2012 Black Reel Awards Nominations - Complete List

The Black Reel Awards annually honor African-Americans in feature, independent and television film. The awards were launched in 2000, and this is the 12th year the awards will be handed out. The Black Reel Awards are now given out by the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF).

More 50 film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet comprise the voting members of the Black Reel Awards. 2012 winners were announced on Friday, February 10, 2012 in ceremony held in Washington D.C.  I'll have the results soon.

The nominations for the 2012 Black Reel Awards:

Outstanding Film
Pariah
Shame
The Help
Attack the Block
Jumping the Broom

Outstanding Director
Steve McQueen – Shame
Dee Rees – Pariah
Qasim Bashir – Mooz-Lum
Ava DuVernay – I Will Follow
Salim Akil – Jumping the Broom

Outstanding Actor
John Boyega – Attack the Block
Demián Bichir– A Better Life
Laz Alonso – Jumping the Broom
Oliver Litondo – The First Grader
Evan Ross – Mooz-Lum

Outstanding Actress
Viola Davis – The Help
Adepero Oduye – Pariah
Zoe Saldana – Columbiana
Nia Long – Mooz-Lum
Naomie Harris – The First Grader

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Anthony Mackie – The Adjustment Bureau
Don Cheadle – The Guard
Isiah Whitlock Jr. – Cedar Rapids
Laurence Fishburne – Contagion
Mike Epps – Jumping the Broom

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Maya Rudolph – Bridesmaids
Kim Wayans – Pariah
Pernell Walker – Pariah
Angela Bassett – Jumping the Broom

Outstanding Screenplay, Original or Adapted
Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan – Shame
Qasim Bashir – Mooz-Lum
Dee Rees – Pariah
Ava DuVernay – I Will Follow
Elizabeth Hunter and Arlene Gibbs – Jumping the Broom

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Adepero Oduye – Pariah
John Boyega – Attack the Block
Kim Wayans – Pariah
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Larry Crowne

Outstanding Ensemble
Pariah
Attack the Block
The Help
Mooz-Lum
Fast Five
Jumping the Broom

Outstanding Original Song
The Living Proof – Mary J. Blige (The Help)
Walkin’ Blues – Cee-Lo Green featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Footloose)
Furiously Dangerous – Ludacris (Fast Five)
Fly Love – Jamie Foxx (Rio)
My Last Day Without You – Nicole Beharie (My Last Day Without You)

Outstanding Score
Harry Escott – Shame
Steven Price – Attack the Block
Misha Segal – Mooz-Lum
Thomas Newman – The Help
Alex Heffes – The First Grader

Outstanding Foreign Film
Attack the Block
The First Grader
Kinyarwanda
Life, Above All
Viva Riva!

Outstanding Feature Documentary
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey – Constance Marks
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest – Michael Rapaport
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 – Goran Olsson
Undefeated – Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin
The Interrupters – Steve James

Outstanding Independent Feature Film
My Last Day Without You – Stefan C. Schaefer
The Tested – Russell Constanzo
Mamitas – Nicholas Ozeki
Besouro – João Daniel Tikhomiroff
Billy – Winston Washington Moxam

Outstanding Independent Short Film
Fig – Ryan Coogler
Wolf Call – Rob Underhill
Wake – Bree Newsome
The Abyss Boys – Jan-Hendrik Beetge
The Tombs – Jerry Lamonthe

Outstanding Independent Documentary
Infiltrating Hollywood: The Rise and Fall of the Spook Who Sat By the Door – Christine Acham and Clifford Ward

Gang Girl: A Mother’s Journey to Save Her Daughter – Valerie Goodloe

Brown Babies – Regina Griffin

Zero Percent – Tim Skousen

The Manuscripts of Timbuktu – Zola Maseko

Burn: The Evolution of An American City – Harold Jackson III

Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Performance, Male
Idris Elba – Luther
Laurence Fishburne – Thurgood
Samuel L. Jackson – The Sunset Limited
Eric Benet – Trinity Goodheart
Mykelti Williamson – Have A Little Faith

Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Performance, Female
Taraji P. Henson – Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Anika Noni Rose – Bag of Bones
Rosario Dawson – Five
Jenifer Lewis – Five
Tracee Ellis Ross – Five

Outstanding Television Documentary
Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation – VH1 (Richard Low and Martin Torgoff)

Pray the Devil Back to Hell – PBS (Gini Reticker)

The Fab Five – ESPN (Jason Hehir)

Black in Latin America – PBS (Henry Louis Gates)

The Latino List – HBO (Timothy Greenfield-Sanders)

Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Film
Thurgood – HBO (Michael Stevens)
Luther – BBC (Katie Swinden)
Five – Lifetime (Nellie Nugiel)
The Sunset Limited – HBO (Barbara A. Hall)
Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story – Lifetime (Harvey Kahn)

2012 BAFTAs Name "The Artist" Best Film

The Orange British Academy Film Awards (also known as the BAFTAs) are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is the British counterpart of the Oscars.

The 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony was held on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at London's Royal Opera House.  To no one's surprise, the black and white, silent film, The Artist, was the big winner, capturing the best film prize and winning in 7 of the 12 categories in which it was nominated.

2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards winners:

BEST FILM
WINNER: THE ARTIST - Thomas Langmann

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
WINNER: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY - Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
WINNER: TYRANNOSAUR - Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

DIRECTOR
WINNER: THE ARTIST - Michel Hazanavicius

DOCUMENTARY
WINNER: SENNA - Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Manish Pandey

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER: THE ARTIST - Michel Hazanavicius

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY - Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
WINNER: THE SKIN I LIVE IN - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

ANIMATED FILM
WINNER: RANGO - Gore Verbinski

LEADING ACTOR
WINNER: JEAN DUJARDIN - The Artist

LEADING ACTRESS
WINNER: MERYL STREEP - The Iron Lady

SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - Beginners

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
WINNER: OCTAVIA SPENCER - The Help

ORIGINAL MUSIC
WINNER: THE ARTIST - Ludovic Bource

CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: THE ARTIST - Guillaume Schiffman

EDITING
WINNER: SENNA - Gregers Sall, Chris King

PRODUCTION DESIGN
WINNER: HUGO - Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER: THE ARTIST - Mark Bridges

SOUND
WINNER: HUGO - Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 - Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery

MAKE UP & HAIR
WINNER: THE IRON LADY - Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan

SHORT ANIMATION
WINNER: A MORNING STROLL - Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe

SHORT FILM
WINNER: PITCH BLACK HEIST - John Maclean, Gerardine O'Flynn

ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD
WINNER: ADAM DEACON

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
Martin Scorsese

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
John Hurt

A Round of Lost Stars - Peter Breck and Whitney Houston

Coming off the losses of Grammy-winning singer Etta James and Soul Train founder and host, Don Cornelius, comes word of the death of two more people who brought me joy and happiness with their work and performances.

I was not a big fan of Whitney Houston's work in movies, but I am a big fan of her music.  Ms. Houston (who was born in 1963) was found dead (at the age of 48) in a room at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, yesterday (Saturday, February 11, 2012).  My favorite Whitney Houston album is My Love is Your Love (1998), her last multi-platinum studio album.  Ms. Houston was set to appear in a remake of the 1976 film, Sparkle, which is currently slated for an August 2012 release.  R.I.P. Whitney.

I've also learned that American actor, Peter Breck, died Monday, February 6, 2012 at the age of 82.  I am a big fan of Breck because of his work in the 1960s ABC Western television series, The Big Valley, playing hot-tempered Nick Barkley, the middle son of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck).  The handsome, rugged, dark-haired Breck was perfect for the part of Nick, playing a character that is basically the ramrod and de factor boss of the Barkley ranch.  Breck also played "Doc Holliday" on six episodes of the ABC Western television series, Maverick.  Thanks to MeTV, I can watch Breck at least five times a week on The Big Valley, forever young and strapping.  R.I.P. Mr. Breck.

