Grudge Match review

Films about sports have always been popular. Inspirational stories about underdog teams who overcome the odds have been produced for decades. Most of these films are about sports like baseball and football, but every once in a while, we get a sports film that focuses on boxing. Films about boxing are rare, but most of them are classics. The two most famous boxing films of all time are Rocky and Raging Bull. These two films have endured for decades, and both placed on the AFI list of the top 100 films of all time. So doesn't it sound like a great idea to get the star of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and the star of Raging Bull (Robert De Niro) to do a boxing comedy where they fight each other? That's the basic premise of Grudge Match. I'll get into the details later, but if you're seeing this movie, you're there to see De Niro and Stallone fight. However, when you have a movie as ignorant and embarrassing as Grudge Match is, you don't get much. Grudge Match provides the occasional laugh and has some entertaining moments, but honestly, there isn't much here. 

Grudge Match tells the story of rival boxers Razor Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Kid McDonnen (Robert De Niro). Back in the 1980's, the two boxers fought and Kid won. However, the two fought a rematch and Razor won. Kid wanted the final grudge match, but Razor retired. Thirty years later, the story about the boxers shows up on a TV program and the world becomes interested in the story again. Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart), the son of Razor's former promoter comes to him with an offer: do a video game and get $15K. Razor agrees, but he runs into Kid and the rivalry starts all over again between the two. They agree to do the third match, and prepare for the fight. In addition, there's a love triangle with Kim Basinger. The film also stars Jon Bernthal and Alan Arkin. 

Grudge Match is directed by Peter Segal. He's actually done some pretty well known stuff, such as Tommy Boy and 50 First Dates. However, he also directed wonderful films like Get Smart and Nutty Professor II. Grudge Match really could have fallen into either category. It has a neat premise and some very funny people involved. However, the funny people just embarrass themselves, and the premise is cliched and boring. Despite a couple decent hours of entertainment, I can't recommend Grudge Match. However, I can promise that you will enjoy this film when you're watching it on TBS in 2016. It's not terrible, but it's long, filled with cliches, and ultimately pointless. 

The first problem with Grudge Match is the acting. Stallone hasn't been a good actor in years, so it's not hard for me to say that he's not good in this film. However, De Niro is an actor who still gets Oscar nominations. Come on, the guy almost won last year for Silver Linings Playbook! De Niro isn't bad, per say, in the movie. He just embarrasses himself a lot. There is an abundance of stupid things for De Niro and Stallone to do in this movie, and some of them made me depressed. It was just sad. Alan Arkin needs to switch it up a bit. His character in Grudge Match is literally the same character he played in Argo and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Except this time, it's much worse. Arkin just makes a fool of himself, and while his character in Argo was witty and funny, his character in Grudge Match is just ridiculous. Funny sometimes, but always stupid. Basinger is okay, and Bernthal is not that bad. Kevin Hart's the best thing in the whole movie by far. He's pretty funny. 

The story of Grudge Match is fine, for the most part. I liked the set up of the movie, and some of the boxing stuff was entertaining. I actually like the overall look and feel of Grudge Match, but it's just bloated and often ignorant. The worst part is the love triangle. I don't mind cliched love triangles (the one in Last Vegas was fine), I just don't like them when they take up time in the movie. There's a complicated backstory involving the De Niro, Stallone and Basinger characters and it takes up a chunk of the runtime. It's just boring and redundant. We've seen it before, and we'll see it again. Nothing new. 

I'm not good at predicting the ending of movies. I can sometimes figure out how a movie is going to end, but not very often. Right before the final fight in Grudge Match, Kim Basinger says to one of the two boxers: "Go kick his a##." This basically gives away the ending. It's ridiculous. Grudge Match hinges on you not knowing who's going to win the fight, yet it clearly makes one of the boxers the protagonist. It's just crazy. Watching the movie, I knew that the goal of the filmmakers was to present the characters as evenly flawed so that you weren't sure who to root for. However, one is presented as a great guy and the other one isn't, so you basically know who's going to win. This was a huge flaw for the movie. I'm not sure if the filmmakers could have messed this up worse. 

