GUIDESHOW TO GET NOMINATEDAND WIN!

ALOOKINTO THE FUTURE

THERAZZIES

WHO PULLS

THE STRINGS

NOMINEESWINNERS

LOSERS

T H E

A History of Multiplex and Celebration

CONTENTSA History of Multiplex and Celebration

How to Be NominatedWho pulls the strings?

Nominees 2013/2014

Those we LostThe Razzies: A Different Kind of CelebrationThe Winners of the 86th Academy Awards

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Consistent Loser14The Future15

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“I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in thefuture”

Best Supporting Actress – Hattie McDaniel - Gone with the Wind - 1940

HISTORYOF MULTIPLEXA

AND CELEBRATION

The Oscar awards or better known in the United States as the AcademyAwards is one of few ceremonies dedicated to film recognition. Datingback to 1920s when doo-woop music sprung to life, black and white

television was a luxury and pop-eye the sailor man created modern gym bud-dies, the Oscars is the oldest award ceremony followed by the Emmy awards(Television), Tony awards (Theatre) and the Grammy awards representing themusic industry.

In May of 1929 the first Oscar award ceremony was held in the Blossom roomof the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in honour of movies released between August1st 1928 and August the following year. Just as glamorous but not as rich aswhat we see in today’s effort, the venue was host to 270 people with fifteenawards on standby for potential winners. The price into the ceremony cost nomore than $5 as opposed to the grapevine whisperers speaking of numbers be-tween $30,000 and $40,000 just to attend an Oscar event today. The ceremonyin 1929 was due to last no longer than fifteen minutes. The nominees were an-nounced prior to the event. The winners were announced to the media threemonths before the event would take place. The 21st century has chosen an op-posite routine, and quite obviously going with the element of surprise concept.The generous policy of sharing the winners lasted up until 1940. Thanks to theLos Angeles Times, an embargo was broken in 1940, much to the displeasureof the Academy. The LA newspaper chose to publish the winners of the eventin its evening edition prior to the official ceremony. This is what led to the“sealed envelope” concept. Introduced in 1941, the sealed envelope turned outto be the most logical approach to concealing potential winners and is used toraise the anticipation today.

There were only a handful of names at the first Oscar ceremony. Some wouldgo on to receive awards in years to come. Among the winners were FrankBorzage for best director on 7thHeaven; titled under “Dramatic Picture” andstarring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. It is the thirteenth highest grossingsilent film in cinema history and went on to gross 2.7 million at the box office.Female protagonist Janet Gaynor went on to take the award for best actress ina leading role. The award for “Outstanding Picture” went to Wings; a story oftwo WWI pilot friends. Another creation of the silent movie era, Wings wasdirected by William A. Wellman and beat Frank Borzage’s 7thHeaven to claimthe “Best Picture” award.

History shows a dark day in New York’s Wall Street. Forever remembered as“Black Tuesday”, the crash of the stock market began in October 1929. It isforever known as the greatest stock market crash in the history of the UnitedStates. The great depression saw the birth of the second Academy awards whichwas held in Coconut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel. The Broadway Melodystole best picture, Warner Braxter took best actor for In Old Arizona, Hans Kra-ley was awarded for penning The Patriot and Twinkies are introduced to bak-eries around the United States.

On November 10th 1931 the fourth annual awards was held at the Sala D’Oroin the Biltmore Hotel honouring movies released between August 1 1930 andJuly 31, 1931. A Free Soul starring Lionel Barrymore, Norma Shearer andLeslie Howard is the story of an alcoholic defence attorney who is forced todefend his daughter’s ex-boyfriend on charges of murder. Nigel Barrymorewent on to take the award for best actor and director Clarence Brown was nom-inated for best director in which he lost to Norman Taurog for Skippy whichwas based on a comic-strip by Percy Crosby. Six months later, in the year of1932 the citizens of New York were witness to the opening of the Empire statebuilding. On October 17th, pint sized crime boss Al Capone was sentenced to11 years for tax evasion and the 5th Academy awards would follow on No-vember 18th.

Held at the Fiesta room in the Ambassador hotel, the 5th Academy award cer-emony was home to faces old and new. Routine winners such as directorFrankie Borzage picked up the award for best director on Bad Girl; a dramatictale of various characters living mundane lives. Bad Girl starred Sally Eilersand James Dunn. Released in 1931, Bad Girl was adapted from the novel andplay by Vina Delmare, therefore picking up the award for best screenplay adaption also.

“A change is gonna come” Sammy Cook

On May 10th 1940 Winston Churchill succeeded Neville Chamberlain asBritish Prime Minister, the Tokyo Olympics was cancelled and the 12th annualOscar ceremony saw a new star in the making, one who paved way for manyof her race to follow. Gone with the Wind was directed by David O’Selznick(Selzick International pictures) and starred Scarlett O’ Hara and Ashley Wilkeswho play a historical romantic duo set against the backdrop of the AmericanCivil war. Despite behind delayed for two years, Selzinick’s film won the awardfor outstanding production. In the mix was Hattie McDaniel’s award for bestsupporting actress (the mammy) which was a significant achievement in itselfbecause Hattie was the first African America to win an Academy award.

Accepting the award on February 29th 1940 Hattie was humbled to say theleast; “Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of themotion picture industry and honoured guests: This is one of the happiest mo-ments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selectingme for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, veryhumble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be ableto do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and tothe motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, andmay I say thank you and God bless you”.

Throughout the late 30s and 1940s the Oscar award ceremony was consistentin its success and dedication toward onscreen recognition. In 1943 the Oscarawards introduced a new category of awards in honour of the pretentious workethic of those who often go unnoticed; Best documentary feature (1943), BestForeign language film (1947), Best costume design (1948) and best makeupand hairstyling (1981). In the mix was the celebration of best animated short,best visual effects and best sound mixing; most of these categories have with-stood the test of time from the years 1940 right the way through to 2010. Suchcategories and more have gone on to boost the face of the Oscars which helpedcelebrate every aspect of film craftsmanship. Not every category has made itas far. Some categories were discontinued since the early 20s and late 60s. Onesuch award is the best comedy picture which was strangely presented to a LewisMilestone for Two Arabian Knights. Unfortunately, though the last movie youmay have seen had you hurting with laughter, you will not see such nourishmentat the Oscars today, in fact that award in 1929 was the first and last. Along withthe extinguished is the award for best Dance direction (1935-1937), best originalstory (1928-1956) and best title writing (1928). An award for best title designwas almost introduced in 1999 but was later rejected.

