The Sundance Film Festival gives out its awards...

...and here they are:

Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Dramatic): “Winter’s Bone”
Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Documentary): “Restrepo”
World Cinema Jury Prize (Dramatic): “Animal Kingdom”
World Cinema Jury Prize (Documentary): “The Red Chapel”
Audience Award (Dramatic): “happythankyoumoreplease”
Audience Award (Documentary): “Waiting for Superman”
World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic): “Undertow”
World Cinema Audience Award (Documentary): “Wasteland”
Directing Award (Dramatic): Eric Mendelsohn, “3 Backyards”
Directing Award (Documentary): Leon Gast, “Smash His Camera”
World Cinema Directing Award (Dramatic): Juan Carlos Valdivia, “Southern District”
World Cinema Directing Award (Documentary): Christian Frei, “Space Tourists”
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini, “Winter’s Bone”
World Cinema Screenwriting Award: Juan Carlos Valdivia, “Southern District”
Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): “Sympathy for Delicious”
Special Jury Prize (Documentary): “Gasland”
World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): Tatiana Maslany, for her performance in “Grown-Up Movie Star”
World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Documentary): “Enemies of the People”
Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Zak Mulligan, “Obselidia”
Cinematography Award (Documentary): Kirsten Johnson and Laura Poitras, “The Oath”
World Cinema Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, “The Man Next Door”
World Cinema Cinematography Award (Documentary): Kate McCullough and Michael Lavelle, “His & Hers”
Documentary Editing Award: Penelope Falk, “Joan Rivers—A Piece Of Work”
World Cinema Documentary Editing Award: Joëlle Alexis, “A Film Unfinished”
Alfred P. Sloan Prize: “Obselidia”
NEXT Award: “Homewrecker”

-The two films that seemed to get the best reviews out of the festival were Blue Valentine and Restrepo, so it's a bit surprising to see the former not get anything, but that happens at Sundance a lot...thoughts?

Jack-in-the-Box Office for the weekend of January 29-31

As you may have seen posted so generously here by Clayton, this past Friday was my birthday, celebrating my 23rd Oscar season. And what was one of the best presents I received? Not having to see either of the new movies that came out this weekend. And judging by their Box Office numbers, I'm guessing you didn't either.

Still, it's a strange day when it barely seems worth mentioning that "Avatar" grossed another $30 million this weekend in the highest-grossing 7th weekend in any movie's run ever. With it's current total of $594 domestically, it could easily outgross "Titanic" as the highest grossing film of all time by mid-week, a feat James Cameron's space epic has already done on a global scale.

"Edge of Darkness" debuted in second place with $17 million, a figure impressive for Director Martin Campbell but less so for star Mel Gibson. Still, it could at this point make the rest of it's $80 million dollar budget back, something I would imagine is much needed at GK productions as "The Young Victoria" has made only $7 million of it's $35 million dollar budget back in it's seven week run.

In third place is this week's other offering, "When In Rome." While budget figures we're not available at this time, it's $12 million opening weekend is impressive for a romantic comedy lacking any A-list stars.

Rounding out the top five is "The Tooth Fairy" which made another $10 million this weekend bringing it's two week total to $26 million, over half of it's $48 million budget. With a worldwide total of $42 million, FOX could easily make the film's budget back in the next day or two. "The Book of Eli" is in a similar situation, as it's $8 million weekend brought it's domestic total to $74 million and it's worldwide total to $78, almost it's entire $80 million budget.

Winning the per-theater average race this weekend was "Saint John of Las Vegas" (I hadn't heard of it either) the comedy starring Steve Buscemi and Sarah Silverman which grossed $22,400 in two theaters. In second place was "The Last Station" taking in $90,000 in three theaters.

Please let us know what you saw this weekend and how you feel about it's performance at the Box Office.

The 2009 ACCA nominations are here, along with the Staff's Final Oscar Predictions, and more!

Yes, it's a busy Sunday here at The Awards Circuit. First off, the 2009 Awards Circuit Community Awards have come out with the official nominees and they may surprise some. The nomination announcement can be found here, so check them out and prepare to start voting again soon!
The staff has also finalized our Oscar predictions in terms of nominations, so go here and see who you agree with most leading up to Tuesday's announcement.
We also have an article from John Foote on how to go about disagreeing with a writer. It's a great read for anyone who publishes their work (myself included), so check it out here and leave some feedback.
Finally, our first Music review is up, and it's for the soundtrack to Up in the Air. Read it here and stay tuned for more of these types of reviews to pop up in 2010!
-Thoughts on the nominations, predictions, article, and review?

Kathryn Bigelow takes home top honors with the Directors Guild of America...

...and she needs to start preparing an Oscar acceptance speech.

-Thoughts?

The 62nd Annual DGA Awards...

...are being announced at the current moment, and as soon as the winners are let loose, we'll have them for you. So far, all we know is that Louie Psihoyo and The Cove won for Documentary.

Update- Kathryn Bigelow takes the big prize for The Hurt Locker!

-Thoughts?

Podcast #11 debuts on the site, along with an article on snubbed women directors!

As promised, we're getting back on track here at The Awards Circuit with Podcasts, and have Podcast #11 for everyone. This one our final Oscar talk pre-nominations, and can be heard here, so listen and give us feedback!
We also have an article up on snubbed female directors that is worth a read, so check that out here and let us know what you think!
-Thoughts on the podcast and article?

Two Posters for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Not much difference, but there you have them...thoughts?

My grandfather returns with his top 10 of 2009!

Yes, he was popular last year with his thoughts on the Oscar race, and he's returning now to put out his top 10 of the year. In case anyone forgot, he's now 76 and used to work in the movie industry, so he sort of works as a stand-in for the average Academy member. Here's how 2009 looked for him:

1. Avatar

2. The Hurt Locker

3. Up in the Air

4. Inglourious Basterds

5. Up

6. Pirate Radio

7. (500) Days of Summer

8. The Hangover

9. The Blind Side

10. Whip It

-Thoughts?

