Georgetown University To Offer Preferred Admissions Status To Descendants Of Slaves Georgetown University is attempting to reconcile their horrific past of slavery by offering apologies, memorials and even preferred admissions status to descendants of slaves according to NY Times: Georgetown’s president, John J. DeGioia, who announced the measures in a speech on Thursday afternoon, said he would offer a formal apology, create an institute for the study of slavery and erect a public memorial to the slaves whose labor benefited the institution, including those who were sold in 1838 to help keep the university afloat. In addition, two campus buildings will be renamed — one for an enslaved African-American man and the other for an African-American educator who belonged to a Catholic religious order. Dr. DeGioia’s decision to offer an advantage in admissions to descendants, similar to that offered to the children and grandchildren of alumni, is unprecedented, historians say. The preference will be offered to the descendants of all the slaves whose labor benefited Georgetown, not just the men, women and children sold in 1838. The 1838 sale, worth about $3.3 million in today’s dollars, was organized by two of Georgetown’s early presidents, both Jesuits. A portion of the profit, about $500,000, was used to help pay off Georgetown’s debts at a time when the college was struggling financially. The slaves were uprooted from the Maryland plantations and shipped to estates in Louisiana. Dr. DeGioia said he planned to apologize for the wrongs of the past “within the framework of the Catholic tradition,” by offering what he described as a Mass of reconciliation in partnership with the Jesuit leadership in the United States and the Archdiocese of Washington.
The scars and blemishes on the faces of the high-school lovers in The Spectacular Now are beautifully emblematic of director James Ponsoldt’s bid to bring the American teen movie back to some semblance of reality, a bid that pays off spectacularly indeed. Skillfully adapted from Tim Tharp’s novel, evocatively lensed in the working-class neighborhoods of Athens, Ga., and tenderly acted by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley , this bittersweet ode to the moment of childhood’s end builds quietly to a pitch-perfect finale. Warts-and-all authenticity can be a tough sell, but Ponsoldt’s bracing youth pic seems bound to graduate with honors. Working with a sensitive script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber ( 500 Days of Summer ), Ponsoldt follows his Off the Black and Smashed with another insightful study of a flawed protagonist’s hard-fought battle against forces, including alcohol, that keep him or her from growing to fruition. Dumped by his gorgeous girlfriend ( Brie Larson ) in the early going, whiskey-swilling senior Sutter Keely (Teller) swiftly rebounds by making a charismatic play for book-smart Aimee Finecky (Woodley), who finds him passed out at dawn on a neighbor’s front yard and is astounded when the school’s hungover party monster returns her gaze. Aimee, having never had a boyfriend, naturally falls hard for the ultra-confident but scholastically challenged Sutter as she tutors him in geometry and he teaches her how to drink. Although Sutter can’t stop mildly flirting with his ex, he makes the moves on Aimee anyway, alarming friends of both. A startlingly intimate sex scene, set in Aimee’s tiny bedroom and hauntingly captured in long take, marks the point at which the possibility of heartbreak begins to loom large. Whatever formulaic elements appear in the opposites-attract scenario are mitigated by the film’s philosophical underpinnings. While pragmatic Aimee prepares to attend college in Philadelphia, Sutter remains arrogantly committed to his manner of living in the moment, believing that a car, a flask and an hourly wage job are all he’s ever going to need. Sutter’s hardened mom ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ) worries that her son is following in the footsteps of his estranged father and contrives to prevent a reunion of the two. It’s during the inevitable meeting with Dad ( Kyle Chandler ), facilitated by Sutter’s well-off sister, Holly ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead ), and held over pitchers of beer, that the film’s principal themes — of the difficulty of breaking the familial mold, the fine line between temporary behavior and habit, and the fleeting nature of youth — begin to take root. Ponsoldt, with the help of Jess Hall’s attentive cinematography, does an excellent job of letting the drama play out on the imperfect faces of his two young leads, both of whom embody a delicate combination of fearlessness and vulnerability. Woodley thoroughly fulfills the promise of her smaller role as the teenage daughter in The Descendants , locating the precise point at which Aimee’s infatuation with Sutter turns to self-protection. Equally impressive is Teller, who makes his character’s adolescent bravado appear intoxicating and then more than a little scary. The film’s supporting players are uniformly superb, particularly a haggard Chandler, who offers a worrisome glimpse of what Sutter could easily become, and Andre Royo as a schoolteacher whose honest reluctance to sell Sutter on the advantages of adulthood silently speaks volumes. Linda Sena’s production design makes vibrant use of Athens locations while maintaining the small-town setting as Anywhere, U.S.A. Editing by Darrin Navarro respects the pic’s alternately peppy and languorous mood, occasionally using slo-mo to represent Sutter’s desire to stretch now to eternity. Other tech elements are aces, each one furthering the film’s refreshing commitment to naturalism. