After looking again at a list of winners, there are a few things that immediately stand out. Yes, many awards went to the obvious choices– no one was really that surprised that Jean Dujarin took home the best actor award in a comedy or musical for his silent performance in The Artist, or that Meryl Streep was the top pick for best actress in a drama for her role in The Iron Lady, or even that The Artist was chosen as the best comedy or musical film (God, was Harvey Weinstein having his heyday).

But then, like any good award show, there were the shocks that let us all eagerly anticipating the Oscars know that we have a real race ahead of us. For example, is George Clooney really the top pick for the Best Actor category for his lead performance in The Descendants over his friend, Brad Pitt’s role (and higher-praised at that) in Moneyball? Or what about the best director award? It came as a shock to me (and I’m sure to many) that given as many awards The Artist was slated to take home, its director, Michel Hazanavicius, lost it to Martin Scorsese for his animated Hugo. Will The Artist actually win all the Oscars its slated to? (I not-so-secretly hope not).

Shocks aside, you also have to wonder if the obvious choice-wins were the Awards Season’s way of throwing us off our game for the Oscars. For example, will Meryl Streep actually take home the Best Actress Oscar, or, in a (probably deserving upset) will the award go to Rooney Mara for her amazing performance in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or even Viola Davis in The Help? And with Octavia Spencer winning the Best Supporting Actress Globe, does that mean that Jessica Chastain has a better chance of winning any Oscar she may be nominated for (after all, she was in a staggering number of well-received films this year)?

I guess there is no way to tell until first, the Oscar nominations are released, and second, until the actual Oscars happen. But let me tell you, if Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life is snubbed the way it was at the more viewer-friendly Golden Globes, the award show is going to have some ‘splaining to do.

Overall, I thought the Golden Globes were great this year (due in large part to its three-year-running great host Ricky Gervais). Hopefully, the Oscars will learn a thing or two from this event. Until this can be discerned, I thank the Golden Globes (and the Hollywood Foreign Press) for a good night full of some expected awards and some shocks.

Here’s a look at the 5 nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film for 2011:

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Michel Hazanavicious, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Out of the nominees I’d say Scorsese, Payne, and Hazanavicious were definitely predictable. ‘The Artist’ has been raved about for being so unique (black and white, silent film), ‘Hugo’ is receiving a lot of praise for being such a change of form for Scorsese, and ‘The Descendants’ has been labeled by many as the best film of the year (I’ve seen it and while it wasn’t my favorite film of 2011, I definitely loved it).

Although Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ has received a lot of positive buzz some don’t believe it is one of the top 5 films. I personally have not seen the film so I can’t really pass judgment, but I have been hearing some pretty fantastic things about this underrated film.
A welcome surprise for me was the inclusion of David Fincher for ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’, which was somewhat absent from the SAG and Golden Globe Awards but seems to be picking up some more steam (at the box office and with award shows). This was definitely one of my favorite films of the year and even if it doesn’t get the win Fincher deserves the recognition for making such a faithful and fresh adaptation.

It seems many people think Nicolas Winding Refn and Steven Spielberg were robbed for ‘Drive’ and ‘War Horse’ respectively.

If I had to take a guess, I would go with Michel Hazanavicious for ‘The Artist.’ I haven’t seen this movie yet but it takes a really talented director to make a black and white silent film enjoyable in 2011. Kudos to him!

Congrats to all the nominees! The winner will be announced at the 64^th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28^th, 2012 in Hollywood.

Who do you think was the best director of 2011 Banters?

Finally a film meant for 3D, one in which the 3D element fully enhanced the movie. Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s debut in animation, tells the tale of a poor, orphaned boy living in the walls of a busy Paris train station.  Hugo can fix just about anything, much like his father, an excellent clockmaker, and has inherited the job of fixing the stations clocks from his drunk of an uncle.  It is based on the book ‘The Invention of Hugo Caberet’, written by Brian Selznick and published in 2007. Scorsese quickly bought the film rights to the book and here we have his directorial debut in animation, at least we can say partial animation.