DGA Predictions

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

alternate: Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

What are yours?

Entertainment Weekly begins charting the contenders in the last days of the Oscar race...

EW has a whole bunch of these, but this is for Best Picture...thoughts?

The staff puts out our latest guess for who will win Oscars, and we wrap up the Scenario Series!

Yes, we've updated our Chart Predictions, so if you're curious who we all think will take home Oscars, go here and see! (note, these are a week or so old, so be prepared for updates to come)
We also have the last in our annual Scenario Series articles, focusing on the Animated Feature category. The article is found here, so check it out and let us know what you think.
Finally, today is the last day to vote in the Awards Circuit Community Awards for 2009, so go here and get those final votes in. They could be the difference makers!
-Thoughts on the chart predictions, article, and how ACCA will shake out?

'Blue Valentine', one of the hits of Sundance, gets picked up by The Weinstein Company!

Also, 'Hesher' found a home too, with Newmarket. Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:


Harvey Weinstein has been given a "Blue Valentine" from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams at Sundance.

The Weinstein Co. nabbed U.S., Canadian and Pan-Asian satellite territory rights to Derek Cianfrance's romantic drama starring the pair in a low-seven-figure deal.

WME Global chief Graham Taylor was in an anxious huddle at a restaurant off Main Street well after midnight Thursday with "Blue Valentine" producers (and his personal valentine) Lynette Howell, Jamie Patricof and Alex Orlovsky, (the team behind the 2006 Sundance hit "Half Nelson") as all-night negotiations were going down. IFC Films and Sony Pictures Classics were also said to be in the mix.

Some 12 years in the making, "Blue Valentine" chronicles a disintegrating marriage between Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams), told in flashback. The tough, poignant and occasionally brutal film has moved audiences and critics alike since its Sunday night Eccles premiere.
Weinstein has been out in full force at screenings with Weinstein Co. international head David Glasser and their acquisitions team. The studio was the only buyer to acquire a 2009 Toronto title, Tom Ford's "A Single Man," and shepherd it to success this awards season. The company also is eyeing "The Tillman Story."

Glasser led negotiations for the studio with Taylor, who sealed the deal a day after his WME Global closed a $1 million-range sale on the Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Natalie Portman-toplined "Hesher" to Newmarket Films.

-I'm quite anxious to see both, but 'Blue Valentine' has gotten some awards-caliber reviews, so that's now near the top of my 2010 "must see" list...thoughts?

Behold the International Film Music Nominees!

Here they are:

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
• AVATAR, music by James Horner
• DRAG ME TO HELL, music by Christopher Young
• STAR TREK, music by Michael Giacchino
• THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, music by Alexandre Desplat
• UP, music by Michael Giacchino

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Alexandre Desplat
• Michael Giacchino
• James Horner
• Brian Tyler
• Christopher Young

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Henry Jackman
• Abel Korzeniowski
• James Peterson
• Clinton Shorter
• Austin Wintory

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
• AGORA, music by Dario Marianelli
• BAARÌA, music by Ennio Morricone
• CREATION, music by Christopher Young
• MAO’S LAST DANCER, music by Christopher Gordon
• A SINGLE MAN, music by Abel Korzeniowski

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
• COUPLES RETREAT, music by A.R. Rahman
• DUPLICITY, music by James Newton Howard
• THE INFORMANT!, music by Marvin Hamlisch
• JULIE & JULIA, music by Alexandre Desplat
• LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS, music by Debbie Wiseman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
• G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, music by Alan Silvestri
• LUCKY LUKE, music by Bruno Coulais
• THE RED CANVAS, music by James Peterson
• SHERLOCK HOLMES, music by Hans Zimmer
• UNDER THE MOUNTAIN, music by Victoria Kelly

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM
• AVATAR, music by James Horner
• THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, music by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna
• KNOWING, music by Marco Beltrami
• STAR TREK, music by Michael Giacchino
• THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, music by Alexandre Desplat

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM
• DRAG ME TO HELL, music by Christopher Young
• IMAGO MORTIS, music by Zacarías M. de la Riva
• IN THE ELECTRIC MIST, music by Marco Beltrami
• THE KILLING ROOM, music by Brian Tyler
• TRICK ‘R TREAT, music by Douglas Pipes

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
• A CHRISTMAS CAROL, music by Alan Silvestri
• CORALINE, music by Bruno Coulais
• FANTASTIC MR. FOX, music by Alexandre Desplat
• THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, music by Randy Newman
• UP, music by Michael Giacchino

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
• BROTHERS AT WAR, music by Lee Holdridge
• EARTH DAYS, music by Michael Giacchino
• GARBO: EL ESPÍA, music by Fernando Velázquez
• HOME, music by Armand Amar
• UNDER THE SEA 3D, music by Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
• AVATAR – “War,” music by James Horner
• DRAG ME TO HELL – “Concerto to Hell,” music by Christopher Young
• THE RED CANVAS – “Ballet for Brawlers,” music by James Peterson
• STAR TREK – “Enterprising Young Men,” music by Michael Giacchino
• UP – “Married Life,” music by Michael Giacchino

MICHAEL GIACCHINO RECEIVES A RECORD NINE NOMINATIONS FOR 2009

-Thoughts?

Happy Birthday Jackson Truax!

...our newest writer gets one year older. His first birthday with the team. We wish him well. Leave him some birthday wishes.

Academy Idol 3: Top 7 Results

They're in. Any surprises? Comment.

Fear not, as we won't be seeing a 'Catcher in the Rye' movie anytime soon...

...according to this in The Hollywood Reporter:

The famously reclusive author J.D. Salinger has died, but chances remain slim to none that any adaptation of his classic literary works will reach the screen or stage.

With more than 65 million copies of "The Catcher in the Rye" in print, many have sought to turn Salinger's stories into movies, Broadway shows or book sequels over the past 63 years, but the author always adamantly refused.

