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'Gravity' and 'Her' Win Big at Art Directors Guild Awards 2014 (Full Winners List)
49 minutes ago
Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the Art Directors Guild handed out their annual awards to the best in TV and cinematic production design. Big winners of the night were "Gravity," for fantasy feature film, and "Her," for contemporary feature film. "Great Gatsby" also picked up the prize for production design in a period film. These three are surefire Oscar frontrunners. Full list of winners below. The standout moment of the evening was Martin Scorsese's acceptance of the Cinematic Imagery Award in tandem with his Oscar-nominated "Wolf of Wall Street." "How do you separate cinema from production design? You can't," the director said as he humbly accepted his trophy. Per the teleprompter, Scorsese and "Wolf" production designer Bob Shaw will be working on a TV pilot soon. Excellence in Production Design for Short Format, Live-Action Series: "Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome" Excellence in Production Design for »
- Ryan Lattanzio
Berlinale: Take the 'Grand Budapest Hotel' Round-Table Interview Quiz
4 hours ago
I hereby challenge you to take the following quiz on what I learned at Fox Searchlight's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" round-table junket interviews Friday at Berlin’s famous Hotel Adlon opposite the Brandenberg Gate. Answers are below the jump. 1. Which of the following are true: A. In her 1932 film, “Grand Hotel,” Greta Garbo says “I vant to be alone” in a hotel inspired by the Adlon. B. In Billy Wilder’s film, “One, Two, Three,” a pre-war, luxury hotel down on its heels is also based on the Adlon. C. Much of the 2011 thriller “Unknown,” starring Liam Neeson, was shot at the Adlon. D. Film director Percy Adlon (“Baghdad Cafe”) is the great-grandson of the hotel’s founder Lorenz Adlon. E. In 2002, Michael Jackson dangled his infant son out the window of his room at the Adlon. F. All of the above 2. Who wore what to the interviews? A. Wes Anderson: Dark, »
- Anne Thompson
Berlin: The Longest Day for 'Monuments Men'
4 hours ago
George Clooney must be feeling that his “Monuments Men” is just a bit doomed. About 20 minutes into the Berlinale screening, people suddenly began shouting, “Stop the movie!” No, it wasn’t commentary, a journalist was suffering some sort of heart event and the screening was stopped while he was attended to. Festival director Dieter Kosslick later announced to the waiting (and waiting) press-conference attendees that the journalist was in the hospital and doing well. That was the good news. And then the press conference began. You certainly can’t blame Clooney and his band of merry men. Flanked by Matt Damon and Bill Murray, John Goodman and Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and Jean Dujardin, Clooney joked and smiled through a series of increasingly inane questions that culminated in a female Mexican journalist asking, apparently in earnest, if the movie star realizes how large a role he plays in the erotic »
- Tom Christie
Woody Allen Strikes Back: "Of Course I Did Not Molest Dylan"; Dylan Farrow Responds Update
5 hours ago
One week later after The New York Times published Dylan Farrow's Open Letter in last Sunday's Nyt, the paper of record has published Woody Allen's response to his daughter. Well, we already knew the man can write. He repeats much of what his documentarian Robert Weide wrote in a widely circulated piece in The Daily Beast. But it's in his own words. He starts off: "Twenty-one years ago, when I first heard Mia Farrow had accused me of child molestation, I found the idea so ludicrous I didn’t give it a second thought. We were involved in a terribly acrimonious breakup, with great enmity between us and a custody battle slowly gathering energy. The self-serving transparency of her malevolence seemed so obvious I didn’t even hire a lawyer to defend myself. It was my show business attorney who told me she was bringing the accusation to the »
- Anne Thompson
Best of the Week: 'Grand Budapest Hotel' Charms Berlin, Cate Blanchett Courts Santa Barbara and More
7 hours ago
The top stories of the week from Toh! Awards:Awards Campaigns Continue with Santa Barbara Festival and Academy Nominees LuncheonCrafts Roundup: Talking Production Design with the Five Oscar NomineesEmmanuel Lubezki Wins for "Gravity" at American Society of Cinematographers AwardsFour Oscar Contenders Win Big at Ace Eddie AwardsBox Office:Arthouse Audit: "Tim's Vermeer" Shows Life; "Gloria" Expands WellFriday Box Office: 'Lego Movie' Has Robust Opening Day, 'Monuments Men' in Distant Second PlaceSuper Bowl Weekend Saved by Strong Holdovers "Ride Along" and "Frozen"; "Labor Day" Opens in Seventh PlaceFeatures:How Screenwriter Terry Southern Prepared Me for a Career in HollywoodFestivals:Berlin: "Grand Budapest Hotel" Press Conferences Sets the Bar High, with Anderson, Fiennes, Murray, Swinton and MoreEight Great Quotes from Cate Blanchett at the Santa Barbara Film FestivalThings I Learned at the Rotterdam Film FestivalInterviews:Nine Things I Learned at the Hilarious Santa Barbara Film »
- TOH!
