The 80th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Picturehouse, DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Miramax, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Warner Independant Films, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Independent, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Awards, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Lists

The nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced bright and early Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  Assuming the ceremony goes on as scheduled, you can see the live broadcast Sunday, February 24th on ABC.

Notable additions/omissions from today’s announcement:

• Based on the major categories alone, it looks like Michael Clayton may be the frontrunner.  It received six nominations.
• Aside from one nod each in the Best Supporting Actor category, both Into the Wild and Charlie Wilson’s War were virtually shut out from the top prizes.
• Sweeney Todd - winner for Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes - was shut out for Best Picture.  Johnny Depp’s nom was the only major accolade for the film.
• A much-deserving Amy Adams did not receive a nom nor did her film, Enchanted.
• Atonement - the movie with the most nominations at the Globes - only received 3 in the major areas.  The two main stars (Knightley, McAvoy) were also shut out.
• Cate Blanchett earned two nominations this year (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
• Angelina Jolie was not recognized for her heartbreaking performance in A Mighty Heart.
• And last but not least, great news for (my personal) standouts this year: Ellen Page (Juno), Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) and screenwriter Sarah Polley (Away From Her).

Click to continue reading The 80th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Read More | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Review: Lars and the Real Girl

Posted by Neil Estep
Categories: MGM, Drama, Independent, Romance, New Releases, Upcoming Releases, Theatrical Reviews

Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is a shy but amiable man yearning for love in a world he has trouble confronting. When he finds the woman of his dreams on the Internet, Lars emerges from his funk and proceeds to introduce his new girlfriend to friends and family. There’s only one problem: His new sweetheart is a life-size, anatomically accurate sex doll, and Lars has convinced himself she’s real. With love and concern, family, friends and other locals resolve to play along while Lars undergoes surreptitious mental evaluations.

In August, I made a prediction about an upcoming film called Lars and the Real Girl. The educated guess was part of a sporadically written column I write called The Preview Review, where I watch new trailers, look at who’s involved and try to speculate as to the film’s commercial and critical success.  Here’s what I had to say about Lars:

Prediction: Lars and the Real Girl will be a simple story with deep, complex characters, awkward comedy, and unconditional familial support.  It will be on par with the fantastic Little Miss Sunshine, but with one great bonus—Ryan Gosling.

Well, I was largely correct in my assertion—not too impressive, admittedly—but I did walk out of the theater with some caveats.  Read the full review after the jump.

Click to continue reading Review: Lars and the Real Girl

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

The Preview Review: Be Kind Rewind, Lars and the Real Girl, Good Luck Chuck

Posted by Neil Estep
Categories: FOCUS, MGM, Lionsgate, New Line, Drama, Independent, Satire, Comedy, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

Welcome to an exciting August edition of The Preview Review, where the newest trailers get a second glance.

This time, we turn a scrutinizing eye on three upcoming films about bumbling, unlucky men struggling to overcome ineptitude and find happiness, fall in love, or replace hundreds of erased VHS tapes with homemade film homages.  I’ll explain after the jump.

Click to continue reading The Preview Review: Be Kind Rewind, Lars and the Real Girl, Good Luck Chuck

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story