Earlier today, Laurent Cantent's The Class became the first French film in 20 years to win the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the 2008 Festival de Cannes. Coincidentally, we have James' review of The Class scheduled to run in just a little while; in it, he says of the film: "The Class may very well wind up taking home a nod or two from the jury here in Cannes; rest assured, if that happens, it'll represent more than just sympathy votes for a local favorite."

The grand prize went to Gomorra, which James called "a sweeping, stirring drama that has the shoot-and-loot tension of the best crime cinema but also has the scope and serious intent of great drama." Special Prize went to Catherine Deneuve (A Christmas Tale) and Clint Eastwood (Changeling); the latter of which was a favorite heading into the awards (as was Waltz with Bashir, which, surprisingly, did not take home one of the top awards). Jury Prize went to Il Divo, while Nuri Bilge Ceylan took Best Director for Three Monkeys. Additionally, Benicio del Toro won Best Actor for his performance in Soderbergh's Che, Sandra Corveloni took Best Actress for Linha de passe, and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne won Best Screenplay for Lorna's Silence.

For reviews of most of these films, head on over to Cinematical's official Festival de Cannes hub. We'll be rounding out this year's coverage over the next few days.

The 2008 Gen Art Film Festival has come to a close, and four very good films have emerged victorious. Their Grand Jury awards went to Jennifer Phang's Half-Life (feature) and The Ladies (short). Half-Life, which combines troubling global conditions and a dysfunctional Asian-American family together in this sort of mish-mosh, half real, half animation head trip, first premiered back in January at the Sundance Film Festival. It's a good flick that tries a tad too hard to get across its message, but nevertheless one you should definitely seek out.

The Audience Award for best feature went to my favorite film of the fest, Surfwise. The doc, which was funded -- in part -- by Mark Cuban, follows the Paskowitz family (aka the first family of surfing), who, lead by Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, traveled the coast with no money and big dreams. Whether or not you believe in what "Doc" Paskowitz did or didn't do for his family (not one of his nine children went to school), Surfwise is a powerful documentary -- funny, sad, hopeful, spiritual and tremendously engaging. Watch this one if and when you get the chance. Additionally, the Audience Award for best short went to A Day's Work and the Stargazer Award (which recognizes new, upcoming talent in front of the camera) went to Luis Chávez, from A Day's Work. (Gotta love a fest that rewards actors in its short films. Kudos Luis!)

You can check out another one of David Jr.'s fabulous video blogs from Day 7 of the fest (the night The Take screened) after the jump, or view one from each night over here. Check out Night 4 and keep an eye out for a familiar face ...

Well, I bet I can name one awards ceremony that won't be picketed this year, home-skillet. Yup, the WGA (Writer's Guild of America) have announced their nominees in three different screenplay categories today, and while there weren't any big surprises, one film did stand out among the rest. Nominated for best original screenplay was something called Knocked Up, written by Judd Apatow. Not sure where that one came from; I haven't seen it nominated for anything else this year, so perhaps there's a mistake somewhere. Maybe I'll write a letter:

Dear WGA: I think you're mistaken in nominating this film called Knocked Up for best original screenplay. No one else is nominating it for anything because I believe it's too funny. And, c'mon, if something is that funny, it certainly doesn't deserve a special award, right. Please remove it from your list like everyone else has been doing. Good Day.

Anyway, joining Knocked Up in the best original screenplay category is ... JUNO ... and then a bunch of other films. Do their names really matter; can't we just skip all this junk and name Diablo Cody Screenwriting Goddess of the Decade? In the best adapted category, we have names like Ethan and Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men), Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will be Blood), Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Sean Penn (Into the Wild) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac). Wait. Zodiac? Holy sh*t! Someone actually remembered that film. Nice. The WGA will hold simultaneous awards ceremonies in LA and NYC on February 9.

See all the nominees after the jump, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.

UPDATE: Variety now tells us that the WGA-W has canceled its own awards ceremony in Los Angeles, while the WGA-E is still deciding whether they will also cancel the awards ceremony in New York.

Earlier this week, I along with 20 other San Francisco film critics assembled at an undisclosed location -- okay, it was a café -- to vote on the best films, best performances and best other stuff of 2007. It's an interesting experience. I spent a few weeks combing through the year's releases, coming up with my own choices. Then I second-guessed some of them, deciding whether I should eliminate certain choices. If I was absolutely certain that someone would make the final ballot, then I would cast a vote for someone more obscure, someone I really liked. After doing that, I scrapped the whole thing and went back to my favorites in each category, regardless of where they placed.

