Editor of FILMdetail
This week we review There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Juno and National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Listen to the reviews here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-02-08-18813.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
The Orange British Academy Film Awards – also known as the BAFTAs – take place this Sunday and it is the showpiece event of the UK film calendar.
Amanda Berry is the chief executive of BAFTA and I recently spoke to her about: the awards event; the changes she has made since the late 90s; how it fits in to the awards season; how the nomination process works, what the BAFTA organisation does around the year; and the films up for nomination.
Listen to the interview here:
[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Amanda_Berry_BAFTA_Interview_2008.mp3]To download this as a podcast via iTunes just click the image below:
UK viewers can see the awards show on BBC1 this Sunday at 9pm and for more information just visit their official website at www.bafta.org/awards
> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> The full BAFTA nominations for this year
> Watch some of the highlights from last year at BAFTA’s site
Adam Weiner has a great post over at PopSci on the scientific innacuracies that plague a lot of mainstream films.
He discusses the wacky physics of the motorcycle fight in Mission Impossible 2, the impossibility of Vin Diesel outrunning an avalanche in XXX on a snowboard, the actual physical strain Batman’s grappling hook would take on him and Vicky Vale and that insane bus jump in Speed.
My favourite though is the oft-repeated sin of sounds in space.
As Adam puts it:
The most frequent sci-fi physics sin is, without a doubt, the incredible sounds emitted by all those zooming spacecraft, all those exploding planets, all those laser beams whizzing by.
As every student learns very early on, sound waves need a medium through which to pass in the form of vibrations to be heard. Air, water, the membrane of your eardrum—all are sufficient media to transmit these vibrations.
And as we all know, the cold vacuum of space is unfortunately devoid of anything substantial enough to serve as a transmissive medium.
It’s true, however, that those unfortunate enough to have their spacecraft destroyed be in a spaceship while it was exploding would certainly hear quite a racket for a few split seconds from inside, as the sound vibrations passed through the ship itself and into what was left of the cockpit’s pressurized atmosphere as it broke up.
But once the damage was done, we’d be back to space’s normal, somber silence. But hey, I guess all those sound designers and THX-equipped theaters need to be used for something, right?
The tagline for Alien says ‘In space no-one can hear you scream’ – well, that’s because they physically can’t.
However, if movies did follow science to the letter, wouldn’t a large chunk of the sc-fi canon just be weird silent movie hybrids?
> Check out Adam’s book Don’t Try This at Home! The Physics of Hollywood Movies at Amazon
> 40 Things That Only Happen in the Movies is a different take on the unofficial rules of movies
Here are all the movie ads that aired during last night’s Super Bowl:
Wall-E
Iron Man
Semi-Pro
Prince Caspian
Leatherheads
Wanted
Vantage Point
88 Minutes
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
You Don’t Mess With The Zohan
US talk show host Jimmy Kimmell has a running gag about Matt Damon – at the end of many shows of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, he would ends by saying:
“Apologies to Matt Damon, but we ran out of time…”
Kimmel then did a segment in 2006 where Damon finally appeared as a guest only for the host to say they were out of time, which led to some mock outrage and Damon “storming off” the set:
The running gag continued into 2007 and now Sarah Silverman (the US comedian and actress, who is also Kimmel’s partner) has teamed up with Damon for this rather funny video:
UPDATE 24/02/08: Now – on Oscar night – Jimmy returns with his own video of him with Matt Damon’s friend Ben Affleck:
Theatre group ImprovEverywhere recently got 200 people to freeze for 5 minutes in Grand Central Station, New York.
> Official site for Improv Everywhere
> Find out more about Improv Everywhere at Wikipedia
This week we review Cloverfield and Things We Lost in the Fire.
Listen to the review here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-02-01-14055.MP3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
You may not have heard of Ron Fedkiw, but on February 9th he and two collaborators at special effects powerhouse Industrial Light and Magic will be awarded an Oscar for their pioneeering SFX work.
Fedikew is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University and has consulted at ILM since 2000.
