Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/The Harry Potter Oscar Buzz Beginshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/the-harry-potter-oscar-buzz-begins/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/the-harry-potter-oscar-buzz-begins/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/the-harry-potter-oscar-buzz-begins/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



Now that the Academy Awards have extended the best picture category to include ten nominees instead of five, you bet your bottom half we're going to start seeing some pretty bold claims when it comes to fan favorites, like Star Trek, Watchmen and the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. With a couple weeks still to go before Half-Blood Prince finally hits theaters, Hollywood.com's Paul Dergarabedian looks to be the first to champion the film for a possible best picture nomination.

Having watched the movie at an advanced screening, he says, "... the Potter loving beast in me has been unleashed after having witnessed a film that was not only exquisite in its production values, but was also charming, funny, scary, enchanting, moving (stop me, the adjectives could go on and on) and dare I say, sexy. Brilliantly directed by David Yates (he directed 2007's "Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix"), "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is a tour-de-force that combines style and substance, special effects and heart and most importantly great performances from all of the actors young and not-so-young. Not only that, half-way through I'm thinking the unthinkable - "ten academy awards nominations are available this year, hmm I wonder...."

Granted, the folks from Hollywood.com could be angling themselves for some Potter quotes in print and in future trailers, but seeing as Lord of the Rings had its time in the Oscar spotlight -- coupled with the fact that Potter is nearing his big-screen finale -- I wouldn't be surprised if Half-Blood Prince nabbed one of those ten spots. You?

Gallery: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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]]>academt awardsAcademtAwardscinematicalfeaturedharry potterharry potter and the half-blood princeHarryPotterHarryPotterAndTheHalf-bloodPrinceoscarsErik DavisMon, 29 Jun 2009 15:35:00 ESTThe Other Oscar Changes Could Mean No Best Song Categoryhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/the-other-oscar-changes-could-mean-no-best-song-category/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/the-other-oscar-changes-could-mean-no-best-song-category/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/the-other-oscar-changes-could-mean-no-best-song-category/#commentsFiled under:

In all the hullabaloo over the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision to increase the Best Picture Oscar nominees from five to 10 next year, something else has gotten lost in the shuffle: They tinkered with the Best Song category, too. And the new rules mean that there could be a year with no Best Song category at all!

Here's how it works (with thanks to The Hollywood Reporter for some of the details). During the nomination process, the 233 members of the Academy's music branch rate each eligible song on a scale of 1 to 10. The five songs with the top average scores get the actual nomination, with 8.25 as the cutoff. If only three or four songs rate 8.25 or higher, that's all the nominations there are. But the question has always been: What if fewer than three songs get an average score of 8.25? So far, it hasn't come up, although you can see that it almost did last year, when there were only three nominees in the category. That means those were the only three songs that rated 8.25 or higher -- sorry, fans of Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler."

The Academy has now answered this loophole very simply. If two or more songs score higher than 8.25, then everything's cool. If only one song scores high enough, then that song and whatever the next highest scorer was will be the two lone nominees (and no one will know which had the lower score, because of course that would influence the voting). And if no songs score above 8.25? Then the category is scrapped that year.

Continue reading The Other Oscar Changes Could Mean No Best Song Category

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]]>Eric D. SniderMon, 29 Jun 2009 09:02:00 ESTAcademy Expands Best Picture Nominees to 10http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/academy-expands-best-picture-nominees-to-10/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/academy-expands-best-picture-nominees-to-10/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/academy-expands-best-picture-nominees-to-10/#commentsFiled under: ,



The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is going to pull a Sir Mix-A-Lot and "Uh! Double up, uh uh!" the Best Picture category next year with ten nominees instead of the usual five. That's twice as many nominations as before, although it seems to only be limited to the Best Picture category, which is a shame because opening up at least the major categories could make things a lot more interesting.

The announcement on Variety today was extremely short, but the Academy has a press release up already stating that they're hearkening back to Oscars roots when the Best Picture category sometimes contained ten films (or more -- 12 in 1934 and 1935), although that hasn't been the case since 1943. Despite the doubling, Academy president Sid Ganis wants to remind you, "The final outcome, of course, will be the same -- one Best Picture winner."

Gee, thanks Sid. For a minute there we thought you'd really just decided to shoot for the moon and feature three Best Picture winners in a publicity stunt. Now how about you guys get to work on the show for next year and get Stephen Colbert to host? That's worth doubling up for.

Which films do you think will now make the cut? Pixar's Up is a definite contender ... what else?