That isn't about to change -- all because Salinger was unhappy about the one time he allowed an adaptation.

Salinger, who died Wednesday at age 91 in Cornish, N.H., agreed to have one of his short stories, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut," made into a movie, which was released in 1949 as "My Foolish Heart." The film was a critical and commercial failure and apparently an affront to the author, who vowed never again to make the mistake of allowing others to interpret his vision.

Ever since, numerous producers, filmmakers, authors and stage directors have sought rights to his 1951 novel, "The Catcher in the Rye," as well as to his 1961 book "Franny and Zooey" and other stories.

In 2008, the rights to his works were placed in the J.D. Salinger Literary Trust, of which the author was sole trustee. Phyllis Westberg, who was Salinger's agent at Harold Ober Associates in New York, declined Thursday to say who the trustees are now that the author is dead -- but she was clear that nothing has changed in terms of licensing movie, TV or stage rights.

"Everybody knows that he did not want it to happen, and the trust will follow that," Westberg told THR.

In its most recent legal action, the trust last year sued to successfully stop publication of the novel "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye" by Fredrik Colting of Sweden. It was described as a sequel that picked up the story of "Rye" protagonist Holden Caulfield 60 years later in a rest home, where he reflected on his life.

The U.S. District Court in New York rejected Colting's claim of fair use, ruling the novel borrowed too much from the original to be considered a parody. Thus, it violated the copyright, which Salinger had renewed in 1979.

Among those who have sought unsuccessfully to win rights to "Catcher" over the years were producer Samuel Goldwyn, director Billy Wilder and actors Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, John Cusack and Jerry Lewis. The last reportedly tried many, many times.

Goldwyn exchanged letters with Salinger in the early '50s in which the author discussed mounting a play in which he would play Caulfield opposite Margaret O'Brien, and, if he couldn't play the part himself, to "forget about it."

Writer Joyce Maynard, who wrote about her affair with Salinger, confirmed 50 years after the book was published that the only person he ever would consider to play the part of Caulfield would have been the author himself.

-The list of names interested in making the film is fascinating, but I'm glad it likely won't ever happen...thoughts?

The Scenario Series rolls on and goes into detail about the Screenplay categories, plus an Interview with Emily Blunt, and more on the Main Page!

Yes, The Awards Circuit is buzzing! Our annual Scenario articles are continuing on, and this newest one deals with Adapted and Original Screenplay. It can be found here, so check it out as usual.
There's also a new Interview for everyone to enjoy, this one with Emily Blunt. It's here, so read and enjoy!
Worth mentioning as well is a look at the long awaited release of The African Queen on DVD. That article can be found here, so take a gander at that as well.
Last, but not least, the Precursor page has been updated, so anyone looking to analyze who or what stands the best chance of a nomination Tuesday morning can go here and analyze to their heart's content!
-Thoughts on the new articles and interview?

Trailer for 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'

-Can Oliver Stone recapture the success of the first one?

R.I.P. JD. Salinger

Sad news today about one of the most interesting and popular authors of all time. From The New York Times Blog:

J.D. Salinger, the elusive and enigmatic author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” has died, The Associated Press reported. He was 91 and lived in Cornish, N.H.

The A.P. cited a statement from Mr. Salinger’s literary representative, saying that he died of natural causes at his home.

Published in 1951, “The Catcher in the Rye” became Mr. Salinger’s most famous work with its distinctive depiction of its angry, iconoclastic teenage protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Mr. Salinger frequently dealt with the subject of precocious youth in his short stories of the Glass family, as well as “Franny and Zooey,” a collection of two long short stories. He had not published a new work since 1965, and lived in near-total isolation, having refused the attention of the literary world and the news media for decades.

-Rest in peace...

The End of Miramax Films Arrives

As if we didn't see this coming...The Wrap has broken the story that the movie studio will close its Los Angeles and New York offices. Over 80 individuals will also join the millions that have lost their jobs. The film studio has on its shelf a few projects including Julie Taymor's The Tempest with Academy Award Winner Helen Mirren and Nominee Djimon Hounsou. Reports say they will be given either a tepid release or sold.

It's hard to believe at one point this was the same studio that brought the big award juggernauts, Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, and The English Patient.

Guess nothing lasts forever. R.I.P.

Getting Ready for Oscar Nominations Announcement

As we gear up for Tuesday morning's announcement for the 2009 movie year, I've been following this person on You Tube. He's from Brazil, and he has many of the Oscar morning announcements. I picked a few of my favorites, when the press claps for certain surprises and such. It's great to see the evolution of the announcement from 1990 all the way to our Forest Whitaker announcer last year. Anne Hathaway will be reading this year, which is cool but some of the best have done it in the past. Take a look. Comment. Which is your favorite?

The Sundance flick 'Blue Valentine' gets a Poster

Thoughts?

In case you haven't noticed, the Blog and Main Page look a little different...

...so let us know what you think! The Blog has a new color scheme to it, and the Main Page of The Awards Circuit has a feed so you can see the new blog posts. There's also a new Feedback option found on the About Us page here, so leave some feedback there too!
-Thoughts on the upgrades?

The Scenario Series continues on with the Supporting categories, along with Podcast #10 and the Davis Awards on the Main Page of The Awards Circuit!

Yes, the Main Page of The Awards Circuit has 3 top notch things for you to take a glance at today. We start off with the third installment of our annual Scenario Series, this one tackling what could happen with Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Check it out here and let us know what you think!
There's also the long awaited Podcast #10 for everyone to listen to. It's on the Sundance Film Festival and can be heard here, so be sure to tune in and comment.
Finally, we have the winners of the annual Davis Awards. The honorees from our fearless editor can be found here, so take a look and let us know how you like this year's edition.
Last, but not least, keep voting in the Awards Circuit Community Awards, as voting is coming down to the wire. Go here to vote and get your votes in!
-Thoughts on the next Scenario article, Podcast, Davis Awards, and what will happen with ACCA?