The seas in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and the dragon’s flaming breath in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire have all come about – in part – to his work on computer-generated fluids.
As he puts it:
My research is focused on the design of new computational algorithms for a variety of applications including computational fluid dynamics and solid mechanics, computer graphics, computer vision and computational biomechanics.
To see that in action check out this simulation of waves against a lighthouse:
and this glass of water:
They eventually help create the ground work for the climax to a big film like Pirates 3:
[Link via Digg]
> Ron’s department page at Stanford
> Finds out more about ILM at Wikipedia
Friction.TV recently asked me to do a video of Oscar predictions.
I’m already having second thoughts about Best Actress, but here it is:
If you want to respond by video or text just sign up at their site.
Freddy Krueger is back as New Line has decided to revive their favourite horror franchise.
The Hollywood Reporter say:
New Line is in talks with horror production company Platinum Dunes to re-launch the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movie series, the franchise that helped establish the studio.
Partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form will produce the redo.
The first “Nightmare” movie was made by Wes Craven and released in 1984. The runaway success of the film spawned a slew of films and created one of the most popular villains in screen history, Freddy Krueger, played by Robert Englund.
The films’ premise centered on Krueger, a serial child killer murdered by angry parents, who returns with a burnt face and a razor glove to terrorize teens in their dreams.
Given the terrible remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror and The Hitcher (not to mention the farce that was Freddy vs Jason) is this such a good idea?
> Variety report on the news
> Find out more about Nightmare on Elm St at Wikipedia
Here are the winners at Screen Actors Guild awards:
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage)
Best Actress
Julie Christie – “Away From Her” (Lionsgate)
Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)
Best Supporting Actress
Ruby Dee – “American Gangster” (Universal Pictures)
Best Ensemble
No Country for Old Men (Miramax Films)
Javier Bardem / Anton Chigurh
Josh Brolin / Llewelyn Moss
Garret Dillahunt / Wendell
Tess Harper / Loretta Bell
Woody Harrelson / Carson Wells
Tommy Lee Jones / Ed Tom Bell
Kelly Macdonald / Carla Jean Moss
Best Stunt Ensemble
The Bourne Ultimatum
TELEVISION
Best Actor (Drama)
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Best Actress (Drama)
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Best Actor (Comedy)
Alec Baldwin,30 Rock
Best Actress (Comedy)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Best Ensemble (Drama)
The Sopranos
Best Ensemble (Comedy)
The Office
Best Actor (Television Movie or Miniseries)
Kevin Kline, As You Like It
Best Actress (Television Movie or Miniseries)
Queen Latifah, Life Support
Best Stunt Ensemble
24
> Official site for the SAG Awards
> Variety article on the winners
Robert Elswit has won the American Society of Cinematographers Award for his work on There Will Be Blood.
Variety report:
Robert Elswit staved off a tough field Saturday night at the American Society of Cinematographers awards ceremony when he topped the feature competition for his work on Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood.” Elswit, who has shot all of Anderson’s movies dating back to the filmmaker’s 1996 feature debut “Hard Eight,” is also vying for an Oscar.
In fact, the Academy’s nominees are in perfect alignment with those of the ASC for only the second time in the ASC’s 22 years of bestowing awards, with Roger Deakins (“No Country for Old Men,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) having claimed two slots in both competitions. The last time the two organizations matched noms, John Seale won both contests for “The English Patient,” a film with which this year’s “Atonement” — shot by ASC and Oscar nominee Seamus McGarvey — has been often compared.
Whether Deakins’ two noms created a split vote among the ASC’s 298 members can only be left to conjecture. And if one were to view Elswit’s ASC win as an Oscar bellwether, one must consider that the ASC’s membership represents only a fraction of the Acad’s 6,500-plus members who are eligible to vote for Oscar’s winning cinematographer.
Elswit’s mastery, like that of Deakins’, is evident in more than one film released this year; he also shot “Michael Clayton,” whose star, George Clooney, worked with Elswit on “Good Night and Good Luck,” for which the d.p. also gained ASC and Academy nominations.