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]]>AcademyBest PictureBestPicturefeaturedOscarsSid-GanisKevin KellyWed, 24 Jun 2009 14:20:00 ESTMonday Night Poll: Best Films of the Year So Farhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/27/monday-night-poll-best-films-of-the-year-so-far/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/27/monday-night-poll-best-films-of-the-year-so-far/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/27/monday-night-poll-best-films-of-the-year-so-far/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,



Well, well, well... it appears that May is on the horizon, and with its arrival, we seal the deal on the first third of 2009. Four out of twelve months -- this seems like as good a time as any to evaluate just how the movies have treated us to date. This time last year had stubs piling up for the likes of Cloverfield, 21, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall; what sticks out to you from this current season?

We asked our staff to chime in with some of their favorites, and we want you to name yours. If your pick isn't listed in the below poll, then do feel free to comment below that. Try and keep the titles to those which opened between January 1st and April 30th, though exceptions may understandably be made for those limited releases that took their sweet time leaving New York and Los Angeles for the other 48 states (and beyond!).

What would make your own top ten now? What would you most expect to make it all the way to year-end glory (critically, personally, and/or in terms of awards) by December? Let us know.

View Poll

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]]>William GossMon, 27 Apr 2009 22:02:00 ESTTribeca Review: Departureshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/26/tribeca-review-departures/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/26/tribeca-review-departures/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/26/tribeca-review-departures/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



One thing about the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language category that separates it from the acting, screenplay, director, and best picture categories is that in order to vote, Academy members must prove that they have actually seen all five nominees. In a way, this is good: it means there's less politicking and favoritism and more sincere praise for the film that voters actually believe is best. But on the other hand, the Academy members who have time to go to special screenings of the five nominees are liable to be the old, retired ones, and their tastes might not accurately reflect those of the Academy in general.

All of this was relevant this year, when a Japanese film no one had ever heard of, called Departures, won the Oscar when all the forecasts had been for either The Class or Waltz with Bashir (which, not coincidentally, were the only two nominees that had played in the U.S. at that point). The Academy voters had seen all five films. Had they, in their wisdom, chosen the film that truly was best?

The answer is: eh, maybe. Now that Departures is making the festival rounds in advance of its stateside release in May, we're able to see why it appealed to the voters. As it turns out, it's a perfect Oscar choice, a fine film that's gently funny and moving and not the least bit challenging or controversial. It tells its story with elegant simplicity and is aimed at neither the lowest common denominator nor the highbrow art-house crowd. Pleasantly in the middle is where it sits, and it's happy to be there.

Continue reading Tribeca Review: Departures

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]]>cinematicaldeparturesoscars2009tribeca film festivaltribeca2009TribecaFilmFestivalEric D. SniderSun, 26 Apr 2009 19:02:00 ESTThe Oscars Are Moving to March - Does It Make a Difference?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/26/the-oscars-are-moving-to-march-does-it-make-a-difference/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/26/the-oscars-are-moving-to-march-does-it-make-a-difference/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/26/the-oscars-are-moving-to-march-does-it-make-a-difference/#commentsFiled under: ,



Those damned Winter games. Due to the upcoming Winter Olympics, which will run from February 12-28, there's been a little re-jigging of next year's 2010 Oscar schedule. Rather than getting to curl up inside and watch stars frolic and applaud each other during a cold and bleak February, USA Today reports that the 82nd Annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 7.

Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger says: "It has been in February since then [2004], except for one year, in 2006, where the circumstances were the same as next year, to not coincide with the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics." Under this schedule, nomination ballots will hit the mail on December 28, polls will close on January 23, and nominations will be announced on February 2, which will give members an extra week to see the movies.

Does it matter? Would an extra week mean that we might get an Oscar ceremony with more accurate nominations? Doubt it. And maybe they're just passing up a big cross-promotional opportunity -- stars skiing down the slopes to accept awards, skating over ice ... at least it would make up for all the highly congratulatory talk, should it seep into next year's ceremony as well.

Does a March move really matter? Did all the changes this year make you excited for next year, regardless of the date?

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]]>Academy AwardsAcademyAwardsCinematicalOscars 2010Oscars2010Monika BartyzelThu, 26 Mar 2009 14:32:00 ESTOscar Divas: Where Was Jack Nicholson, Javier Bardem, Etc ...?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/09/oscar-divas-where-was-jack-nicholson-javier-bardem-etc/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/09/oscar-divas-where-was-jack-nicholson-javier-bardem-etc/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/09/oscar-divas-where-was-jack-nicholson-javier-bardem-etc/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Academy Awards are known for their traditions (among many other things), and this year you may have noticed that some of those traditions were broken. Jack Nicholson wasn't sporting a pair of dark sunglasses and a devilish grin from the front row, Javier Bardem wasn't in attendance to help present the Oscar for best supporting actor and, likewise, Daniel Day-Lewis wasn't there to help present the best actor award. Granted, Oscar's tradition of the prior year's best actor and actress winners (in supporting and lead) presenting the latest award to the opposite sex was ditched in favor of a same sex group thing -- but that still shouldn't have given last year's winners an excuse not to show up. After all, both Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton were there.

