Another Year, Another Round of Bitching

Well, the movie awards season has now come to a close, with Argo triumphing at the end. I've read quite a few articles that claim Ben Affleck's lack of a Best Director nomination helped him win the sympathy vote - perhaps that's true, but Steven Spielberg failing to win Director suggests that maybe Lincoln's strength wasn't what it was thought to be. Of course we'll never know, and does it ultimately matter in the grand scheme (even in the not-so-grand scheme of filmdom)? No, but that won't stop plenty more discussion on the subject. We film buffs must get our fix one way or another.

Biggest surprise was obviously the tie for Sound Editing - the first to happen in quite a while - but Ang Lee winning Best Director was not far behind. Spielberg seemed the most likely prospect (like Daniel Day-Lewis, he's earned enough respect by now to be considered worthy of a third Oscar) but there was always the chance that Harvey Weinstein would come through for David O. Russell. Neither would have been a bad choice, but among the five nominees Ang Lee was perhaps most singlehandedly responsible for how well his film turned out. The other four had superb scripts, excellent casts, or both, but (not to slight its writer or actors) the real star Life of Pi was Ang Lee himself. Though his earlier films were very good (especially The Ice Storm), I haven't been a big fan of his newer Oscar contenders, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. This made Life of Pi an even more surprising pleasure to watch.

I guess as a patriotic Canadian I am duty-bound to carp about how Affleck's picture short-changed Ken Taylor's efforts, but after all the whining that's already polluted the internet I just can't. Perhaps what actually happened would make a good movie too, but this film was really designed to be a caper flick in the style of those being made in the late 1970s (right down to the grainy photography of some of the Iran scenes). For most of the film it's clear we aren't meant to take it as a serious document. However, the clips and pictures at the end do suggest this (especially ex-President Carter's voiceover), which was a mistake and the only real grounds for complaint.

All this does create an interesting question, and the real reason for my writing here: what's acceptable to fictionalize and what isn't? A decade ago a lot of British critics were irked by U-571's crediting of the capture of the Enigma machine to the Americans, while most American reviewers weren't bothered too much (though perhaps they didn't know this was inaccurate). Critics, especially those like Jonathan Rosenbaum, Jim Emerson and the late Pauline Kael, tend to jump on liberties like this only if a third-world (or non-white) nation is the one being short-changed. Just look at the differing reactions to 1987's The Untouchables and 1988's Mississippi Burning: both are pumped-up crime movies that only use the true stories for some period and location flavor. Most of each film is arguably fiction rather than fact (though some names used were real, and the ultimate outcomes were reasonably accurate), but the critical reactions were very different. De Palma's Untouchables was highly praised, with its liberties barely being discussed, while Parker's Burning was viciously attacked by the three aforementioned critics (Mr. Emerson routinely brings it up even today as an example of pure cinematic evil).

Why the split reaction? First let's compare the two movies:

De Palma's film depicts four (or really just two) men who gun down hordes of Al Capone's goons while they help put him in prison for tax evasion. Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness ultimately gets revenge on Capone's top killer by throwing him off a building. The District Attorney & local police are little help as they are all weak-willed, corrupt, or both.

Parker's film depicts two FBI agents who track down the killers of four civil rights workers by intimidating co-conspirators and speaking to previously passive locals. Ultimately they get one guilty man to talk by pretending to be fellow Klansmen who try to kill him.

You can see that while the overall plots have some truth in them, there's a lot that's been fictionalized in both films. (Recently it even was revealed that the climactic trick that Parker's FBI agents played actually did happen, or something very much like it.) The crucial factor is that, in Mississippi Burning, the (fictionalized) efforts of FBI agents are emphasized over the real-life work of civil rights leaders. White FBI agents over black civil rights leaders. Bad. Very bad. Or so the Rosenbamian school of critics say. Fictionalizing history is fine, but if a non-white character is negatively (or less-heroically) portrayed, that sets off the alarm. Mr. Rosenbaum & Ms. Kael attacked The Deer Hunter along very similar lines, citing its depiction of a fictional North Vietnamese torture of American prisoners rather than any American atrocities. (Commendably, Mr. Emerson did not share this view.) Mr. Rosenbaum even threw out Apocalypse Now over Colonel Kurtz' fictional story of North Vietnamese cutting children's arms off, conveniently forgetting that the rest of the film depicted equally fictional American massacres. Alan Parker's Midnight Express is also often cited (by all three of these critics) for its villainous Turkish prison guards. Certainly they are way over the top in their sadism, and can't really be taken seriously as villains. But would these same critics have complained if the guards had been American (perhaps in a Texas prison) but otherwise depicted in exactly the same way, beating on a college student imprisoned on drug charges?

