The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced the nominees for their annual awards on Tuesday. Seeing as the BAFTAs are the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, they are certainly worth taking note of. As was expected, The Artist leads the pack with 12 nominations, including Best Picture.

There are, however, numerous surprises, specifically the fact that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy received a whopping 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Leading Actor (Gary Oldman), and Best Director. This film has hardly been acknowledged this awards season, so it’s inclusion in 11 categories will likely raise some eyebrows. It ought to be noted that these awards are distinctly British and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a distinctly British movie.

Another surprise is the inclusion of Drive in the Best Picture category, but the snub of it’s leading man, Ryan Gosling, for any of his critically praised performances this year. Also interesting is Carey Mulligan’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Drive, despite the fact that her performance in Shame is what has garnered her accolades.

I feel it’s important to mention that Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) nabbed a Supporting Actress nod, even though she was snubbed by the Golden Globes. Bridesmaids also snagged a Best Original Screenplay nomination.

Martin Scorsese is nominated for Best Director (Hugo) as well as for his work on the documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Notably, Scorsese is also set to receive the BAFTA’s Academy Fellowship, which is essentially a lifetime achievement award. It will be interesting to see if that affects his chances at winning the directing trophy, either for the better or the worse.

Last year the BAFTAs swung all the momentum away from The Social Network and into the lap of The King’s Speech. With The Artist looking like this year’s runaway winner, I wonder if the BAFTAs will try to do something similar again. Perhaps a British film, such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, will be the recipient of its benevolence, as happened in 2011; or maybe one of the other Best Picture nominees (The Help, Drive, or The Descendants) will finally take a shot at being 2012′s big front runner.

The winners of this year’s BAFTAs will be announced on February 12, just two weeks before the Oscars. You can check out the complete list of nominees here.

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The Artist and The Descendants were the two big winners at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, taking home the Best Picture Comedy/Musical and Best Picture Drama respectively. Both leading men, Jean Dujardin for The Artist and George Clooney for The Descendants, won Best Actor in their respective categories. To top it off, The Artist also took home Best Original Score.

Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Octavia Spencer (The Help) continued to solidify their places as the Supporting Actor and Actress front runners, while Martin Scorsese walked away with the Best Director trophy for Hugo.

The Golden Globes did little to clear up the Best Actress race, due largely in part to its separation into Comedy/Musical and Drama categories. Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn) nabbed the Comedy/Musical award, while the Drama trophy went to Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady).

A Separation, Iran’s Best Foreign Language Film nominee, seems to have taken its place at the head of the pack in that category, adding the Golden Globe win to its already lengthy list of accolades, which includes honors from the National Board of Review, the NYFCC, the Independent Spirit Awards, and several other awards and festivals.

I think it is fair to say that The Artist is still the film to place your money on for the Best Picture Oscar, but there is still a lot of time for the momentum to shift elsewhere. Historically, there is a strong correlation between Best Director and Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards, which could bode well for Hugo, if Scorsese continues to snag directing victories. Otherwise, I’m going to keep an eye on The Descendants and The Help to possibly make a move in the coming weeks.

You can check out the complete list of Golden Globe winners and nominees here.

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The National Board of Review has a long history of kicking off the awards season, setting trends and marking initial frontrunners. This year, Martin Scorsese’s 3D adventure Hugo has taken an early lead, much like The Social Network did last year, by being named Best Film by the NBR. Scorsese also won the Best Director award.

The Descendants was another notable winner, snagging Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actress (Shailene Woodley) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash), as well as landing a place in the list of the year’s 10 Top Films.

The New York Film Critics Circle got a jump on the NBR this year by releasing its annual awards on Tuesday, but none of the winners match. The NYFCC handed out Best Picture to The Artist, while Brad Pitt grabbed Best Actor for Moneyball and The Tree of Life.

The Help received the Best Ensemble award from the NBR, but was conspicuously absent from all other categories, including the 10 Top Films. The Iron Lady, for which Meryl Streep nabbed the NYFCC’s Best Actress honors, was notably absent from the NBR’s awards, which considered Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) this year’s Best Actress.

You can see the complete list of the National Board of Review’s awards here, and the NYFCC’s awards here.

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Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and now Hugo are some of the best movies that writer and director Martin Scorsese brought to us in the past 48 years of his long lasting career. Very few men last this long in Hollywood so that alone is a testament of his greatness.

With the release of Hugo I’m thinking it’s a good time to celebrate Martin Scorsese, a man that managed to stay fresh after almost half a decade in an industry that tends to turn people rotten. This is a top 10 of the biggest box office hits directed by him. Grosses are North American only because some of his older movies, for obvious reasons, don’t have accurate data. To give a fair chance to all pictures I’ll use numbers adjusted for inflation and post unadjusted in a parentheses right after.

