Christmas movies are one of the most beloved genres in cinema history with every film fan having their own select favorite that they watch and rewatch every year. However, while the genre is treasured, the Oscars haven’t rewarded it as much as you might think or hope. There are several movies, however, that have found their way into Oscars lineups. We’ve detailed just five of those Christmas movies that have managed Oscar nominations or wins.
By the way, “The Apartment” is not included on this list (but might be in a future article). The Billy Wilder movie won five Academy Awards including Best Picture (1961) but there seems to be debate around whether it actually qualifies as a Christmas movie or not. It’s set during the holiday period, but some feel that isn’t enough for it to be an out-and-out Christmas movie. Perhaps that’s one for our forums.
By the way, “The Apartment” is not included on this list (but might be in a future article). The Billy Wilder movie won five Academy Awards including Best Picture (1961) but there seems to be debate around whether it actually qualifies as a Christmas movie or not. It’s set during the holiday period, but some feel that isn’t enough for it to be an out-and-out Christmas movie. Perhaps that’s one for our forums.
- 12/14/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Located halfway between the coming-of-age nostalgia of “Stand by Me” and the horror content of … well, nearly every other Stephen King-derived movie, “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” ends up too mild on either count to make a memorable impression. Still, John Lee Hancock’s adaptation of the same-named novella (which led off King’s 2020 collection “If It Bleeds”) handles the rather thin source material adeptly enough to make for an entertaining middleweight drama tinged with the supernatural. It premieres on Netflix Oct. 5, getting Halloween month off to a moderately creepy start.
Craig (Colin O’Brien) is still a child when his mother dies of cancer in 2003, leaving him alone in his Maine small town with an equally bereft father (Joe Tippett). It is a welcome distraction, then, when his Scripture recitals in church attract the attention of Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland), a billionaire financial tycoon who’s retired to this nondescript burg...
Craig (Colin O’Brien) is still a child when his mother dies of cancer in 2003, leaving him alone in his Maine small town with an equally bereft father (Joe Tippett). It is a welcome distraction, then, when his Scripture recitals in church attract the attention of Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland), a billionaire financial tycoon who’s retired to this nondescript burg...
- 10/3/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
On Story – Screenwriters and Filmakers on Their Iconic Films
Edited by Barbara Morgan and Maya Perez
247 pages, $20, University of Texas Press
The Austin Film Festival is a great place to watch films and hear from filmmakers as co-founder and Executive Director Barbara Morgan assembles a winning lineup of producers, directors, screenwriters, and performers to come talk about their craft.
Thankfully, Morgan and Maya Perez, producer of the Emmy-winning PBS series Austin Film Festival’s On-Story, have collected an assortment in a too-short collection, On Story – Screenwriters and Filmakers on Their Iconic Films. After a James Franco introduction, we get the best from the last 20 years’ worth of conversations in transcript form.
Among the highlights is the Conversation with Shane Black, David Milch, and Sydney Pollack, where the diverse filmmakers talk character, plot, structure, theme and favorite moments from across their careers.
Similarly, genre devotees will appreciate the focus on comic...
Edited by Barbara Morgan and Maya Perez
247 pages, $20, University of Texas Press
The Austin Film Festival is a great place to watch films and hear from filmmakers as co-founder and Executive Director Barbara Morgan assembles a winning lineup of producers, directors, screenwriters, and performers to come talk about their craft.
Thankfully, Morgan and Maya Perez, producer of the Emmy-winning PBS series Austin Film Festival’s On-Story, have collected an assortment in a too-short collection, On Story – Screenwriters and Filmakers on Their Iconic Films. After a James Franco introduction, we get the best from the last 20 years’ worth of conversations in transcript form.
Among the highlights is the Conversation with Shane Black, David Milch, and Sydney Pollack, where the diverse filmmakers talk character, plot, structure, theme and favorite moments from across their careers.
Similarly, genre devotees will appreciate the focus on comic...
- 11/9/2016
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
“Launch Control this is Houston. We are Go for launch.”
A harrowing moment in human history became an exhilarating cinematic event two decades ago when acclaimed director Ron Howard chronicled Nasa’s tense 1970 lunar mission crisis in the Oscar-nominated film Apollo 13.
To Nasa enthusiasts and Saturn V rocket experts, the launch sequence, along with James Horner’s emotional score, is the greatest in movie history.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the unforgettable tale of courage and conviction with Apollo 13: 20th Anniversary Edition, coming to Blu-ray and Digital HD on June 2, 2015.
Newly restored and remastered using the original high-resolution 35mm film elements, the commemorative edition comes with an array of bonus features including “Apollo 13: Twenty Years Later,” an all-new retrospective featuring exclusive interviews with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.
The restored version of Apollo 13 premieres on March 27 at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood.
A harrowing moment in human history became an exhilarating cinematic event two decades ago when acclaimed director Ron Howard chronicled Nasa’s tense 1970 lunar mission crisis in the Oscar-nominated film Apollo 13.
To Nasa enthusiasts and Saturn V rocket experts, the launch sequence, along with James Horner’s emotional score, is the greatest in movie history.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the unforgettable tale of courage and conviction with Apollo 13: 20th Anniversary Edition, coming to Blu-ray and Digital HD on June 2, 2015.