It has been a truly exceptional year for cinematography and you have to feel for Roger Deakins, whose brilliance behind the camera on two films probably did split the vote.
However, credit must go to Elswit who has done some incredible work with Paul Thomas Anderson on this and previous films.
I’m also starting to get the feeling that There Will Be Blood is gaining momentum in the build up to the Oscars.
> Robert Elswit at the IMDb
> Extensive article in American Cinematographer magazine on Elswit’s work in There Will Be Blood
> An interview with Robert Elswit and production designer Jack Fisk about There Will Be Blood
> An interview with Robert Elswit from January 2006
> Article on Elswit’s work on Magnolia
Here are the winners of this year’s Sundance Film Festival:
AMERICAN CINEMA
Grand Jury Dramatic: Frozen River
Dramatic Audience Award: The Wackness
Dramatic Screenwriting Award: Sleep Dealer, Alex Rivera, David Riker
Dramatic Directing Award: Lance Hammer, Ballast
Dramatic Special Jury Prize for “the Spirit of Independent Cinema”: Chusy Haney
Jardine for Anywhere, USA
Dramatic Special Jury Prize for “Work by an Ensemble Cast”: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald and Brad Henke for Choke
Dramatic Cinematography Award: Ballast, Lol Crawley
Documentary Grand Jury Prize: Trouble the Water
Documentary Audience Award: Fields of Fuel
Documentary Directing Award: Nanette Burnstein, American Teen
Documentary Special Jury Prize: The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo
Documentary Cinematography Award: Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Documentary Editing Award: Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Joe Bini
WORLD CINEMA
Documentary Jury Prize: Man on Wire
Documentary Audience Award: Man on Wire
Documentary Cinematography Award: Mahmoud al Massad, Recycle
Documentary Editing Award: Irena Dol, The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins
Documentary Directing Award: Nino Kirtadze for Durakovo: Village of Fools
Dramatic Jury Prize: The King of Ping Pong
Dramatic Cinematography Award: Askilld Vik Edvardsen, King of Ping Pong
Dramatic Screenwriting: Samuel Benchetrit, I Always Wanted to be a Gangster
Dramatic Directing: Anna Melikyan, Mermaid
Dramatic Audience Award: Captain abu Raed
SHORTS
International Jury Prize: Soft
Jury Prize: My Olympic Summer and Sikumi
> Official site for Sundance
> Variety article on whether blogs and the Internet influence buyers at Sundance
The viral site for The Dark Knight (“Why So Serious“) has posted a black celluloid ribbon as a trubute to the late Heath Ledger.
He will be seen as The Joker in the Batman sequel which is out this summer and the official site for the film also has a tribute page.
UPDATE: Director Christopher Nolan has written a tribute to Ledger at Newsweek about working with him on The Dark Knight.
> Find out more about The Dark Night at Wikipedia
> Film School Rejects on the Why So Serious viral campaign
This week we review Sweeney Todd, In the Valley of Elah and The Savages.
Listen to the review here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-01-25-15606.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
The new Bond film is called Quantum of Solace.
The next James Bond film is to be called Quantum of Solace, producers have confirmed. The title is taken from one of a collection of short stories published by 007 creator Ian Fleming in 1960.
Producer Michael Wilson said the film would have “twice as much action” as 2006’s Casino Royale, which saw Daniel Craig debut as the iconic secret agent. The next outing, previously known as Bond 22, is partly being shot at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
At a press conference at the facility, reporters were shown a minute of footage from the new film, including Bond swinging on a rope after an explosion at an art gallery in Siena, Italy. Another scene showed him meeting M – played by Dame Judi Dench – outside in the snow. Filming on the movie has been taking place at Pinewood since November.
Daniel Craig said the cryptic title referenced how Bond’s heart had been broken at the end of Casino Royale: “Ian Fleming had written about relationships,” he explained. “When they go wrong, when there’s nothing left, when the spark has gone, when the fire’s gone out, there’s no quantum of solace.And at the end of the last movie, Bond has the love of his life taken away from him and he never got that quantum of solace.”