If you look at a lot of older Hollywood films - Gone with the Wind is most often cited, but you could also choose most of John Ford's Westerns or Preston Sturges' comedies - you'll find racial views that are pretty unenlightened by modern standards, and it's understandable to be bothered by them. Unfortunately there's now a school of thought that demands almost nothing but favorable portrayals of non-white characters, and if anything otherwise is shown, the film in question deserves to be condemned. Mr. Emerson even cited Matt Dillon's rescue of Thandie Newton in Crash - a white man rescuing a black woman! Evil! EVIL! (Certainly that film had a lot of faults, but that sequence is pretty low on the list.) Going back to Argo, some critics like Mr. Rosenbaum are taking it to task for its depiction of Iranians (he even listed it as the year's worst film). Yes, you do witness the protesters storming the building at the start of the movie (and the diplomats walking fearfully through a market later on), but the introduction to the movie lets us see why the protesters are unhappy with America and why they're doing what they're doing. As for the marketplace scene: we're seeing everyone through the diplomats' eyes, folks! When you're in fear of being captured at any moment, anybody you see will seem threatening to you whether they really are or not. This device has been used in countless movies without much criticism, so it's silly to single it out here.

What this all amounts to is this: if the real-life story had been about Americans being sheltered at the Indian or Kenyan embassy, would Argo's fictionalizations have been tolerated by American critics? My guess is no.  My guess is that this film would have been condemned by a large chunk of them: not even the hardcore Rosenbamians like Jim Emerson, but even the softer politically-correct types like Michael Phillips. Please don't think I believe this film should be condemned for its fictionalizations - my point is that critics need to tone down their so-called sensitivities and realize that D. W. Griffith, John Ford and Margaret Mitchell are long gone. Not every unheroic (or not-fully-dimensional) black character is evidence of insidious racism.

Play Misty for Me (1971)

I've decided to begin a look at the many films made by Clint Eastwood, starting at the beginning with Play Misty for Me.

                                                                                                                                 