'The Kids Are All Right' is the next film to sell at Sundance...

...continuing today's sort of Sundance theme, as Focus Features has acquired this film. Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:

Lisa Cholodenko's drama-tinged comedy "The Kids Are All Right" has found a quick home after its packed, enthusiastic Monday night screening at the Library Theatre. Focus Features has acquired North American distribution rights -- plus rights to South Africa, the U.K. and Germany -- to the film after rabid interest from several buyers in the past 48 hours.

Immediately after the screening -- which reps from the Weinstein Co., Focus, Magnolia Pictures, Summit Entertainment and Fox Searchlight attended -- interest in a theatrical release ran rampant. Summit and Focus, in particular, were competing seriously for the pickup in the first post-screening 24 hours.

Ultimately, James Schamus' Focus sealed the deal with a bid of just under $5 million. Bart Walker and John Sloss of Cinetic Media handled the negotiations for the filmmakers.

Focus last acquired a Sundance entry when it picked up the comedy "Hamlet 2" for $10 million in 2008. That proved to be a bad bet when the film underperformed in theaters. Despite recent boxoffice disappointments, Focus scored its second-biggest hit to date last year with the $75 million-grossing "Coraline," and several Oscar wins for "Milk" took the gay politico biopic to $32 million.

"Kids" could break the streak, however, as it has a much more commercial feel than much of Focus' recent output. In the film, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star as a committed lesbian couple who have birthed and raised two teenagers together. When their daughter turns 18, she and her brother decide to reach out to their mothers' sperm donor, played by Mark Ruffalo, who gradually becomes an intimate part of all of their lives, with some positive and some disastrous results.

The film's raunchier scenes and graphic sexual material, along with its gay protagonists, as funny and sexy as they are, could cut into the film's potential boxoffice prospects. This edginess, however, could be leavened by the presence of a recognizable and likable cast well known by mainstream and indie audiences alike.

And with "Precious," last year's tough sell with its rapes, incest and general misery, racking up $45 million in U.S. theaters, hopes for this happy little gem aren't unreasonable.

Cholodenko's debut, "High Art," screened at the fest in 1998 and took home the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, while her follow-up, "Laurel Canyon," played there in 2003.

A number of Sundance titles -- "HappyThankYouMorePlease," "The Company Men," "The Tillman Story," "Splice," "Catfish" and "Winter's Bone" -- continue to wriggle toward distribution deals as buyers and sellers take their time to work out the release and P&A details.

Lionsgate nabbed the first big deal of the fest Sunday when it bought "Buried" for $3 million-$4 million. Paramount announced its pickup of the Davis Guggenheim documentary "Waiting for Superman" on Thursday afternoon as the festival opened as a Paramount Vantage title.

-The cast certainly has me interested in seeing it...

Speaking of Sundance, that's just what Podcast #10 is about!

Indeed, the long awaited Podcast #10 (sorry for the delays, both in how long it took to go from 9 to 10, and for how late in the festival this went up...technical difficulties) has arrived, and it's our take on what films to watch out for at the annual Sundance Film Festival. Be sure to go here and listen, and let us know what films coming out of Sundance you're eager to see!
-Thoughts on the newest Podcast?

Today's Posters (Sundance edition): Jack Goes Boating, Waiting for Superman, and 2 for High School

Thoughts?

Our next Article in the Scenario Series goes up, along with an Article on a certain underrated film...

Installment #2 of our annual Scenario Series is up on the Main Page of The Awards Circuit, and it covers the possibilities of Best Actor and Best Actress. It's an excellent read and a vital piece of potential information, so be sure to go here check it out!
We also have another article by the great John Foote, this one explaining his stance on one of the most underrated movies of the year. It's a great read, so read it here and let us know what you think.
-Thoughts on the articles?

Curious who will be announcing the Oscar Nominations on Tuesday morning?

Well, the actress chosen to present them is none other than Anne Hathaway. Here's the press release:

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards® will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and Oscar-nominated actress and Academy member Anne Hathaway.

Sherak and Hathaway will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 a.m. news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered. Nominations information for all categories will be distributed simultaneously to news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards Web site, www.oscar.com.

-I can't wait...

The Costume Designers Guild lets loose with its nominations!

Take a gander:

Fantasy

• Avatar (Mayes C. Rubeo, Deborah Lynn Scott)
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme)
• Star Trek (Michael Kaplan)

Contemporary

• (500) Days of Summer (Hope Hanafin)
• Bruno (Jason Alper)
• Crazy Heart (Doug Hall)
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Marina Draghici)
• Up in the Air (Danny Glicker)

Period

• Coco Before Channel (Catherine Leterrier)
• Julie & Julia (Ann Roth)
• Nine (Colleen Atwood)
• Sherlock Holmes (Jenny Beavan)
• The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell)

-Thoughts?

It's a pretty good week for DVD...

...though certainly not as good as a few weeks ago when we had our first tie for top honors. That won't happen again this week, but there's definitely good stuff to be found on DVD this time around. My choice for the PICK OF THE WEEK is a charming film that far too few people bothered to see. It's:
Whip It
Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is a winning combination of 'Rocky' and Girl Power, set in the world of roller derby. Ellen Page gives another excellent performance in the lead role and the supporting cast is top notch. This movie is one of the most fun flicks that I got to see in all of 2009, so give it a chance and enjoy!
-Also getting recommendations this week is Saw VI, the best film in the franchise since the original one. This one didn't have the audience that the former ones did, and that's a shame. We also have the good, but not great, period piece Bright Star. The film wasn't as good on a second viewing, but it's still far from a bad flick. Finally, there's also the film adaptation of the book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. This is essentially The Hangover remade, only not quite as good, but I still found it worth my time.
-The other releases this week all fall short for me. There's Clive Owen's all too safe drama The Boys Are Back, Bruce Willis going the sci-fi route again in the mediocre Surrogates, and Robert Pattinson playing Salvador Dali in Little Ashes. None of them were bad flicks, but they all could have been better.
-Last but not least is a rare film that I did not see. It's Michael Jackson's This Is It. If you're a fan, you'll likely want to own this. If you're not, then you'll steer clear, like I did. It's as simple as that...
-My Vintage pick this week is, in honor of Mel Gibson returning to screens with Edge of Darkness, an underrated film of his. It's We Were Soldiers, one of the better war films of our time, in my humble opinion. It's well worth a view if you haven't seen it yet.
-What will you be watching on DVD this week?

