2008 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 Click to continue reading 2008 Academy Award Nominations
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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2008 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations (Film)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, FOCUS, Fox Searchlight, Miramax, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Musicals, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
Thanks to an interim waiver granted by the WGA, the 14th Annual SAG Awards telecast will air as scheduled on Sunday, January 27. Since plans for the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards are still up in the air, this could be TNT’s most viewed awards show in quite some time.
This year’s film nominees are:
OUTSTANDING LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE
- George Clooney, Michael Clayton
- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
- Ryan Gosling, Lars And The Real Girl
- Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild
- Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
OUTSTANDING LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
- Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Julie Christie, Away From Her
- Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
- Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
- Ellen Page, Juno
Click to continue reading 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations (Film)
Screen Actors Guild
2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
Assuming the ongoing writers’ strike doesn’t put a wrench into everyone’s plans, the 65th Annual Golden Globes ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Jan. 13th. (The NBC telecast will come just 9 days prior to the Academy Award nominations.)
Here are the most notable omissions/additions in this year’s list of film honorees:
- Atonement led the nominations with seven; Charlie Wilson’s War came in second with five.
- Musicals (Sweeney Todd, Across the Universe, Hairspray) dominated the Comedy/Musical category.
- Cate Blanchett received two acting nominations (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
- Philip Seymour Hoffman was also a double-nominee (The Savages, Charlie Wilson’s War)
- Hoffman’s Savages co-star, Laura Linney, was not nominated for her performance.
- The Kite Runner was nominated in the Foreign Film category.
- Javier Bardem was the only actor nominated from No Country for Old Men.
- Into the Wild was left out of all major categories.
(Click below for the full list of film nominees; click here for the TV nominations.)
Click to continue reading 2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
New York Film Critics Choose ‘No Country’

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Miramax, Animation, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
On Monday, the New York Film Critics Circle revealed their 2007 film award winners. This announcement comes shortly after the National Board of Review (NBR) and the Los Angeles Film Critics (LAFCA) revealed their honorees. Although the Golden Globe nominations are still two days away, certain trends have already started to emerge from just these three lists.
The 2007 NYFCC winners:
- Best Picture: No Country for Old Men*
- Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
- Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis**, There Will Be Blood
- Best Actress: Julie Christie*, Away from Her
- Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan***, Gone Baby Gone
- Best Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen*, No Country for Old Men
- Best Animated Film: Persepolis**
- Best Foreign Film: The Lives of Others
- Best Documentary: No End in Sight**
*also the NBR winner
**also the LAFCA winner
***both the NBR and LAFCA winner
New York Film Critics Circle
Los Angeles Film Critics Favor ‘There Will Be Blood’

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories:
An adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel, Oil!, was just selected Best Picture of the Year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. There Will Be Blood, which opens in theaters December 26, stars Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) as an oil tycoon in the early 1900’s. Blood won four honors overall including Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Actor (Lewis) and Best Production Design. Just earlier this week, the National Board of Review gave its top prize to No Country for Old Men.
The New York Film Critics Circle is expected to announce its picks later today while the Golden Globe nominations come out this Thursday.
Click to continue reading Los Angeles Film Critics Favor ‘There Will Be Blood’
Los Angeles Film Critics Assocation
‘No Country for Old Men’ Earns Big Honor

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Miramax, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
Although there’s a large slate of movies yet to be released, the National Board of Review kicked off awards season this week with its list of honorees. Joel and Ethan Coen’s film, No Country for Old Men, walked away with NBR’s prize for Best Film along with two other categories.
The NBR is not necessarily known for predicting Oscar success. Nevertheless, the group consisting of educators, historians and film industry professionals did select Forrest Whitaker and Helen Mirren as its winners last year.
Here’s a list of the 2007 NBR honorees. Even if you can’t use these selections in your Academy Awards betting pool, you now know which films you should become familiar with:
- Best Film: No Country for Old Men
- Best Director: Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
- Best Directorial Debut: Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
- Best Actor: George Clooney, Michael Clayton
- Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away from Her (Read the FilmCrunch review here.)
- Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Gone Baby Gone
Click to continue reading ‘No Country for Old Men’ Earns Big Honor
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
Box Office Breakdown: A Gangbusters Weekend for Washington, Crowe

