Thompson on Hollywood

Critics Groups Votes: What is Their Impact?

Awards

It's hard to keep up with the various critics groups around the country, which have far less impact on the final Oscar race than the early votes from New York and Los Angeles. Check the San Francisco Critics Circle winners below against the Screen Actors Guild votes today, for example, which are far more predictive, as its members actually have some overlap with the Academy's largest branch, the actors.

By Anne Thompson
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December 14, 2011 5:02 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Saldanha Gets Animated Over Rio

Awards

If "Rango" is the front runner in the animated Oscar race (it took the LA Film Critics Assn. Awards last week), then "Rio" is the dark horse. It's original, lively, musical, richly animated, and boasts the hot Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway as its voice talent for the romance between two mismatched blue macaws.

By Bill Desowitz
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December 14, 2011 4:29 PM
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Voting Begins for Cinema Eye Honors' 2012 Audience Choice Prize

Awards

The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking voting for the 2012 Audience Choice Prize is open. Anyone can cast their vote at the Cinema Eye website.

By Jacob Combs
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December 14, 2011 4:17 PM
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Watch Video: Academy's Top Ten Shorts

Awards

Academy shorts branch voters will now pick three to five final nominees from their short list of ten live action shorts. One hundred seven pictures qualified in the category. Check out the list--with links to video and more detailed info--below.

By Anne Thompson
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December 14, 2011 2:09 PM
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Screen Actors Guild Surprises: Close, Bichir, and McCarthy Are In, Theron, Redgrave, Woodley and Fassbender, Out

Awards

"Albert Nobbs" star Glenn Close can heave a sigh of relief, as she landed a Screen Actors Guild nomination as Best Actress, along with frontrunners Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") and Viola Davis, whose film "The Help" gets a surge in the Oscar race as it dominated the field with four nominations, including best ensemble and two supporting nods for Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain.

By Anne Thompson
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December 14, 2011 11:21 AM
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Producers Guild Gives Jolie's In the Land of Blood and Honey the Stanley Kramer Award

Awards

The problem with all the high-minded praise of Angelina Jolie's feature directing debut "In the Land of Blood and Honey" (December 23) is that audiences are going to avoid it as a dose of medicine. Truth is, the Producers Guild of America is right to award the movie with its 2012 Stanley Kramer Award on January 21. After all, the award was created to "honor a motion picture, producer or other individual, whose achievement or contribution illuminates provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion."

By Anne Thompson
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December 13, 2011 9:12 PM
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Review & Round-up: Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Opens A Day Early, December 20

Reviews

"The Social Network'''s Rooney Mara delivers Salander in a smart expertly executed film that takes the time to make clear plot developments and changing dynamics between investigator Blomkvist (well-played by Daniel Craig) and the androgynous punk researcher who has a woman in her bed when he first knocks on her door.

By Anne Thompson
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December 13, 2011 8:01 PM
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Seth Rogen to Host Indie Spirit Awards

Awards

Perfect choice. Producer, writer, actor, funnyman and soon-to-be-director Seth Rogen, who has a film in the Independent Spirit hunt ("50/50"), is hosting the Indie Spirit Awards on February 25, 2012.

By Anne Thompson
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December 13, 2011 1:05 PM
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Critics Choice Awards Led by Hugo and The Artist with Eleven Nominations

Awards

Two films celebrating silent cinema, "Hugo" and "The Artist," led the The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) nominees for the 17th Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, with eleven each.

By Anne Thompson
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December 13, 2011 3:00 AM
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Scorsese Gets American Riviera Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival

Awards

Martin Scorsese is not in love with awards campaigning. But accepting awards--that's a relatively painless part of the Oscar campaign process. Thus he is going to attend the 27th Santa Barbara Film festival tribute to him on January 30 to receive the American Riviera Award.