Harmony Korine is passionate about making films his way. “I just want to be the greatest of all time — the greatest that ever did it,” said Spring Breakers director, who described his latest work as “beach noir.” I sat down with Korine at Movieline’s New York office for an in-depth discussion about Spring Breakers in-depth. Korine talked about how society is still shocked by violent female criminals, his liberal use of nudity in the movie, and the way he likes to work with his actors. “Once (they’re) in character, and understand the story and the world, it all becomes perfect,” he said. “There’s nothing they can do wrong.” Spring Breakers features current Disney star James Franco and former Disney stars Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez in a story about a trip to Florida that takes a dark turn. The film has striking visuals and I asked Korine if that quality is what makes his films so high-concept. “Yeah, I think they’re completely high-concept. I think they’re also like the lowest concept,” he said. “It’s like where retardation and transcendence intersect.” Check out my full interview below: Follow Grace Randolph on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The parody Twitter account that bore Amour director Michael Haneke’s name actually got a few things right about the Austrian director. On Thursday, Benjamin Lee, the Shortlist.com Deputy Editor who, earlier this week, revealed himself to be the prankster behind the memorably loopy @Michael_Haneke parody Twitter feed, wrote about learning that the real Haneke is more of a “goofball” than he expected. And a cat lover, too. Benjamin Lee On The Real Vs. Fake Michael Haneke Twitter Account In a column for the British newspaper, The Guardian , Lee explained that he had started the Twitter account as a “purposely lowbrow” response to the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s “chilly, occasionally pretentious demeanour” and his contempt for the mainstream. Part of the fake Haneke’s shtick included repeated references to his “stinky cat,” which Lee explained, ” was a recurring joke made to distance the two Hanekes even more, not being able to imagine the director of The White Ribbon making so many references to his cat’s flatulence.” Lee has since learned that the two Hanekes are a bit closer than he imagined. While watching Yves Montmayeur’s documentary about Haneke, Michael H. – Profession: Director, he wrote that he was shocked to discover that Haneke actually is “the proud owner of more than one cat, a fact that few people know.” He also noted: “In the documentary, however, Haneke comes off as refreshingly candid. He has a charming sense of humour. Not that I had thought him humourless (there are darkly comic moments in The Piano Teacher and Funny Games ), but I hadn’t expected him to be a goofball. For example, when assembled with the Time of the Wolf cast, he pulls the classic bunny ears prank behind one of the child actors. Not what you might expect from the man who believes that all movies should assault the viewer.” Haneke’s Reaction To The Twitter Parody Lee also admitted that he was looking to get a rise out of the filmmaker: When I started tweeting as Haneke, I was intrigued by what his reaction would be. I was expecting apathy and possibly contempt but he expressed intrigue and, yes, a small amount of contempt. “I tried to read some of the posts but my English isn’t good enough to allow me that,” he said in an interview . “I’m really not interested in what he’s writing, but I’m fascinated by the fact that 25,000 people have subscribed to this feed of nonsense!” I fear that my affectionate spoofing has helped to prove his thoughts on the mainstream to be horribly accurate. But at least I’ve shone a light on those unsung cats of his LOL. I wonder what the real Haneke makes of this now. At the very least, he should let the world know whether his cats are flatulent. More On @Michael_Haneke: Michael Haneke Has Little ‘Amour’ For Parody Twitter Account [ The Guardian ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The mailing of the final Oscar ballots this week signals the final stage of what has been the most volatile and tumultuous Oscar race in years. Between the snubs and the snark (that Anne Hathaway spoof has topped 500,000 hits), this year’s races rival for drama Frank Fane’s ruthless pursuit of Best Actor in The Oscar . At this late date, several races are still very much up for grabs. Let’s go to the Gold Linings Playbook to see how the major Oscar categories are shaping up this week. Best Picture Oscar pundits, we have a problem. In this corner, Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeff Wells, who, reveling in Lincoln ‘s dwindling Best Picture prospects, called out “all the Gurus of Gold, and Gold Derby prognosticators who stuck with Lincoln all through December and especially January,” before dismissing the picture (and its 12 nominations) as “a grandfather clock of a movie.” And in the opposing corner we have Awards Daily’s Sasha Stone and Entertainment Weekly’s Thom Geier, Lincoln’ s staunchest defenders, railing against those who would question its Oscar cred. Stone calls Lincoln Spielberg’s “meditative masterpiece,” and, rather than switch to Argo , resolves to “adhere to the stats in the face of confusion,” while Geier, during a podcast with GD’s Tom O’Neil, reasoned: “I find it hard to imagine that when you’re filling out a ballot with 26 categories, the only thing you’re checking off is Argo for Best Picture. It’s possible that it could pick up some technical awards. It might pick up adapted screenplay over Lincoln . It could get editing. But it’s kind of hard for me to imagine an Argo sweep, which is what you tend to get with a Best Picture winner.” (Except in the case of Crash , O’Neil countered). The latest broadside against Lincoln came this week, from of all places, Connecticut. Congressman Joe Courtney, in an open letter to Spielberg that instantly went viral, hit the meticulously mounted film where it hurts: Its historical accuracy. In the film’s climactic roll call, two of three Connecticut’s representatives vote against abolishing slavery. Historical records prove otherwise and Courtney cried foul: “In many movies, including your own E.T . and Gremlins, for example, suspending disbelief is part of the cinematic experience and is critical to enjoying the film. But in a movie based on significant real-life events—particularly a movie about a seminal moment in American history so closely associated with Doris Kearns Goodwin and her book, Team of Rivals —accuracy is paramount. I understand that artistic license will be taken and that some facts may be blurred to make a story more compelling on the big screen, but placing the State of Connecticut on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is a distortion of easily verifiable facts and an inaccuracy that should be acknowledged, and if possible, corrected before Lincoln is released on DVD” And then there’s Argo . Ben Affleck’s triumph last weekend at the Directors Guild Awards sealed the deal on this scrappy film’s frontrunner status. Those not onboard the Argo bandwagon have pointed out that in 80 years only one film– Driving Miss Daisy -won Best Picture without receiving a Best Director nomination. But this week, a new narrative emerged: the spectre of Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 . Like Argo, Apollo 13 rocketed through the awards season. It won the Producers Guild Award, the Director’s Guild Award (without a corresponding Best Director Oscar nomination), and an ensemble honor from the Screen Actors Guild. And then on Oscar night, it lost to Braveheart . Glenn Whipp, in The Los Angeles Times , offered a reality check to supporters of the other eight Best Picture nominees: “…the Argo opposition’s last-gasp hope — that Oscar voters will look at all this awards-season love and somehow wearily decide that enough is enough — is patently absurd. People in Hollywood, like moviegoers in general, genuinely like this movie. And with a preferential system that rewards films that voters rank near the top of their ballot, passion counts and polarity dooms.” In other words, proclaims Huffington Post’s Michael Hogan on his “For Your Consideration” blog, “Caveats here for the cliches “nobody knows anything” and “it’s not over ’til it’s over,” but: we know something, and it’s that the Best Picture race is over.” 1. Argo 2. Lincoln 3. Silver Linings Playbook 4. Life of Pi 5. Zero Dark Thirty 6. Beasts of the Southern Wild 7. Les Miserables 8. Amour 9. Django Unchained Best Director So where does that leave the Best Director race? Only six times since 1949 when it was first presented has the DGA Award not anticipated the Best Director Oscar-winner. This year’s Oscar slate does not include Kathryn Bigelow , Tom Hooper, or Ben Affleck . Affleck’s snub would seem to be Steven Spielberg‘s gain. Lincoln, its Connecticut gaffe notwithstanding, has the most Oscar nominations, three of its cast members are up for the major acting honors, and it’s Spielberg. His closest competition, according to pundits, is Life of Pi director Ang Lee . Gold Derby’s Tariq Khan this week counted down five reasons why Lee could pull an upset. Some are subjective (“He really does deserve it,” “The Academy may enjoy seeing a surprise here”), others more provocative (“He may get the most support from the tech branches”). And what of Michael Haneke , whose Amour , Stone notes, may be pulling a Polanski with a film that, that like The Pianist is catching fire at the last minute? Variety ’s Bob Verini this week summed up the situation succinctly: “The Oscar race is up for grabs for sure.” 1.Steven Spielberg ( Lincoln ) 2. Ang Lee ( Life of Pi ) 3. David O. Russell ( Silver Linings Playbook ) 4. Michael Haneke ( Amour ) 5. Benh Zeitlin ( Beasts of the Southern Wild )