    Play Misty for Me is now usually remembered simply as Clint Eastwood’s first movie as a director, but it’s better than that and still more than worth seeing – it features fine work by him both behind the camera and in front of it he takes on a rather atypical role of a not-very-clever but amiable semi-gigolo.
    The film begins as he goes to his job at a Carmel radio station where he gets a call from a woman who asks him to play the song ‘Misty.’ It is clearly not the first time she has requested this. After he comes off work he goes to a bar run by Dirty Harry director Don Siegel in his first movie role. Siegel claims that a solitary woman (Jessica Walter) that Eastwood is eyeing is waiting for someone and has been resisting advances all night.
    Seeing this as a challenge rather than a warn-off, Eastwood tries his luck: he plays a game of chess with Siegel and slowly arouses her interest, or so he thinks. We can recognize Walter’s voice from the call to the radio station, and her fixed gaze on Eastwood as he looks at the game certainly reveals that she was waiting for him to show up. She eventually admits this to him, but not before letting him think he has worked a brilliant ploy.
    She stays over at his house with a promise of ‘no strings attached,’ but – perhaps surprisingly to us – there is no sexual scene shown with them. Eastwood (the director) isn’t interested in salaciousness and there wouldn’t be any other point in having such a scene. His DJ clearly doesn’t take their relationship any more seriously than a brief fling, and he generally has a number of girlfriends going at once.
    Walter, however, is quite aggressive, and brings groceries to his house for an impromptu supper. He’s upset by this – what if another woman was there? – but agrees to have dinner with her. Eastwood is a pretty narcissistic guy in this movie as he doesn’t seem at all worried by her obsessiveness: he’s used to having girls falling hard for him so her behavior seems only natural to him.
    He continues this relationship but soon learns of an old girlfriend (Donna Mills, who reminds me of Jane Fonda without the abrasiveness) coming back to town and decides to get back together with her and give up his playboy lifestyle. In turn, he decides to wind things up with Walter but she won’t have it, often running into him and even wrecking a business lunch he’s spent some time preparing for.
    Finally she turns violent – first against herself in a suicide attempt, then against Eastwood’s housekeeper who walks in while she’s vandalizing his house. After the latter outburst she is sent to a sanitarium.
    These first two-thirds of the film are very effective: we can see Walter’s increasingly dangerous obsessiveness, but it’s not made so obvious that we can’t believe Eastwood takes so long to notice. That Eastwood himself is willing to be a pretty self-absorbed guy also makes this believable.
    The final half-hour is not quite as good. This is partly because it has been imitated so many times since, but also because Eastwood as director is not quite as steady here – especially in the final showdown. Previously restrained in not using too many heavy-handed closeups or zooms to get the menace across, he indulges in this a few times, along with a rather improbable plot twist (and an even more improbable discovery made by Eastwood’s character).
    He also features a walking-in-the woods montage (punctuated by the only sex in the film) that is too long, but he partially salvages things by often shooting it very wide so we can see the woods around them and can look around to see if they’re being followed (earlier in the film we have just such a shot with a very nice payoff). He also shows them in a pretty good crowd scene afterward where we watch even more carefully, but the sense of danger isn’t as potent as in the film’s first hour or so. It just seems too obligatory a sequence.
    The final confrontation between Eastwood and Walter delivers some excitement but, again, not as much as it should. The editing is a little off here and the falling figure at the end is too obviously a dummy. The very last shot, at least, is well-done: it provides a nice mirror to the opening shot and lets us see Walter as a sad figure rather than as the purely murderous nut she has become by the end of the movie.
    When watching this film a viewer today will inevitably think of Fatal Attraction, though there is one very important difference between the two films: in the latter, Glenn Close is less obviously dangerous than Jessica Walter is here, which is why the violent climax of that film felt so false. The finale of Play Misty for Me is a little more believable because Walter’s character is more prone to angry outbursts from early in the story.
    Jessica Walter has been frequently, and justly, praised for what she did in this film. It’s too bad that she wasn’t in very many films – perhaps she was too convincing in the role. Eastwood, in contrast, is often overlooked for his onscreen work here, but he’s also very good as the film’s straight man who’s careless with the affections of women.
    As a director he does quite well by not overly-sensationalizing the story. There’s no pumped-up musical score or a lot of ominous close-ups. Perhaps the best example of Eastwood’s understated approach to things is his first meeting with Walter at the bar: instead of frequent cuts to close-ups of her eyes or something we might get from another director, we usually see both of them in the same shot as she watches him play his game with the bartender. This is all we need to understand what’s happening, and it’s in keeping with the style he has used ever since – essentially to make everything clear but not obvious to us.
    Eastwood is rather difficult to classify as a filmmaker – perhaps why he took so long to be recognized properly. There are no postmodern winks at the audience, flashy directorial flourishes or posing ambiguities that we might expect from a European director (or their American imitators), but no excessive ramming home of the story’s themes that we might get from an old-style director like John Ford. The emphasis is on the storytelling and characters, which is decidedly old-school, but with the actors (particularly the supporting players) generally better-used than you might find in a 1940s film.
    Over the years this movie has often been called misogynist but, if anything, it’s an argument for men to be more careful with their relationships and to pay more attention to those who care for them. Yes, Jessica Walter’s character is a very troubled (and ultimately very dangerous) woman, but Eastwood also gets himself into this problem partly because of his cavalier attitude towards her. He doesn’t underline this point too heavily but it is there. Even this early in his career he was gently criticizing the mindless macho attitudes and qualities that so many careless critics accused him of celebrating instead.

