National Board of Review Preview (and No Guts, No Glory)

Posted by Sasha Stone on Nov 30, 2011 in NBR | 134 comments

Tomorrow, the National Board of Review announces its top ten.  Although the New York Film Critics stole their thunder, and many of my colleagues write them off as being irrelevant, it’s hard not to notice their track record.  They’ve been awarding films headed for Best Picture for many a decade.  It’s extremely rare to win the NBR and not at least be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The same can’t be said for either the NYFCC or LAFCA.  Like them or not, they are one of the most powerful predictors of the Oscars.

Last year, when the Social Network swept the awards, it became the first time one film won as many NBR awards but didn’t go on to win the Best Picture Oscar.  Let’s not rehash it.

They seem to love Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg.  This is why I think War Horse will win the National Board of Review tomorrow and Steven Spielberg Best Director, launching it into the race, if it wasn’t in the race already.  The only other film I think might win would be The Artist.  The Descendants has a chance too. Anything else winning would be a surprise.

My No Guts, No Glory pick for Best Picture at the NBR is Moneyball, which has virtually no shot.

For BEST ACTOR I think it will be either Brad Pitt for Moneyball or George Clooney for The Descendants.  BEST ACTRESS I think is either going to be Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady or Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn.  SUPPORTING ACTRESS I think will be Jessica Chastain again, and Supporting Actor I will guess Albert Brooks again.

If you’d like to enter our contest predicting the NBR you may do so HERE. If you already entered in the previous contest, you don’t have to do it twice.  CLICK HERE

My top ten predictions and the films that have been nominated for the National Board of Review after the cut.

Are The Muppets headed for the Golden Globes?

Posted by Sasha Stone on Nov 30, 2011 in Golden Globes | 22 comments

In one week The Muppets have earned $43 million, and with Christmas around the corner, it’s a cinch Kermit and Co. have the legs to dance past $100 mil with ease. (Adjusted for inflation, The Muppets Movie in 1979 brought in $210 mil.) Audiences (53% female) have awarded The Muppets an “A” CinemaScore, and it’s the second-highest ranked comedy of the year on Metacritic.  Along with Bridesmaids, it’s the funniest movie of 2011 and fits the criteria as most tuneful musical too.

Is it any wonder buzz is building for  The Muppets to break free of the kid niche and hit the big-time with a nomination for Best Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes?  In fact, The Muppets benefits from the same level of affection many are feeling for The Artist– nobody says anything bad about The Muppets, and even those who don’t adore them can’t help feeling really fond of them.  That’s the kind of genial warmth and goodwill that prompts an automatic check-off on awards ballots.

The Muppets will be great fun on the campaign circuit, too, as you can see in the clip after the cut.

Sundance lineup for feature films in competition

Posted by Sasha Stone on Nov 30, 2011 in Sundance | 12 comments

Sundance will premiere 16 American narrative feature films, and 26 films in the world cinema dramatic and documentary competitions. (via LATimes)

U.S. Dramatic Competition:

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”: In this mythological tale inspired by the coastal erosion crisis facing the communities of southern Louisiana, a 6-year-old Bayou Don Quixote sets out to find her long-lost mother when her father is beset by a mysterious illness. Director: Benh Zeitlin. Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar. Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry.

First Look at Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

Posted by Sasha Stone on Nov 30, 2011 in Uncategorized | 64 comments

Brad Pitt, Celebrity and a Random Act of Kindness

Posted by Sasha Stone on Nov 30, 2011 in Brad Pitt, SUPPORTING ACTOR | 56 comments

Jonah Hill, Dave Karger, Brad Pitt

Photo posted on JustJared

I was invited to a special screening for Moneyball on the Sony lot.  If you’ve never been there, or don’t live on the Westside, it’s quite a trek out to Culver City.  I’m almost always late, and I can’t find the right driveway, not ever.  Once on the lot, I often get lost trying to find the right theater, and then get lost again trying to find my car.  It’s never my favorite place to see a movie (that would be the Academy’s theater on Wilshire in Beverly Hills — it’s the place movie lovers call Heaven) because I hate driving those freeways — the 405, the 10, Overland exit, Motor Avenue and then finally, there’s Sony.  But it was worth it this time because I was getting to see one of the best films of 2011: Moneyball.