Craig said the new film would follow 007 as he goes out “to find the guy who’s responsible. So he’s looking for revenge, you know, to make himself happy with the world again. But the title also alludes to something else in the film.”
Wikipedia says the the premise involves:
Michael G. Wilson has confirmed that the film will pick up “literally an hour after” Casino Royale’s conclusion, when a wounded Mr. White is shot and captured by Bond. The official synopsis shows that White reveals to Bond and M that his organization has agents in Her Majesty’s Government and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Forensic evidence of an MI6 traitor leads Bond to Haiti, where he meets Camille, who then helps him find Dominic Greene. A ruthless businessman and a member of the organisation, Greene intends to use his government contacts to help overthrow the current regime in a Latin American country, and place the exiled General Medrano as the head of state.
Medrano will in exchange give the organization a barren piece of land, which actually will give them total control of “one of the world’s most important natural resources”. Bond travels to Austria, Italy and South America to unravel Greene’s plan, staying one step ahead of the CIA, terrorists and M whilst trying to keep his desire for retribution over Vesper Lynd‘s death in check.
It is scheduled for release on November 7th.
UPDATE: Here are some photos from the press conference.
Daniel Craig( James Bond), Judi Dench (M) and Marc Forster (director)
Olga Kurylenko (Camille) and Gemma Arterton (Agent Fields)
Mathieu Almaric (Greene), Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Craig and and Gemma Arterton
> Official site for James Bond
> IMDb entry for Quatum of Solace
(All photos © 2008 Danjaq LLC, United Artists and Columbia Pictures)
Compare and contrast these videos.
The recent Tom Cruise Scientology video:
Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia:
After the success of Million Dollar Baby and Crash, writer-director Paul Haggis has turned his attention to the Iraq War with his latest drama In the Valley of Elah.
Based on true events, it tells the story of a soldier named Mike Deerfield who goes missing after returning from Iraq in late 2004.
His father, Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones), is a retired war veteran who goes to a New Mexico airbase to investigate what has happened, with the help of a local detective (Charlize Theron).
Tommy Lee Jones this week receieved an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for his performance.
Paul spoke to me recently about what inspired the film, the box office failure of recent films about the war on terror and the WGA strike that is affecting Hollywood.
Listen to the interview here:
[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Paul_Haggis_on_In_the_Valley_of_Elah.mp3]To download this as a podcast via iTunes just click the image below:
In The Valley of Elah is out in UK cinemas on Jan 25th
> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> Paul Haggis at the IMDb
> Official website for In the Valley of Elah
> Get local showtimes for this film via Google Movies
Heath Ledger has died in New York, aged 28.
The Associated Press have said:
Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence, and police said drugs may have been a factor. He was 28.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let him know the masseuse had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.
The Australian-born actor was nominated for an Oscar for “Brokeback Mountain,” where he met his wife, actress Michelle Williams, in 2005. Ledger and Williams had lived in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, until they split up last year.
Ledger was to appear as the Joker this year in “The Dark Night,” a sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.” He’s had starring roles in “A Knight’s Tale” and “The Patriot,” and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in “Monster’s Ball.”
It is always very sad to hear about any death, but when a high profile actor dies there is a particular sting about the waste of life and the career that lied ahead.
He will be seen this summer in The Dark Knight as The Joker (the film is currently in post-production) and was only recently in London filming Terry Gilliam’s new movie The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
Obviously he’ll be remembered for his outstanding, Oscar nominated, performance in Brokeback Mountain, and most recently for his part in the Dylan biopic I’m Not There.
I saw some of The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus being filmed on Blackfriars Bridge back in mid-December and posted some photos here.
The film, which was due for release in 2009, also stars Christopher Plummer and has been described as a “fantastical morality tale set in the present day”.
It is the tale of a Dr Parnassus and his ‘Imaginarium’, a travelling show where members of the audience get an opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom.
The screenplay was written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown who also collaborated with him on Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Here are some pictures from the set that were taken recently in London and posted on Just Jared:
In what appears to be a sad and ironic twist, some of the photos are of Ledger’s character with a noose around his neck. At the moment, reports are suggesting that Ledger’s real life death was caused by some kind of overdose, although exact details are still sketchy.