The Year's Best . . . According to Some

Regrettably, work has taken me away from writing (or even watching) for quite a while now - apologies for that. I am back home now, and should be able to devote some time to talking about favorites from the past as I promised.

But first some talk about the various nominations - not just the Academy's, but everyone's. The lack of Oscar nominations for Ben Affleck & Kathryn Bigelow has certainly been the big point of discussion lately, and I was also very surprised. Both films have come under some controversy, but usually such talk doesn't derail frontrunners as completely as it did this time. (Usually the backlash peaks just around when the film actually wins, and we can all talk about how dumb the Academy voters are for rewarding such a morally reprehensible or simpleminded piece of garbage. You all know the routine.)

Those omissions were probably the only big surprises in this year's nominations, though - everything else was as expected, which is perhaps why so much talk has been devoted to these two being left off the list. Because of this, there really isn't much to say about the nominations that hasn't been said already - therefore I'll be talking about all the rest of the organizations that hand out prizes at this time of the year. The last of the major critics' groups (London) gave out their awards today, so now's the time to look at how all of those organizations - 35 this year - voted. I've arranged it according to film, not awards group, concentrating on the twelve films that have gotten the most recognition. (Okay, so Looper shouldn't really belong on such a list, but it has won a lot of screenplay awards and was probably the best movie I saw this past year. Indulge me.)

Without further blather from me, here they are (with questions marks denoting the industry-centric groups that have yet to make their choices - these will be filled in as they make their decisions in the next few weeks):


Amour by Michael Haneke

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Non-English-Language Feature
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    HFCS Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film
   –    IFJA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    ALFS Award for Film of the Year
   –    ALFS Award for Foreign-Language Film of the Year
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    NSFC Award for Best Picture
   ✓    NYFCC Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    OFCS Award for Best Film not in the English Language
   –    PFCS Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    Satellite Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    TFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    TFCA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   –    UFCA Award for Best Non-English-Language Feature
   –    VFCC Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Foreign-Language Film

   –    ALFS Award for Actor of the Year (Jean-Louis Trintignant)

   –    Academy Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    ALFS Award for Actress of the Year (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    NSFC Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva)

   –    ALFS Award for Supporting Actress of the Year (Isabelle Huppert)

   –    Academy Award for Best Director (Michael Haneke)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Director (Michael Haneke)
   –    ALFS Award for Director of the Year (Michael Haneke)
   ✓    NSFC Award for Best Director (Michael Haneke)

   –    Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Michael Haneke)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Michael Haneke)
   ✓    ALFS Award for Screenwriter of the Year (Michael Haneke)


Argo by Ben Affleck

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Film
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    CFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Film
   –    DFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    FFCC Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    ALFS Award for Film of the Year
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Picture
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   ✓    NFCS Award for Best Film
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Film
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Film
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Film

   –    BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Ben Affleck)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    ALFS Award for Supporting Actor of the Year (Alan Arkin)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)

   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (John Goodman)

   ✓    AAFCA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    DGA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    FFCC Globe for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    NFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Director (Ben Affleck)

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    COFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    FFCC Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    ALFS Award for Screenwriter of the Year (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)
   ✓    WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio)


Beasts of the Southern Wild by Benh Zeitlin

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    CFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –  Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   –    ALFS Award for Film of the Year
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture

   –    Academy Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –  Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis)

   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Dwight Henry)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Dwight Henry)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Dwight Henry)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Dwight Henry)

   –    Academy Award for Best Director (Benh Zeitlin)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Director (Benh Zeitlin)
   –    Independent Spirit Award for Best Director (Benh Zeitlin)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Director (Benh Zeitlin)

   –    Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin)


Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFCS Award for Best Film
   –    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Film

   –    SLFCA Award for Best Actor (Jamie Foxx)

   –    COFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Supporting Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    BSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    IFJA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    LAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)

   –    BAFTA Award for Best Director (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Director (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Director (Quentin Tarantino)
   ✓    IFJA Award for Best Director (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Director (Quentin Tarantino)

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    IFJA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    ALFS Award for Screenwriter of the Year (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)


