Category: Awards

New York Critics Vote ‘Far from Heaven’ Best Film
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Critically acclaimed drama “Far From Heaven” swept the 68th annual New York Film Critics Circle awards on Monday, taking five prizes, including best film and best director, and setting the stage for one of the most confused Oscar battles in years.
The 34-member New York group’s naming of “Far From Heaven” as best picture came after film critic groups in Los Angeles and Boston chose different pictures this weekend.
Los Angeles critics picked Alexander Payne’s “About Schmidt” on Saturday as the year’s best picture while Boston critics selected Roman Polanski’s Holocaust film “The Pianist” as its surprise winner. To top it off, the National Board of Review, a veteran film appreciation society, chose yet another film as its best of the year: “The Hours,” a film based on the life and work of novelist Virginia Woolf.
Critics awards often serve as precursors to the Oscars, which are chosen in March. All that is clear at the moment is that it is a strong field with no obvious front-runner.
The New York critics named “Far From Heaven’s” Todd Haynes as best director and the film’s Dennis Quaid and Patricia Clarkson as best supporting actor and supporting actress.
In addition, Edward Lachman was named best cinematographer for his work on the 1950s drama of a marriage rocked by the husband’s affair with another man.
Daniel Day-Lewis was named best actor by the New York critics for his work on “Gangs of New York,” beating out Jack Nicholson, the star of “About Schmidt,” in what a spokesman for the group said was a closely fought battle.
But in an unexpected upset, Diane Lane was named best actress for her role as the roaming wife in “Unfaithful,” beating Julianne Moore who was up for her work as the wife in “Far From Heaven.”
Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s “Y tu mama tambien” was named best foreign film and Japan’s Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” was named the year’s best animated film.
“Standing In The Shadows Of Motown,” directed by Paul Justman, was chosen as the year’s best non-fiction film while the award for best first film was given to “Roger Dodger.”
The New York critics award for best screenplay went to “Adaptation” written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman.

L.A. Critics Pick ‘About Schmidt’ as Best Movie
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Los Angeles Film Critics on Saturday picked drama “About Schmidt,” starring Jack Nicholson, as the year’s top movie, splitting the two major critics’ awards so far as the 2002 Hollywood movie awards season heads into a pivotal week with more honors ahead.
“Far From Heaven,” which along with the drama “The Hours” claimed the title of best actress for Julianne Moore, landed in the Los Angeles critics’ group No. 2 spot. Isabelle Huppert took the runner-up spot for best actress in the Holocaust drama “The Piano Teacher.”
Nicholson shared best actor honors with Daniel Day-Lewis for the widely anticipated Martin Scorcese drama “Gangs of New York.” With the shared award, there was no runner-up in that category.
The Los Angeles Critics Association, a group of 50 local movie reviewers, are among the first of the major critics’ organizations this year to put out their annual award list. Still to come this week is the New York Film Critics Circle on Monday and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe nominations on Thursday.
The National Board of Review has already weighed in with “The Hours” as the top film of the year followed by musical “Chicago” and “Gangs of New York” in the third spot.
The early critics awards often help narrow the choice of candidates for the Oscars in March.
In “Schmidt” Nicholson plays a 66 year-old retiree on a search for meaning in his life. “Far From Heaven” has Moore portraying a 1950’s housewife whose husband is gay. “Chicago” is based on the musical of the same name and “Gangs of New York” tells of turn of the century gang wars in the city.
The L.A. critics picked acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar as the year’s top director for “Talk to Her,” which looks at how men deal with love relationships. The runner-up was Todd Haynes for “Far From Heaven.
Chris Cooper for “Adaptation” was named best supporting actor with Christopher Walken as the runner-up for “Catch Me If You Can.” Edie Falco was the favorite supporting actress for “Sunshine State” followed by Kathy Bates for “About Schmidt.”
Screenplay honors went to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for “About Schmidt” with Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman runner-ups. Best foreign language film award went to Mexican hit “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” followed by “Talk to Her.”