For Best Supporting Actress, I selected Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone (301 screens) as my #1 choice, comfortable in my certainty that she was a dark horse and that no one else would pick her. She was far from being the focus of that film, but she knocked a home run in her few scenes as a horrible, drug-ridden mother who has lost her baby girl. As a bonus, she was also in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (321 screens), a film that also made a decent showing on my personal ballot. (She lost a few points by being in the wretched Dan in Real Life, but gained them back again by being on TV's "The Wire.") In any case, Ryan not only made our final ballot, but she actually won. Congratulations, Amy! My other picks, Taraji P. Henson in Talk to Me, Kristen Thomson in Away from Her, and Maggie Smith in Becoming Jane, didn't make it so far. As for my fifth pick, Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (148 screens), you've not heard that last of her.

The San Francisco Film Critics Awards have been announced, and they're especially exciting for us here at Cinematical. Why? Because three of our writers are in the SFFC! Our very own James Rocchi, Jeffrey M. Anderson, and Richard Von Busack are all part of the San Francisco critic "scene." San Fran made some interesting picks, several outside of the expected Oscar nominees. So what were their choices? For Best Foreign Film, they selected Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (which I am watching when I finish this post). For Best Documentary, they selected No End in Sight (which didn't blow me away, but was certainly well done). Best Adapted Screenplay went to Sarah Polley for Away From Her (great script, one of the most kick-in-the-stomach depressing movies I've seen lately). And Best Original Screenplay went to Tamara Jenkins for The Savages.

Amy Ryan was named Best Supporting Actress for her brilliant portrayal of a highly difficult character in Gone Baby Gone. Ryan's co-star in that film, Casey Affleck, was named Best Supporting Actor for his outstanding work in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Best Actress was Julie Christie for Away From Her and Best Actor was George Clooney in Michael Clayton -- two choices I approve of though I disagree with them. Joel and Ethan Coen took Best Director(s) honors for their latest masterpiece, No Country for Old Men. And -- drumroll please -- the Best Picture Award went to Jesse James. A surprising pick perhaps, but it was an absolutely fantastic film, and hopefully the award encourages more people to see it. The SFFC gave a special citation to an indie called Colma: The Musical, "a homegrown song-and-dance extravaganza about the paradoxical drudgery and surreality of life in a city where the dead outnumber the living one thousand to one." That old story again? See the list for yourself here -- it's a San Francisco treat!

As was the case when I covered this year's Berlinale, I was not able to see the films that took home the major awards at the Tribeca Film Festival. That's not to say I didn't come close to seeing them; in fact, I would've seen one if I hadn't just made it to a screening of The Cake Eaters, and Cinematical's Editor-in-Chief Ryan Stewart tried to convince me to see the other one after hearing such good things, although my schedule just didn't allow it. This year, the Tribeca awards were handed out at Chinatown's Jing Fong restaurant, with the top narrative prize going to David Volach's Hofshat Kaits (My Father My Lord) and the top docu prize being awarded to Alex Gibney's Taxi to the Darkside. The former tells the story of a a rabbi in an ultra-Orthodox community who must come to terms with the demands of his faith, while juggling the responsibilities that go along with being a husband and father. The latter (brought to you by the same guy who directed Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) is a riveting documentary that explores the various torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

The top screenplay prize went to Nouri Bouzid's Making Of, while Enrique Begne won the new narrative filmmaker award for his film Dos Abrazos (Two Embraces). In the acting category, Lofti Edbelli won for his performance in Making Of, and Marina Hands stood out for her role in Lady Chatterley. Moving on to short films, Den sista hunden i Rwanda (The Last Dog in Rwanda) won best narrative, and A Son's Sacrifice won the docu prize. The surprise win went to a film that neither Ryan or I saw, but we both heard not-so-flattering things about; that being the directorial debut of former Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, The Education of Charlie Banks. That pic won the Made in New York narrative feature prize, while Andrew Piddington took home the special jury recognition narrative nod in the same category for The Killing of John Lennon. Stay tuned to Cinematical, as we'll have plenty of more reviews and interviews from The Tribeca Film Festival heading your way soon.

Welcome to Cinematical's official liveblogging of the 79th Annual Academy Awards! Erik will be your host for the first hour; Monika will bat second and Kim will clean things up. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will get stuck in the bathroom? Let's find out ...

Catherine Deneuve is looking lovely, and she is joined by Ken Watanabe to present the funny talk, aka foreign language film. First, we get a history in these films, with a nice little montage. Chances of most of the viewing audience having not seen most, if not any of these films? Or, maybe not foreign film.. They left the stage. Instead, Clive Owen and Cate Blanchett, looking hotter than almost everyone on the planet, are presenting the award. I would be completely distracted if not for...

Best Foreign Language Film: The Lives of Others. I always, always pick the losers. I am happy beyond words that Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck grabbed the prize, over other great films. However, the Academy are jerks for not letting him speak. It was a great film. Kudos to the Oscars for recognizing that!!

Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest. Naomi Watts is looking more like her old self, lest bony. That makes me happy. And YES! Robert Downey Jr. is making fun of his drug days. How can you not love someone who makes lovely fun of their risque days? Pirates steals the top prize! It makes sense, and I still can't get over that wheel scene.

Best Cinematography: Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo Navarro. Gwyneth Paltrow is a great match tonight for cinematography. She's looking excellent. This is tough call, but Pan's gets another! Navarro gets music over his award speech, and I'm mourning the lack of Children of Men love.

These shadow people are amazing. The Little Miss Sunshine bus was damned impressive!

Jean Hersholt* Award: Sherry Lansing. Shoot from a low angle, it's Tom Cruise! He's presenting this award for Sherry Lansing -- the first female president of a major film studio (originally 20th Century Fox). The whole affair has that feel-good music and sound to it, but really, can't these creative people come up with other ways to give props to amazing people? The kitschy, cliche tone takes away from the person's achievements. Her acceptance speech is one hell of a well-written script. Could she have had Botox? Her face is quite, still for such an award.

Best Costume Design: Marie Antoinette. It's interesting that best costume design gets announced by two women in questionable frocks. But Meryl Streep's necklace might be worse, but she slipped into character seamlessly. We've got live-action examples of the outfits, it's a bit more interesting than the sketches they usually show...but not too much. I'm amused at watching these women for Prada try to out-act Streep. Marie Antoinette has nabbed the Best Costume award. Milena Canonero is looking very distinguished in her tux. Who was the last woman to actually wear a classic tux at awards

Welcome to Cinematical's official liveblogging of the 79th Annual Academy Awards (which is currently being aired live on ABC)! Erik will be your host for the first hour; Monika will bat second and Kim will clean things up. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will get stuck in the bathroom? Let's find out ...

Yes! The dance troupe returns ... for some more rolling shadow-dancing. Okay, that's it for me. Enjoy the rest of the night; Monika is next up to bat. Go Sunshine!

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin. I'm sorry, but Rachel Weisz looks stunning. Damn you Darren! Damn you! She's nervous, but who cares? She's dazzling. Alan Arkin wins! Do push-ups! Do push-ups! And the Academy gets one right. I love it -- he reads his speech like he's toasting a couple at a wedding. Mazel Tov, Alan. You deserve this one.

Best Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls. Jessica Biel and James McAvoy (in his sexy Scottish accent) present the award. Oh, just throw a pint at someone in the audience already! And Dreamgirls (nominated for 8 awards tonight) takes home their first. Thanks Bill Condon! You didn't get nominated for best picture, but it's okay -- your movie made me want to dance. And dance hard!

Best Sound Editing: Letters from Iwo Jima. Steve Carell and Greg Kinnear show up ... and Steve makes a silly sexually-related sound editing joke. (Wasn't it better when they mixed these awards in somewhere in the middle?) Will this be the only award for Letters? Is this Clint's token award? This guy reads his speech like a fourth-grade book report. It's okay dude, the kids won't laugh at you. (I will, though.)

A salute to sound and cinema? Man, I'm getting the shaft in this first hour. Everyone is whistling. Thank God I'm not sober; this is actually pretty entertaining for some reason.

Best Live Action Short: West Bank Story. And the kids get to stay on for one more; Christopher Jada Mohammed Scorsese Smith makes a short joke. Classic! West Bank Story wins. I love these little voice-overs while the nominees walk up to snatch their award. I think this dude jumped out of a helicopter while he was filming, and blew something up. That's what I heard, at least ...

Best Animated Short: The Danish Poet. Oohh, the kids get to do one. How cute? Abigail Breslin and Christopher Will Smith Jada Pinkett Something or Other look adorable on stage together. Where will they be (and who will they be doing) ten years from now? That's what Ryan Seacrest wants to know. The Danish Poet wins. And all I want is for Christopher Jayden Pinkett Wahlberg to drop-kick someone.

Best Achievement in Make-Up: Pan's Labyrinth. After the greatest awards intro ever, Pan's Labyrinth takes home its second award of the night. Take that Click! We're definitely off to a good start -- get these snore awards out of the way, and let the good stuff take over.

Ha, I love the afro Will Ferrell is sporting! He's singing a song about how the Oscars screw comedies each and every year. Jack Black pops up; this could be good. "Leo, do you think you can date supermodels and win awards?" Best. Line. Ever. See, now why couldn't they just have these two guys host? John C. Reilly cuts in! Man, screw the awards -- I want these guys to sing all night. "I'm going to lose 40 pounds to play Ralph Nader." This is (and will be) the best part of the night.