Another problem with Grudge Match is its length. A lot of comedies have been having this problem lately (Anchorman 2 is a prime example). They just don't know what to cut out. Grudge Match could be much shorter and it might be a better movie. Cut out some of the excess junk in the middle of the film, and Grudge Match is slightly better. Instead, it feels long during the middle section and really isn't that interesting. 

This all being said, I really didn't hate Grudge Match. It's just a film that I looked at with a certain level of  indifference. It's not good, it's not terrible, but it is a pretty lackluster effort by all involved. Most general audiences will get some enjoyment out of Kevin Hart's character, and Alan Arkin will get some laughs, but I just can't recommend that anybody really see this in theaters. It's cliched and tedious, and has nothing that really matters. There are a couple of funny punchlines and running jokes that I loved, but other than that, Grudge Match isn't even that funny. It's not a film that you'll hate yourself for watching, but Grudge Match really has nothing in it that's worth buying a ticket to see. There's just not much there in this film. 

THE FINAL GRADE:  C

"Frozen" leads in its sixth weekend, "Paranormal Activity" disappoints at weekend box office

After a slew of new releases last weekend, the box office cooled down this weekend with only one new release. However, it was a film that had been in theaters for six weeks that topped the box office. That's right, Disney's Frozen was back on top. The animated juggernaut grossed $20.7 million this weekend, which was enough to raise the film's total gross to $297.8 million. That's a spectacular total, and some pundits are suggesting that the film could see totals of up to $900 million worldwide. In addition, Frozen had the third best sixth weekend ever, behind only Titanic and Avatar. This is all spectacular and I'm somewhat shocked that Frozen has not been talked about more in the Best Picture conversation. But, that's out of my control.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones finished in second place this weekend with $18.2 million. That's an alright opening, but it definitely shows a lack of continued interest in the franchise. The Marked Ones received a disappointing "C-" Cinemascore, which could mean negative word of mouth in the future. Despite the grosses being down from Paranormal Activity 4, The Marked Ones only cost $5 million, so Paranormal Activity 5 can't be far off. In third place was The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which grossed $16.2 million. That's a 44% drop from last weekend. The Desolation of Smaug has now grossed $229.6 million.

The Wolf of Wall Street edged out American Hustle for fourth place this weekend. Scorsese's comedy grossed $13.4 million this weekend, which raises the film's total to $63.2 million. Despite a "C" Cinemascore, Wolf was held very strongly thanks to an abundance of online controversy. American Hustle finished right behind Wolf in fifth place this weekend with $13.2 million. American Hustle has now grossed $88.7 million and will certainly cross $100 million in the near future.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues finished in sixth place this weekend with $11.1 million. That raises the film's total to $109.1 million. The film has had solid word of mouth since its disappointing opening, but I don't see the film reaching higher than $150 million. Saving Mr. Banks also took a light drop to seventh place this weekend. The drama grossed $9 million this weekend, which raises the film's total to $59.3 million. If word of mouth continues to be strong, Saving Mr. Banks could possibly hit $100 million.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty placed in eighth this weekend with $8.2 million. The latest comedy from Ben Stiller saw a 36% drop this weekend and has now grossed $45.6 million. Walter Mitty should finish with around $75 million, but that won't be enough to recoup its $90 million budget. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire took ninth place this weekend with $7.4 million. The action juggernaut has now grossed $407.4 million, and is $2 million away from becoming the #1 film of 2013. And rounding out the top ten was Warner Bros.' Grudge Match, which grossed $5.4 million. The boxing comedy has now grossed $24.9 million. I contributed to this weekend's gross so look for a review up soon.

