Genie Awards 2009: PASSCHENDAELE Wins Best Picture

In a bizarre twist, the Canadian Academy of Film & Television chose Passchendaele, Paul Gross‘ flag-waving World War I melodrama about Canadian valor, as the best Canadian film of 2008. I say bizarre because even though Passchendaele was in the running for a best film Genie Award, neither its screenplay nor (writer-)director Gross had even been nominated (though Gross, who didn’t attend the ceremony as he was filming in Los Angeles, managed to get a best actor nod).
Passchendaele won five other awards: best art direction, costume design, sound, sound editing, and a special prize for the most (financially) successful Canadian film of the year.
Passchendaele has been hailed by some as a Canadian blockbuster to rival Hollywood productions, but [...]

Genie Awards 2009

2009 Genie Awards
2009 Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Genie Award nominations: Feb. 10, 2009
2009 Genie Award winners: Ottawa, April 4, 2009
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

 

BEST MOTION PICTURE / MEILLEUR FILM
Amal – David Miller, Steven Bray
Ce qu’il faut pour vivre / The Necessities of Life – Bernadette Payeur, René Chénier
Normal – Andrew Boutilier, Carl Bessai
* Passchendaele – Niv Fichman, Francis Damberger, Paul Gross, Frank Siracusa
Tout est Parfait / Everything is Fine – Nicole Robert
BEST DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR DOCUMENTAIRE
INFINIMENT QUÉBEC – Jean-Claude Labrecque, Yves Fortin, Christian Medawar
MY WINNIPEG – Guy Maddin, Phyllis Laing, Jody Shapiro
* UP THE YANGTZE – Yung Chang, Mila Aung-Thwin, John Christou, Germaine Ying-Gee Wong
BEST DIRECTION [...]

Martin Scorsese’s Oscar Nominated Actors

Martin Scorsese
20 Acting Nominations
(s) supporting category
(*) Academy Award winner
Martin Scorsese: Top Oscar Directors for Actors
 
1974

Ellen Burstyn Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore *
Diane Ladd (s) Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
 
1976

Robert De Niro Taxi Driver
Jodie Foster (s) Taxi Driver
 
1980

Robert De Niro Raging Bull *
Joe Pesci (s) Raging Bull
Cathy Moriarty (s) Raging Bull
 
1986
Paul Newman The Color of Money *
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (s) The Color of Money
 
1990
Joe Pesci (s) Goodfellas *
Lorraine Bracco (s) Goodfellas
 
1991

Robert De Niro Cape Fear
Juliette Lewis (s) Cape Fear
 
1993
Winona Ryder (s) The Age of Innocence
 
1995
Sharon Stone Casino
 
2002

Daniel Day-Lewis Gangs of New York
 
2004

Leonardo DiCaprio The Aviator
Cate Blanchett (s) The Aviator *
 
2006
Mark Wahlberg (s) The Departed

Oscar’s Comeback Nominees

Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (top); Roman Polanski, Adrien Brody in The Pianist (middle); Diane Lane in Unfaithful (bottom)

Since the 1960s, nearly every year has had at least one Oscar comeback in the acting/directing categories. Some were veterans getting their first chance at the Oscars; others were Oscar veterans getting their first nod in years.
Below are a few examples in the last 10 years. As per this list, Oscar’s comeback veterans hardly ever win.

2005
William Hurt, nominated as best supporting actor for A History of Violence. Hurt has three previous best actor nominations; the last one in 1987 was for Broadcast News. He won in 1985 for Kiss of [...]