Proud Of Harry Potter

Bafta 2012: Meryl Streep wins for role as Margaret Thatcher

The 62-year-old lost a stiletto shoe on the way to the stage and struggled to keep her composure. “That couldn’t be worse!” she exclaimed as she reached the podium.

Streep said she was “very proud” of the film and told the audience that she had British roots. “half of me is Streep and the other half of me Wilkinson from Lincolnshire,” she said, referring to her ancestors.

Streep has notched up a remarkable 14 Bafta nominations over five decades but this was only her second win. Her first was for the French Lieutenant’s Woman in 1981.

Fry addressed the actress as “the right Honourable Baroness Meryl Thatcher” and joked at the start of the ceremony: “I guess this could be the first time in recorded history that we hear the words, ‘Maggie, Maggie, Maggie – win, win, win!”

The Iron Lady also won the best hair and make-up award – Streep spent more than two hours each day being transformed with the aid of prosthetics.

But the night belonged to the Artist, director Michel Hazanavicius’s love letter to cinema’s silent era, which romped home with seven awards.

They included best film, best director and best original screenplay, the latter prompting Hazanavicius to joke: “Actually, I’m very surprised. So many people thought there was no script because there was no dialogue.”

Jean Dujardin won best actor and said he was delighted “to receive this award from the country of Laurence Olivier, William Webb Ellis and Benny Hill – c’est incroyable”.

Asked to explain the runaway popularity of the film, star Dujardin said: “It’s a simple story – a love story. It’s universal. And everyone loves a cute dog.”

Sadly, the one cast member missing from the red carpet was Uggie the Jack Russell, who chose to remain at home in Los Angeles.

Perhaps that was just as well, as director Michel Hazanavicius had a confession to make.

“I’m not a dog person,” the film-maker admitted. “I wrote this part for a dog and I know that the dog steals the show. but to tell you the truth, I’m not in love with dogs.”

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was named Outstanding British Film and also won best adapted screenplay – the latter a tribute to the work of writer Bridget O’Connor, who died from cancer, aged 49, before the film’s release.

John hurt received the award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, honouring a career that has included Midnight Express, the Elephant Man and most recently Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The Academy Fellowship was bestowed on Martin Scorsese, hailed by Bafta as “a true inspiration to all young directors the world over”.

Christopher Plummer, aged 82, won his first Bafta. He was named best supporting actor for his role as a gay widower in Beginners. best supporting actress went to Octavia Spencer for the Help.

There were also awards for Senna, the British documentary about the Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, and the final Harry Potter film, which won the prize for best special effects.

Stephen Fry hosted the ceremony at the Royal Opera House. Sir Tom Jones opened by singing Thunderball, the Bond theme, to mark 50 years of 007 at the cinema.

Presenters included Russell Crowe, returning to the Baftas 10 years after the infamous occasion on which he pinned a producer against a wall backstage because he was furious that his on-stage poetry recital had been cut from the televised broadcast.

5 Things the Critics' Choice Awards Revealed About Oscar Race (Analysis)

PHOTOS: Critics' Choice Movie Awards Red Carpet Arrivals

My five primary takeaways are these …

1. Clooney, Davis, Plummer and Spencer are your acting front-runners. The BFCA has been as accurate a predictor of acting Oscar nominations (18 of 20 last year) and wins (four of four last year) as any organization, and I expect that to remain the case this year. George Clooney won a best supporting actor Oscar six years ago, when Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck showed people it was time to take him more seriously, and in the time since he has given standout performances in — among other films — Michael Clayton (2007), Up in the Air (2009), and now The Descendants, all of which seem to have convinced people that the 50-year-old is worthy of joining the rare mutli-Oscars club by awarding him his first in the more prestigious best actor club. Christopher Plummer, 82, meanwhile, has been working at a very high level in the business for decades without having ever won one, partly because he never made the effort to be as charming off-screen as Clooney has, but this year he's shown up everywhere and been as gracious as possible, and in so doing I think he has finally sealed the deal. And then there's Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, close friends and acting veterans whose careers have had major ups and downs but who brought two literary characters to life as skillfully and movingly as anyone could have in The help and won over a lot of voters' hearts. The fact that Spencer beat her co-star Jessica Chastain shows the level of affection that people have for her feisty character, and the fact that Davis prevailed over the legendary Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) among critics indicates that she should have no problem beating her elsewhere.

PHOTOS: How 'The Help' Was Cast

2. The Artist is much stronger than its individual parts. Critics love The Artist as much as anybody, but even they have their limits. best picture? Fine. Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius over the likes of Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Martin Scorsese (Hugo), and Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for best director? Only reasonable, I think they suppose, since the best picture didn't direct itself. But Hazanavicius' script for best original screenplay over the legendary Woody Allen's for Midnight in Paris? Or Hazanavicius' wife Berenice Bejo for best supporting actress over the Horatio Alger-esque Spencer? Or her leading man Jean Dujardin for best actor over Hollywood royalty Clooney? Apparently bridges just a little too far. I think that the passion for the film itself will result in it winning the best picture Oscar under the Academy's new voting system … but Hazanavicius is by no means a dunk for director, and it is certainly within the realm of possibility that his film might not win any other above-the-line categories.

3. The Help appears to be emerging as the leading alternative to The Artist. In this year's GOP presidential race, there is Mitt Romney, and then there is everyone else who is trying to become the primary alternative to Romney — the anti-Romney, if you will. as the Iowa caucuses provided the first hard numbers of the race, it became clear that, for a while at least, that person was Rick Santorum. In this year's Oscar race, there is The Artist, and then there is everyone else who is trying to become the primary alternative to The Artist — the anti-Artist, if you will. at the Critics' Choice Awards, the results, as well as the unmistakable vibe in the room, indicated that, for a while at least, that film is The help. The late-summer release was liked by critics (76% on RottenTomatoes.com) but not loved by them. still, it managed to beat critical favorites to win best actress, supporting actress, and, perhaps most strikingly, ensemble (prevailing over The Artist, Bridesmaids, The Descendants and The Ides of March). as its various winners keep reminding voters during their acceptance speeches, it is a film that was made and became a massive hit (raking in more $200 million at the box-office worldwide) against all odds: it features a cast comprised almost entirely of character actresses — women of all ages races — who portray strong and assertive characters who never resort to taking off their clothes to win the attention of the audience. what it implies is that a vote for The help is a vote for progress, both in society at large and in the industry itself, and that may be too much to resist for many in the Academy, especially those who feel that The Artist is an enjoyable but ultimately lightweight option for their top prize, which usually goes to films with greater gravitas.

4. Scorsese is surging. Hazanavicius may have won best director last night, but, as even he suggested from the podium, its a "stupid" title for anyone competing in a category with Scorsese, arguably the best director of all-time. Scorsese was, of course, nominated for Hugo, his first 3D film and family film. he was honored earlier in the evening with BFCA's Music+Film Award for his incorporation of music into his films, and that presentation involved a fabulous montage of clips from his films from over the years as well as heartfelt tributes from Leonardo DiCaprio, one of his favorite leading men; Olivia Harrison, the widow of George Harrison of The Beatles (who suggested that Scorsese's use of music in his films belies his reputed preference for violence by showing a deep sensitivity), as Bob Dylan. (Dylan and Scorsese received standing ovations.) Scorsese, who was honored on Tuesday night in new York with the National Board of Review's best director award (for the third time in his career) and who is nominated for the best director Golden Globe on Sunday night (for the eighth time in his career), appears to me to have surpassed Payne as the person who poses the greatest challenge to Hazanavicius at the Oscars. (I still think The Artist is ahead of Hugo for best picture, but picture-director splits occur roughly twice a decade, on average, and it's been quite a while — six years, in fact — since we last had one.) true, Scorsese already has a best director Oscar (for The Departed five years ago), whereas Payne does not (though he won best adapted screenplay for Sideways seven years ago), but when one considers the fact that John Ford won four best director Oscars, it is not hard to understand why many believe that awarding a second to Scorsese would not be inappropriate.

5. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is far from dead. The Rorschach puzzle of the 2011 awards season, thus far, has been Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which was completed and began screening so late in the year that voters for many awards groups failed to see it before filling out their ballots. The critics, however, had to see it, and did, and liked it enough to nominate it for best picture, director (Stephen Daldry), adapted screenplay (Eric Roth) and best young actor/actress (Thomas Horn). while it didn't win the first three, it did pull off a major upset in the fourth, with Horn prevailing over the likes of Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) who was also nominated for best supporting actress; Asa Butterfield (Hugo), who anchored a best picture nominee; and Elle Fanning (Super 8), who had my vote for her remarkably mature performance in a summer blockbuster. if hard-bitten critics liked Extremely Loud enough to vote for it, then the sky is the limit for it among the older and schmaltzier Academy members. (I have spoken with many who have it on their best picture ballots, and one former best supporting actress Oscar winner has Horn at her no. 1 for best actor.) The film has been knocked for using a historical tragedy to emotionally manipulate its audience, which is not untrue but isn't necessarily unwelcomed by many voters. Point of reference: Daldry's last film, The Reader.

Devastudios Creates Paramount 100th Anniversary Logo

New Logo Premieres With “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”

(PRWEB) December 19, 2011

Leading entertainment motion graphics firm Devastudios has created the new animated 100th Anniversary logo for Paramount Pictures, it was announced today by Devastudios President and Creative Director John Berlin. Produced stereoscopically at a resolution of 4k, the new logo premieres in theaters worldwide with the release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Devastudios has designed some of the most iconic film titles of the last decade, and has also become known for designing studio logos. the current animated logos for Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, Focus Features and GK Films were created by Devastudios designers. the assignment from Paramount was to re-conceive the classic stars-and-mountain logo with a design that would pay homage to the history of the studio, while also capturing a bold vision of the future.

“We’re proud to have been selected by Paramount to redesign one of the most recognized corporate trademarks in the world,” Berlin said. “Our design and production teams have been working around the clock for several months to create this stereoscopic logo that captures the essence of the venerated Paramount brand. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of the studio’s history with a logo which will be on screens for years to come.”

Founded in 2001, Devastudios is a leading entertainment design firm specializing in motion graphics for film, broadcast and video game advertising. the company’s clients include Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate and Nickelodeon. recent design projects include Adventures of TinTin, Fast 5, Hugo Cabret, Kung Fu Panda II, Puss in Boots, the Expendables, the Last Airbender and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. An early adopter of stereoscopic technology, Devastudios is the design firm of choice for advertisers working in this exciting medium. For more information, please visit devastudios.com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/12/prweb9053609.htm