Next weekend sees the release of The Legend of Hercules, the nationwide expansion of Her and Lone Survivor, and the expansion of Inside Llewyn Davis and August: Osage County. Here are my predictions:

1. Frozen- $15.4 million
2. Lone Survivor- $13.5 million
3. Her- $12.1 million
4. The Legend of Hercules- $10.9 million
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- $10.7 million
6. The Wolf of Wall Street- $9.7 million
7. American Hustle- $9 million
8. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues- $7.5 million
9. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones- $7.3 million
10. Saving Mr. Banks- $7 million

Philomena review

This year has seen an awards season that is especially competitive. I know that I seem to say that every year, but this year I mean it. 2013 has seen a ton of great films. From American Hustle and Captain Phillips to 12 Years A Slave and Gravity, this awards season is going to be a fight to the finish. And those are just the big films. There are many smaller films like Nebraska, Inside Llewyn Davis and Dallas Buyers Club that are fighting for awards attention. Another one of those films is The Weinstein Company's drama Philomena. This is a film that would be a top contender in a much less competitive year. It's a film that appeals directly to the Academy, but unlike recent Oscar bait like Saving Mr. Banks, Philomena has an emotionally involving story that's full of surprises. Mix that with a couple of great performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan and you've got a pretty good movie on your hands.

Philomena tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a journalist named Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) and the titular character, Philomena Lee (Judi Dench). When Philomena's daughter Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin) learns that her mother had given birth to a son fifty years ago, she is shocked. She stumbles into Martin, a journalist who just became unemployed, at a party and tells him Philomena's story. He reluctantly agrees to meet with Philomena at a cafe. The two meet and try to uncover the truth about Philomena's son, who was taken from her by the nuns in Ireland. A mystery unfolds and Philomena and Martin journey to America to find her long-lost son. 

I guess 2013 was the year of films that walked the line of drama and comedy very closely. I consider Philomena to be a drama, but I can see why someone would consider it a comedy. Like American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks, it has a plethora of hilarious moments, but it manages to pack in a lot of intense emotional content as well. Philomena walks this line very well and never crosses too far into comedic territory. It's a compelling drama with some very entertaining moments, an interesting story, and a couple of twists for good measure. If you thought that the trailer gave the whole movie away, you're wrong. Philomena has plenty of surprises in store. One of those surprises is just how good it is. 

Philomena doesn't have a huge ensemble cast like other awards contenders. It focuses mostly on the two main characters. Philomena and Martin are at the forefront of this film for most of its runtime. And both characters are played to perfection by Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. Philomena is the far more interesting character, and Dench's performance contributes to that. Dench gives Philomena several intriguing quirks and makes her a very interesting character. I'm not sure if she can top some of the other heavyweights at the Oscars, but she certainly has her share of Oscar moments in the film. Coogan also provides some comic relief in his role and he plays Martin well. I wouldn't say that either performance is amazing, but their chemistry together is fantastic. 

The performances are great and the chemistry between the leads is spectacular, but the film is made great by its story. Philomena's story is incredibly engaging from start to finish. The film doesn't shy away from emotionally tough subject material, but it manages to entertain and engage you throughout. The story is actually a bit of a mystery, and one that keeps you guessing. Philomena is also a very funny film. Dench and Coogan each get memorable lines and the tone and pace keep the film alive constantly. This film never became boring. Unlike Saving Mr. Banks, Philomena gets its flashbacks done early and makes them as concise and emotionally involving as possible. The rest is devoted to the journey Philomena and Martin take. That was a smart move by director Stephen Frears. 

The screenplay by Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan is a terrific balancing act. I wouldn't be surprised to see this film's screenplay become a strong contender for adapted screenplay. Coogan and Pope balance the weighty aspects of this film with a lot of wit and charm. It's a great screenplay. On another note, I didn't particularly notice Stephen Frears direction, but there were some interesting shots.

The use of flashbacks in Philomena is incredibly effective. It shows you the pain and tragedy of the character's past without spending too much time on it. The flashbacks are filmed in a grainy style, which differentiate the flashbacks from the actual film. They worked very well and established all the facts that we needed to know.

