| AWARDS |
| THE FIRST ANNUAL ÜberCiné AWARDS We polled our entire staff (who are all quite brilliant), and here are the unbiased, non-elitist, payola-free, 100% democratic results: |
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| ÜberCiné |
™
The Website of Record.
ÜBER SOUND DESIGN: Ben Burtt
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
ÜBER VISUAL DESIGN: Dave McKean
MirrorMask
ÜBER MONEY SHOTS: Peter Jackson
King Kong (including whole crew)
ÜBER COSTUMES/MAKEUP: Nick
Park & Steve Box Wallace & Gromit in
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
ÜBER CONTROVERSY: Paradise Now
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad
ÜBER CINEMATOGRAPHY:Walther
van den Ende Joyeux Noël
ÜBER DOCUMENTARY:
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey
of Roméo Dallaire (Dir: Peter Raymont)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
ÜBER VISUAL DESIGN: Dave McKean
MirrorMask
ÜBER MONEY SHOTS: Peter Jackson
King Kong (including whole crew)
ÜBER COSTUMES/MAKEUP: Nick
Park & Steve Box Wallace & Gromit in
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
ÜBER CONTROVERSY: Paradise Now
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad
ÜBER CINEMATOGRAPHY:Walther
van den Ende Joyeux Noël
ÜBER DOCUMENTARY:
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey
of Roméo Dallaire (Dir: Peter Raymont)
| SOON, WHEN WE'RE HUGE, YOU CAN TELL PEOPLE... |
| "I was there for the first one!" |
ÜBER SCORE: Mediaeval Baebes
The Virgin Queen (Score w/ Martin Phipps)
ÜBER STRIDE: Joe Wright
Director: Pride and Prejudice
ÜBER SCREENPLAY: Corpse Bride
John August, Pamela Pettler, Caroline Thompson
ÜBER ACTOR: Christopher Lee
Chocolate Factory / Corpse Bride / Star Wars...
ÜBER ACTRESS: Shirley Henderson
Yes / Frozen / Tristam Shandy / Harry Potter...
ÜBER FEATURE FILM: Wu ji
(The Promise) "Glorious and thrilling!" -G.W.
Written and Directed by Chen Kaige
In lieu of pricey swag, all winners
are entitled to a complimentary sorbet.
The Virgin Queen (Score w/ Martin Phipps)
ÜBER STRIDE: Joe Wright
Director: Pride and Prejudice
ÜBER SCREENPLAY: Corpse Bride
John August, Pamela Pettler, Caroline Thompson
ÜBER ACTOR: Christopher Lee
Chocolate Factory / Corpse Bride / Star Wars...
ÜBER ACTRESS: Shirley Henderson
Yes / Frozen / Tristam Shandy / Harry Potter...
ÜBER FEATURE FILM: Wu ji
(The Promise) "Glorious and thrilling!" -G.W.
Written and Directed by Chen Kaige
In lieu of pricey swag, all winners
are entitled to a complimentary sorbet.
~2005
| WAR IS STUPID. |
| ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND: This site made with 100% recycled pixels. |
| THE SECOND ANNUAL ÜberCiné AWARDS |
ÜBER SOUND DESIGN
Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
Runners-Up:
The Descent
Happy Feet
El Laberinto del Fauno ~=
Pan's Labyrinth
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
ÜBER VISUAL DESIGN
Pan's Labyrinth
Runners-Up:
Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia =
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Prestige
Tideland
V for Vendetta
ÜBER MONEY SHOTS
Mad Cowgirl
Runners-Up:
Final Destination 3
Happy Feet
Pirates of the Caribbean:
- Dead Man's Chest
Snakes on a Plane
ÜBER COSTUMES/MAKEUP
Apocalypto
Runners-Up:
Curse of the Golden Flower
Pan's Labyrinth
Tideland
X-Men: The Last Stand
ÜBER CONTROVERSY
Little Children
Runners-Up:
An Inconvenient Truth
Thank You for Smoking
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Wah-Wah
ÜBER CINÉMATOGRAPHY
Curse of the Golden Flower
Runners-Up:
Happy Feet
Miss Potter
The Nativity Story
Tideland
ÜBER DOCUMENTARY
Glastonbury
Runners-Up:
An Inconvenient Truth
The U.S. Vs. John Lennon
Who Is Harry Nilsson?
Who Killed the Electric Car?
ÜBERCINÉ ANNUAL
MELVIN KAMINSKY AWARD
FOR BEING VERY OLD
WITHOUT TECHNICALLY BEING DEAD YET:
Peter O'Toole!
