The parody Twitter account that bore Amour director Michael Haneke's name actually got a few things right about the Austrian director. On Thursday, Benjamin Lee, the Shortlist.com Deputy Editor who, earlier this week, revealed himself to be the prankster behind the memorably loopy @Michael_Haneke parody Twitter feed, wrote about learning that the real Haneke is more of a "goofball" than he expected. And a cat lover, too. more »
Amour director Michael Haneke is aware of the parody Twitter account that bears his name, and, as you might expect from a filmmaker who's made an incredibly intense, Oscar-nominated film about love, life and death, he's not too worked up about it. more »
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is likely to win four weekends in a row at the box office. Also in Friday's round-up of news, Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs pic jOBS will head to theaters months after its Sundance debut; Kickstarter passes $100 million pledge mark; Michael Haneke withdraws Amour from an awards race; and a look at weekend expansions among the Specialties.
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Amour is a true rarity, and for lovers of cinema it is one of the year's high notes, though it's most certainly no easy ride. Austria's Best Foreign-language contender in the Oscars race, the feature by director Michael Haneke is a true masterpiece dealing with a topic most would rather ignore. The feature, which will be released by Sony Pictures Classics this weekend Stateside, most certainly is in the running for more than one Oscar nomination or at least it should be. Amour deservedly won the Palme d'Or in Cannes in May where it debuted and was even picked by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association as their Best Film of 2012. That is some feat for a film that centers on an elderly Parisian couple who are suddenly faced with illness and life's sunset, beating out Hollywood's big contenders.
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Michael Haneke's Amour and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master lead London critics' nominations. Also in Tuesday's news round-up, Toronto critics name their picks for 2012; Richard Gere is among more honorees at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival; Bully is set for Producers Guild honors; and Ricky Gervais is eyeing the Muppets sequel.
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Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has a distinctively aggressive relationship with his audience that ranges from the provocation of Caché and The Piano Teacher to the outright antagonism of Funny Games and Benny's Video. Amour, his latest work and the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, might be considered Haneke's version of a love story, and its grimness is of a much quieter but no less impactful sort. It is, more than any of Haneke's previous work, infused with compassion, but of a sort that cuts like a knife. For all that it is, as promised, about love, it's also a subtly punishing affair that grinds you into the ground as you watch an elderly couple deal with one member's slow deterioration of health and sanity.
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After so much Zero Dark Thirty domination from the New York Film Critics Circle, their West Coast counterparts in the Los Angeles Film Critics Association made a splash with more art house-leaning picks, voting Michael Haneke's Amour the best film of 2012 — technically a foreign language entry, though Leos Carax's Holy Motors earned that honor. (I see what you did there, LAFCA — and I like it.) LA critics also showed love for Beasts of the Southern Wild, whose non-professional actor/NOLA-area baker Dwight Henry earned a Best Supporting Actor nod, launching his awards season prospects.
Get the full winners after the jump along with results from today's awards announcements from the Boston Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Online groups, both boosters of Kathryn Bigelow and Zero Dark Thirty...
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Michael Haneke's Amour swept the European Film Awards over the weekend, picking up four big wins including best European film and best director. The Cannes Palme d'Or winner also won two acting awards for its principal stars, Emanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film, which centers on an elderly couple whose lives change when the woman has an attack, will open in the U.S. December 19th via Sony Pictures Classics.
Winners were chosen by the 2,700 members of the European Film Academy. The ceremony took place over the weekend in Malta.
EUROPEAN FILM 2012:
Amour
France / Germany / Austria, 127 min
Written & directed by Michael Haneke
produced by Margaret Menegoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka & Michael Katz
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2012:
Michael Haneke for Amour
EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2012:
Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
EUROPEAN ACTOR 2012:
Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour
EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2012:
Tobias Lindholm & Thomas Vinterberg for Jagten (The Hunt)
CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2012:
Sean Bobbitt for Shame
EUROPEAN EDITOR 2012:
Joe Walker for Shame
EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2012:
Maria Djurkovic for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2012:
Alberto Iglesias for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2012 – Prix FIPRESCI:
Kauwboy by Boudewijn Koole (The Netherlands)
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2012:
Hiver Nomade (Winter Nomads) by Manuel von Stürler (Switzerland)
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2012:
Alois Nebel by Tomáš Luňák (Czech Republic / Germany / Slovakia)
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2012:
Superman, Spiderman Or Batman by Tudor Giurgiu, Romania
EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD 2012 - Prix EURIMAGES:
Helena Danielsson, Sweden
EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2012:
Dame Helen Mirren, UK
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Bernardo Bertolucci, Italy
THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD 2012:
Hasta La Vista (Come As You Are)
directed by da Geoffrey Enthoven
Bill Murray, Photo copyright Pamela Gentile
Ben Affleck's look at a hidden story from the Iranian hostage crisis, Bill Murray as FDR, Marion Cotillard playing a woman whose life is dramatically altered in an instant, as well as a pair of acclaimed foreign language films are just a few of the most buzzed about movies coming out of this year's Telluride Film Festival. Over the course of just four days here in this Colorado mountain town, attendees got a head start peek at some of the best movies of the year. Films and performance that will have moviegoers talking this fall.
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Also among this morning news briefs: James Bond gets a complete retrospective in Los Angeles, a film journalist jumps to the production side, Men in Black 3 melts at the British box office, and more...
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Michael Haneke's Amour won the Palme d'Or Sunday night in Cannes, capping the 65th edition of the festival. The film follows Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emanuelle Riva) a couple in their 80s who must endure a long demise after Anne suffers an attack.
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As Cannes hits the half-way mark Monday night with the world premiere of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's Like Someone in Love, momentum for the coveted top prize, the Palme d'Or, appears — for now — to be with German-born director Michael Haneke's Amour (Love). Not to say there are not some strong fellow contenders, and the whims of any jury member may run counter, near or parallel to general opinion. But here are some of Palme d'Or's other big suitors at the mid-way point.
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Storms and a windy chill in Cannes Sunday morning somehow fit well for the premiere of German-born director Michael Haneke's Amour (Love). Haneke's minimal but powerful story of an elderly Parisian couple who are suddenly faced with illness and life's sunset spurred rapturous applause following a mostly hushed pre-screening this morning ahead of the festival premiere tonight. Again, talk of Palme d'Or or other festival prizes swirled among attendees.
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Good news for Michael Haneke fans, which, of course, means everyone: Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Amour, the new film by the director behind Cache, Funny Games and the Cannes-winning The White Ribbon. The brief description, as provided by SPC: "In the film, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter (Isabelle Huppert), who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple's bond of love is severely tested." Fantastic. Expect Amour to premiere in competition next month at Cannes; visit Movieline on Thursday for the full lineup. [Press release]
