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AFI FEST 2009: THE LAST STATION, AFTER.LIFE

Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti in The Last Station

AFI FEST 2009, Sat., Nov. 7 at the Santa Monica Laemmle Theater 4 on 2nd Street in Santa Monica.
AFI FEST 2009 comes to a close with the following screenings:

Michael Hoffman’s The Last Station, which is set near the end of Leo Tolstoy’s life, has been getting lots of Oscar buzz for its stars: James McAvoy as Tolstoy’s assistant; Helen Mirren as Tolstoy’s wife; and Christopher Plummer as the verbose author of the never-ending War and Peace.
Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Ilisa Barbash’s Sweetgrass offers a look at sheepherding in Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth mountain range. Apart from the sheep and the high peaks, there’s no connection to Brokeback Mountain.
Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar’s stop-motion [...]

Rome Film Festival Awards 2009

2009 Rome Film Festival Awards
2009 Rome Film Festival: Oct. 15-23, 2009
 

Danish-born filmmaker Nicolo Donato’s feature-film debut, Brotherhood revolves around a group of Danish neo-Nazis, with particular focus on two members of this group of violent, xenophobic, anti-gay bigots: newbie Lars (Thure Lindhardt), who has been recently discharged from the army, and Jimmy (David Dencik), one of the leaders of the gang. Things get complicated after Lars moves in with Jimmy and discovers that he feels more than a mere brotherly attachment to his mentor. Even more shocking, Jimmy realizes that he feels something quite special for Lars as well. Now, what to do next? Curiously, three years ago another movie featuring neo-nazis, Shane Meadows‘ This Is England, won [...]

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Dominates Box Office

Online leak or no, X-Men Origins: Wolverine slashed its competition at the North American box office with a remarkable $87 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Released by 20th Century Fox, the Gavin Hood-directed action spectacle scored an average of $21,225 per theater at 4,099 locations.
Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, the film follows Wolverine as he seeks revenge against the evil-minded Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston). Also in the cast are Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Kitsch.

Debuting in second place with $15.3 million was Mark Waters‘ latest romantic comedy, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, which stars Matthew McConaughey as a celeb photographer [...]

Beyonce’s OBSESSED at the Top of the Box Office

Beyoncé Knowles‘ Obsessed defeated its competition at the North American box office with $28.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
In the Steve Shill-directed thriller, Idris Elba co-stars as a successful asset manager who gets into trouble with his wife (Knowles) when his new temp (Ali Larter) starts stalking him.

At No. 2, last week’s box office winner 17 Again collected another $11.6 million, lifting its domestic total to $39.9 million. Starring Zac Efron, the comedy follows a 37-year-old who gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old.

New release Fighting debuted in third place with $11.4 million. Directed by Dito Montiel, the drama follows Channing Tatum [...]

Zac Efron’s 17 AGAIN at the Top of the Box Office

Zac Efron’s latest teen comedy, 17 Again, beat the competition at the North American box office this weekend with $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Directed by Burr Steers, the film follows a 37-year-old man who despises his existence and gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old. Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon and Michelle Trachtenberg co-star.

Debuting in second place with $14 million was Kevin Macdonald’s thriller State of Play, which stars Russell Crowe as a print journalist who launched his own investigation into the murder of a congressman’s assistant. Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams round out the lead cast.

Things didn’t turned out as well [...]

Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams in STATE OF PLAY Photos

Ben Affleck

Helen Mirren

Rachel McAdams

Ben Affleck

Robin Wright Penn, Ben Affleck
Photos: © Universal Pictures
Click on the images to enlarge them.

 
Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe in STATE OF PLAY Photos
Sylvia Miles, John Barry at MIDNIGHT COWBOY Screening
Oscar 2009: Robert Pattinson, Sophia Loren, Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon
Oscar 2009: Jennifer Aniston, Penélope Cruz, Zac Efron, Daniel Craig
Oscar 2009: Penélope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey

Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe in STATE OF PLAY Photos

Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe

Directed by Kevin Macdonald and adapted by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray from Paul Abbott’s television series, the thriller State of Play stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels, Justin Bateman, and Michael Berresse.
State of Play opens in the US on April 19.
Official site
Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams in STATE OF PLAY
Photos: © Universal Pictures
Click on the images to enlarge them.

Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Russell Crowe

Helen Mirren, Russell Crowe

Jeff Daniels, Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck

 
Sylvia Miles, John Barry at MIDNIGHT COWBOY Screening
Oscar 2009: Robert Pattinson, Sophia Loren, Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon
Oscar 2009: Jennifer Aniston, Penélope Cruz, Zac Efron, Daniel Craig
Oscar 2009: Penélope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Brad [...]

Oscar 2008: Helen Mirren, Jon Stewart, Javier Bardem

Jon Stewart

Helen Mirren, Javier Bardem

Jennifer Hudson
Photos: Darren Decker / © A.M.P.A.S.
Click on the images to enlarge them.

Oscar 2008: George Clooney, Amy Adams, Helen Mirren

Amy Adams performs "Happy Working Song" from Enchanted

George Clooney

Helen Mirren, best actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis
Photos: Michael Yada / © A.M.P.A.S.
Click on the images to enlarge them.

Oscar 2008: Colin Farrell, Helen Mirren, Patrick Dempsey, Viggo Mortensen

Colin Farrell, Robert Osborne

Patrick Dempsey, Robert Osborne

Viggo Mortensen

Helen Mirren
Photos: Matt Petit (Dempsey, Farrell, Mortensen), Richard Harbaugh (Mirren). All photos: © A.M.P.A.S.

CLOVERFIELD Crushes Box-Office Competitors

With an estimated US$41 million take, Cloverfield destroyed its competition at the North American box office this weekend.
Paramount’s monster movie directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J. J. Abrams soared past the $35 million record opening of the Star Wars 1997 rerelease. Cloverfield focuses on a small group of friends trying to escape Manhattan while a massive creature rips through the city.

New entry 27 Dresses (above, with James Marsden and Malin Akerman) ranked in second, pulling in $22.4 million from ticket sales at 3,057 locations. The Anne Fletcher-directed romantic comedy stars Katherine Heigl as a passionate bridesmaid who’s asked to arrange her sister’s wedding to the man (Edward Burns) she’s secretly in love with.

Last week’s winner, [...]

Oscar 2007 Presenters

Catherine Deneuve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

AMPAS has announced the — supposedly complete — roster of presenters at the upcoming Oscar ceremony, which will be held next Sunday, February 25, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
The updated list consists of: Ben Affleck, Gael Garcia Bernal, Jessica Biel, Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz,Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., and Kirsten Dunst.

Also, Will Ferrell, Jodie Foster, Al Gore, Eva Green, Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hugh Jackman, Diane Keaton, Nicole Kidman, Greg Kinnear, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez, James McAvoy, Tobey Maguire,Clive Owen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jerry Seinfeld, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Meryl Streep, John [...]

BAFTA 2007

2007 BAFTA Awards
Orange British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2007 award nominations: January 12, 2007
2007 BAFTA award winners: Royal Opera House in London on February 11, 2007.
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

Helen Mirren in The Queen
 

BEST FILM
Babel – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik, Steve Golin
The Departed – Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, Graham King
The Last King of Scotland – Andrea Calderwood, Lisa Bryer, Charles Steel
Little Miss Sunshine – Albert Berger, David T Friendly, Ron Yerxa
* The Queen – Tracey Seaward, Christine Langan, Andy Harries
THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD for the Outstanding British Film of the Year
Casino Royale – Michael G Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Martin Campbell, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis
* The Last King of Scotland – Andrea [...]

BAFTA 2007 Award Winners

Helen Mirren in The Queen (top); Forest Whitaker in The Last King of England (bottom)

Perhaps there’s something I’m missing here, but the Orange British Academy of Film and Television Arts has decided that Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland is the outstanding British film of 2006, coming out ahead of United 93, Notes on a Scandal, Casino Royale, and Stephen Frears‘ The Queen. Yet, that very same Orange Academy has picked The Queen as the best film of the year, defeating Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, The Departed, and … The Last King of Scotland. Go figure.
There were few surprises at the 2007 Bafta ceremony held at London’s Royal Opera House this evening, unless one considers a Helen Mirren victory [...]

