Detroit Film Critics Name "Boyhood" the Best Film of 2014

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST FILM
    Winner: Boyhood

BEST DIRECTOR
    Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR
    Winner: Michael Keaton, Birdman

BEST ACTRESS
    Winner: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Winner: JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

BEST ENSEMBLE
    Winner: Birdman

BREAKTHROUGH
    Winner: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (director, screenplay)

BEST SCREENPLAY
    Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST DOCUMENTARY
    Winner: CitizenFour

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Benefit Screenings of "American Sniper" Announced

Chris Kyle Frog Foundation to Host Multi-City Benefit Screenings of “American Sniper”

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures will join forces with the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation (CKFF) on special pre-release screenings of “American Sniper,” directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller as his wife, Taya. Based on Chris Kyle’s autobiography, “American Sniper” recounts the personal story of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history.

Eight cities have been chosen to host the CKFF benefit event on Wednesday, January 14, 2015: Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, San Diego, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Miami, Denver, and San Antonio.

Chris Kyle Frog Foundation was launched this past Veterans Day, with Taya Kyle presenting the organization’s vision of establishing a nationwide connection of service members and first responder families.

Taya stated, “I am so happy to welcome everyone to enjoy these special screenings of this inspiring, powerful and meaningful film, which captures Chris’s spirit and his character in telling the story of our family’s military experiences. ‘American Sniper’ not only reflects our story but also those of all military and first responder families; we honor them and their service to God and country. On behalf of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, I also want to express our deep appreciation to those who have supported our mission and made these screenings possible, especially Warner Bros. and our cinema partners, which are all listed on our website.”

Warner Bros. is proud to be a part of this special event, which will aid in introducing the foundation to the selected cities and beyond.

Tickets for these multi-city benefit screenings can be purchased beginning Thursday, December 18th. For more information about tickets, please visit: chriskylefrogfoundation.org.

ABOUT CHRIS KYLE FROG FOUNDATION
Chris Kyle Frog Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is TO SERVE THOSE WHO SERVE US by providing meaningful interactive experiences enriching family relationships. Embracing Loyalty, Empowerment, Integrity and Excellence, Chris Kyle Frog Foundation experiences are designed to support its vision of a country of connected and thriving service member and first responder families. Each experience helps to build resilience while providing time and space without the distractions of everyday life. chriskylefrogfoundation.org

ABOUT “AMERICAN SNIPER”
From director Clint Eastwood comes “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, whose skills as a sniper made him a hero on the battlefield. But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “The Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

Two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle”) heads the cast, which also includes Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kevin Lacz, Navid Negahban and Keir O’Donnell. Eastwood directed “American Sniper” from a screenplay written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The autobiography was a runaway bestseller, spending 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of those at number one. The film is produced by Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan. Tim Moore, Jason Hall, Sheroum Kim, Steven Mnuchin and Bruce Berman served as executive producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Mad Chance Production, A 22nd & Indiana Production, “American Sniper.” Opening in limited release on December 25, 2014, and wide on January 16, 2015, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. “American Sniper” has been rated R for strong and disturbing war violence and language throughout, including some sexual references. americansnipermovie.com

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Boston Society of Film Critics Choose "Boyhood" as Best Picture of 2014

The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) was formed in 1981.  The group claims that its mission is to make “Boston's unique critical perspective heard on a national and international level by awarding commendations to the best of the year's films and filmmakers and local film theaters and film societies that offer outstanding film programming.”  One of the society’s members, Wesley Morris, won 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

2014 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Winners:

Best Picture  - Boyhood

Best Actor - Michael Keaton for Birdman

Best Actress - Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night

Best Supporting Actor -  J. K. Simmons for Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress -  Emma Stone for Birdman

Best Director - Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Screenplay -  (TIE)

• Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo for Birdman
• Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman

Best Documentary - Citizenfour

Best Foreign-Language Film  (awarded in memory of Jay Carr) -  Two Days, One Night (Belgium)

Best Animated Film - The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) - Sandra Adair for Boyhood

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) -  Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler

Best Ensemble Cast -  Boyhood

Best Use of Music in a Film - Inherent Vice

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Boston Online Film Critics Name "Snowpiercer" as Best Picture of 2014

The Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) was founded in May 2012.  According to the group, BOFCA fosters a community of web-based film critics and provides them with a supportive group of colleagues and a professional platform for their voices to be heard. They collect and link to their reviews every week at a website that also features original content by members, including filmmaker interviews and spotlights on Boston’s vital repertory film scene.