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That wonderful toy

There are innumerable awards granted to those worthy, but not all of them comein the form of what we perceive to be an Oscar award. To put it correctly, eachstatuette, no matter its design is an Oscar award per say. Apart from, let’s saythe Academy Award for Technical Achievement, the John A. Bonner Medal ofCommendation, the Student Academy Award and many more of that niche, thestatuette differs and is indeed the most historically recognised award known asThe Academy Award of Merit; plated in copper, nickel silver and 24 karat gold,it stands tall and weighs approximately 8 ½ pounds. The appearance renders aknight holding a crusaders sword posing on a reel of film with five spokes at-tached. The five spokes represent the original branches of the academy whichare the actors, directors, writers, producers and technicians; Pretty cool right?So who the hell is Oscar? While the name of Oscar Wilde and many other fab-ricated but pretty nice philosophical related stories have circled in its time, Re-becca Murray of Hollywood Movie Entertainment has settled on one such storythat the Academy has gone on to use; “the most popular story has been thatAcademy librarian - and eventual executive director - Margaret Herrick believedit looked a lot like her Uncle Oscar. After she made that observation, the Acad-emy staff began calling the award 'Oscar.' The Academy didn't officially usethe nickname until 1939”.

Pause for significance

Below are some notable millstones in the history of the Academy Awards.

– In 1941, a documentary category appeared on the ballot for the first time.

– The first special award to honor a foreign language motion picture was givenin 1947 to the Italian film “Shoe-Shine.” Seven more special awards were pre-sented before Foreign Language Film became an annual category in 1956.

– Costume Design was added to the ballots for 1948.

– For the first time, the Oscar presentation was televised. The NBC-TV andradio network carried the ceremony, honouring the films of 1952, live fromHollywood with Bob Hope as master of ceremonies, and from the NBC Inter-national Theatre in New York with Conrad Nagel as host.

– The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was established and Y. Frank Free-man was its first recipient.

– The Special Effects Award was divided into Sound Effects and Special VisualEffects beginning with the honors for films released in 1963.

– The Oscar ceremony in 1966 was the first to be televised in color.

– The April 14, 1969, Oscar ceremony was the first major event held at the newDorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles County Music Center.

– Makeup became an annual category, with Rick Baker winning for his workon the 1981 movie “An American Werewolf in London.” The Gordon E.Sawyer Award, recognizing technological contributions to the industry, was es-tablished.

– The Animated Feature Film Award is added, with “Shrek” winning for 2001.

Media Intervention

The origins of the Oscar ceremony are of very little significance regarding pub-licity and advertisement. Far from what we see today, the Oscar ceremony wasan intimate way of toasting to those representing the film industry and the futureit long beholds. Unlike the drama and the significant glamour involved today,the first Oscar ceremony managed to suppress from the public eye. The recep-tion and coverage that followed would forever blow this little place of manycharacters into a global reception. The privilege of being nominated and betteryet, to win, was blown up by the little existing media of that time. The secondAcademy Awards was significant in its enthusiasm and its self-indulgent con-cept that would be forever ponderous. And so, for the very first time the Oscarawards was broadcast on air for approximately one hour and of course goingon to do so ever since. Do you think the mysterious broadcaster would haveguessed the many ways we could watch the Oscars today?

In 1953 the first televised Academy Awards enabled millions through-out Amer-ica and Canada to celebrate their favourite action star, tear-jerking love story,musical wonder and female protagonist, all from the comfort of their livingroom. Just like video tapes to DVDs, or cassettes to CDs, it was the dawn ofthe colour television in 1966 that gave home audience the immersive interactionthat would blow their socks off. A bit like the forceful concept of 3D multiplextoday, the difference with the introduction of colour TV was that it actuallyworked, and we as human beings, have gone on to inherit nothing else since. The Oscar award ceremony reached new heights in 1969 when it began broad-casting internationally in over 200 countries.

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Let’s take a look at who decides what movies are nominated, whatactors and actresses are worth celebrating.

In December every year the voting process will commence. Staff andmanaging directors will oversee the exuberant amount of mails regardingfuture nominees. Discussion and debate will continue up until January.The academy will return to its international firm in Pricewaterhousec-oopers where they will announce the nominees at a press conference inthe academy’s Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills.

“Regular awards are presented foroutstanding individual or collectivefilm achievements in up to 25 cate-gories. Members from each of the

branches vote to determine the nomi-nees in their respective categories –actors nominate actors, film editors

nominated film editors etc.”– The Oscars

According to Oscars.org, the academy consists of up to 6,000 members.There is a persistent generosity from movie productions to send “gim-micks” and “gifts” to members of the awarding body in a bid to swaytheir decision or to focus on a particular movie. This favouritism hasoften occurred. Claims of corruption within the board have forced theacademy to come up with its own rules and regulations. We can assumebribery is forbidden in these regulations.

a) the rights of past and future Academy Award recipients are fullyprotected,

b) no false claims of Academy Award consideration are made in anyadvertising medium,

c) the public is not misled by any statement or implication that anyachievement has won or been nominated for an Academy Awardwhen that is not so, and

d) the necessary legal protection is provided for the trademark andcopyright owner, i.e., the Academy.

The academy is strict in its rules, especially throughout the build-up ofeach event. Any advertisement using the signature statuette without theboards consent will be consulted. In the rare occasion of the academyallowing the use of its statuette image in some advertisement, he or shemay only do so if its image appears in no more than one sequence. Theawarding body is cautious and seems to thrive on its perspective that itis indeed a respected board in its build up to a ceremony. The boards callfor privacy has worked in the past. Regardless of the results, its con-structed privacy has been widely praised.

The academy is divided into the specific branches, each branch will re-late to a specific aspect of film. Those members who have dabbled inphotography will be placed into the voting branch of best cinematogra-phy, or the majority of sound editors will most likely vote for best orig-inal score in a movie. This is the academy’s way of adjusting the votingprocess so it is a fair and professionally systematic way of determininga worthy winner. Considering the imperative award for best movie, all6,000 members of the academy have the right to vote. The final balloting process takes place in late January (when the winnerswill be decided). The official winners will be returned to the board aweek prior to the event.

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who

pullsthestrings ?

The Method Inheritance

“Method acting is what all actors havealways done whenever they acted

well.”- Lee Strasberg

Renowned for shifting his weight onscreen, Christian Bale is oneof the best method actors of the 21st century. Following muchdedication in movies such as American Psycho (2000), The Ma-

chinist (2004) and The Fighter (2010), Bale’s onscreen portrayal of var-ious uncanny characters has saw global applause. Method acting issomewhat recent, sort of. Long before Bale there was Marlon Brando.Born on April 1924, Brando is "Unchallenged as the most importantactor in modern American Cinema” according to St. James Encyclopediaof Popular Culture. Debatable statement no doubt but Marlon Brando iscertainly up there with the best. Marlon was known for is “mumbling”

approach in his acting. It was his signature. Marlon was hailed by manyafter him as the pioneer of method acting. He turned what sounded sosimple into a style. He was Oscar nominated throughout his legendarycareer, winning an Oscar for best performance as Terry Malloy in Onthe Waterfront (1954). Marlon Brando was nominated a total of eighttimes in his career. He received another award for a performance thatwill remain his most prolific; Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather(1972). Brando was one of only three professional actors, along withCharlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe to be featured in Time magazine’s“100 Persons of the Century”. It was an early Robert DeNiro and Pacinowho set the standard for recognised acting, paving way for Daniel DayLewis, Christian Bale and many more to follow.

