Black Sheep Reviews presents the 2012 Mouton d'Or Awards

It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen! And it is actually that time for me for the eighth time. I know it was seven years last year so the realization that this is the eighth year should not be so much of a shock for me but it is. May I present to you the 2012 Mouton d'Or Awards!

This year was such an incredible year for film, with so many filmmakers reaching new heights in their careers and abilities. With this in mind, what finer example is there to lead the nominations than Paul Thomas Anderson's THE MASTER, which leads with eight nominations in total, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Next up on the leader board is the breathtaking, LIFE OF PI, from Ang Lee. It too is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and four others for a grand total of six. ARGO, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD and MOONRISE KINGDOM round out the remaining Best Picture nominees and each earns five Mouton d'Or nominations in total. And though they may have missed out on the top prize, LES MISERABLES and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK still have a strong showing, also with five nominations apiece.

P.T. Anderson's THE MASTER

I would like to thank everyone who shared their favorite movies with me in the last few weeks for the Black Sheep Readers Choice Award. There was so much response and so much passion for films that went on to be nominated that I had to expand the category to ten nominees, up from six last year. Be sure to vote in the poll at the top of the right hand sidebar for your favourite! And again, thank you so much for your participation. Your enthusiasm was moving.

And so, without further ado, here are the 2012 Mouton d'Or Award nominations ...

(Scroll over any film title and click for the full Black Sheep review.)

BEST BIG MOVIE

THE AVENGERS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
THE HUNGER GAMES
LES MISERABLES
SKYFALL

BEST LITTLE MOVE

AMOUR
KEEP THE LIGHTS ON
LAURENCE ANYWAYS
MAGIC MIKE
STORIES WE TELL

THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

DETACHMENT
DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX
HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET
THE INNKEEPERS
WHERE DO WE GO NOW?

THE BLACK SHEEP READERS CHOICE AWARD

ARGO
THE AVENGERS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
DJANGO UNCHAINED
THE HUNGER GAMES
LES MISERABLES
LIFE OF PI
LOOPER
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
SKYFALL

ANIMATED FEATURE

BRAVE
FRANKENWEENIE
PARANORMAN

BEST LOOKING MOVIE

ANNA KARENINA
LIFE OF PI
THE MASTER
MOONRISE KINGDOM
SKYFALL

BEST MUSIC

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
LES MISERABLES
LIFE OF PI
THE MASTER
MOONRISE KINGDOM

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

ROBERT DE NIRO in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
LEONARDO DICAPRIO in DJANGO UNCHAINED
DWIGHT HENRY in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN in THE MASTER
EWAN MCGREGOR in THE IMPOSSIBLE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS in THE MASTER
SALLY FIELD in LINCOLN
ANNE HATHAWAY in LES MISERABLES
HELEN HUNT in THE SESSIONS
NICOLE KIDMAN in THE PAPERBOY

BEST ACTOR

DANIEL DAY LEWIS in LINCOLN
JOHN HAWKES in THE SESSIONS
HUGH JACKMAN in LES MISERABLES
JOAQUIN PHOENIX in THE MASTER
DENZEL WASHINGTON in FLIGHT

BEST ACTRESS

JESSICA CHASTAIN in ZERO DARK THIRTY
JENNIFER LAWRENCE in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
EMANUELLE RIVA in AMOUR
QUVENZHANE WALLIS in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
NAOMI WATTS in THE IMPOSSIBLE

BEST ENSEMBLE

ARGO
THE HUNGER GAMES
MAGIC MIKE
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
SKYFALL

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

AMOUR written by Michael Haneke
LOOPER written by Rian Johnson
THE MASTER written by Paul Thomas Anderson
MOONRISE KINGDOM written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
STORIES WE TELL written by Sarah Polley

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

ARGO written by Chris Terrio
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD written by Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin
LIFE OF PI written by David McGee
LINCOLN written by Tony Kushner
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK written by David O. Russell

BEST FIRST FEATURE

ANTIVIRAL
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

BEST DIRECTOR

BEN AFFLECK for ARGO
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON for THE MASTER
WES ANDERSON for MOONRISE KINGDOM
MICHAEL HANEKE for AMOUR
ANG LEE for LIFE OF PI

BEST PICTURE

ARGO
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
LIFE OF PI
THE MASTER
MOONRISE KINGDOM

Thanks for reading. The 2012 Mouton d'Or Award winners will be announced February 16th and voting for the Black Sheep Readers Choice Awards will close at midnight on Sunday, February 10th.

Argo

Argo, 2012
Directed by Ben Affleck

Argo is a fake movie. No, the movie I went and watched in the theatres wasn't fake, but it was what was used to get 6 Americans out of Iran without being killed, in a time where Americans were being held hostage.

In 1979, the American embassy in Tehran, Iran was stormed by Iranian revolutionaries, and everyone inside was taken hostage by the country. 6 managed to escape and found refuge in the Canadian ambassadors house. While the world watches, the American government and CIA realize they need to find a way to get these 6 Americans out before the Iranians discover they have 6 missing people. Enter Tony Mendez. With only bad ideas floating around, Tony comes up with something crazy. He and the 6 Americans will pose as a Canadian film crew looking to film a sci-fi movie in Iran, visiting on a location scout. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Tony needs to make sure this is legit. He needs a script, he needs producers, a budget, actors, posters, anything to show that this is real. He needs press. But when he arrives in Iran to get the 6 out, he has to ask himself the age old question, "is this so crazy it just might work?" because the answer to that is life or death.


Ben Affleck has been in the business a long time. His only Academy Award nomination, was also his only win, for his writing on Good Will Hunting, with Matt Damon, back in 1997. For the most part though, Affleck was just a mediocre actor, picking several awful movies, and from time to time choosing very good ones. However, when Affleck released his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone in 2007, it received instant acclaim. His follow up in 2010, The Town, was equally acclaimed and just missed out on a Best Picture nod that year. His third effort, the film I'm now here to review, is said to be his best picture to date.