Great Big Sea grabs seven ECMA noms
HALIFAX — Perennial party staple Great Big Sea will be the great big favourite heading into the 2003 East Coast Music Awards.
In nominations announced Wednesday, the rollicking Celtic rock band from Newfoundland led the way with seven, including album of the year and entertainer of the year.
The awards show, to be hosted by comedian Rick Mercer, will be held Feb. 16 in Halifax’s 10,000-seat Metro Centre and broadcast live on CBC-TV.
Mercer, a former This Hour Has 22 Minutes star, said he’s thrilled to be at the helm of the annual show, which began 15 years ago in a tiny Halifax club and has grown into the region’s hottest ticket each winter.
“Backstage at awards shows there are a lot of people who tend to be arseholes, I think, is the word,” Mercer said during a news conference.
“But you just don’t find that at the East Coast Awards. It’s about as much fun as you can have on television.”
Great Big Sea’s popular blend of traditional music and pop-rock has made them one of the most successful acts in the country in recent years.
A five-time winner of the ECMA’s entertainer of the year award, the band dominated the nominations on the strength of their most recent album, Sea of No Cares.
Great Big Sea is also nominated for single of the year, songwriter of the year, best video, pop artist/pop group of the year, and group of the year.
Singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant took five nominations while Newfoundland’s the Ennis Sisters, Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster, and P.E.I. singer-songwriter Nathan Wiley each snared four.
Charlie A’Court, a 24-year-old blues artist from McCallum Settlement, N.S., was thrilled with his nominations in the blues and new artist categories.
“To me it means an extraordinary opportunity to branch out and be in front of a larger fan base,” said A’Court, who performed an acoustic blues number from his album Color Me Gone during the nominations ceremony.
“It really allows me to get out there in full focus so people can really see me in my light, in what I do.”
Anne Murray, the matriarch of the East Coast music scene, received two nominations — female artist of the year and country artist.
There was no word on who will perform during the awards show, but Mercer promised it would be good.
“If the federal government decriminalizes marijuana fast enough, the light show’s gonna be spectacular,” he said.

Academy Qualifies 17 Animated Films for Oscars
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The race for Oscars took another step toward the starter’s block on Wednesday with 17 films qualifying in the best animated feature film category, ranging from computer hit “Ice Age” to a mix of live-action and animation in “Stuart Little 2.”
This is the second season the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated movies in the animated feature film group, making the race hotly contested for animators hoping to share the limelight with their live-action brethren.
Last year only nine films were eligible and three were nominated with summer hit “Shrek,” eventually claiming the Oscar over “Monsters, Inc.” and “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.”
A total of five animated films from the 17 qualifying can be nominated for the Oscar, which is handed out in March.
Some industry sources tied the increase in the number of films eligible for Oscars to the rise in family films in release this year. Animated movies, generally speaking, are targeted toward kids and families.
Others said that because it is the second year for the category, there was greater awareness among the industry.
They all noted the wide diversity from mainstream films like Disney’s “Treasure Planet” to Spanish entry “El Bosque Animado” (The Living Forest) to faith-based “Jonah — A VeggieTales Movie.”
“It’s a really good representation of the art form,” said Glenn Ross, president of FHE Inc., the family division of independent studio Artisan Entertainment Inc. FHE distributed “Jonah” in what amounted to a sizable risk for company chief Amir Malin. Hollywood’s major studios will normally shy away from such material.
But the movie proved successful, pulling in $25 million at domestic box offices and prompting Artisan to sign up another film from “Jonah” producers, Big Idea Productions.
STEP FORWARD
“Stuart Little 2” blends animated characters such as the mouse who wants to be a boy, Stuart, (the voice of Michael J. Fox) with live-action characters like Geena Davis as Mrs. Little and Jonathan Lipnicki as Stuart’s “brother,” George.
The movie was widely viewed as a step forward in animation for its interaction between the digital and human characters.
It received good reviews, but flopped at the box office. However the DVD, which debuted on retail shelves just this week, has been selling well, and that was a positive indicator for last year’s winner, “Shrek.”
An Academy spokesman said an eligible film must be no less than 75 percent animated, and nearly every scene in “Stuart Little 2” had some sort of digital animation.
One early front-runner will certainly be “Ice Age,” which was a huge success at box offices, raking in more than $370 million in global ticket sales with its tale of prehistoric animals on a trek across the frozen tundra.
“Spirited Away,” the tangled tale of a 10-year-old girl trying to restore her parents to human form from famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, also should be considered a favorite since it shared best film honors at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival.
Oscar nominations will be announced on Feb. 11 and awards will be given out on March 23.
Other films eligible for the animated Oscar are:
“Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights”
“Eden”
“Hey Arnold! The Movie”
“Lilo & Stitch”
“Mutant Aliens”
“The Powerpuff Girls Movie”
“The Princess and the Pea”
“Return to Never Land”
“Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
“The Wild Thornberrys Movie”

