Came across this delightful new short film "Super Powers" that premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The film went on to win the Special Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short. It is directed by J. Mitchell Anderson and Jeremy Kipp Walker.
Being a Greek/Sparta history enthusiast and a fan of Frank Miller, I'm seeing the adapted film about the 300 Spartans who battle the legions of the Persians. '300' is directed by Zack Snyder.
We are mere minutes from the red carpet parade at the Oscars. Before the event starts, I wanted to quickly record my predictions. Go Scorsese! Three cheers for The Departed!
Best Picture:Babel Who I would vote for: The Departed
Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed Who I would vote for: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Animated Feature:Happy Feet Who I would vote for: Happy Feet
Foreign-Language Film:Pan's Labyrinth (Spain) Who I would vote for: Pan's Labyrinth
Documentary Feature:An Inconvenient Truth Who I would vote for: An Inconvenient Truth
Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland Who I would vote for: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen Who I would vote for: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls. Who I would vote for: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls.
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls. Who I would vote for: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls.
Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine Who I would vote for: Guillermo del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth
Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan, The Departed Who I would vote for: William Monahan, The Departed
Cinematography:Children of Men Who I would vote for: Children of Men
Art Direction:Dreamgirls. Who I would vote for: Dreamgirls.
Costume Design:Dreamgirls. Who I would vote for:
Music - Original Score:The Queen Who I would vote for: Babel
Music - Original Song: "Listen," from Dreamgirls
Who I would vote for: "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth
Film Editing: Babel Who I would vote for: Pan's Labyrinth
Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth Who I would vote for: Pan's Labyrinth
Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls. Who I would vote for: Flags of Our Fathers
Sound Editing: Letters From Iwo Jima Who I would vote for: Letters From Iwo Jima
Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Who I would vote for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
If there is a must see film before the Oscars this Sunday, it is Pans Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo Del Toro. The film is about a young girl who is forced to go with her mother to live with her mom's new husband in the mountains. Her new father, a general for Spain's fascist regime (1944, during Franco's rule) is stationed in the mountains to fight the separtists. To cope with the general's sadistic nature and the horrors of war, she escapes into a fanatasy world. This is a truly spectacular film, though violent and heartbreaking. Pans Labyrinth is nominated for Best Foreign Film.
I've also enjoyed re-watching Sophie's Choice, the 25th Anniversary Edition of Reds, and Children Of Men.
Tomorrow, the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture, Babel, comes out on DVD. If he have not yet seen this, pick it up and watch it. Another amazing film.
Last year, the French documentary March of the Penguins (Marche de l'empereur, La) about the lives and survival of a large colony of emperor penguins during one-full cycle of Antartica’s ruthless season captured our hearts. I listed it as 2005's fifth best family film.
This year, I'm giving the honor to the animated motion picture Happy Feet, a story about young penguin named Mumble Happy Feet who is cast out of his colony because he dances. As a young penguin, he learned he couldn't sing, which every penguin considered the heart song. The "heart song" not only was the vehicle that draws couples together to mate, but it is the method of how the penguins distinguish themselves one from the other. This is especially valuable when the female penguins return to the herd after they have been away for the winter, their call is how their mates find them and re-join with them. The "heart song" is also the vocal signature that helps newly-born penguins know their parents.
In a year full of entertaining animated films such as the classic Cars, and Ice Age 2, Monster House, Open Season, Hoodwinked, and Over the Hedge, Happy Feet, from DreamWorks, rises above them all. From a clever and environmentally-friendly script, beautiful animation, and musical numbers and dancing that literally get you dancing in your seats, Happy Feet shines and inspires. It not only gets my nod for best animated film of the year but the best of family fare as well.
Commonality. Inclusiveness. And a primary message that our differences shouldn’t cause fear, division, or give us the right to demean, oppress, hate, and abuse. That's what lies behind this film with heart. And that, my friend, is timeless.
Highlight: The musical-like feel of Happy Feet is electrifying, combining soulful renditions of "Kiss," "Heartbreak Hotel," and the disco classic "Boogie Wonderland," into exceptional interludes between the action sequences.
Here is a list of my favorite family films of the year. (Reviews for these films forthcoming, when and if I get some time to write them.)
1. Happy Feet
2. Cars
3. Pirates of the Caribbean 2
4. Akeela and the Bee
5. Monster House
6. Flushed Away
7. Eight Below
8. Hoodwinked
9. Over the Hedge
10. Nanny McPhee
Note of regret: As of this writing, I have not yet seen "The Pursuit of Happyness" or "Charlotte's Web", but from everything I have heard about thier uplifting themes and pro-family message, I know I would have thrown them in my top ten films for family.