So where was everyone? The Envelope did a little digging and were informed via a few secret sources that, originally, Jack Nicholson was asked to participate as part of a group for the best supporting actor award (and most likely be the one to speak of Ledger's Joker performance), but ducked out because he only wanted to present alone. Meanwhile, Bardem (who won best supporting actor last year for No Country for Old Men) didn't show because he was suffering from a back injury. Day-Lewis, however, had a much lamer excuse: he was tired. Not only was the best actor winner for There Will Be Blood against the group thing as well, but he was also apparently too tired from work on his new film Nine to show up and present.

Wow, so what's up with this group thing? Sure, I wasn't crazy about it, but it's a little sad when your ego is so big you demand to be on stage alone ... at the Academy Awards, no less. What do you folks think? Do these actors need to get over themselves or do they have every right to present solo?

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]]>academy awardsAcademyAwardscinematicaldaniel day-lewisDanielDay-lewisjack nicholsonJackNicholsonjavier bardemJavierBardemoscars2009Erik DavisMon, 09 Mar 2009 15:02:00 ESTOscar's Biggest Snub: Not Honoring Don LaFontainehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/24/oscars-biggest-snub-not-honoring-don-lafontaine/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/24/oscars-biggest-snub-not-honoring-don-lafontaine/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/24/oscars-biggest-snub-not-honoring-don-lafontaine/#commentsFiled under: , ,



So every year the Academy Awards does their little In Memoriam montage where they honor those who've passed throughout the year. Queen Latifah sang over the montage for this year's ceremony, which, of course, included lots but excluded a few -- most notably 'The Voice of God' himself, Don LaFontaine, who passed away back in September. LaFontaine, in case you forgot or didn't know, was an actor, producer and writer who provided voiceover for pretty much every trailer ever made (okay not that many, but he is the voice of more than 5,000 movie trailers and hundreds of thousands of television commercials, video game trailers and network promotions).

That's pretty impressive in and of itself, and more than worthy of a mention during the Oscar telecast. But wait, I'll give you one more -- LaFontaine was also the in-show announcer for the Academy Awards! YES! The guy lent his voice to the Academy Awards ceremony every year ... AND THOSE IDIOTS COULDN'T EVEN FIND THE TIME TO HONOR HIM! I haven't had the time to process this entirely since I've been quite busy for the past 24 hours, but this has to be one of their biggest snubs ever. And I don't care if the guy didn't belong to the right club or organization in order to have his work recognized by the Academy -- fact is, his voice helped sell the biggest (and smallest) movies of our time. He is (and always will be) a Hollywood legend. The Academy should be ashamed ... and since they didn't have the time, space or brains to give this guy a shout out -- we will. I will also call on other websites to do the same today.

Don LaFontaine (August 26, 1940 - September 1, 2008)



[via Film Drunk]

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]]>academy awardsAcademyAwardscinematicaldon lafontaineDonLafontainefeaturedoscars snub don lafontaineoscars2009OscarsSnubDonLafontaineErik DavisTue, 24 Feb 2009 11:02:00 ESTAsian Cinema Scene: Unexpected 'Departures,' Jackie Chan Bannedhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/asian-cinema-scene-unexpected-departures-jackie-chan-banned/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/asian-cinema-scene-unexpected-departures-jackie-chan-banned/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/asian-cinema-scene-unexpected-departures-jackie-chan-banned/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Asian Cinema Scene

In this week's edition of Asian Cinema Scene, we cover the unexpected and the surprising.

Oscar Shocker: One of the few genuine surprises of last night's Oscar telecast was the victory by Japan's Departures (Okuribito) as Best Foreign Language Film. Most observers thought that Israel's Waltz with Bashir or France's The Class would win; the former won the Golden Globe, while the latter picked up the Independent Spirit Award.

Of course, most observers haven't actually seen Departures, which played the Montreal film festival rather than Toronto last fall, and had its US Premiere at the Hawaii Film Festival shortly thereafter. As I reported in January, Regent Releasing acquired distribution rights and announced summer release plans. Regent has already updated the film's official site to reflect the Academy Award victory, but there's no word yet on whether they might push the release up to take advantage of the attention.

Yojiro Takita's film follows a young musician who is forced to take a job preparing corpses for cremation. It's a movie about "finding your bliss, even if the world thinks your bliss is odd, icky and a marriage breaker," as described by Mark Schilling in The Japan Times. Four subtitled clips are available at the official site.

