The 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards - An Insider's View

I promised to let my readers know which films I voted for this month as a member of the Nominating Committee for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The decision was difficult, with hundreds of choices in some of the categories. Here are the films the Nominating Committee as a whole ultimately chose, as well as those I preferred, though not all my favorites made the final cut.

For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role the majority of the Committee chose:
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Denzel Washington - Flight
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
John Hawkes - The Sessions

Of these, I had only picked Daniel Day-Lewis. I agree the above are all good choices, but I nominated:
Jack Black - Bernie
Jake Gyllenhaal - End of Watch
Bill Murray - Hyde Park on Hudson
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role the Committee nominated:
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

I had chosen the first three, but in the other two slots I would have preferred:
Elle Fanning - Ginger and Rosa
Halle Berry - Cloud Atlas

None of my choices in the following category made it through. Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role were:
Allan Arkin - Argo
Robert DeNiro - Silver Linings Playbook
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

I agree all of these actors gave excellent performances. As a matter of fact, this was the most difficult category to choose from, but I had selected:
Jim Broadbent - Cloud Atlas
James Gandolfini - Not Fade Away
Samuel L. Jackson - Django Unchained
Michael Peña - End of Watch
Christopher Walken - Seven Psychopaths

For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role only my choices of Sally Field and Anne Hathaway were in line with the majority of the Committee. These were its nominees:
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy
Maggie Smith - Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I would have preferred:
Anna Kendrick - End of Watch
Laura Linney - Hyde Park on Hudson
Natalie Martinez - End of Watch

And I was way out of sync with my fellow SAG members for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. They chose:
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Les Miserables
Flight
The Sessions

My choices were:
Lincoln
Argo
Cloud Atlas
End of Watch
Moonrise Kingdom

As you can see, I had a great preference for End of Watch and Cloud Atlas, two of my favorite films of the year, but they didn't end up in the final nominations at all. That's disappointing to me, especially when it comes to End of Watch. I rarely have seen such spot-on, moving performances as I did from the young actors involved in this riveting film about two cops, close as brothers, dealing with their dangerous work in a bad LA neighborhood, their love-lives, and families. I suppose Cloud Atlas wasn't to everyone's taste, but when you consider each principle actor played many different roles in the film, it was truly an amazing feat (besides the fact that the back-and-forth-in-time plot appeals to a time-travel author such as myself). Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, was also completely overlooked and I think that's because the producers didn't send the Committee members a DVD, and the screenings were held late in the season; therefore not as many saw it. It's also enormously violent (it is a Tarantino film after all), so perhaps it turned some members off. But there's no denying that some of the most exceptional performances of the year were in this funny, deeply emotional film. And honestly, though Les Miserables is a brilliant piece of film-making, and there's no arguing the performances were exceptional, I'm not a huge fan of musicals so I wasn't moved to nominate many from that cast.  

There were some lovely pictures out there this year that would certainly appeal to most audiences, some nominated, some not, such as Moonrise Kingdom, Hitchcock, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Bernie, The Magic of Belle Isle, Quartet, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Won't Back Down, The Intouchables, This is 40, Anna Karenina and Hyde Park on Hudson. There were a few I missed seeing during the screening process, but I heard were very good, which you might want to check out, including: Jeff Who Lives at Home, Amour, The Bachelorette, and Killing Them Softly. Those that I really didn't care for, though perhaps you will feel differently about, are: The Master, On The Road, A Late Quartet, The Grey, Magic Mike and The Paperboy.

Please check ratings before you go. Many of the films from this year are very violent or sexual. If you have a delicate stomach you won't go for Django Unchained, Cloud Atlas, End of Watch, The Impossible, Flight, or Seven Psychopaths.

My favorite movie of the year is one you won't see on the above lists of nominations because it's so Indy that the actors weren't members of the Screen Actors Guild at the time they made the film and therefore not eligible for its award. However, I believe you'll see Beasts of the Southern Wild crop up at the Academy Awards - truly the most inventive, moving, gorgeous, surprising film I saw this year, with some of the most outstanding performances from completely unknown actors.