Honorable Mentions
Alex Rider (Stormbreaker), Nacho Libre, Night at the Museum, and Invincible.
There were three films in this list I had not seen, though I know everything about them--Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" (screenplay by the two-time Oscar winner Waldo Salt), and Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem of a Dream."
I was very surprised at the lack of foreign films on this list. A true movie buff ventures into this most enriching of territories. Anyway, I digress. Now that these films have kept me from reaching that 100% mark, their being placed on my que.
Tonight, while I recuperate from two, one more than was scheduled, x-ray driven lumbar epidural injections into two bulging disks in my lower back, I am watching the re-release of Warren Beatty's "Reds," starring Diane Keaten and Warren Beatty.
Your Movie Buff Quotient: 88%
You are a movie buff of the most obsessive variety. If a movie exists, chances are that you've seen it. You're an expert on movie facts and trivia. It's hard to stump you with a question about film.
The Directors Guild of America has named Martin Scorsese Best Director for his Boston gangster movie, The Departed. This award marks the first time he has been recognized in the category in more than 40 years in the business. This recognition is significant because it also closely mirrors the results of the Oscars, as has been evidenced over the years.
Sure, 2006 had Johnny Depp reprising his role as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the much touted and beloved film series Pirates of the Caribbean 2. (It set the opening weekend record at $135 million, that’s $20 million more than what Spidey took in.) But for all of the hype going into the year with this film and The Da Vinci Code, 2006 ended up being a sub-par year for ticket sales, quite comparable to 2005. Only eighteen films crossed the $100 million milestone in box office booty this year. That falls behind 2005 by one film and a whopping 6 films in 2004, which saw 24 films cross the $100 million mark.
Notice the declining numbers of films since 1999 that are crossing the $100 million mark. And it causes one to pause and ask if our blockbusters (as those are the money-makers) aren’t as good as they used to be. I’ll have to see if I can track numbers further back, to see if there is indeed a trend or its evidence of a roller coaster syndrome.
1999 = 21 films -- the top grosser was The Phantom Menace ($431.09 m) 2000 = 22 films – the top grosser was The Grinch ($260.03 m) 2001 = 20 films – the top grosser was Harry Potter ($317.58 m) 2002 = 24 films – the top grosser was Spider-Man ($405.85 m) 2003 = 29 films – the top grosser was The Return of the King ($377.02 m) 2004 = 24 films – the top grosser was Shrek 2 ($436.47 m) 2005 = 19 films – the top grosser was Revenge of the Sith ($380.26 m) 2006 = 18 films – the top grosser was Pirates of the Caribbean 2 ($423 million)
Here are the eighteen films that pulled in the most business for 2006.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 ($423 million) (Record-breaking opening weekend at $135 million) 2. Cars ($244.05 m) 3. X-Men: The Last Stand ($234.36 m) 4. The Da Vinci Code ($217.54 m ) 5. Night at the Museum ($216.85 m) 6. Superman Returns ($200.07 m ) 7. Ice Age: The Meltdown ($195.33 m) 8. Happy Feet ($191.93 m ) 9. Casino Royale ($165.32 m) 10. Over the Hedge ($155.02 m) 11. The Pursuit of Happyness ($152.93 m) 12. Talladega Nights ($148.21 m ) 13. Click ($137.34 m ) 14. Mission: Impossible III ($133.38 m) 15. Borat ($127.83 m) 16. The Departed ($125.24 m) 17. The Devil Wears Prada ($124.74 m) 18. The Break-Up ($118.68 m )
This has been a pitiful month for posting, thanks to one whole week of being in Vegas working at the International CES show. (And I only had the opportunity of spending two hours walking around the main show room floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center, so I did get to see some amazingly expensive booths from the major companies such as Sony, Microsoft, Panasonic, etc.)
I've wanted to post about the Golden Globes. I was excited for Babel but was rooting for Scorsese's The Departed. I've wanted to post about the Oscar nominations, which I was sorely disappointed in -- again due to the fact that The Departed wasn't recognized more than it was. The Screen Actors Guild and Producer's Award wins for the film Little Miss Sunshine suddenly make it the little film with the most momentum.
Lastly, I started writing about the Sundance Film Festival, with links to photos of the stars and links to the top stories and films premiering there. But alas, I've been too busy and the film festival is over.