Maggie G. looks good! And yet they give her the throwaway scientific awards category. Man, the Oscars kicked things off in a lame way this year, huh? Where's the juice? Where's the spark? And what's up with the rolling shadow-dancing?

The awards ceremony for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival have just concluded. The Golden Bear went to a film not many people talked about during the fest -- Tuya's Marriage. Below you will find my live blog of the actual show (which was mostly in German, with brief moments in English). Along with the winners in each category, you will find my personal thoughts below:

-- German band Mia opens the show. Charlotte Roche hosts, briefly introduces Berlinale director Peter Kosslick. His entire speech is in German -- sorry, could not translate that fast.

-- Gael Garcia Bernal is introduced and presents The Silver Bear award for outstanding artistic achievement, which goes to ... The Good Shepherd. There's your obligatory American award. Robert De Niro skipped town last week, and was not there to accept the award.

-- Next up, Nansun Shi presents the Silver Bear for best use of music in a film, which goes to David Mackenzie for Hallam Foe ... and for his extremely pop-centric soundtrack.

-- Hiam Abbass presents the Silver Bear for best actor in a film to Julio Chávez for El Otro. I can see why he won, but his performance was a little too vague for me.

-- Mario Adorf steps up to present the award for best actress and -- out of nowhere -- Nina Hoss wins for Yella! Wow, no one -- including Hoss -- saw that coming, as Marion Cotillard and Marianne Faithfull were huge front-runners. She's shocked. Big, big surprise. Yella was the best film, but Cotillard should have won the best actress.

-- Molly Malene Stansgaard presents the best director award to Joseph Cedar for Beaufort. I did not see Beaufort, but from what I heard it was beautifully shot. I guess we knew Petzold was not winning when Hoss took best actress. Oh well. So far all of my picks are wrong. Boo!

-- Willem Dafoe steps up to present the Silver Bear for Grand Jury Prix ... which goes to El Otro. Huh? Man, obviously the jury saw something in this film that a lot of us did not see, as this is the second award tonight for El Otro. Director Ariel Rotter takes forever to deliver his speech, just barely makes it through without breaking down on stage.

-- The somewhat odd German band Mia performs once more after opening the show.

-- Gerhard Meixner introduces the best first feature award. It takes three people to announce this award, which goes to Vanaja. Lots in German, trying to keep up ...

-- Javier Bardem steps up to present the Alfred-Bauer-Prize (in memory of the festival's founder) for particular innovation in filmmaking, which goes to ... I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay. Hey, I loved this film -- this award is definitely okay with me. Park Chan-Wook accepts ... sorry, no idea what he's saying. All in German.

-- Writer-director Paul Schrader finally finds his way to the stage with fest director Peter Kosslick to present The Golden Bear! And the award (after a terribly long intro) goes to ... Tuya's Marriage. Hmm, very interesting choice ... and a film not many people talked about during the festival. Figures, one of the three I did not see ...

The main awards for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival will be given out tonight during a ceremony at the Berlinale Palast. I will attempt to watch the ceremony on television here (sorting through the language barrier) and let you know who won as soon as possible. In the meantime, here are my picks to win the major awards, as well as who I think should win:

Golden Bear: Audience favs were Irina Palm and Hallam Foe, so I would not be surprised if one of those two films took home the prize. Press I've spoken with fell in love with Yella, and The Counterfeiters slid its way into many conversations toward the latter part of the week. Lost in Beijing would be the surprise underdog win, but don't count out I Served the King of England which also picked up steam in these last few days. Pick to win: Irina Palm. Who should win: Yella

Best Director: Though, overall, it wasn't a dazzling year for films in competition, the one thing they all shared was some fabulous directing. However, we're in Germany, and since I do not think Yella will win the Golden Bear, director Christian Petzold will most likely be given a best director award instead. Pick to win: Christian Petzold. Who should win: Christian Petzold.

Best Actress: By far, this is the toughest category to sort through, as there are plenty of top-notch performances to choose from. The way I see it, this category comes down to four women: Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose), Marianne Faithfull (Irina Palm), Ramola Garai (Angel) and Fan Bingbing (Lost in Beijing). Cotillard was the early favorite, but Faithfull's performance in Irina Palm as the widowed grandmother working in a sex shop took center stage once that film premiered. Still, there's no denying Cotillard is the true winner here ... even if it does feel like La Vie en rose first screened for press decades ago. Pick to win: Marion Cotillard. Who should win: Marion Cotillard.

Best Actor: A harder category to pick; no real stand-out performances could be found (by me, at least) this year. Lots were raving over young Jamie Bell's extremely Sundance-ish role in Hallam Foe, though I personally was blown away by the performances from both male leads (Tony Dawei, Tony Leung) in Lost in Beijing. Pick to win: Jamie Bell. Who should win: Tony Dawei.