Banned in China: As disheartening as it may be to hear, it's not really surprising that China's censors refused to pass Derek Yee's Shinjuku Incident because it is "too violent," according to the director (as reported by Variety). What is surprising is that the film stars Jackie Chan. The excellent-looking trailer is embedded below.

After the jump: More on Shinjuku Incident.

Continue reading Asian Cinema Scene: Unexpected 'Departures,' Jackie Chan Banned

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]]>asian cinema sceneAsianCinemaScenedaniel wuDanielWudeparturesderek yeeDerekYeejackie chanJackieChanokuribitoshinjuku incidentShinjukuIncidentXu JingleiXuJingleiPeter MartinMon, 23 Feb 2009 19:02:00 ESTWhite House Live Blogs the Oscarshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/white-house-live-blogs-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/white-house-live-blogs-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/white-house-live-blogs-the-oscars/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The White HousePresident Obama watched his first Academy Awards from the White House last night. Following in the footsteps of last week's well-received liveblogging of the President's first foreign trip, a White House New Media intern was invited to liveblog the event from the First Family's private quarters. The post was quickly pulled, but Cinematical obtained a partial transcript.

8:33 p.m.: First Family arrives, takes the best seats. Unidentified staffer: "Great to see a gay man hosting the Oscars." POTUS kindly corrects: "That's Hugh Jack-man, not gay man."

8:47 p.m.: Penelope Cruz wins for Best Supporting Actress. POTUS calls Spain's President Zapatero to express congratulations.

9:07 p.m.: As expected, WALL-E wins Best Animated Feature. POTUS dozes off.

9:25 p.m.: First Daughters begin giggling when vampire from Twilight appears.

9:32 p.m.: Ben Stiller's appearance concerns POTUS. "When did the Night at the Museum guy become Orthodox?"

9:43 p.m.: POTUS and First Lady confer about sending girls to bed during James Franco / Seth Rogen stoner skit.

9:51 p.m.: Hugh Jackman begins another musical number.

9:52 p.m.: POTUS sneaks into kitchen, where the staff is watching the Cleveland Cavaliers crush the Detroit Pistons. Go LeBron!

10:21 p.m.: Final: Cavs 99, Pistons 78.

10:32 p.m.: POTUS amused by Will Smith.

10:46 p.m.: Surprised and delighted by Jerry Lewis' brevity; POTUS figures Congress could learn a thing or two.

10:50 p.m.: POTUS asks, "Where's Springsteen?" Upon being notified that he was not nominated this year, POTUS heads to kitchen to watch SportsCenter during presentation of music awards, returns in time to tap his toes to "Jai Ho."

Continue reading White House Live Blogs the Oscars

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]]>academy awardsAcademyAwardsoscarspresident obamaPresidentObamawhite houseWhiteHousePeter MartinMon, 23 Feb 2009 17:32:00 ESTWatch This: Academy Awards 2009 Movie Previewhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/watch-this-academy-awards-2009-movie-preview/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/watch-this-academy-awards-2009-movie-preview/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/watch-this-academy-awards-2009-movie-preview/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The first thing I noticed the morning after the Oscars was that a lot of people were searching for images of Marisa Tomei as a stripper. Guess it's good folks took something away from last night's ceremony. For those of you who didn't make it to the end credits or simply changed the channel as soon as Slumdog Millionaire was announced the winner of Best Picture, the Oscars did a little something different this year. Instead of showing us a recap of the night while the credits scrolled, they aired brief snippets of video from some of 2009's hottest and most anticipated films.

The Academy rules were that these clips be brand new, and while there was no dialogue, folks enjoyed their first looks at movies like Sherlock Holmes , Funny People , The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 , Public Enemies , Julie & Julia , The Soloist , Up , Fame , Terminator Salvation , (500) Days of Summer , Amelia , Whatever Works , Inglourious Basterds , Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian , Monsters vs. Aliens , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Angels & Demons , Old Dogs , Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs , The Boat That Rocked , An Education , State of Play , Imagine That and G-Force.

Check out the video below and let us know which flick you think looks the best.

