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Oscar Nominee: There Will Be Blood for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:30:53 PST

In the days leading up to the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I've been looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Today brings us to the last of the nominees: There Will Be Blood.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson and gang did well with capturing the dangerous and spooky atmosphere of the oil industry at the beginning of the 1900s. Every frame portrays a dusty, dirty and oil-splattered world, all in that palette of slick blacks, coarse browns and sometimes fire-gold.

The film makes great use of its landscape, setting its characters against a barren desert or a shockingly blue sky. A few scenes - such as the one where an oil rig catches fire, ultimately tumbling to the ground in a heap of burning rubble - are particularly stark.

For more stills from There Will Be Blood,

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Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Oscar Nominee: Sweeney Todd for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:30:00 PST

In the days leading up to the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I've been looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Check out my galleries of production stills from Ridley Scott's darkly evocative American Gangster, the lovely Atonement and the fantastical world portrayed in The Golden Compass. Today I'm turning my sights to Sweeney Todd.

As I mentioned in my review of Sweeney Todd, the visual aspects of this film are largely why I liked it so very much. Tim Burton has a way with dark whimsy and Sweeney Todd is no exception. Burton's sinister, ominous-looking London is depicted in drab hues of browns and grays - all the better backdrop for the gallons of brilliant red blood that gush from Sweeney Todd's victims. By contrast, Mrs. Lovett's cartoonish and candy-colored dream sequence in which she entertains fantasies of marrying Todd and living "by the sea" are jarringly, ludicrously bright and hopeful.

Though I like all the nominees in this category, I must admit I have a soft spot in my heart for Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd.

For more stills from the movie, just

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Photos courtesy of Paramount

Oscar Nominee: The Golden Compass for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:32:39 PST

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'm looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. So far we've looked at stills from two other nominees in this category: American Gangster and Atonement. Today I bring you images from The Golden Compass.

Cheesy as this sounds, The Golden Compass really is a feast for the eyes. The imaginative, whimsical visuals stunningly bring to life the fantasy world as described in Philip Pullman's novels. The rich, golden hues and mystical landscapes give the appearance of a far-off world, but it's all so textured and lifelike, you get pulled in as though this place and these characters actually exist before you. I found this movie so visually mesmerizing and vivid, it seemed entirely possible by the end that I might encounter a talking polar bear or come to possess a magical compass. See what I mean?

For many more stills from The Golden Compass,

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Photos courtesy of New Line Cinema

Oscar Nominee: Atonement for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:30:58 PST

As a huge fan of Atonement, I think Joe Wright should win all kinds of awards for the way he beautifully captured the world described in Ian McEwan's novel. The scenes at Cecilia and Briony's family's estate depict the lush lifestyle of an upper-class family as well as the hazy heat of English summertime. The later scenes, especially of Robbie picking his way through the wreckage of war, are full of dark despair. The art direction in this film shifts between passionate, wistful, doomed and tragic, in keeping with what's happening in the story. Indeed, the visuals here are as great a part of the storytelling as the actual action and dialogue are.

For more stills from Atonement,

View 13 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of Focus Features

Oscar Nominee: American Gangster for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:33:32 PST

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Today's featured movie is American Gangster.

With American Gangster, director Ridley Scott was given the challenging task of conveying the gritty, dangerous atmosphere of a drug-riddled Harlem in the 60s and 70s. There's a glitzy-glam aspect to it with the fashions and sensuality of the era, and then there's the pain of drug addiction, the grim realities of gang life and the ominous presence of racial tension. The result in Scott's movie is a world awash in browns, grays and blues, with the occasional shock of gold and glitter to show the opulence that these drug lords enjoyed when business was booming.

I find it fitting that Scott is nominated in this category for so vividly depicting the ugliness of this time period - as well as the bleakness of the drug trade. To check out a gallery of evocative images from American Gangster,

View 12 Photos ›

Source

Announcing the 2012 Critics' Choice Nominations

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:05:11 PST

Award season is officially around the corner, which means the nominations are coming in droves now. The Critics' Choice nominees feature some of the same contenders we've been expecting, like The Descendants and The Artist, but also has a few surprises. Namely, Martin Scorsese's Hugo has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, leading the pack with 11 nods.

Brad Pitt's got not one but two movies up for best picture, with Moneyball and The Tree of Life, not to mention a best actor nod for himself. The Help also cleaned up with eight nominations. On a personal note, we're excited to see some of our favorite 2012 comedies getting some recognition, like The Muppets, Horrible Bosses, and of course, Bridesmaids.

The show doesn't air until 2012, but check out the full list of nominees when you

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, The Help
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

See the rest of the list when you

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan, Shame
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield, Hugo
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Steven Spielberg, War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
50/50 – Will Reiser
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
Win Win – Tom McCarthy, Story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni
Young Adult – Diablo Cody

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Eric Roth
The Help – Tate Taylor
Hugo – John Logan
Moneyball – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman
Drive – Newton Thomas Sigel
Hugo – Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse – Janusz Kaminski

BEST ART DIRECTION
The Artist – Production Designer: Laurence Bennett, Art Director: Gregory S. Hooper
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo – Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo
The Tree of Life – Production Designer: Jack Fisk, Art Director: David Crank
War Horse – Production Designer: Rick Carter, Set Decorator: Lee Sandales

BEST EDITING
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
Drive – Matthew Newman
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
War Horse – Michael Kahn

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Artist – Mark Bridges
The Help – Sharen Davis
Hugo – Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre – Michael O’Connor
My Week With Marilyn – Jill Taylor

BEST MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
My Week With Marilyn

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
The Tree of Life

BEST SOUND
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Super 8
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Drive
Fast Five
Hanna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8

BEST COMEDY
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
In Darkness
Le Havre
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Where Do We Go Now?

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Buck
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Project Nim
Undefeated

BEST SONG
“Hello, Hello” – performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga/written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – Gnomeo & Juliet
“Life’s a Happy Song” – performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“The Living Proof” – performed by Mary J. Blige/written by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, and Harvey Mason, Jr. – The Help
“Man or Muppet” – performed by Jason Segel and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“Pictures in My Head” – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis, and Chen Neeman – The Muppets

BEST SCORE
The Artist – Ludovic Bource
Drive – Cliff Martinez
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Hugo – Howard Shore
War Horse – John Williams

Announcing the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award Winners!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:03:25 PDT

The Emmy Awards have wrapped and this year there were a few repeat winners, as well as some surprises. Mad Men took home the Emmy for best drama for the fourth consecutive year, while Modern Family picked up its second win for best comedy series. The ABC comedy dominated a lot of the evening's other categories, with Julie Bowen and Ty Burell taking home taking home matching Emmys for for best supporting actress and actor. Kyle Chandler was a pleasant surprise winner of the evening, himself admitting he did not expect to win during his acceptance speech for best actor in a drama for his role in Friday Night Lights.

Host Jane Lynch opened the show with a funny musical opener, but it was the Lonely Island boys and a slew of comedians that helped provide the funnier moments of the evening with spoofs and performances. The nominees for the best actress also garnered a lot of laughs, taking to the stage as soon as their names were announced and literally crowning winner Melissa McCarthy. For a complete list of the night's other winners, just read more