10. Casino (1995) $77.6 million ($42.5 million) – Based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi and starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone (nominated for an Oscar here), Joe Pesci and Frank Woods, Casino is a violent crime drama that follows the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Roberd De Niro) as he tries to run a mob-owned casino in Las Vegas. If you haven’t seen it already you definitely should.

9. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) $79.1 million ($18.6 million) – Nominated for 3 Oscars, it won a single one for Ellen Burstyn, lead actress. This is the story of Alice (Ellen Burstyn), a widow trying to find her way along with her 11-year-old son. A young Kris Kristofferson plays David, a farmer that finds his way into the heart of Alice.

8. Goodfellas (1990) $88.2 million ($46.8 million) – Another collaboration between Nicholas Pileggi (book and screenplay) and Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas was nominated for 6 Oscars, winning one for Joe Pesci. Also starring Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, Goodfellas is considered by some to be the best movie Martin Scorsese directed to date.

7. Gangs of New York (2002) $103.6 million ($77.8 million) – Nominated for 10 Oscars and winning none, Gangs of New York was the first in what would become a long and prosperous collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. A vengeance story of one Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) set in 1863, this is one movie you can’t miss.

6. Taxi Driver (1976) $103.7 million ($28.2 million) – When someone says Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver is the first movie that comes to my mind. Starring Robert De Niro and a very young Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver needs no introduction. What movie buff doesn’t remember the story of war veteran turned taxi driver and his quest to save the teenage prostitute played by Jodie Foster?

5. The Color of Money (1986) $112.2 million ($52.3 million) – Sequel of The Hustler (1961), The Color of Money won Paul Newman an Oscar. Tom Cruise played the hustler’s (Newman) protégé. This was quite a different movie for Martin Scorsese and deserves your attention if you’re a fan of either Newman or Cruise.

4. Shutter Island (2010) $128.1 million ($128 million) – Based on the 2003 Dennis Lehane novel, Shutter Island is another Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The psychological thriller tells the story of a detective investigating a psychiatric facility located on an island, specifically the disappearance of a murderess. A movie where nothing is at is seems, definitely worthy of your attention.

3. The Aviator (2004) $128.2 million ($102.6 million) – And another movie where Scorsese casts Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role. The Aviator is a biopic depicting the life of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes. Nominated for 11 Oscars, The Aviator won 5, Best Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing and Actress in a supporting role (Cate Blanchett playing Katharine Hepburn). This is one of my favorite Scorsese films and part of that is because of the subject matter (aviation).

2. Cape Fear (1991) $150.1 million ($79 million) – One man that’s been in more Scorsese movies then DiCaprio is Robert De Niro, the star of Cape Fear. A remake of the 1962 film of the same name, this thriller follows a convicted rapist stocking the family of the lawyer that defended him. Cape Fear was nominated for two Oscars, Best Actor (Roberd De Niro) and Best supporting actress (Juliet Lewis).

1. The Departed (2006) $160.1 million ($132.3 million) – It took seven nominations before Martin Scorsese finally won his first Oscar for this movie. Here Scorsese returns to a more familiar ground with a crime drama about corruption. A remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, The Departed stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg (nominated for an Oscar), Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin. It won 4 Oscars in 2007 including Best Picture and Director.

Before ending this I have to mention Raging Bull, a film that almost made it in the top 10 ($69.1 million adjusted for inflation). Again starring Robert De Niro (won him an Oscar), Raging Bull tells the story of boxer Jake La Motta and the ups of his career and downs of his life. While not as popular as Rocky (1976) it’s just as good if not better.

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For a movie that looks radiant – including the 3D – and handled with precision from behind the lens, Hugo is shockingly a numbing experience.

Chances are you will not feel a thing until the last third of the film. This is also the point where the purpose of the story is finally revealed. It’s the first time where yours truly had to wrestle with if a movie did in fact need a purpose or sturdy plot to be entertaining. Hopefully this will be answered in just a few paragraphs; or in this case, rambles.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a young orphan that has a knack for fixing anything mechanical. The setting of this tale is 1930s Paris, at a massive train station in the heart of the city. Hugo spends most of his days adjusting all the clocks throughout the station – a job his drunken Uncle (Ray Winstone) should be doing. When he’s not adjusting clockwork mechanisms, he ends up fiddling with an over-sized mechanical doll with human-like features. Trying to get the automaton to function is proving quite the task for someone who usually figures out everything fairly quickly. He believes that this robot has a message from his late father (Jude Law in cameo mode), but learns that its history runs deeper than he once thought.

