Tag Archives: yenisei-river

Ben Affleck Goes For Gracious Post-Oscar Passover

“I would like to thank the Academy… I’m kidding, I’m kidding. This is the one that counts,” joked Ben Affleck Thursday night at the Critics Choice Awards, accepting his Best Director prize at the event hosted by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. If Affleck was more than simply disappointed by being passed up by the Academy in the Best Director category for Argo in yesterday’s Oscar nominations , he didn’t show it at last night at the event. [Related: Critics Choice Awards Spread The Love Around, Name ‘Argo’ Best Picture AND Academy Award Nominations — What Were The Biggest Snubs & Shocks Of The 2013 Oscar Noms? ] “It doesn’t feel like [I got robbed],” Affleck told Access Hollywood at the Critics Choice Awards. “We not nominated for Best Picture and seven other nominations. I guess I would of liked to personal have two or like three, four or five for myself, but I’ll take whatever we got – it’s a pretty cool thing.” Affleck along with other heavyweight Oscar contenders Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson were passed over Thursday morning in Oscar’s Best Director category. The actor/filmmaker won an Academy Award in 1998 for Best Screenplay with pal Matt Damon in 1998 for Good Will Hunting . “If you go into the situation where you think you’re entitled to get nominated, you’re probably in trouble,” added Affleck. “The best picture nomination is an acknowledgement and then we got seven other nominations. Editing, score and all these like people who worked really hard. So, it’s really satisfying to see those folks get acknowledged.” [ Source: Access Hollywood ]

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Ben Affleck Goes For Gracious Post-Oscar Passover

Hulk Render! Does The ‘Avengers’ VFX Reel Warrant Oscar Gold?

Since we can now utter the words “the Oscar-nominated Marvel’s The Avengers ,” let’s take a closer look at all that visual effects magic that went into making Joss Whedon’s blockbuster superhero pic such a bombastic VFX achievement. More specifically, as is apparent in ILM’s recently-released Oscar VFX reel, take a gander at the digital wizardry that bore Mark RuffaHulk and the maelstrom of Chitauri invaders and explosions and costumed superheroes that went into The Avengers ‘ carefully orchestrated chaos of a final showdown. The Avengers is up for the Visual Effects Academy Award against The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , Life of Pi , Prometheus , and Snow White and the Huntsman . (I’m a bit surprised to see The Impossible ‘s tsunami VFX not on this list, especially after Hereafter’s similar waterworks earned an Oscar nod, but it’s a crowded field.) In an Indiewire roundtable I guested on yesterday, Devin Faraci of Badass Digest pointed out that this category feels like it boils down to the character-based VFX achievements of The Hobbit and The Avengers . I’d lean towards the shiny new Gollum, but ILM’s reel highlights just how much environment-smashing action was crafted for The Avengers in addition to creating the most lifelike Hulk we’ve seen in Marvel’s last few big-screen attempts. Then again, Richard Parker could roar out of nowhere and steal the category outright. What say you, Oscar-watchers? [via FirstShowing ] Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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Hulk Render! Does The ‘Avengers’ VFX Reel Warrant Oscar Gold?

WATCH: Werner Herzog Takes On Siberia In ‘Happy People: A Year In The Taiga’ Trailer

Fittingly, the trailer for Happy People: A Year in the Taiga opens with Werner Herzog ‘s hypnotic voice introducing a land that is more than worth a visit — if even via the courtesy of a filmmaker’s lens. Herzog returns to nature in the ode of Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Encounters at the End of the World , which captures life in the remote village of Bakhtia along the Yenisei River in the Siberian Taiga. “It is one-and-a-half times the size of the United States,” Herzog booms out. Co-directed by Dmitry Vasyukov, Music Box Films will release the film packed full of dreamlike scrapes of tundra, ice and pristine expanses January 25th. It is “A mesmerizing Walden-like ode,” noted Variety. Escape the day for a few moments with the trailer below. Official log-line: Happy People: A Year in the Taiga, Werner Herzog takes viewers on yet another unforgettable journey into remote and extreme natural landscapes. The acclaimed filmmaker presents this visually stunning documentary about the people living in the heart of the Siberian Taiga. Deep in the wilderness, far away from civilization, 300 people inhabit the small village of Bakhtia at the river Yenisei. There are only two ways to reach this outpost: by helicopter or boat. There‘s no telephone, running water or medical aid, The locals, whose daily routines have barely changed over the last centuries, live according to their own values and cultural traditions. With insightful commentary written and narrated by Herzog, Happy People: A Year in the Taiga follows one of the Siberian trappers through all four seasons of the year to tell the story of a culture virtually untouched by modernity.

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WATCH: Werner Herzog Takes On Siberia In ‘Happy People: A Year In The Taiga’ Trailer