AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS 2015 AWARD NOMINATIONS!

Last year's American Society of Cinematographers nominations missed the Academy's five by just one - they chose Best Picture contender The Imitation Game over the greater cinematographic achievement, Ida. I suspect that this year's nominees, listed below, will follow the same pattern: Bridge of Spies, the Best Picture contender, will make way for The Hateful Eight, the more notable cinematographic achievement. Otherwise, expect a pretty close match. These nominations will be resolved with the ASC's awards on the 14th of February.

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

Roger Deakins (Sicario)

Janusz Kaminski (Bridge of Spies)

Edward Lachman (Carol)

Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)

John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Spotlight Award
Adam Arkapaw (Macbeth)
Erdely Matyas (Son of Saul)
Cary Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation)

GEORGIA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2015 NOMINEES

It'll surprise few that Mad Max: Fury Road, currently the overall favourite from critics awards and polls for the 2015-16 awards season, leads the nominations for the Georgia Film Critics Association's awards. It's a fine choice from the group, and I find no fault in their general snub of The Hateful Eight and a highly deserved credit for The Assassin in Best Cinematography. But a mere four mentions for Carol over at least 12 eligible categories is shameful, if wholly expected among Southern / Midwestern critics groups. Winners will be revealed on the 8th of January. Have a look at all the nominations below:

Best Picture

Brooklyn

Carol

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Room

Sicario

Spotlight

Best Director

Lenny Abrahamson (Room)

Ryan Coogler (Creed)

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

Best Actor

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Michael B. Jordan (Creed)

Jason Segel (The End of the Tour)

Best Actress

Emily Blunt (Sicario)

Blythe Danner (I’ll See You in My Dreams)

Brie Larson (Room)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro (Sicario)

Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Jacob Tremblay (Room)

Best Supporting Actress

Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy)

Rose Byrne (Spy)

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Best Original Screenplay

Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (Bridge of Spies)

Josh Cooley, Pete Docter and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out)

Alex Garland (Ex Machina)

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Taylor Sheridan (Sicario)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Emma Donoghue (Room)

Drew Goddard (The Martian)

Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)

Donald Margulies (The End of the Tour)

Adam McKay and Charles Randolph (The Big Short)

Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins (Sicario)

Edward Lachman (Carol)

Lee Ping Bin (The Assassin)

Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)

John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Production Design

Judy Becker and Jesse Rosenthal (Carol)

Alastair Bullock, Rick Carter, Darren Gilford and Gary Tomkins (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Mark Digby, Katrina MacKay and Denis Schnegg (Ex Machina)

Colin Gibson, Shira Hockman and Jacinta Leong (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Irene O’Brien, Robert Parle and François Séguin (Brooklyn)

Best Original Score

Tom Holkenborg (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Jóhann Jóhannsson (Sicario)

Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)

Thomas Newman (Bridge of Spies)

John Williams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Best Original Song

Leon Bridges – ‘So Long’ (Concussion)

Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charlie Puth and Cameron Thomaz – ‘See You Again’ (Furious 7)

Keegan DeWitt – ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’ (I’ll See You in My Dreams)

Stefani Germanotta and Diane Warren – ‘’Til It Happens to You’ (The Hunting Ground)

David Lang – ‘Simple Song #3’ (Youth)

Best Ensemble

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Straight Outta Compton

Best Animated Film

Anomalisa

The Good Dinosaur

Inside Out

The Peanuts Movie

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Documentary

Amy

Best of Enemies

Finders Keepers

Frame by Frame

The Look of Silence

Best Foreign Film

The Assassin

Labyrinth of Lies

The Look of Silence

Mustang

Son of Saul

Breakthrough Award

Abraham Attah (Beasts of No Nation)

Alex Garland (Ex Machina)

Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Jacob Tremblay (Room)

Alicia Vikander (Burnt / The Danish Girl / Ex Machina / The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)

REVIEW - THE HATEFUL EIGHT (QUENTIN TARANTINO)

