ARIEL 2015: SURPRISES, DISAPPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo

The Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences (AMACC) on Monday announced the nominations for the 2015 Ariel Awards with some surprises and disappointments.

d. Alonso Ruizpalacios, Gueros, AFI FEST 2014, Photo by Jose A. Hermosillo.

The biggest winners were "Gueros" directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios with twelve, "Carmín tropical" by Rigoberto Perezcano and "Las oscuras primaveras" by Ernesto Contreras both with ten nominations. 

The Mexican box office hit "Buen dia, Ramón/Guten tag, Ramón" only got six nominations, including best picture and best director, but the amazing music by Rodrigo Flores López was overlooked.

Among the disappointments, it was the Oscar submission "Cantinflas" that did not get the best picture nomination, neither best director or original screenplay, the highest box office biopic about the great comedian from "Around the World in 80 Days" only got best actor, best makeup, art design, costume design, and visual effects. That says a lot about how far Mexico is to ever win an Oscar for best foreign film.  

The Ariel Awards were established in 1946 to recognize the talent and efforts of the people in the Mexican film industry.

The especial Golden Ariel recipients are the producer Bertha Navarro ("Pan's Labyrinth") and special effects specialist Miguel Vazquez.

Also, it will be a special tribute to the writers Jose Emilio Pacheco, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Vicente Lenero.  

AND THE 57TH ARIEL NOMINATIONS ARE:

BEST PICTURE:
- Carmín tropical, Rigoberto Perezcano 
- Güeros, Alonso Ruizpalacios
- Guten Tag, Ramón, Jorge Ramírez- Suárez
- La dictadura perfecta, Luis Estrada
- Las oscuras primaveras, Ernesto Contreras

BEST FIRST WORK:
- González, Christian Díaz
- Güeros, Alonso Ruizpalacios
- Las horas contigo, Catalina Aguilar
- Los bañistas, Max Zunino
- Obediencia perfecta, Luis Urquiza

BEST DIRECTOR:
– Rigoberto Perezcano, Carmín tropical
– Alonso Ruizpalacios, Güeros
– Jorge Ramírez-Suárez, Guten Tag, Ramón
– Luis Estrada, La dictadura perfecta
– Ernesto Contreras, Las oscuras primaveras

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
- Bering. Equilibrio y Resistencia, Lourdes Grobet
- Eco de la montaña, Nicolás Echeverría
- H20MX, José Cohen
- Los años de fierro, Santiago Eisteinou
- Navajazo, Ricardo Silva

BEST ACTOR:
– Óscar Jaenada, Cantinflas
– Harold Torres, González
– Tenoch Huerta, Güeros
– Kristyan Ferrer, Guten tag, Ramón
– Juan Manuel Bernal, Obediencia perfecta

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
– Luis Alberti, Carmín tropical
– Alonso Echánove, Cuatro lunas
– Álvaro guerrero, Eddie Reynolds, and for los Ángeles de Acero
– Carlos Bardem, González
– Noé Hernández, La tirisia

BEST ACTRESS
– Ilse Salas, Güeros
– Karina Gidi, La guerra de Manuela Jankovic
– Adriana Paz, La tirisia
– Cassandra Ciangherotti, Las horas contigo
– Irene Azuela, Las oscuras primaveras

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
– Mima Vukovic, La guerra de Manuela Jankovic
– Mercedes Hernández, La tirisia
– Isela Vega, Las horas contigo
– Cecilia Suárez, Las oscuras primaveras
– Margarita Sanz, Las oscuras primaveras

BEST MALE REVELATION:
– Sebastián Aguirre, Güeros
– Daniel Carrera, La fórmula del doctor Funes
– Hayden Meyenberg, Las oscuras primaveras
– Sebastián Aguirre, Obediencia perfecta
– Alejandro Gallardo, Somos Mari Pepa

BEST FEMALE REVELATION:
– Vico Escorcia, Eddie Reynolds and for los Ángeles de Acero
– Gabriela Cartol, La tirisia
– Magda Ortiz, La tirisia
– Nora Isabel Huerta, Seguir viviendo
– Petra Iñiguez, Somos Mari Pepa

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
– Rigoberto Perezcano, Carmín tropical
– Fernando del Razo, Christian Díaz, González
– Alonso Ruizpalacios, Güeros
– Jorge Ramírez-Suárez, Guten Tag, Ramón
– Luis Estrada, Jaime Sampietro, La dictadura perfecta

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
– Mauricio Walerstein, Claudia Nazoa, Canon (fidelidad al límite)
– José Buil, La fórmula del doctor Funes
– Ernesto Alcocer, Luis Urquiza, Obediencia perfecta

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
– Alejandro Cantú, Carmín tropical
– Damián García, Güeros
– Carlos Hidalgo, Guten tag, Ramón
– César Gutiérrez, La tirisia
– Tonatiuh Martínez, Las oscuras primaveras