With over ninety films under his belt, Robert De Niro is one of the bestactors, ever. The king of Comedy (1976) and Taxi Driver (1982) are fan-tastic examples of method acting. He has been nominated throughoutthe majority of his career; best actor in Taxi Driver, Cape Fear (1991)and Silver Linings playbook (2012) of late to name a few. Despite losingout, DeNiro has two prolific awards sitting in his glass cabinet; best sup-

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HOW TO BE NOMINATED...AND

W N

porting actor for The Godfather II (1974) and best actor in Raging Bull(1980). Like Stallone was to Arnold, Al Pacino to DeNiro was more ofa “friendly” rivalry. Al Pachino was nominated eight times in his careerincluding Serpico (1973), Dog day afternoon (1975) before eventuallytaking an award home for best actor in 1992 for Scent of a women. Likemany before him, Daniel Day-Lewis found the key to recognition andcareer celebration, inheriting method acting in movies such as My LeftFoot (1989), There will be Blood (2000) and Lincoln (2012). IrishmanLewis took an award for best actor in all three appearances – the firstactor in the industry to bring home three statuettes.

Method acting is a way of personal transformation; to live as the scriptedcharacter (as some have literally), enabling them to maintain focus bothon and off set. Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and actingteacher. If you believe Lee when he tells us that method acting is the jobdone according to profession, well then majority of Hollywood actorstoday are doomed. Let’s not twist his words. According to The Lee Stras-berg Theatre and Film Institute, such technique is nothing new and is asold as Western Civilisation;

“The Method trains actors to use theirimagination, senses and emotions toconceive of characters with uniqueand original behaviour, creating per-formances grounded in the human

truth of the moment”– Lee Strasberg

Here is a list of unmentioned method actors who have been awarded fortheir “out of skin” performances:

Best Actor Philadelphia (1993) & Forrest Gump (1994)

Best Actor in One flew over the cuckoo’s nest (1975) & As good as itgets (1997)

Best Actor in Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Best Actress in Boys don’t cry (1991) & Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Best supporting actor in Good Will Hunting (1997)

Heath Ledger: Best Supporting Actor in The Dark Knight (2008)

Best Actor for Glory (1989) and Best Supporting actor for Training Day(2001)

Best Actress for Monster (2003)

Best supporting Actress for Walk the Line (2005)

Best Actress for The Blind Side (2009)

Best supporting actress for The Girl with the dragon tattoo (2011)

Jennifer Lawrence: Best supporting actress for silver linings playbook(2012)

Christian Bale: Best Supporting actor for The Fighter (2010)

Jeff Bridges: Best Actor for Crazy Heart (2009)

The Power of the Arts

While the actors receive most of the praise, without a good script theonly thing they will be taking home on the night is their drunken self. Inorder for the actors to grab an Oscar the screenplay needs a groundbreaking story of relevance, and as previous ceremonies have shown,controversy and socially related material will go a long way. The screen-play is the legs of the movie, the support. If the actor is not on his or herday well then they are letting down the fantastic screenplay that invitedthem to participate in the first place. The average screenwriter is re-sponsible for researching the story, writing the narrative, the creative de-velopment and the emotional impact it delivers to audience upon itsrelease. We see now more than ever the vast inclusion of high profileactors sometimes crammed into one plot, with good results and oftenbad. Just like the importance of a screenplay to feed the leading star,the supporting cast may also wish to participate in making the leadingstars performance stand out quite significantly, or, as we have seen inmovies such as The Fighter and The Dark Knight, the protagonist mayalso perform so well that the actor who arrived on set to play second fid-dle may also find themselves nominated for an award i.e. “Best Support-ing Actor”. History shows the supporting actor often brushing ourleading star to the side respectively; Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive1993), Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects 1995), Cuba Gooding Jnr(Jerry Maguire 1996), the late Heath Ledger won for his spine-tinglingshow in The Dark Knight (2008), and of course the mesmerising RobinWilliams in Good Will Hunting picked up in (1997).

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TOMHANKS

JACKNICHOLSON

ANTHONYHOPKINS

HILARYSWANK

ROBINWILLIAMS

HEATHLEDGER

DENZELWASHINGTON

CHARLIZE THERON

REESEWITHERSPOON

SANDRABULLOCK

ROONEYMARA

JENNIFERLAWRENCE

CHRISTIANBALE

JEFFBRIDGES

Best PictureAMERICAN HUSTLE

Directed by David Russell, American Hustle is the second movie byDavid to be greeted with open arms at the Oscars. Silver Linings Play-book, which also starred Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, re-ceived 8 academy award nominations last year. Jennifer Lawrence

won best supporting actress.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPSTom Hanks finds himself involved in the best movie category and not

for the first time. Winning best actor in Forrest Gump, RobertZemickis’s triumphant tale also won best picture in 1994. Renownedfor the “Bourne” trilogy, director Paul Greengrass takes the true story

of Captain Philips to serious depth and intensity.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUBThe media had a field day regarding the transformation of MatthewMcConaughey. Eleven years after How to lose a guy in 10 days,

Matthew’s career has been the subject of much praise. At the forefrontof Jean-Marc Vallee’s amazing true story, the Dallas Buyers Club is

tipped to win best picture and much more.

GRAVITYVisually stunning to say the least, Alfonso Cuarin’s space odysseytook cinemas buy storm upon its release and set a high standard re-garding the philosophy of modern cinematography. Starring SandraBullock as the protagonist, Gravity’s nail-biting visionary is no sur-

prise in the category of best picture.

HERDirected by Spike Jonze, Her stars the brilliant Joaquin Phoenix in afuturistic romantic drama. Her is one of the least talked about moviesnominated this year which is a shame considering its original concept.

NEBRASKAShot in the mixed opinion of black and white, Alexzander Payne’scomedic drama follows Woody Grant’s (Bruce Dern) alcoholic trou-bles through-out a journey from Montana to Nebraska. Alexzander’sThe Descendants won an academy award for best adapted screenplay

in 2011.

PHILOMENAPhilomena is a British drama directed by Stephen Frears. Starring JudiDench and Steve Coogan, it tells an emotional true story the story ofMartin (Coogan), a political journalist who joins Philomena (Dench)

in the search of her son.

12 YEARS A SLAVEStealing the headlines with its hot and far from forgotten topic, 12Years a Slave is thrown in the mix for obvious reasons. A stellar castand emotional (yet difficult) story, whether it wins anything or not,Steve McQueen’s latest movie is one that will be talked about for

years.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREETMartin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street was hampered by the fact

Leonardo DiCaprio has yet to win an Oscar. Unfortunately for Leo itmay prove to be the very reason this fanatic story based on a wall

street broker will sink when the Oscars come around.