Our annual Scenario Series begins with a look at Best Picture and Best Director!

Indeed, the first in this series of articles is now up, focusing on what might happen with Best Picture and Best Director. While by no means covering all bases, this is about as good a look at what might happen with these categories as it gets. Check out the article here and be sure to let us know what you think!
-How do you see Best Picture and Director shaping up?

Eddie Izzard to host the Indie Spirit Awards!

Here's the story in Variety:

Film Independent has tapped Eddie Izzard as master of ceremonies for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 5.

The event's moved this year to LA Live in downtown Los Angeles from its usual beachside location in Santa Monica and will take place in the evening rather than the afternoon. Ceremonies will air Live on the Independent Film Channel.

"The Spirit Awards are known for celebrating filmmakers who can challenge audiences with their original storytelling and art, and the same applies to Eddie," said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson.

Izzard will next be seen in the independent film "Every Day" opposite Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt and Carla Cugino, and the documentary "Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story."

-Cool choice...

It's New Prediction day at The Awards Circuit!

Indeed, Clayton has updated all of his official predictions. Start with Best Picture here, and work your way through all of them. Be sure to let us know what you think!
We also have updated staff predictions, so go here and see how everyone here at The Awards Circuit sees the nominations shaking out.
John Foote also has an article on the best male performances of the decade. It's another great read, so go here and check that out!
-Thoughts on the new predictions and article?

Academy Idol 3: Top 7 (BAFTA Nominations)

We're down to seven films...Who are you going to vote for? Can you predict the bottom 3 this week? Who do you think deserves the title? Comment.

'Buried' becomes the first major purchase at Sundance this year...

...as it's picked up for release by Lionsgate. Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:

Lionsgate pulled off the first pickup at Sundance on Sunday, acquiring North American rights to the Ryan Reynolds-toplined man-in-a-coffin thriller “Buried” for just under $4 million.

Additionally, a source involved in the deal says Lionsgate has made a mid- to high-eight-figure P&A commitment on the film. Plans are to release “Buried” this year, and details on its rollout are still under discussion.

Rodrigo Cortes’ thriller launched the first heated bidding war in Park City after its Saturday midnight premiere. Screen Gems and Fox Searchlight were in an overnight race with Lionsgate for the film, ending just as Searchlight pulled out late Sunday afternoon.

Some were concerned about the claustrophobic nature of the thriller, which aims its camera at Reynolds as he attempts to break out of a coffin, from inside the coffin for 90 minutes. But buyers clearly felt it would be the first breakout hit of the festival.

-I look forward to seeing it...

The PGA Awards are being announced as I type this...

...and The Hurt Locker has taken home the top prize for film, with Up winning for Animated and The Cove for Documentary. Here's the complete winners list:

The Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television—Comedy

30 Rock

The Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television—Drama

Mad Men

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Non-Fiction Television

60 Minutes

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Live Entertainment and Competition Television

The Colbert Report

The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television

Grey Gardens

The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures

The Hurt Locker

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Up

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures

The Cove

-Thoughts?

The Awards Circuit Staff puts out their annual top 10 lists!

Yes, and this is a great opportunity to see what the year was like in film for each of us, especially John Foote and Jackson Truax, our newest Staff Writers. As for the Senior Staff Writers and our editor Clayton, some of the choices should be obvious to astute readers, but their should be some surprises as well. The list is here, but this is what came in at number one for each staff member:

Clayton: The Hurt Locker
Joey: Up in the Air
Myles: Inglourious Basterds
Keith: A Prophet
John: Up
Jackson: Nine

-Thoughts on each list?

100 Cheesiest Quotes of All Time

Alex, over at Film Misery, points out this very funny and lack of a better word, cheesy video with some of the funniest (It's Not a Tumor), stupidest (Gobble Gobble), and downright jaw dropping (I like having nice tits) quotes of movie history. Have a looksey!

Jack-in-the-Box Office for the weekend of January 22-24

Remember the Monty Python line: "Spam, Spam, Spam, and more Spam."

Well the Box Office is once again: "Avatar, Avatar, Avatar, and more Avatar."

Showing another minor decline in number of theaters and also in terms of revenue, James Cameron's space epic grossed another $36 million dollars to become the second highest-grossing movie of all time domestically and worldwide.

In other top five news: "Legion" got off to an impressive start with $18.2 million, making back the majority of its $26 million budget. "The Book of Eli" despite an almost 50% decline, added $17 million to its now $62 million total, which is most of its $80 million dollar budget. "The Tooth Fairy" is the second family movie this month that failed to re-capture the success of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" last year. "The Tooth Fairy," doing slightly better than "The Spy Next Door" last weekend, debuted at $14 million, a fraction of its $48 million budget, but enough that it could easily prove profitable in the coming weeks. In fifth place was "The Lovely Bones" in its third week. After a marketing campaign originally aimed at older female moviegoers who gave the film a more tepid response, Paramount managed to salvage what looked like a sinking box-office ship by changing their target audience to younger women who appear to be taking to the movie quite well. Peter Jackson's adaptation of the best-selling novel grossed $8.8 million this week, bringing its domestic total to $31.6 million, almost half of its $65 million dollar budget.

The week's other major debut "Extraordinary Measures," debuted with an underwhelming $7 million, a small part of its $31 million dollar budget.