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]]>500 days of summer500DaysOfSummeracademy awards 2009 previewAcademyAwards2009Previewameliacinematicalfeaturedfunny peopleFunnyPeoplemarisa tomeiMarisaTomeipublic enemiesPublicEnemiessherlock holmesSherlockHolmesslumdog millionaireSlumdogMillionairethe soloistTheSoloistErik DavisMon, 23 Feb 2009 11:02:00 EST2009 Academy Awards Best and Worst Recaphttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/2009-academy-awards-best-and-worst-recap/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/2009-academy-awards-best-and-worst-recap/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/23/2009-academy-awards-best-and-worst-recap/#commentsFiled under: , ,



The 2009 Academy Awards are over and done with, and now it's time to talk trash about EVERYONE! Was it a good year? Did Hugh Jackman succeed as host? How did they make out on length -- did you fall asleep? What was up with those weird line-up presentations? And who got more camera time -- Angelina Jolie or Miley Cyrus? We break down the best and worst moments of this year's Oscar ceremony below -- then feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments.

Check out a complete list of this year's Oscar winners

Additional coverage over at Moviefone

The Best
  • Slumdog Millionaire was ON FIRE!
  • Danny Boyle is this year's Best Director ... and that's pretty damn awesome.
  • Shocker of the Night: Sean Penn wins Best Actor for Milk. (And who said the Academy hated him?)
  • The thirties-inspired set was fancy but intimate, and the recession-inspired opening song-and-dance number from Hugh Jackman was light, refreshing and entertaining.
  • Hugh Jackman delivering his jokes like a bad Atlantic City lounge singer, but absolutely hysterical nonetheless.
  • Penelope Cruz's ever-since-I-was-a-little-girl speech for her Best Supporting Actress win was just darling, whaddya say?
  • Steve Martin and Tina Fey partnering to introduce Best Original Screenplay proved they need to do a movie together, like, yesterday.
  • Most unique 'thank you' goes to Andrew Stanton for thanking his high school drama teacher for casting him in Hello Dolly.

The Worst
  • The 'Thank You' montage(s) ... because we didn't hear enough of those two words in the three-plus hour telecast.
  • The all-female line-ups introducing the nominees for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress went on way too long and felt a bit Vagina Monologue-ish ...
  • So it would appear that "leaked" Oscar winners list was, indeed, false. Sorry Amy Adams ...
  • Was Milk really the Best Original Screenplay?
  • Robert Pattinson didn't take his shirt off while presenting a romance montage? What gives?
  • Ben Stiller channeling Joaquin Phoenix in full beard with a touch of boredom was great if a little soooo last week.
  • Jessica Biel lost a lot of people with the sci-tech speech, and those she didn't lose were probably wondering who Jessica Biel was.
More after the jump ...

Continue reading 2009 Academy Awards Best and Worst Recap

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]]>2009 oscar winners2009OscarWinnersacademy award winnersacademy awards best and worstAcademyAwardsBestAndWorstAcademyAwardWinnerscinematicalfeaturedoscar winnersOscarWinnersErik DavisMon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 ESTAcademy Award Winners!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/academy-award-winners/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/academy-award-winners/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/academy-award-winners/#commentsFiled under: , ,



We're updating this year's Oscar winners in real time below. Check it out -- winners in bold ...

Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn for Milk -- WINNER
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie for Changeling
Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Meryl Streep for Doubt
Kate Winslet for The Reader -- WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Josh Brolin for Milk
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight -- WINNER
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams for Doubt
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona - WINNER
Viola Davis for Doubt
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler


Oscars 2009 Nominees



Best Achievement in Directing

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire - -WINNER
Stephen Daldry for The Reader
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant for Milk

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Courtney Hunt Frozen River
Mike Leigh Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black Milk -- WINNER
Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter Wall E

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Eric Roth, Robin Swicord The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley Doubt
Peter Morgan Frost/Nixon
David Hare The Reader
Simon Beaufoy Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Tom Stern Changeling
Claudio Miranda The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister The Dark Knight
Roger Deakins, Chris Menges The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

Best Achievement in Editing

Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith The Dark Knight
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill Frost/Nixon
Elliot Graham Milk
Chris Dickens Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

 Best Achievement in Art Direction

James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis Changeling
Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- WINNER
Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando The Dark Knight
Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway The Duchess
Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt Revolutionary Road

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Catherine Martin Australia
Jacqueline West The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor The Duchess -- WINNER
Danny Glicker Milk
Albert Wolsky Revolutionary Road


Best Achievement in Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- WINNER
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Alexandre Desplat The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard Defiance
Danny Elfman Milk
A.R. Rahman Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER
Thomas Newman WALL·E

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Slumdog Millionaire A.R. Rahman, Gulzar ("Jai Ho") -- WINNER
Slumdog Millionaire A.R. Rahman, M.I.A ("O Saya")
WALL·E Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman ("Down to Earth")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER
WALL·E
Wanted


Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight -- WINNER
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL·E
Wanted

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- WINNER
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL·E - WINNER

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (Germany)
Entre les murs (France)
Revanche (Austria)
Okuribito (Japan) -- WINNER
Vals Im Bashir (Israel)

