THE 86th ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS

THE 86th ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS

BEST PICTURE

12 YEARS A SLAVE

BEST DIRECTOR

Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

BEST ACTOR

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The Great Beauty, Italy

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Spike Jonze, Her

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Frozen

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Catherine Martin and Beverly Dunn, The Great Gatsby

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity

BEST SOUND MIXING

Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, and Chris Munro, Gravity

BEST SOUND EDITING

Glenn Freemantle, Gravity

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Steven Price, Gravity

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Let It Go", Frozen

Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

20 Feet from Stardom

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life

BEST FILM EDITING

Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger, Gravity

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Mr. Hublot

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Helium

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, and Neil Corbould, Gravity

I don't think there were too many surprises from last night. My final outcome on predictions was 19 out of 24, which wasn't too bad. I should have stuck to my initial guesses on Best Picture and Best Costume Design, but I thought I would throw out some surprises. 20 Feet from Stardom took the award home for Best Documentary when many thought The Act of Killing had it in the bag. Ellen Degeneres completely nailed the opening monologue and brought an informal approach to her hosting duties, often times delivering bits from the audience. The selfie that broke Twitter was a fantastic idea and takes a bit of the stuffiness out of the room. I'm sure there will be some curmudgeons that will balk at her casual ways, but I found it entertaining. I will say that some of the bits took too long. The Oscars are always far longer than they need to be. I read many negative comments regarding some of the performances. I really enjoyed Bette Midler, Pink, and Idina Menzel. My biggest beef of the evening came with one of their presenters. Can I just throw it out there that John Travolta should not present again? Why does he always have to present one of the Best Song nominees? He completely butchered Idina Menzel's name. Don't they have rehearsals and pronunciation cards or something to ensure names are pronounced correctly? Travolta and his hair piece were two of the lowest moments of the evening. Some highlights of the evening include Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong'o and Cate Blachett who had wonderful and inspiring speeches. While Gravity took home the most with seven wins, 12 Years a Slave took home the final award for Best Picture.

The 20th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS WINNERS

The 20th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS WINNERS

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

THE WINNER: American Hustle

OTHER NOMINEES:
12 Years a Slave
August: Osage County
Dallas Buyers Club
Lee Daniels' The Butler

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

THE WINNER: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

OTHER NOMINEES:
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels' The Butler

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

THE WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

OTHER NOMINEES:
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

THE WINNER: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

OTHER NOMINESS:
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini, Enough Said

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

THE WINNER: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

OTHER NOMINEES:
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

THE WINNER: Lone Survivor

OTHER NOMINEES:
All is Lost
Fast & Furious 6
Rush
The Wolverine

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Rita Moreno!

THE 71st GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS WINNERS

THE 71st GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS WINNERS

Here are the winners for the 71st Golden Globe Awards brought to you by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association

BEST MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA

THE WINNER: 12 Years a Slave

OTHER NOMINESS:
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS-DRAMA

THE WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

OTHER NOMINEES:
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet, Labor Day

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR-DRAMA

THE WINNER: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

OTHER NOMINESS:
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Robert Redford, All is Lost

BEST MOTION PICTURE-COMEDY/MUSICAL

THE WINNER: American Hustle

OTHER NOMINESS:
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS-COMEDY/MUSICAL

THE WINNER: Amy Adams, American Hustle

OTHER NOMINEES:
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR-COMEDY/MUSICAL

THE WINNER: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

OTHER NOMINEES:
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

THE WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

OTHER NOMINEES:
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

THE WINNER: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

OTHER NOMINEES:
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

BEST DIRECTOR
THE WINNER: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

OTHER NOMINEES:
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
THE WINNER:   Frozen

OTHER NOMINEES:
The Croods
Despicable Me 2

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE WINNER: The Great Beauty, Italy

OTHER NOMINEES:
Blue is the Warmest Color, France
The Hunt, Denmark
The Past, Iran
The Wind Rises, Japan

BEST SCREENPLAY
THE WINNER: Spike Jonze, Her

OTHER NOMINEES:
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell, American Hustle

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
THE WINNER: Alex Ebert, All is Lost

OTHER NOMINEES:
Steven Price, Gravity
John Williams, The Book Thief
Hans Zimmer, 12 Years a Slave
Alex Heffes, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
THE WINNER: "Ordinary Love", Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

OTHER NOMINEES:
"Atlas", The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
"Let It Go", Frozen
"Please Mr. Kennedy", Inside Llewyn Davis
"Sweeter than Fiction", Once Chance

The 2014 Cecil B. DeMille Awards was presented to Woody Allen who, naturally, was not present so Diane Keaton accepted the awards upon his behalf.

What are your thoughts? Did the right people win? Any surprises or snubs?

Movie Review: DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Gardner, Denis O'Hare, Dallas Roberts, Steve Zahn, Deneen Tyler

Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) has already depleted a majority of his immune system by the copious amounts of drugs and alcohol he has ingested into his body. After a drug fueled trip to the hospital, he is diagnosed with HIV and given the standard 30 days to live. He is a racist and homophobe who recently learned of Rock Hudson's diagnosis with the disease and is quick to make it clear that he is not gay so there must be some mistake. Ron does some research on the disease and comes to the realization that his intravenous drug use and unprotected sex with other druggies are what caused it.