Friday Box Office: 'Lego Movie' Has Robust Opening Day, 'Monuments Men' in Distant Second Place
11 hours ago
Despite competition from the tape-delayed opening Olympics ceremony, box office was strong yesterday, with "The Lego Movie" (Warner Bros.) taking in a robust $17,140,000 ahead of what is likely to be a very strong matinee-fueled weekend, though not record-breaking for February (the best remains "The Passion of the Christ"). "Lego" looks to be among Warners' third recent #1 film to open to over $50 million --along with "Gravity" and "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"-- and will be the biggest opening of 2014 so far. Coming in a distant second, around expectations, is George Clooney's "The Monuments Men" (Sony) at $7 million. This is actually by some distance the best first day gross for a film he directed (doubling the take for "The Ides of March"). With an all-star cast and heist theme, it is aimed more at a wider "Ocean's Eleven"/sequel audience, with its full weekend gross (likely around $20 million) a »
- Tom Brueggemann
Berlin Buys: '52 Tuesdays' Goes to Kino Lorber, eOne Takes 'Watermark' and More
12 hours ago
Buyers are lining up at the Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market, now in full swing until February 14. The latest acquisition is Sundance Best Director winner (World Cinema Competition) Sophie Hyde's drama "52 Tuesdays," which was shot chronologically one day every week for a year. Visit Films inked a deal with Us distributor Kino Lorber, who will release the film in the second half of 2014. It premieres in the Generation sidebar on February 8. Out of the Berlinale Special section and premiering February 9, Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky's "Watermark" will be distributed in the Us by eOne Films International. Other key territories include Australia (Madman), Benelux (Cineart), German speaking Europe (Senator), UK (Soda Pictures) and India (Pictureworks)."Watermark" is a feature documentary film that brings together diverse stories from around the globe about our relationship with water: how we are drawn to it, what we learn from it, how. »
- Ryan Lattanzio
Stream This: Belgian Oscar Nominee 'Broken Circle Breakdown'
12 hours ago
This is the first year all the Academy members get to vote on the honor system for best foreign film. If I were to pick a foreign Oscar winner this year on the basis of what the entire Academy would like best, it would be Belgian entry and European Film Awards Best Actress-winner "Broken Circle Breakdown," a sexy and tragic musical family drama adapted from a stage musical, featuring bluegrass music. Up to now, it has not played in many theaters and has not been widely viewed by the Academy at large--who just got their five foreign screeners yesterday. They are most likely to vote for the movie they've already seen--visually sumptuous European Film Awards-winner "The Great Beauty," by Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino, which is in current release (review here, more on the foreign nominees' box office prospects here) has out-paced Danish July import "The Hunt," which like last year's »
- Anne Thompson
Four Oscar Contenders Win Big at Ace Eddie Awards
22 hours ago
At the 64th annual American Cinema Editors Awards for outstanding editing on Friday night, four Oscar contenders took home the coveted Eddie, which often presages Oscar wins. The editors handed out trophies in ten categories of film, television and documentaries. “Captain Phillips” (edited by Christopher Rouse, A.C.E.) beat out "Gravity" for Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic), while “American Hustle” (edited by Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., Crispin Struthers & Alan Baumgarten, A.C.E.) won Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy/Musical). Oscar frontrunners “Frozen” (edited by Jeff Draheim) took Best Edited Animated Feature Film and “20 Feet From Stardom” (edited by Douglas Blush, Kevin Klauber & Jason Zeldes) took Best Edited Documentary (Feature) respectively. Which leaves the Oscar race as murky as ever. Only the PGA offers all nine Oscar Best Picture nominees in one category. The Guilds split things up. Television winners included ”The »
- Anne Thompson
Talking 'The Lego Movie' with Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller
7 February 2014 1:15 PM, PST
There's more than meets the eye in "The Lego Movie." It's not only smart and witty but it also explores the essence of Lego and Master Building and, finally, storytelling in a Pirandello-like way. I spoke with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (at Legoland, of course) about making a subversive movie at Warner Bros. that pokes fun of studios, franchises and safe storytelling.Bill Desowitz: You've managed to make a subversive studio movie with an anti-commercial message. And as long as it's a big hit, it's win-win.Phil Lord: Yeah, everybody wins.And it reminded me of a bigger "Clone High."Chris Miller: Yeah, for sure. It's like bringing in a lot of weird characters that don't belong.Pl: If you think about it, we haven't evolved at all as filmmakers -- we're just doing the same bit.But this is a lot more complicated with so much detail. »
- Bill Desowitz