Egoyan’s ‘Ararat’ tops Genie noms
TORONTO — Leading a pack of movies described as “an extraordinary reflection of the diversity of filmmaking in this country,” Atom Egoyan’s Ararat has been honoured with nine Genie Award nominations, including best picture.
The 23rd annual Genies, given for the best in home-grown cinema, will be handed out at a televised gala Feb. 13. Ararat is the story of a director trying to make a film in Toronto about the Armenian massacre of the First World War.
The other best-picture nominees include Bollywood/Hollywood, Deepa Mehta’s hilarious blend of Indian and North American cinema culture; Quebec-Montreal, a road picture and first-time feature from francophone director Ricardo Trogi; Rare Birds, Sturla Gunnarsson’s Newfoundland comedy about a frustrated restaurateur; and Suddenly Naked, Anne Wheeler’s sexy May-September romance from the West Coast.
“Each story is told from a different part of Canada,” noted Maria Topalovich, president and CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, at a Tuesday news conference. “We also see emerging filmmakers and performers nominated alongside established veterans.”
Other leading nominees include Savage Messiah, a made-for-TV movie based on the real events surrounding a murderous Canadian cult leader and which played theatrically in Quebec; and Between Strangers, the Sophia Loren heart-tugger filmed in Toronto by her son Eduardo Ponti.
Missing from the list this year are those so-called industrially Canadian features, films shot in Canada by Canadian crews but which are internationally generic in nature.
Paul Gratton, vice-president of the academy’s cinema division, noted how Ararat had been fraught with controversy because of its subject matter, but that rumours of Turkish protests just faded away.
“When the film was revealed at Cannes, it was something entirely different than what people expected,” Gratton said. “In typical Egoyan fashion, it became a sort of rumination on the nature of history and memory and how we filter our collective memories.”
David Alpay, the young University of Toronto student making his acting debut in Ararat, was on hand to help read the nominations list. He said he found out only that morning that he was nominated in the best-actor category along with co-star Christopher Plummer.
“I hope he wins, he’s absolutely incredible in the film,” Alpay said. “I’m just in awe, right? I’m a fan, I’m a movie fan, I watch movies all the time, so for me this is like, wow, this is great. I still feel a little disconnected from the whole thing.”
Asked what he hopes Ararat will accomplish, Alpay, who like Egoyan is of Armenian heritage, said the film resonates deeply within him, which he finds emotionally fulfilling. But he had no idea why the protests dissipated, insisting he’s excluded from those circles.
“You never know what to expect. You hope people have an open mind, that they go and they really think about things critically and don’t just jump in.”
Alpay says he’s focusing on school right now and not thinking about reports that he has an acting career ahead of him as a result of his breakout performance in Ararat.
“There’s so much to do right now. I’ve gotta get through school, gotta finish this year with good marks and . . . if something pops up and it looks good, it would be nice to read it and take a look.”
Best directors include David Cronenberg for Spider, Gunnarsson for Rare Birds, Trogi for Quebec-Montreal and Wheeler for Suddenly Naked. Egoyan was not nominated.
Also competing in the best-actor category are Luc Picard for Savage Messiah, Philip Dewilde for Turning Page and Colin Roberts for Flower & Garnet.
The best actress list includes Isabelle Blais and Polly Walker for Savage Messiah, Egoyan’s wife Arsinee Khanjian for Ararat, Molly Parker in Men With Brooms, and Deborah Kara Unger for Between Strangers.
The best supporting actress category includes Dina Pathak, the Indian actress who stole Bollywood/Hollywood with her performance as a feisty Shakespeare-quoting grandmother. Pathak, who died in October at 82, made more than 200 films in her career, including David Lean’s 1984 epic A Passage to India.
Leading nominees for the 2002 Genie Awards:
Best Film:
* Ararat (Robert Lantos, Atom Egoyan)
* Bollywood/Hollywood (David Hamilton, Bob Wertheimer)
* Quebec-Montreal (Nicole Robert)
* Rare Birds (Paul Pope, Janet York)
* Suddenly Naked (Gavin Wilding)
Best Actor:
* David Alpay (Ararat)
* Philip Dewilde (Turning Page)
* Luc Picard (Savage Messiah)
* Christopher Plummer (Ararat)
* Colin Roberts (Flower & Garnet)
Best Actress:
* Isabelle Blais (Savage Messiah)
* Arsinee Khanjian (Ararat)
* Molly Parker (Men With Brooms)
* Deborah Kara Unger (Between Strangers)
* Polly Walker (Savage Messiah)
Best Director:
* Jean Beaudin (Le Collectionneur)
* David Cronenberg (Spider)
* Sturla Gunnarsson (Rare Birds)
* Ricardo Trogi (Quebec-Montreal)
* Anne Wheeler (Suddenly Naked)

THE PEOPLE SPEAK
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Spider-Man and My Big Fat Greek Wedding competing for Favorite Movie at the 2003 People’s Choice Awards. On the tube side, The Bernie Mac Show, Everybody Loves Raymond and Friends scored nods for Favorite Comedy. The kudofest is set to air January 12 on CBS.