Amour director Michael Haneke is aware of the parody Twitter account that bears his name, and, as you might expect from a filmmaker who’s made an incredibly intense, Oscar-nominated film about love, life and death, he’s not too worked up about it. @Michael_Haneke has been live on the social media site since November and has amassed more than 15,000 followers by adopting a voice that couldn’t be more at odds with the 70-year-old Austrian filmmaker’s bleak, unsentimental perspective: The Twitter-verse version of Haneke sounds like a tequila-drinking, hip-hop-loving frat boy twink who’s as contemporary as the real director is old school. He also loves to zing Terrence Malick , to remind Ben Affleck that he was not nominated for a Best Director Oscar and to gloat over the five Oscar nominations that Amour got on Jan. 10. That means a lot of laughs, although Haneke doesn’t necessarily see the humor in it. At the Golden Globes on Sunday night, The Los Angeles Times asked the real Haneke about the Twitter parody, and the director told the paper that his students at the Vienna Film Academy where he teaches, “said there was a weird Twitter account.” Then he added: “But I’m not that interested in that kind of thing. It’s not for me.” He doesn’t sound all that incensed, and he shouldn’t be. If you have a sense of humor, the fake Michael Haneke is one funny dude: agh im in los angelies and i left my saruman tunic back in vienna!!1! i was gona punk the guy at kfc lol— Michael Haneke (@Michael_Haneke) January 14, 2013 . @ benaffleck well dun 4 winnin best director last nite. best of luck at the oscars. o wait, jst rememburd ur not nominaytid. my bad lol— Michael Haneke (@Michael_Haneke) January 14, 2013 heres me havin a secret nap wen @ benaffleck was doin his speech! wot did i miss? did he announce daredevil 2 yet lol http://t.co/vI3qAMUe — Michael Haneke (@Michael_Haneke) January 15, 2013 i jst got an amour tshirt made. it says “i made a film about strokes + all i got was this tshirt, a parms dorz + 5 oscar nominayshuns” lol— Michael Haneke (@Michael_Haneke) January 11, 2013 on my roof drinkin tequila and screemn the lyrix 2 'i got 5 on it' but im changin 'on it' to 'oscar nominayshuns' lol #friday — Michael Haneke (@Michael_Haneke) January 11, 2013 Oh yeah, and Ellen Page digs him too: A tweet from you is an honor sir “@ Michael_Haneke : thx 4 the follow. ur purformans in junebug is the reeson i has a hamburgr fone lol”— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) January 15, 2013 [ Los Angeles Times ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Lincoln , Les Misérables and Life of Pi lead the pack Wendesday among the 2013 British Academy Film Award nominations, with Spielberg’s pic on the 16th U.S. president receiving ten nominations including Best Film while Les Mis and Pi each received nine, also picking up Best Film noms. [ Related: Directors Guild Award Nominations: Was The Wrong Director Snubbed? ] Neither Les Miérables director Tom Hooper nor Spielberg landed in the Director category, however, though Pi ‘s Ang Lee made the category along with Quentin Tarantino , Michael Haneke for Amour , Ben Affleck for Argo and Kathryn Bigelow ( Zero Dark Thirty ). The U.K.’s Skyfall , meanwhile failed to receive Best Film or Director nominations by the group, though it did receive eight other nominations, including Outstanding British Film. EE British Academy Film Awards which will take place on Sunday 10 February at London’s Royal Opera House. 2013 Nominations follow: BEST FILM ARGO – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney LES MISÉRABLES – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh LIFE OF PI – Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark LINCOLN – Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy ZERO DARK THIRTY – Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison DIRECTOR AMOUR – Michael Haneke ARGO – Ben Affleck DJANGO UNCHAINED – Quentin Tarantino LIFE OF PI – Ang Lee ZERO DARK THIRTY – Kathryn Bigelow LEADING ACTOR BEN AFFLECK – Argo BRADLEY COOPER – Silver Linings Playbook DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – Lincoln HUGH JACKMAN – Les Misérables JOAQUIN PHOENIX – The Master LEADING ACTRESS EMMANUELLE RIVA – Amour HELEN MIRREN – Hitchcock JENNIFER LAWRENCE – Silver Linings Playbook JESSICA CHASTAIN – Zero Dark Thirty MARION COTILLARD – Rust and Bone SUPPORTING ACTOR ALAN ARKIN – Argo CHRISTOPH WALTZ – Django Unchained JAVIER BARDEM – Skyfall PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Master TOMMY LEE JONES – Lincoln SUPPORTING ACTRESS AMY ADAMS – The Master ANNE HATHAWAY – Les Misérables HELEN HUNT – The Sessions JUDI DENCH – Skyfall SALLY FIELD – Lincoln OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM ANNA KARENINA – Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster, Tom Stoppard THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL – John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Ol Parker LES MISÉRABLES – Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh, William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS – Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin SKYFALL – Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer)- The Imposter DAVID MORRIS (Director), JACQUI MORRIS (Director/Producer) – McCullin DEXTER FLETCHER (Director/Writer), DANNY KING (Writer) – Wild Bill JAMES BOBIN (Director) – The Muppets TINA GHARAVI (Director/Writer) – I Am Nasrine DOCUMENTARY THE IMPOSTER – Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis MARLEY – Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel McCULLIN – David Morris, Jacqui Morris SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN – Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn WEST OF MEMPHIS – Amy Berg ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY AMOUR – Michael Haneke DJANGO UNCHAINED – Quentin Tarantino THE MASTER – Paul Thomas Anderson MOONRISE KINGDOM – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola ZERO DARK THIRTY – Mark Boal ADAPTED SCREENPLAY ARGO – Chris Terrio BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin LIFE OF PI – David Magee LINCOLN – Tony Kushner SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – David O. Russell FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMOUR – Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz HEADHUNTERS – Morten Tyldum, Marianne Gray, Asle Vatn THE HUNT – Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann RUST AND BONE – Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux UNTOUCHABLE – Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun ANIMATED FILM BRAVE – Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman FRANKENWEENIE – Tim Burton PARANORMAN – Sam Fell, Chris Butler ORIGINAL MUSIC ANNA KARENINA – Dario Marianelli ARGO – Alexandre Desplat LIFE OF PI – Mychael Danna LINCOLN – John Williams SKYFALL – Thomas Newman CINEMATOGRAPHY ANNA KARENINA – Seamus McGarvey LES MISÉRABLES – Danny Cohen LIFE OF PI – Claudio Miranda LINCOLN – Janusz Kaminski SKYFALL – Roger Deakins EDITING ARGO – William Goldenberg DJANGO UNCHAINED – Fred Raskin LIFE OF PI – Tim Squyres SKYFALL – Stuart Baird ZERO DARK THIRTY – Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg PRODUCTION DESIGN ANNA KARENINA – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer LES MISÉRABLES – Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson LIFE OF PI – David Gropman, Anna Pinnock LINCOLN – Rick Carter, Jim Erickson SKYFALL – Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock COSTUME DESIGN ANNA KARENINA – Jacqueline Durran GREAT EXPECTATIONS – Beatrix Aruna Pasztor LES MISÉRABLES – Paco Delgado LINCOLN – Joanna Johnston SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN – Colleen Atwood SOUND DJANGO UNCHAINED – Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward LES MISÉRABLES – Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst LIFE OF PI – Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D. M. Hemphill SKYFALL – Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS THE DARK KNIGHT RISES – Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White LIFE OF PI – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE – Nominees TBC PROMETHEUS – Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth MAKE UP & HAIR ANNA KARENINA – Ivana Primorac HITCHCOCK – Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater LES MISÉRABLES – Lisa Westcott LINCOLN – Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou SHORT ANIMATION HERE TO FALL – Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath I’M FINE THANKS – Eamonn O’Neill THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD – Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson SHORT FILM THE CURSE – Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries GOOD NIGHT – Muriel d’Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir SWIMMER – Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw TUMULT – Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews THE VOORMAN PROBLEM – Mark Gill, Baldwin Li EE RISING STAR AWARD Elizabeth Olsen Andrea Riseborough Suraj Sharma Juno Temple Alicia Vikander
