
COMEDY/CRIME with elements of historical
Starring: Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins, Gloria Garayua, John Michael Higgins, Jeff Garlin, and Angie Harmon
In Fun with Dick and Jane, an upper middle class couple finds themselves unemployed and broke, even though they always played by the rules to reach their American dream. Desperate, they finally turn to crime to pay the bills.
It’s America, circa 2000. Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) and his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) have a lovely son, Billy, a Latino housekeeper named Blanca (Gloria Garayua) to take care of him, and a fancy two-story home in a swanky neighborhood. After waiting 15 years for that big promotion, Dick becomes Vice-President of Communications at Globodyne, a media consolidation company. This new prestige position allows Jane to quit her horrible job at a travel agency and become a stay-at-home mom.
But the American Dream is about to become a nightmare. Globodyne goes belly up in an Enron-style meltdown, and Globodyne CEO Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin) leaves his new VP of Communications holding the bag. After months of ceaseless job searching, Dick can’t find another company to give him an executive job. Eventually, because the bank is about to foreclose on his home, he has to take any job he can find, which includes working as a greeter at a giant box store, a Wal-Mart type place named KostMart. Jane even bluffs her way into a job as a Tae Bo instructor.
Neither is good at their new jobs, so Dick, at his wit’s end, suggests that he and Jane start pulling off nighttime robberies. The screwball Bonnie and Clyde eventually have a chance encounter with former Globodyne CFO Frank Bascom (Richard Jenkins), who tells Dick that Jack McCallister siphoned off 400 million dollars from the company before it collapsed. Dick, Jane, and Frank promptly launch a plot to steal Jack’s ill-gotten gains, just as he stole them from Globodyne.
Fun with Dick and Jane is a remake of a 1977 film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda as an upwardly mobile couple who find themselves unemployed and in debt and turn to armed robbery to alleviate their problems. While the original film took place in the post-Nixon malaise of the late mid-1970’s, the new film starring Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni takes place at the turn of the century when the communications and Internet boom of the go-go 90’s hit an awful Wall Street bump and many people found themselves unemployed, in deep debt with mortgage companies, credit card companies, and sometimes the IRS – not to mention having much of their savings and/or personal worth died up in worthless stocks.
The current version actually looks at the Dick and Jane Harper’s situation from two angles. The first is to view the Harper’s disintegration as a satirical comment on materialism. The audience can certainly sympathize with the couple, but at the same time, the Harpers are largely responsible for their situation. They mortgaged their future for an expensive car (a Mercedes), a big home in a “good” neighborhood (the kind where the residents play “keeping up with the Joneses”), and a house full of expensive trinkets, accessories, appliances, and toys, such as a plasma screen TV. Their fall is not only poignant, but it is also quite real. This isn’t some idealized financial fall; people who go deeply into debt for the American dream often fall so low as too literally have nothing – to go from being executives to working lower paying service jobs. In the hands of the capable Jim Carrey and the surprisingly nimble Téa Leoni, the kind of financial “hardship” is actually quite funny to watch.
The second angle or second half of this film is purely a comic caper. Fun with Dick and Jane becomes a screwball, revenge film in which the Harpers gleefully rob various businesses. They even rob an executive (who made fun of Dick) of cash and expensive home furnishings. When Dick plots his revenge against Jack McCallister, the film goes overboard in asking us to suspend disbelief. However, Carrey and company give us such madcap antics that we can forgive the script’s more ridiculous notions.
Director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) juggles satire with slapstick and pratfalls. He makes an even smarter move by giving Jim Carrey all the space he needs to roam. Carrey is the ultimate class clown, but he is also the consummate actor. Some may not give him enough credit for all that he can do, but in Fun with Dick and Jane, there is both pathos and farce in his performance. Like many of his performances, here, he realizes both the comic horror and monotonous drama of life. He is droll one second, wickedly funny the next, and miserable just a few second after that.
Téa Leoni may never convince anyone that she is a great actress, but she is a superbly capable co-star. Few actors, either male or female, can keep up with Carrey. She does that and brings her character to meaningful life. Too often, actresses allow their characters to be loose appendages to the big male star’s role. Leoni doesn’t go for that, making us believe that this is Jane Harper’s story, too.
Also good in smaller roles are Alec Baldwin and Richard Jenkins. Baldwin does a tart turn as the consummate Southern-born and bred businessman who uses his employees like slaves and then steals their wages. Jenkins is like a gleeful child as Richard Bascom, making the most of his screen time.
I liked the screenplay’s good mix of social satire and ludicrous comedy, though I regret that the entire film couldn’t be a satire. As fun as the revenge portion was, Fun with Dick and Jane was on the way to being an outstanding and dead-on commentary on corporate greed and crass materialism. Still, I enjoyed watching Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, and their supporting cast make chaotic and zany comedy out of the material they had.
7 of 10
B+
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for brief language, some sexual humor, and occasional drug references
DIRECTOR: Dean Parisot
WRITERS: Judd Apatow, Nicholas Stoller, and Peter Tolan; from a story by Judd Apatow, Nicholas Stoller, and Gerald Gaiser (based upon the novel by Gerald Gaiser)
PRODUCERS: Jim Carrey and Brian Grazer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jerzy Zielinski
EDITOR: Don Zimmerman
COMEDY/CRIME with elements of historical
Starring: Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins, Gloria Garayua, John Michael Higgins, Jeff Garlin, and Angie Harmon
In Fun with Dick and Jane, an upper middle class couple finds themselves unemployed and broke, even though they always played by the rules to reach their American dream. Desperate, they finally turn to crime to pay the bills.