‘The Hours’ Named Best Film, First Award of Season

Believe it or not, the woman on the right is Nicole Kidman
NEW YORK (Reuters) – “The Hours,” the story of three women linked by Virginia Woolf’s novel “Mrs. Dalloway,” was named best film of the year on Wednesday by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, whose annual Top 10 honors kick off the film awards season that culminates with the Oscars.
Industry watchers look to the New York-based society’s picks and other upcoming awards for hints on possible Academy Awards contenders.
“The Hours,” based on Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, was followed by “Chicago,” “Gangs of New York,” The Quiet American” and “Adaptation.”
“The Hours,” slated for release this month, stars Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore and interweaves the stories of three women from different eras, including the character of Virginia Woolf as she begins to write the novel “Mrs. Dalloway.”
Campbell Scott was named best actor for the dark comedy “Roger Dodger” and Moore best actress for “Far From Heaven,” a drama set in the 1950s.
“It’s a total surprise, although I’ll take it,” Scott told Reuters in a telephone interview. “‘Roger’ is a small movie so we want people to know about it.”
Scott, 41, son of the late actors George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst, also is an executive producer of the film, the story of a scheming advertising executive who tries to teach his teen-age nephew how to manipulate women during a night on the town.
“He’s a tough nut — he can be very cruel and charming at the same time,” he said of his character. “That stuff is fun to play.”
“Talk to Her,” from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, was named best foreign film.
Rounding out the Top 10 film winners were “Rabbit-Proof Fence,” “The Pianist,” “Far From Heaven,” “Thirteen Conversations About One Thing” and “Frida.”
Last year, Halle Berry took best actress honors from the board for her role in the death-row drama “Monster’s Ball” and went on to win the Academy Award for best actress.
However, the board also last year chose the glitzy musical “Moulin Rouge” as best film, but the Oscar for that category went to “A Beautiful Mind,” a drama about Princeton University mathematician John Nash’s struggle with mental illness.
The board was founded in New York in 1909 to forestall movie censorship and began selecting its “10 best movies of the year” in 1919. The group’s screening membership includes film professionals, teachers, students and historians.
The group will present its awards on Jan. 14 in New York.

WALK THIS WAY
VH1 recruiting Grand Master Flash, Chuck D and Kid Rock to present a tribute to Run-D.M.C. and the late Jam Master Jay during the VH1 Big in 2002 Awards. Reverend Run and D.M.C. will be on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award. The show premieres on VH1 on December 15 at 9 p.m.

Crowe tops ‘coldest person’ list
NEW YORK (AP) — Russell Crowe could make a lot of people’s lists of the hottest celebrities, but an online film magazine calls him the coldest person in the entertainment world.
The “Gladiator” star tops Film Threat’s “Frigid 50,” an annual ranking designed to refute lists of Hollywood’s hot and powerful in magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Premiere.
Film Threat calls Crowe “our favorite wild boor, whose bad-boy big mouth and Redwood-sized chip-on-the-shoulder easily cost him an Oscar for ‘A Beautiful Mind.”‘
Among the 50 celebrities on the list are Winona Ryder, Cuba Gooding Jr., Richard Gere, Barbra Streisand and Anna Nicole Smith.
Of Jennifer Lopez, the magazine’s writers said this week, “We’re just trying to remember when she was any good at all.”
Last year, Freddie Prinze Jr. topped the “Frigid 50,” and Robin Williams had the dubious distinction in 2000.

Ashanti Leads American Music Award Contenders
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B singer Ashanti, who made a big splash this year with her debut album, led the contenders for the 30th annual American Music Awards, picking up nominations in five categories, organizers said on Tuesday.
Rappers Eminem and Nelly will go head-to-head in four categories, while Latino star Enrique Iglesias, country trio the Dixie Chicks and rock band Linkin Park were among the 10 acts with two nods each.
The awards will be presented on Jan. 13 during a nationally televised ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. Heavy metal maven Ozzy Osbourne and his family, stars of the MTV reality series “The Osbournes,” will host the three-hour event.
Ashanti (last name Douglas), 22, was nominated for favorite album and favorite new artist in both the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories. Additionally, she will compete for favorite female hip-hop/R&B artist.
After shooting up the charts with a series of high-profile duets with the likes of Ja Rule and Fat Joe, the New York native released her self-titled debut album in April. It has since sold about 2.9 million copies in the United States.
Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers) and Nelly (aka Cornell Haynes, Jr.) were nominated for favorite male artist and favorite album in both the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories. Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” is the biggest release of 2002 with sales of more than 6.6 million units, while Nelly’s “Nellyville” has shifted four million copies.
Other acts with two nominations each included pop singers Pink and Celine Dion, rookie hip-hop combos B2K and Nappy Roots, country singers Alan Jackson and Toby Keith, and rock band Creed.
Winners are determined by a survey of about 20,000 members of the public; the nominees are drawn from retail sales and radio airplay data. The more prestigious Grammy Awards, which will be presented on Feb. 23 in New York, are determined by music industry voters.