Life of Pi by Ang Lee

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Film
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama)
   –    ALFS Award for Film of the Year
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Film

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    DGA Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   ✓    ALFS Award for Director of the Year (Ang Lee)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Director (Ang Lee)

   –    Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)
   –    WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee)


Lincoln by Steven Spielberg

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Film
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    CFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   ✓    IFCA Award for Best Film
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   ✓    NTFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Film
   –    VFCC Award for Best Film
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Film

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Actor (Drama) (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    IFJA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    IFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   –    ALFS Award for Actor of the Year (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   –    ALFS Award for British Actor of the Year (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    NSFC Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    NYFCC Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    NTFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    SAG Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   –    UFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    IFJA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    IFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    ALFS Award for Supporting Actor of the Year (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    NFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    NTFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   ✓    AAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    ALFS Award for Supporting Actress of the Year (Sally Field)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   ✓    NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   ✓    NFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)

   –    Academy Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    DGA Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   ✓    IFCA Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   ✓    NTFCA Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)

   –    Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    NSFC Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    NYFCC Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner, John Logan & Paul Webb)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)
   –    WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner)


Looper by Rian Johnson

   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    UFCA Award for Best Picture

   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt)
   –    ALFS Award for British Actress of the Year (Emily Blunt)

   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   ✓    FFCC Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)
   –    WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Rian Johnson)


The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson

   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    CFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Film
   –    ALFS Award for Film of the Year
   –    LAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    NSFC Award for Best Picture
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Picture
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    OFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    TFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    VFCC Award for Best Film

   –    Academy Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Actor (Drama) (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   ✓    ALFS Award for Actor of the Year (Joaquin Phoenix)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    FFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    ALFS Award for Supporting Actor of the Year (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    TFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   –    UFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    ALFS Award for Supporting Actress of the Year (Amy Adams)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   ✓    NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)

   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    BSFC Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    ALFS Award for Director of the Year (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✓    TFCA Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)

   –    BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    ALFS Award for Screenwriter of the Year (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✓    SDFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✓    TFCA Award for Best Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   –    WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)


Les Misérables by Tom Hooper

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Film
   –    BAFTA Award for Best British Film
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   –    ALFS Award for British Film of the Year
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Film

   –    Academy Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) (Hugh Jackman)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    ALFS Award for Actor of the Year (Hugh Jackman)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    SAG Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)

   –    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Redmayne)

   –    SDFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Samantha Barks)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress (Samantha Barks)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Samantha Barks)

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    FFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    IFJA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    IFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    ALFS Award for Supporting Actress of the Year (Anne Hathaway)
   –    LAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    NTFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)

   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Director (Tom Hooper)
   –    DGA Award for Best Director (Tom Hooper)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Director (Tom Hooper)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Director (Tom Hooper)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Director (Tom Hooper)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Director (Tom Hooper)

   –    PFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (William Nicholson)


Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson

   –    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    BSFC Award for Best Picture
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    OFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Film

   –    Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male (Bruce Willis)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bruce Willis)

   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Director (Wes Anderson)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Director (Wes Anderson)
   –    Independent Spirit Award for Best Director (Wes Anderson)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Director (Wes Anderson)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Director (Wes Anderson)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Director (Wes Anderson)

   –    Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson)
   –    BSFC Award for Best Screenplay (Wes Anderson)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay (Roman Coppola & Wes Anderson)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
   –    WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)


Silver Linings Playbook by David O. Russell

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   –    AFCA Award for Best Film
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    DFCS Award for Best Film
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   –    IFCA Award for Best Film
   –    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Picture
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Film

   –    Academy Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) (Bradley Cooper)
   –    Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead (Bradley Cooper)
   ✓    IFJA Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    SAG Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)

   ✓    Academy Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    COFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Actress (Musical/Comedy) (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    HFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    IFJA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    KCFCC Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    ALFS Award for Actress of the Year (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    LAFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    NFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    NTFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    SAG Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    Sierra Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    SEFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    VFCC Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
   –    SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)

   –    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)

   –    Academy Award for Best Director (David O. Russell)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Director (David O. Russell)
   ✓    Independent Spirit Award for Best Director (David O. Russell)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Director (David O. Russell)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Director (David O. Russell)
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Director (David O. Russell)