Best Actor in a Leading RoleCHRISTIAN BALE(AMERICAN HUSTLE)

Playing a hairpiece conman by the name of Irvin Rosenfeld, ChristianBale’s performance, along with Jennifer Lawrence, may have givenAmerican Hustle unnecessary hype; nevertheless as an individual he

deserves to be nominated.

BRUCE DERN(NEBRASKA)Bruce Dern was praised for carrying this unique movie to the point of

true enjoyment and heart felt nonetheless.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET)Yet to win an Oscar, Leonardo;s chances are still very slim The per-formances of Bale and McConaughey has left fans of Leos in serious

doubt.

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR (12 YEARS A SLAVE)A fantastic movie no doubt but leading star Chiwetel Ejiofor was out-shined by the supporting cast from start to finish. Joaquin Phoenix(Her) or Oscar Isaac (Inside Lewyn Davis) should have replaced him.

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY (DALLAS BUYERS CLUB)The bookies favourite; Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of aids rid-

dled Ron Woodroof is one of true remembrance.

Best Actress in a Leading RoleAMY ADAMS (AMERICAN HUSTLE)

Female competition didn’t interrupt Amy Adams and her wonderfulperformance playing the adamant Sydney Prosser.

CATE BLANCHETT (BLUE JASMINE)Cate Blanchett adapted a role that involved serious dedication and dif-ficulty. Playing a deeply troubled socialite in Jasmin, Woody Allen

made what could be the performance of Blanchett’s career.

SANDRA BULLOCK (GRAVITY)Sandra Bullock was our leading protagonist revealing some true emo-

tions in her fight to for space survival.

JUDI DENCH (PHILOMENA)Judi Dench’s Philomena gives a warming performance in a bid to find

her feet (and son) since taking shelter in a convent.

MERYL STREEP (AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY)Violet Weston (Streep) is just one of a large and somewhat uncannyfamily who return to the origin of the family home in Oklahoma.

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NOMINEES2013/2014

Best Actor in a Supporting RoleBARKHAD ABDI (CAPTAIN PHILLIPS)

With zero experience on the big screen, Somalia pirate Muse (Abdi)was thrown on board to terrorise Captain Philips (Hanks). The result isfrightening. Barkhad Abdi is considered the underdog in this category.

BRADLEY COOPER (AMERICAN HUSTLE)Like Matthew McConaughey, Bradley Cooper’s career has been verysurprising of late. With Silver Linings Playbook and the Place beyondthe Pines of late, there won’t be many out there who will refuse this

man an Oscar.

MICHAEL FASSBENDER (12 YEARS A SLAVE)Joining the whirlwind cast of 12 Years a slave, Michael Fassbender’sperformance may be remembered for the wrong reasons. The impacthe has in the life of our protagonist is long lasting, tormenting and ter-

rifyingly wonderful.

JONAH HILL (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET)Playing Donnie Azoff, Jonah Hill’s introduction to this tale of de-bauchery is a career break only, leading to many opportunities in thenear future. Therefore I have always ruled his mediocre performance

out of the Oscar race.

JARED LETO (DALLAS BUYERS CLUB)Looking back at the mindbender that was Requiem for a Dream(2009), Jared Leto is physically unrecognisable as Ron Woodroof’snarcotic companion. Playing the role of troubled transsexual Rayon,

Jared Leto gives the performance of his career.

Best Actress in a Supporting RoleSALLY HAWKINS (BLUE JASMINE)

Sally Hawkins plays Ginger, the sister of Jasmin who thrives to betterlife for herself. The disruption of her delusional sister brings out a per-

formance that is darkly comedic.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE (AMERICAN HUSTLE)Outweighing the male dominance alongside Amy Adams, JenniferLawrence’s jealous “on the side” wife is riveting. This is not surpris-

ing regarding the form Jennifer has been in lately.

LUPITA NYONG’O (12 YEARS A SLAVE)Steve McQueen must have put something in the water because LupitaNyong’o is far from fazed by the actors surrounding the set of 12years a slave – continuing the trend of onscreen female dominance.

JULIA ROBERTS (AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY)Part of the dysfunctional Weston family; Barbara (Roberts) tries tomend family issues despite her war of words with Violet (Streep).

JUNE SQUIBB (NEBRASKA)Nominated for her portrayal as Woody’s quirky wife June.

Best DirectorAMERICAN HUSTLE (DAVID O. RUSSELL)

Following the success of both Silver Linings Playbook and TheFighter (also starring Christian Bale), David is looking to further his

recognition in film by adding the best director award.

GRAVITY (ALFONSO CUARÓN)Gravity was visually stunning which may see it pick up the award forbest cinematography; however Alfonso finds himself accompanied by

magnificent directors in this category.

NEBRASKA (ALEXANDER PAYNE)One thing the academy awards lacks is surprises. Many nominees areoften predicted before the official outcome. But if any, Alexzander

Payne’s indie comedy may cause a stir.

12 YEARS A SLAVE (STEVE MCQUEEN)

Nominated for a plethora awards so far, there is no reason why SteveMcQueen can’t win best director.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (MARTIN SCORSESE)Winning the best director award for The Departed (2009), Martin

Scorsese is nominated for the eighth time in his career.

Best Documentary FeatureTHE ACT OF KILLING (JOSUA OPPENHEIMER, SIGNE BYRGE SØRENSEN)Colourful on the outside, dark and monstrous on the inside; The Act ofKilling is the story of Indonesian death squad leaders who complywith transforming their cruel history of killings into a theatre style

pantomime.

CUTIE AND THE BOXER (ZACHARY HEINZERLING, LYDIA DEAN PILCHER)It tells the story of renowned New York based boxing painter Ushio

Shinohara and female companion Noriko.

DIRTY WARS(RICHARD ROWLEY, JEREMY SCAHILL)An intense insight into various Iraqi war operations, ones the UnitedStates government had no intention of sharing. A scary look at what

goes on behind closed doors.

SQUARE (JEHANE NOUJAIM, KARIM AMER)Fighting for a new society in Egypt’s corrupt Government regime, var-ious revolutionaries risk their lives to change the conscience of society

and the agenda of the government.

20 FEET FROM STARDOM (NOMINEES TO BE DETERMINED)20 feet from stardom looks at life as a backing singer, rather than the

leading superstar in whom we pay money to see.

Best Animated FeatureTHE CROODS (CHRIS SANDERS, KIRK DEMICCO, KIRSTINE BELSON)

It has been an average year as far as animation goes, but The Croodsgot a surprisingly good reception which speaks volumes regarding itsposition. Characters are voiced by Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds and

Emma Stone.

DESPICABLE ME 2 (CHRIS RENAUD, PIERRE COFFIN, CHRIS MELEDANDRI)This sequel follows an average predecessor with the leading characterGru (Steve Carell) proving irritating to listen to the longer it went on.However, the prolonged use of the minions this time around result in a

hilarious sequel.