I've sort of struggled to write this review. I feel like I'm straining for words in this one. I very much enjoyed Philomena and have nothing but good things to say about it. However, there just isn't a lot to comment on beyond the cast and the story. Philomena is a very good film that everyone can get a bit of enjoyment out of. It has pretty much everything that you might want in a film this time of year. It's sad that Philomena didn't come out in a less competitive year, because I believe that it truly could have been a major Oscar contender. But for now, it'll have to settle on being in a few categories. Still, awards attention or not, this is a film worth seeking out. It's funny, well shot, well acted and has a touching and engaging story. This is a film that more people should go see, and it's disappointing to me that more people haven't. It's a film that everyone can connect to in one way or another. That's a pretty cool accomplishment.

THE FINAL GRADE:  A-                                            (8.5/10)

Oscar Update: 1/4- "American Hustle" leads, Ejiofor, Bullock gain ground, while "Gravity", "Wolf" lose momentum

The Oscars are not too far away folks. The nominations are announced on January 16 by the Academy, which means that coverage is going to be nonstop for the awards show. I'll be doing some more in-depth analysis before the nominations are announced, but for now, let's catch up on what's going on in the Oscar race. A lot has changed since November (last Oscar update) and I figured that it was about time that I updated what was going on. Here we go.

BEST PICTURE

1. American Hustle
2. 12 Years A Slave
3. Her
4. Gravity
5. Captain Phillips
6. Nebraska
7. Inside Llewyn Davis
8. Saving Mr. Banks
9. Dallas Buyers Club
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

Although it is hard to imagine, Harvey Weinstein could be shut out from this year's Oscar race entirely. His main contenders (Fruitvale Station, Philomena, The Butler) are long-shots at this point. If there's any film from Weinstein that can make the race, it's Philomena (a very good film), but that's a long shot with the competition. This is one of the most competitive Oscar seasons in history, and there are a lot of films competing for nominations. The Wolf of Wall Street is on the edge this time around, as the controversy surrounding the film has been getting a lot of publicity. Dallas Buyers Club seems to be getting a lot of support from various groups, and I really think that this could be a powerhouse. Inside Llewyn Davis and Saving Mr. Banks have both seen their stock drop, as they both have seen a lack of nominations from the guilds. Gravity has fallen out of the upper echleon of the contenders, but could see an Argo-style comeback with the right snub. Captain Phillips is just hanging around, but I doubt it will win. At this point, it's American Hustle vs. 12 Years A Slave with Her playing spoiler. I can't say that there's a clear favorite, but I'm tipping the odds in Hustle's direction.

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
2. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
3. David O. Russell, American Hustle
4. Spike Jonze, Her
5. Alexander Payne, Nebraska

There really are only two contenders in this category. Payne, Jonze and Russell will be recognized in other ways. They really can't compete with our top two contenders, Alfonso Cuaron and Steve McQueen. These two will fight down to the wire. But I think that McQueen will come out on top. His directorial eye made 12 Years A Slave work so well and as great as Cuaron's direction was in Gravity, I think that McQueen comes out on top.

BEST ACTOR

1. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave
2. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
3. Bruce Dern, Nebraska
4. Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
5. Robert Redford, All is Lost

This category has been narrowed down to two contenders in my opinion. Redford doesn't have much of a chance at this point and Hanks' performance doesn't quite have enough to get a win. Bruce Dern has strong support from many people, but I just don't really know if he can pull off the win. To me, this is a race between Ejiofor and McConaughey. I think that Ejiofor is the clear winner in this scenario, but I can't be sure. McConaughey's performance has a lot of support and Dallas Buyers Club is becoming a dark horse in the Oscar race. Right now I'm going with Ejiofor. His performance has everything that the Academy is looking for and I believe that they'll honor him for it.