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Meet Otis the Oscar Cat, Movieline’s resident feline awards prognosticator. Like the majority of Academy members , he’s white, male, and owns a black tie; his tastes tend toward the traditional, although he’ll bite at the occasional tasty treat. To get an inside line on Sunday’s Best Picture winner, we consulted Otis for his Oscar picks — will the Academy Award go to The Artist , starring that rascally pup Uggie ? Or perhaps War Horse , by a nose? Presented with all nine Best Picture nominees — The Artist , The Descendants , Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close , The Help , Hugo , Midnight in Paris , Moneyball , Tree of Life , and War Horse — Otis weighed each film’s merits. Treats were involved, but don’t we all get a bit peckish when sorting out life’s big questions? As he considered the nominees with care and deliberation, Otis went back and forth between his favorites before landing firmly, and with no outside influence, on his ultimate selection. Otis is sure that his peers in the Academy went through a similar process with their vote. Otis the Oscar Cat considers the field of nominees. He’s drawn to War Horse , but… ” The Descendants , man. I do so adore Alexander Payne.” ” All the other cats loved The Help ; it ruined chocolate pie for me forever.” ” Hugo took me back to the whimsy of my youth, although those 3-D glasses are so very cumbersome.” “This is hard, isn’t it, shadow?” “Ooooh, Brad Pitt!” In the end, there is no contest. Otis picks The Artist with two paws up! “Berenice, mon amour!” Bonus pick: A Cat in Paris for Best Animated Feature! And with a beatific stare into the distance and a lock on this year’s kitty Oscar pool, Otis the Oscar Cat bids adieu until next year.
The five-time Oscar-winning (and 47-time Oscar-nominated) composer and conductor John Williams was born 80 years ago today in Flushing, Queens. Somewhere a concertmaster is no doubt preparing a 100-piece orchestra for a rousing, booming rendition of “Happy Birthday,” but for now, we can send our own regards with a discussion of his finest composition for the screen. You only have, oh, 130-something projects to choose from. Williams will be back at the Oscars later this month, a double-nominee for both War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin — neither of which I’d put anywhere near the guy’s 10 best scores. Star Wars , Jaws , Superman and Raiders of the Lost Ark are iconic, obvious options for that distinction, though I’ll take Williams’s partnership with Oliver Stone to block — and the sweeping, churning, shocking and utterly evocative JFK for the win: Born on the Fourth of July is up there, too: Anyway, your turn! And happy 80th, Mr. Williams! Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
To say nothing of the Journey 2 , G.I. Joe 2 , and Fast Five star’s definition of “impact”: “Right now the best way that I can impact the world is through entertainment. One day, and that day will come, I can impact the world through politics. The great news is that I am American, therefore I can become President.” [ Huffington Post ]
Despite the Consider Uggie campaign ‘s global impact on social media , auteur awards strategies and the ever-sensitive dynamics of poster giveaways , many adversaries would just as soon see the Artist wonder dog shot into space, Laika-style , never to be seen or heard from again. I hesitate to acknowledge or dignify their numbers, but since this is news we can both use, let’s all rally round one of the best Uggie-specific developments to date: Uggie is now a cookie. Eleni’s , the New York-based bakery renowned for its Oscar-season confections, this week announced its 2012 collection of Best Picture , Best Actress and Best Actor cookies. Among the Best Picture assortment — which annually transforms one or two key story elements from each nominee into an edible treat — we find a Hawaiian shirt from The Descendants , a clock from Hugo , a bloated, dripping hunk of Oscar bait for The Daldry , and a cheerful Jack Russell terrier representing Michel Hazanavicius’s Oscar front-runner: True, the tree representing The Tree of Life seems a little underimagined, but it’s not like you want to be devouring the goddamned baby’s foot we’ve seen for the last year-plus. Anyway. Uggie! Is a cookie! As an avowed devotee of this particular awards tradition for years (nothing — and I mean nothing — will ever beat the airgun cookie from No Country For Old Men , but hey), I can’t overstate my pride in this milestone. I also can’t stop you from hungrily snapping the head off the little guy in punitive glee, followed by the tambourine from The Daldry just to add to the puppy cookie’s prolonged gastric suffering. The possibilities are endless. Or endless-ish. Whatever. The Best Picture set is available now for $75 at Elenis.com . Enjoy!