Aside from the awful personal tragedy, this is also a devastating blow for the production and director Terry Gilliam, who was only recently sounding so upbeat about the project.
> BBC News report on Ledger’s death
> Updates at TMZ
> NY Times with more on the story
> Various photos from The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus at Flickr
So the Oscar nominations are out. As ever, a few surprises mingled amongst the favourites and analysis to follow.
If you have any thoughts, then do leave a comment below.
Here they are in full:
BEST PICTURE
Atonement (Focus Features)
Juno (Fox Searchlight)
Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)
No Country for Old Men (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks)
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – “There Will Be Blood”
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen – “No Country For Old Men”
Tony Gilroy – “Michael Clayton”
Jason Reitman – “Juno”
Julian Schnabel – “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly”
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Brad Bird – “Ratatouille”
Diablo Cody – “Juno”
Tony Gilroy – “Michael Clayton”
Tamara Jenkins – “The Savages”
Nancy Oliver – “Lars and the Real Girl”
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – “There Will Be Blood”
Ethan & Joel Coen – “No Country for Old Men”
Christopher Hampton – “Atonement”
Ronald Harwood – “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
Sarah Polley – “Away from Her”
ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis – (Sony Pictures Classics)
Ratatouille – (Pixar; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Distribution)
Surf’s Up – (Sony Pictures Releasing)
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins – “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Seamus McGarvey – “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Janusz Kaminski – “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn)
Roger Deakins – “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Robert Elswit – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
ART DIRECTION
American Gangster (Universal) Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
Atonement (Focus Features) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Golden Compass (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
COSTUME DESIGN
Albert Wolsky – “Across the Universe” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Jacqueline Durran – “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Alexandra Byrne – “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
Marit Allen – “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Colleen Atwood – “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks)
FILM EDITING
Christopher Rouse – “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal)
Juliette Welfling – “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn)
Jay Cassidy – “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Roderick Jaynes – “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Dylan Tichenor – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
SOUND EDITING
Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg – “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal)
Skip Lievsay – “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Randy Thom and Michael Silvers – “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
Matthew Wood – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins – “Transformers” (DreamWorks)
SOUND MIXING
Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis – “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal)
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland – “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane – “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe – “3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate)
Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin – “Transformers” (DreamWorks)
VISUAL EFFECTS
Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood – “The Golden Compass” (New Line)
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier – “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney)
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier – “Transformers” (DreamWorks)
MAKE UP
Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald – “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji – “Norbit” (DreamWorks)
Ve Neill and Martin Samuel – “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney)
ORIGINAL SCORE
Dario Marianelli– “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Alberto Iglesias – “The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks)
James Newton Howard – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Giacchino – “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
Marco Beltrami – “3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate)
ORIGINAL SONG
Falling Slowly from “Once” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Happy Working Song from “Enchanted (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
Raise It Up from “August Rush” (Warner Bros.) Nominees to be determined
So Close from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
That’s How You Know from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Beaufort – Israel
The Counterfeiters – Austria
Katy? – Poland
Mongol – Kazakhstan
12 – Russia
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
No End in Sight (Magnolia Pictures)
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (The Documentary Group)
Sicko (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company)
Taxi to the Dark Side (THINKFilm)
War/Dance (THINKFilm)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Freeheld – Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth (Lieutenant Films Production)
La Corona (The Crown) – Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega (A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production)
Salim Baba – Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello (Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production)
Sari’s Mother – James Longley (Cinema Guild, A Daylight Factory Production)
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
I Met the Walrus – Josh Raskin (Kids & Explosions Production)
Madame Tutli-Putli – Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (National Film Board of Canada)
Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis – Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven / Premium Films /A BUF Compagnie Production)
My Love (Moya Lyubov) – Alexander Petrov (Channel One Russia / A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production)
Peter & the Wolf – Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman (BreakThru Films /BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production)
LIVE ACTION SHORT
At Night – Christian E. Christiansen and Louise (VesthZentropa Entertainments 10 Production)
Il Supplente (The Substitute) – Andrea Jublin (Sky Cinema Italia / A Frame by Frame Italia Production)
Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets) – Philippe Pollet-Villard (Premium Films / A Karé Production)
Tanghi Argentini – Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans (Premium Films / An Another Dimension of an Idea Production)
The Tonto Woman – Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown (A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production)
The Oscar nominations are announced later today (5.30am PST, 8.30am EST, 1.30pm GMT) and they can be real headache to predict.