BEST EDITING:
– Miguel Schverdfinger, Carmín tropical
– Yibrán Asuad, Ana García, Güeros
– Jorge Ramírez-Suárez, Sonia Sánchez, Sam Baixauli, Guten tag, Ramón
– Mariana Rodríguez, La dictadura perfecta
– Valentina Leduc, Las oscuras primaveras

 BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC:
– Luca Ortega, Carmín tropical
– Mario Lavista, Eco de la montaña
– Tomás Barreiro, Güeros
– Emmanuel del Real, Renato del Real, Ramino del Real, Las oscuras primaveras
– Kenji Kishi Leopo, Somos Mari Pepa

BEST SOUD:
– Pablo Tamez, Ruy García, Carmín tropical
– Axel Muñoz, José Miguel Enríquez, Pablo Fernández, González
– Isabel Muñoz, Pedro González, Gabriel Teyna y Kyoshi Osawa por Güeros
– Santiago Núñez, Pablo Lach, Hugo de la Cerda, La dictadura perfecta
– Enrique Ojeda, Enrique Greiner, Las oscuras primaveras

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS:
– Ricardo Arvizu, El crimen del Cácaro Gumaro
– Alejandro Vázquez, La dictadura perfecta
– Nury Álamo and Karina Rodríguez, La fórmula del doctor Funes
– Bernat Aragonés, Más negro que la noche
– Ricardo Arvizu, Visitantes

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
– Marco Rodríguez, Cantinflas
– Fabián García, Cyntia Navarro and Paula Siqueira: Eddie Reynolds, and for los Ángeles de Acero
– Paula Siqueira, Michael Hoffmann, Raúl Prado, Cyntia Navarro and Charlie Iturriaga, El crimen del Cácaro Gumaro
– Adriana Arriaga, La dictadura perfecta
– Charlie Iturriaga, Visitantes

BEST ART DESIGN:
– Christofer Lagunes, Cantinflas
– Sandra Cabriada, Güeros
– Salvador Parra, La dictadura perfecta
– Antonio Muñohierro, Mariana Fernández, La guerra de Manuela Jankovic
– Julieta Ávarez, Obediencia perfecta

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
– Gabriela Fernández, Cantinflas
– Laura García de la Mora, Carmín tropical
– Gabriela Fernández, Eddie Reynolds and for los Ángeles de Acero
– Mariestela Fernández, La dictadura perfecta
– Josefina Echeverría, Obediencia perfecta

BEST MAKEUP:
– Maripaz Robles, Cantinflas
– Maripaz Robles, Carmín tropical
– Felipe Salazar, Eddie Reynolds and los Ángeles de Acero
– Roberto Ortíz, Felipe Salazar, Elena López, El crimen del Cácaro Gumaro
– Felipe Salazar, La dictadura perfecta

BEST SHORT (DOCUMENTARY)
– El palacio, Nicolás Pereda
– El penacho de Moctezuma. Plumaria del México antiguo, Jaime Kuri.
– Jefe del desierto, Alejandro Ramírez
– Perreus, Kalien Delgado
– Ulterior, Sabrina Muhate

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT:
– 400 maletas, Fernanda Valadez
– Ella, Ximena Urrutia
– La carta, María de los Ángeles Cruz
– Nunca regreses, Leonardo Díaz
– Ramona, Giovanna Zacarías

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:
– El color de mis alas, Miguel Anaya
– El modelo de Pickman, Pablo Ángeles Zuman
– El trompetista, Raúl Alejandro Morales
– Tierra seca, Ricardo Torres
– Tlacuache de maguey, Miguel Anaya

BEST IBERO-AMERICAN FILM
– Conducta, Ernesto Daranas – Cuba
– La isla mínima, Alberto Rodríguez – España
– Mr. Kaplan, Álvaro Brechner – Uruguay
– Pelo malo, Mariana Rondon – Venezuela
– Relatos salvajes, Damián Szifron  – Argentina

THE CEREMONY WILL BE ON MAY 26, 2015.

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Copyright © 2015 Festival in LA
 

The New Bond Girl Is Mexican and Ready for Action in Spectre

By José Alberto Hermosillo,

Photo by: Jose Alberto Hermosillo © 2015 Festival in LA

Stephanie Sigman, after her success in the acclaimed film “Miss Bala,” which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and represented Mexico at the 84^th Academy Awards, is playing Estrella in “Spectre,” becoming the first Mexican actress in a James Bond movie adding her name to the long list of the famous “Bond Girls.”

Photo by Jose Alberto Hermosillo © 2015 Festival in LA

The new Bond Girl, born in the northern state of Sonora, participated in the TV series “The Bridge.” 

We will also see her in the upcoming films “Alicia en el país de María/Alice in Mary-land” and “El Cielo es Azul/The Sky is Blue.” 

In Europe, she acted in the 2013 Norwegian Oscar® submission “Pioneer” directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg (“Insomnia,” “Prozac Nation”).