He learns of the recently FDA approved drug AZT being used in test trials and demands to be put on it. Dr. Eve Saks (Gardner) informs him there is no way of knowing if he would receive the drug or be a placebo patient. This uncertainty leads to smuggling the drug from the hospital. His supply is cut off, but he heads to a secret doctor (Griffin Dunne) in Mexico for a vitamin regimen that may be a healthier alternative. During another trip to the hospital, he meets Rayon (Leto), a transgender HIV patient with a severe drug problem. Ron sees an opportunity in Rayon who is making a profit off selling HIV medications to the gay community. It is illegal to sell the non-approved regimen, so they start up the Dallas Buyers Club where members can pay a monthly fee to be in the club and then receive the drugs for free.

Buzz about the film arose early on when set photos appeared showing a drastically thin McConaughey and Leto. They both excel at these transformative portrayals giving two career-defining performances. I mentioned in my review of Mud, there will always be a bit of McConaughey in his performances. While that glimmer still resides, Ron Woodroof is the furthest away he has gotten from that image he has given us in the last twenty years of his career. He has had a solid two years of fantastic performances in starring and supporting roles. His physicality and gruff attitude can be scary at times when the “old” Ron comes into play, but McConaughey finds the determination and humanity in him as he gradually opens up and finds something to fight for. Leto is no stranger to playing drug addicts after his performance in Requiem for a Dream. He perfectly embodies Rayon and lets the sweet, delicate, warm, and heartbreaking sides of her shine through. He never once crosses into caricature or does some sort of gimmicky impression of a drag queen or transgender person. Do not be surprised if he walks away with some gold come Oscar night. He will be the one to beat in the Supporting Actor category at every awards ceremony.

These two fine actors make the film recommendable despite the fact that the overall execution of the movie is quite choppy at times. Despite the fact the film tries to cover a lot of ground in the story, it feels a bit too rushed and lacks a specificity to it. I do not think director Jean-Marc Vallée and screenwriters Melisa Wallack and Craig Borten know what part of the story they want to tell. Is it about Ron's transformation from a homophobic cowboy to a caring individual? Was it about the growing clientele he helped and the impact of buyers clubs throughout the states? There is also the mini plot line about the war against the FDA. This is the first screenplay for Borten. Wallack previously penned the screenplays for Meet Bill and Mirror Mirror, which I detested. The script feels quite amateurish in the line of character development. In an attempt to tell various aspects of Ron's journey after being diagnosed and to keep it fast paced, they gloss over some needed introduction of numerous supporting characters who just pop up out of nowhere. Outside of Rayon, we never really learn about other members of the club. You see people walking in and out of the hotels to pick up their vitamins, but we never really get to know them. The characters of Denise (Tyler) and David Wayne (Roberts) just show up to start working for Ron, but we do not really know where they ever came from or what their stories are.

More importantly, it brings an awareness and attention to a very important part of history with the rise in the HIV/AIDS crisis. I was too young to know the history when it was going on, so films like this can be important teaching tools to shine a light on the impact and severity of the disease. It is a shame that the film has so much potential but does not quite know how to deliver it to its full impact. Luckily McConaughey and Leto are so moving that they draw us in and make us invested into these characters as they stand up for what they believe in.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER--The 2013 Full Uncensored Actors Roundtable

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER--The 2013 Full Uncensored Actors Roundtable

It’s award season which means another set of roundtable discussions from The Hollywood Reporter with the actors, actresses, directors, producers, and writers garnering praise for their films. As an actor myself, I love watching them discuss the ups and downs of their careers, what inspires them, what excites them in a project, and what scares them. Up first is The Actors segment featuring:

Josh Brolin, Labor Day
Jake Gyllenhall, Prisoners
Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Don’t forget to check back in as I will continue to post these roundtables as they are released.

Movie Trailer: DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leo, Denis O'Hare, Steve Zahn, Dallas Roberts

Dallas Buyers Club has already gotten huge buzz as it is also "The Movie Where Matthew McConaughey Lost a Lot of Weight". Pictures of a very gaunt McConaughey and Jared Leto in drag surfaced while filming and it made all the headlines. The film is inspired by the true story of Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) who tests positive for HIV in 1986 and given only months to live. He takes matters into his own hands by taking alternative non-approved drugs and smuggling them from all over the country. Word spreads about his drugs and supplements and other patients seek him out for their own supply.

McConaughey has really turned his career around lately. He has distanced himself away from the the dopey rom-coms he had been cracking out. In 2012, he had strong performances across the board in Magic Mike, Bernie, The Paperboy, and Killer Joe. In 2013, he received high praise for Mud and will also be appearing in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. I am pretty sure someone is hoping for an Oscar nomination between any of his three films.

RELEASE DATE: November 1, 2013

Here's the trailer: