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The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has unveiled the winners of their WGA Awards. Woody Allen won for "Midnight in Paris" in the Original Screenplay category, and Alexander Payne, Nat Faxos and Jim Rash won for "The Descendants" in the Adapted Screenplay category. Meanwhile, "Homeland" won Best New TV Series and ABC's "Modern Family" won Best Comedy TV Series. In the video game department, "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" won in the Video Game category. Check out the full list of nominees and winners (marked in red) from the film categories. Original Screenplay: * Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen) * 50/50 (Will Reiser) * Bridesmaids (Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig) * Win Win (Tom McCarthy, Joe Tiboni) * Young Adult (Diablo Cody) Adapted Screenplay: * The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash) * The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Steven Zaillian) * The Help (Tate Taylor) * Hugo (John Logan) * Moneyball (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin) Documentary Screenplay: * Better This World (Katie Galloway,...

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has announced the winners of the WGA Awards for outstanding achievement in writing. In the Screenplay category, "Midnight in Paris," written by Woody Allen, took home the Original Screenplay award while "The Descendants," written by Alexander Payne, and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming, received the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

Winners of the WGA awards were announced Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Zooey Deschanel and Joel McHale served as hosts of the ceremony.

Here is the full list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 2012 WGA Awards (to see winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, visit our Awards Avenue coverage right here)

Screenplay Nominees

Original Screenplay

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios

*** (Winner) Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win,...

Marion Cotillard, Alison Pill, Owen Wilson, Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris Woody Allen, Alexander Payne, Tate Taylor: WGA Award Winners Original Screenplay 50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios * Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures   Adapted Screenplay * The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures Moneyball,...

The Descendants

Guest review by Joe Cronin

Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause | Written by Tom McCarthy, Joe Tiboni | Directed by Tom McCarthy

George Clooney delivers one of his finest performances in this well-balanced drama. Combining a deft delivery of comic moments with a character whose sincerity shines through was never going to be easy but Clooney succeeds with aplomb.

Alexander Payne, arguably best known for cult classics such as Sideways and About Schmidt is a director who divides opinions. Despite being a fan of his work, I’ve watched his films with people who either cry with laughter or are sent to sleep. The Descendants is his first film as a director for seven years and sees him bring together his juxtaposition of black comedy and sincere drama once more and this time will surely find more universal appeal.

The film begins with Matt (George Clooney) staring at his wife,...

Behold, the complete list of the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Awards winners, which were announced on Thursday on VH1.

Best Picture

"The Artist"

"The Descendants"

"Drive"

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

"The Help"

"Hugo"

"Midnight in Paris"

"Moneyball"

"The Tree of Life"

"War Horse"

Best Actor

George Clooney – "The Descendants"

Leonardo DiCaprio – "J. Edgar"

Jean Dujardin – "The Artist"

Michael Fassbender – "Shame"

Ryan Gosling – "Drive"

Brad Pitt – "Moneyball"

Best Actress

Viola Davis – "The Help"

Elizabeth Olsen – "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

Meryl Streep – "The Iron Lady"

Tilda Swinton – "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Charlize Theron – "Young Adult"

Michelle Williams – "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh – "My Week With Marilyn"

Albert Brooks – "Drive"

Nick Nolte – "Warrior"

Patton Oswalt – "Young Adult"

Christopher Plummer – "Beginners"

Andrew Serkis – "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo – "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain – "The Help"

Melissa McCarthy – "Bridesmaids"

Carey Mulligan – "Shame"

Octavia Spencer...

Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer in Tate Taylor's The Help George Clooney, Viola Davis: Critics Choice Awards Ceremony Speeches Best Picture * The Artist The Descendants Drive Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close The Help Hugo Midnight in Paris Moneyball The Tree of Life War Horse Best Foreign Language Film In Darkness Le Havre * A Separation by Asghar Farhadi The Skin I Live In Where Do We Go Now Best Director Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close * Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Alexander Payne, The Descendants Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive Martin Scorsese, Hugo Steven Spielberg, War Horse Best Actor * George Clooney, The Descendants Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar Jean Dujardin, The Artist Michael Fassbender, Shame Ryan Gosling, Drive Brad Pitt, Moneyball Best Actress * Viola Davis, The Help Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin Charlize Theron, Young Adult Michelle Williams,...

I am currently sitting in my room at the W hotel, only two blocks away from the Hollywood Palladium where tonight I will be attending the 17th annual Critics Choice Awards. It will be my first awards show and I cannot wait, but on top of that this is the first time I have ever attempted to predict the winners at the Critics Choice Awards, an award show I actually was part of the nomination and winner process. Taking a look at the field I notice I'm only predicting six of the categories to match up with my actual votes. I'm not going to break my votes down here, but you can hear how I voted by listening to our podcast from Tuesday right here. As for my predictions, my big winners for the night, should my predictions hold true, will be The Descendants and The Help, each going home with four awards,...

'The Help' and 'The Artist' both nab multiple prizes, along with top acting nods for George Clooney and Viola Davis.

By Eric Ditzian

Viola Davis backstage at the 2012 Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Twenty-four hours after the People's Choice Awards and three days before the Golden Globe Awards, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards held the cinematic spotlight Thursday evening (January 12). Hosted by "Human Giant" funnymen Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel, the show welcomed in Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone and many other celebs.

"The Artist" (two awards, including Best Picture and Best Director) and "The Help" (three total awards) won big, as did Scheer and Huebel, who delivered a bunch of witty bits and video pieces, keeping the show moving swiftly along.

Check out the full list of nominees below, with winners' names bolded:

Best Picture

"The Artist"

"The Descendants"

"Drive"

"Extremely Loud...

'The Help' and 'The Artist' both nab multiple prizes, along with top acting nods for George Clooney and Viola Davis.

By Eric Ditzian

Viola Davis backstage at the 2012 Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Twenty-four hours after the People's Choice Awards and three days before the Golden Globe Awards, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards held the cinematic spotlight Thursday evening (January 12). Hosted by "Human Giant" funnymen Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel, the show welcomed in Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone and many other celebs.

"The Artist" (two awards, including Best Picture and Best Director) and "The Help" (three total awards) won big, as did Scheer and Huebel, who delivered a bunch of witty bits and video pieces, keeping the show moving swiftly along.

Check out the full list of nominees below, with winners' names bolded:

Best Picture

"The Artist"

"The Descendants"

"Drive"

"Extremely Loud...

As a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca), I vote in the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. They air January 12 on VH1, and my wife and I will be in the audience (look for the tall couple, she’ll be in some impressive heels). Every year I list my ballot before the awards. Thanks again to the Bfca for allowing me to do this.

The Oscars are a secret. You never see the ballot of Meryl Streep, George Clooney or Martin Scorsese come awards time. I’m not a fan of that. I know they don’t want to admit they have favorites, but I do. My ballot is below, and I think all critics should show what they consider the best, whether they vote in the Ofcs (Online Film Critics Society), Cfca (Chicago Film Critics Society), or Golden Globes.

The 17th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominations – with...

New York - There’s something oddly perfect about meeting “Win Win” writer/director Tom McCarthy in a small café in Chinatown with Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” playing in the background. (Though that would feel slightly less charming when transcribing the interview weeks later.) Firstly, it is the last sort of place one would imagine either McCarthy’s writing partner, Joe Tiboni, or their central protagonist, Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), to turn up. In fact, McCarthy recalls that Tiboni’s daily, cyclical routine consists of his self-described “triangle of death” from home to Dunkin’ Donuts to work and back again. Secondly, it's difficult to not enjoy the...

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has unveiled the nominees for their upcoming WGA awards in the categories of original screenplay, adapted screenplay and documentary screenplay. Just like every year, plenty of films are not eligible for the awards. This time, "The Artist," "Beginners" and several others are not being considered. Check out the full list of the movies that made the cut below. The winners will be announced on February 19th, during simultaneous award ceremonies in Hollywood and New York. Original Screenplay: * 50/50 (Will Reiser) * Bridesmaids (Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig) * Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen) * Win Win (Tom McCarthy, Joe Tiboni) * Young Adult (Diablo Cody) Adapted Screenplay: * The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash) * The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Steven Zaillian) * The Help (Tate Taylor) * Hugo (John Logan) * Moneyball (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin) Documentary Screenplay: * Better This World (Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega) * If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front...

Midnight in Paris, Young Adult, and the other nominations for the 2012 Writers Guild Awards have been announced. The 64th Annual Writers Guild Awards is “a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different Us labor unions: The Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae), representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi. The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw), representing TV and film writers in Hollywood and southern California.” The 2012 Writers Guild Awards will be held on February 19, 2012.

The full listing of the 2012 Writers Guild Awards nominations is below.

Screenplay Nominees

Original Screenplay

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Pictures

Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight

Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne...

The Writers Guild Awards is a precursor and an indicator of what scripts you can expect to see at the Academy Awards. Every year sees its share of surprises, snubs, terrible and obvious (sometimes together) choices. This year Young Adult, The Descendants, 50/50, and Bridesmaids are all nominated for awards. However, films like The Artist are getting snubs. But before you can say that the movie had no dialogue, it did have a script, therefore it was possible that it could have been nominated.

The nominations for Original Screenplay are spot on, but it’s a few of the Adapted Screenplays I don’t agree with. While The Help did provide some excellent performances, I can’t say too many good things about the script itself. I am still on the fence with the script for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Check out the list of nominees for the 2012 Writers Guild Awards below.

The Writers Guild of America has revealed their 2012 nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting for 2011. Winners will be crowned at the Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19. Two ceremonies will take place simultaneously at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City.

And the nominees are:

Original Screenplay

"50/50," Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

"Bridesmaids," Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios

"Midnight in Paris," Written...

Two days ago the Producers Guild of America released their 2011 nominees and any surprises regarding their selections came from what didn't make the cut. The opposite can be said of today's Writers Guild of America nominees, which are at once predictable and too safe for their own good. Let's just cut straight to the nominees: Original Screenplay 50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures Adapted Screenplay The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander...

Read More...

Chicago – The announcements have been made and the nominees for the Writers Guild Awards for 2011 are set. Featuring six categories, two in film and four in television, the WGA award nominees range from first timers to names we have definitely heard before.

Earning his 20th nomination from the Writers Guild of America is longtime writer/director Woody Allen for his original screenplay for “Midnight in Paris.” This nomination comes in the same category as first time screenplay writer and first time nominee Will Reiser, who wrote the screenplay for the comedy/drama “50/50.” The rest of the original screenplay field includes Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig for “Bridesmaids,” Tom McCarthy for “Win Win,” and Diablo Cody for “Young Adult.”

In the adapted screenplay category, the nominees are: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash (aka Dean Pelton) for “The Descendants,” Steven Zillian for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” as well...

Continuing our awards season coverage, we've got the nominees in for the 2012 Writers Guild Awards, as chosen by the Writers Guild of America. The winners will be announced on February 19th, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York. There are three separate categories of nominees - original, adapted, and documentary. Last year's winners were Chris Nolan's Inception and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network. This year it's a bit different as a number of great scripts were ruled ineligible, including Shame, The Artist, Beginners, Like Crazy and Take Shelter. Read on for the full list of 2012 WGA nominees. Original Screenplay: 50/50 - Written by Will Reiser Bridesmaids - Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig Midnight in Paris - Written by Woody Allen Win Win - Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni Young Adult - Written by Diablo Cody Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants - Screenplay by...

Pencils down!

The Writer's Guild of America has announced its nominees for the year's best screenplays, and Oscar dark horse "Bridesmaids" continues to pick up awards season steam after netting a nod for Best Original Screenplay.

Meanwhile, not unlike the director's films themselves, Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" keeps chugging with understated distinction among a playing field of more colorful candidates as it squares off against not just "Bridesmaids," but "50/50," "Win Win" and "Young Adult."

In general, this year's Original Screenplay competition seems largely comprised of up-and-comers, or at the very least, folks who are still largely outside the traditional Hollywood crowd.

"50/50" marks scribe Will Reiser's first produced screenplay, and even though Tom McCarthy contributed to the script for "Up" and previously wrote and directed his first two features, "Win Win" is an art house rather than commercial triumph. At the same time, the independent circuit is where...

Award nominations from the major guilds are always the best indicators of possible nomations for Oscars. Earlier this week we saw the Producers Guild choices [1], and now we've got the Writers Guild of America nominations [2] for achievement in 2011.  Steven Zaillian scored two nominations (for Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and Woody Allen got his 20th WGA nomination for Midnight in Paris. The full nomination list is after the break. What you'll likely notice isn't so much what is nominated as what is not. While there are some films that people will be very happy to see on the lists (almost the entire 'original screenplay' lineup, for instance) there are also quite a few great films and recent awards faves that didn't make the cut, such as The Artist, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beginners, and more. (Edit: I always forget about some of the eligibility requirements for some...

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph in Paul Feig's Bridesmaids Steven Spielberg/War Horse, Stephen Daldry/Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Out: WGA Nominations Original Screenplay 50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures   Adapted Screenplay The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures Moneyball,...

Comedy might not get an respect from the Oscars, but writers love to laugh, judging from the Writers Guild Awards nominations announced today. All five nominees for Original Screenplay were comedies, led by Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig’s Bridesmaids. Toss in Tate Taylor’s The Help and The Descendants from Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, and you have an awards slate connected by a common funny bone. Another Oscar favorite with a sense of humor, The Artist, didn’t make the cut, though likely only because it was ineligible (as was The Iron Lady,...

By Sean O’Connell

hollywoodnews.com: The guild nominations that continue to shore up the Oscar race transition from the Producers to the Writers, as the WGA reveals its selections for the 2012 Writers Guild Awards.

“Bridesmaids” continues to build up considerable good will, earning yet another significant nomination in the Original Screenplay category.

Other films that received a significant boost in their Oscar campaigns were “Young Adult” (written by Diablo Cody), “Win Win” (written by Tom McCarthy) and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (written by Steven Zaillian).

The rest of the nominees include most of the anticipated heavy hitters in the Oscar race, from “The Descendants” and “The Help” to “Moneyball,” “Hugo” and “Midnight In Paris.”

Surprises were in short surprise, primarily because the continued inclusion of “Bridesmaids” is now expected, and no longer shocking. The shock, at this point, would be seeing “Bridesmaids” left out on Oscar morning.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced their nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011 today and comedies ruled the day in the Original Screenplay category and I don't see many surprises in the Original Screenplay category, though these nominations should always be looked at with one thing in mind... The WGA only recognizes screenplays written by WGA members or under productions that are signatories to the guild's Minimum Basic Agreement. What does that mean? Well, as Kris Tapley at HitFix indicated back in early December, screenplays in the original category that didn't qualify for consideration included The Artist, Beginners, The Iron Lady, The Lady, Like Crazy, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Melancholia, Rango, Shame and Take Shelter. As for adapted contenders, scripts for Albert Nobbs, Carnage, Drive, Jane Eyre, My Week with Marilyn, Sarah's Key, The Skin I Live In and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy were all ineligible for nomination.

HollywoodNews.com: The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011. Winners will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York.

Original Screenplay

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios

Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight

Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

Diablo Cody receiving her “Hollywood Screenwriter Award” at the Hollywood Film Awards last October.

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson,...

The big guild nominations are underway, giving light to the likely Oscar nominations set for unveiling later this month. We’ve covered Producers and Art Directors, and now the Writers Guild of America have released their nominations. One of the biggest snubs in terms of Oscar favorites was War Horse in the adapted category, but 50/50, Bridesmaids, Young Adult and Win Win have all been cemented as Oscars contenders when it comes to original screenplay. It is surprising to see Steven Zaillian‘s poor adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo get some love, but I believe the adapted screenplay Oscar will easily go to Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash for The Descendants. Check out all the noms below via THR.

Original Screenplay

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios

Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win,...

The WGA has announced the nominees for its 2012 awards.  The Original Screenplay category rewarded films that leaned toward comedy, while the Adapted Screenplay features a number of Oscar Best Picture frontrunners. The awards will be announced Feburary 19. The complete list of nominees in all three categories is below: Original Screenplay 50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures  Adapted Screenplay The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson,...

The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011. Winners will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York. Original Screenplay 50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures Adapted Screenplay The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on...

The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011. Winners will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York. Original Screenplay 50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures Adapted Screenplay The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon...

Rooney Mara in David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Rooney Mara, Bérénice Bejo, Being Elmo: St. Louis Film Critics Surprise Winners Best Film * The Artist The Descendants Drive My Week with Marilyn The Tree of Life Best Foreign Language Film * 13 Assassins Point Blank I Saw The Devil Trollhunter Winter in Wartime Best Documentary * Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey The Interrupters Tabloid Conan O'Brien Can't Stop Buck Best Animated Film Rango Kung Fu Panda 2 * The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn Puss in Boots Rio Best Director * Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life Alexander Payne for The Descendants David Fincher for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive Best Actor Ryan Gosling for Drive * George Clooney for The Descendants Jean Dujardin for The Artist Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Michael Fassbender for...

"The Artist," the critics darling, continue to wow various award-giving bodies. This time, the Michel Hazanavicus film triumphed at the St. Louis Film Critics awards with 8 nominations including Best Film!

Here's the complete list of St. Louis Film Critics Awards nominees(Check out other award-giving bodies in our Awards Season coverage right here):

Best Film

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

My Week With Marilyn

Tree of Life

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

Terrence Malick for Tree of Life

Alexander Payne for The Descendants

David Fincher for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive

Best Actor

Ryan Gosling for Drive

George Clooney for The Descendants

Jean Dujardin for The Artist

Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Michael Fassbender for Shame

Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Best Actress

Viola Davis for The Help

Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Saoirse Ronan for...

Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best Picture

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Best Foreign Language Film

In Darkness

Le Havre

A Separation

The Skin I Live In

Where Do We Go Now

Best Director

Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Best Actor

George Clooney, The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Michael Fassbender, Shame

Ryan Gosling, Drive

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress

Viola Davis, The Help

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Charlize Theron, Young Adult

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Albert Brooks,...

It's that time of year again, and the award buzz is starting to heat up. The nominations are in for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and while not all my nominations made it, the vast majority of them did, which makes me feel pretty good about how the year is going to turn out for all the award shows.

Take a look at the full press release below, and mark your calendar for January 12th! Let me know your thoughts, and if anything should have been nominated that wasn't. My picks to win are in bold, and I'll let you know if I nominated anything that didn't make the cut.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) has announced the nominees for the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at the Hollywood Palladium. Hosted by Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer,...

Chicago – Nominations have just been released this morning for this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards, and some common trends in award ceremonies we have already seen continue in this set of nominees. With ten different Best Picture nominees and thirty different actors and actresses nominated, it is no surprise that there are some similarities.

The nominees for Best Picture include several films that have already been winners at other awards, like “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “Hugo,” and “The Tree of Life,” but also include nominees “Drive,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “The Help,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball,” and “War Horse.”

Along with the normal categories (acting, directing, writing), the Critics’ Choice Awards is one of the first to have a full list of categories, like art direction, makeup, costume, visual effects, score, and song. The most notable here may be “The Muppets” receiving three of the five Best Song nominations: “Life...

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (an organization I belong to) announced the nominees for the 17th Annual Critics Choice Awards this morning and Martin Scorsese's Hugo and Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist each received a massive 11 nominations with both films receiving nominations for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, Costume Design and Score. Looking over the list I can't say there are many surprises though I am sure there are many that will be happy to see Andy Serkis with a Supporting Actor nomination for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and it's interesting to see neither Glenn Close or Janet McTeer were nominated for Albert Nobbs. When it comes to my personal nominations compared to the final tally, we are going to discuss the nominations and our personal process on the podcast later today, but the notable differences begin with Hanna being the only...

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (an organization I belong to) announced the nominees for the 17th Annual Critics Choice Awards this morning and Martin Scorsese's Hugo and Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist each received a massive 11 nominations with both films receiving nominations for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, Costume Design and Score. Looking over the list I can't say there are many surprises though I am sure there are many that will be happy to see Andy Serkis with a Supporting Actor nomination for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and it's interesting to see neither Glenn Close or Janet McTeer were nominated for Albert Nobbs. When it comes to my personal nominations compared to the final tally, we are going to discuss the nominations and our personal process on the podcast later today, but the notable differences begin with Hanna being the only...

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) has announced the nominees for the 17th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. I'm a proud voting member of the Bfca and 250 of us turned in our ballots last Sunday. And honestly? I'm very happy with the final nominations. "The Artist" and "Hugo" led the pack with 11 nominations each including Best Picture. "The Help" and "Drive" received 8 nominations each, while "The Descendants" and "War Horse" gathered 7 nods a piece.

My favorite part of the nominations? Andy Serkis, the heart of any movie he's starred in, finally received a nomination for his wonderful performance in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes!" Motion Capture be damned! Serkis was brilliant in the film!

Winners will be announced live on VH1 on Thursday, January 12th at 8pm Et/Pt, and I will be attending!

Nominations For The 17th Annual Critics. Choice Movie Awards (Check out other award-giving bodies...

Jean Dujardin as George Valentin and Missi Pyle as Constance in Michel Hazanavicius’s film The Artist. Photo by: The Weinstein Company

“The Help” And “Drive” Each Score 8 Nominations

“The Descendants” And “War Horse” Also Top Contenders

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) has announced the nominees for the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at the Hollywood Palladium. Hosted by Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, featuring Fitz and The Tantrums as the house band, the show will broadcast live for the fifth year in a row on VH1 at 8:00 Pm Et/Pt.

“Hugo” and “The Artist” each received an impressive 11 nominations for the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, one short of the record 12 nominations for “Black Swan” last year. Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” garnering nods for Best Picture, Best Young Actor for Asa Butterfield,...

By Sean O’Connell

hollywoodnews.com: Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” lead the field of nominated films competing in the 17th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Members of the Broadcast Film Critics’ Association handed out 11 nominations to each film, one short of the record 12 nominations earned by “Black Swan” last year.

“Hugo” earned nods for Best Picture, Best Young Actor for Asa Butterfield, Best Director for Martin Scorsese, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Score.

“The Artist” received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for Jean Dujardin, Best Supporting Actress for Berenice Bejo, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Score.

The Bfca did an excellent job of spreading the wealth around to a number of different films.

The Artist and Hugo continued their domination of the early awards season, each racking up 11 Critics’ Choice nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, perhaps the only critics group that presages the Academy Award nominations with any accuracy. Drive and The Help each scored eight nods, while The Descendants and War Horse received seven. Also in the Bfca’s Best Picture top 10: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, and The Tree of Life. (Not included, meanwhile: Bridesmaids, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Ides of March, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Behold, the complete list of the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Awards nominations. Winners will be announced Jan. 12 on VH1.

Best Picture

"The Artist"

"The Descendants"

"Drive"

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

"The Help"

"Hugo"

"Midnight in Paris"

"Moneyball"

"The Tree of Life"

"War Horse"

Best Actor

George Clooney – "The Descendants"

Leonardo DiCaprio – "J. Edgar"

Jean Dujardin – "The Artist"

Michael Fassbender – "Shame"

Ryan Gosling – "Drive"

Brad Pitt – "Moneyball"

Best Actress

Viola Davis – "The Help"

Elizabeth Olsen – "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

Meryl Streep – "The Iron Lady"

Tilda Swinton – "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Charlize Theron – "Young Adult"

Michelle Williams – "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh – "My Week With Marilyn"

Albert Brooks – "Drive"

Nick Nolte – "Warrior"

Patton Oswalt – "Young Adult"

Christopher Plummer – "Beginners"

Andrew Serkis – "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo – "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain – "The Help"

Melissa McCarthy – "Bridesmaids"

Carey Mulligan – "Shame"

Octavia Spencer...

Awards season is really hitting its stride now, people. The nominations for the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards were announced today at 6 a.m. The show, which will air live from the Hollywood Palladium at 8 p.m. Et on Thursday, January 12, on VH1, is based on votes from the members of Broadcast Film Critics Association, and it’s had a pretty good record for predicting who will win the Oscars. (All four of last year’s acting winners took home Academy Awards, just for example.) So let’s see what they’re saying about this year’s flicks…

Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s fantastical 3D trip back to Paris in the Roaring ’20s, and French silent film The Artist the lead this year’s nominees with 11 apiece. It will be a particularly big night for Scorsese, who is the only nominee who is guaranteed to be walking home at the...

Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life

Best Film

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

My Week with Marilyn

The Tree of Life

Best Foreign Language Film

13 Assassins

Point Blank

I Saw The Devil

Trollhunter

Winter in Wartime

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life

Alexander Payne for The Descendants

David Fincher for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive

Best Actor

Ryan Gosling for Drive

George Clooney for The Descendants

Jean Dujardin for The Artist

Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Michael Fassbender for Shame

Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Best Actress

Saoirse Ronan for Hanna

Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene

Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn

Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Viola Davis for The Help

Best Supporting Actor

John Hawkes for Martha Marcy May Marlene...

The Flick:

Director Thomas McCarthy has a knack for telling stories involving families that struggle to gain a foothold on their relationships and financial responsibilities. His previous films, The Station Agent, and The Visitor both dealt with similar themes, and Win Win deals with those themes too, and does so quite well.

Paul Giamatti is perfectly cast as Mike Flaherty, a lawyer that specializes in elder-care. Mike’s life is not turning out like he hoped it would. His law practice is barely staying afloat, and he is experiencing panic attacks. In order to relieve some of the financial pressure Mike decides to become the court-appointed guardian of Leo Poplar (Burt Young), one of his clients that can’t care for himself. This would be a pretty impressive gesture if Mike would carry out his guardianship by taking care of Leo in his own home the way he requested, but...