ERNEST & CELESTINE(BENJAMIN RENNER, DIDIER BRUNNER)Ernest and Celestine reinvents classic animation, in it, telling a simplestory of an unlikely friendship between a bear (Ernest) and a mouse

(Celestine).

FROZEN (CHRIS BUCK, JENNIFER LEE, PETER DEL VECHO)Mistaken or an all-round demographic, Disney sticks to its roots in

bringing back sing along animation. This imaginary tale got a great re-ception upon its release; one in which feels slightly overrated.

THE WIND RISES (HAYAO MIYAZAKI, TOSHIO SUZUKI)The Japanese have taken the animation category by storm, inventing awhole new world of storytelling with fascinating visuals in the criti-cally acclaimed Spirited Away (2001) and Ponyo (2008). The WindRises is no different, crafting a story relevant to World War II and the

creation of the Japanese fighter planes.

Best Foreign Language FilmTHE BROOKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN (BELGIUM)

Director Felix Van Groeningen conveys a love story on the bases of aloved up couple baring little or no chemistry. Although the existence

of their daughter gives them something to fight for.

THE GREAT BEAUTY (ITALY)Jep Gambardella (Tony Servillo) trades lavish nightclubs for land-

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scape sculptural beauty. Courtesy of an unexpected blast from the past,Jep vouches to see the hidden gems of the world.

THE HUNT (DENMARK)Similar to Kevin Bacon’s The Woodsman, The Hunt also touches onthe sensitive topic of child perversion. Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas; alonely school supervisor who finds himself wrongfully accused of an

unspeakable situation, one the locals refuse ignore.

THE MISSING PICTURE (CAMBODIA)Rithy Panh uses clay figures, archival footage, and narration to recre-ate the atrocities Cambodia's Khmer Rouge committed between 1975

and 1979.

OMAR (PALESTINE)A young Palestinian freedom fighter agrees to work as an informantafter he's tricked into an admission of guilt by association in the wake

of an Israeli soldier's killing.

Best Documentary ShortCaveDigger (Jeffrey Karoff)Facing Fear (Jason Cohen)

Karama Has No Walls (Sara Ishaq)The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life (Malcolm Clarke,

Nicholas Reed)Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall (Edgar Barens)

The ArtsBest CinematographyThe Grandmaster (Philippe Le Sourd)

Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)Inside Llewyn Davis (Bruno Delbonnel)

Nebraska (Phedon Papamichael)Prisoners (Roger A. Deakins)

Best Costume DesignAmerican Hustle (Michael Wilkinson)

The Grandmaster (William Chang Suk Ping)The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)

The Invisible Woman (Michael O'Connor)12 Years a Slave (Patricia Norris)

Best Film EditingAmerican Hustle (Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, Alan Baumgarten)

Captain Phillips (Christopher Rouse)Dallas Buyers Club (John Mac McMurphy, Martin Pensa)

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)12 Years a Slave (Joe Walker)

Best Makeup and HairstylingDallas Buyers Club (Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews)Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Stephen Prouty)

The Lone Ranger (Joel Harlow, Gloria Pasqua-Casny)

Best Original ScoreThe Book Thief (John Williams)

Gravity (Steven Price)Her (William Butler, Owen Pallett)Philomena (Alexandre Desplat)

Saving Mr. Banks (Thomas Newman)

Best Original Song"Happy" (Despicable Me 2)

"Let It Go" (Frozen)"The Moon Song" (Her)

"Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)

Best Production DesignAmerican Hustle (Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler)

Gravity (Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woollard)The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn)

Her (K.K. Barrett, Gene Serdena)12 Years a Slave (Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker)

Best Animated Short FilmFeral (Daniel Sousa, Dan Golden)

Get a Horse! (Lauren MacMullan, Dorothy McKim)Mr. Hublot (Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares)

Possessions (Shuhei Morita)Room on the Broom (Max Lang, Jan Lachauer)

Best Live Action Short FilmAquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me) (Esteban Crespo)

Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything) (XavierLegrand, Alexandre Gavras)

Helium (Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson)Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

(Selma Vilhunen, Kirsikka Saari)The Voorman Problem (Mark Gill, Baldwin Li)

Best Sound EditingAll Is Lost (Steve Boeddeker, Richard Hymns)

Captain Phillips (Oliver Tarney)Gravity (Glenn Freemantle)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Brent Burge, Chris Ward)Lone Survivor (Wylie Stateman)

Best Sound MixingCaptain Phillips (Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith,

Chris Munro)Gravity (Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro)The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Christopher Boyes, Michael

Hedges, Michael Semanick, Tony Johnson)Inside Llewyn Davis (Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland)Lone Survivor (Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, David Brownlow)

Best Visual EffectsGravity (Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould)The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon,

David Clayton, Eric Reynolds)Iron Man 3 (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, Dan

Sudick)The Lone Ranger (Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams,

John Frazier)Star Trek Into Darkness (Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Gross-

mann, Burt Dalton)

Best Adapted ScreenplayBefore Midnight (Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke)

Captain Phillips (Billy Ray)Philomena (Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope)12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)

The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter)

Best Original ScreenplayAmerican Hustle (Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell)

Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack)

Her (Spike Jonze)Nebraska (Bob Nelson)

11

What has been hailed as one of the greatest years at the cinema,the 2013/14 Oscar service is bound to be one of controversy.Like a prisoner of war, some make it, others don’t. There has

been a divided opinion regarding the criteria of movies nominated, caus-ing much deliberation among fans and the movie industry; results haveshown a difference in independently financed movies and studio sup-ported productions – both vital in their own right but Oscar recognisedfor various reasons and not always for the final product. The release ofnominations went viral and critics were quick to hunt down the forgottenmovies, performances and individually directed pieces just to show thatthe Oscar board are so often forgetful. All opinion of course, and whilethere are too many movies to be recognised per year, let’s not forget whatcould have been. The Cohen Brothers are renowned for their movie com-plexity. Often hailed as the Beatles of the movie industry, their resumeis a celebration of movie artistry blended with humour, drama, horrorand romance. Both Joel and Ethan Cohen are academy award winnersfrom the director’s seat, screenwriting, movie production and the editingsuite. The brothers were nominated for their most renowned work inBarton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), O’ Brother Where art Thou? (2000)and No Country for Old Men released in 2007. Over the years the Co-hens have been nominated thirteen times for various aspects of film.However the Cohen’s may be disappointed to have only four academyawards; Original Screenplay (Fargo) and Adapted Screenplay (No Coun-try for Old Men) in which they also won best picture. The Berlin filmfestival was kind to the uncanny and brilliantly scripted The BigLebowski in 1998, while The Bafta Awards saw them nominated for theirbrilliantly crafted Fargo. Inside Llewyn Davis was one of the surprisingcandidates to be shunned at this year’s ceremony which is disappointingfor fans of the Cohen’s work. The movie reviews spoke a different sound,branding their most recent flick directionless and mediocre. However ifnot for the movie’s plot, cinemagoers, who enjoyed the loving sound-track, may have expected a mention regarding the best original songaward at least? Whether or not the leading performance by Oscar Isaacshould have been mentioned is also up for debate.

