AFI FEST 2009: A SINGLE MAN, THE SINGULARITY

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore in A Single Man (top); Steve Evets, Eric Cantona in Looking for Eric (bottom)

AFI FEST 2009 highlights on Thursday, Nov. 5:

Robert Barry Ptolemy’s The Singularity sounds fascinating: Futurist Ray Kurzweil discusses the just-around-the-corner impact of human technology, which has been growing exponentially. Imagine a world without death, hunger, disease. (Well, I’m assuming all those great things will happen if humans don’t self-destruct first. After all, all lab studies indicate that human imbecility is growing even faster than the species’ technological advances — talk about a scientific paradox; someone should come up with a documentary about that.)
Directed by Tom Ford, A Single Man stars Venice 2009 winner Colin Firth, who’ll quite likely receive an Oscar nod come [...]

Colin Firth to Be Honored in Santa Barbara

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore in A Single Man

Colin Firth, the star of Tom Ford’s A Single Man, will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Outstanding Performance of the Year Award at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre on Feb.13, 2010.
In A Single Man, the 49-year-old Firth plays a grieving, gay college professor in the Los Angeles of the early 1960s. His lover (Matthew Goode) has just died and he is seriously considering ending his own life. Also in the cast: Julianne Moore and Nicholas Hoult.
Earlier this year, Firth won the best actor prize at the Venice Film Festival, and is one of the strongest contenders to land a best actor Academy Award nomination come next February.
Among Colin Firth’s [...]

AFI FEST 2009: A SINGLE MAN – Closing Night Gala

Colin Firth, Matthew Goode in A Single Man

AFI FEST 2009’s Closing Night Gala presentation, the US premiere of Tom Ford’s A Single Man, will take place at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday, November 5. (The festival, with screenings in Santa Monica, actually ends on Nov. 7.)
Based on a Christopher Isherwood novel, A Single Man chronicles a day — possibly the last one — in the life of a gay British college professor (Venice 2009 best actor Colin Firth) in the Los Angeles of the mid-’60s, as he seriously considers suicide following the unexpected death of his partner (Matthew Goode).
Written by Ford and David Scearce, A Single Man also features Julianne Moore (a likely best supporting actress [...]

Colin Firth, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult: London ‘09

Nicholas Hoult, Tom Ford, Colin Firth, Matthew Goode arrive for the premiere of A Single Man, directed by Ford, during the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival at the Vue West End on October 16.
Photos: Samir Hussein/Getty Images

Colin Firth

Matthew Goode

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actress

Penélope Cruz, Nine
A film director’s seductive mistress (if she’s half as tantalizing in the film as she is in the above photo, Cruz deserves not only a nod but the golden statuette itself)

Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
A professional downsizer’s trainee

Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
A pregnant, illiterate teen’s Mom from Hell

Julianne Moore, A Single Man (with Colin Firth)
A married alcoholic pining for an English professor — who just happens to be both gay and suicidal

Emma Thompson, An Education
A school headmistress in 1960s London

The most disputed acting category in the 2010 Oscar race. In addition to the aforementioned five actresses, five others who could easily land a nomination (in case their movies open [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Actor

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, Up in the Air
A professional downsizer finds the frequent-flying love of his life while having to come to terms with his long-lost humanity.

Matt Damon, The Informant!
A pathological liar helps the FBI nab his employer, a dishonest agribusiness conglomerate.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine (with Marion Cotillard)
In this musicalized remake of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2, Daniel Day-Lewis plays the old Marcello Mastroianni role of the Italian film director trying to cope with the women in his life.

Colin Firth, A Single Man
In 1960s Los Angeles, a gay college professor is determined to kill himself after learning that his lover has died in an accident.

Viggo Mortensen, The Road
A man and his son struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

I’d say that four [...]

A SINGLE MAN Photos

Colin Firth in A Single Man (top); Firth and Matthew Goode play lovers in A Single Man (bottom)

Winner of the Queer Lion for best gay-themed film, A Single Man chronicles the emotional struggles of a suicidal middle-aged college professor mourning the sudden death of his partner of 16 years in a car accident. During that period — one day in 1962 in Los Angeles (a time when gay sex was still illegal in California) — the world is facing the Cuban missile crisis.
Loosely based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, A Single Man was directed by fashion designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford, and adapted by Ford and David Scearce.

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore in A Single Man

Colin Firth won the best actor award [...]

Venice 2009: Julianne Moore, Colin Firth

Tom Ford, Julianne Moore, best actor winner Colin Firth, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode at the premiere of Queer Lion winner (for best film with a gay theme) A Single Man at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Photos: Courtesy Venice Film Festival
Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Colin Firth

Nicholas Hoult

Venice 2009: Jared Leto, Julianne Moore, Colin Firth

Designer-turned-director Tom Ford, Julianne Moore, best actor winner Colin Firth at the A Single Man premiere at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Photos: Courtesy Venice Film Festival
Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Julianne Moore

Jared Leto at the Mr. Nobody photocall