Affleck both directs and stars in this movie. What I really enjoyed about this movie was the balance between humour, and tension. This film felt very real. The humor didn't feel out of place or forced. And while some of the tense moments were a little dramatized, it wasn't an overt amount. For a serious film, it was really quite witty and funny. The scenes with Tony in Hollywood with his 2 producers (both in on his ploy), were really quite fun and funny, but switching back to scenes in Iran, it's very serious, and tense. And this was a really nice balance between the two. It was very human, and so many of the situations and reactions of all the characters didn't feel overly scripted.

Additionally, I felt Affleck and his crew did the look of the movie quite well. It was the cheesy 70's, with the massive glasses, horrible hair and mustaches, and most people looked like they fit right in, without it being more cheesy than the 70s already were. The mix of real footage from this time, and the modern footage was good, especially the beginning. And it was also pretty fun having the vintage Time-Warner logo at the very beginning.

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this film. I was able to go with my boyfriend, and 3 other friends, and was happy that all of them really enjoyed it too.

Oscar chances? I'd say it's a definite lock for a Best Picture nod, and most likely a Directing and Screenplay nods as well. It has its best chance in acting for Alan Arkin, though he's nowhere near a lock right now. Going into this movie, it was my predicted winner for Best Picture, mostly based on the buzz from TIFF, and from me being a little disappointed by the Lincoln trailer (my previous, extra early, winner pick). Coming out of the movie, I'd say I'd be very happy if this film took the top prize. It's always nice when a film that the general audience has heard of and seen is picked. It was a really enjoyable film, a great and interesting true story, and was really well made. I'm definitely going to be rooting for this movie this season, thus far!

9/10

Review: Argo (2012)

Affleck delivers another solid film with this inspirational story.

Directed by Ben Affleck
Produced by Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov
Written by Chris Terrio (screenplay); Joshuah Bearman (article)
Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman

**** (Original grade: ***1/2) 

In 1979, a hostage crisis began in Iran, when the American embassy was raided by an angry mob of Islamic protestors. The U.S. had given Iran's former dictator asylum, and they wanted him back to punish him for his crimes against their people. Fifty-two hostages were taken and held for many months, but six American workers escaped before they were captured. They were fortunately able to hide out at the Canadian embassy. In response, the CIA put Tony Mendez (Affleck) on the case, and he planned a phony film called Argo, even hiring a producer (Arkin) and another Hollywood vet (Goodman) to help promote the movie. His task was simple: go to Iran and get the six hostages out, under the cover of a film crew on a location scout. What followed is one of the most incredible true stories ever told. 

This is Ben Affleck's third directorial effort, and he continues to prove his talents behind the camera. With a tight script, he creates a thrilling, even funny, film that keeps the viewer thoroughly engaged throughout the entire ordeal. Affleck stars as part of an ensemble, and he blends in well, without calling attention to himself in this cast of mostly unknowns (who play the American hostages). In fact, the performances all around are solid, with the unknowns giving us the tension, and Arkin and Goodman providing most of the laughs. It's clear that Affleck did his homework, as the film shows many historical photographs that were almost identical to shots in the film. Argo is an interesting film, because it's both a crowd-pleaser and a bold dramatic work. If you're looking for an inspirational story told by a talented director, go see it. 

Oscar Potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Arkin), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing

ARGO

ARGO
Written by Chris Terrio
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Alan Arkin

Tony Mendez: Can you teach someone how to direct in a day?
Lester Siegel: You can teach the Reese’s monkey how to direct in a day.

There was nothing simple or smooth about the mission to get six Americans out of Tehran during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. That said, under the direction of multi-hyphenate, actor-writer-director, Ben Affleck, ARGO, the film based on this harrowing escape, is as smooth as they come. Affleck introduced himself as a director with the kidnapping drama, GONE BABY GONE. The people were cautious but pleasantly surprised. He then established himself as a serious player with THE TOWN, suddenly finding himself an awards contender again. And now, with ARGO, he cements himself as an important American filmmaker with something of worth to say and an incredibly entertaining way to say it.

ARGO also marks the first time Affleck gets out Boston as a filmmaker, his first two films having been set in the state of Massachusetts, where he grew up. In fact, Affleck travels pretty far to avoid getting pigeonholed as that Boston guy, as he goes back and forth between Tehran and Hollywood, California, here. Ordinarily, one wouldn’t think to naturally put these two settings together but in 1979, they were intrinsically linked to the fate of six American embassy workers. When the embassy was taken over by Islamist extremists, protesting America’s unwelcome involvement in Iran’s politics, six employees managed to get out undetected and hid at the Canadian ambassador’s personal home for what would become 79 days. Fortunately for them, the C.I.A. was working on a plan to get them home the entire time. Unfortunately for them, that plan involved posing as a film crew scouting locations for an exotic, science-fiction movie to get through airport security. At the time, this was the best plan they could come up with.

Thanks to a sharply written screenplay by first time feature writer, Chris Terrio, ARGO is a rich and layered work that operates on many levels - from satire to thriller to think piece. And as varied as the settings and tone are from scene to scene, from the often hilarious Hollywood insider track to the very real and very tense hostage situation at hand, Affleck exudes nothing but confidence and control over the vast entirety of the project. Not once, does he lose focus or pull it for the purposes of highlighting his own solid performance. Perhaps, his biggest achievement though, is telling a story where we know the whole time exactly how it will end, without sacrificing one trace of the suspense and heart-stopping fear that everyone involved must have been feeling while they were trying to pull it off. And with that, Affleck pulls off his tricky feat as well.