Golden Globes: What the wins mean for Oscar

"The King's Speech" may have received the most nominations this year from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., but in the end, the biggest prizes of the night went to the modern-day story of the founding of Facebook, "The Social Network."

"I think people are hungry for a movie that comments on how we live," said "Social Network" producer Scott Rudin on Sunday night after the film took away four prizes, including score, screenplay, director and picture. "It may be about people typing and talking. but it was done with bravado and genuine emotional authenticity."

The film has dominated the critics' prizes to date, and now with its Golden Globe Awards, it's gained momentum for the rest of the awards season, which will culminate with the Oscars on Feb. 27.

Some are comparing the film's trajectory to that of Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire," which began the 2008-09 award season in first place and never lost steam. But there are a few hurdles "The Social Network" must overcome before it can close in on the top prize. The guild awards begin next weekend, with the Producers Guild Awards on Jan. 22 and the Screen Actors Guild Awards the following Sunday. Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 25.

It's likely the producers will go the way of "The Social Network," but there is no guarantee that SAG will follow. The strong ensemble cast of "The Fighter" may prove too tempting a choice for the actors guild. Sony is clearly looking for SAG support for the David Fincher-directed film, having sent screeners to all 93,000 members of the large guild. (Many other award contenders have opted for the less expensive high-tech option of free screeners by way of iTunes.)

One stumbling block to an ultimate Oscar win for "The Social Network" could be the film's lack of warmth and uplift. It's a modern and edgy story, but there's relatively little emotional connection with the characters. "The King's Speech," on the other hand, has audiences rooting for Colin Firth's King George VI and winds up on  an emotional high note, a tone often embraced by academy voters.

As for the acting race, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. effectively showcased what will be the most-anticipated showdown of the year, between Natalie Portman for her role in "Black Swan" and Annette Bening for her performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Both women won Sunday night in the drama/comedy categories, respectively. It will now be very interesting to see which way the academy leans, choosing Bening, who's been nominated three times but has never taken home the big prize, or Portman, who dedicated a year of her life to ballet training in advance of her role as the Swan Queen.

With regards to the actor race, despite a lot of attention to James Franco's tour de force in "127 Hours," Firth, the winner of the Golden Globe for best actor in the drama category, is likely to go through the rest of the season collecting trophies. Let's just hope he's got a lot of different ideas for speeches.

As for "The Social Network" filmmakers, it feels like it's their race to lose, a prospect that could portend a very dull awards season. But for Aaron Sorkin, winner of Sunday's screenwriting prize, that's just fine by him. "I hope it stays this boring the whole way through," he said with a smirk.

-- Nicole Sperling

Photo: David Fincher accepts the best director Golden Globe on Sunday night. Credit: Getty Images

SAG members can see 'The Kids Are All Right' and 'The Fighter' on iTunes

 

Looks like all the fears of piracy associated with iTunes screeners are proving to be unfounded. Both Focus Features and Paramount Pictures are dipping their toes into the world of downloadable screeners via iTunes, announcing Friday that their award contenders "The Kids Are All Right" and "The Fighter," respectively, will be available for viewing online for the 93,000 members of SAG.

The move comes one week after 20th Century Fox announced that its three Fox Searchlight titles "Black Swan," "127 Hours" and "Conviction" would be available via online download.

Fox has yet to release any information as to how the iTunes screeners are being received, though SAG members have lodged some complaints on the L.A. Times message boards that they don't enjoy watching these prestige films on a small computer screen or, even worse, a phone. Some are also reporting that the downloads are not playing on some PC operating systems, specifically Windows 7 and Windows XP.

Calls to Fox Searchlight were not returned at the time of this posting.

"The Fighter" and "The Kids Are All Right" will both be available via iTunes, for a one-time showing, until voting for SAG concludes on Jan. 28.

Should this batch of iTunes downloads from Focus and Paramount, and their partner Relativity Media, get more positive feedback, this may be the wave of the awards-voting future.