Lincoln , Les Misérables and Life of Pi lead the pack Wendesday among the 2013 British Academy Film Award nominations, with Spielberg’s pic on the 16th U.S. president receiving ten nominations including Best Film while Les Mis and Pi each received nine, also picking up Best Film noms. [ Related: Directors Guild Award Nominations: Was The Wrong Director Snubbed? ] Neither Les Miérables director Tom Hooper nor Spielberg landed in the Director category, however, though Pi ‘s Ang Lee made the category along with Quentin Tarantino , Michael Haneke for Amour , Ben Affleck for Argo and Kathryn Bigelow ( Zero Dark Thirty ). The U.K.’s Skyfall , meanwhile failed to receive Best Film or Director nominations by the group, though it did receive eight other nominations, including Outstanding British Film. EE British Academy Film Awards which will take place on Sunday 10 February at London’s Royal Opera House. 2013 Nominations follow: BEST FILM ARGO – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney LES MISÉRABLES – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh LIFE OF PI – Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark LINCOLN – Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy ZERO DARK THIRTY – Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison DIRECTOR AMOUR – Michael Haneke ARGO – Ben Affleck DJANGO UNCHAINED – Quentin Tarantino LIFE OF PI – Ang Lee ZERO DARK THIRTY – Kathryn Bigelow LEADING ACTOR BEN AFFLECK – Argo BRADLEY COOPER – Silver Linings Playbook DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – Lincoln HUGH JACKMAN – Les Misérables JOAQUIN PHOENIX – The Master LEADING ACTRESS EMMANUELLE RIVA – Amour HELEN MIRREN – Hitchcock JENNIFER LAWRENCE – Silver Linings Playbook JESSICA CHASTAIN – Zero Dark Thirty MARION COTILLARD – Rust and Bone SUPPORTING ACTOR ALAN ARKIN – Argo CHRISTOPH WALTZ – Django Unchained JAVIER BARDEM – Skyfall PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Master TOMMY LEE JONES – Lincoln SUPPORTING ACTRESS AMY ADAMS – The Master ANNE HATHAWAY – Les Misérables HELEN HUNT – The Sessions JUDI DENCH – Skyfall SALLY FIELD – Lincoln OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM ANNA KARENINA – Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster, Tom Stoppard THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL – John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Ol Parker LES MISÉRABLES – Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh, William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS – Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin SKYFALL – Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer)- The Imposter DAVID MORRIS (Director), JACQUI MORRIS (Director/Producer) – McCullin DEXTER FLETCHER (Director/Writer), DANNY KING (Writer) – Wild Bill JAMES BOBIN (Director) – The Muppets TINA GHARAVI (Director/Writer) – I Am Nasrine DOCUMENTARY THE IMPOSTER – Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis MARLEY – Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel McCULLIN – David Morris, Jacqui Morris SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN – Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn WEST OF MEMPHIS – Amy Berg ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY AMOUR – Michael Haneke DJANGO UNCHAINED – Quentin Tarantino THE MASTER – Paul Thomas Anderson MOONRISE KINGDOM – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola ZERO DARK THIRTY – Mark Boal ADAPTED SCREENPLAY ARGO – Chris Terrio BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin LIFE OF PI – David Magee LINCOLN – Tony Kushner SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – David O. Russell FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMOUR – Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz HEADHUNTERS – Morten Tyldum, Marianne Gray, Asle Vatn THE HUNT – Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann RUST AND BONE – Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux UNTOUCHABLE – Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun ANIMATED FILM BRAVE – Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman FRANKENWEENIE – Tim Burton PARANORMAN – Sam Fell, Chris Butler ORIGINAL MUSIC ANNA KARENINA – Dario Marianelli ARGO – Alexandre Desplat LIFE OF PI – Mychael Danna LINCOLN – John Williams SKYFALL – Thomas Newman CINEMATOGRAPHY ANNA KARENINA – Seamus McGarvey LES MISÉRABLES – Danny Cohen LIFE OF PI – Claudio Miranda LINCOLN – Janusz Kaminski SKYFALL – Roger Deakins EDITING ARGO – William Goldenberg DJANGO UNCHAINED – Fred Raskin LIFE OF PI – Tim Squyres SKYFALL – Stuart Baird ZERO DARK THIRTY – Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg PRODUCTION DESIGN ANNA KARENINA – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer LES MISÉRABLES – Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson LIFE OF PI – David Gropman, Anna Pinnock LINCOLN – Rick Carter, Jim Erickson SKYFALL – Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock COSTUME DESIGN ANNA KARENINA – Jacqueline Durran GREAT EXPECTATIONS – Beatrix Aruna Pasztor LES MISÉRABLES – Paco Delgado LINCOLN – Joanna Johnston SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN – Colleen Atwood SOUND DJANGO UNCHAINED – Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward LES MISÉRABLES – Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst LIFE OF PI – Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D. M. Hemphill SKYFALL – Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS THE DARK KNIGHT RISES – Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White LIFE OF PI – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE – Nominees TBC PROMETHEUS – Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth MAKE UP & HAIR ANNA KARENINA – Ivana Primorac HITCHCOCK – Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater LES MISÉRABLES – Lisa Westcott LINCOLN – Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou SHORT ANIMATION HERE TO FALL – Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath I’M FINE THANKS – Eamonn O’Neill THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD – Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson SHORT FILM THE CURSE – Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries GOOD NIGHT – Muriel d’Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir SWIMMER – Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw TUMULT – Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews THE VOORMAN PROBLEM – Mark Gill, Baldwin Li EE RISING STAR AWARD Elizabeth Olsen Andrea Riseborough Suraj Sharma Juno Temple Alicia Vikander
The lessons of Quentin Tarantino’s interview with Terry Gross on NPR? He has a high tolerance for “viscera” and a low tolerance for questions that attempt to connect Sandy Hook and other incidents of actual violence to the kind found in movies. The Django Unchained director became audibly peeved when Gross asked him the question that every reporter feels compelled to ask filmmakers in the wake of the Connecticut shootings. Here’s NPR’s transcript of the awkward, testy exchange. I’ve taken the liberty of putting Tarantino’s comments about how linking Sandy Hook to violence in movies is “disrespectful” to those who died. I agree with Tarantino. Connecting the shooting to movie-making trivializes what happened in Connecticut, which, as Ross A. Lincoln pointed out in his post on The Hollywood Reporter ‘s poll on media violence, doesn’t bring this country any closer to figuring out how to prevent tragedies like Sandy Hook and Aurora from happening. GROSS: So I just have to ask you, is it any less fun after like the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, like, do you ever go through a period where you lose your taste for movie violence? And movie violence is not real violence, I understand the difference. But still, are there times when it just is not a fun movie experience for you – either to be making it that way or to be in the audience for something like that? TARANTINO: Not for me. GROSS: So it’s so completely separate, that the reality of violence doesn’t affect at all your feelings about making or viewing very violent or sadistic… TARANTINO: Sadistic? I don’t know. I do know what, I don’t know. I think, you know, you’re putting a judgment on it. GROSS: No, no, no… TARANTINO: You’re putting a judgment on it. GROSS: The characters are sadistic. The characters are sadistic. I’m not talking about, you know, the filmmaker. I’m talking about the characters. I mean, the characters are undeniably sadistic. TARANTINO: Mm-hmm. When you say after the tragedy, what do you mean by that exactly? GROSS: Well, like… TARANTINO: Do you mean like on that day would I watch “The Wild Bunch?” Maybe not on that day. GROSS: Or in the next few days, like while it’s still – while it’s still really fresh in your – while the reality – yeah. TARANTINO: Would I watch a kung fu movie three days after the Sandy Hook massacre? Would I watch a kung fu movie? Maybe, ’cause they have nothing to do with each other. GROSS: You sound annoyed that I’m… (LAUGHTER) TARANTINO: Yeah, I am. GROSS: I know you’ve been asked this a lot. TARANTINO: Yeah, I’m really annoyed. I think it’s disrespectful. I think it’s disrespectful to their memory, actually. GROSS: With whose memory? TARANTINO: The memory of the people who died to talk about movies. I think it’s totally disrespectful to their memory. Obviously, the issue is gun control and mental health. Although it’s not in the transcript t hat NPR posted, at an earlier point in the interview, Tarantino explained that he did tone down some of the violence in Django Unchained . As Samuel L. Jackson mentioned during my interview with him in December, his favorite scene in the movie, which was cut, involved his character burning off the captured Django’s nipples with a hot poker. The Playlist also points out that another scene that was briefly glimpsed in the trailer but excised from the movie, involved the rape of Broomhilda. (You can find these scenes in Tarantino’s script for the movie, which the Weinstein Company has posted here .) When Gross asked Tarantino, “What are your limits for..what’s your sensibility for how much splatter, how much violence, how much sadism” in a movie “feels right, like it’s part of the genre” and how much feels like “exploitation,” the filmmaker replied: “I could handle a lot more than I put in this movie,” adding: ” I have a tolerance for viscera, more than the average person.” But, he explained that after screening earlier, more brutal cuts, “I traumatized the audience” when his goal was to have them “cheering Django” at the movie’s end. “If you don’t cheer at the end, I haven’t done the job,” he said.