BEST ACTRESS

1. Sandra Bullock, Gravity
2. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
3. Judi Dench, Philomena
4. Amy Adams, American Hustle
5. Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

This is the tightest category at this point. In most corners of the internet, people seem convinced that Blanchett has the win in the bag. I wasn't convinced back in July and I'm still not convinced. I'm just not sure how much support is behind Blue Jasmine. It certainly is a possibility, but I can't say that I'm sure of it yet. For me, the favorite is Sandra Bullock. I believe that she gave one of the most effective performances of the year in a film that the Academy seems to love. Judi Dench has a good chance as well for her affecting performance in Philomena. Adams and Thompson have a shot but I doubt that they'll be able to pull off the win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
2. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave
3. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
4. Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
5. Daniel Bruhl, Rush

I would be so excited to see Bruhl get the nomination for Rush, but I know that he's not going to win. However, I do believe that Rush could play spoiler and manage to find its way into the Best Picture race. I'm currently excluding Barkhad Abdi, but I think that he could swap with Hill at any moment. Bradley Cooper gives a great performance in American Hustle but there's just too much competition. Fassbender is great, but in the end, we all know that this award is going to Jared Leto. He's been the clear favorite since people saw Dallas Buyers Club, and I really am certain that he's got the win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
2. Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave
3. Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler
4. Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
5. June Squibb, Nebraska

This race has also narrowed itself down with Roberts and Squibb having a very small chance at taking home the win. Even Oprah has seen her Oscar stock drop since the premiere of her film back in August. This race will be a fight between Lawrence and Nyong'o and I'm certain that Lawrence will come out on top. Lawrence's performance is fantastic in Hustle and the Academy loves her. In addition, I didn't really think that Nyong'o was that strong in 12 Years A Slave. She's good, but I don't think that she's got a great chance of winning.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, American Hustle
2. Spike Jonze, Her
3. Bob Nelson, Nebraska
4. Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis
5. Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine

American Hustle is the clear favorite in this category. Its screenplay is fast and funny with a lot of thing going on, yet it balances it all out. However, both the cast and director have spoken about the amount of improv in the film, which could hurt its chances. The only other logical contender is Her. Spike Jonze created an original romance movie with a vision of the future that isn't far off. Her could certainly take home the Oscar here.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave
2. Terence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Richard Linklater and Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
4. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
5. Billy Ray, Captain Phillips

Ridley's screenplay for 12 Years A Slave is the clear frontrunner here, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Terence Winter's screenplay for Wolf of Wall Street take the prize. That film isn't going to be honored in many other categories, and a win for its fast and funny screenplay could be in order. Before Midnight seems likely to get the nomination here, and Philomena and Captain Phillips could hang around as well.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. Frozen
2. The Wind Rises
3. Monsters University
4. The Croods
5. Ernest and Celestine

The Oscars often surprise us with their tendency to nominate obscure foreign films for best animated feature. That's why I have Ernest and Celestine getting nominated in this category. However, don't expect it to win. In fact, don't expect any other film but Frozen to take the prize for best animated feature. The box office juggernaut is the best reviewed film of the year, and only The Wind Rises has a shot at competing with it.

BEST FOREIGN FILM

1. The Hunt
2. The Great Beauty
3. The Broken Circle Breakdown
4. Two Lives
5. Omar

This year, there no clear favorite in this category. Sure, there's a lot of support for The Great Beauty, but I believe that support is greater for The Hunt. I've seen a ton of people mentioning The Hunt on their top ten lists and I really believe that it can win this award. However, I do think that The Great Beauty will give it a run for its money.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

1. The Act of Killing
2. Blackfish
3. 20 Feet from Stardom
4. Stories We Tell
5. The Armstrong Lie

No documentary has sparked more conversation in the real world than Blackfish. That documentary has been solely responsible for a lot of negative publicity for Sea World, and has changed a lot. But no documentary has seen stronger reactions from audiences than The Act of Killing. This film has done a lot and I really believe that it is the favorite in this category.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. The Great Gatsby
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3. American Hustle
4. 12 Years A Slave
5. Oz, The Great and Powerful