Newly restored and remastered using the original high-resolution 35mm film elements, the commemorative edition comes with an array of bonus features including “Apollo 13: Twenty Years Later,” an all-new retrospective featuring exclusive interviews with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.
The restored version of Apollo 13 premieres on March 27 at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood.
- 3/24/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Over the weekend the Art Directors Guild (Adg) handed out their crop of awards for Best Production Design in Period, Contemporary and Fantasy film and the winners in their respective categories were Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby, K.K. Barrett for Her and Andy Nicholson for Gravity. All three winners are nominated for an Oscar (see the full list of nominees here) and after these results I've updated my predictions from 12 Years a Slave to Gatsby. See those predictions here. Speaking of 12 Years a Slave, the USC Scripters Award was also handed out over the weekend and screenwriter John Ridley joined family members of nineteenth-century author Solomon Northup to receive the 26th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for his adaptation of Northup's memoir. "Until I read Solomon's memoir, I didn't know what being a writer was all about," Ridley said in his acceptance speech. "The way that Solomon wrote, the clarity with which he wrote,...
- 2/10/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Art Directors Guild (Adg) has announced nominations in 10 categories of Production Design for movies, television, commercials, and music videos. They are all vying for the Art Directors Guild's 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. Winners will be revealed on Feb. 8 from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host.
Here's your complete list of nominees:
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2013:
Period Film
American Hustle - Production Designer: Judy Becker
The Great Gatsby - Production Designer: Catherine Martin
Inside Llewyn Davis - Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Saving Mr. Banks - Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
12 Years A Slave - Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Elysium - Production Designer: Philip Ivey
Gravity - Production Designer: Andy Nicholson
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Production Designer: Dan Hennah
Oblivion - Production Designer: Darren Gilford...
Here's your complete list of nominees:
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2013:
Period Film
American Hustle - Production Designer: Judy Becker
The Great Gatsby - Production Designer: Catherine Martin
Inside Llewyn Davis - Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Saving Mr. Banks - Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
12 Years A Slave - Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Elysium - Production Designer: Philip Ivey
Gravity - Production Designer: Andy Nicholson
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Production Designer: Dan Hennah
Oblivion - Production Designer: Darren Gilford...
- 1/10/2014
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Preparing for the 18th annual Art Directors Guild's Excellence in Production Design Awards, nominations were released today (January 8), which included box office hit films "Gravity," "The Great Gatsby" and "American Hustle."
Among the TV nominations were, "Arrested Development," "Breaking Bad" and "Behind the Candelabra," and the movie nominations are broken down into three categories: period film, covering movies set in the pre-Civil War south through the late 1970's-early 1980's, fantasy film, and contemporary film.
And the nominees are:
Period Film:
American Hustle - Production Designer: Judy Becker
The Great Gatsby - Production Designer: Catherine Martin
Inside Llewyn Davis - Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Saving Mr. Banks - Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
12 Years A Slave - Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Elysium - Production Designer: Philip Ivey
Gravity - Production Designer: Andy Nicholson
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Production Designer: Dan Hennah
Oblivion - Production Designer: Darren Gilford...
Among the TV nominations were, "Arrested Development," "Breaking Bad" and "Behind the Candelabra," and the movie nominations are broken down into three categories: period film, covering movies set in the pre-Civil War south through the late 1970's-early 1980's, fantasy film, and contemporary film.
And the nominees are:
Period Film:
American Hustle - Production Designer: Judy Becker
The Great Gatsby - Production Designer: Catherine Martin
Inside Llewyn Davis - Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Saving Mr. Banks - Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
12 Years A Slave - Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Elysium - Production Designer: Philip Ivey
Gravity - Production Designer: Andy Nicholson
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Production Designer: Dan Hennah
Oblivion - Production Designer: Darren Gilford...
- 1/10/2014
- GossipCenter
The Art Directors Guild and the Costume Designers Guild have become the latest groups to announce their nominees for 2013. They may not be considered as big or as important as the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, or the Writers Guild, but they are still a pretty good prognosticator for who will eventually take home the Oscar in their respective categories.
The Art Directors split their categories up into Period, Fantasy, and Contemporary Films (along with various TV categories), but the main one of importance here is the Period, where we find the more fanciful, eye-catching designs. Here, we find what was mostly expected: American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, Saving Mr. Banks, and 12 Years a Slave. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that The Great Gatsby has this one in the bag. There were those who didn’t enjoy the film (I actually found...
The Art Directors split their categories up into Period, Fantasy, and Contemporary Films (along with various TV categories), but the main one of importance here is the Period, where we find the more fanciful, eye-catching designs. Here, we find what was mostly expected: American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, Saving Mr. Banks, and 12 Years a Slave. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that The Great Gatsby has this one in the bag. There were those who didn’t enjoy the film (I actually found...
- 1/9/2014
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
The Great Gatsby is among the contenders as the Art Directors Guild announced 10 categories of production design for film, television, commercials and music videos.
The awards show is set for February 8 in Beverly Hills.
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2013. (Production designers credited.)