It’s America, circa 2000. Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) and his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) have a lovely son, Billy, a Latino housekeeper named Blanca (Gloria Garayua) to take care of him, and a fancy two-story home in a swanky neighborhood. After waiting 15 years for that big promotion, Dick becomes Vice-President of Communications at Globodyne, a media consolidation company. This new prestige position allows Jane to quit her horrible job at a travel agency and become a stay-at-home mom.
But the American Dream is about to become a nightmare. Globodyne goes belly up in an Enron-style meltdown, and Globodyne CEO Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin) leaves his new VP of Communications holding the bag. After months of ceaseless job searching, Dick can’t find another company to give him an executive job. Eventually, because the bank is about to foreclose on his home, he has to take any job he can find, which includes working as a greeter at a giant box store, a Wal-Mart type place named KostMart. Jane even bluffs her way into a job as a Tae Bo instructor.
Neither is good at their new jobs, so Dick, at his wit’s end, suggests that he and Jane start pulling off nighttime robberies. The screwball Bonnie and Clyde eventually have a chance encounter with former Globodyne CFO Frank Bascom (Richard Jenkins), who tells Dick that Jack McCallister siphoned off 400 million dollars from the company before it collapsed. Dick, Jane, and Frank promptly launch a plot to steal Jack’s ill-gotten gains, just as he stole them from Globodyne.
Fun with Dick and Jane is a remake of a 1977 film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda as an upwardly mobile couple who find themselves unemployed and in debt and turn to armed robbery to alleviate their problems. While the original film took place in the post-Nixon malaise of the late mid-1970’s, the new film starring Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni takes place at the turn of the century when the communications and Internet boom of the go-go 90’s hit an awful Wall Street bump and many people found themselves unemployed, in deep debt with mortgage companies, credit card companies, and sometimes the IRS – not to mention having much of their savings and/or personal worth died up in worthless stocks.
The current version actually looks at the Dick and Jane Harper’s situation from two angles. The first is to view the Harper’s disintegration as a satirical comment on materialism. The audience can certainly sympathize with the couple, but at the same time, the Harpers are largely responsible for their situation. They mortgaged their future for an expensive car (a Mercedes), a big home in a “good” neighborhood (the kind where the residents play “keeping up with the Joneses”), and a house full of expensive trinkets, accessories, appliances, and toys, such as a plasma screen TV. Their fall is not only poignant, but it is also quite real. This isn’t some idealized financial fall; people who go deeply into debt for the American dream often fall so low as too literally have nothing – to go from being executives to working lower paying service jobs. In the hands of the capable Jim Carrey and the surprisingly nimble Téa Leoni, the kind of financial “hardship” is actually quite funny to watch.
The second angle or second half of this film is purely a comic caper. Fun with Dick and Jane becomes a screwball, revenge film in which the Harpers gleefully rob various businesses. They even rob an executive (who made fun of Dick) of cash and expensive home furnishings. When Dick plots his revenge against Jack McCallister, the film goes overboard in asking us to suspend disbelief. However, Carrey and company give us such madcap antics that we can forgive the script’s more ridiculous notions.
Director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) juggles satire with slapstick and pratfalls. He makes an even smarter move by giving Jim Carrey all the space he needs to roam. Carrey is the ultimate class clown, but he is also the consummate actor. Some may not give him enough credit for all that he can do, but in Fun with Dick and Jane, there is both pathos and farce in his performance. Like many of his performances, here, he realizes both the comic horror and monotonous drama of life. He is droll one second, wickedly funny the next, and miserable just a few second after that.
Téa Leoni may never convince anyone that she is a great actress, but she is a superbly capable co-star. Few actors, either male or female, can keep up with Carrey. She does that and brings her character to meaningful life. Too often, actresses allow their characters to be loose appendages to the big male star’s role. Leoni doesn’t go for that, making us believe that this is Jane Harper’s story, too.
Also good in smaller roles are Alec Baldwin and Richard Jenkins. Baldwin does a tart turn as the consummate Southern-born and bred businessman who uses his employees like slaves and then steals their wages. Jenkins is like a gleeful child as Richard Bascom, making the most of his screen time.
I liked the screenplay’s good mix of social satire and ludicrous comedy, though I regret that the entire film couldn’t be a satire. As fun as the revenge portion was, Fun with Dick and Jane was on the way to being an outstanding and dead-on commentary on corporate greed and crass materialism. Still, I enjoyed watching Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, and their supporting cast make chaotic and zany comedy out of the material they had.
7 of 10
B+
Saturday, December 24, 2005
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Sunday, January 16, 2011
"The Social Network" Wins Best Motion Picture-Drama Golden Globe
Best Motion Picture - Drama:
The Social Network (2010) WINNER
Black Swan (2010)
The Fighter (2010)
Inception (2010)
The King's Speech (2010)
The Social Network (2010) WINNER
Black Swan (2010)
The Fighter (2010)
Inception (2010)
The King's Speech (2010)
Colin Firth Wins "Best Actor-Drama" Golden Globe for "The King's Speech"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Colin Firth for The King's Speech WINNER
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
James Franco for 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter
Colin Firth for The King's Speech WINNER
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
James Franco for 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter
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