The Great Gatsby had the craziest sets of the year, and I see no reason why it won't take the Oscar here. The Hobbit and American Hustle are Gatsby's greatest challengers but I don't believe either comes close to winning the award. Gatsby gets its lone Oscar here.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Gravity
2. Inside Llewyn Davis
3. 12 Years A Slave
4. Rush
5. Prisoners

One of the best things about Prisoners was its excellent cinematography, and I hope that the Academy recognizes Roger Deakins for it. Rush had a great look to it, and so did 12 Years A Slave. Inside Llewyn Davis seems to take an interesting approach to things, but in the end, this is Gravity's award. The cinematography was stunning and the film is going to take the award here.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1. American Hustle
2. The Great Gatsby
3. 12 Years A Slave
4. Saving Mr. Banks
5. The Invisible Woman

I'm predicting the upset here. American Hustle is currently ranked third in GoldDerby's handicapping, but I bet that American Hustle wins this award. The 1970's costume designs for this film are amazing, and I'd call them better than Gatsby's CGI mess any day. 12 Years A Slave and Mr. Banks could play spoiler, but I bet that American Hustle takes the award here.

BEST EDITING

1. 12 Years A Slave
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. American Hustle
4. Gravity
5. Captain Phillips

The editing on these films was fantastic, but one still stands out in my mind and that is the editing on 12 Years A Slave. Joe Walker, the editor on Slave, knew how to transition each shot into the next, and it was his eye, and McQueen's direction, that made that film so incredibly memorable. Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle have a good chance here as well, and Captain Phillips could certainly play spoiler.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

1. American Hustle
2. The Great Gatsby
3. Dallas Buyers Club
4. Bad Grandpa
5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

American Hustle by a long shot in this category. The film had some of the best hairstyling of the year, and I would be shocked if anything else won in this category.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1. Gravity
2. 12 Years A Slave
3. Frozen
4. The Book Thief
5. Rush

I'm predicting the Mr. Banks snub here and instead putting The Book Thief in. I believe that John Williams has a lot of support there. Gravity seems to be the odds-on favorite, so I'll go with that for now. 12 Years A Slave's score seems too familiar to win, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see it take home the gold.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1. "Let It Go", Frozen
2. "Young and Beautiful", The Great Gatsby
3. "Ordinary Love", Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
4. "The Moon Song", Her
5. "Atlas", The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Frozen has this one locked up. There's no chance that anything else wins. Maybe Gatsby stands a chance but I doubt it. This one's a sure thing.

BEST SOUND EDITING

1. Captain Phillips
2. Gravity
3. Rush
4. All is Lost
5. 12 Years A Slave

Captain Phillips will have seen itself fall to second place all night, but I believe that it wins for sound editing. Captain Phillips was a fully realized experience and I felt the action going on around me. I really do think that it takes this category.

BEST SOUND MIXING

1. Gravity
2. Rush
3. Captain Phillips
4. All is Lost
5. 12 Years A Slave

Same five contenders, just in a different order. I think that Gravity and Captain Phillips split on this one. I can't really say what the difference between mixing and editing is, but I'm pretty sure that Gravity will take one of them.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Gravity
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3. Pacific Rim
4. Iron Man 3
5. Star Trek Into Darkness

Gravity wins this one without a doubt. I seriously can't see another film winning. The Hobbit and Pacific Rim are strong contenders, but nothing tops Gravity.

If you were wondering, based on my predictions, here are the amount of nominations that each film will have.