Period Film
American Hustle –Judy Becker
The Great Gatsby –Catherine Martin
Inside Llewyn Davis –Jess Gonchor
Saving Mr. Banks – Michael Corenblith
12 Years A Slave – Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Elysium –Philip Ivey
Gravity – Andy Nicholson
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug – Dan Hennah
Oblivion – Darren Gilford
Star Trek Into Darkness – Scott Chambliss
Contemporary Film
August: Osage County – David Gropman
Blue Jasmine – Santo Loquasto
Captain Phillips – Paul Kirby
Her – K K Barrett
The Wolf Of Wall Street – Bob Shaw.
As previously announced, Martin Scorsese will collect the Guild’s Cinematic Imagery Award and production designer Rick Carter will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall Of Fame inductees are Robert Clatworthy, Harper...
The awards show is set for February 8 in Beverly Hills.
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2013. (Production designers credited.)
Period Film
American Hustle –Judy Becker
The Great Gatsby –Catherine Martin
Inside Llewyn Davis –Jess Gonchor
Saving Mr. Banks – Michael Corenblith
12 Years A Slave – Adam Stockhausen
Fantasy Film
Elysium –Philip Ivey
Gravity – Andy Nicholson
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug – Dan Hennah
Oblivion – Darren Gilford
Star Trek Into Darkness – Scott Chambliss
Contemporary Film
August: Osage County – David Gropman
Blue Jasmine – Santo Loquasto
Captain Phillips – Paul Kirby
Her – K K Barrett
The Wolf Of Wall Street – Bob Shaw.
As previously announced, Martin Scorsese will collect the Guild’s Cinematic Imagery Award and production designer Rick Carter will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall Of Fame inductees are Robert Clatworthy, Harper...
- 1/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
I've made a couple updates to my 2014 Oscar predictions in the Best Production Design and Best Adapted Screenplay categories as a pair of new pieces of "food for thought" arrived this morning in the form of nominations from the Art Directors Guild and the 26th USC Scripter Award nominees were announced. As far as changes made as a result of these announcements, most will be found in my Best Production Design predictions, which I hadn't updated in ages so it meant adding films including Her (which is now a predicted nominee) and The Wolf of Wall Street. In the screenplay categories I've left Best Original Screenplay alone, while I have a good feeling about my predicted nominees for Adapted Screenplay where the question I have is will it be Terence Winter's Wolf of Wall Street that gets a nom or Tracy Letts' August: Osage Countyc Right now I'm going with August.
- 1/9/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2013: Period Film American Hustle - Production Designer: Judy Becker The Great Gatsby - Production Designer: Catherine Martin Inside Llewyn Davis...
- 1/9/2014
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2013: Period Film American Hustle - Production Designer: Judy Becker The Great Gatsby - Production Designer: Catherine Martin Inside Llewyn Davis...
- 1/9/2014
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2014 – Today the Art Directors Guild (Adg) announced nominations in 10 categories of Production Design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the Art Directors Guild’s 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, Presented by Kohler. The nominations were announced by Adg Council Chair John Shaffner and Awards co-producers Dave Blass and Raf Lydon. The black-tie ceremony announcing winners will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014, from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host. As previously announced, the recipient of the Guild’s prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award will be Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese, whose film The Wolf of Wall Street is in current release. Production Designer Rick Carter will be awarded the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Kohler. Hall of Fame inductees are Robert Clatworthy, Harper Goff and J. Michael Riva.
- 1/9/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Indiewire will provide updates of our predictions for the 86th Academy Award nominations through January 16th, 2014, when the nominations are announced. Here's our take on the best production design. "The Great Gatsby," "12 Years a Slave," "Saving Mr. Banks," "The Hobbit" and "Inside Llewyn Davis" seem like the obvious five, but watch out for "Her" and "Gravity," which would be unconventional but deserving nominees here. Best production design predictions below. Check out all predictions in all the categories here. Strong Bets: 1. Adam Stochausen & Alice Baker, 12 Years a Slave 2. Catherine Martin & Beverly Dunn, The Great Gatsby 3. Jess Gonchor & Susan Bode, Inside Llewyn Davis 4. Michael Corenblith & Susan Benjamin, Saving Mr. Banks 5. Dan Hennah & Ra Vincent, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug Bubbling Under: 6. K.K. Barrett & Gene Serdena, Her 7. Andy Nicholson & Rosie Goodwin, Gravity 8. Maria Djurkovic & Tatiana Macdonald, The...
- 1/6/2014
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
"Saving Mr. Banks" is currently delighting audiences with its take on Walt Disney, P.L. Travers and the making of "Mary Poppins." But part of the magic of the movie is the recreation of a time and place, and the individual in charge of the art department that brought that world to life is production designer Michael Corenblith. Corenblith has worked with director John Lee Hancock since 2004's "The Alamo," which was a project of note at the time due to a 51-acre set that was the largest and most expensive set built in North America. Both proud natives of Texas, the...
- 12/30/2013
- by Gerard Kennedy
- Hitfix
Making a movie about one of the most iconic films in American history was challenge enough. Visually recreating the golden age of Walt Disney, which is documented in minute detail in books, documentaries, and online for all to compare, was a challenge “Saving Mr. Banks” production designer Michael Corenblith and costume designer Daniel Orlandi met head on. “One little thing wrong sort of negates ten things right,” Corenblith told the audience at the Q&A following Thursday night’s screening presented by TheWrap. “We feel a responsibility to the person whose story it is to know as much about them as possible,...