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is likely to win four weekends in a row at the box office. Also in Friday’s round-up of news, Ashton Kutcher ‘s Steve Jobs pic jOBS will head to theaters months after its Sundance debut; Kickstarter passes $100 million pledge mark; Michael Haneke withdraws Amour from an awards race; and a look at weekend expansions among the Specialties. Box Office: Hobbit to Cut Down Texas Chainsaw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to continue a month-long reign at the box office, outpacing newcomer Texas Chainsaw , which will open in 2,654 theaters. Hobbit has cumed $242 million domestically, Variety reports . Ashton Kutcher’s Sundance Steve Jobs Film Heads to Theaters jOBS , the film about the Apple mastermind Steve Jobs from 1971 – 2000, which will close the upcoming Sundance Film Festival will head out to theaters April 23rd. Open Road will distribute the film directed by Joshua Michael Stern, Deadline reports . Kickstarter Pledges Pass $100 Million Users of Kickstarter.com have pledged upward of $100 million to independent film projects. Together, 891,979 people have pledged $102.7 million to indies since April 2009 of which $85 million has been collected for 8,500 projects, THR reports . Michael Haneke Withdraws Amour from Austrian Film Awards Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has withdrawn his critically applauded Oscar hopeful Amour to give other local films a chance at recognition. The French-language film would have been ineligible for some categories. The film has already won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress at the European Film Awards and is Austria’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, The Guardian reports . Specialty Preview: The Impossible , Promised Land , Hyde Park On Hudson Hope to Gain Momentum Post-holiday attention on limited releases will focus on holdovers and expansions, including Lionsgate-Summit’s The Impossible , Focus Features’ Promised Land and Hyde Park On Hudson and The Weinstein Company’s Silver Linings Playbook and others, Deadline reports .
Michael Haneke’s Amour and Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master lead London critics’ nominations. Also in Tuesday’s news round-up, Toronto critics name their picks for 2012; Richard Gere is among more honorees at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival; Bully is set for Producers Guild honors; and Ricky Gervais is eyeing the Muppets sequel. Amour , The Master Lead London Critics’ Circle Noms Michael Haneke’s Amour and Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master each received seven nominations from the London Film Critics’ Circle. Both were nominated for best film, director and screenwriter. The U.K.’s own Skyfall received five nominations including two for Judi Dench, Deadline reports . Toronto Film Critics Name The Master Best Picture Paul Thomas Anderson’s cult-drama was honored Best Film by the Toronto Film Critics Association, while runners-up included Michael Haneke’s Amour and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty . Anderson also received Best Director and Best Screenplay, while Philip Seymour Hoffman was named Best Supporting Actor by the group, THR reports . Richard Gere, Tom Hooper and Mychael Danna to Receive Palm Springs Honors Gere will receive the festivals Chairman’s Award for his role in Arbitrage , while Les Misérables director Tom Hooper will be feted with the PSIFF’s “Sony Bono Visionary” award and Life of Pi composer Mychael Danna will receive the Frederick Loewe award for film composing, Variety reports . Bully Wins Stanley Kramer Award The Producers Guild of America gave the doc directed by Lee Hirsch its 2013 Stanley Kramer Award, which honors a a production or producer “whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important issues.” The film which vividly captures the crisis of school bullying is short-listed for Oscar consideration, Deadline reports . Ricky Gervais Eyes Muppets Sequel The comedian is in talks to star in The Muppets sequel as the Disney movie’s human lead character. The follow-up to the 2011 pic is described as a “European-centric adventure,” THR reports .