Tom Hanks has a face that is all too familiar when it comes to the Acad-emy Awards. Nominated umpteen times, the award for best actor inPhiladelphia (1993) epitomises what was and still is an outstanding ca-reer. His latest movie, Captain Phillips, was nominated for reasons thatdon’t necessary include him. Nominated for best picture and best sup-porting actor in Somali antagonist Barkhad Abdi, Tom Hanks was no-ticeably shunned for his performance as the Captain due to the fierce yetobvious competition. There was no room for the biographical drama thatwas Saving Mr Banks (2013) either, in which Tom played Walt Disneyin the development of Mary Poppins.

Robert Redford has been awarded for simply being alive. His contribu-tions in the world of film are vast; founder of the Utha based SundanceFilm Festival being one of them. Time magazine conjoined his moviewhirlwind and in its 100th annual, calling Robert Redford one of themost influential people in the world. He received two academy awards;Ordinary People in 1981 and the celebrated award of The Lifetimeachievement in 2002. The Academy Awards failed to seek out RobertRedford’s individually led performance in All is Lost (2013), despite theextravagant reviews. The Independent newspaper gave it a five star rat-ing. Redford’s return to form was not enough. The early release of themovie may have caused it to drift.

Historical drama The Butler (2013) starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey was another movie shunned at the Oscars. Directed by LeeDaniels, he followed the criteria of Oscar recognised material in itsracially sensitive topic, yet its emotionally heartfelt story would look ap-propriate alongside this year’s nominated movies.

[

Receiving mixed reviews upon its release, Oprah Winfrey’s perform-ances tipped her to be nominated for best supporting actress.

Tony Soprano was and still is everybody’s favourite mob doss. The So-pranos (1999) is renowned as one of the most successful televisionshows ever. It featured an iconic character in Tony Soprano played bythe late James Gandolfini. Hollywood mourned the death of James inJune of last year following a heart attack which left his devastated wifeDeborah to aid their 13 year old son Michael and baby daughter Liliana.Throughout the dominance of The Sopranos (1999-2007), Gandolfini’smovie career was played out in small parts, acting characterised rolessimilar to Tony Soprano; both ruthless and humorous as seen in TrueRomance (1993), Get Shorty (1995) and Killing Them Softly (2012) toname a few. His supporting role in Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said(2013) tipped James to be nominated for best supporting actor fourmonths after his death. Playing the latest love interest in the life of Eva(Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Gandolofini’s “Albert” character was a surprisingperformance according to critics and disappointing considering his pass-ing. But more importantly, the lack of celebration at the academy awardswas disappointing.

Spike Jonze’s fascinating tale of one man’s relationship with himself(for the most part) in Her was nominated for best movie. Taking its com-petition into account, Spike Jonze’s directorial challenge seemed moreviable. Ignored for best director, Spike Jonze was forced to settle withina category that critics claimed had already inherited the possibility oftwo winners, and Her was not one of them. For me, the most surprisingdecision in this years nominated is actually the lack of attention givento Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners (2013) starring Hugh Jackman and JakeGyllenhaal. This bleak tale of abduction is the most forgotten aboutmovie of the year. Looking at the performances carried out from bothHugh Jackman and Gyllenhaal, it could be considered outlandish theydidn’t make the cut for best actor, supporting or even best movie. Thismasterful peace of filming is probably too depressing for its own good,making it excellent Oscar material. Unfortunately for Villeneuve’s con-cept it was released in September of last year, which, if looking for avaluable excuse regarding its loss, its early release may be a worthy one.

The category for best documentary is a tough cookie, one that requiresa vicious intent to grab the attention of the board using a relevant inves-tigation, an indebt story, uniquely portrayed and most importantly, a sig-nificant result for the demographic. This year’s bundle sees some craftystories in Dirty Wars, The Act of Killing and 30 Feet from Stardom. Sowhich would you substitute for Gabriela Cowerthwaite’s BlackFish(2013). The story of Florida’s largest tourist attraction, Seaworld, ischannelled into a horrible tale of animal cruelty, corruption and death.Seaworld’s most indulging performer and killer whale Tilkum is theposter for the controversy.

Monsters Inc (2001) joined a plethora of critically acclaimed animatedmovies in Toy Story (1995), Shrek (2001) and Ice Age (2002). It wonthe academy award for Best Original Song (If I didn’t have you byRandy Newman) in 2002. Nominated for Best Animated Movie also, thelovable monsters lost out as the big green Ogre was awarded instead.Mike and Scully, voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman once again,return 12 years later with Monsters University only to find they havebeen left out in the cold in favour of Disney’s Frozen, The Croods andDespicable Me 2. Ouch!

12

THOSEWE LOST

“When Academy Award nomina-tions were read out before

dawn Thursday, Hanks' namewas never called”

-Los Angeles Times

The Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) is a parodic award ceremonyrenowned for shining the spotlight on the worst movies of the year.Poor acting performances, directorial attempts and remakes are high-lighted in humorous fashion. Founded by a John J.B.Wilson in 1980,the first ceremony was held in his living room. The 4th annual awardswere covered by CNN. John realised the extent of coverage comingfrom various wire services, therefore choosing to continuously hostthe ceremony the day before the Academy Awards. John saw immedi-ate success in its coverage prior to the Oscars. The Golden RaspberryFoundation is a paid members’ board with journalists, film fans andmembers of the film industry determining the winners.

The Razzies are often accused of thrashing Hollywood cinema to thepoint of bullying a particular movie and any actor associated with it.Notable victims include comedian Adam Sandler, director M. NightShyamalan, the Twilight saga and pretty much any actress looking fora career in film; Lindsey Lohan, Selena Gomez and Kim Kardashianbeing among the nominated. The tongue in cheek awards are a no-holds barred crucifixion of the poorest film entertainment, all in theopinion of its members of course. In January 2013, Twilight: BreakingDawn Part 2 was nominated 11 times into various categories, withworst actor nominations for Robert Pattinson and of course worst ac-tress for vampire wife Kristen Stewart.