- 12/21/2013
- by L.A. Ross
- The Wrap
The International Press Academy has announced its nominations for the 18th annual Satellite Awards and Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity," David O. Russell's "American Hustle," and Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" led the pack.
Winners will be announced on March 9, 2014 at a ceremony in Los Angeles. Here's the complete nominations:
Motion Pictures
Actress in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams American Hustle (Sony)
Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sandra Bullock Gravity (Warner Bros.)
Judi Dench Philomena (The Weinstein Company)
Adèle Exarchopoulos Blue Is the Warmest Color (Sundance)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Enough Said (Fox Searchlight)
Meryl Streep August: Osage County (The Weinstein Company)
Emma Thompson Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)
Actor in a Motion Picture
Christian Bale American Hustle (Sony)
Bruce Dern Nebraska (Paramount)
Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)
Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)
Tom Hanks Captain Phillips (Sony)
Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features...
Winners will be announced on March 9, 2014 at a ceremony in Los Angeles. Here's the complete nominations:
Motion Pictures
Actress in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams American Hustle (Sony)
Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sandra Bullock Gravity (Warner Bros.)
Judi Dench Philomena (The Weinstein Company)
Adèle Exarchopoulos Blue Is the Warmest Color (Sundance)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Enough Said (Fox Searchlight)
Meryl Streep August: Osage County (The Weinstein Company)
Emma Thompson Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)
Actor in a Motion Picture
Christian Bale American Hustle (Sony)
Bruce Dern Nebraska (Paramount)
Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)
Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)
Tom Hanks Captain Phillips (Sony)
Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features...
- 12/16/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
‘Her’ movie tops 2013 San Diego Film Critics Awards (Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Her’) The San Diego Film Critics Society has released its list of 2013 nominees and winners. The nominations themselves were quite eclectic, ranging from Best Actress nominee Brie Larson for Short Term 12 to Best Film nominee Gravity. The list of winners, however, tended to be more mainstream. For instance, Warner Bros.’ Spike Jonze-directed Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with a Scarlett Johansson-voiced computer, was chosen as the Best Film of 2013, in addition to receiving honors for Best Original Screenplay (also Spike Jonze) and Best Score (Arcade Fire). Alfonso Cuarón was the Best Director for another Warner Bros. release, Gravity, a 3D space action melodrama about an astronaut and bereaved Mom (Sandra Bullock) who learns that, no matter what, Life Is Worth Living. George Clooney co-stars. Among the other San Diego Film...
- 12/14/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Like "Mary Poppins," "Saving Mr. Banks" seems deceptively simple on the surface. But dig deeper, and the story resonates as a brilliant memory piece for Emma Thompson's P.L. Travers, slipping back and forth from her painful childhood in Australia in 1906 to cooperating and subverting the adaptation of her beloved novel with Walt Disney in 1961. And that was the creative hook for director John Lee Hancock and his fellow filmmakers, including production designer Michael Corenblith, cinematographer John Schwartzman and costume designer Daniel Orlandi. "We had two individuals that had not only recreated themselves but had also created these characters [Mickey Mouse and Mary Poppins] that turned into empires in some ways, so there were so many beautiful parallels between their two stories," explains Corenblith. "But it wasn't clear to me that I was going to have to bring a new level in contemplating these two periods and these two worlds for Travers until I got to the part.
- 12/11/2013
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
12 Years a Slave continues to be the leader in the clubhouse when it comes to nominations. After leading the Spirit Award nominations it now leads the International Press Academy's (Ipa) 2013 Satellite Award nominations with a total of ten noms, followed by American Hustle and Gravity, each with eight nominations. The top five nominees were rounded out by Rush with seven nominations and Inside Llewyn Davis and Saving Mr. Banks with six nominations each. The Satellites, however, are an interesting bunch. As you can see there are several nominations in each category, leaving pretty much no stone unturned. I guess you could say no nomination for Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station) is a surprise and, in my personal opinion, with such a large field of nominees I'd like to see Joaquin Phoenix (Her) get a nomination, but that certainly isn't going to be a film for everyone even though Arcade Fire was...
- 12/2/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Disney has kicked off production on Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, the first live-action film adaptation of Judith Viorst’s 1972 illustrated children’s classic.
The film, directed by Independent Spirit Award-winner Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Youth in Revolt”) from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production.
Shooting in the Los Angeles area, with locations in the cities of Pasadena and Arcadia, the San Fernando Valley and Melody Ranch in Newhall, the film hits theaters nationwide on October 10, 2014.
Disney’s Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life – a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day,...
The film, directed by Independent Spirit Award-winner Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Youth in Revolt”) from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production.
Shooting in the Los Angeles area, with locations in the cities of Pasadena and Arcadia, the San Fernando Valley and Melody Ranch in Newhall, the film hits theaters nationwide on October 10, 2014.
Disney’s Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life – a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day,...
- 8/29/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Bond, Pi, and Anna Karenina were the big winners at the 17th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards given by the Art Directors Guild. "Skyfall" won the Contemporary category, "Life of Pi" under Fantasy, and "Anna Karenina" for the Period title.
Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
17th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards
Period Film
(winner) Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
(winner) Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
(winner) Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner...
Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
17th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards
Period Film
(winner) Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
(winner) Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
(winner) Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner...
- 2/3/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
They're not the Oscars, but it's still good that there are awards for the people who make our television and film experiences so visually stunning. The Art Directors Guild has just announced the nominees for its 2012 awards.
The Guild honors production designers in television, film and advertising, dividing each medium into distinct categories. The result is that some productions not used to getting a lot of awards love do in fact get mentioned.
Take "Community" for example. While you'd be hard-pressed to find a TV critic who doesn't think this is one of TV's best comedies, the show gets nominated for virtually zero awards. The Art Directors Guild, however, took notice when appropriate -- the bizarre, visually interesting and incredible "Pillows and Blankets" episode (a Zap2It pick for one of the best episodes of the year) is nominated.
Of course, lots of the usual suspects make the list as...
The Guild honors production designers in television, film and advertising, dividing each medium into distinct categories. The result is that some productions not used to getting a lot of awards love do in fact get mentioned.
Take "Community" for example. While you'd be hard-pressed to find a TV critic who doesn't think this is one of TV's best comedies, the show gets nominated for virtually zero awards. The Art Directors Guild, however, took notice when appropriate -- the bizarre, visually interesting and incredible "Pillows and Blankets" episode (a Zap2It pick for one of the best episodes of the year) is nominated.
Of course, lots of the usual suspects make the list as...
- 1/4/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
The Art Directors Guild has announced the nominees for the 17th Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards. Winners will be announced on February 2nd at the Beverly Hilton.
Here's the complete list of nominees including television; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2012
Period Film
Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Production Designer:...
Here's the complete list of nominees including television; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2012
Period Film
Anna Karenina
Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
Argo
Production Designer: Sharon Seymour
Django Unchained
Production Designer: J. Michael Riva
Les MISÉRABLES
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Lincoln
Production Designer: Rick Carter
Fantasy Film
Cloud Atlas
Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup
Life Of Pi
Production Designer: David Gropman
Prometheus
Production Designer: Arthur Max
The Dark Knight Rises
Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Designer: Dan Hannah
Contemporary Film
Flight
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
Skyfall
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Production Designer:...
- 1/3/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Art Directors Guild (Adg) today announced nominations in nine categories of Production Design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the Adg’s 17th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards Presented by BMW for 2012. The nominations were announced by Adg Council Chair John Shaffner and Awards co-producers Greg Grande and Raf Lydon. Deadline for final voting, which is done online, is January 31. The black-tie ceremony announcing winners will take place Saturday, February 2, 2013, from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the fourth consecutive year. Production Designer Herman Zimmerman will be the recipient of the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall of Fame inductees are Preston Ames, Richard MacDonald, and Edward S. Stephenson. The Production Designers behind the James Bond franchise, Sir Ken Adam, Allan Cameron, Dennis Gassner, and Peter Lamont will be honored for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery.
- 1/3/2013
- by vmblog@hollywoodnews.com (Vitale Morum)
- Hollywoodnews.com
Disney and Travers
Disney began production today on Saving Mr. Banks the account of Walt Disney.s twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to P.L. Travers. popular novel, Mary Poppins, and the testy partnership the upbeat filmmaker develops with the uptight author during the project.s pre-production in 1961.
Saving Mr. Banks will film entirely in the Los Angeles area, with key locations to include Disneyland in Anaheim and the Disney Studios in Burbank. Filming will conclude around Thanksgiving, 2012, with no specific 2013 release date yet set. I’d suspect an end-of-the-year bow for an awards season push. But who will this type of subject matter appeal to exactly? Unless your a fan of Mary Poppins and Walt Disney, it seems boring. They better jazz it up somehow. It reads like an old-peoples’ movie. An HBO showing may have been a better venue for Saving Mr. Banks. On the other hand it could be huge,...
Disney began production today on Saving Mr. Banks the account of Walt Disney.s twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to P.L. Travers. popular novel, Mary Poppins, and the testy partnership the upbeat filmmaker develops with the uptight author during the project.s pre-production in 1961.
Saving Mr. Banks will film entirely in the Los Angeles area, with key locations to include Disneyland in Anaheim and the Disney Studios in Burbank. Filming will conclude around Thanksgiving, 2012, with no specific 2013 release date yet set. I’d suspect an end-of-the-year bow for an awards season push. But who will this type of subject matter appeal to exactly? Unless your a fan of Mary Poppins and Walt Disney, it seems boring. They better jazz it up somehow. It reads like an old-peoples’ movie. An HBO showing may have been a better venue for Saving Mr. Banks. On the other hand it could be huge,...
- 9/19/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Disney began production today on “Saving Mr. Banks,” the account of Walt Disney’s twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to P.L. Travers’ popular novel, Mary Poppins, and the testy partnership the upbeat filmmaker develops with the uptight author during the project’s pre-production in 1961.