London Film Critics’ 2007 Winners

Helen Mirren, James Cromwell in The Queen (top); Trish Gates in United 93 (bottom)

The winners of the 2007 London Film Critics’ Circle Awards were announced this evening at a ceremony held in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children at the Dorchester Hotel.
London Film Critics’ Awards chair Marianne Gray stated that The Queen — winner of the best British film, best British director (Stephen Frears), best British actress (Helen Mirren), and best screenplay (Peter Morgan) awards — "symbolizes everything that is right with the British film industry at the moment and it is great to see that it can compete with the best that Hollywood can offer."
The Queen was also in the running for the [...]

London Film Critics Awards 2007

2007 London Film Critics’ Circle Awards
2007 London Film Critics’ Circle Award nominations: December 14, 2006
2007 London Film Critics’ Circle Award winners: Dorchester Hotel on February 8, 2007
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

 

Film of the Year
The Departed
Little Miss Sunshine
Volver
* United 93
The Queen
The Attenborough Award for Best British Film
Children of Men
* The Queen
Red Road
The Last King of Scotland
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Best Foreign Language Film
Apocalypto
Black Book
The Death of Mr Lazarescu
The Child
Pan’s Labyrinth
* Volver
Best Director
Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth
Pedro Almodóvar, Volver
* Paul Greengrass, United 93
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men
Best British director
Andrea Arnold, Red Road
* Stephen Frears, The Queen
Christopher Nolan, The Prestige
Kevin Macdonald, The Last King of Scotland
Ken Loach, The Wind That [...]

LONDON EVENING STANDARD 2007 Winners

Dame Judi Dench roughs up Cate Blanchett after learning that her Notes on a Scandal co-star voted for fellow Dame Helen Mirren as best actress of 2006

As The Queen, Helen Mirren has brought back to her castle just about every best actress award in the United States. Ironically, she hasn’t fared all that well in Britain. First, she lost to Kate Dickie (Red Road) at the British Independent Film Awards and now she’s lost the Evening Standard Award to Judi Dench’s lonely, conniving lesbian teacher in Notes on a Scandal.
As far as the Academy Awards are concerned, there’s no suspense in the best actress category. Barring a meteor crashing into Earth during the Oscar ceremony, Helen Mirren [...]

Oscar 2007: Helen Mirren and the Academy Luncheon

Following a wild — but unfulfilling (see how bored she looks?) — lifetime of food, sex, and murder, Helen Mirren settles down after being elected Queen of England.

More than 100 individuals nominated for the 2007 Oscars — including 16 of the 20 nominees in the acting categories — are expected to attend the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual nominees luncheon at noon on Monday, Feb. 5, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Among those who’ll have to mind their table manners are Leonardo DiCaprio, Peter O’Toole, Will Smith, Penélope Cruz, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Adriana Barraza, Abigail Breslin, Rinko Kikuchi, Alan Arkin, Mark Wahlberg, and Jackie Earle Haley. Plus directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese, [...]

SAG Awards 2007 Winners

Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (top); Helen Mirren in The Queen (bottom)

The 2007 SAG Award winners were announced on Sunday, Jan. 28.
Pretty much everybody that was expected to win won, from Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker to Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons. (Mirren I won for The Queen; Mirren II for the TV production Queen Elizabeth I.)
Little Miss Sunshine was the equally unsurprising best ensemble winner. Following on the heels of its Producers Guild Award victory, the low-budget feel-good comedy of the year is now considered the front-runner for the 2007 Academy Awards.
The problem with that prediction, however, is that Little Miss Sunshine failed to get a best direction [...]