As the end credits rolled, the first thought that occurred to me was that Win Win felt real. These were basically good people trying to do what is right but imperfections spoil any hope for total bliss. Heroes prove to have feet of clay and monsters don’t seem so monstrous once you get to know them.

The film, out on DVD from 20th Century Home Entertainment, is another terrific showcase of the wonderful Paul Giamatti. He’s become the everyman of his generation, infusing his characters with traits and flaws’ that make them feel real enough you’d expect to find them living down the block. Here, he’s private lawyer Mike Flaherty, suffering from a decline in business thanks to the economy and he is presented with a short-cut so grabs it. He has a court appoint him as guardian to Leo (Burt Young) so he could collect...

Chicago – The best film of the first quarter of 2011 was a sublime little gem from the great Thomas McCarthy (“The Station Agent,” “The Visitor”) called “Win Win.” The clever, character-driven dramedy with Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan was recently-released on Blu-ray and DVD, and it deserves to find (and very likely will with word-of-mouth) a loyal audience on the home market. This is a great movie.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

Mike (Giamatti) is an everyman for the days of the economic crisis. He struggles to keep his business together in the face of rising bills, pending expenses, fewer clients, and even an about-to-explode hot water heater. He worries every day about losing the financial backbone of his family (which includes two daughters and his wife Jackie, played in another lovely performance from the always-great Ryan). Mike sees an opportunity in Leo (Burt Young), an older client on the edge of dementia. He...

The dream, as it is usually imagined and, in rare cases realized, is to leave behind the small town and shine in the bright lights of Hollywood. Turning that formula around, Thomas McCarthy proved that you can go home again -- and in doing so, achieved his greatest success to date with the Paul Giamatti-starring hit film "Win Win."

The film's genesis, McCarthy, an actor/writer/director perhaps most instantly recognizable as Dr. Bob from the "Meet the Parents" films, explained, was trading emails with his childhood friend Joe Tiboni. He was at that point practicing as a lawyer for the elderly in their hometown of New Providence, New Jersey, but McCarthy had been encouraging high school wrestling buddy to turn the funny stories he had been relaying into screenwriting form.

"I've known Joe since I was 13 and I never anticipated that from Joe I'd get material that I'd say,...

It takes skill to pull off a great sports movie, and even more to make it poignant. Win Win is a wonderful combination of sports movie and indie drama, wrapping the two into an inspirational story of family. Writer/Director Thomas McCarthy gathered a talented group of actors, writers and athletes together to make a film far overlooked at the box office and well deserving of recognition.

You can’t go wrong with Paul Giamatti. The prolific actor brings just the right combination of comedy and heart to his character, Mike Flaherty. Mike’s outlook on life is as bleak as the small Northeast town he lives in. Mike runs an elder law practice in the small town of New Providence, New Jersey, the town in which writer McCarthy and co-writer Joe Tiboni both grew up in. The writers’ connection to their hometown is apparent throughout the film, as we...

It.s like I always say: if there.s one thing we need more of, it.s movies about high school wrestling.* Thankfully, even if you could care less about kids roughhousing in unitards, there.s a bit more going on in the indie comedy Win Win, which hit Blu-ray and DVD today. The mere presence of Paul Giamatti, for instance, insured that my curiosity was piqued, rather than dismissing it as way outside of my interest zone. Hopefully the Giamatti factor will work better than it did in Lady in the Water. In celebration of Win Win.s arrival on home video, and in front of quite a few new eyeballs, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has sent along an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip from Win Win. In the clip, writer/director Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni, who shares a .Story By. credit, discuss the origins and appeal of the...

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Bambi II: Special Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (2006)

Synopsis: Bambi, one of the silver screen.s most cherished characters, makes his triumphant return. The eagerly awaited next chapter of Bambi.s unforgettable story continues for a whole new generation in a film that.s sure to delight your entire family. Join Bambi as he reunites with his father, the Great Prince, who must now raise the young fawn and teach him the ways of the forest. But in the adventure of a lifetime, the proud parent discovers that there is much that he can learn from his spirited young son. Thumper, Flower, Owl, and your favorite characters return . and you.ll meet some wonderful new friends . as Bambi.s magnificent legacy continues. Illustrated in the breathtaking animation style of the original classic and bursting with new songs, Bambi II...