Two-time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) will essay the role of the legendary Disney (the first time the entrepreneur has ever been depicted in a dramatic film) alongside fellow double Oscar®-winner Emma Thompson (“Howard’s End,” “Sense and Sensibility”) in the role of the prickly novelist. Before actually signing away the book’s rights, Travers’ demands for contractual script and character control circumvent not only Disney’s vision for the film adaptation, but also those of the creative team of screenwriter Don DaGradi and sibling composers Richard and Robert Sherman, whose original score and song (Chim-Chim-Cher-ee) would go on to win...
Two-time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) will essay the role of the legendary Disney (the first time the entrepreneur has ever been depicted in a dramatic film) alongside fellow double Oscar®-winner Emma Thompson (“Howard’s End,” “Sense and Sensibility”) in the role of the prickly novelist. Before actually signing away the book’s rights, Travers’ demands for contractual script and character control circumvent not only Disney’s vision for the film adaptation, but also those of the creative team of screenwriter Don DaGradi and sibling composers Richard and Robert Sherman, whose original score and song (Chim-Chim-Cher-ee) would go on to win...
- 9/19/2012
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
Warner Bros UK. have released a new UK quad poster and three clips from director Jay Roach‘s political-comedy The Campaign, which stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival politicians in a small congressional district in South Carolina. Ferrell plays a congressman who becomes embroiled in a public scandal, opening the door to a challenge from an unlikely Beltway outsider (Galifianakis). The film also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Josh Lawson, Gary Grubbs, P.J Byrne, and Dan Aykroyd,
The Campaign is set for a UK release on September 28th.
When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but,...
The Campaign is set for a UK release on September 28th.
When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but,...
- 8/11/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.
As Election Day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy from “Meet the Parents” director Jay Roach that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level. Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom,...
As Election Day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy from “Meet the Parents” director Jay Roach that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level. Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom,...
- 7/26/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Following the recent poster releases, Warner Bros have debuted four new TV spots Jay Roach‘s political-comedy The Campaign, which stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival politicians in a small congressional district in South Carolina. Ferrell plays a congressman who becomes embroiled in a public scandal, opening the door to a challenge from an unlikely Beltway outsider (Galifianakis). The film also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Josh Lawson, Gary Grubbs, P.J Byrne, and Dan Aykroyd
The Campaign is set for a Us releases on August 10th and September 28th here in the UK.
When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first,...
The Campaign is set for a Us releases on August 10th and September 28th here in the UK.
When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first,...
- 7/20/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Filming has concluded on “The Campaign,” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as competing candidates in a no-holds-barred race for congress. The new comedy from “Meet the Parents” director Jay Roach is scheduled to open in theaters on August 10, 2012. The film also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott and Katherine Lanasa, with John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Brian Cox.
In “The Campaign,” when long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naive Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.
In “The Campaign,” when long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naive Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.
- 3/11/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Art Directors Guild announced its nominees for the 2008 Excellence in Production Design Awards. The much beloved "The Dark Knight" is one of the nominees in the Fantasy film category.
Adg members will vote for the winners by Feb. 12th, and the awards gala will be a Valentine for the top dogs for it will be held Feb. 14th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Click Read More to see the complete list of nominees for the best Production Design in 2008.
13th Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards
Nominations
Period Films
Changeling
Production Designer: James J. Murakami
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt
Doubt
Production Designer: David Gropman
Frost/Nixon
Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
Milk
Production Designer: Bill Groom
Fantasy Films
The Dark Knight
Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Production Designer: Guy Hendrix Dyas
Iron Man...
Adg members will vote for the winners by Feb. 12th, and the awards gala will be a Valentine for the top dogs for it will be held Feb. 14th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Click Read More to see the complete list of nominees for the best Production Design in 2008.
13th Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards
Nominations
Period Films
Changeling
Production Designer: James J. Murakami
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt
Doubt
Production Designer: David Gropman
Frost/Nixon
Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
Milk
Production Designer: Bill Groom
Fantasy Films
The Dark Knight
Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Production Designer: Guy Hendrix Dyas
Iron Man...
- 1/11/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Honoring the excellence in production design, the Art Directors Guild announced its nominees for the 2008 Excellence in Production Design Awards on Friday, January 9. Among those in the awards' shortlist are Gus Van Sant's gay icon biopic "Milk", Christopher Nolan's superhero film "The Dark Knight" and Danny Boyle's rag-to-riches drama "Slumdog Millionaire".
"Milk" received the nod for the period film category. It will be up against "Changeling", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon". "Dark Knight", on the other hand, is on the run for best production design for a fantasy film alongside "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "Iron Man", "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "Wall-e".
"Slumdog Millionaire", in addition, is vying in the category of contemporary film. It is placed in competition with other strong contenders, Coen brothers' dark comedy "Burn After Reading", Clint Eastwood's drama "Gran Torino", Marc Forster...
"Milk" received the nod for the period film category. It will be up against "Changeling", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon". "Dark Knight", on the other hand, is on the run for best production design for a fantasy film alongside "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "Iron Man", "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "Wall-e".
"Slumdog Millionaire", in addition, is vying in the category of contemporary film. It is placed in competition with other strong contenders, Coen brothers' dark comedy "Burn After Reading", Clint Eastwood's drama "Gran Torino", Marc Forster...