-- Nicole Sperling

Photo: Mark Wahlberg shooting "The Fighter." Credit: Paramount Pictures

'I Am Love' director chats Globes, Oscars

 

American critics love "I Am Love" for its absurd melodrama. The Boston Globe food critic Ty Burr warns movie-goers to eat and have sex prior to seeing the film from director Luca Guadagnino as it  preys on the senses with its luscious scenes of romance and food. The Italian drama has grossed $10 million worldwide, with $5 million coming from U.S. audiences. Starring Tilda Swinton, "I Am Love" is one of five titles vying Sunday for the Golden Globe for best foreign language film.

A win would be especially gratifying to Guadagnino, whose film was not selected by Italy as its official submission for the Academy Awards. "I never took for granted doing 'I Am Love,' and the idea of sharing this with all the people who worked so hard on the movie, my producers and Tilda make it extra sweet," Guadagnino said. "[The Golden Globe] nomination gives me a boost of pride. I'm proud to do this for Italian cinema, even though the Italian commission didn't recognize what 'I Am Love' could have done for them by putting it in the Oscar race."

Rather, Italy chose "Mi Prima Bella Cosa," from Paolo Virzi. Guadagnino has been rather public about his disappointment with the snub from his home country, attributing it to provincialism and narrow-mindedness.

"'I Am Love' is a movie that wasn't as successful in Italy as it was in the rest of the world," he said. "The way the commission thinks is, 'we have to choose the movie we believe we like most instead of the movie that could have fit better into the race.' But I wish that the Italian movie they selected makes it into the Oscars. I believe that it's important for us in Italy and for Italian cinema to have the recognition."

Guadagnino didn't elaborate on why he believes his movie is superior as a choice for submission, but one could argue that Swinton's international appeal would make it a better-known option for voters to choose.

Guadagnino said he doesn't believe the film was ignored because it doesn't star an Italian actress.  Rather, "I Am Love" centers on Swinton's character, Emma Recchi, who, with a great Italian accent, plays the matriarch of an Italian family who falls into a torrid love affair with a young man.

In contrast, "La Prima Cosa Bella" is about a misanthropic professor who returns home to assist his dying mother.

Guadagnino argues that Italians feel guilty about watching films about the wealthy -- the world in which his film lies -- and prefer smaller movies that focus more on the working class.

Either way, it's curious whether the attention he's drawing to his film and the one the Italians chose as their official entrant in the Oscar race will have a negative effect on getting Italy some Academy Award consideration. We'll know for sure on the Jan. 25.

-- Nicole Sperling

Photo: Tilda Swinton in "I Am Love." Credit: Magnolia Pictures  

Ryan Kavanaugh loses appeal with Academy for producer credit on 'The Fighter'

Financier/producer Ryan Kavanaugh has lost his final appeal with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences for producing credit on "The Fighter." Two people with knowledge of the situation said that Kavanaugh presented his case to the Academy on Tuesday and was denied. Kavanaugh declined to comment, as did the Academy.

His loss culminates a two-month process that began when he was denied producing credit by the Producers Guild of America for his work on the David O. Russell-directed film, a prospective best picture nominee. (He financed the $23-million production.) The 36-year-old Relativity Media chief then appealed his case with the guild and was again denied the credit.

His plight serves a stark contrast to the appeals that teams behind "The Social Network" and "Black Swan" initiated with the PGA. In the case of " Social Network," Michael De Luca was left off the producing credits but was reinstated after his fellow producers, Sony Pictures, director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin all wrote letters further explaining his role in the movie.

"I fully understand why the rules are there," said Scott Rudin, a producer on the "Social Network." "But it's a menchy thing that they make exceptions to it. There are exceptions, and sometimes a form doesn't tell the whole story."

As for "Black Swan," Mike Medavoy and Brian Oliver were given producer credit on appeal, after originally being left off the PGA's initial decision. Letters from fellow producer Scott Franklin helped overturn the original ruling.

"Brian Oliver was on the set all the time and he put up the money to get the movie made, so he deserves the credit," Medavoy said. "I was on the set only once. But there was no need. I'm not going to tell the director where to put the camera. And there wasn't enough money to keep me in New York, spending the per diem. The movie would have suffered from it. But this movie wouldn't have existed had I not bought the script 12 years ago."

Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 25. The nomination ballots are due on Friday.

-- Nicole Sperling

Photo: Ryan Kavanaugh shares a laugh with actress Kate Bosworth at a charity event last year. 
Credit: Charley Gallay / WireImage.com
 

A chat with Golden Globe director Louis J. Horvitz [update]

For a live television director, helming the Golden Globe telecast is a big deal even if you've already run the Oscars, the Emmys and the Winter Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies. "The Golden Globes is like being at one of the Grand Slam events of tennis. It's like winning Wimbledon," says Louis J. Horvitz, who will direct the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.'s telecast for the first time on Sunday. [For the record: An earlier version of this post misspelled the director's  name as Horwitz.]

What makes the event so intriguing — and so challenging — to Horvitz, who has been directing live television events for more than four decades, is the table seating for all the guests rather than the theatrical auditorium or stage area he's used to filming. "All the guests are on top of each other. I know it's really tough on the cameramen," he says.

However, as opposed to the Oscars, which feature a lot of technical categories, the Golden Globes is really just about celebrity. "Wherever I open up the camera in this room, every shot has four or five stars in it. It's exciting because I have good fodder to shoot."

Horvitz is also a huge movie and television fan, so he's all about making connections with his reaction shots. "If Helena [Bonham Carter] gets a win, Colin [Firth] and Geoffrey [Rush] will applaud, but so will Johnny [Depp] because they've worked together so often. Adding Johnny Depp to an award where Helena has won for another movie gives a viewer who is really tuned in something extra."

Horvitz won an Emmy in 2008 for his direction on the 80th annual Academy Awards and has been nominated for a slew of other accolades. But he doesn't seem to be slowing down.

"I'm an adrenaline junkie," says Horvitz. You have to be to be a Formula One driver, a quarterback or a TV director. You say five, four, three, two, one and you're on, calling cues and hoping that your preparation and experience in the seat keeps you focused."

— Nicole Sperling

Photo: Golden Globe statuette. Photo credit: Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.

 

 

Critics' Choice announces presenters including Jon Hamm and Emma Stone

 
 
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards is offering a plethora of populist presenters for this year's award show to be held Friday. In addition to Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, nominees Josh Brolin and Julianne Moore, and Golden Globe nominees Emma Stone, Jon Hamm and Sofia Vergara, the show announced Wednesday that the Kardashian sisters will be on hand along with Joan Rivers and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Maroon 5 will be the house band for the night while Emily Blunt and Jimmy Kimmel will present Matt Damon with the Joel Siegel Award.

Tim Roth will present Quentin Tarantino the inaugural Critics' Choice Music+Film Award for his creative use of music in his movies.

--Nicole Sperling

Photo of Jon Hamm from Getty Images

Will 'Black Swan's' crossover from art house to mainstream portend higher Oscar hopes?

 
You know a film has officially hit the mainstream consciousness when it's spoofed on "Saturday Night Live." That happened last weekend when Jim Carrey played an oafish black swan in full leotard, tutu and even the white-faced makeup of the Darren Aronofsky film "Black Swan." My colleagues over at Culture Monster write about it here.

The film is also hitting the mainstream at the box office. Starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, the psychological thriller landed in fifth place last weekend, its highest spot since it debuted at the beginning of December.

Now in wide release, the film crossed the 1,000-theater mark in mid-December and is capturing a wider swath of the moviegoing public than the art house audience it initially focused on. And its gross keeps on trucking, losing only 9% of its box office this past weekend for a total take of $61 million. Similar to the Coen brothers' "True Grit," "Black Swan" marks Aronofsky's most commercial release, far surpassing 2008's "The Wrestler," which scored two acting Oscar nominations and earned $26 million two years ago.

Aronofksy also landed a DGA nomination in addition to the film's various nods from the PGA, SAG and the Golden Globes. The film is practically a shoo-in for multiple Oscar noms, including for Portman, who is sure to be a strong competitor in the lead actress race. Does it get more love from academy members because of its strong box office?

It may at least encourage any reluctant voters to watch the movie if it hadn't yet risen to the top of their screener pile, but voters never seem to be all that swayed by box office muscle. As we all know, they chose the $17-million grossing "The Hurt Locker" over the $1-billion grossing "Avatar."