SAG Awards 2007

2007 SAG Awards
2007 SAG Award nominations: January 4, 2007
2007 SAG Award winners: Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center on January 28, 2007
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

 

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio / BLOOD DIAMOND — Archer, Warner Bros. Pictures
Ryan Gosling / Half Nelson — Dan Dunne, THINKFilm
Peter O’Toole / VENUS — Maurice, Miramax Films
Will Smith / THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS — Chris Gardner, Sony Pictures
* Forest Whitaker / THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND — Idi Amin, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Penélope Cruz / VOLVER — Raimunda, Sony Pictures Classics
Judi Dench / Notes on a Scandal — Barbara Covett, Fox Searchlight Pictures
* Helen Mirren [...]

Oscar 2007

2007 Academy Awards
2007 Academy Award nominations: January 23, 2007
2007 Academy Award winners: Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles on February 25, 2007
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
Photos: © AMPAS
 

Best motion picture of the year
Babel (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
An Anonymous Content/Zeta Film/Central Films Production
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin, Producers
* The Departed (Warner Bros.)
A Warner Bros. Pictures Production
Graham King
Letters from Iwo Jima (Warner Bros.)
A DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures Production
Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, Producers
Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight)
A Big Beach/Bona Fide Production
David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub
The Queen (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
A Granada Production
Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, Producers

Best foreign language film of the year
After the Wedding [...]

Oscar 2007 Nominations: British Talent

Oscar 2007 Nominations: Part I
Among those foreign invaders from across the Atlantic are best direction nominees Stephen Frears (for The Queen, which is also up for a best film nod) and Paul Greengrass (for United 93); best actress nominees Helen Mirren (right, for The Queen), Kate Winslet (for Little Children), and Judi Dench (for Notes on a Scandal); best original screenplay nominee Peter Morgan (for The Queen); and best adapted screenplay nominees Patrick Marber (for Notes on a Scandal) and Sacha Baron Cohen (who co-wrote Borat).
Additionally, several non-British nationals got nominated for their work in British productions, e.g., Australian Cate Blanchett (best supporting actress nominee for Notes on a Scandal); American Forest Whitaker (best actor nominee for The Last King [...]

Golden Globes’ Firsts and Mosts

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada (top); Helen Mirren in The Queen (bottom)

Tom O’Neil in the Gold Derby:
"No, no, no, no — contrary to some wrongheaded sources over the past few days, Helen Mirren did not make Golden Globe history by becoming the first star to win kudos for acting on film and TV in the same year. Joan Plowright did so back in 1992, winning best supporting actress in [the] film Enchanted April and best supporting TV actress for Stalin.
"In addition to tying Rosalind Russell as the biggest winner of film awards by a woman (five), Meryl Streep tied another Globe record, too. Back in 2003, remember, she won a trophy for appearing on [...]

2007 Golden Globes Winners

Everything — at least as far as the winners were concerned — went according to plan at the 2007 Golden Globe awards ceremony. That is, until the very last winner of the evening was announced: Babel.
Babel??
Set in multiple countries, in multiple time frames, and with dialogue in multiple languages, Babel (above, with Rinko Kikuchi) was a multiple Golden Globe nominee (7 nods in all, more than any other film) and a multiple loser. As the evening progressed, Babel lost to Dreamgirls (best supporting actress Jennifer Hudson and best supporting actor Eddie Murphy), The Departed (best director Martin Scorsese), The Queen (best screenplay, Peter Morgan), and even The Painted Veil (best music, Alexandre Desplat).
And then, just like one [...]

Golden Globes 2007

2007 Golden Globes
Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 2007 Golden Globe nominations: December 14, 2006
2007 Golden Globe winners: Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on January 15, 2007
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

© HFPA 64th Golden Globe® Awards
FILM
Best Motion Picture – Drama
* Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen
Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
* Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You for Smoking
Best Foreign Language Film
Apocalypto (USA)
* Letters from Iwo Jima (USA/Japan)
Das Leben der Anderen / The Lives of Others (Germany)
El Laberinto del fauno / Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico)
Volver (Spain)
Best Animated Feature Film
* Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

© HFPA 64th Golden Globe® Awards
Best Director – Motion Picture
Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers
Clint [...]

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