By widening professional membership to writers working in new media, BOFCA aims to encourage more diverse opinions in the field. The Boston Online Film Critics Association has gathered together critics writing for publications that collectively receive over 15 million impressions/page views per month. BOFCA is present on social media year-round with members’ film articles and essays.

The 2014 Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards:

BEST PICTURE: SNOWPIERCER

BEST DIRECTOR: Alejandro González Iñárritu, BIRDMAN

BEST ACTOR: Brendan Gleeson, CALVARY

BEST ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Edward Norton, BIRDMAN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Tilda Swinton, SNOWPIERCER

BEST SCREENPLAY: John Michael McDonagh, CALVARY

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (Belgium)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: LIFE ITSELF

BEST ANIMATED FILM: THE LEGO MOVIE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: BIRDMAN

BEST EDITING: James Herbert & Laura Jennings, EDGE OF TOMORROW

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Mica Levi, UNDER THE SKIN

BEST ENSEMBLE: BIRDMAN


THE TEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR:

1. SNOWPIERCER

2. UNDER THE SKIN

3. BOYHOOD

4. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

5. THE BABADOOK

6. TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT

7. BIRDMAN

8. CALVARY

9. INHERENT VICE

10. SELMA

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2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Award Nominations - Complete List

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards nominations:

BEST FILM
    Boyhood
    Birdman
    The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Under the Skin
    Whiplash

BEST DIRECTOR
    Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
    Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin
    Ajejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
    Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR
    Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
    Brendan Gleeson, Calvary
    Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
    Michael Keaton, Birdman
    Tom Hardy, Locke
    Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
    Essie Davis, The Babadook
    Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
    Julianne Moore, Still Alice
    Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
    Reese Witherspoon, Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
    Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
    Edward Norton, Birdman
    Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
    JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
    Laura Dern, Wild
    Rene Russo, Nightcrawler
    Emma Stone, Birdman
    Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

BEST ENSEMBLE
    Birdman
    Boyhood
    Guardians of the Galaxy
    The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Into the Woods

BREAKTHROUGH
    Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (director, screenplay)
    Jennifer Kent, The Babadook (director, screenplay)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle, Beyond the Lights (actress)
    Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy (actor)
    Dan Stevens, The Guest (actor)

BEST SCREENPLAY
    Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
    Nicolas Giacobone and Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
    Richard Linklater, Boyhood
    John Michael McDonagh, Calvary

BEST DOCUMENTARY
    CitizenFour
    Finding Vivian Maier
    Jodorowsky’s Dune
    Keep On Keepin’ On
    Life Itself

Ruby Barnhill to Play "Sophie" in Spielberg's "The BFG"

Newcomer Ruby Barnhill Has Been Cast as “Sophie” in Spielberg’s Adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The BFG”

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios announced today that newcomer Ruby Barnhill has been cast as the young girl, Sophie, in Roald Dahl’s beloved classic story, “The BFG.” Steven Spielberg will direct the film adaptation of the children’s novel. Published in 1982, “The BFG” is the tale of a young London girl and the mysterious Giant who introduces her to the beauty and peril of Giant Country. Barnhill joins Mark Rylance who has been cast as the “Big Friendly Giant.”

    “We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”

“The BFG” will be 10-year-old Ruby Barnhill’s first feature film role. She has been acting for two years and will appear in the upcoming BBC BAFTA award-winning children’s drama “Four O’Clock Club.” Ruby lives in Cheshire with her parents, younger sister and Tom the cat and is a member of her local youth theatre.

“I feel incredibly lucky and I’m so happy,” said Ruby Barnhill. “Sophie gets to go on this wonderful adventure and I’m so excited that I get to play her.”

“After a lengthy search, I feel Roald Dahl himself would have found Ruby every bit as marvelous as we do,” said Steven Spielberg. “We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”

Luke Kelly, Managing Director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate and Roald Dahl's grandson, said, “The character of Sophie is one of the most endearing young heroes in Roald Dahl’s stories. She is as brave as she is curious and has an innate sense of wonder. Many congratulations to Ruby on landing the role. We hope that making ‘The BFG’ proves an utterly magical adventure for her.”

DreamWorks acquired the rights to the book in 2010 after Kathleen Kennedy brought it to the company. Melissa Mathison, who last teamed with Spielberg and Kennedy on "E.T.," has written the screenplay. Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer will produce while Kennedy, John Madden and Michael Siegel are on board as Executive Producers. Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Somner are Co-Producers.