There are usually front runners but each category nearly always has one or two slots that can be very hard to call (I’m still split on whether Atonement will make Best Picture or not).
With that in mind, here are my predictions for what will get nominated in the major categories:
BEST PICTURE
Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country Old Men, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, There Will Be Blood.
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Penn (Into the Wild); Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton); Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly); Joel Coen/Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men); Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney (Michael Clayton); Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood); Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street); Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises); Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild)
BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie (Away From Her); Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose); Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart); Ellen Page (Juno); Laura Linney (The Savages)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford); Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men); Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild); Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton); Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There); Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men); Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone); Saoirse Ronan (Atonement); Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Check back later when I post the full nominations as soon as they are announced.
> Official site for the Oscar Nominations
> Check out other predictions at In Contention and Awards Daily
Some eagle eyed people have noticed that the opening scene of I Am Legend – in which a scientist played by Emma Thompson declares there is a cure for cancer – has a visual reference to a game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.
After this weekend’s NFL play offs the Giants and Patriots will indeed be facing each other in the Super Bowl next month. Some comments over at Digg have correctly noted that the scene is set in 2009 but, despite being a year off, the coincidence is still a bit spooky.
UPDATE: On the subject of the Giants-Packers game it seems Eddie Murphy predicted it 20 years ago in Coming to America 😉
With Aliens vs Predator: Requiem now at cinema screens, I wondered what directors Ridley Scott (Alien) and James Cameron (Aliens) thought of these ill-concieved additions to the franchise?
Check out their views below:
Ridley Scott:
James Cameron:
U23D opens in the US on January 23rd and in the UK on February 22nd
Just found this photo on Flickr – I saw a similar warning to this at the Cloverfield screening I went to, but it was more about strobe effects.
Although the handheld, POV camerawork made me feel a little queasy in places, overall it wasn’t too bad.
Did anyone else find it sick inducing?
[Image originally uploaded by quietpopcorn]
Director Michel Gondry is editing the YouTube homepage from the Sundance Film Festival, where his new film Be Kind Rewind is showing.
It is not up to the very high standards of a film like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but is still a highly inventive and amusing comedy.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is the way in which the central premise of the film – two workers in a video store remake movies on the cheap – fits in with the rise of YouTube and the trend of mashups and home videos.
Here are some of Gondry’s picks:
Anxiety Attack – Jeffrey Lewis
MIT sketching
The Willowz – Take A Look Around
Chomsky dispels 9/11 conspiracies with sheer logic
I saw Cloverfield last night and remain convinced it is going to be a smash hit.
Not only has it been marketed with a brilliantly executed viral campaign, but it really does deliver the monster movie goods in a chilling and fresh way.
There are quite a few people who will be disappointed by it, for this is not exactly a revolutionary film, even if the technical approach is highly effective. But in the barren month of January, whilst discerning audiences eat up Oscar contenters, Cloverfield looks like being a huge hit with mainstream audiences.
The first major thing that struck me was that the handheld POV approach works very well indeed. Although at times it gets a little dizzying, the effect puts you right inside the terror of the main characters as they struggle to deal with a New York under siege from a huge, incomprehensible beast.
Mystery has been important to a lot of J.J. Abrams work, especially Lost, and this is no different. But what is clever about Cloverfield is how the marketing has served as a perfect appetiser for the final film. The mystery and blind panic of the trailer are present, but expanded into a gripping, nightmarish experience.