Attention, Filmmakers: Film Independent's Fast Track Financing Market Now Open for Submissions
7 February 2014 11:58 AM, PST
Director-producer teams are now invited to apply to Film Independent's Fast Track, the three-day film financing market that takes place in June during the La Film Fest (2014 dates Tba).The filmmakers selected for Fast Track will get a chance to meet with financiers, production companies and industry professionals with the goal of finding funding for their movies.Submitted projects must be feature length films, narrative and documentary, that are compelling and original. Fast Track is open to documentaries that have begun or completed production and are seeking finishing funds. Narratives must not have begun principal photography. One of the eligible Fast Track projects will receive Film Independent's Alfred P. Sloan Fast Track grant, a $15,000 production grant for a science based narrative film. Plus, all Fast Track filmmakers receive a pass to Laff 2014.Interested? You can apply here. »
- Beth Hanna
Awards Campaigns Continue with Santa Barbara Festival and Academy Nominees Luncheon
7 February 2014 11:54 AM, PST
Oscar season continues with more campaigning. Things can change during Phase Two: last year when Ben Affleck didn't get a directors nomination, he worked ceaselessly, turning on his underdog charm, to pull out an "Argo" big Best Picture win. We've already seen momentum shift, from "12 Years a Slave" and "Gravity," towards late arrivals "American Hustle" and "The Wolf of Wall Street"--and back again. Check out the Gurus 'o Gold: the picture is solidifying. (See my Oscar predictions.) Thursday night, the 29th Santa Barbara International Film Festival mounted one of a series of "tributes" geared toward award season. That's because there are Academy voters in Santa Barbara, as well as influential media coverage. "The Wolf of Wall Street" Oscar nominee Jonah Hill presented the "Cinema Vanguard Award" to fellow contenders Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, who submitted to a grilling by THR critic Todd McCarthy on all five of their films. »
- Anne Thompson
Talking Johnny Depp's Oscar-Nominated Makeup and Hair in 'The Lone Ranger'
7 February 2014 11:28 AM, PST
When it came to Johnny Depp's trippy Tonto in "The Lone Ranger," there were two makeup and hair challenges: the middle-aged Native American as well as the old man (a tribute to legendary Dick Smith's Jack Crabb from "Little Big Man"). We get the lowdown from Oscar-nominees Joel Harlow, who's become Depp's go-to makeup guy, and hairstylist Gloria Casny.Jumping in just two months before principal photography, the makeup team performed full upper-body aging (including arms and torso for the shirtless Tonto), which is rarely attempted, according to Harlow. They chose a full prosthetic glue-in rather than a suit and the challenge was maintaining sculptural consistency and to avoid any strange wrinkling around the shoulder and elbows. "The old Tonto was a series of 17 overlapping silicone prosthetics with pre-hair punched into them, all pre-painted so they'd have the same translucency," explains Oscar winner Harlow (J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek"). "Once. »
- Bill Desowitz
Berlin: Watch an Exclusive Clip from Occupy Wall Street Doc 'Another World'
7 February 2014 10:26 AM, PST
Toh! has scored an exclusive clip to documentary “Another World,” which premieres in Berlin February 8 in the fest's Panorama section. Co-directed by Fisher Stevens (producer of "The Cove") and Rebecca Chaiclin, and written by Mark Monroe (“The Cove”), the film looks at the tumultuous journey of the individuals behind the Occupy Wall Street movement. Watch below.Here’s the official synopsis:Another World is an intimate portrait of a group of remarkable young people, who gave up everything, to tackle economic inequality, create Occupy Wall Street and attempt to change the world. The film chronicles the personal narratives that brought these young people together and their wild ride through the rise and fall of one of the most explosive movements in Us history. »
- Beth Hanna
Werner Herzog Lines Up Russell Brand, Pamela Anderson and Mike Tyson for 'Vernon God Little'
7 February 2014 10:19 AM, PST
The marvelously unpredictable Werner Herzog is assembling quite the cast for "Vernon God Little," his adaptation of the darkly comedic novel by Dbc Pierre about the aftermath of a school shooting. Russell Brand, Pamela Anderson and Mike Tyson are all set with roles in the film. These three join Austin Abrams, who will play the title role of Vernon, a teenager whose life goes to hell when his best friend shoots up a bunch of their classmates. Brand will play an unscrupulous TV reporter, Anderson will play Vernon's mother, while Tyson will play a prison-bound ax murderer. The film is being sold in the Berlin Film Market. Meanwhile, Herzog's still got the Gertrude Bell biopic "Queen of the Desert" in production in Morocco, with Nicole Kidman in the title role and Robert Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence. "Vernon God Little" will get underway in April after "Queen" wraps. »
- Beth Hanna
Charlie Chaplin's First and Only Novel 'Footlights' Finally Published After 60 Years
7 February 2014 9:53 AM, PST