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts came out this morning with its 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards nominations, which — wait for it — look suspiciously like the rest of the worlds 2012 film awards nominations. In fairness, for every nod thrown in the direction of The Artist , we witnessed some refreshing recognition for the likes of Drive , Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy , We Need to Talk About Kevin and a few select others. But hoo boy — another Albert Brooks snub? This is getting a little weird. More analysis forthcoming Wednesday in Movieline’s Oscar Index; congrats to all the nominees, listed below. The Orange British Academy Film Award winners will be announced Feb. 12 in a ceremony in London. BEST FILM THE ARTIST Thomas Langmann THE DESCENDANTS Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor DRIVE Marc Platt, Adam Siegel THE HELP Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey SHAME Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER ATTACK THE BLOCK Joe Cornish (Director/Writer) BLACK POND Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer) CORIOLANUS Ralph Fiennes (Director) SUBMARINE Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer) TYRANNOSAUR Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer) FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE INCENDIES Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw PINA Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel POTICHE François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer A SEPARATION Asghar Farhadi THE SKIN I LIVE IN Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar DOCUMENTARY GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Martin Scorsese PROJECT NIM James Marsh, Simon Chinn SENNA Asif Kapadia ANIMATED FILM THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Steven Spielberg ARTHUR CHRISTMAS Sarah Smith RANGO Gore Verbinski DIRECTOR THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn HUGO Martin Scorsese TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen ADAPTED SCREENPLAY THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash THE HELP Tate Taylor THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan LEADING ACTOR BRAD PITT Moneyball GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame LEADING ACTRESS BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin VIOLA DAVIS The Help SUPPORTING ACTOR CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady JONAH HILL Moneyball KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March SUPPORTING ACTRESS CAREY MULLIGAN Drive JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help ORIGINAL MUSIC THE ARTIST Ludovic Bource THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross HUGO Howard Shore TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Alberto Iglesias WAR HORSE John Williams CINEMATOGRAPHY THE ARTIST Guillaume Schiffman THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Jeff Cronenweth HUGO Robert Richardson TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Hoyte van Hoytema WAR HORSE Janusz Kaminski EDITING THE ARTIST Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius DRIVE Mat Newman HUGO Thelma Schoonmaker SENNA Gregers Sall, Chris King TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY Dino Jonsater PRODUCTION DESIGN THE ARTIST Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan HUGO Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald WAR HORSE Rick Carter, Lee Sandales COSTUME DESIGN THE ARTIST Mark Bridges HUGO Sandy Powell JANE EYRE Michael O’Connor MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jill Taylor TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Jacqueline Durran MAKE UP & HAIR THE ARTIST Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin HUGO Morag Ross, Jan Archibald THE IRON LADY Marese Langan MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jenny Shircore SOUND THE ARTIST Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener HUGO Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley WAR HORSE Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Joe Letteri HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery HUGO Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White WAR HORSE Ben Morris, Neil Corbould SHORT ANIMATION ABUELAS Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner BOBBY YEAH Robert Morgan A MORNING STROLL Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe SHORT FILM CHALK Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini MWANSA THE GREAT Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet ONLY SOUND REMAINS Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar PITCH BLACK HEIST John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn TWO AND TWO Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) ADAM DEACON CHRIS HEMSWORTH CHRIS O’DOWD EDDIE REDMAYNE TOM HIDDLESTON