- 1/10/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Thanks to Pablo for the tip: 13th Annual Art Directors Guild, Excellence in Production Design Awards Nominations Period Films Changeling Production Designer: James J. Murakami The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt Doubt Production Designer: David Gropman Frost/Nixon Production Designer: Michael Corenblith Milk Production Designer: Bill Groom More after the cut. Fantasy Films The Dark Knight Production Designer: Nathan Crowley Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal [...]...
- 1/9/2009
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
The Art Directors Guild announced the nominees for the annual Excellence in Production Design Awards on Friday. Here are the nominees in the film and television categories: Period Films Changeling Production Designer: James J. Murakami The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt Doubt Production Designer: David Gropman Frost/Nixon Production Designer: Michael Corenblith Milk Production Designer: Bill Groom Fantasy Films The Dark Knight Production Designer: [...]...
- 1/9/2009
- by fanshawe
- Cinemarealm.com
Opens
April 9
The makers of "The Alamo", the new movie based on the legendary defense and fall of the Texas compound, want to wrestle this piece of American history from the ranks of jingoism and patriotic fervor. They enjoy partial success, but this results in an epic that sometimes stalls in static, talky sequences that try to situate the heroic feat in the cross-currents of history and sort out an array of colorful characters whose bios must be divorced from legend.
"The Alamo", directed by native Texan John Lee Hancock, making only his second feature, is a respectable and at times an exciting film that should appeal to males of all ages, history buffs and -- yes, it's inevitable -- patriots. But even that might be too narrow a demographic for a film whose budget insiders peg at $98 million. Over time and around the world, the film should generate profits, but the guess here is that it will fall short of the blockbuster status originally envisioned when Disney greenlighted the film.
Produced by Oscar-winners Mark Johnson and Ron Howard (who bowed out as director when the studio reportedly balked at his fee), "The Alamo" is a beautifully mounted historical re-creation. One senses authenticity in the costumes, sets, snatches of period music, military strategy and character sketches. Indeed, the first 40 minutes swims in political history and larger-than-life personalities to such a degree that the movie risks confusing general audiences not up on the American scene circa 1835-36. Eventually, the characters and their positions grow clearer as the centerpiece showdown draws nearer, but the movie clearly struggles to decide which -- and whose -- story to tell.
Several superstars of the 1830s are brought together for the battle. Most notable are Tennessee mountain man and furious self-promoter Davy Crockett Billy Bob Thornton), great knife-fighter and shady militiaman James Bowie (Jason Patric), nation-building Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), Mexican dictator Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria) and the one person perhaps made famous by the event itself, Lt. Col. William Travis (Patrick Wilson), a young Alabama officer and lawyer whom chance made temporary commander of the old mission turned into a fort known as the Alamo.
The script, written by Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan and Hancock adds other characters such as Juan Seguin (Jordi Molla), a sympathetic Mexican, or Tejano, to demonstrate that the siege wasn't simply Latinos vs. Anglos, two black slaves (Edwin Hodge and Afemo Omilami) to represent that point of view and a couple of peripheral women.
The confusion of the opening scenes gives way to an intense stalemate as 2,400-odd Mexican soldiers surround a poorly designed fortress holding fewer than 200 rebels and -- its one attribute -- several powerful cannons. As the men sweat out the remaining days of their lives, Hancock also wants to sweat out their true selves.
Crockett comes off as a showman and master of the grand gesture, who admits to being a creation of 19th century media. Easily the movie's most fully drawn character, Thornton's role straddles the wide gap between the Disney television version of Crockett and the political opportunist who is shocked but amused to realize his ultimate demise will actually substantiate much that is his legend.
Patric's Bowie enters the Alamo a seemingly healthy man but swiftly takes to his bed, a victim not only of consumption but too many near-fatal wounds from his fighting past. Initially a rival of Bowie, Wilson's Travis grows in moral resolve and confidence as the 13-day siege wears on. Quaid's Houston gets sidelined by the movie's understandable focus on the Alamo. Raising and training an army in another part of Texas, Quaid can do little more than furrow his brow until redeemed by his strategy to lure the egomaniacal Santa Anna to his downfall following the triumph at the Alamo. Echevarria's Mexican general is an all-too-conventional villain, a vainglorious popinjay consumed by sensual desires during the siege and contemptuous of his own men's lives.
The movie shows signs of postproduction stress syndrome with key characters getting short shift, others drifting through without much introduction and situations emerging without explanation, the most notable being at the climatic battle of San Jacinto, where Santa Anna, fully dressed one minute, is seen running in underwear.
By default, Crockett dominates the movie until his demise, then somewhat disconcertingly, Houston, portrayed chiefly as a drunk until the siege, draws the focus. Mostly, the movie lacks the moments or gestures that will cement relationships and galvanize audience emotions. You will remember this "Alamo", but the sum and substance of conflict remains a little sketchy.
Under Hancock's command, cinematographer Dean Semler helps you understand the spatial relationships inside and outside the fortress, designer Michael Corenblith achieves the true grit of the forlorn compound and editor Eric L. Beason performs the Herculean task of giving movement to a static situation. Carter Birwell's score is serviceable though conventional.