Like the book, the film is set in late 1920′s-early 1930′s Paris, France and has some of the most beautiful cinematography in a film this year.  Scorsese makes Paris an essential character to the film, and we see the streets of Paris in ways not yet captured on screen.  It immediately brings a nostalgic feel to the audience to a time that seemingly feels grander and more cultured than the one we currently live in.

To properly critique the film, I think we need to look at the film in two parts.  The first part of the film is incredibly slow, and flirts very closely with the lines of downright boring.  Hugo, played by the talented youngster Asa Butterfield, who we will see as Ender Wiggin in the highly anticipated Ender’s Game, is essentially running around Paris fixing clocks and stealing food. His caring father, played briefly by Jude Law, is quickly the victim of a tragic fire and leaves Hugo with a mesmerizing automaton, a robot that can write, and no home.  Hugo’s deeply haunted eyes and cautious demeanor drags out scenes that could have easily been cut. Especially some of the ones he is hiding from the Station Inspector played by Sacha Baron Cohen and shown being yelled at by the toy store owner, played by Hollywood legend Ben Kingsley.  Boring!!

The second part of the film is where the drama and wonder picks up.  Hugo’s past becomes center to the film as he makes it his life’s purpose to find out a hidden message from his father. The boring aspect of the first half quickly fades and intrigue and suspense take over.   Hugo’s new pal, Isabelle, played by the very talented Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass and Let Me In), quickly becomes the object of the boy’s affection as she connects Hugo to how he might decipher this message he so devotedly searches for.  What we get is an endearing piece of film that is full of character and mystery. We become witnesses not only to a heart felt story but also to the capturing of the history of cinema.  Even the film’s non-central characters provide a large dose of authenticity and overall warmth to the film that makes you smile.

What I liked best about the film is how it all connected.  Even though Scorsese takes so long to give his characters meaning, and it does get scary close to losing the audience, he is able to finish with a bang well worth the wait.  The deeper the plot gets, the more defined the characters become and we eventually come full circle to see the lives of what we think are random people only connected by use of a train station, are in fact connected to each other at the core.  We are brought into a world of tragedy and despair that teaches its characters they must let go to be happy.  That message is delivered so eloquently you can’t help but applaud.

While the themes play on the most mature of emotions, the film is definitely suitable for kids. This one is meant for everyone.

I can’t say this movie is worthy of Best Picture, unlike how municipal critics associations have felt. In a year where movies were on average not good, Hugo could be at best a nominee for the top award on Oscar night. However, it should not win. But….

SEE IT

How can you be so sure that I’m not mixing said crispness and bare trees just for regular old winter? Well, because The Film Critics Awards (Los Angeles, Boston, and New York) have just been released– each year, marking the start of this most exciting season!

To summarize, the LA Film Critics awarded The Descendents with the coveted Best Picture Award, Terrence Malick for this year’s Tree of Life with Best Director, Michael Fassbender (with a whopping four performances this year in A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, and X-Men: First Class) with Best Actor, Yun Jung-Hee in an out-of-left-field-move with Best Actress for her lead role in the South Korean film Poetry, Christopher Plummer for his role in Beginners with Best Supporting Actor, and praised new-comer Jessica Chastain with Best Supporting Actress for her slew of roles in a downright impressive six films this year (Coriolanus, The Debt, The Help, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, and Tree of Life). For a full list of winners and runner-ups, click here.

In Boston, things went a little differently, with The Artist taking Best Picture, Martin Scorsese winning Best Director for his animated film Hugo, Brad Pitt getting Best Actor for his role in Moneyball, Michelle Williams awarded with Best Actress for her role in the film My Week With Marilyn, Albert Brooks taking Best Supporting Actor for Drive, and (truly shocking, but well deserved) Melissa McCarthy winning Best Supporting Actress for the summer comedy Bridesmaids. A full list of winners can be found here.