Best Documentary, Features

The Betrayal - Nerakhoon
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire -- WINNER
Trouble the Water

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki -- WINNER
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306

Best Live Action Short Film

Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
Manon on the Asphalt" (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
New Boy" (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
The Pig" An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
Spielzeugland (Toyland)" A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank -- WINNER

Best Short Film, Animated

Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya
La Maison en Petits Cubes -- WINNER
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

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]]>2009 academy award winners2009 oscar winners2009AcademyAwardWinners2009OscarWinnersacademy award winnersAcademyAwardWinnerscinematicaloscar winnersOscarWinnersErik DavisSun, 22 Feb 2009 23:33:00 ESTOscars Live Blog - Final Hourhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-final-hour/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-final-hour/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-final-hour/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Cinematical is live-blogging the Academy Awards, and next up is William Goss. Follow along down below, and don't forget to keep refreshing this page. Head over to Moviefone for additional Oscar coverage.

Click here for a full list of Academy Award winners updated in real time

Read our live-blog for the show's first hour with Eric D. Snider
Read our live-blog for the show's second hour with Scott Weinberg

11:55 p.m.: Well, that's that. The show seemed to lose its luster post-Memoriam (PS: Ledger was in last year's montage), but man, did it get off to one peppy start. Maybe something good came of this recession after all...

11:53 p.m.: Best Picture is Slumdog Millionaire.

11:49 p.m.: The Spielberg-introduced Best Picture montage compares Frost/Nixon to Citizen Kane, Slumdog Millionaire to 12 Angry Men, The Reader to Life is Beautiful, Milk to Braveheart (er...) and Network (better...), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to just about everything except for Forrest Gump.

Continue reading Oscars Live Blog - Final Hour

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]]>academy award winnersAcademyAwardWinnerscinematicaloscars live blogoscars2009oscarslive2009OscarsLiveBlogWilliam GossSun, 22 Feb 2009 22:30:00 ESTOscars Live Blog - Second Hourhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-second-hour/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-second-hour/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-second-hour/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Cinematical is live-blogging the Academy Awards, and next up is Scott Weinberg. Follow along down below, and don't forget to keep refreshing this page. Head over to Moviefone for additional Oscar coverage.

Click here for a full list of Academy Award winners updated in real time

Second Hour is Done -- Continue to The Final Hour with William Goss
Read our live-blog for the show's first hour with Eric D. Snider

10:31 -- I now hand you over to Sir William of Goss, for my cat is very hungry and I need to kick back for the big awards. As always, thanks for hanging at Cinematical for all your movie geekery.

10:28 -- Mr. Smith sticks around to give out Best Sound Editing (The Dark Knight) and Best Sound Mixing (Slumdog Millionaire).

10:27 -- Will Smith to dole out the Best Visual Effects award: Benjamin Button. I guess anyone who can make Brad Pitt can look ugly deserves an Oscar.

10:25 -- Action montage woulda been a lot cooler with the movies' noises instead of a lame rock song.

10:22 -- When Tom Cruise is being serious, he's dull. When he's being funny, he's pretty great. Who's with me? (This is in reference to the Tom Cruise / Jimmy Kimmel ad.) And now ... an action montage! Where's my volume button?

10:19 -- Pre-commercial female voice promises a 2008 Action Movie Montage! But first ... commercials!

10:18 -- Maher stays close by and gives the Best Documentary Short to Smile Pinki.


Continue reading Oscars Live Blog - Second Hour

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]]>academy award winneracademy awards live blogAcademyAwardsLiveBlogAcademyAwardWinneroscar winnersoscars2009oscarslive2009OscarWinnersScott WeinbergSun, 22 Feb 2009 21:32:00 ESTOscars Live Blog - First Hourhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-first-hour/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-first-hour/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/oscars-live-blog-first-hour/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Cinematical is live-blogging the Academy Awards, and first up is Eric D. Snider. Follow along down below, and don't forget to keep refreshing this page. Head over to Moviefone for additional Oscar coverage.

Click here for a full list of Academy Award winners updated in real time

FIRST HOUR IS DONE - CONTINUE TO HOUR TWO

9:30 p.m.: And that it's for me, folks. I hand you over to my good friend Scott Weinberg for Hour 2 of the Academy Awards marathon. Stay safe, and remember, no wagering.

9:28 p.m.: Remember how some movies in 2008 had romance in them? The Academy does!

9:25 p.m.: Well, why wouldn't the guy from Twilight and the girl from Mammia Mia! be at the Oscars? Next we'll see presenters from Meet the Spartans and Witless Protection.