   –    Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    CFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    DFCS Award for Best Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    IFJA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    LAFCA Award for Best Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    UFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)
   –    WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell)


Zero Dark Thirty by Kathryn Bigelow

   –    Academy Award for Best Picture
   ✓    AAFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    AFCA Award for Best Film
   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Picture
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Film
   –    COFCA Award for Best Film
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Picture
   –    DFWFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    DFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    IFJA Award for Best Film
   –    IFCA Award for Best Film
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Film
   –    NSFC Award for Best Picture
   ✓    NYFCC Award for Best Picture
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Picture
   –    OFCC Award for Best Film
   –    OFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    PFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Picture
   –    Satellite Award for Best Picture
   –    Sierra Award for Best Picture
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Picture
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Film
   –    TFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Picture
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Film
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Film

   –    Academy Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    Critics Choice Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    FFCC Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) (Jessica Chastain)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    IFJA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    IFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    ALFS Award for Actress of the Year (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    OFCC Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    OFCS Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    SAG Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    UFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)

   –    CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Jason Clarke)

   ✓    BOFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    BSFC Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    DFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    DGA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    IFJA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    IFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    ALFS Award for Director of the Year (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    LAFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    NBR Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    NSFC Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    NYFCC Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    NFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    PFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    SDFCS Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    Satellite Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    SLFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   –    UFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
   ✓    WAFCA Award for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow)

   –    Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    CFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    Critics Choice Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    DFWFCA Award for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    Golden Globe for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    HFCS Award for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    ALFS Award for Screenwriter of the Year (Mark Boal)
   –    NYFCC Award for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    NYFCO Award for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    OFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    PFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    SFFCC Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    SEFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    SLFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    TFCA Award for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    VFCC Award for Best Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   –    WAFCA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)
   ✓    WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal)

These twelve films have collectively won just about everything there is to win this year.

Daniel Day-Lewis & Anne Hathaway have just about cleaned the board in their categories - Day-Lewis in particular. It's nice to see him take on a quieter role for a change, as opposed to something like Daniel Plainview where he seemed to be trying to get as much spit on the camera lens as possible.

For Picture & Director, it's the Snubbed Duo - Ben Affleck & Kathryn Bigelow - who have fared best, both films and directors winning about the same number of awards. With them (probably) knocked out of the race for the Little Gold Men, it looks as though Steven Spielberg's film will take these.

As for Actress & Supporting Actor, it's a two-and-a-half horse race in each category (Chastain-Lawrence-Riva and Hoffman-Jones-Waltz). Emmanuelle Riva has done well in a lot of more recent awards, and given the surprisingly large number of nominations her film got (as well as the long and distinguished career she has had), she may take the Oscar. She's the least likely of the three, but it shouldn't be a huge shock if she takes it either.

The Best Supporting Actor frontrunners (in fact, all five of the Oscar nominees) have won before, so perhaps their Oscar track records won't be a factor this year. There's a case to be made for all three: Jones is in the film most likely to win big on Oscar night, while Hoffman and Waltz are good ways to reward films that are unlikely to win in any other category.

Review - Citizen Kane (1941)