Serving as almost the middle ground between the two cities, New York gave The Artist the Best Picture accolade, Michel Hazanavicius the Best Director award for The Artist, Brad Pitt the Best Actor trophy for his roles in Moneyball and Tree of Life, Meryl Streep an expected Best Actress award for The Iron Lady, Albert Brooks the Best Supporting Actor accolade for Drive, and Jessica Chastain the Best Supporting Actress award for her roles in Tree of Life, The Help, and Take Shelter. Click here for a full list.

Well, that’s quite an array of wins if you ask me, and quite a start to the season. To be honest, I’m not too impressed by these awards. We get it: The Artist and its director, Michel Hazanavicius, are huge contenders for the Oscar race, but could it be (gasp!) only because the film is a silent one in a world of sound films? I mean, will The Artist take home the coveted Best Picture Oscar only because it dared to try new, er, old technique?

The Best Actor and Actress awards were all over the place too. Even though Brad Pitt took home two of the awards, I wouldn’t bank on him for the Oscar. I’m more inclined to agree with Los Angeles’ pick, Michael Fassbender, and as much as I would be inclined to give Charlize Theron a nod for her stunning portrait in Young Adult, for betting purposes, I’ll stick with Meryl Streep for the Best Actress award (I mean, who doesn’t love her?!).

Here’s hoping Jessica Chastain really does come out on top with a Best Supporting Actress award for one of her great performances in this year’s six films. And as much as I’d like to see Albert Brooks win an award for his turn as the evil character in Drive, the Academy loves Christopher Plummer (and rightly so, I mean, he’s Captain Von Trapp), so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him take home the award.

I guess only time will tell, but for right now, it sure is fun hypothesizing.

The Hugo and Nebula awards-winning book, will be directed and transformed to the screen by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Rendition), and is slated for a March 15, 2013 release date. What a happy day, indeed!

But wait! Because there’s more: Variety is reporting that Harrison Ford is among the few being considered to play the role of Colonel Hyrum Graff, Ender’s mentor and the Commander in Training for the International Fleet on which Ender serves. While Ford hasn’t officially signed on yet, it’s only a matter of time, right? I mean, it’s not like his career is, er, taking off, or anything. Instead, just like Earth in Ender’s Game, Ford’s career is facing probable impending doom. And, if you ask my humble opinion, a beloved, truly inspiring book like Ender’s Game, which is sure to pull in a large crowd, is just the sort of thing that could jump start Ford’s career again.

And hey, if Ford doesn’t bite, surely another big name will. I mean, come on. It’s Ender’s Game, after all!

But here’s the thing– the man is 81 years old. So, in his, what, 40 years of directing (his directorial debut was in 1971) he’s had a total of 3 flops, if that. Well, big whoop. After all, Martin Scorsese made Shutter Island, Steven Spielberg made Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Gus Van Sant remade Psycho. All I’m saying is you would have a very difficult time naming a successful director who didn’t have couple mistakes on his list. All that has to be judged is the following criteria: does the director in question’s good work make up for his bad work? And in Eastwood’s case it is definitely yes. Oh, don’t believe me? Um, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, True Crime, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby, anyone? And those are only a few! That’s more than just a small “yes”. That is one resounding “yes.”

And so, when Eastwood tells me (via the internets, of course) that he is directing a biopic about the one and only J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Dermot Mulroney, and Ed Westwick, well I do more than merely listen up; I may even get excited. And judging by the release of the film’s first trailer, my excitement was well-granted.

The two and a half minute trailer does a good job in setting up the film yet, thankfully, does not reveal too much. More than anything, it proves that DiCaprio (true to form, I guess) can believably be the person he is imitating, J. Edgar Hoover, and in a completely stylized film no less (many thanks, Eastwood!).

J. Edgar is scheduled for a November 9th release date. Watch the trailer below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Usually the show has special meaning for those in the television community. And to some extent that is true. If you are a part of Modern Family or The Daily Show, this applies to you. But last night, it seems, it was raining motion picture Emmys.

For two of the winners, I have to wonder if the summer movie season this year helped bump them in the right direction. Melissa McCarthy won for her role on Mike and Molly. I, for one, didn’t know that Mike and Molly had any sort of following, and thought that she and Martha Plimpton both were receiving courtesy nods for their freshman series. But Bridesmaids was the surprise comedy hit of the summer thanks in no small part to McCarthy’s over-the-top role as the man and puppy loving Megan. Could the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences be awarding her for a memorable role that has no spot at the Oscars? Probably, because the other actresses in the category are top notch.