(Extended Lavatory Break)
ÜBER SCORE/SOUNDTRACK
Happy Feet
Runners-Up:
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Last King of Scotland
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
The Proposition
ÜBER STRIDE
Sturla Gunnarson
Director: Beowulf & Grendel
Runners-Up:
Sacha Baron Cohen (actor: Borat: Etc.)
Richard E. Grant (director: Wah-Wah)
Kazunari Ninomiya
(actor: Letters from Iwo Jima)
Cristi Puiu (writer-director:
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu)
ÜBER SCREENPLAY
Bobby
Runners-Up:
Happy Feet
The Science of Sleep
Stranger Than Fiction
Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
ÜBER ACTING PERSON (Lighter)
Rupert Grint
Driving Lessons
Runners-Up:
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, etc.)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Peter O'Toole (Lassie, Venus)
Robin Williams (Happy Feet, etc.)
ÜBER ACTING PERSON (Heavier)
Samuel L. Jackson
Home of the Brave, Snakes on a Plane
Runners-Up:
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
Valeria Golino (La Guerra di Mario)
Maribel Verdu (Pan's Labyrinth)
Hugo Weaving (Happy Feet, Little Fish,
V for Vendetta)
ÜBERCINÉ PRIZE 2006
TIE!
Happy Feet / Tideland
Runners-Up:
Curse of the Golden Flower
Lonesome Jim
Pan's Labyrinth
Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
Runners-Up:
The Descent
Happy Feet
El Laberinto del Fauno ~=
Pan's Labyrinth
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
ÜBER VISUAL DESIGN
Pan's Labyrinth
Runners-Up:
Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia =
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Prestige
Tideland
V for Vendetta
ÜBER MONEY SHOTS
Mad Cowgirl
Runners-Up:
Final Destination 3
Happy Feet
Pirates of the Caribbean:
- Dead Man's Chest
Snakes on a Plane
ÜBER COSTUMES/MAKEUP
Apocalypto
Runners-Up:
Curse of the Golden Flower
Pan's Labyrinth
Tideland
X-Men: The Last Stand
ÜBER CONTROVERSY
Little Children
Runners-Up:
An Inconvenient Truth
Thank You for Smoking
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Wah-Wah
ÜBER CINÉMATOGRAPHY
Curse of the Golden Flower
Runners-Up:
Happy Feet
Miss Potter
The Nativity Story
Tideland
ÜBER DOCUMENTARY
Glastonbury
Runners-Up:
An Inconvenient Truth
The U.S. Vs. John Lennon
Who Is Harry Nilsson?
Who Killed the Electric Car?
ÜBERCINÉ ANNUAL
MELVIN KAMINSKY AWARD
FOR BEING VERY OLD
WITHOUT TECHNICALLY BEING DEAD YET:
Peter O'Toole!
(Extended Lavatory Break)
ÜBER SCORE/SOUNDTRACK
Happy Feet
Runners-Up:
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Last King of Scotland
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
The Proposition
ÜBER STRIDE
Sturla Gunnarson
Director: Beowulf & Grendel
Runners-Up:
Sacha Baron Cohen (actor: Borat: Etc.)
Richard E. Grant (director: Wah-Wah)
Kazunari Ninomiya
(actor: Letters from Iwo Jima)
Cristi Puiu (writer-director:
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu)
ÜBER SCREENPLAY
Bobby
Runners-Up:
Happy Feet
The Science of Sleep
Stranger Than Fiction
Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
ÜBER ACTING PERSON (Lighter)
Rupert Grint
Driving Lessons
Runners-Up:
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, etc.)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Peter O'Toole (Lassie, Venus)
Robin Williams (Happy Feet, etc.)
ÜBER ACTING PERSON (Heavier)
Samuel L. Jackson
Home of the Brave, Snakes on a Plane
Runners-Up:
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
Valeria Golino (La Guerra di Mario)
Maribel Verdu (Pan's Labyrinth)
Hugo Weaving (Happy Feet, Little Fish,
V for Vendetta)
ÜBERCINÉ PRIZE 2006
TIE!