The film awards are already upon us. This past week and weekend, four film associations released their end of year awards and/or nominations: Independent Film (Spirit Awards), LA Film Critics, New York Film Critics, and the National Board of Review. For this post, I want to highlight the awards by the National Board of Review.
The National Board of Review, the first film awards of the year, awarded The Departed the Best Director (Martin Scorsese) and Best Ensemble Cast awards. However, Clint Eastwood’s film, not yet released, Letters from Iwo Jima, won for Best Picture.
Cars won Best Animated Film.
Vovler, starring Penelope Cruz, won Best Foreign Film.
An Inconvenient Truth won Best Documentary.
The National Board of Review also list their best ten films of the year. Other than Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, the shortlisted films are:
Babel Blood Diamond The Departed The Devil Wears Prada Flags Of Our Fathers The History Boys Little Miss Sunshine Notes On A Scandal The Painted Veil
Can you believe it is award season already? Where did 2006 go? Today, the Independent Film association announced the nominations for the Spirit Awards, the awards that highlight independent films, of course. Last year’s list looked more like the Oscar list. This year is ripe with films I have not even heard of, unfortunately. I'll just have to add these films to my cue of films online.
The most nominated film was Half Nelson, the story of the high school teacher struggling with drug addiction. It’s nominated for six awards, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, Best Actor (Ryan Gossling,The Notebook) , Best Actress (Shareeka Epps), and Special Axium Producer’s Award.
The second most nominated film is the more popular one--the quirky summer surprise Little Miss Sunshine, garnering five nominations: Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, and two nods in the Best Supporting Actor category for Alan Arkin and Paul Dano.
Most noteworthy nomination: Robert Altman was nominated for his wonderful film A Prairie Home Companion.
Here are the list of the big nominations:
BEST FEATURE
American Gun The Dead Girl Half Nelson Little Miss Sunshine Pan’s Labyrinth
BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman, A Prairie Home Companion Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson Karen Moncrieff, The Dead Girl Steven Soderbergh, Bubble
BEST SCREENPLAY
Neil Burger, The Illusionist Nicole Holofcener, Friends with Money Ron Nyswaner, The Painted Veil Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking Jeff Stanzler, Sorry, Haters
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson Goran Dukic, Wristcutters: A Love Story Dito Montiel, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Gabrielle Zevin, Conversations with Other Women
Took the family to Happy Feet at the IMAX theater.
Everything about this film is amazing – the story, dialogue, clever adaptation of old songs into the storyline, and beautiful, awe-inspiring animation. In a year full of a lot of entertaining animated films such as Ice Age 2, Monster House, Cars, Open Season, Barnyard, Hoodwinked, Over the Hedge, this DreamWorks film rises above them all. This is the best animated film of the year.
Yes. Happy Feet is another penguin movie. Last year’s award-winning March of the Penguins introduced the world to these amazing Emperor Penguins in a story of survival against all odds in an unforgiving Antarctic landscape. It became one of the top grossing films at the box office and on video. Happy Feet capitalizes on this interest and runs with it, creating another delightful story. It is another classic.
Highlight: The musical-like feel of Happy Feet is electrifying, combining soulful renditions of "Kiss," "Heartbreak Hotel," and the disco classic "Boogie Wonderland," into exceptional interludes between the action sequences. We purchased the CD because the music was so good.
Okay movie lovers, here are the films that showed up at my house today:
David Mamet's latest film Edmond (2005), starring William H. Macy, Mena Suvari, Bokeem Woodbine, and Julia Stiles. Mamet directed or wrote these great films: Spartan, Heist, Hannibal, State and Main, Ronin, and Wag the Dog, to name a few.
Robert Altmann's A Prairie Home Companion, starring Garrison Keiller, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, Maya Rudolph, and Lindsey Lohan.
Michael Haneke's Cache (Hidden) (2005) (France) was recognized by both the Chicago Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Associations as the best foreign film of 2005. It is a story about a couple who are terrorized from threatening videotapes that begin showing up on their doorstep.
Here is a foreign film garnering a lot of international acclaim and buzz: Volver, from the award-winning Pedro Almodóvar, who directed the Oscar winning film Talk To Her (2003) and the acclaimed films All About My Mother (1999) and Bad Education (2005). Volver was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes this year; he was recognized for the best screenplay.
The plot does sound very intriguing. According to IMDB, Volver is about a mother (Maura) who returns to her home town after her death in order to fix the situations she couldn't resolve during her life. Her ghost slowly becomes a comfort to her daughters (Cruz, Dueñas), as well as her grandchild (Cobo).
Volver opens in select theaters nationwide this weekend. Here is the trailer:
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