Contact Help Wanted

Oscar 2009: Academy Invites 134 New Members

James McAvoy in Atonement (top); Michelle Williams, Lucy in Wendy and Lucy (bottom)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 134 artists and executives to join its roster in 2009.
As per the Academy’s press release, all the various branches could pick a maximum of 166 new members, but as in the previous years "the several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them."
Most of the invitees are actors, among them several previous Oscar nominees, e.g., Casey Affleck, Melissa Leo, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, and lots of young talent, e.g., James Franco, Michael Cera, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Seth Rogen, Emile Hirsch. (But where are Robert Pattinson and Zac Effron??)

Among those listed in the other [...]

Online Film Critics Awards 2009

2009 Online Film Critics Society Awards
2009 Online Film Critics Society award winners: Jan. 19, 2009
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

WALL-E by Andrew Stanton
 

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
* WALL-E
The Wrestler
BEST FOREIGN FILM
A Christmas Tale
The Counterfeiters
I’ve Loved You So Long
* Let the Right One In
Waltz with Bashir
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father
Encounters at the End of the World
I.O.U.S.A.
* Man On Wire
My Winnipeg
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who
Kung Fu Panda
* WALL-E
Waltz with Bashir
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton, WALL-E
BEST ACTOR
Benicio Del Toro, Che
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
[...]

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (top); in Casanova (middle); with Matt Damon in The Brothers Grimm (bottom)

A few hours ago, Heath Ledger was found dead at his home in New York City, possibly from an overdose of sleeping pills. He was 28.
I’m not a fan of Brokeback Mountain, but the film, though only a couple of years old, has undeniably become one of cinema’s cultural landmarks. In large part, the tragic love story turned into a worldwide sensation because of Ledger’s performance as the uptight Ennis Del Mar, a gay ranch hand who lets life pass him by without ever daring to live it.
Among Ledger’s other films are Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot (2000), with Mel Gibson; Marc [...]

Phoenix Film Critics Awards 2005

2005 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
2005 Phoenix Film Critics Society award winners: December 20, 2005
 

Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger in Cinderella Man
 

Best Film: Cinderella Man by Ron Howard
Runners-up (in alphabetical order): Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, Good Night and Good Luck., A History of Violence, In Her Shoes, King Kong, Sin City, Walk the Line
Best Foreign-Language Film: Kung Fu Hustle by Stephen Chow
Best Documentary: March of the Penguins by Luc Jacquet
Best Animated Film: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit by Nick Park and Steve Box
Best Director: George Clooney, Good Night and Good Luck.
Best Actor: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Best Actress: Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Best Supporting Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
Best Supporting Actress: Michelle [...]

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Awards and Nominations

Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain

Unless otherwise stated, all awards/nominations for Brokeback Mountain are for the year 2005.
Academy Awards: 3 wins (best director, Ang Lee; best adapted screenplay, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana; best original score, Gustavo Santaolalla);

5 additional nominations (best film; best actor, Heath Ledger; best supporting actor, Jake Gyllenhaal; best supporting actress, Michelle Williams; best cinematography, Rodrigo Prieto)

American Cinema Editors: 1 nomination (best-edited dramatic feature, Geraldine Peroni and Dylan Tichenor)
American Society of Cinematographers: 1 nomination (best cinematography – feature film, Rodrigo Prieto)
Australian Film Institute (AFI) (2006): 1 win (best actor – foreign film, Heath Ledger)
Boston Society of Film Critics: 2 wins (best film; best director, Ang Lee);

also, runner-up for best actor (Heath Ledger)

British Academy Awards: [...]

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Awards II

Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Awards and Nominations: Part I
New York Film Critics Circle: 3 wins (best film; best director, Ang Lee; best actor, Heath Ledger)
New York Film Critics Online: One of the year’s top-ten films
Norwegian Film Institute Amanda Awards: 1 nomination (best foreign film)
Online Film Critics Society: 2 wins (best adapted screenplay, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana; best score, Gustavo Santaolalla);

6 additional nominations (best film; best director, Ang Lee; best actor, Heath Ledger; best supporting actor, Jake Gyllenhaal; best supporting actress, Michelle Williams; best cinematography, Rodrigo Prieto)

Phoenix Film Critics Society: 5 wins (best actor, Heath Ledger; best supporting actor, Jake Gyllenhaal; best supporting actress, Michelle Williams; best adapted screenplay, Larry McMurtry and Diana [...]

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN II – Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Review: Part I
Much of the publicity surrounding Brokeback Mountain has focused on presenting Ledger and Gyllenhaal as hetero off-screen studs playing homo on-screen studs, as if "acting gay" — a couple of rough kissing scenes and a simulated sex act — is per se both a display of thespian courage and an example of great screen acting. Whatever those actors’ sexual orientation may be, perhaps it’s true that they have been brave to tackle those roles.
That said, in their scenes together Ledger and Gyllenhaal are utterly incapable of conveying, whether through a spark in the eye or a quivering in the voice, the passion that Ennis and Jack are supposed to feel for one another. The chemistry [...]

Recently Posted

• European Film Awards 2009: Rules & Relevance
• European Film Awards 2009: Nominations
• European Film Awards 2009
• Chicago Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009
• AFI FEST 2009: THE LAST STATION, AFTER.LIFE
• AFI FEST 2009 Awards
• AFI FEST 2009: POLICE, ADJECTIVE; TO DIE LIKE A MAN
• Grace Kelly: TO CATCH A THIEF, THE SWAN
• Grace Kelly on TCM
• AFI FEST 2009: A SINGLE MAN, THE SINGULARITY

Most Popular Tags

2008 Oscar Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Animation Best Films Books Box Office Brokeback Mountain Censorship Classic Movies Daniel Day-Lewis Documentaries DVDs Film Awards Film Festivals Film Reviews Gay Film Festivals Gay Interest Gay Movies Heath Ledger Helen Mirren Interviews London Film Festival London Film Festival 2009 Los Angeles Screenings Martin Scorsese New York Screenings No Country for Old Men Oscar Movies Penélope Cruz Photos Political Movies Politics Sex Shorts Silent Films Slumdog Millionaire Sundance Film Festival Trailers Turner Classic Movies


Related Posts

Heath LedgerSan Francisco Film Critics Awards 2005New York Film Critics Awards 2005Florida Film Critics Awards 2005BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Awards IIBoston Society of Film Critics Awards 2005