“Adam Sandler, for example, is a Razziesmainstay. This year, his most recent film,Grown-Ups 2, has been nominated in ninecategories; last year he starred in That’sMy Boy, which featured in eight; the yearbefore that it was Jack and Jill, in twelve

nominations”– Robbie Collin – The Telegraph

As you may assume, the nominated actors rarely choose to attend theRazzie awards. Fan favourite Adam Sandler would certainly receive awarm welcome for his awful performances. The nominated seem totake the abuse with a pinch of salt. There have been some brave atten-dees over the years; Bill Cosby, Tom Selleck, director Paul Verhoeven(for worst director) and Tom Green, which seems more than appropri-ate. The 24th Golden Raspberry Awards featured a plethora of nomi-nations for Ben Affleck, spread out over three movies; Gigii, DareDevil and Paycheck (all released in 2003). Even Ben Affleck waschuckled enough to accept the award. He humorously complainedabout not been giving an official statue, claiming he was "stiffed”. Beneventually received his award which ended up on Ebay. In 2005 HalleBerry famously attended the ceremony to pick up her worst actressaward for her role as the sleazy Catwoman (2004), turning a parodicceremony into an award winning improvisation of a delighted yet sar-castic acceptance speech; “Thank you guys so much…I never in mylife thought I would be up here, winning a Razzie!”. Halle Berry’sspeech was brilliantly performed and actually received a warming ap-plause.

Below are the winners of the 34th Annual Razzies

Worst Picture: Movie 43Worst Actor: Jaden Smith - After Earth

Worst Actress: Tyler Perry – A Madae Christmas Worst Supporting Actor: Will Smith – After Earth

Worst Supporting Actress: Kim Kardashian - TemptationWorst Screen Combo: Jaden Smith & Will Smith – After Earth

Worst Director: The 13 people who directed movie 43Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: The Lone Ranger

Worst Screenplay: Movie 43 (Written by 19 screen writers)

4

Best Picture“12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen

and Anthony Katagas, Producers

Best Actor in a Leading RoleMatthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Actress in a Leading Role Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”

Best Actor in a Supporting RoleJared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Actress in a Supporting RoleLupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”

Best Director“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón

Best Documentary Feature “20 Feet from Stardom” Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers

Best Documentary Short “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas

Reed

Best Animated Feature“Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho

Best Foreign Language Film“The Great Beauty” Italy

The Arts

Best CinematographyGravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)

Best Costume DesignThe Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)

Best Film EditingGravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)

Best Original ScoreGravity (Steven Price)

Best Original Song“Let It Go” from “Frozen”

Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Best Production Design“The Great Gatsby”

Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn

Best Animated Short Film“Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares

Best Live Action Short Film“Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson

Best Sound Editing“Gravity” Glenn Freemantle

Best SoundMixing“Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

Best Visual Effects“Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould

Best Adapted Screenplay“12 Years a Slave” – Screenplay by John Ridley

Best Original Screenplay“Her” – Written by Spike Jonze

13

THE RAZZIES: A DIFFERENTKIND OF CELEBRATION

THE WINNERS OF THE 86ACADEMY AWARDS

TH

Where there are winners at the academy awards there are losers,consistent ones. Some names stick out more than others. Butwhile each actor may proudly present their own following of

fans, their profile is missing something; an Oscar statue in place of thatfootball trophy they so proudly received as a kid. This year’s build uphas been focused around one or two people; Leonardo DiCaprio andMatthew McConaughey Despite the impact of Steve McQueen’s 12years a slave, never has the media been so DiCaprio focused. Nominatedfor best leading actor in Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street, the Californiansensation lost out to critic favourite Matthew McConaughey, prolonginga losing streak that saw him come up short when he was nominated in2005 for The Aviator only to lose to Jamie Fox for his wonderful per-formance in Ray (2004). Two years Leo was nominated for best actoronce again in Blood Diamond (2006) only to step aside for ForrestWhitaker who took it home for his powerful portrayal in the Last Kingof Scotland (2006). Despite an extraordinary collaboration of directorand actor in both Leo and Martin Scorsese, the wait goes on for both thefans and Leo.

Johnny Depp is pretty much the equivalent of marmite; you either lovehim or hate him. Ignoring his excruciatingly boring performances of late,Johnny Depp has been nominated for worthy acting performances andhas too been tipped to win, yet lose to a greater choice. While Mr Deppis not expected to appear at an Oscar bash anytime soon, his chances ofa statuette was hampered in 2004 when Sean Penn won the award forbest actor in Mystic River (2003). It was the origins of Captain JackSparrow that cinema-goers fell in love with, springing to life in Piratesof the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Depp’s JackSparrow was a heroic fan favourite with a humours edge. It should benoted, that despite his nomination, Jack Sparrow would go on to bleedthe pockets of the fans, ultimately dragging out a character that is of sim-ple annoyance today – despite the box office whirlwind of its trilogy. It wasn’t always impossible missions and alien planets for Tom Cruise.He defined 80s cinema with the adorably cheesy yet hard to despise TopGun (1986), The Colour of Money (1986), Cocktail (1988) and Rainman(1988).Tom Cruise has many renowned movie scenes and Jerry Maguire(1996) features one of them. The “Show me the money” sequence is nowhistoric cinema as Cruise and American footballer Rod, played by CubaGooding Jnr, talk money over an elaborate phone call. Cruise was nom-inated for best actor in Jerry Maguire but lost out to Geoffrey Rush inShine (1996).

Julianne Moore and Kim Basinger are two of the best actresses to comeout of Hollywood. The only difference is Kim Basinger, despite JulianneMoore being nominated four times throughout her career, has an Oscar.Julianne Moore was nominated for best supporting actress in BoogieNights (1998), but lost out to Kim Basinger for her lustful role in LAConfidential (1997).

It is okay to be nominated and bow out to a worthy opponent. Howeverin the case of Joaquin Phoenix, sometimes you have to ask what the hellis going on. One of the best method actors today, Joaquin will be won-dering why he has failed to fill the trophy cabinet. The Puerto Rican bornactor was nominated in 2011 for his villainous role as Commodus; col-iseum dictator and movie antagonist in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000).The riveting performance of Benico Del Toro in Traffic granted him theaward for best actor. In 2006, Joaquin Phoenix found himself nominatedonce again for the magnificent portrayal of Johnny Cash in Walk theLine (2005). Up against Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Capote, Phoenix wasrobbed of the award. Unfortunately for Joaquin, he was nominated sevenyears later against Oscar favourite Daniel Day Lewis. The Irishman wasleading the forefront for inheriting the act and terrifying image of Pres-ident Abraham Lincoln. Joaquin was nominated alongside Lewis for hismemorable performance (his best in my opinion) for The Master (2012).Phoenix found himself on the wrong end again as Lincoln was so bor-ingly powerful that the academy couldn’t resist awarding Daniel DayLewis for his time.

Always the unlikely hero is Edward Norton. A fine actor who provesconsistently underrated whenever he graces the screen. Edward out-shined Brad Pitt in Fight Club (1999) and once again proved underrated.

Brad Pitt pitched a fine performance but did not deserve the full credithe, and the movie’s title alone, received. Norton, though the great actorhe appears to be, may wonder why his name so often flies too low underthe radar. He was awarded some recognition in 1999 when he was nom-inated for best actor in the thrilling classic American History X. RobertoBenegini, who led a romantic comedy in Life is Beautiful (1997) tookthe award in favour.