— Nicole Sperling

 "Black Swan" photo from Fox Searchlight.

'Inception' dominates Visual Effects Society's annual nominations

 

For the Visual Effects Society, "Inception" was the leading nominee on the film side  as the Christopher Nolan film dominated the organization's annual picks with four nods. Nolan will also receive the inaugural VES Visionary Award, which will be presented Feb. 1 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. 

In addition to "Inception," the other films chosen for outstanding visual effects in a visual-effects driven feature motion picture included "Iron Man 2," "Tron: Legacy," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1."

"Inception" was also nominated for outstanding created environment in a live-action film for its Paris dreamscape; outstanding models & miniatures in a motion picture for its hospital fortress destruction; and outstanding compositing in a motion picture.

In the category of outstanding supporting visual effects in a feature motion picture, the nominees were "Green Zone," "Salt," "Hereafter," "Black Swan" and "Robin Hood." In the animation category, "Tangled," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Toy Story 3," "Shrek Forever After" and "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" all are being considered for a top prize.

In the television category, HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" led with five nominations. For best supporting visuals in a broadcast program, that drama will go up against "Lost," "The Walking Dead," "Human Target" and the now canceled "Undercovers."

VES recognizes outstanding visual effects in film, television, commercials and video games. For the full list of nominees go to www.visualeffectssociety.com. The ceremony will air on Reelz Channel on Feb. 19.

--Nicole Sperling

Scene from "Inception" from Warner Bros.

Why is Helen Mirren the only over-50 lead actress Oscar winner in the last 15 years?

While Annette Bening is a front-runner for the lead actress nomination, history is not working in her favor. Over the last 15 years, Helen Mirren is the only woman older than 50 to have won a lead actress Academy Award. Not Meryl Streep, who in that same period was nominated five times but has always lost out to her younger competition, including Sandra Bullock last year and Gwyneth Paltrow, who beat her in 1998 for her role in "Shakespeare in Love." Not Julie Christie, who lost out twice -- to Marion Cotillard in 2007 and Helen Hunt in 1997. And not Judi Dench, who was beaten by Reese Witherspoon in 2005 and also by Hunt in 1997.

Perhaps Annette Bening, 52, will be able to reverse this unfortunate trend this year with her performance in "The Kids Are All Right." As a likely nominee, she'd probably go up against such other younger actresses as Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence. We all know how it worked out for Bening in her last two outings: She lost out in 2004 and 1999 to Hilary Swank.

These kind of voting patterns don't seem to happen in the lead actor Oscar race. Jeff Bridges, at age 61, dominated last year, after a late-in-the-race release in December with" Crazy Heart," while Jack Nicholson beat out Matt Damon in 1997.

Bridges had been anointed with the lucky "it's his time" clause that Oscar voters love to throw around when choosing an actor for his career rather than for a specific role. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Bening fulfilling the "it's her time" clause, after being overlooked for her parts in "American Beauty" and "Being Julia."

But with "Black Swan" coming on strong at the box office and Natalie Portman in the ether with both her personal life and a slew of new movies ("No Strings Attached," "The Other Woman," "Your Highness" and "Thor"), an "it's her time" win is not a given for Bening.

 — Nicole Sperling

Photo: Annette Bening. Photo credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times.

'True Grit's' Dakin Matthews: His memorable moments with the Coen brothers

 

Dakin Matthews has one of those unforgettable faces, the kind of character actor who brightens each of the scenes you catch him in despite the fact that you don't know his name. Most recently, he has appeared in a slew of television shows -- including "Desperate Housewives" and "True Blood" -- but you can currently find him in the Coen brothers' "True Grit," where he plays in two scenes opposite SAG nominee Hailee Steinfeld as the hapless Col. Stonehill, who gets taken by 14-year old Mattie Ross. My colleague Charlotte Stoudt has a great Q&A with Matthews on our Culture Monster blog.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

-- Nicole Sperling

Photo: Dakin Matthews in "True Grit."  Credit: Paramount Pictures