I wonder, considerably less so, if the same is true for Kyle Chandler. Although there have been nothing but rave reviews for the critically acclaimed, under appreciated drama Friday Night Lights, could his role in Super 8 have boosted him a little? Maybe just a tiny bit? He didn’t have a huge part in the Steven Spielberg produced J.J. Abrams directed film, but it was produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by J.J. Abrams, so…

And then Martin Scorsese won an Emmy. It took him almost forty years to win an Academy Award for best director. It took one year for him to win an Emmy for directing the pilot of Boardwalk Empire. I guess after finally winning an Oscar, everything else seemed like a piece of cake.

I would also like to congratulate Margo Martindale who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Not only was she impressively intense on this year’s season of Justified, but she has also had smaller character roles in great films like Dead Man Walking, Million Dollar Baby and Hannah Montana: The Movie. She put it best: “Some things just take time. But with time comes appreciation.”

Other winners included Jim Parsons for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (The Big Bang Theory), Julianna Margulies for Lead Actress in a Drama Series (The Good Wife), Peter Dinklage for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Game of Thrones), and Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen for Supporting Comedy roles (Modern Family). Mad Men and Modern Family took home Best Drama and Best Comedy, respectively.

In case you were wondering, Leo and Scorsese have worked together in the past on ‘Gangs of New York,’ ‘The Aviator,’ ‘Shutter Island,’ and ‘The Departed,’ the latter winning Best Picture at the Oscars as well as earning Martin Scorsese a much deserved Best Directing award for the film, even if it wasn’t his best picture ever, ahem, ‘Goodfellas.’ So based on their past track record we can all assume this ones going to be a treat!

‘The Gambler’ is a remake of the 1974 film starring James Caan as an English professor (who Leo will presumably be playing) with a gambling addiction. The professor falls into a debt of $40,000 with the mob and it follows the man’s downward spiral of bad luck. Although I am not thrilled it is a remake, we must all remember that ‘The Departed’ was a remake as well and that turned out golden so let’s have some faith!

The project is being developed by Paramount Pictures and also has William Monahan attached to write (he also worked with Scorsese on ‘The Departed’).

Stay tuned for more news on this exciting new project Banters!

I would say thankfully Adam Sandler took number one at this weekend’s box office, but he only held onto it by less than a million dollars. So, what is this crazy Bieber obsession? What makes people want to go see a sixteen-year-old dance for almost two hours? Are there really that many ten-year-olds and delusional forty something year-old ladies out there?

The thing that really irks me is that it was in 3D. Why was this in 3D?!?! I’m not the biggest 3D fan in general, but like Hannah Montana in 3D, it seemed like a great way to take advantage of fans that are very blatantly willing to pay ridiculous prices for pretty much nothing. Poor unsuspecting adults and their children.

The other thing is marketing the film as a true underdog story. That is incredibly insulting to any who’s ever had to overcome ANYTHING. Justin Bieber, a rich sixteen-year-old who, slowly putting together a posse of celebrities in order to take over the world, isn’t overcoming adversity.

Just to put this into perspective, Martin Scorsese’s Shine a Light which featured a little band called The Rolling Stones and superstars like Jack White and Christina Aguilera has taken in $8.5 million WORLDWIDE. Another person some people may be familiar with, Michael Jackson, only took in a little over $23 million in This Is It’s first weekend of release.

While this is most definitely a rant, I am very curious what would drive people to attend Justin Bieber in 3D. Even children. 2010 saw a large number of excellent and commercially viable children’s movies. But it seems 2011 is off to a rather boring start. Sorry, world 2.0, I’m not on board for this. We used to be great together. He’s no good for you.

The movie, scripted by The Aviator‘s John Logan, isn’t slated for release until late next year, however check out one of the pics above and head on over to Zimbio to see the rest.