When he’s not working on the little metal man, he carefully maneuvers around the station, avoiding the shrewd station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his k-9 sidekick, Maximilian, who takes an unusual pride in catching shoplifting orphans. Hugo is also a watcher (no pun); as he peers through secret crevices taking in the daily people who work at small shops on the station grounds; his favorite being the quiet toy store operator, Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley). Through his visual stalking, he coincidentally becomes friends with Georges’ daughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz). During their time together, the two explore the riddle behind Hugo’s wind-up robot; the interest Georges has, or doesn’t have, in it; and the magic of filmmaking. And naturally, the two do get into some mischief.

While Chloe Grace Moretz dazzles again, the young male lead is no slouch either. Their chemistry and emotional discharge is a pleasure to watch considering their young age. And with people like Ben Kingsley and the great Christopher Lee showing up in supporting roles, the veteran actors are able to anchor this down as the more-or-less wise mentors. Even Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Bruno) shows that he’s more than just a shock and awe actor. His timely and subtle comedy is right on for the family-friendly atmosphere. And if you listen closely, it does have some mature edge to it.

Having all these fine performances keeps your attention. Plus director Martin Scorsese creates an atmosphere that ushers in old-school and modern-day filmmaking aesthetic that will have your eyes constantly exploring. It’s definitely a holiday movie yet its purpose remains hidden for some time. Mainly because the script changes its mind on where the focus is going to be and the transition is anything but smooth.

And that’s why it’s amazing that this film can’t project any emotion off the screen to the audience. Aside from an educational montage that showcases the pioneer techniques of filmmaking, which is beautifully orchestrated, the direction or message this piece is trying to depict remains as mysterious as the mechanical robot angle. But it’s not the good kind of mystery. It’s the I-really-don’t-care-anymore feeling that will consume your mind. Very strange not to have any interest in the story yet you do not mind admiring the physical characteristics. Guess that’s similar to a conversation with a stripper…or watching Avatar again.

This flick may be worth the price just to see how aptly 3D can be used in conjunction with jaw-dropping set designs. Other than that, this would have been more moving and engaging if this instituted one of those old-school movie mechanics and ran silent for its near two-hour duration.

Overall, Hugo is quite frankly, attractively boring. The storytelling is lacking but the visual aspects and filmmaking mechanics can, and do, pick up the slack. All the production people deserve the utmost recognition, but this feature as a whole, just feels underwhelming, despite some exceptional performances from the entire cast.
RATING: 3 out of 5

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Last month we heard that Martin Scorsese was circling The Snowman, an adaptation of Norwegian author Jo Nesbo’s bestselling mystery novel which centers on a detective by the name of Harry Hole taking on a seemingly straight forward missing persons case in Oslo, only to find the female victim’s scarf on a snowman, possibly revealing a serial killer at work.

Now THR has confirmed that Scorsese will direct from a script by Matthew Michael Carnahan (World War Z), with Working Title (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) producing.

Here’s the official synopsis for Jo Nesbo’s novel:

It is November in Oslo and the first snow of the year has fallen. Birte Becker comes home from work and praises the snowman her husband and son have made in the garden. But they haven’t made a snowman. As the family stand by the sitting room window looking out in amazement at the snowman, the son notices that it is facing the house. The black eyes are staring at the window. At them.

Detective Inspector Harry Hole receives an anonymous letter signed “The Snowman.” Later he finds an alarming common thread in all the old disappearance cases. Married women go missing the day the first snow falls. That same night Sylvia Pedersen is fighting her way through the first snow in a forest outside Oslo. She knows she is running for her life, but she doesn’t know what from. Nor does she know what lies ahead. Fortunately.

Scorsese recently ventured into family-friendly territory with Hugo, but The Snowman will see the director return to the crime thriller genre for the first time since The Departed, which picked up 4 Oscars back in 2007.

No word on when filming will begin, but it could be Scorsese’s next film.

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Those fans of Martin Scorsese disappointed that his next film will be a kid-friendly one with Hugo will be happy to know his next possible venture will be back to dark mystery territory.

According to Variety Scorsese is circling The Snowman which, despite the title, is not another kids film. Instead, it is an adaptation of Norwegian author Jo Nesbo’s bestselling mystery novel which centers on a detective by the name of Harry Hole taking on a seemingly straight forward missing persons case in Oslo, only to find the female victim’s scarf on a snowman, possibly revealing a serial killer at work.