Citizen Kane, as you probably know, was mostly based on the life of news magnate William Randolph Hearst. His anger at the film’s portrayal of him and of his mistress, the actress Marion Davies, led to his papers refusing to mention the picture and intimidating most theaters into not showing it. The film quickly fizzled at the 1941 box office, but is now one of the most famous movies ever made – ironically it has become more famous than Hearst himself, who is now inextricably connected to it.
The picture begins and ends with a “No Trespassing” sign outside the massive estate of Xanadu. The camera, and we who watch, ignore it and slowly get closer to the huge mansion. One bright light shows the bedroom of the dying tycoon Charlie Kane (Orson Welles). With his final breath, Kane gasps out one word: rosebud.
A newsreel is put together announcing his death and summarizing his life, but the editor wants something more: who was Kane really? He seemed a very contradictory man; perhaps his final word could help explain it all. A reporter (William Alland) is sent on a hunt for the meaning of “rosebud.”
We follow Alland through archival research, interviews with friends and employees, even with Kane’s second wife, but nobody can tell him what “rosebud” was. We in the audience finally do learn what it was, but it proves less valuable than the rest of what we learn along with the reporter.
Charlie Kane came from a poor family in the West, who fortuitously came into a large gold mine; his mother sent him East to go to the best schools and be prepared for greatness, but he always chafed at his guardian, the banker Walter Thatcher. Upon coming of age he shows little interest in so-called respectable business ventures, instead choosing to run the New York Inquirer, a small newspaper.
Kane begins his career with a high-minded declaration of principles, but it is a mistake to think that he ever really cared more about the common man than himself. As one of his friends states when being interviewed, “he never had a conviction except Charlie Kane in his life.” He is willing almost from the start to stir up scandal for the sake of circulation, and ultimately urges the United States to go to war. Through such sensational headline-making, he turns his newspaper into one of the biggest in the nation.
Although he wields great influence through his papers, real political influence – elected office – eludes him thanks to an affair with the young singer Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore). The scandal ends his hopes for the White House, so Kane becomes determined to make his new wife an opera star, building a huge opera house for her and staging lavish productions in spite of her less-than-ideal voice.
It is this second marriage and his attempts to give his wife a career that ties together the two great aims of Charlie Kane’s life: to have influence and power over others, and to recapture his youth. (Indeed, it is on his way to look at items from his family’s old house that he first meets his second wife.) “Rosebud” was ultimately an expression of loss for the youth he never had. Once he was whisked East, he went to exclusive schools and enjoyed a very comfortable existence, but the relatively carefree and easy youth that most of us enjoy was denied him. Through his relationship with this younger woman, it is as if he wants to have the young life that he never got; the irony of all this is that he ends up pushing her into a singing career that she doesn’t want.
Simply describing the story may make you think that Citizen Kane is simply a conventional screen biography, but what makes it special is the way that this man’s life is recounted to us. The newsreel gives a quick overview of his life and career, and through flashbacks and interviews with surviving friends we learn more and more details about him. His story isn’t told in chronological order, but neither is it terribly scrambled: first we learn about his rise and fall in the business world, then his decline of morals and integrity, and finally his failed marriages. We can ultimately follow the path of Kane’s life better this way than if it had been told in a more linear way.
The unconventional structure and Orson Welles’ superb characterization are all vital to the movie and have been praised at length, but most important – and most discussed – of all is Gregg Toland’s deep-focus photography, which lets us spot small details in both the foreground and background. This allows for many long takes as the film doesn’t need to cut to a close-up of something for us to see it as everything in the frame is already in focus, which ultimately provides a much cleaner and more economical narrative; the film is only two hours long but we learn as much about Charlie Kane’s life and character as it is possible for us to know.
The camera angles and lighting style also contribute to the film; Welles shoots the film almost like a gothic melodrama or a noir, which when combined with Toland’s deep focus produces a movie that is haunting without being at all sentimental. Welles made many noirs and mystery films later in his career, but this same visual style always felt much more conspicuous and mannered in those pictures: their stories and characters weren’t nearly as compelling as this one so the photography is much more noticeable to us. In contrast, a first-time viewer will probably not notice the many visual tricks that are put to use in Citizen Kane. The visual and narrative techniques aren’t just designed to show off here, but to serve the story of this man’s life.
The film has been regarded for decades as one of the greatest films ever made, if not the greatest;  in a way this is unfortunate, as anyone now who sees it for the first time is going to have expectations that can never be matched, or will already resent it and expect not to like it.
Why is it so acclaimed? Everything I have already mentioned contributes to its reputation but the film is also one of the most entertaining you will ever see, with plenty of humor throughout and even a song and dance number. Welles was a showman first and foremost, and while he had serious points to make he never forgot to make the movie enjoyable.
That is ultimately the most appropriate way to end a review of Citizen Kane: forget about the acclaim that it’s had from highbrow cineastes and film geeks, and enjoy it as the marvelously entertaining movie that it is and was meant to be.