The Secret of Kells (that mysterious Best Animated Feature nominee) gets a Poster

Thoughts?

Join the Awards Circuit Oscar Pool...

...over at AwardsPicks.com

Phil Wallace has set up a wonderful Oscar pool where we can weigh each category and have at for a great Oscar ceremony. Click the link on the bottom to register and join The Awards Circuit Website Group.

http://www.awardspicks.com/game/the-awards-circuit-website-2010-academy-awards-game/show

Winner of this year's awards (non-staff Member because we will be involved as well) will win a prize. Join now and the weight of each category will be revealed tomorrow.

Also, check out the Final Oscar Predictions on the Main Site. Make sure to refresh the page, as some have been having trouble seeing the updates.

Apparently Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. were offered the job of hosting the Oscars...

...but they turned it down, going by this story here.
-Is it just me or are Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic (the producers of the Oscars this year) thinking just a bit more outside of the box than they necessarily should?

Today's News: Bacall, Calley, Corman and Willis to receive Honorary Oscars, Ellen Page teams up with a Juno co-star on a superhero comedy, and more...

In the news:

The AMPAS announced that Lauren Bacall, John Calley, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis will receive the Academy's Governors Awards.

It seems that Ellen Page will be co-starring with her Juno alumni Rainn Wilson, along with Liv Tyler, in a superhero comedy to be written and directed by James Gunn.

The Coen Brothers may have gotten Jeff Bridges to take the lead role in their remake of 'True Grit', playing the role that once won John Wayne an Oscar.

The sequel to 'Hancock' is moving forward with all the principle cast members back, along with Peter Berg directing again.

Finally, the film 'Couples Retreat' won a ratings appeal to be rated PG-13 instead of R, a rare occurrence for any non Kevin Smith movie.

-Thoughts?

3 Clips From Inglorious Basterds

Your pick for the best moment of the night...

I'm sure they'll be plenty of different ones, but I found the most lasting moment of the night to be Dustin Lance Black's speech that he gave after winning Best Original Screenplay for Milk.

Here's the speech:

-What was your favorite moment of the night? (Personally, I missed out on what I expected to be a standing O for Mickey Rourke and his acceptance speech, but it is what it is)

81st Annual Academy Award Winners (as they're announced)

Here they are:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Language Film: Departures

Best Original Song: Slumdog Millionaire, "Jai Ho"

Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Documentary, Short Subject: Smile Pinki

Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland

Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Costume Design: The Duchess

Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Animated Feature (Short): La Maison en Petits Cubes

Best Animated Feature: WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis

Mere hours left!

Is everyone excited? Look out for our coverage of the event as only we can do it.....enjoy your Oscar parties and cross your fingers for a great show!

The big day is here!

It's Oscar night...any final thoughts on the year that was? We'll be getting up our final predictions and preparing to cover the event as best we can, but feel free to use this post as a forum for your Academy hopes, dreams, and fears....have at it!

The Brothers Weinstein start the push for The Reader

They're certainly in it to win it, you have to say that...

Promo Pic for Hugh "The Host" Jackman

Here's hoping he's a memorable host...

A Whole Bunch of Underrated DVD's out this week!

Indeed, many of the releases this week were regarded somewhat harsher than you'd think upon their theatrical debuts. Granted, none of these films are perfect, but two in particular were strangely given the shaft, at least in my eyes. One is my PICK OF THE WEEK, and it's a rather divisive film. It's:

W.

Oliver Stone's look at a life "misunderestimated" is definitely not what you'd expect from a George W. Bush biopic. At its heart it's more about a man with daddy issues and modest aspirations that seemed to fail upwards almost by accident in an ever ongoing attempt to please his father, who seemed to only have eyes for his brother. Even if you disagree with Stone's approach (either too soft for you liberals or too harsh for you right wingers), it's worth a view for Elizabeth Bank's very nice role as Laura Bush and Josh Brolin's fantastic work as the President himself. It's more than a mimic job, it's a true acting job.

-The other film that was not given its due among this week's releases is Blindness. Greeted harshly at Cannes, this film about an epidemic of, well...blindness, never recovered from the beating it took in France. It's a pity because it's actually a very interesting film about the breakdown in society. Its execution may not be perfect, but strong performances from Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo more than make up for it.