In fact, it goes beyond the usual horror movie cliches and – to some degree – takes a leaf out of the first two Alien movies in that fantasy is treated as reality. Whilst the monster is unreal, the fear, terror and sheer incomprehension it unleashes is all too believable.
Some audiences (especially New Yorkers) may find the 9/11 references too much, but in an age when audiences are turning away from high-minded films about the war on terror, how interesting that they will be flocking to a genre movie with such a contemporary subtext.
Cloverfield opens in the US today and in the UK on February 1st
> Director Matt Reeves discusses the film with LAist
> Official Cloverfield website
> That mysterious first trailer
> Find out more about the film at Wikipedia
This Slate mashup video comparing Tracy Flick from Election to Hilary Clinton is actually quite uncanny:
This week we review No Country For Old Men and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Listen to the reviews here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-01-18-92484.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
Here are the BAFTA nominations that were announced this morning:
Best Film
American Gangster
Atonement
The Lives of Others
No Country Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best British Film
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Scott
Control
Eastern Promises
This Is England
Leading Actor
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muehe – The Lives of Others
Leading Actress
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Keira Knightley – Atonement
Ellen Page – Juno
Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano – There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones – No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Kelly Macdonald – No Country for Old Men
Samantha Morton – Control
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
Director
Atonement – Joe Wright
The Bourne Ultimatum – Paul Greengrass
The Lives of Others – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
No Country For Old Men – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson
Original Screenplay
American Gangster – Steven Zaillian
Juno – Diablo Cody
The Lives of Others – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Michael Clayton – Tony Gilroy
This is England – Shane Meadows
Adapted Screenplay
Atonement – Christopher Hampton
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Ronald Harwood
The Kite Runner – David Benioff
No Country for Old Men – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson
Film not in the English language
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
La Vie En Rose
Animated Film
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie
The Carl Foreman award for special achievement by a british director, writer or producer for their first feature film
Chris Atkins (director/writer) – Taking Liberties
Mia Bays (producer) – Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Sarah Gavron (director) – Brick Lane
Matt Greenhalgh (writer) – Control
Andrew Piddington (director/writer) – The Killing of John Lennon
Music
American Gangster – Marc Streitenfeld
Atonement – Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner – Alberto Iglesias
There Will Be Blood – Jonny Greenwood
La Vie En Rose – Christopher Gunning
Cinematography
American gangster – Harris Savides
Atonement – Seamus McGarvey
The Bourne Ultimatum – Oliver Wood
No Country For Old Men – Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood – Robert Elswit
Editing
American Gangster – Pietro Scalia
Atonement – Paul Tothill
The Bourne Ultimatum – Christopher Rouse
Michael Clayton – John Gilroy
No Country For Old Men – Roderick Jaynes
Production Design
Atonement – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Guy Hendrix Dyas, Richard Roberts
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix – Stuart Craig, Stephanie McMillan
There Will Be Blood – Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson
La Vie En Rose – Olivier Raoux
Costume Design
Atonement – Jacqueline Durran
Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Alexandra Byrne
Lust, Caution – Pan Lai
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Colleen Atwood
La Vie En Rose – Marit Allen
Sound
Atonement – Danny Hambrook, Paul Hamblin, Catherine Hodgson
The Bourne Ultimatum – Kirk Francis, Scott Millan, Dave Parke, Karen Baker Landers, Per Hallberg
No Country For Old Men – Peter Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff
There Will Be Blood – Christopher Scarabosio, Matthew Wood, John Pritchett, Michael Semanick, Tom Johnson
La Vie En Rose – Laurent Zeilig, Pascal Villard, Jean-Paul Hurier, Marc Doisne
Special Visual Effects
The Bourne Ultimatum – Peter Chiang, Charlie Noble, Mattias Lindahl, Joss Williams
The Golden Compass – Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, Trevor Woods
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Emma Norton, Chris Shaw
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End – John Knoll, Charles Gibson, Hal Hickel, John Frazier
Spider-Man 3 – Scott Stokdyk, Peter Nofz, Kee-Suk Ken Hahn, Spencer Cook
Make-up and Hair
Atonement – Ivana Primorac
Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Jenny Shircore
Hairspray – nominees to be confirmed
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Ivana Primorac
La Vie En Rose – Jan Archibald, Didier Lavergne
Short Animation
The Pearce Sisters – Jo Allen, Luis Cook
Head Over Heels – Osbert Parker, Fiona Pitkin, Ian Gouldstone
The Crumblegiant – Pearse Moore, John McCloskey
Short Film
Dog Altogether – Diarmid Scrimshaw, Paddy Considine
Hesitation – Julien Berlan, Michelle Eastwood, Virginia Gilbert
The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island – Charlie Henderson, James Griffiths, Tim Key, Tom Basden
Soft – Jane Hooks, Simon Ellis
The Stronger – Dan McCulloch, Lia Williams, Frank McGuinness
The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Shia LaBeouf
Sienna Miller
Ellen Page
Sam Riley
Tang Wei
The awards will be held on 10th February at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
With Warner Bros going exclusively to the Blu-ray DVD camp and the end of the format war in sight, someone has re-subtitled a key scene in Downfall and created a very funny video.
