CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
‘Up in the Air,’ ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ Lead Nominations By Chicago Film Critics Association
CHICAGO – The Chicago Film Critics Association, of which HollywoodChicago.com writers Brian Tallerico, Adam Fendelman, and Pat McDonald are all voting members, announced their nominees for the best of 2009 this morning. “Up in the Air” and “Where the Wild Things Are” led the way with six nominations each, closely followed by “The Hurt Locker” and “Inglourious Basterds,” each with five.
“Up in the Air” and “Where the Wild Things Are” each scored nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. “The Hurt Locker” and “Inglourious Basterds” scored a similar trifecta of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The fifth Best Picture slot went to the latest work by Joel & Ethan Coen, “A Serious Man,” a pair who were also nominated for Best Director. The Coen’s “Fargo” and “No Country For Old Men” are previous Best Picture winners of the CFCA. “A Serious Man” also landed a nod for Best Original Screenplay.
Director Spike Zonze (front) and Max Records on the set of “Where the Wild Things Are”.
Image credit: Sonny Geras
The acting categories honored a wide range of talent from timeless stars like Meryl Streep (“Julie & Julia”) to new actors like Michael Stuhlbarg (“A Serious Man”). Joining Stuhlbarg in the Best Actor category are Jeff Bridges as a down-and-out country singer in “Crazy Heart,” George Clooney as a slick corporate type in “Up in the Air,” Matt Damon as a would-be whistle-blower in “The Informant!” and Jeremy Renner as an adrenaline-junkie bomb defuser in “The Hurt Locker.”
In the Best Actress category, the legendary Meryl Streep, nominated for her inspired turn as Julia Child in “Julie & Julia,” is up against four relative newcomers in Abbie Cornish for “Bright Star,” Carey Mulligan for “An Education,” Maya Rudolph for “Away We Go” and Gabourey Sidibe for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”
In the category of Supporting Actor, the nominees include Peter Capaldi for his hilarious turn as a foul-mouthed political insider in “In the Loop,” Woody Harrelson as a veteran soldier charged with informing families that their loved ones died in combat in “The Messenger,” Christian McKay as Orson Welles in “Me and Orson Welles,” Stanley Tucci as the neighborhood killer in “The Lovely Bones” and Christoph Waltz as the embodiment of milk-sipping evil in “Inglourious Basterds.”
“Up in the Air” co-stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick both received nominations for Best Supporting Actress along with Mo’nique as the monstrous mother in “Precious,” Julianne Moore as the platonic pal of “A Single Man” and Natalie Portman as a woman torn between her presumed-dead husband and his ne’er-do-well brother in “Brothers.” McKay, Mulligan and Sidibe were also nominated for Most Promising Performer along with Sharlto Copley for “District 9” and Max Records for “Where the Wild Things Are.”
BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow (-) The Hurt Locker
Joel & Ethan Coen (-) A Serious Man
Spike Jonze (-) Where the Wild Things Are
Jason Reitman (-) Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino (-) Inglourious Basterds
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (-) Crazy Heart
George Clooney (-) Up in the Air
Matt Damon (-) The Informant!
Jeremy Renner (-) The Hurt Locker
Michael Stuhlbarg (-) A Serious Man
BEST ACTRESS
Abbie Cornish (-) Bright Star
Carey Mulligan (-) An Education
Maya Rudolph (-) Away We Go
Gabourey Sidibe (-) Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep (-) Julie & Julia
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Capaldi (-) In the Loop
Woody Harrelson (-) The Messenger
Christian McKay (-) Me and Orson Welles
Stanley Tucci (-) The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz (-) Inglourious Basterds
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga (-) Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick (-) Up in the Air
Mo’Nique (-) Precious
Julianne Moore (-) A Single Man
Natalie Portman (-) Brothers
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Away We Go (-) Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
The Hurt Locker (-) Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (-) Quentin Tarantino
A Serious Man (-) Joel & Ethan Coen
Up (-) Bob Peterson
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
An Education (-) Nick Hornby
In the Loop (-) Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
The Informant! (-) Scott Z. Burns
Up in the Air (-) Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Where the Wild Things Are (-) Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil!: The True Story of Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Tyson
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
Summer Hours
The White Ribbon
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar (-) Mauro Fiore
Bright Star (-) Greig Fraser
The Hurt Locker (-) Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds (-) Robert Richardson
Where the Wild Things Are (-) Lance Acord
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Avatar (-) James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox (-) Alexandre Desplat
The Informant! (-) Marvin Hamlisch
Up (-) Michael Giacchino
Where the Wild Things Are (-) Carter Burwell & Karen Orzolek
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Sharlto Copley (-) District 9
Christian McKay (-) Me and Orson Welles
Carey Mulligan (-) An Education
Max Records (-) Where the Wild Things Are
Gabourey Sidibe (-) Precious
MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Neill Blomkamp (-) District 9
Scott Cooper (-) Crazy Heart
Cary Fukunaga (-) Sin Nombre
Duncan Jones (-) Moon
Marc Webb (-) (500) Days of Summer
By BRIAN TALLERICO |
Inglourious Basterds
In my opinion, “Inglourious Basterds” deserves all the nominations! :-)