Review: "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America" is Unforgettable

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 198 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
Not rated by the MPAA
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kevin Willmott
PRODUCER: Rick Cowan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matt Jacobson
EDITORS: Sean Blake and David Gramly

COMEDY/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Evamarii Johnson, Larry Peterson, Patti Van Slyke, and Rupert Pate

Writer/director Kevin Willmott’s blistering comedy, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, is a so-called “mockumenatry” (a mock documentary). Willmott (an assistant professor at the University of Kansas) puts forth a provocative vision in which the South (or the Confederacy or the Confederate States of America) won the Civil War (the War Between the States?), and slavery is still legal and liberals and free blacks have fled to Canada.

In this film within a film, a C.S.A. television station, Channel 6, decides to show the controversial British documentary, C.S.A., a documentary history of the Confederate States of America, which begins with the Civil War and ends in present day C.S.A. In between the documentary, the station broadcasts commercial advertisements for a number of products with racist brand names and logos and/or inherently racist in nature as they are geared towards pacifying slaves (including a prescription drug available from veterinarians, Contrari, which makes troublesome darkies docile). The C.S.A. documentary features archival footage of the capture of the disposed Union President Abraham Lincoln (in black face and on the run with Harriet Tubman), of the C.S.A. conquering Latin America and exporting its own brand of apartheid there, and of a C.S.A. alliance with Adolf Hitler, among other things.

The best-known “mockumentary” is probably This is… Spinal Tap. Christopher Guest, one of Spinal Tap’s co-creators, has also directed a trio of critically acclaimed mockumentaries including the recent Oscar-nominated A Mighty Wind (a fourth is due Fall 2006). Other examples of mockumentaries are CB4 and Fear of a Black Hat. While C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is in the tradition of the aforementioned films, it more closely resembles two Robert K. Weiss-produced comedies, The Kentucky Fried Movie and Amazon Women on the Moon both in tone and in temperament. The alternative racial history aspect of C.S.A. is very much like some of pseudo-historical sketches from Dave Chappelle’s now-defunct Comedy Central series, “Chappelle’s Show,” like the one in which black Americans received reparations for slavery.

C.S.A. is, in the end, its own beast. Using humor, some of it relentlessly scathing and much of it surprisingly droll, Willmott comments on more than just race (read: skin color), racism, and race relations in the United States with the C.S.A. as an allegorical stand in. Willmott also discusses imperialism, war, greed, nationalist propaganda, crass commercialism, and ethnic and religious bigotry. Many of the racist products featured in the faux commercials are actual racist products from American history including the ones for the fried chicken franchise, Coon Chicken Inn, and the furniture polish, the Gold Dust Twins.

Keeping in mind what George Bernard Shaw said about using comedy to tell truths because it keeps the audience from killing the storyteller (which Willmott quotes at the beginning of this movie), Willmott exposes the ugly truths about bigotry, doing it all with a disarming sense of humor. Some people will automatically be defensive about this film (especially hypersensitive white Southerners), but this is simply an excellent political and social comedy. It stumbles a bit, and its low budget only occasionally hurts the movie. Still, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is an exceptional, offbeat film for those with a taste for black, bold and outspoken.

7 of 10
A-

Sunday, September 17, 2006

You can watch C.S.A. on Amazon's PRIME VIDEO.