9:24 p.m.: Ben Button wins for Makeup, and the designer has a contest with himself to see how many random names he can rattle off in 30 seconds. Then he says, "New Orleans." Well said!

9:21 p.m.: This is a very dapper British gentleman whose Costume Design won for The Duchess. It's nice to see someone class up the joint after Hugh Jorifice's vulgarity. (Jay-kay, Hugh! We love you!)

9:19 p.m.: That orchestra might be tucked away in the back of the theater, but they will still cut you off, boys!

9:18 p.m.: Benjamin Button wins for Art Direction -- deservedly, as the insides of all those houses really did look like the insides of houses.

9:12 p.m.: This is the first time I've watched the Oscars in high-definition. You can see every crag and gully in Mickey Rourke's face.

9:09 p.m.: Hey, what gives?! Le Maison en Petit Cubes wins Best Animated Short, but that guy is NOT French! Nice shout-out to Mr. Roboto, though.

9:07 p.m.: No surprise here -- Best Animated Feature goes to WALL-E. There is momentary controversy here at headquarters over whether the director or producer accepts this award, but eventually everyone takes my word for it that it's the director.

9:05 p.m.: Nice of them to show a montage of all of last year's animated films, including the ones too crappy to be nominated. "Sucks to be you, guys! But here's two seconds of your hard work!"

9:04 p.m.: You knew that was coming -- Jennifer Aniston's on the stage, so we have to get a shot of Brad and the homewrecker.

9:01 p.m.: Simon Beaufoy begins what will presumably be a Slumdog Millionaire juggernaut with a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. How are you doing on your predictions? I'm three for three so far, thank you very much.

8:57 p.m.: Best Original Screenplay goes to Dustin Lance Black, who gives a sweet speech reassuring gay kids that God does love them. He goes on to prophecy that gay marriage will be legalized. You heard it here first, folks!

8:55 p.m.: Impressive -- they found a 5-second clip of In Bruges with no profanity.

8:53 p.m.: Steve Martin and Tina Fey together gives everyone in the room a simultaneous comedygasm.

Continue reading Oscars Live Blog - First Hour

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]]>academy award winnersAcademyAwardWinnerscinematicaloscar winnersoscars2009oscarslive2009OscarWinnersEric D. SniderSun, 22 Feb 2009 20:00:00 ESTDiscuss: Oscar Winners of the Futurehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/discuss-oscar-winners-of-the-future/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/discuss-oscar-winners-of-the-future/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/discuss-oscar-winners-of-the-future/#commentsFiled under: , ,



The Oscar ballots are in, and as of Monday morning we'll have a fresh slate on which to start obsessing over who will take home the awards in 2010. The Hollywood Reporter already has their three picks: James Cameron's Avatar, Clint Eastwood's soon-to-be-filmed Nelson Mandela biopic The Human Factor, and Peter Jackson's long-awaited adaptation of The Lovely Bones.

I thought two sites could play the all-seeing eye game, and that I'd pose the same question to you based purely off Wikipedia's projected list. What will be in the running for 2010? Will Inglourious Basterds see a glorious return of Quentin Tarantino, who hasn't been nominated since Pulp Fiction? Could Rob Marshall's Nine, chock full of Oscar talent and favorites, be another award laden Chicago? Could Steven Soderbergh return to Academy favor with The Informant? Will The Road be released in time for Viggo Mortensen to be a contender? Could Johnny Depp earn a "here, just take it already" Oscar for Public Enemies? Could Watchmen be a dark horse? (Couldn't you just see the Academy, still stinging from The Dark Knight backlash decide to appease the comic book geeks by nominating Watchmen? "See, we get it! It is a respected genre!")

So, go at it and have fun. No film is too great, too small, or too offbeat to be excluded here, no actor or actress too implausible. Because if there's one thing the nominations this year proved, it's that all bets are off, and you've got the same chance whether you're Bruce Springsteen or Wanted.

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]]>Oscars 2009Oscars 2010Oscars2009Oscars2010Elisabeth RappeSun, 22 Feb 2009 17:03:00 ESTCinematical is Live Blogging The Oscars!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/cinematical-is-live-blogging-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/cinematical-is-live-blogging-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/22/cinematical-is-live-blogging-the-oscars/#commentsFiled under: , ,



UPDATE
Hour One Live Blog
Hour Two Live Blog
Hour Three Live Blog

Sure, you can sit on your couch in boxers, alone, eating straight out of the ice cream container as visions of Penelope Cruz dance around your head -- or you can tune right into Cinematical for another fantastic, fun-filled year of Oscars live-blogging, with not one, not two, but three of our best writers going out of their way to make sure your Oscars night isn't boring.