Spielberg will begin production on "The BFG" in early 2015 and it will open in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016. The Walt Disney Company is distributing the film in the U.S. and select international territories while Mister Smith Entertainment is handling distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. DreamWorks’ partner, Reliance, will distribute the film in India.

About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $180 million at the U.S. box office and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards® with Daniel Day-Lewis winning for Best Actor. Other releases include “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” starring Helen Mirren, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress.

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

About "The BFG"
First published in 1982, "The BFG" was Roald Dahl’s own favorite of his stories. Today, the book is published in 38 foreign languages, including Vietnamese, Korean, Ukrainian, Indonesian, Albanian, Estonian, Hebrew and Welsh.

“The BFG” will be the latest Roald Dahl title to be adapted for stage and screen, following major films including “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (1971), “James and the Giant Peach” (1996), “Matilda” (1996), “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005) and “Fantastic Mr Fox” (2009). The phenomenally successful award-winning “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” continues playing to packed audiences in the West End and on Broadway. In 2015, the show is set to open in Sydney and begin touring the USA. Additionally, over a million people have seen the West End musical production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” since its opening in June 2013.

About Roald Dahl and his legacy
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was one of the world’s most inventive, mischievous and successful storytellers. His stories are currently available in 58 languages, and, by conservative estimate, he has sold more than 200 million books. Ten percent of all the Roald Dahl royalties are donated to the two Roald Dahl charities - Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Roald Dahl Day is marked annually all over the world on Roald Dahl’s birthday, September 13th, and in 2016 there will be global celebrations for the Centenary of his birth, which will coincide with the release of “The BFG” movie.

For further information on “The BFG” and the wonderful world of Roald Dahl please visit:

www.roalddahl.com
www.facebook.com/TheBFGByRoaldDahl
www.twitter.com/roald_dahl

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Review: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is a Sensation

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Running time: 161 minutes (2 hours, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson
WRITERS: Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro (from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien)
PRODUCERS: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Carolynne Cunningham, and Zane Weiner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jabez Olssen
COMPOSER: Howard Shore
Academy Award nominee

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE with elements of drama

Starring:  Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, and Benedict Cumberbatch (also voice)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 fantasy film from director Peter Jackson.  The film is the second of three movies which are based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (better known by its abbreviated title, The Hobbit).  Set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is the story of a curious Hobbit who joins a band of Dwarves on a mission to reclaim their homeland from a powerful dragon.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug finds Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) still in The Company of Dwarves, led by would-be dwarf king, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).  These 13 dwarves are on a quest to reclaim their homeland, Erebor, from the dragon, Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch).  Their goal is the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug slumbers.

Along the way, Bilbo and the Dwarves are pursued by Azog the Defiler and a party of Orcs.  They also encounter the Wood-elves and their arrogant king, Thranduil (Lee Pace), and are eventually pursued by two elves, Legolas Greenleaf (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who are proficient at killing Orcs.  Meanwhile, the wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), investigates the growing evil at the ruins of Dol Guldur.

I gave the first Hobbit film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey a grade of “9” out of 10 on my rating scale, although I had complaints about the movie.  My biggest complaint was that it was too long, with the first hour meandering like a drunken narrative looking for a bottle of plot.

I have no complaints about The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  I love it.  I have seen it once, and watched most of it several more times on different HBO channels.  Like the prior films based on the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien,  The Desolation of Smaug is a glowing spectacle.  It is not trapped by the “middle chapter” narrative difficulties that afflict the middle films of some movie trilogies, like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.  [By the way, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the middle film in a trilogy and did not at all suffer from middle chapter problems.]

Perhaps, for me, The Desolation of Smaug is personal.  I feel for the characters, and I am a champion for their causes, examining the stakes and decisions from every angle.  Director Peter Jackson is in love with The Hobbit, and it shows in this wonderful film.  I cannot pick out particular thing that stands out as great, although I love Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug.  It is as if all elements come together to make a great film.

Over the years, I have read The Hobbit many times, and I am happy that these Hobbit movies, especially this one, are connecting with me in ways I never expected.  If you are already a fan of the previous Peter Jackson Tolkien films, you will be a fan of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  Or like me, you will fall in love with it.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, and Tony Johnson), “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and Eric Reynolds), and “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Brent Burge and Chris Ward)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations: “Best Make Up/Hair” (Peter King, Richard Taylor, and Rick Findlater) “Best Special Visual Effects” (Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Joe Letteri, and Eric Saindon)
Tuesday, December 16, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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