In highest per-screen average news, last weeks top two films in this race simple switched places as the top prize went to "Crazy Heart" which earned $1.4 million on 93 screens, brining its total to $3.9 million. In second place was last week's winner "The Last Station," which grossed $110,300 on eight screens, bringing its total to $230,700.

Please let us know what movies you're surprised did so well, surprised did so poorly, or just simply cannot wait to see.

Forbes magazine tells us what the 15 biggest flops of the last 5 years were...

Here's the 15 least successful films (financially) of the last 5 years, according to this article here in Forbes Magazine:

1. All the King's Men
2. The Express
3. Stay
4. Grindhouse
5. Imagine That
6. The Fountain
7. The Invasion
8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
9. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
10. The Love Guru
11. School for Scoundrels
12. Land of the Lost
13. Meet Dave
14. Aeon Flux
15. The Producers

-Thoughts on why these films flopped?

Live Blogging the Screen Actor's Guild Awards

Welcome to our live coverage of this year's Screen Actor's Guild awards. The pre-show begins at 4:30 with the awards beginning at 5:00 on TNT. I'm watching and blogging on West Coast time, but wherever you are, please follow along. Like everyone else has done so far, I'll make sure to list the times of each post to make it easier to follow along. Please feel free to use this post to comment on anything I'm posting or anything else relating to the evening's events. I'll try and respond to as many people as I can throughout the course of the evening. Enjoy the show!

4:25 - The actual red carpet arrivals began at least half an hour ago. Why is TNT showing us "Titanic"?

4:27 - If "The Hurt Locker" wins Best Ensemble tonight, it's the Best Picture frontrunner again. If it doesn't, the race is getting more interesting.

4:31 - With 120,000 SAG members nationwide, the films with the highest B.O. always have the highest advantage. Think Ruby Dee for "American Gangster". Will that happen tonight?

4:32 - Someone was smart and put a cover over the red carpet tonight.

4:33 - Am I the only one who doesn't recognize any of the red carpet hosts?

4:35 - Meryl Streep should be illegal. The great actress of all time is such a class act. And after all these years, she still the thinking man's sex symbol.

4:37 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus: You're red carpet interview was just bad. Not good.

4:38 - The red carpet interviews seem to be mercifully short and far less awkward tonight. Billy Bush could learn something from watching this.

4:42 - Morgan Freeman deserves a better interviewer than this. He didn't copy Nelson Mandela, he became him.

4:44 - Steve Carell was hysterical. I don't know a Michael Scott. I know I am one.

4:46 - Holly Hunter. That's all I'm saying. Except that everyone in Hollywood should be ashamed that she doesn't star in three movies a year.

4:48 - Party foul for not remembering the name of Betty White's last film "The Proposal". She did an amazing job of answering the question by talking about that film and the last movie she filmed.

4:51 - Best dressed/Best looking so far - Gabourey Sidibe looking stunning in blue.

4:53 - Kevin Bacon never got the lead roles he deserved. Another tragedy.

4:54 - I wonder if Colin Firth had Tom Ford dress him tonight. Either way, he's another class act.

4:56 - Final Predictions - The Hurt Locker, Bridges, Streep, Mo'nique, Waltz

4:58 - Haven't you heard Sandra Bullock talk about why the took the role enough lately?

4:59 - Mo'Nique was charming, funny, and great looking in white.

5:00 - AND THEY'RE DRINKING TONIGHT! LET THE DRUNKEN SPEECHES COMMENCE!!!!!!!

5:02 - So the men in Hollywood forgot to shave this morning?

5:06 - Male actor in a comedy series - Alec Baldwin, who showed up tonight.

5:12 - Female actress in a comedy series - Tiny Fey

5:26 - Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Glee

5:31 - Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz

5:42 - Female actor in a Drama Series - Julianna Margulies

5:44 - Male actor in a Drama Series - Michael C. Hall

5:47 - Best Ensemble in a Drama Series - Mad Men

6:12 - Congrats to SAG who, unlike the Academy, aren't forgetting where they came from this year and broadcast their lifetime achievement award and a heartening tribute to Betty White.

6:17 - Everyone break out the tissues - the tribute to the Actors who passed away this year is next.

6:21 - Female actor in a mini-series or T.V. movie - Drew Barrymore

6:23 - Drew Barrymore hasn't worked much on public speaking since the Golden Globes last week.

6:27 - Male actor in a mini-series or T.V. movie - Kevin Bacon

6:34 - I've always said that the Academy can learn a lot from the SAG awards, and the tribute section is a prime example of that.

6:40 - Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique

6:45 - Mo'Nique gave the best speech of the night so far. The "Nine" women looked magnificent, and yes, Morgan Freeman should announce everything, ever.

6:51 - Best Actor - Jeff Bridges

6:56 - Best Actress - Sandra Bullock, and now we have our Oscar race: Bullock vs. Streep.

7:02 - Best Ensemble - Inglourious Basterds, the spoiler in the Best Picture race. Or is this the contender that "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" are now?

7:04 - That's a wrap folks. See you around the Circuit.

Academy Idol 3: Top 8 Results

Surprised? I know I was. Please share your reaction in the comments.

We will be Live Blogging the Screen Actors Guild Awards...

...and this time, it'll be the young buck Jackson Truax taking the helm. Be on the lookout for the blogging to start sometime before the show gets underway. In the meantime, feel free to deliberate about what SAG will do in the comments.
-Enjoy!

Today's Posters: The Runaways, The Ghost Writer, The Wolfman, and Repo Men

Thoughts?

Scorsese making a kids flick as his next project?

Apparently so, according to this in Variety:

Martin Scorsese is eyeing a trip back in time to 1930s Paris.

The helmer is in talks with GK Films to direct Brian Selznick's best-selling children's book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" for what he hopes will be his next project. Pic would reunite Scorsese with his "Departed" producer Graham King.