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Review: Aniston is Money in "Friends with Money: (Happy B'day, Jennifer Aniston)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 196 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friends with Money (2006)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, some sexual content, and brief drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Nicole Holofcener
PRODUCER: Anthony Bregman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Terry Stacey
EDITOR: Robert Frazen

COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Greg Germann, Simon McBurney, Jason Isaacs, Scott Caan, Ty Burrell, and Bob Stephenson

Set in present day Los Angeles, writer/director Nicole Holofcener’s bittersweet movie, Friends with Money follows the lives of four women in their late 30’s and early 40’s. Jane (Frances McDormand) is a financially secure designer of a popular clothing line, but she’s emotionally insecure and a bit shaky mentally. Her husband, Aaron (Simon McBurney), has little tolerance for her antics. Franny (Joan Cusack) is rich, and she and her husband, Matt (Greg Germann), spend lavishly on gifts and give generously to charity. Christine (Catherine Keener) and her husband, David (Jason Isaacs), are a husband and wife screenwriting team whose marriage and creative partnership is on the rocks. Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is their single friend who is still struggling to find herself, while Jane, Franny, and Christine struggle with the complexities and annoyances of married life.

For many moviegoers, Friends with Money must be a shock to the system, being that it is a well-cast drama with skilled actors portraying adults in real life situations. Holofcener mines the film’s humor from that generous vein we know as human foibles. Not all of the characters are interesting (Franny and Matt are dullsville.), and some of the characters come across as standard oddballs added just to be oddballs (Scott Caan’s Mike, for instance). Overall, the film works, although even at 88 minutes, it tends to meander.

Jennifer Aniston makes this movie. Whenever she’s onscreen, Friends with Money springs to life like a J.V. football player who just learned he’s made the varsity squad. There’s something in Aniston’s performance as Olivia and in Holofcener’s writing for that character that makes both the story appealing and the rest of the characters relevant mainly in the context of Olivia’s struggles. I’m not ready to call her a great actress, but Aniston is pretty darn good. See this flick for her.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

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Review: "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" Retains Its Innocence"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG for sci-fi action/violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: George Lucas
PRODUCER: Rick McCallum
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Tattersall (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Ben Burtt and Paul Martin Smith
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE with elements of a thriller

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Pernilla August, (voice) Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Oliver Ford Davies, Hugh Quarshie, (voice) Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Terrence Stamp, Brian Blessed, Andrew Secombe, Ray Park, (voice) Lewis Macleod, Steven Spiers, Silas Carson, Ralph Brown, and Samuel L. Jackson

The 1999 film, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, is the fourth release in the Star Wars film franchise. It is also the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, a series of three movies in which the stories take place before the events depicted in the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). The Phantom Menace has been recently re-released as a 3D feature.

Back in 1999, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was highly-anticipated release, and although it was a tremendous success at the box office, the movie received mixed reviews from professional film critics and reviewers. The Phantom Menace received criticism from Star Wars fandom, some of it intense. However, I am a fan of The Phantom Menace, and it is my favorite of the three prequel films. My feelings about it are similar to a statement that Ewan McGregor, who starred in the film, made, and that is that The Phantom Menace is just a little fairy tale about a group of people running from one side of the galaxy to the other, having adventures. And I like going along with them on these adventures.

Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are two Jedi Knights who must help Queen Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) save her planet Naboo from the Trade Federation, which is determined to take it. Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) is a Naboo outcast who joins the Jedi on their quest. After the group escapes from a Trade Federation-controlled Naboo, they land on the planet Tatooine, where they meet Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a boy with the potential to be a powerful Jedi. Dark forces, however, hunt them in the guise of Darth Maul (Ray Park), an apprentice of the Sith, the Jedi’s ancient enemies.

Directed by George Lucas, The Phantom Menace is the first of three prequels to the original Star Wars movies (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). Lucas doesn’t give his cast the room to stretch their characters, and his dialogue is mostly wooden and awkward. It is often painfully obvious in how unpolished both the acting and the writing is. Neeson has the most room to roam, but McGregor’s talent is sadly wasted. The driest performance has to be that of Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker, he his moments. Jar Jar Binks is a computer-generated character, and while Best does excellent work in creating a unique voice for the character, Jar Jar is an annoying character.