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Miramax, Lionsgate, New Line, Sony, Touchstone, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,

Combine Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington’s star-wattage and you’re bound to get a hit. But did anyone expect a $43 million debut for American Gangster? Why did these Oscar-winners do so well when others have only done okay? How did an R-rated film beat out an animated PG flick? Why didn’t the movie’s long running-time (157 minutes) turn people away?
Gangster’s #1 spot was just one of the film’s many weekend achievements. The movie also marked the biggest opening weekend for both lead actors (Russell’s Gladiator earned $35 million; Washington’s Inside Man grossed $29 million). It also had the 2nd best debut for a drama in November (right behind 2002’s 8 Mile).
Unfortunately, all this good news was lost on comedian Jerry Seinfeld—the hardest working self-promoter of 2007. Even though NBC spent countless hours of airtime sucking up to its former Golden Boy, Seinfeld’s Bee Movie was stung with a 2nd place finish. Although $38 million take is nothing to complain about, I expect next week’s Fred Claus will slide right in to become the week’s best-grossing comedy.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: A Gangbusters Weekend for Washington, Crowe
Box Office Breakdown: Saw Slices Its Way to #1

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, Lionsgate, Sony, Touchstone, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,

This weekend’s success of Saw IV proved that ‘torture porn’ is very much alive and well…at least right before All Hallows Eve. (Apparently originality is not a prerequisite when you’re in the haunting mood.) The horror series, which took in $55 million domestically when it debuted in 2004, bloodied the competition with its recent $31 million take. It will now likely hit the $80 million mark the last two installments surpassed.
Although Dan in Real Life, lagged behind with only $11 million, the film at least managed to place second. Hopefully Dan will have legs in the weeks to come; it’s a nice counter-programming option for those desperately seeking romance on their date nights. Those hunting for acceptable kids fare may have it a bit harder though—- which probably explains why The Game Plan has remained firmly planted in the Top Five.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Saw Slices Its Way to #1
Box Office Breakdown: 30 Days of Night Sucks Up the Competition

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Touchstone, Warner Bros, Animation, Drama, Horror, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,

I never thought I would ever find myself writing this: ‘A Josh Hartnett-led film has opened at #1.’ Of course, he did have a little help from a vampire or two..
The horror film, 30 Days of Night, had an impressive debut for what was actually an unimpressive weekend. With only $16 million, the Alaskan-set vampire flick beat out a host of movies filled with Oscar-nominated stars. Ben Affleck’s well-reviewed directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, opened up in 6th place. Rendition, starring are-they-or-aren’t-they-dating Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, barely cracked the Top Ten. Meanwhile, Things We Lost in the Fire placed a dismal 15th despite the presence of Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro (and promotion on Oprah).
The success of 30 Days and the surprise return of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas - which placed 8th even though it was only in 564 theaters - clearly spells out the audience’s need for some Halloween fare. This bodes well for the release of Saw IV which opens next weekend. (Yay!)
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: 30 Days of Night Sucks Up the Competition
In Theaters this Weekend (10/19)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, FOCUS, Miramax, New Line, Sony, Drama, Horror, Independent, Political, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- 30 Days of Night (R): starring Josh Hartnett, Melissa George (directed by David Slade)
- The Comebacks (PG-13): starring David Koechner, Carl Weathers (directed by Tom Brady)
- Gone Baby Gone (R): starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman (directed by Ben Affleck)
- Lars and the Real Girl (PG-13): starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer (directed by Craig Gillespie). Read the FilmCrunch review here.
- Rendition (R): starring Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep (directed by Gavin Hood)
- Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour (PG): starring Rissa Walters, Brian Comrie (directed by Lisa Comrie)
Click to continue reading In Theaters this Weekend (10/19)
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