Spectre Facebook page.

Stephanie confessed to feeling excited and a little nervous during a press conference. This is her first significant role in a big-budget action movie.

This new chapter of Agent 007 has three new Bond Girls from different nationalities: Monica Bellucci (“Maléna,” “Irreversible”) from Italy, Léa Seydoux (“Blue is the Warmest Color,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Grand Central”) from France, and Completing the trio Stephanie Sigman from Mexico.

After Rome, the Bond production directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes landed in Mexico City two weeks ago and has already started shooting in the historic center. They closed to the public some important streets and rented two soundstages of the Churubusco Studios, one for wardrobe and the other for make-up.

“Spectre” will be in theaters worldwide on November 6, 2015.

Copyright © 2015 Festival in LA

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Flies High For Accomplishment and Awards

By José Alberto Hermosillo 

Birdman, poster. Copyright ©2014 Fox

 

This year, the Oscars have “Wings,” “The Great Ziegfeld” is back, “Birdman” is the “Artist” of the season, and the “Midnight Cowboy” of the decade. 

The existentialist, hypnotic, dark comedy, masterfully directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“Amores Perros,” “Babel”) stands apart from his recurrent topics: violence, emptiness, immigration, human exploitation, but death. Death is obsessively present in every work done by Iñárritu.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Photo by José A. Hermosillo. Copyright ©2014 Festival in LA

 

Divided into three acts, like a theater play, “Birdman” tells the story of a lonely falling star who, years earlier, after playing an iconic superhero, made the wrong decisions in Hollywood. Now, the only way to stage his comeback is to produce, direct, and perform his play on Broadway: “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.”

 

The actor’s fading fame, divorce, age, his daughter’s rehab, his financial situation, and the lies of other actors left him struggling to survive.

 

Broadway is a jungle where everyone devours each other - actors, agents, lawyers, family, the public, and critics (remember the critics). 

 

Copyright © 2014 Fox

From the beginning, his “larger-than-life” alter ego plays “Funny Games” with him, making him behave in ways that are out of the ordinary and so crazy that people in the audience laugh: “You are Birdman; you are a God.”

To achieve his glorious return to the stage, the starving actor Reagan Thomson, played by Michael Keaton (“Batman,” “Speechless”), must be “nice” to everyone, including himself. Life will throw him some pretty rough situations. 

“Birdman” is a pendulum swinging between long discussions and long silences—the player is always trying to find what truly matters in life. 

 

Copyright ©2014 Fox

 

“No need for drugs when you are already emotionally high.” 

Antonio Sanchez’s strident drum score is jazzy, rhythmic, and sometimes a “wild mambo.” Toward the end, the drums become dissonant and chaotic, driving the story to total madness and culminating in an unexpected resolution.

 

This movie seems to be shot in three days, but its chronicle of the shooting is far more complicated than that. It requires planning, building, lighting, choreography, and many rehearsals to achieve perfect timing, so everything happens at the precise moment. 

Directors, actors, cameramen, editors, and the sound department must hit their marks to make the story flawless. Their movements must flow seamlessly, like the choreography of “The Swan Lake.”

 

Let’s not forget the special effects, which come out of nowhere and are unique. 

 

Birdman mural at the Arclight in Hollywood. Photo by José A. Hermosillo. Copyright ©2014 FestivalinLA

 

Technically and symbolically, “Birdman” is structured in three parts (first rehearsal, dress rehearsal, and preview). Those parts are interconnected through the film’s complex, long takes that follow the characters through the theater’s long hallways and sometimes out onto the streets.

Director of photography Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki (“Gravity,” “A New World,” “Tree of Life”) knows his craft and can challenge himself by using the same continuous “long takes” as in Cuarón’s “Children of Men,” only this time they repeat many times in “Birdman.” The Academy Award®-winning cinematographer is one of the best of his generation - Chivo is likely to win the Award for the second year in a row.

 

Copyright © 2014 Fox

The shot of the Korean grocery store’s interior is magnificent. Those thousands of chili pepper-shaped lights are not only colorful or fantastic but breathtaking, in one word: marvelous!

Copyright © 2014 Fox

Michael Keaton is phenomenal; his work with Iñárritu pushed the limits, delivering the best performance in his career. 

Javier Bardem, working with Iñárritu, got an Oscar nomination in 2010 for “Biutiful,” and now Keaton will most likely get an Oscar nomination for his magnificent performance in “Birdman.” He is the front-runner to win gold.

Copyright ©2014 Festival in LA

 

Edward Norton, always controversial, ignites the big screen with his powerful presence. 

Zach Galifianakis’ performance is the best of his career. Emma Stone is superb and represents a new generation of Hollywood’s great young actors. Everyone is just fantastic. 

“Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” deserves multiple nominations and awards, a simple story in a complex movie that aspires to perfection.

 

Copyright © 2014 Birdman Facebook Page.

BIRDMAN trailer

 

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