Exciting news for Chaplin fans: The auteur's only work of fiction ever written, a dark novella following the tragedies of a washed-up clown which would become the main inspiration for his 1952 masterwork "Limelight," will be made available to the public after having gone unpublished for 60 years. "Footlights," a slender work running at about 34,000 words, centers on old and alcoholic clown Calvero (played by Chaplin in "Limelight") who saves a ballerina from suicide. The novella was written in 1948, four years before Chaplin would make "Limelight" and then be banned from the Us for his alleged Communist sympathies. Having sat in Chaplin's archives for decades, as a mish-mash of handwritten and typed pages, the book has been typed up by Chaplin biographer David Robinson and will be published by Italy's Cineteca de Bologna. "Footlights" will be available through their website, as well as on Amazon. You can read a segment from it here. »
- Beth Hanna
Berlin: Sony Pictures Classics Takes Claudia Llosa's 'Aloft,' Film Movement Nabs 'To Kill a Man'
7 February 2014 9:10 AM, PST
Sony Pictures Classics made the first major deal of the Berlinale, nabbing Us and Latin America rights to the competition title "Aloft." The film is the English-language debut of Peruvian filmmaker Claudia LLosa (Oscar-nominated "The Milk of Sorrow") and stars Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Melanie Laurent and William Shimell. Connelly plays Nana, a mother working hard to become an artist and healer, while Laurent is a young journalist who tracks down Nana's son (Murphy), abandoned by his mother 20 years earlier. The story unfolds as the two begin to rebuild a relationship. Llosa has a strong history with Berlin, as "The Milk of Sorrow" also scored the festival's Golden Bear in 2009. Meanwhile, Film Movement has taken North American rights for "To Kill a Man," also screening in Berlin. The deal was struck in the final days of Sundance, and finalized at the Berlinale. Directed by Chilean Alejandro Fernandez Almendres, the buzzy »
- Beth Hanna
Trailers from Hell: Darren Bousman on 1970's 'The Dunwich Horror,' Produced by Roger Corman
7 February 2014 8:28 AM, PST
Monster Mash! concludes at Trailers from Hell, with filmmaker Darren Bousman introducing "The Dunwich Horror," directed in 1970 by Roger Corman's wizardly production designer, Daniel Heller.Scored by Les Baxter and produced by Corman, Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson, The Dunwich Horror is an A.I.P. film through and through. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s 1928 story and cowritten by Curtis Hanson, the film was to have starred Boris Karloff (featured in Haller’s previous Lovecraft adaptation, Die, Monster, Die) but Karloff passed away before the production’s start. Peter Fonda and Diane Varsi, originally cast as the conjurer Wilbur Whateley and his victim, each bowed out to be replaced by Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee. The final film role of Ed Begley. »
- Trailers From Hell
Open Road Acquires Barry Levinson's All-Star 'Rock the Kasbah'
6 February 2014 4:32 PM, PST
Open Road Films has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to independently-financed original comedy "Rock the Kasbah," starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Danny McBride, Shia Labeouf and Zooey Deschanel. The film is written by Mitch Glazer and directed by Barry Levinson. Financed by Qed Inernational and Venture Forth, the film is produced by Bill Block, Jacob Pechenik, Shangri-La Entertainment’s Steve Bing and Mitch Glazer. Brian Grazer and Tom Freston are Executive Producers. Production will start in June 2014. "Rock the Kasbah" tells the story of Richie Vance, a has-been rock manager (Murray) who takes his last remaining client (Willis) on a Uso tour of Afghanistan. When Richie finds himself in Kabul, abandoned, penniless and without his passport, he discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice and manages her through Afghanistan's version of "American Idol", the wildly popular "Afghan Star." Qed is representing the film at the European Film Market at the. »
- Anne Thompson
'Pitch Perfect 2' Is In Tune with Kendrick and Wilson
6 February 2014 4:14 PM, PST
One of the many movies starring women that surprise studio executives by scoring big at the box office on modest marketing dollars, 2012 smash hit "Pitch Perfect" is heading for a sequel. The musical comedy cost $17 million and grossed $115 million worldwide and was one of the top-performing DVD and VOD titles of 2013. The "Pitch Perfect" soundtrack recently went platinum with over 1 million units sold. The single “Cups” is nearly triple platinum with combined sales of a little less than 3 million units sold. The soundtrack is also the #18 bestselling soundtrack of all time (ahead of "The Sound of Music," "Yellow Submarine" and "The Great Gatsby"); it is also the bestselling soundtrack in digital history, having recently surpassed “Twilight.” It was the #20 album on the Billboard Top 200 Chart for 2013 across all genres. So it's no surprise that "Up in the Air" Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (who now has a music career) and "Bridesmaids" star Rebel Wilson have. »
- Anne Thompson
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