As Cannes hits the half-way mark Monday night with the world premiere of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love , momentum for the coveted top prize, the Palme d’Or, appears — for now — to be with German-born director Michael Haneke’s Amour ( Love ). Not to say there are not some strong fellow contenders, and the whims of any jury member may run counter, near or parallel to general opinion. But here are some of Palme d’Or’s other big suitors at the mid-way point. Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom received mostly positive accolades by attendees, with one journalist commenting at the press conference on the opening day that “it was a surprisingly good opening film.” Opening titles at Cannes (or other festivals for that matter) are often not the strongest of any lineup, or even in the top tier, though they usually offer up some kind of flash in the form of stars. Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone came out of the gate strong. Its early morning press screening concluded at the Lumière with rounds of applause and chatter among some attendees was that it’s the director’s best film — and his most accessible. But the film has its detractors, though any eventual Palme d’Or winner isn’t without its critics. Also among the big Official Selection competitors this year, Reality by Italian director Matteo Garrone passed muster. Garrone was hailed back in 2008 for the Naples mob feature Gomorrah , receiving the Cannes Grand Prix. His latest has not generated the same emotional responses of that film, but it has achieved sustained reaction. John Hillcoat’s Prohibition-set Lawless has picked up boosters and detractors since its debut Saturday. Some fest-goers have praised the director’s use of violence — it’s raw and quick. One of the many trade print editions here in Cannes declared that Danish director Thomas Vinterberg “is back” with his latest film, Jagten ( The Hunt ). He was a toast of Cannes back in 1998 for The Celebration , part of the Danish Dogme 95 movement he spearheaded along with fellow Dane filmmaker, Lars von Trier. Von Trier has gone on to attend many a Cannes, occasionally putting his foot in his mouth publicly (he awkwardly joked that he ” understood Hitler ” last year) but he consistently makes headlines worldwide. Finally, this may be a bit of a long-shot, but hey, Cannes can be unpredictable. In 2010 Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul smashed through the establishment and grabbed the Palme d’Or for his film about, well… Uncle Boonmee recalling his past lives. So perhaps a bit of a wild card might be Ulrich Seidl’s Paradies: Liebe ( Paradise: Love ). The premise goes something like this: Middle-agish European women travel to Africa seeking the affections of African boys. The movie is essentially about Euro-cougars who head down to Africa to get it on with young African men who earn a living satisfying their yearnings. The promo-material journalists received in their mailboxes at the Palais des Festivals is pretty straightforward: Plumpish naked women; lean, naked African 20-somethings… you get the picture. Check out the clip below of Paradies and some of the other competition films that have screened so far, with accompanying official Cannes Film Festival descriptions: Moonrise Kingdom : Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Amour Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested. Rust and Bone ( De Rouilles et D’Os ) Ali suddenly finds himself in charge of Sam, his 5-year-old son that he barely knows. Penniless and without friends, he leaves the north of France to seek shelter at his sister’s in Antibes. Even though she and her husband do not have much money, they make a room for them in their garage and take care of Sam. Ali finds work as a bouncer at a local nightclub. After diffusing a fight one evening, he meets Stephanie, a beautiful, self-confident woman. He takes her home and leaves her his number. But she is a princess and he is a poor fellow. Stephanie is a killer whale trainer at the local Marineland. After a terrible accident one day, Ali gets an unexpected phone call from Stephanie. When he sees her again she is crammed into a wheelchair. She has lost both her legs and her dreams. Ali will share genuine moments with her, without pity, and help her to live again… Lawless Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant brothers, bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel The Wettest County In The World , the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave. Jagten ( The Hunt ) Following a tough divorce, 40-year-old Lucas has a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of reestablishing his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus. But things go awry. Not a lot. Just a passing remark. A random lie. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like an invisible virus. The shock and mistrust gets out of hand, and the small community suddenly finds itself in a collective state of hysteria, while Lucas fights a lonely fight for his life and dignity. (In Danish) Reality Luciano is a Neapolitan fishmonger who supplements his modest income by pulling off little scams with his wife Maria. A likeable, entertaining guy, Luciano never misses an opportunity to perform for his customers and countless relatives. One day his family urge him to try out for Big Brother . In chasing this dream his perception of reality begins to change. (In Italian) Read more of Movieline’s coverage from Cannes.