The vapid stylings of a filmmaker who emerged from the ego of another filmmaker, running on creative supplies in dwindling quantities. Gone is the era when Quentin Tarantino permitted his produce to acquire its cultural status over time; now, he insists on the quick fix method of myth-making, filling his films with his own hype that it might fizzle fast enough for a momentary high before fizzling out. Between these bursts of inspiration - no longer his own, but derived from the works of better filmmakers, or at least those who knew how to use it - The Hateful Eight just sits there, its elaborate dialogue droning ever on, never even threatening to lead anywhere. This is a painfully slow film, not nearly as enlivened by its stylisations as it would like. Yet it's a fine piece of work, as all that inspiration (and money) necessitates: Robert Richardson's photography looks sumptuous, and the soundtrack is given the boldest burst of colour among The Hateful Eight's reds and yellows - Ennio Morricone's invaluable score. Is it this high quality on offer that draws such unflattering focus upon Tarantino's failings? Or is it the quality that he provides himself, showing great flair for shot composition and indulging in his trademark cutting comedy? Too little of the latter, as each successful zinger is grossly outnumbered by unsuccessful ones, largely characterised by breathtaking intolerance. The film is neither a portrait of history nor of fantasy, but of its filmmaker's twisted mind, one in which the occasional sympathetic black character is licence for countless utterances of 'nigger', and in which the lone leading female is punched in the face more often than called by her own name. The Hateful Eight puts it all into perspective: Quentin Tarantino sees women as fetish objects and/or bitches, no more. He's a great filmmaker, waylaid by his own perception of that greatness, let down by his new editor, and ruined by his moral compass.

2015 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED - CAROL LEADS WITH FIVE

Today's Golden Globe nominations cleared the picture up a little for the current awards season. They seem to clarify what, of the disparate strands of advocacy we've observed so far from both critics awards and the Screen Actors Guild nominations yesterday, is likeliest to stick. Spotlight looks to be the only contender to win the Best Picture Oscar, being the only one among the favourites with either a SAG Ensemble nod or a Globe Screenplay nod (it has both!). Mad Max: Fury Road is, indeed, a contender for the top awards, even if the bulk of its mentions will undoubtedly come from the tech categories (the Globes don't rly bother with those). Carol remains popular, but its Screenplay snub is worrying. And the late-breakers, The Hateful Eight, Joy and The Revenant will probably see their stock start to rise as more voters get the chance to see them and more buzz gets the chance to build. But only The Revenant seems to stand much of a shot at scoring a Best Picture Oscar nomination. The Golden Globes will take place on the 10th of January, broadcast live in the US on NBC at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

The Big Short

Joy

The Martian

Spy

Trainwreck

Best Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)

Todd Haynes (Carol)
Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

Best Performance by an Actor – Drama

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

Will Smith (Concussion)

Best Performance by an Actor – Musical or Comedy

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Steve Carell (The Big Short)

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Al Pacino (Danny Collins)

Mark Ruffalo (Infinitely Polar Bear)

Best Performance by an Actress – Drama

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Best Performance by an Actress – Musical or Comedy

Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)

Melissa McCarthy (Spy)

Amy Schumer (Trainwreck)

Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van)

Lily Tomlin (Grandma)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Paul Dano (Love & Mercy)

Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation)

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Michael Shannon (99 Homes)

Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Jane Fonda (Youth)

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Helen Mirren (Trumbo)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Best Screenplay

Emma Donoghue (Room)

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Adam McKay and Charles Randolph (The Big Short)

Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)

Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight)

Best Original Score

Carter Burwell (Carol)

Alexandre Desplat (The Danish Girl)

Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)

Carsten Nicolai and Sakamoto Ryûichi (The Revenant)

Daniel Pemberton (Steve Jobs)

Best Original Song

Scott Bennett and Brian Wilson – ‘One Kind of Love’ (Love & Mercy)

Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charlie Puth and Cameron Thomaz – ‘See You Again’ (Furious 7)
Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Ali Payami and Ilya Salmanzadeh – ‘Love Me Like You Do’ (Fifty Shades of Grey)
David Lang – ‘Simple Song #3’ (Youth)

Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith – ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ (Spectre)

Best Animated Feature Film

Anomalisa

The Good Dinosaur

Inside Out

The Peanuts Movie

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Foreign Language Film

The Brand New Testament

The Club

The Fencer

Mustang

Son of Saul

Cecil B. DeMille Award

Denzel Washington