-Also out we have Spike Lee's World War II film Miracle at St. Anna, which is, like many WW2 films, too long and like many Lee films, somewhat unfocused. That being said, it's not a bad film by any stretch and worth a look if you think it's something you'd enjoy. There's Bruce Campbell's self referential My Name is Bruce, which is mildly amusing but ultimately less than you'd hope for, Soul Men, which isn't very good at all, but in respect for the late Bernie Mac, I'll pass up a chance at a scathing write-up of it, the romantic flick Nights in Rodanthe, which unfortunately feels like it lasts much more than a handful of nights, and last but not least, the small film Frozen River, which garnered two Oscar nominations. I didn't care much for the film or writer/director Courtney Hunt's script (which somehow got nominated), but Melissa Leo's nominated lead role is among the best work by any actor or actress this year. It's worth seeing if you're interested in seeing all the nominated works of 2008.

-My Vintage pick is a film with a typical Adam Sandler character in it. Thing is, it's not a typical Sandler movie. It's Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love. Essentially a stock Sandler character doing stock Sandler things, just with the laugh track muted. What you end up with is a fascinating look at self destructive behavior, a new degree of appreciation for Sandler's acting skills (see Reign Over Me as well for further proof that one day you very well might hear "Academy Award Nominee" Adam Sandler in an ad), and a larger revelry for the talent that is P.T. Anderson. Definitely something to watch if you've never seen it or to revisit if you have.

-What will everyone be watching this week?

The Oscar Countdown Starts...on TCM

Everyone else is posting this ad, and I like it as well, so I will too:

-A nice diversion till the big night...

It's Officially Nomination Morning!

Just a few more hours to go...

-As soon as the announcement is made, I'll be here to cover it, so stay tuned!

This Time Tomorrow...

We will finally know the nominees. Take this opportunity to have one final open discussion about who should get nominated, who shouldn't, what out of nowhere nomination might we see, what film will get the most nods, predictions in each category, etc. There's no limit, so go wild! At 5:30 in the morning Hollywood time (so 8:30 for those of us who, like me, live in New York or on the east coast) the suspense will be all over. Have at it!

Jerry Lewis to receive Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Beverly Hills, CA — Actor, director, writer and producer Jerry Lewis has been voted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy President Sid Ganis announced today. The award, an Oscar® statuette, will be presented to Lewis during the 81st Academy Awards ceremony on February 22, 2009.

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.

“Jerry is a legendary comedian who has not only brought laughter to millions around the world,” said Ganis, “but has also helped thousands upon thousands by raising funds and awareness for those suffering from muscular dystrophy.”

Hugh Jackman to HOST Oscars

AMPAS reports:

Beverly Hills, CA –– Hugh Jackman will host the 81st Academy Awards® telecast, producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon announced today. This will be Jackman’s first time center stage at the Oscar show, although he has previously been a presenter.
“Hugh Jackman is a consummate entertainer and an internationally renowned movie star,” said Mark and Condon in a joint statement. “He also has style, elegance and a sense of occasion. Hugh is the ideal choice to host a celebration of the year’s movies – and to have fun doing it.”

Help! Revolutionary Road Screening Q and A.

I bring this news to you with great joy and despair.

Sam Mendes will be fielding questions at the upcoming Revolutionary Road screening in NYC. I won't be there because of finals, but more importantly because I am 500 miles away. However, I have a very reliable informant who will be there. He asked me to compile a list of questions to prepare for the event. Since all of my questions involve Kate Winslett, I thought it would make sense to seek help from you.

Do you have any questions about the film or Mendes that might be worth asking?

Slumdog takes top honors in DC

So far, it looks like the critics love Slumdog. WAFCA honored Slumdog with top honors this year. Take a look below:

Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire/Fox Searchlight

Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt)

Best Ensemble: Doubt/Miramax

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)

Best Breakthrough Performance: Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)

Best Animated Feature: Wall∙E /Disney & PixarBest

Foreign Language Film: Let The Right One In/Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing

Best Documentary: Man On Wire/Magnolia

Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button/Paramount

Slumdog hasn't pulled away just yet, but this is a great start. We'll see what happens in the future, but I get the feeling that a lot of people might start shifting their belief away from Curious Case as the front runner. This is shaping up to be tight race. Get excited!

Initial thoughts on 'Milk'

I haven't seem 'Slumdog' yet, so its tough to say that Milk is the unequivocal frontrunner. However, it will certainly get nominated for best pic. Milk is nothing short of brilliant. From directing to acting, Milk is phenomenal. In terms of acting, I know Brolin and Penn will get a lot of attention for their performances, but I would love for Emile Hirsch to get some love. He was spectacular. I don't want to reveal too much about the movie, but if you get a chance to see it, do so! It's really relevant these days, and will give an adequate historical context to the gay rights (and human rights) movement. Also, I recommend watching the documentary, The Times of Harvey. I can't stress how much more you will appreciate the film if you see some of the actual footage of Harvey Milk's life. You really see that Penn went the extra mile to play Harvey to pefection. So, if you can't catch the movie anytime soon, watch the doc to get ready for the film.