Story centers on a 12-year-old orphan named Hugo, who lives in a train station and must finish what his late father started by solving the mystery of a broken robot. Project would mark Scorsese's first foray into kid lit -- a genre that is attracting a number of high-profile directors including Wes Anderson ("The Fantastic Mr. Fox") and Spike Jonze ("Where the Wild Things Are"), whose films are resonating with adult audiences.

"Hugo," which won the Randolph Caldecott Medal in 2008 for the most distinguished American picture book for children, is a mammoth tome at 533 pages. More than half of the pages contain elaborate pictures that the New York Times described as looking like movie storyboard frames. "Ice Age" helmer Chris Wedge was previously attached to direct "Hugo Cabret," which was a long-running Times best-seller.

GK Films will independently produce the live-action feature and is in discussions with a number of studios including Sony and Paramount about distributing "Hugo Cabret." Currently on the fast track for a June 1 start in London, pic is also being produced by Scorsese, Tim Headington and Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil, which is run by Christi Dembrowski.

John Logan, who wrote Scorsese's "The Aviator," adapted the screenplay.

Scorsese's "Shutter Island," which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, will unspool next month for Paramount.

-Thoughts on this potential project?

4 quick Clips from the Sundance premiering film HOWL

Take a look:

-I'm a huge fan of Beat poetry and the poem that is the film's namesake, so I'm awfully interested in this. Word out of Sundance is mixed so far, but we'll see (also look for an upcoming Podcast to deal with some of the films playing at Sundance)...thoughts?

The Motion Picture Sound Editors announce their nominations!

Behold:

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR Animation in a Feature Film
“9”
“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”
“Coraline”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“Monsters vs. Aliens”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“Up”

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in a Foreign Feature Film
“An Education”
“The Baader Meinhof Complex”
“Coco Before Chanel”
“District 9”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“Red Cliff”

Best Sound Editing: Music in a Feature Film
“2012”
“(500) Days of Summer”
“An Education”
“Avatar”
“The Informant!”
“It’s Complicated”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“Star Trek”

Best Sound Editing: Music in a Musical Feature Film
“Crazy Heart”
“Every Little Step”
“Nine”
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It”

Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film
“(500) Days of Summer”
“A Serious Man”
“Avatar”
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglorious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“The Stoning of Soraya M.”

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film
“2012”
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglorious Basterds”
“Push”
“Star Trek”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
“Watchmen”

-Thoughts?

Worried that 'The Hurt Locker' can't win Best Picture because of its low Box Office? Fear not...

...because it's making a proverbial killing on DVD. An article from Reuters (found here) gives a taste of that, but suffice to say, the film will not suffer nearly as much from a small gross as some people think. Will it be able to win Best Picture? Who knows, but it won't lose the race solely due to money, that's for sure.
-Thoughts on what the film's chances look like?

We have our first purchase of the Sundance Film Festival!

Interestingly, it's a documentary. Here's the story from Variety:

There was no time for Hollywood to get acclimated to the snow and altitude before the first major deal of the Sundance Film Festival was announced, Paramount's acquisition of Davis Guggenheim documentary "Waiting for Superman" for release in the U.S. this fall.

Robert Redford had only just begun his opening press conference in Park City when news of the sale came. He said with this year's line-up - -- where "Waiting for Superman" is playing in competition -- the fest is hoping to return more than ever to it's roots.

Par picked up worldwide rights to the film for an undisclosed price. "Waiting for Superman," which world preems at the fest Friday, was produced by Participant Media and examines the public education crisis in the U.S.

Deal reunites Paramount, Guggenheim and Participant, the team behind "Inconvenient Truth," which was also acquired at Sundance and grossed nearly $50 million worldwide. "Waiting for Superman" will be released under the Paramount Vantage label, but marketed and distributed by big Par.

For years, Redford and longtime fest director Geoffrey Gilmore wrestled with how to combat the the glam factor and commercialism that had sprung up around the festival.

"I felt that were sliding, I felt that we were beginning to flatline. We needed to get fresh again," said Redford, adding that the effort just happened to coincide with Gilmore's departure. Gilmore was succeeded by his longtime lieutenant, John Cooper.

"He [Gilmore] did an amazing job for many, many years. It was simply time for fresh new blood, and I think you have to keep rejuvenating yourself from time to time, and so that's what was happening," Redford continued.

Redford said the fest's hands have been tied in terms of combating the "ambush marketers that took over Main Street, took over houses, paid four times the amount of money so they could market their own product, and hand out swag and get celebrities to come. So then you end up with Paris Hilton, which doesn't have anything to do with us."

This year's line-up of films playing at Sundance looks particularly promising to buyers.

Opening night films "Howl" and docu "Restrepo" were also expected to draw buyer interest.

"Waiting for Superman's" sale was considered a fortuitous sign (even if it was technically negotiated before the fest).

Par does face one hurdle: the "Superman" name belongs to Warner Bros. and must be cleared with the Motion Picture Assn. of America

"Waiting for Superman" features several leaders in education, including Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Harlem Children's Zone prexy-CEO Geoffrey Canada, Washington, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Knowledge is Power program founders David Levin and Mike Feinberg.

Acquisition was announced by Paramount Film Group prexy Adam Goodman and Participant Media CEO Jim Berk. Film was produced by Lesley Chilcott and exec produced by Participant's Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann. Guggenheim penned the script with Billy Kimball.

"With these two great partners, Participant Media and Paramount Pictures, we have a chance to create public awareness around this issue, and this is the only way we can make real change in our children's schools," said Guggenheim.

The festival also announced a "surprise" addition to the Spotlight section: "Exit Through the Gift Shop," a "pseudo-documentary" about mysterious street artist Banksy. Film premieres Sunday.

-Thoughts on the doc's potential?

Buried, one of the more interesting films at Sundance this year, gets a Teaser Trailer!