Scorsese has been interested in the title for sometime even though no formal offer has surfaced, but, evident from Scorsese’s eerie side (case in point Shutter Island), it’s safe to say it may in fact be a wise decision. The premise of the film, though strikingly interesting, sparks a similar resemblance to a little film called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as far as the European vibe goes, but that’s where the obvious similarity ends, allowing The Snowman to take on quite a dark and suspenseful identity of its own. Working Title owns the rights for the book and Matthew Michael Carnahan (State Of Play) will be on board to write the script.

Now even though Scorsese’s Hugo looks like a pretty solid film in a totally new environment, it’s still refreshing to see that he’s still interested in what he does well, ultimately allowing him to broaden his horizons without getting stale but still managing to come back to what his fans love him for. If Scorsese does indeed get the directorial duties for The Snowman, it will most likely follow his other projects, including The Irishman, the Sanatra biopic, and the one he will work on next, Silence.

That seems like a full plate to most, but Scorsese has the chops to push out authentic masterpieces when given the opportunity, and honestly I’d like to see him take on a psychological thriller again, after seeing his potential for creepiness in Shutter Island. But alas, chalk this up as yet another update to look out for, hopefully soon.

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GK Films has released a new trailer for Martin Scorsese’s 3D family adventure Hugo. It’s a bit odd saying the words “Martin Scorsese” and “3D” in the same sentence, but with “family adventure” thrown in the mix, it causes one to scratch his or her head, wondering if it’s just a big prank.

Alas, it is as real as it gets, and from the looks of the new trailer, it looks surprisingly intriguing. But who can complain with a cast consisting of Jude Law, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass), and Asa Butterfield (The Boy in The Striped Pajamas).

Check out the trailer below:

‘Hugo’ tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Based on Brian Selznick’s award winning and imaginative New York Times bestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” this magical tale is Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D.

Now it’s no doubt that Hugo is a dramatic departure from the usual violent and gritty films Scorsese’s become iconic for, such as GoodFellas and Shutter Island. But, with that being said, the trailer manages to capture a mysterious and emotionally engaging adventure with adult elements, contrary to the first trailer’s whimsical “kiddie” feeling.

It may be hard to wrap your head around, but it looks like Scorsese is managing quite well in new territory, which promises us a feel good mystery/adventure film that is geared for all ages. The only quip I have, which is obvious, is Scorsese’s attempt at using 3D elements. It just doesn’t feel like this is the type of film that warrants the need for the technology (then again most modern films don’t) and, again, it just doesn’t feel right for the director. Scepticisms are no doubt abundant, but we’ll know soon enough if Scorsese can pull it off when the film releases.

Hugo is released on 2D/3D screens across the US from November 23rd and the UK from December 2nd.

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Paramount Picture have released the first trailer for Martin Scorsese’s upcoming 3D family adventure Hugo (formally The Invention of Hugo Cabret). It looks to be new territory for the director, who has directed serious thrillers such as The Departed and Shutter Island over recent years.

The film, based on Brian Selznick’s bestselling children’s book, stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour and Michael Stuhlbarg.

You can watch the trailer below:

‘Hugo’ tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Based on Brian Selznick’s award winning and imaginative New York Times bestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” this magical tale is Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D.

Hugo is released on 2D/3D screens across the US from November 23rd and the UK from December 2nd.

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Playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise for ten years is enough to make any actor typecast for life. While Rupert Grint, just like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, will forever be known for their Hogwarts days Grint has managed to find roles for himself outside of the franchise. He starred in British teen thriller Cherrybomb last year and will be seen in Wild Target alongside Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy in October in the US (it was released this month in the UK).

Playing non-awkward wizards will likely be a priority for the actor from now on, and luckily for him Shutter Island director Martin Scorsese may help him out.

From The Guardian:

“I thought he was great in the Harry Potter movies – in a lot of scenes, the boy stole the show,” opined the director. “He will always have respect for the movies that gave him such a huge break, but at his age it’s important he doesn’t become typecast. He has to do something really out of his comfort zone in the next few years – play a gangster, play a dirty cop, play a kid with learning difficulties.”

Then Marty said the magic words. “I would be very interested in working with him. I would have no issues in casting him as a gangster. He is a very talented young man.” He went on to compare him to Leonardo DiCaprio. “When he was in Romeo and Juliet, nobody saw him becoming a badass in movies like The Departed. But he has become one of the greatest actors of all time. The very same could be true for Rupert.”

Getting such praise from a respected director like Scorsese should give Grint a confidence boost. He may not be needing any liquid luck after all.

Scorsese began filming his first 3D outing Hugo Cabret in the UK this week with Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Christopher Lee, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Sacha Baron Cohen and Richard Griffiths. It’s unlikely there will be a role for Grint at this stage, but maybe in Scorsese’s next film we will see Rupert Grint playing a former cop who is now a gangster with learning difficulties…in 3D!

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