Leading the line of female action heroes, Sigourney Weaver was nomi-nated on numerous occasions. One of those was for busting alien headsin sci-fi action sequel Aliens (1986). Repressing male dominance onthe big screen, Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connorwere prolific action stars of 80s cinema. Considered the best of the aliensaga, Sigourney Weaver’s gun-hoisting performance failed her whenMarlee Matlin won the award for best actress in Children of a LesserGod (19866). Sigourney was nominated again in 1999 for Gorillas inthe Mist, only to lose it to Jodie Foster for her performance in The Ac-cused.

Travelling back to the year of 1977 when Saturday Night Fever andGrease dominated the big screen and the city nightlife. John Travolta’sslick dance moves and handsome face painted a new era of cinema. MrTravolta was nominated for best actor at the 1978 Oscars. Moving to thedisco great of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever’simpact did not suffice as Travolta lost out to Richard Dreyfuss in TheGoodbye Girl (1977). Travolta was nominated again for Pulp Fiction(1994), but lost respectively to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994).

Never Nominated:

Jim Carrey: One of the funniest men to come out of America, JimCarrey is not all comedic gags and rubber faces. His career of late is atan all-time low. Movies such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)and the boring sequel that was Kickass 2 (2013), Jim’s filmography willbe remembered for slapstick masterpieces such as Dumb and Dumber(1994) and Ace Ventura (1994). But he will feel slightly robbed in theOscar department as surprising as that may sound. Jim received muchpraise for his performance in The Truman Show (2008), while his mostdramatic movie to date is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)opened up to welcoming praise.

Steve Buscemi: Known as the weasel guy among other weaselguys, Steve Buscemi would be the last guy you would want to give anaward to, right? Well, despite cameos for Adam Sandler’s career, Stevehas a Cohen Brothers production on his resume; Fargo, a movie that litup whenever Steve’s uncanny character was onscreen, showcasing anexceptional performance with little or no trophies to show for it.

Kevin Bacon: Kevin Bacon is in the business longer than peoplemay think. He has pretty much worked with every actor in Hollywoodand featured in Oscar nominated movies. However as an individual hehas failed to be nominated, despite appearances in JFK (1991), A FewGood Men (1992), Apollo 13 (1995) and Mystic River (2003). The pow-erful act of one man’s struggle with the past in The Woodsman (2004)is one of his greatest movies to date.

Richard Gere: Mr Handsome doesn’t have the greatest of moviesto represent but his acting alone should have him nominated. PrettyWomen aside, Richard Gere’s performance in both An Officer and aGentlemen (1982) and Internal Affairs (1990) are worthy of Oscar recog-nition.

John Goodman:A veteran actor, John has a vast majority of filmsunder his belt. John has recently started to come into his own, expressinga presence on screen that stands for more than just his husky voice.John’s transition from television to movies was a drastic one, a decisionthat involved much risk. Nominated for a golden globe for his role inBarton Fink (1991), he has co-starred in Oscar winning movies such asThe Artist (2011) and Argo (2012). He has memorable roles in The BigLebowski (1998) and O’ Brother Where Art Thou? (2000).

14

CONSISTENTLOSERS

The nominations for the academy awards 2014/15 are due to com-mence on January 15, 2015. It may be early days but let’s roundoff the magazine with a sneaky look at potential nominees. Cin-

ema-goers are well aware of the summer that lies ahead. Like every sum-mer, blockbusters will dominate the months of June, July then Marvel(or Disney) will rule the month August. The pretentious festive seasonwill then make a loud enough noise in a bid to steal the attention beforethe Oscar academy sits down in January.

Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel was well received upon itsrelease in March. The quirky comedy starring Ralph Fiennes, Bill Mur-ray and a big hooray of actors is already circling the net in relation tonext year’s nominees. Scarlett Johansson was tipped to be nominatedfor best supporting actress in Spike Jonze’s Her this last year. Howevershe was shunned for one simple reason; her narration over the entiremovie was beautifully crafted but her lack of screen presence let herdown. For that reason, sci-fi drama Under the Skin may be her lifeline.Directed by Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin was a fascinating piece ofwork, one that brought out a riveting performance in Scarlett. Anotherpersonal choice of mine is The Raid 2. Okay, how strange would it be tosee this movie on the big screen at next year’s Oscar venue? It would beno surprise to see The Raid 2 nominated for best foreign movie. Despiteits daring length, director Gareth Evans has not created a sequel betterthan the first, but it is another masterpiece regarding its complex plot,characters and beautiful fight choreography.

The Lego Movie arrived too late. It was released to a receptive audiencein February therefore it is tipped to be nominated among the nomineesfor best animated movies.

Brendan Gleeson has never been nominated for an Oscar. Comedies suchas The Guard (2011) and In Bruges (2008) may have appeared too hardto decipher from a global standpoint. Calvary is yet another paring be-tween Gleeson and director John Michael McDonagh. Calvary has re-ceived great reviews upon its release. While the topic is controversial(let’s not forget, the Oscars love that), the chance of a best movie nom-ination is slim. But, Brendan Gleeson’s performance is extravagant andcould be remembered come nomination day. Tom Hardy gives us a mas-ter class in Locke. The British beefcake is one of the greatest actors inmodern cinema and shows, not for the first time, that a one-man- showadvertises his skills on a vast level; Bronson (2008) being his best per-formance to date.

In the animation department, How to Train your Dragon 2 lingers forsuccess once again. The anticipated sequel features the return of JayBarchul, with Kirsten Wiig, Jonah Hill and a Gerard Butler reprisal also.Following the success of Despicable Me and Sequel, Universal Pictureshas announced a Minions movie set for release in 2015. Everyone’sfavourite miniatures will show off their heroics in what will surely reelin the cash; however whether it is truly necessary is another question.

Christopher Nolan returns in November with Interstellar; a sci-fi mysterybreaking the limitations of human space travel. Nolan has given very lit-tle away, with a teaser trailer, well, proving quite teasing. The cast onthe other hand includes Matthew McConaughy, Anna Hathaway, JessicaChastain, Casey Affleck and Michael Cain. Nolan does love that MichaelCain guy. The Godzilla remake looks extraordinary and terrifying. It isthe cinematography that may see it creep in for nomination. Understand-ing that blockbusters like this rarely get the recognition they deserve,there is a first time for everything.

Get on Up is the biographical tale of James Brown’s rise from povertyto become one of the most influential musicians in history. It is earlydays yet, but this, if all goes well, will be Oscar gold. They do love agood biopic and if all goes according to plan, actor James Bosesmanmay be in for media turbulence playing the man himself. Get on Up willbe directed by Tate Taylor and will be released in August.

15

LOSERS THE FUTURE

MagazineEditorGerard Dodd

MagazineWriterGerard Dodd

Layout DesignOmar El-Taweel

SpecialThanksPaul Gregan