I've heard a lot of good things about this script (I'll be reading it shortly to see if it's as good as some people have claimed), but for now we have only this intriguing teaser to work with:

-We'll know if it's any good when it plays in the coming days at Sundance...thoughts?

Are voters having trouble coming up with 10 films to nominate for Best Picture?

Pete Hammond certainly thinks so in his article here. I held off a few days on posting this, but it's got some real traction, so I figure I'll let you guys and gals chime in on the situation. If the article holds water (and I'm not 100% convinced that it does), then besides the movies that EVERYONE knows of, the smaller titles that in other years would have no chance certainly now have a chance, and perhaps a larger one than we realize. Here's a little piece of the article that sort of sums up his point:
-However, as the 5 p.m. Saturday deadline for turning in ballots listing those 10 choices looms for voters, there are a remarkable number of academy members who have yet to make up their minds and actually send them in to the PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants.-
-Do you think this is a situation that will make for some interesting nominations come February 2nd? If so, which?

Behold the BAFTA nominations!

Take a gander:

Best Film
“Avatar”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Precious”
“Up in the Air”

Best British Film
“An Education”
“Fish Tank”
“In the Loop”
“Moon”
“Nowhere Boy”

Best Director
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Neill Blomkamp, “District 9”
Lone Scherfig, “An Education”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”

The Cinema Audio Society also posts their nominees!

Sorry for the delay. The CAS nominees are:

Avatar
Re-recording Mixers:
Chris Boyes
Gary Summers
Andy Nelson
Production Mixer:
Tony Johnson, CAS

District 9
Re-recording Mixers:
Michael Hedges
Gilbert Lake
Production Mixer:
Ken Saville

The Hurt Locker
Re-recording Mixers:
Paul N.J. Ottosson
Production Mixer: Ray Beckett

Star Trek
Re-recording Mixers: Andy Nelson
Anna Behlmer
Production Mixer: Peter J. Devlin, CAS

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Re-recording Mixers:
Greg P. Russell, CAS
Gary Summers
Production Mixer:
Geoffrey Patterson, CAS

-Thoughts?

IFC Films picks up Todd Solodnz's 'Life During Wartime' for distribution

The Hollywood Reporter has the story:

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Todd Solodnz's "Life During Wartime," which won the best screenplay award at the Venice International Film Festival, where it debuted.

A quasi-sequel to the filmmaker's 1998 "Happiness," the film stars Shirley Henderson, Ciaran Hinds, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Charlotte Rampling, Ally Sheedy and Michael Kenneth Williams.

It will be distributed during the summer via the IFC in Theaters platform, which releases movies simultaneously in theaters and on VOD.

"Wartime" was produced by Christine Kunewa Walker and Derrick Tseng and exec produced by Elizabeth Redleaf and Mike S. Ryan for Werc Werk Works.

-I look forward to seeing it...

The International Cinemaphile Society announces their nominees!

Here they are:

PICTURE
• 35 Shots of Rum
• Bright Star
• District 9
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• A Serious Man
• Tokyo Sonata
• Up In The Air
• The White Ribbon

DIRECTOR
• Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
• Neill Blomkamp – District 9
• Ethan & Joel Coen – A Serious Man
• Michael Haneke – The White Ribbon
• Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
• 35 Shots of Rum
• The Beaches of Agnès
• Broken Embraces
• The Headless Woman
• Lorna’s Silence
• O’Horten
• Ponyo
• Still Walking
• Summer Hours
• Tokyo Sonata
• The White Ribbon

ACTOR
• Sharlto Copley – District 9
• Colin Firth – A Single Man
• Joaquin Phoenix – Two Lovers
• Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker
• Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man

ACTRESS
• Abbie Cornish – Bright Star
• Catalina Saavedra – The Maid
• Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
• Meryl Streep – Julie and Julia
• Tilda Swinton – Julia

SUPPORTING ACTOR
• Peter Capaldi – In the Loop
• Anthony Mackie – The Hurt Locker
• Christian McKay – Me and Orson Welles
• Jérémie Renier – Lorna’s Silence
• Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
• Penelope Cruz – Broken Embraces
• Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air
• Diane Kruger – Inglourious Basterds
• Melanie Laurent – Inglourious Basterds
• Mo’Nique – Precious

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
• 35 Shots of Rum – Claire Denis & Jean-Pol Fargeau
• The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal
• Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino
• A Serious Man – Ethan & Joel Coen
• Summer Hours – Olivier Assayas
• The White Ribbon – Michael Haneke

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
• District 9 – Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
• Fantastic Mr. Fox – Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
• In the Loop – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
• A Single Man – Tom Ford & David Scearce
• Up in the Air – Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
• Where the Wild Things Are – Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers

CINEMATOGRAPHY
• Antichrist – Anthony Dod Mantle
• Bright Star – Greig Fraser
• Inglourious Basterds – Robert Richardson
• A Serious Man – Roger Deakins
• The White Ribbon – Christian Berger

EDITING
• Broken Embraces – José Salcedo
• District 9 – Julian Clarker
• The Hurt Locker – Chris Innis & Bob Murawski
• Inglourious Basterds – Sally Menke
• A Serious Man – Roderick Jaynes

PRODUCTION DESIGN
• Avatar – Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg
• Fantastic Mr. Fox – Nelson Lowry
• Inglourious Basterds – David Wasco
• A Serious Man – Jess Gonchor
• A Single Man – Dan Bishop

ORIGINAL SCORE
• Fantastic Mr. Fox – Alexandre Desplat
• Ponyo – Joe Hisaishi
• A Single Man – Abel Korzeniowski
• Star Trek – Michael Giacchino
• Up – Michael Giacchino

ENSEMBLE
• In the Loop
• Inglourious Basterds
• A Serious Man
• Summer Hours
• The White Ribbon

ANIMATED FILM
• Coraline
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Mary and Max
• Ponyo
• Up

DOCUMENTARY
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil
• The Beaches of Agnès
• The Cove
• Of Time and the City
• The September Issue

-Thoughts?