Awards! So many awards — this time around it’s the Alliance of Women Film Journalists passing along the EDA Awards, their annual choices for the best, worst, weirdest and otherwise noteworthy films of 2011. Find an old standby at the top of the list, along with a few of the Alliance’s customarily female-forward and refreshingly cheeky (“Most Egregious Love Interest Age Difference Award,” anyone?) accolades. Congrats to all the winners! EDA ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Best Film : The Artist Best Director : Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist Best Screenplay, Original : Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen Best Screenplay, Adapted : (TIE) The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash; Moneyball – Steven Zallian and Aaron Sorkin Best Documentary : Buck Best Animated Film : Rango Best Actress : Viola Davis as Abileen in The Help Best Actress in a Supporting Role : (TIE) Janet McTeer as Hubert Page in Albert Nobbs ; Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson in The Help Best Actor : Michael Fassbender as Brandon Sullivan in Shame Best Actor in a Supporting Role : Christopher Plummer as Hal Fields in Beginners Best Ensemble Cast : Bridesmaids Best Editing : Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker Best Cinematography : The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki Best Film Music Or Score : (TIE) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Original Score; Hanna – The Chemical Brothers, Original Score Best Non-English-Language Film : A Separation – Ashgar Farhadi, Iran EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS Best Woman Director : Lynne Ramsey – We Need To Talk About Kevin Best Woman Screenwriter : Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo – Bridesmaids Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star : (TIE) Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ; Saoirse Ronan as Hanna in Hanna Best Animated Female : Isla Fisher as Beans in Rango Best Breakthrough Performance : Elizabeth Olsen as Martha in Martha Marcy May Marlene Female Icon Award : Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs in Albert Nobbs Actress Defying Age and Ageism : Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer in The Debt This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry : Jessica Chastain for performances in four highly acclaimed films AWFJ Award For Humanitarian Activism : Angelina Jolie for UN work and making In The Land of Blood and Honey to raise awareness about genocide. EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS AWFJ Hall Of Shame Award : The Hollywood Reporter for failing to invite any women to join the Directors Roundtable Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent : All actresses in New Year’s Eve Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn‘t : Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Unforgettable Moment Award: The Artist – The sound of the glass clinking on the table. Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction : (TIE) Melancholia – Justine in the moonlight; Shame – Opening sequence on the subway train. Sequel Or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award : The Hangover Part II Most Egregious Love Interest Age Difference Award : (TIE) Albert Nobbs – Glenn Close (64) and Mia Wasilkowska (22); Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I – Bella (18) and Edward (Over 100) [ AWFJ ]
The Twilight Saga sparkled to another #1 opening, as if you had any doubt; it was just a matter of how many millions Breaking Dawn would rake in, after Friday’s $72 million opening day . But while all the excitement over weddings, butter-colored honeymoons, and monster vampire babies couldn’t quite help BD eclipse New Moon (groan), it still nudged out Pirates of the Caribbean: The One with the Kraken for the #5 biggest opening of all time. That’s forever, baby. Let’s get our imprinting on in today’s Weekend Receipts.
There has always been something innately memorable about actress Judy Greer . The curiously beautiful actress with razor-sharp timing, a scene-stealer in everything from What Women Want to Arrested Development , carries an underlying melancholy behind her eyes that lends the sweetest characters deeper layers and the over the top ones an even greater sense of unpredictability, whether in comedies or, increasingly, in dramatic fare. So maybe she was born to be in an Alexander Payne movie like The Descendants , which flits back and forth along the painful edge between tragedy and humor in ways that feel completely, and achingly, human.