Other than that, TPM is a blast. In a way, it is like a fairy tale in which the cast runs from one hot spot to another, barely staying ahead of the bad guys. In the pod race sequence that occurs in the middle of the film, one can see Lucas’s ability to craft scenes of breath taking intensity that match the best car chases and chase scenes with the flair of the movie serials of Hollywood’s bygone era. Maul’s attack on Qui-Gon and, later, the final battle between the two Jedi and the Sith apprentice are exciting and beautifully staged. In fact, the action sequences are so good that they make up for TPM’s duller moments.

Although it doesn’t recall the excitement of Star Wars or have the dramatic impact of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is fun. It doesn’t try to be quality filmmaking so much as it dares to be quality, lightweight entertainment. And at that, it is very good.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
2000 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott Squires, and Rob Coleman), and “Best Sound” (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Shawn Murphy, and John Midgley)

2000 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott Squires, and Rob Coleman) and “Best Sound” (Ben Burtt, Tom Bellfort, John Midgley, Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, and Shawn Murphy)

2000 Razzie Awards: 1 win: “Worst Supporting Actor” (Ahmed Best, the voice of Jar-Jar Binks); 6 nominations: “Worst Picture” (20th Century-Fox), “Worst Director” (George Lucas), “Worst Screen Couple” (Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman), “Worst Screenplay” (George Lucas), “Worst Supporting Actor” (Jake Lloyd), and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Sofia Coppola)

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9th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards Takes Place Feb. 11th

IRISH FILM & TELEVISION AWARDS - ALL EYES ON THE EMERALD ISLE - 11th February 2012

Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Dana Delany, AJ Buckley, Armand Assante, Stephen Rea, Brenda Fricker, Maria Doyle Kennedy and more at the Irish Film & Television Awards

(Dublin Ireland) – February 10, 2012: Ireland’s finest screen creative talent descend this weekend on Dublin, Saturday 11th of February 2012, for the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards celebrations, taking place at the spectacular Convention Centre Dublin (CCD).

The President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins leads the celebrations, showcasing Ireland’s screen talent with IFTA Awards presented in categories across film and television. IFTA 2012 will see Ireland’s directors, writers, actors, craftspeople and television programme makers in attendance.

Guests scheduled to attend include Brendan Gleeson (The Guard), Michael Fassbender (Shame), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Brenda Fricker (Albert Nobbs), Brían F. O'Byrne (Mildred Pierce, Prime Suspect), Stephen Rea (Underworld Awakening), Ruth Negga (Shirley, Misfits), Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors, Albert Nobbs), Liam Cunningham (The Guard), Emmett J. Scanlan (Charlie Casanova), Amy Huberman (Threesome, Stella Days), Brendan O’Carroll (Mrs Brown’s Boys), Antonia Campbell Hughes (Lead Balloon), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Martin McCann (The Pacific), Charlene McKenna (RAW), Olivia Tracey (Agnes Browne), Allen Leech (Downton Abbey), Pat Shortt (Garage), Marcella Plunkett (Stella Days), Bronagh Gallagher (Albert Nobbs).

Veteran Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan (Some Mother’s Son, The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, LOST) is to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Academy on the night and international guests presenting top Awards include Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives), Armand Assante (Gotti) and AJ Buckley (CSI NY).

Hosted by Simon Delaney (The Good Wife) the Irish Film & Television Awards show will broadcast primetime on Irish television RTÉ One at 9.40pm GMT.

Speaking ahead of the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards this weekend, IFTA Chief Executive Áine Moriarty said: “Despite economic setbacks, Ireland can be proud of its creative talent who continue to deliver world class production, entertaining audiences both at home and around the world. The 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards promises to be a terrific evening of entertainment for the viewers at home, and a very special night of celebration for the 2012 nominees and Ireland’s film and television industry.”