-12 Years A Slave- 13 nominations
-American Hustle- 10 nominations
-Gravity- 9 nominations
-Captain Phillips- 6 nominations
-Rush- 5 nominations
-Nebraska- 5 nominations
-Her- 4 nominations
-Dallas Buyers Club- 4 nominations
-The Wolf of Wall Street- 4 nominations
-The Great Gatsby- 4 nominations
-Frozen- 3 nominations
-Inside Llewyn Davis- 3 nominations
-Saving Mr. Banks- 3 nominations
-All is Lost- 3 nominations
-Blue Jasmine- 2 nominations
-Philomena- 2 nominations
-The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- 2 nominations
-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- 2 nominations

All other films received one nomination. Check back soon for more Oscar updates.

PGA and WGA announce nominations for their respective award shows

The awards race is heating up fast, and with the Golden Globes next weekend, followed by the Oscar nominations on January 16, we're right in the thick of the season. One of the most underestimated parts of awards season are the guilds. The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominations back in 2013, but the Writers Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America are just getting around to it now. There aren't a ton of shocks or surprises, but these guilds do clear up the Oscar race a bit. First, here are the nominations from the PGA:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of a Motion Picture


-AMERICAN HUSTLE (Columbia Pictures)

Producers: Megan Ellison, Jon Gordon, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle

-BLUE JASMINE (Sony Pictures Classics)

Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum

-CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (Columbia Pictures)

Producers: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

-DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus Features)

Producers: Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter

-GRAVITY (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Producers: Alfonso Cuaron, David Heyman

-HER (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Producers: Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay

-NEBRASKA (Paramount Pictures)

Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

-SAVING MR. BANKS (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Producers: Ian Collie, Alison Owen, Philip Steuer

-12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Producers: Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt, and Dede Garner

-THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Paramount Pictures)

Producers: Riza Aziz, Emma Koskoff, Joey McFarland


The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

-THE CROODS (Dreamworks Animation)

Producers: Kristine Belson, Jane Hartwell

-DESPICABLE ME 2 (Universal Pictures)

Producers: Janet Healy, Chris Meledandri

-EPIC (Twentieth Century Fox)

Producers: Jerry Davis, Lori Forte

-FROZEN (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Producer: Peter Del Vecho

-MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (Pixar Animation)

Producer: Kori Rae


The most notable omissions off of this list are Inside Llewyn Davis and Philomena. Both of these films took a bit of a hit Oscar-wise with this one. Everything else went pretty much as expected. Now for the WGA nominations.

Original Screenplay

-AMERICAN HUSTLE, Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, Columbia Pictures

-BLUE JASMINE, Written by Woody Allen, Sony Pictures Classics

-DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, Focus Features

-HER, Written by Spike Jonze, Warner Bros. Pictures

-NEBRASKA, Written by Bob Nelson, Paramount Pictures

Adapted Screenplay

-AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Written by Tracy Letts; Based on his play; The Weinstein Company

-BEFORE MIDNIGHT, Written by Richard Linklater and Julie Delpy; Based on characters created by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan; Sony Pictures Classics

-CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, Written by Billy Ray; Based on the book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals, and Dangerous Days at Seas by Richard Phillips with Stephen Talty; Columbia Pictures

-LONE SURVIVOR, Written by Peter Berg; Based on the book by Marcus Lutrell with Patrick Robinson; Universal Pictures

-THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Written by Terence Winter; based on the book by Jordan Belfort; Paramount Pictures

Documentary Screenplay

-DIRTY WARS, Written by Jeremy Scahill and David Riker; Sundance Selects

-HERBLOCK- THE BLACK AND THE WHITE, Written by Sara Lukinson and Michael Stevens; The Stevens Company

-NO PLACE ON EARTH, Written by Janet Tobias and Paul Laikin; Magnolia Pictures

-STORIES WE TELL, Written by Sarah Polley; Roadside Attractions

-WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS, Written by Alex Gibney; Focus Features

The WGA also went with a pretty standard set of films. The only surprise was that Inside Llewyn Davis was snubbed again. That shows pretty weak support for that film. Keep in mind that 12 Years A Slave, Rush, Philomena, Fruitvale Station, and The World's End were ineligible screenplays.