And now, a recap: Here are my top ten favorite films of the year in order of preference:

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild
2. End of Watch
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. Lincoln
5. Argo
6. Cloud Atlas
7. Django Unchained
8. Life of Pi
9. Hitchcock
10. Silver Linings Playbook

Whether you catch them in theaters or at home, don't miss this exciting and exceptional season in motion pictures.

The Next Big Thing ...

Coming in December 2012: The Time Contessa

How did you come by the idea?
This is the third book in my time-travel series. In the first book, The Time Baroness, my heroine Cassandra travels to Jane Austen’s England; in the second, The Time Heiress, to pre-Civil War New York City. In this third, upcoming, book, The Time Contessa, she travels to Renaissance Italy. The idea for The Time Contessa comes from the mention of another character in the earlier books, Jake,who time-traveled to Renaissance Florence some years before, but screwed something up in the time-line. So he and Cassandra now have to go back and fix it. This was a great opportunity to create a new male character that Cassandra falls for: Lauro Sampieri, a charismatic, artist and inventor.


What genre does your book fall under?

I like to call my books “romantic, time-travel,” as opposed to “time-travel romance,” because they are not traditional romances. They could also fall into the categories of sci/fi, and historical fiction.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters if it were a movie?

I always have in mind Nicole Kidman for Cassandra. I think Javier Bardem or Robert Downey Jr.  would do nicely as Lauro, and I'm pretty sure Jake Gyllenhaal would be a great Jake (nice coincidence about the name too!).

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

"Forced to travel back in time to Renaissance Siena with her colleague Jake to solve a mystery about a famous painting that's suddenly ceased to exist, Dr. Cassandra Reilly finds herself struggling to resist the romantic spell that threatens to derail her mission to restore the future, while keeping Jake from permanently falling victim to the past."

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About six months. But before that there were a couple of months of research, which remained ongoing while I wrote. I thought I knew a lot about the Italian Renaissance, but I definitely learned things that surprised me; I think they'll surprise the reader too.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It's hard to compare it to books in my genre, because very few deal with time-travel the way I do. But I'd have to say The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon isn't too far off, though her books are quite a bit more violent than mine. Then, as far as historical fiction: Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My life-long love of Italy, the Italian language, the country’s art, it’s culture, food, and let’s not forget its men, inspired me to want to set one of the books in my series there. I studied in Florence for a summer, long ago, and more recently had a vacation in a farmhouse in Tuscany for a week, and I thought: there’s no more beautiful or romantic place in the world than this. But also, I am passionate about the art of the Italian Renaissance: Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Donatello, Rafael…so I wanted to write a book that really focused on the art as well.

The hilarious Barbara Silkstone tapped me for

The Next Big Thing.

I’m passing the tap onto the amazing 

Cara Bertoia, travel-novelist and adventurer!
http://carabertoia.blogspot.com/

An Exciting Year, Rubbing Elbows With the Stars!

Lordy, lord, what a year. Here's a wrap up of all the stars I've met this fall, being a member of the Screen Actors Guild Nominating Committee, as well as my take on many of the films.
http://connect.chicklitclub.com/wp/2012/12/02/best-of-the-best/

Ewan McGregor

By the way, Mr. Ewan McGregor is my first choice to star as the hero in the film version of my book, The Time Baroness. When you read it, picture his face as Ben.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Denzel Washington

George Clooney

Ben Affleck

Hugh Jackman

Paul Rudd

Garrett Hedlund

Irrfan Kahn

Matt Damon

Two Gyllenhaals in Two Weeks! Thanks, SAG Awards!

Jake Gyllenhaal

What could be better than seeing a whole season's worth of first-run films in the movie theater? Seeing them for free! This year, I was randomly chosen to be on the Screen Actors Guild Nominating Committee... Woohoo! This is not an honor I take lightly. When a SAG member takes on the sacred duty, he/she has to agree to see as many screenings as possible, and stay for the Q&A whenever they can. I signed on that dotted line quicker than you could say...well, you get the picture. Of course, only SAG members living in LA or New York get to be on the committee, because those are the only places they have the special screenings. Makes you really feel like a big shot. 

