PRECIOUS Music: Q&A with Composer Mario Grigorov

The son of a concert pianist and trumpeter, Bulgarian-born, Austrian-trained composer Mario Grigorov has been creating film music for two decades, having become particularly busy in the last ten years or so. Among his movie credits are Leonardo Ricagni’s 29 Palms (1999) and El chevrolé (2002), Alison Thompson’s documentary The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story (2007), additional music for Alex Gibney’s Oscar-winning Iraq War documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, and a number of short films.
Grigorov’s other music credits include the albums "Rhymes with Orange" and "Aria on Café del Mar," musical scores for numerous commercial outlets, and even playing in the Shah’s Symphony Orchestra in Iran, where Grigorov lived for six years. "Both on disc and onstage," [...]

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Tops Box Office; THIS IS IT in 2nd Spot

As expected, Walt Disney’s A Christmas Carol took the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend with a solid $31 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Starring Jim Carrey (above), the Robert Zemeckis-directed 3D motion-capture adventure tale based on Charles Dickens’ classic opened at 3,683 locations and scored an average of $8,417 per theater, enough to crush its competition.

At No. 2, Michael Jackson’s This Is It delivered another strong performance, earning $14 million at 3,481 locations. Sony’s documentary about the late pop star’s planned concert series lifted its total gross to an impressive $57.8 million.

New entry The Men Who Stare at [...]

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 [...]

Toronto 2009: IndieWIRE’s Critics’ Poll

Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man (top); Joel and Ethan Coen (bottom)

Peter Knegt reports that an indieWIRE poll of "more than 25" film critics and bloggers (blogging film critics?) shows that the overwhelmingly favorite film screened at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival was Joel and Ethan Coen’s A Serious Man (not to be confused with Tom Ford’s A Single Man or the Michael Douglas vehicle Solitary Man), a black comedy about a suburbanite (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose life suddenly unravels after his wife asks for a divorce. A Serious Man hits US theaters on Oct. 2.

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore in A Single Man

The best performance was delivered by Colin Firth in A Single Man (not to be confused with either [...]

2009 Sundance Winners

Among the top winners at Sundance 2009 were Grand Jury and Audience: U.S. Dramatic winner Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire (as opposed to the upcoming sci-fi thriller Push, starring Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans). Directed by Lee Daniels and adapted by Damien Pearl, Push follows an overweight, pregnant teenager living in Harlem who must struggle to find her place in the world. Mo’Nique, as the young woman’s ruthless mother, received a special acting award.

Directed by Ondi Timoner (above), Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary winner We Live in Public depicts the impact the Internet has had on human interactions by focusing on web artist Josh Harris‘ experimental public art projects.

World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic winner [...]

Sundance Awards 2009

2009 Sundance Film Festival Awards
2009 Sundance Film Festival: January 15-25, 2009
 

Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic:
Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels

Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary:
We Live in Public, directed by Ondi Timoner

World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic:
The Maid (La Nana), directed by Sebastián Silva
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary:
Rough Aunties, directed by Kim Longinotto

Directing Award: U.S. Documentary:
Natalia Almada, El General
Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Sin Nombre
World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary:
Havana Marking, Afghan Star
World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic:
Oliver Hirschbiegel, Five Minutes of Heaven
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award:
Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi, Paper Heart
World Cinema Screenwriting Award:
Oliver Hirschbiegel, Five Minutes of Heaven
U.S. Documentary Editing Award:
Karen Schmeer, Sergio, directed by Greg Barker
World Cinema Documentary Editing [...]