Beginning tonight at 8pm EST, join Cinematical writers Eric D. Snider, Scott Weinberg and William Goss as they devour Hollywood's biggest night in real time as if it were an In-N-Out burger with all the fixin's. Can't watch the show? Wanna know who's winning what award as it happens? We've got you covered. (And while I may be a bit biased because I work with these guys every day, trust me when I say they are three of the most entertaining dudes I've ever met.)

Since we still have some time before the show, make sure you scroll through all our Oscar-related coverage from this past week. There's also plenty of extra fun to be had over at Moviefone's Oscars hub, as well as indieWIRE's awards hub.

8pm EST. Be here. The first 100 commenters get a free lifetime achievement award from the Academy ... but don't tell them we told you that.

UPDATE: We're now live with the first hour of live blogging!

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]]>academy awardsAcademyAwardscinematicalfeaturedoscars 2009oscars live blogOscars2009OscarsLiveBlogErik DavisSun, 22 Feb 2009 12:02:00 ESTCinematical Seven: Blackface at the Oscarshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/21/cinematical-seven-blackface-at-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/21/cinematical-seven-blackface-at-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/21/cinematical-seven-blackface-at-the-oscars/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



There was a bit of a shocker included in the Oscar nominations this year -- Robert Downey Jr. receiving a nod for his part in Tropic Thunder. It's a double whammy -- one of those rare nominations in the comedy category (a farce no less!), and a role that's almost 100% blackface. Unsurprisingly, the role created unrest, as well as a lot of discussion revolving around Hollywood's treatment of race on and off the screen.

Like it or not, race jumping is pretty much intrinsically linked to Hollywood -- all the way back to the first silent films. Over the years, it's morphed from minstrels to mainstream icons, critical darlings, and races of all sorts. Katharine Hepburn went Chinese for Dragon Seed. Charlton Heston went a rather ridiculous brownface for Touch of Evil. These days, that's not quite so kosher, but instances do pop up, both on the big screen (keep reading) and small screen (Saturday Night Live, for one).

But to try and delve into all race portrayals for a list of seven is just silly, so I'm focusing on blackface. And since the Academy Awards are almost upon us, this is blackface at the Oscars (save for one relevant film in recent history that should be mentioned, but didn't get Academy love). Read on, and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

Note: Blackface is used in the broader sense, and not just to define minstrel performances.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Blackface at the Oscars

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]]>A Mighty HeartAMightyHeartBabes in ArmsBabesInArmsblackface at the Oscarsblackface on filmBlackfaceAtTheOscarsBlackfaceOnFilmCinematicalHoliday InnHolidayInnOscar-nominated blackfaceOscar-nominatedBlackfaceoscars2009OthelloSwing TimeSwingTimeThe Jazz SingerTheJazzSingerTropic THunderTropicThunderMonika BartyzelSat, 21 Feb 2009 21:02:00 ESTScenes We Love: The Return of the Kinghttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/21/scenes-we-love-the-return-of-the-king/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/21/scenes-we-love-the-return-of-the-king/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/21/scenes-we-love-the-return-of-the-king/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,




It's difficult to pick a favorite scene from the Lord of the Rings trilogy -- but at least picking the one that won Best Picture narrows it down. This has always been one of my favorite scenes in The Return of the King, and it does capture the themes of Tolkien in one haunting moment. A new age is beginning and an old one is dying, and there is nothing achieved without great and bitter losses. Even romance and the promise of life comes at a high price. If Arwen chooses a mortal life, she will be separated from her family, her people, and from an endless life of song, beauty, and memory in the Gray Havens. In Tolkien's mythology, the decision has ramificatications beyond this world, and her parting from her father is more permanent than even the film hints at.

Some trivia, courtesy of IMDB:

  • The movie marks the second time in history that the third movie in a trilogy was nominated for Best Picture, by the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, after The Godfather: Part III (1990) and the only time that a third movie has won the Best Picture Oscar. It tied with Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997) to win the most Oscars (11) in a single year. Of the three films to have won 11 Academy awards, it is the only to not have received a nomination for its acting.
  • Each of the cast members was given a gift on their last day of shooting. Liv Tyler received Arwen's "dying dress," the one she's wearing in this scene.
  • Pregnancy changed Peter Jackson's vision of Lord of the Rings. Originally, he wanted to cast Lucy Lawless as Galadriel and Uma Thurman as Arwen. Unfortunately, both actresses became pregnant after being asked to read, and the roles were filled in by Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler, respectively.



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]]>hugo weavingHugoWeavingLiv TylerLivTyleroscarsScenes We LoveScenesWeLovethe return of the kingTheReturnOfTheKingviggo mortensenViggoMortensenElisabeth RappeSat, 21 Feb 2009 17:33:00 EST