The Oscar Quest: Best Supporting Actor – 1962
I love 1962. Because you get the great Lawrence of Arabia winning Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean (taked about here), which is one of the most perfect pieces of cinema ever created, but you also get To Kill a Mockingbird, which is one of the most beautiful films ever made. And then you have these other films, like The Miracle Worker, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Manchurian Candidate, Cape Fear, Days of Wine and Roses, Dr. No, Lolita, Birdman of Alcatraz, David and Lisa, Requiem for a Heavyweight, The L-Shaped Room, Lonely are the Brave — I get goosebumps just thinking about it. So many good movies this year, it makes me happy to just be able to watch them all.
Then you have Gregory Peck winning Best Actor for To Kill a Mockingbird, and Anne Bancroft winning Best Actress and Patty Duke winning Best Supporting Actress for The Miracle Worker, and they’re all perfect decisions. There were no better decisions in those categories. So you have a year that’s fantastic movie-wise that’s also wonderful Oscar-wise as well. It’s rare that you get them both to link up like that.
And of all the six major categories of this year, the only one I don’t agree with is this one. Which is amazing, to have such a relatively minor category be the one you don’t like. And even then, it’s not like it’s egregious. It’s just — there were better decisions. But still, 1962 is a great year for movies. And that’s something to be happy about.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – 1962
And the nominees were…
Ed Begley, Sweet Bird of Youth
Victor Buono, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Telly Savalas, Birdman of Alcatraz
Omar Sharif, Lawrence of Arabia
Terrence Stamp, Billy Budd (more…)
The Box Office Report — December 9-11
Last week, in Box Office…
It was a slow week in Tinseltown (named such to make up for the fact that it doesn’t have Christmas). Nothing new opened and absolutely no one went to the movies. Know how I know?
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 won the weekend with only $16.5 million (another 60% drop). Typically the film that wins this weekend makes at least $20 million. Yeesh, that’s a slow weekend. The good news for the film is that it’s made just shy of $250 million domestically after three weeks. That’s double the budget they spent for both parts of this finale. It’s kind of like being dealt a straight flush, and then betting out the rest of the hand, knowing other people will call you and you’re guaranteed to make a shitload of money. It must feel good.
The Muppets also dropped 60%, which is sad, but okay. It made $11.1 million in second place, bringing its domestic total to $56.4 million after two weeks. Considering that’s above the film’s reported budget, I think they’ll be fine. On a side note, I saw this movie last weekend, and it was fucking magical. Great job, everybody involved with this. It’s what a Muppet movie should be. (The end was a bit rushed though, I feel.)
Hugo finished third, having a nice 33% drop (aka 67% hold) and making $7.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $25 million after two weeks in relative limited release. Something tells me though that this film will still not get the audience it deserves and it won’t end up making much of its budget back (which is really sad, because it’s beautiful). (more…)
