Monthly Archives: December 2012
Oscar Vault Monday – Born Yesterday, 1950 (dir. George Cukor)
I absolutely adore this film. Since it was recently added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, I thought it would be a great time to explore this film. It’s one that is often overlooked and I think there’s some irrational anger aimed at it because of Judy Holliday’s win over both Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. and Bette Davis in All About Eve. But I think that is a load of baloney. This is a great film and while Holliday’s performance may not have reached the iconic status of those other two performances, it is most definitely a deserved win. Billie Dawn is a remarkable character and Holliday plays her to perfection. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one: Best B&W Costume Design, Best Screenplay, Best Actress Judy Holliday (won), Best Director and Best Picture. The other films nominated for Best Picture that year were Father of the Bride, King Solomon’s Mines, Sunset Blvd. and winner All About Eve.
Movie Quote of the Day – Elf, 2003 (dir. Jon Favreau)
Buddy: Who the heck are you?
Gimbel’s Santa: What are you talkin’ about? I’m Santa Claus.
Buddy: No, you’re not.
Gimbel’s Santa: Uh, why of course I am! Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
Buddy: Well, if you’re Santa, what song did I sing for you on your birthday this year?
Gimbel’s Santa: Um, Happy Birthday of course. Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. How old are you son?
Kid with Santa: Four.
Gimbel’s Santa: You’re a big boy. What’s your name?
Kid with Santa: Paul.
Gimbel’s Santa: Now what can I get you for Christmas?
Buddy: Don’t tell him what you want, he’s a liar.
Gimbel’s Santa: Let the kid talk.
Buddy: You disgust me! How can you live with yourself?
Gimbel’s Santa: Just cool it, Zippy.
Buddy: You sit on a throne of lies.
Gimbel’s Santa: Look, I’m not kiddin’.
Buddy: You’re a fake.
Gimbel’s Santa: I’m a fake?
Buddy: Yes!
Gimbel’s Santa: How’d you like to be dead, huh? Ho, ho, just kidding.
Buddy: You stink.
Gimbel’s Santa: I think you’re gonna have a good Christmas, all right.
Buddy: You smell like beef and cheese, you don’t smell like Santa. [rips off beard] He’s a fake!!!
Movie Quote of the Day – The Princess Diaries, 2001 (dir. Garry Marshall)
Mia: Hey, Joe?
Joe: Mmm-hmmm?
Mia: I’m gonna turn the backseat into a dressing room so I can change into a proper outfit for Madame, okay?
Joe: Okay. And don’t forget the shoes.
Mia: Ahh, thanks.
Joe: Strange town, San Francisco. When I purchased the pumps, they asked if I wanted them wrapped or if I was going to wear them.
Movie Quote of the Day – 2 Days in New York, 2012 (dir. Julie Delpy)
Mingus: So you’re not dead. I said I wasn’t gonna get mad, but you know what. . .where have you been?!
Marion: I’m sorry I couldn’t call you. My phone ran out of battery and then I was trying to get my soul back and he. . .ate it.
Mingus: Who ate what?
Marion: Vincent Gallo.
Movie Quote of the Day – 21 Jump Street, 2012 (dir. Phil Lord & Chris Miller)
Captain Dickson: Rule number two. Burns?
Burns: Do not have sexual relations with students or teachers, sir.
Captain Dickson: You hear that? That’s you. Don’t do it, man.
Jenko: What?
Captain Dickson: Keep that dirty dick in your pants. Don’t fuck no students, don’t fuck no teachers. . .
Schmidt: Sir, I know we come off as a couple of lady-killers, but I promise you, we will be super professional on the job. . .
Captain Dickson: Clearly I wasn’t talking to you, big-titties. You cherub-looking motherfucker. I was talking to your partner here. Fake-ass Handsome McGee. When I’m talking to him, I’m talking to him. When I say “shut the fuck up,” I’m talking to you.
“The Matrix,” “A Christmas Story” Among the 25 Films Added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registery
In order to be added a film must be at least ten years old and be considered, “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” You can see this year’s list below.
