ScottFeinberg.com

By Joey Magidson
Film Contributor

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Whenever Steven Spielberg decides to take up a new directorial endeavor, he doesn’t do it alone. He gets his stock company of talent on the phone, and once he has the gang together, they go off and make a movie. It’s certainly not the same as when Spielberg was making little films in his backyard as a kid, but in a way the spirit is still the same. One big difference, though, is that when these movies get made, Oscar often takes notice.

Spielberg films almost always receive Academy Awards attention. On his own, he has 15 nominations (one of which came for just producing Letters from Iwo Jima, which he didn’t direct), while his crew has gotten dozens of nods. The last film of his not to get at least a nom was The Terminal, and before that it was Always. Believe it or not, only one other flick he directed went without a citation, and that was his early movie The Sugarland Express. That’s a stunningly good run of nominated work, and while he deserves lots of credit, his stock company deserves just as much.

Spielberg’s newest film, Lincoln, has gotten the attention of the Academy, and that extends to his crew as well. The movie itself is nominated for 12 Oscars, and while Spielberg has a solo citation for directing to go along with a trio of acting nods, the rest of the dozen go to the Beard’s crew members (though he shares a Best Picture credit, too).

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Last night, thanks to a very kind gesture on the part of my editor, I was able to realize a lifelong dream and sit in the audience at the Academy Awards. I covered the Oscars from the backstage press room three years ago, which was a thrill in and of itself, but, as someone who has spent a huge chunk of my life researching, writing, and talking about the Oscars, you can imagine how much more excited I was to have the chance to watch the ceremony unfold with my own two eyes. And, I’m pleased to report, the experience did not disappoint.

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Nine films were nominated for best picture for the first time: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and War Horse.

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By Sean O’Connell

Ludovic Bource won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score on Sunday evening for his work on “The Artist.” It was his first win at the Globes.

His score triumphed over “W.E.” (Abel Korzeniowski), “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), “Hugo” (Howard Shore) and “War Horse” (John Williams).

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The following list and remarks reflect my personal opinions and do/will not in any way impact my projections or analysis on this site, wherein I strive above all else to correctly forecast what will happen, not what I believe should happen.

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Early this morning, the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) — of which I am proud to be a voting member –revealed its nominations for the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which will take place on January 12 in Hollywood.

In recent years, the BFCA’s choices have correlated with the Academy’s as often as any of the early awards groups’. Last year, the two agreed on nine out of 10 best picture nominees and 18 acting nominees (though, in fairness, the BFCA sometimes includes six nominees in each acting category, whereas the Academy always has just five), and for the past two years they agreed on the same four acting winners. It is a pattern that is hard to explain, since they have literally no overlap — the BFCA is composed of roughly 250 journalists, while the Academy is made up of over 6,000 filmmakers — but it is also one that is hard to ignore. Consequently, people like me who try to predict the Oscars pay very close attention to what the BFCA has to say.

So what are the big trends and take-aways from today’s announcement?

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Steven Spielberg’s epic adaptation of the novel and Broadway play War Horse had its world premiere Sunday night at Lincoln Center’s Avery Hall, just feet from where the theatrical production is continuing its blockbuster run. Spielberg was on hand before the film to introduce the vast majority of the film’s large ensemble, including the film’s three big up-and-comers, 21-year-old Englishman Jeremy Irvine, 21-year-old German David Kross and 15-year-old Frenchwoman Celine Buckens, as well as veterans David Thewlis (who also stars in The Lady) and Emily Watson (who was twice nominated for the best actress Oscar in the 1990s). Regretfully, Spielberg noted, the 18 horses that played the title character “Joey” — the true star of the film — were unable to attend.

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As most of us prepare to give thanks, some among us — particularly young and up-and-  coming film composers — are saying please, as in, “Please Academy, give us a chance!”

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The vast majority of this year’s awards hopefuls have already played at least once on the festival circuit (Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Telluride, Toronto, and/or New York) and/or gone into general release. Most of those that have not are set for October or November releases. But a select few others are being held until December, the last month in which they are eligible to qualify for Oscar consideration this year, and only being selectively screened for the press before then, if at all.

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