Michael Peña

So, let me give you a run down of those films we've already seen, though I promise to update if I see others worthy of comment. The first one we saw, about a month ago, was Beasts of the Southern Wild. This is a super indie film that was picked up by the Weinstein brothers. I won't say anything about the plot because I want you to be as surprised as I was. Do yourself a favor, and, if you have the chance, run, don't walk, to the nearest theater it's playing in. It just won't have the same impact on the small screen. Also, don't read anything about it ahead of time - just take my word for it. It's a little disturbing, but not terribly so, and though the main character is a child, she isn't harmed. However, what you will see will have your jaw hanging open. I was gripping the arms of my seat, screaming inside my head, "What the f---!" pretty much the whole time. Yet, equally, the movie manages to come off as spiritual, uplifting and just, plain remarkable. It's a complete and perfect work of art.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

On the Road

The Master

The next two films my husband, Jon, and I were invited to (because I get to bring a guest) were On the Road and The Master. I was excited about On the Road mainly because the live Q&A was going to  be with Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund and director Walter Salles, of The Motorcycle Diaries, one of my favorite films. Well, this one was a letdown. I mean, it was gorgeously filmed and the acting was great...even Kristen Stewart who couldn't breathe life into the inane Twilight series was magical in On the Road. The problem was how, and why, would you make a film out of that iconic Jack Kerouac book? You can't, and Salles shouldn't have. So thumbs down on that one, and no amount of seeing the stars talk about it in person could convince me otherwise.

The following night we went to a gala-like event at the enormous, 1920's theater, The Zeigfeld, where stars like Rosie Perez and Gabourey Sidibe sauntered right by our seats, and we were greeted with opening remarks by Harvey Weinstein and Amy Adams! Well, the night could have ended right there for me. And it would have been better if it had because the movie, The Master, was dreary. It was like being in acting class: scene after scene of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix emoting in uber-dramatic situations, with a boring plot that just dragged on and on. Another thumbs down - I don't care what the critics say.

Then a week ago Friday, September 14th, we were treated to a screening of End of Watch. This is another absolute must-see; reminiscent of Crash, but less slick. It's about police officers in East LA going about their dangerous work and filming it with a hand-held camera when possible, or tiny lenses pinned to their uniforms, or set on the dashboard of their car. It is a nail-biting, wrenching ride through a world most of us would rather never know about and it gave me a whole new appreciation of what cops go through - not all cops of course, but those with the toughest beats. AND...the Q&A was with Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña! Heehee! Eat your hearts out gals. Yes, Jake is every bit as handsome and charming in person as you'd expect, but I kind of had more of a thing for Peña. Good for me too, because walking out of the theater, we ran into him, and had a private chat walking down 6th Avenue. He didn't even seem to think we were stalking him! (We weren't.)

Finally, last night, the 24th, we took in Won't Back Down, with a Q&A by Maggie Gyllenhaal (the G-haals are big this year), Rosie Perez (she's just everywhere isn't she?), and Viola Davis (winner of the 2011 SAG Best Actress award for The Help). Jon was especially excited about this one because he's been in love with Maggie G. ever since seeing her in Stranger than Fiction. The film was really excellent, and all the above mentioned actresses were at the top of their games. It was particularly exciting, after seeing their performances, to find that they were as passionate off screen as on about the subject of the film - all of them so inspired and inspiring. Then, as an extra bonus, we found ourselves behind Ms. Gyllenhaal as we were on our way out of the theater (again!). I told her how much we enjoyed her performance and thanked her for her time with us as if I really were a big shot! (I was wearing a particularly great dress too, so I think I made a nice impression.) Maggie shook our hands and was very gracious. And beautiful...even more so than on screen. Jon was so floored he couldn't speak.

Rosie Perez

If you're really nice to me, maybe I'll invite you to be my guest at the next screening, though you'll have to fight my husband, son, and best friend, in that order, for the privilege. It's so nice to be important!

Maggie Gyllenhaal