The premise is that Hitler (played by Bruno Ganz) was rooting for HD-DVD to come out on top:
[Link via Digg]
Check out the first 5 minutes of of the new horror film Teeth:
The film opens in the US on limited release this Friday but it is yet to get a UK release date.
> Official site for Teeth
> Cinematical’s Scott Weinberg reviews the film at Sundance last year
Because of the WGA Strike this year’s Golden Globe ceremony was a press conference rather than a star studded TV event.
The big story of the night is Atonement winning Best Picture in the drama category and Julian Schnabel winning for The Diving Bell & the Butterfly.
However, given that the Globes are always distorted by the split between drama and comedy/musicals I wouldn’t read a massive amount into the winners. However, it could possibly point to a more even spread of winners in the major categories.
Here are the winners in full:
FILM
Best Motion Picture, Drama: Atonement
Best Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress, Drama: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy: Sweeney Todd
Best Actor, Comedy Or Musical: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Actress, Comedy Or Musical: Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Best Director: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Best Foreign Language Picture: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, (France/USA)
Best Screenplay: Joel And Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Best Animated Feature Film: Ratatouille
Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Best Song: “Guaranteed”, Into The Wild
TELEVISION
Best Dramatic TV Series: Mad Men
Best Actor, TV Drama: Jon Hamm, Mad Men,
Best Actress, TV Drama: Glenn Close, Damages
Best TV Series, Musical Or Comedy: Extras
Best Actor, TV Musical Or Comedy: David Duchovny, Californication
Best Actress, TV Musical Or Comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For TV: Longford
Best Actress, In A Miniseries Or A Motion Picture Made For TV: Queen Latifah, Life Support
Best Actor, In A Miniseries Or A Motion Picture Made For Television: Jim Broadbent, Longford
Best Supporting Actress, In A Series, Miniseries Or Motion Picture Made For TV: Samantha Morton, Longford
Best Supporting Actor, In A Series, Miniseries Or Motion Picture Made For Television: Jeremy Piven, Entourage
> Official site of the Golden Globes
> BBC News explain the WGA strike and report on the cancelled TV ceremony
The Coen Brothers have returned with No Country for Old Men – an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel and now the most critically acclaimed film of the year.
Set in West Texas it is the story of a hunter named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who stumbles across a suitcase of cash after a drug deal gone wrong.
He is then pursued by a ruthless hitman (Javier Bardem) whilst a local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to keep up with them.
Kelly Macdonald plays Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean, who is also forced into hiding whilst her husband is on the run.
I spoke to her recently about the film, how she got cast, what it is like working with the Coens and the performances of her fellow actors in the film.
Listen to the interview here:
[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Kelly_McDonald_on_No_Country_For_Old_Men.mp3]To download this as a podcast via iTunes just click the image below:
No Country for Old Men is out in UK cinemas on Jan 18th
> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> Kelly Macdonald at the IMDb
> Official website for No Country for Old Men
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