THE ALAMO
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures/Imagine Entertainment
Credits:
Director: John Lee Hancock
Screenwriters: Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan, John Lee Hancock
Producers: Mark Johnson, Ron Howard
Executive producers: Todd Hallowell, Philip Steuer
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Michael Corenblith
Music: Carter Birwell
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Editor: Eric L. Beason
Cast: Sam Houston: Dennis Quaid
Davy Crockett: Billy Bob Thornton
Jim Bowie: Jason Patric
William Travis: Patrick Wilson
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna: Emilio Echevarria
Juan Seguin: Jordi Molla
Running time -- 137 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
April 9
The makers of "The Alamo", the new movie based on the legendary defense and fall of the Texas compound, want to wrestle this piece of American history from the ranks of jingoism and patriotic fervor. They enjoy partial success, but this results in an epic that sometimes stalls in static, talky sequences that try to situate the heroic feat in the cross-currents of history and sort out an array of colorful characters whose bios must be divorced from legend.
"The Alamo", directed by native Texan John Lee Hancock, making only his second feature, is a respectable and at times an exciting film that should appeal to males of all ages, history buffs and -- yes, it's inevitable -- patriots. But even that might be too narrow a demographic for a film whose budget insiders peg at $98 million. Over time and around the world, the film should generate profits, but the guess here is that it will fall short of the blockbuster status originally envisioned when Disney greenlighted the film.
Produced by Oscar-winners Mark Johnson and Ron Howard (who bowed out as director when the studio reportedly balked at his fee), "The Alamo" is a beautifully mounted historical re-creation. One senses authenticity in the costumes, sets, snatches of period music, military strategy and character sketches. Indeed, the first 40 minutes swims in political history and larger-than-life personalities to such a degree that the movie risks confusing general audiences not up on the American scene circa 1835-36. Eventually, the characters and their positions grow clearer as the centerpiece showdown draws nearer, but the movie clearly struggles to decide which -- and whose -- story to tell.
Several superstars of the 1830s are brought together for the battle. Most notable are Tennessee mountain man and furious self-promoter Davy Crockett Billy Bob Thornton), great knife-fighter and shady militiaman James Bowie (Jason Patric), nation-building Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), Mexican dictator Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria) and the one person perhaps made famous by the event itself, Lt. Col. William Travis (Patrick Wilson), a young Alabama officer and lawyer whom chance made temporary commander of the old mission turned into a fort known as the Alamo.
The script, written by Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan and Hancock adds other characters such as Juan Seguin (Jordi Molla), a sympathetic Mexican, or Tejano, to demonstrate that the siege wasn't simply Latinos vs. Anglos, two black slaves (Edwin Hodge and Afemo Omilami) to represent that point of view and a couple of peripheral women.
The confusion of the opening scenes gives way to an intense stalemate as 2,400-odd Mexican soldiers surround a poorly designed fortress holding fewer than 200 rebels and -- its one attribute -- several powerful cannons. As the men sweat out the remaining days of their lives, Hancock also wants to sweat out their true selves.
Crockett comes off as a showman and master of the grand gesture, who admits to being a creation of 19th century media. Easily the movie's most fully drawn character, Thornton's role straddles the wide gap between the Disney television version of Crockett and the political opportunist who is shocked but amused to realize his ultimate demise will actually substantiate much that is his legend.
Patric's Bowie enters the Alamo a seemingly healthy man but swiftly takes to his bed, a victim not only of consumption but too many near-fatal wounds from his fighting past. Initially a rival of Bowie, Wilson's Travis grows in moral resolve and confidence as the 13-day siege wears on. Quaid's Houston gets sidelined by the movie's understandable focus on the Alamo. Raising and training an army in another part of Texas, Quaid can do little more than furrow his brow until redeemed by his strategy to lure the egomaniacal Santa Anna to his downfall following the triumph at the Alamo. Echevarria's Mexican general is an all-too-conventional villain, a vainglorious popinjay consumed by sensual desires during the siege and contemptuous of his own men's lives.
The movie shows signs of postproduction stress syndrome with key characters getting short shift, others drifting through without much introduction and situations emerging without explanation, the most notable being at the climatic battle of San Jacinto, where Santa Anna, fully dressed one minute, is seen running in underwear.
By default, Crockett dominates the movie until his demise, then somewhat disconcertingly, Houston, portrayed chiefly as a drunk until the siege, draws the focus. Mostly, the movie lacks the moments or gestures that will cement relationships and galvanize audience emotions. You will remember this "Alamo", but the sum and substance of conflict remains a little sketchy.
Under Hancock's command, cinematographer Dean Semler helps you understand the spatial relationships inside and outside the fortress, designer Michael Corenblith achieves the true grit of the forlorn compound and editor Eric L. Beason performs the Herculean task of giving movement to a static situation. Carter Birwell's score is serviceable though conventional.
THE ALAMO
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures/Imagine Entertainment
Credits:
Director: John Lee Hancock
Screenwriters: Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan, John Lee Hancock
Producers: Mark Johnson, Ron Howard
Executive producers: Todd Hallowell, Philip Steuer
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Michael Corenblith
Music: Carter Birwell
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Editor: Eric L. Beason
Cast: Sam Houston: Dennis Quaid
Davy Crockett: Billy Bob Thornton
Jim Bowie: Jason Patric
William Travis: Patrick Wilson
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna: Emilio Echevarria
Juan Seguin: Jordi Molla
Running time -- 137 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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