Happy Feet / Tideland
Runners-Up:
Curse of the Golden Flower
Lonesome Jim
Pan's Labyrinth
| All Material Here © ÜberCiné (unless otherwise noted) - All Rights Reserved. |
~2006
| On Friday, 9 February, 2007, ÜberCiné presented its first ever physical, tangible award -- to writer-director-producer-doctor George Miller, for his and his crew's outstanding HAPPY FEET. Mr. Miller kindly accepted the Prize in what could be described as a quite mild "ambush" or "stride-by trophying" in a West Side café, very generously stating, "We're nominated for an Academy Award, but this means even more to me." (Oh, do go on.) No further endorsement is implied, however a round of applause is in order; see below: |
| Gregory's Commentary: Yes, well, although I like visuals and story as much as the next consumer, when I go to a movie, I listen; and various eerie noises, a repeated vocal motif and pop-songs aplenty fall to the The Police movie (sic), the remixed glory of which simply sounds awesome, so I'm not surprised it wins. Meanwhile, it really was a great year for visuals (apart from the very average and even crappy work in some of the top contenders elsewhere -- Cuaron: Go back to school!), and this was a tough vote indeed -- but Pan's Labyrinth was simply the most inventive and elegant, nigh masterful. In a more acute sense, our "Money Shot" award seeks to draw attention to that which seeks to draw attention, and these candidates and others really excelled in this regard -- however Mad Cowgirl takes top prize, and somewhat ironically, because its indelible money-shots (not excluding "Chekov" at 69 receiving oral pleasure) cost very little money! Another toughie -- although our panel agreed that the "Pale Man" character is disqualified because how scary is a dude with eyes on his palms, really? Thus, despite work gorgeous, campy and disturbing, the prize goes to Apocalypto -- which hotly trades on the punk aesthetic that made us love The Road Warrior in the first place. Apart from being a Prince album from back when he was dirty and human, a Controversy is that which provokes -- and adultery, alleged censorship, global devastation and (worst of all) marketing came up for reckoning; but it was the oppressive, anti-sensual climate of American suburbia (and its victim-monster, played by Jackie Earle Haley) which brought a shocked wow. Happy Feet may have been, overall, the best-looking movie of the year (scope it frame-by-frame when you download it), and conventional and unconventional beauty also reigned, but Curse of the Golden Flower brought something through the lens for which our team hungers: Majesty! My goodness, could this have been tougher? Character-wise, you can't beat the Nilsson movie -- a monkey could have scored with that material! But rockers and the planet seemed too obvious, thus we gave it up for a movie about rockers and the planet: See Glastonbury, by all means! Heck, there sure are a lot of old people out there, and they still own just about everything, thus it's pretty hard to like them. But O'Toole is a different story. Guy has smoked so much that he sounds and even looks like Judi Dench now...but even playing a wretched old lech (what is Venus but the decay of Lawrence's second half, rewrought?), the man, shall we say, still gives us high spirits? Another toughie! It was an amazing year for notes on the screen (apart from those of Philip Glass, because he sucks), and we here at ÜberCiné dig the orchestral, the funky, the folkie and the bleak in equal measure. But Happy Feet -- Jesus -- it simply sounds like a godhead pop dream come true! Another toughie! No, not for Borat -- we're just not so easily swayed here that we immediately adore some guy because he knows how to play a big jerk in public (large stride, but way too easy). In this category we saw pop-stars becoming solid actors, actors becoming solid directors, and directors leaping forward. Gunnarson takes the top prize because after many years in television, he delivered a tough, gorgeous, engrossing version of Beowulf by eschewing special effects for robust cinématic intimacy. Let's be frank: We at ÜberCiné love weird, existential and metaphysical scripts. We also love wacko brilliance. But sometimes it takes even more creativity (and courage) to say something real about reality, and beyond that to imbue that which is ostensibly frozen in time with the pulsing now-ness of compassion, humanitarianism and appreciation for this fleeting thing called Life. Bobby genuinely triumphs thusly. I know, I know, you're upset at our top-notch team of trained professionals for taking the glory away from the elders and giving it to a kid. But as kids go, that Breslin girl was merely okay (any kid could and would do that), and these brilliant oldsters need to step aside and make way for the future -- which, in this particular case, is called Rupert Grint. Some great dramatic turns came our way last year, but Mr. Jackson displayed not only the widest range, but genuine mastery across the spectrum. Applause for the others, but Sam stood tallest. From his slow burn in Snakes to his incredibly moving struggle in Home of the Brave, Jackson gave us a real hero twice, and both times amidst unimaginable terrors -- except once for fun (and victory) and once for dead serious (in a world where "victory" has lost its meaning). Top work. Bravo! |
| Now, more than ever, movies are your best entertainment value -- except when they suck, which is often. Behold, these two TOTAL NON-SUCK-FESTS! Happy Feet = Perfection in Entertainment. Tideland = Pan's Labyrinth's twin, done uglier but less obscenely violent and ultimately transcendently hopeful. |
| In keeping with tradition, in lieu of pricey swag, all winners are once again entitled to a complimentary sorbet. |