- 3:10 to Yuma, 1957 (dir. Delmar Daves)
- Anatomy of a Murder, 1959 (dir. Otto Preminger)
- The Augustas, 1930s-1950s (dir. Scott Nixon)
- Born Yesterday, 1950 (dir. George Cukor)
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961 (dir. Blake Edwards)
- A Christmas Story, 1983 (dir. Bob Clark)
- The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Title Fight, 1897
- Dirty Harry, 1971 (dir. Don Siegel)
- Hours for Jerome: Parts 1 and 2, 1980-82 (dir. Nathaniel Dorsky)
- The Kidnappers Foil, 1930s-1950 (dir. Melton Barker)
- Kodachrome Color Motion Picture Tests, 1922
- A League of Their Own, 1992 (dir. Penny Marshall)
- The Matrix, 1999 (dir. the Wachowskis)
- The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair, 1939
- One Survivor Remembers, 1995 (dir. Kary Antholis)
- Parable, 1964
- Samsara: Death and Rebirth of Cambodia, 1990 (dir. Ellen Bruno)
- Slacker, 1991 (dir. Richard Linklater)
- Sons of the Desert, 1933 (dir. William A. Seiter)
- The Spook Who Sat by the Door, 1973 (dir. Ivan Dixon)
- They Call It Pro Football, 1967
- The Times of Harvey Milk, 1984 (dir. Rob Epstein)
- Two-Lane Blacktop, 1971 (dir. Monte Hellman)
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1914 (dir. William Robert Daly)
- The Wishing Ring; An Idyll of Old England, 1914 (dir. Maurice Tourneur)
Movie Quote of the Day – Donnie Darko, 2001 (dir. Richard Kelly)
Donnie: I made a new friend.
Dr. Lilian Thurman: Real or imaginary?
Donnie: Imaginary.
“The Master” Named Best Picture, Kathryn Bigelow Best Director By San Francisco Film Critics Circle
Best Picture: “The Master”
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal for “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner for “Lincoln”
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for “The Master”
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva for “Amour”
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones for “Lincoln”
Best Supporting Actress: Helen Hunt for “The Sessions”
Best Animated Feature: “ParaNorman”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Amour”
Best Documentary: “The Waiting Room”
Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for “Life of Pi”
Best Film Editing: William Goldenberg for “Argo”
Best Production Design: Adam Stockhausen for “Moonrise Kingdom”
Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community: Peter Nicks for “The Waiting Room.” Nicks’ vérité portrait of grace under pressure in an Oakland, Calif. emergency room addresses the U.S. health care crisis in human terms that transcend partisan debate
Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema: “Girl Walk//All Day” This Jacob Krupnick film turns an already-lively album of pop and hip hop mashups into a joyous celebration of music, dance and community shot guerilla style on the streets on New York City
“Argo” Tops San Diego Film Critics Awards
BEST FILM –
- ARGO
- DJANGO UNCHAINED
- SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
- THE MASTER
- ZERO DARK THIRTY
BEST DIRECTOR –
- Ben Affleck, ARGO
- Ang Lee, LIFE OF PI
- David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
- Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY
- Paul Thomas Anderson, THE MASTER
BEST ACTRESS –
- Michelle Williams, TAKE THIS WALTZ
- Helen Hunt, THE SESSIONS
- Jennifer Lawrence, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
- Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY
- Naomi Watts, THE IMPOSSIBLE
BEST ACTOR –
- Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN
- Bradley Cooper, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
- Hugh Jackman, LES MISERABLES
- Joaquin Phoenix, THE MASTER
- John Hawkes, THE SESSIONS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS –
- Emma Watson, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
- Amy Adams, THE MASTER
- Anne Hathaway, LES MISERABLES
- Rebel Wilson, PITCH PERFECT
- Samantha Barks, LES MISERABLES
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR –
- Christoph Waltz, DJANGO UNCHAINED
- Alan Arkin, ARGO
- Christopher Walken, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
- Matthew McConaughey, KILLER JOE
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, THE MASTER
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY –
- Paul Thomas Anderson, THE MASTER
- Quentin Tarantino, DJANGO UNCHAINED
- Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, MOONRISE KINGDOM
- Sarah Polley, TAKE THIS WALTZ
- Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY –
- Chris Terrio, ARGO
- David Magee, LIFE OF PI
- Tony Kushner, LINCOLN
- David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
- Stephen Chbosky, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM –
- THE KID WITH A BIKE
- AMOUR
- HEADHUNTERS
- HOLY MOTORS
- THE INTOUCHABLES
BEST DOCUMENTARY –
- THE INVISIBLE WAR
- BULLY
- JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
- QUEEN OF VERSAILLES
- SAMSARA
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY –
- Claudio Miranda, LIFE OF PI
- Ben Richardson, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
- Robert Richardson, DJANGO UNCHAINED
- Danny Cohen, LES MISERABLES
- Mihai Malaimare Jr., THE MASTER
BEST ANIMATED FILM –
- PARANORMAN
- BRAVE
- FRANKENWEENIE
- RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
- WRECK-IT RALPH
BEST EDITING –
- William Goldenberg, ARGO
- Brian A. Kates and John Paul Horstmann, KILLING THEM SOFTLY
- Tim Squyres, LIFE OF PI
- Leslie Jones and Peter McNulty, THE MASTER
- William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor, ZERO DARK THIRTY
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN –
- Hugh Bateup and Uli Hanisch, CLOUD ATLAS
- Sarah Greenwood, ANNA KARENINA
- Sharon Seymour, ARGO
- Eve Stewart, LES MISERABLES
- Adam Stockhausen, MOONRISE KINGDOM
BEST SCORE –
- Jonny Greenwood, THE MASTER
- Alexandre Desplat, ARGO
- Benh Zeitlin and Dan Romer, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
- Mychael Danna, LIFE OF PI
- Alexandre Desplat, MOONRISE KINGDOM
BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE–
- THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
- ARGO
- DJANGO UNCHAINED
- LES MISERABLES
- SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
BODY OF WORK FOR 2012–
- Greig Fraser (cinematographer: ZERO DARK THIRTY, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN)
KYLE COUNTS AWARD–
- Dan Bennett, Member Emeritus SDFCS, former North County Times Film Critic, Festival Director of the San Diego International Children’s Film Festival
“Lincoln” Leads Houston Film Critics Awards Nominations
Best Picture
- “Argo”
- “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- “Cloud Atlas”
- “Django Unchained”
- “Lincoln”
- “The Master”
- “Les Miserables”
- “Moonrise Kingdom”
- “Silver Linings Playbook”
- “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Director
- Ben Affleck, “Argo”
- Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”
- Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”
- Tom Hooper, “Les Miserables”
- Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Actor
- Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
- John Hawkes, “The Sessions”
- Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables”
- Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
- Denzel Washington, “Flight”
Best Actress
- Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
- Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
- Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”
- Quvenzhane Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
Best Supporting Actor
- Alan Arkin, “Argo”
- Javier Bardem, “Skyfall”
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
- Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
- Matthew McConaughey, “Magic Mike”
Best Supporting Actress
- Amy Adams, “The Master”
- Judi Dench, “Skyfall”
- Sally Field, “Lincoln”
- Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
- Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
Best Screenplay
- “Argo”
- “Lincoln”
- “Looper”
- “Silver Linings Playbook”
- “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Cinematography
- “Life of Pi”
- “Lincoln”
- “The Master”
- “Les Miserables”
- “Skyfall”
Best Original Score
- “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- “Cloud Atlas”
- “Hitchcock”
- “Life of Pi”
- “Lincoln”
- “The Master”
- “Skyfall”
Best Original Song
- “Skyfall,” “Skyfall”
- “Suddenly,” “Les Miserables”
- “Song of the Lonely Mountain,” “The Hobbit”
- “Learn Me Right,” “Brave”
- “Touch the Sky,” “Brave”
Best Foreign Language Film
- “Amour”
- “The Intouchables”
- “Holy Motors”
- “A Royal Affair”
- “Rust and Bone”
Best Animated Film
- “Brave”
- “Frankenweenie”
- “ParaNorman”
- “Rise of the Guardians”
- “Wreck-It Ralph”
Worst Film of 2012
- “Anna Karenina”
- “Battleship”
- “Prometheus”
- “That’s My Boy”
- “The Three Stooges”
the diary of a film history fanatic 