Tagged: Academy Awards

‘So Much For So Little’: Academy Award winning short from Chuck Jones

‘So Much For So Little’: Academy Award winning short from Chuck Jones

  • News
  • August 27, 2009

Here’s one I bet you didn’t know about and probably haven’t seen: So Much For So Little, a short cartoon that Chuck Jones did back in 1949, made for the Federal Security Agency in much the same way that he did Private Snafu flicks during World War II for the War Department. It won an Academy Award in 1950 for Documentary Short Subject.

“2,621,392. A nice even figure. That’s the number of babies who’ll be
born next year in the United States. Of these babies, 118,481 will die
before reaching their first birthday.”

The irony, of course, is now that so many John E. Jones have reached their golden years, they’re convinced that they shouldn’t help the next generation…

Handicapping the Best Costume Oscar

Handicapping the Best Costume Oscar

  • News
  • January 24, 2009

The Academy Awards are always a bit baffling in their nomination choices— who gets chosen, who gets overlooked— but the Best Costume category is a lot easier to predict. Historical dramas, unless they’ve really bollixed things up (think of the laughable attempts at historical garb in King Arthur or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), will invariably fill the nomination list.

This year we have Australia, a World War II epic; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which Brad Pitt lives backwards from the early 20th century to the present day; The Duchess, set in 18th century England—I think everyone would have been shocked if this one hadn’t been nominated—Revolutionary Road, set in the 1950s; and…

…Milk. Okay, apparently the 1970s are now long ago enough that they qualify for a historical costume drama. I feel old. Then again, looking back at the 1970s, much of the fashion was as outlandish in its own way as panniers and three-foot powdered wigs, so I suppose it’s really not that much of a stretch.

Shamefully overlooked were any of the year’s many science fiction, fantasy, and comic-book related movies. In particular, it is shocking that Hellboy II: The Golden Army did not get a Best Costume nomination for its visual feast of elves, trolls, demons, and fish-creatures. The Makeup nomination hardly seems adequate. But then, this is nothing new; none of the Star Wars prequels received so much as a nomination for their incredibly detailed and inventive costumes.

Which leads to an interesting question: why does the Academy tend to nominate and honor movies whose costumes are based on history over movies whose costumes are entirely invented—created (pardon the expression) out of whole cloth, rather than copied from the history books? There are exceptions, of course; The Fellowship of the Ring was nominated, and The Return of the King was not only nominated but actually took home the award. Still, one would think that the creativity and imagination that goes into designing an original fantasy or science fiction costume would trump historical recreation. (Though having done both I can say that to do either one well requires a fair amount of skill.)

To answer this, let’s take a look at each of the 2009 nominees.

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Donald E. Westlake, 1933-2008

Donald E. Westlake, 1933-2008

  • News
  • January 2, 2009

We’ve just received word that Donald E. Westlake passed away yesterday.

Donald is probably best known to comics fans as the author (under the psuedonym Richard Stark) of the Parker novels that Darwyn Cooke is adapting and bringing to IDW Publishing later this year. But that’s the barest fraction of his output. Over a career that lasted decades, he was a four-time Edgar Award winner in four different categories. In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a Grand Master, their highest honor.

His novels were turned into twenty-one different movies, including Payback and The Hot Rock (featuring his famous character John Dortmunder) and wrote screenplays on his own, most notably for The Grifters, where he was nominated for an Academy Award, The Stepfather, and a treatment for the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

He will be missed.

Here’s a promo image from the upcoming Cooke series:

‘Dark Knight’ Score Wins Academy Reversal

‘Dark Knight’ Score Wins Academy Reversal

  • News
  • December 10, 2008

In a reversal that recognized modern day sensibilities, the executive committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ music branch has decided to allow the score to The Dark Knight be considered for Best Original Score. Initially, they disqualified the score, as they did Batman Begins, citing too many names attached to the documentation.

The November 10 decision was revered, according to The Hollywood Reporter after it decided that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard were the main composers.  Ballots had yet to be mailed to the Academy’s voters so the film is not being adversely affected.
 

Academy Disqualifies ‘Dark Knight’ Score

Academy Disqualifies ‘Dark Knight’ Score

  • News
  • November 13, 2008

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard collaborated on the score for The Dark Knight and now both men are being notified their efforts are being disqualified for consideration as Best Score by the executive committee of the Academy music branch. This matches their collaboration and disqualification for Batman Begins in 2005.

Zimmer, Howard, music editor Alex Gibson, ambient music designer Mel Wesson, and composer Lorne Balfe all were listed on the music cue sheet, the document judged by the Academy. They all signed an affidavit stating that the score was primarily the work of Zimmer and Howard but that was not good enough for the Academy. A different document provided to the Academy indicated more than 60%, but less than 70% of the score came directly Zimmer and Howard.

According to Variety, the Academy has spent hours and hours on the issue since the use of multiple composers is on the rise throughout theatrical production and this is not an isolated incident.

Zimmer told the trade “that listing multiple names on the cue sheet was a way of financially rewarding parts of the music team who helped make the overall work successful.”

FX sets Return Dates for ‘Nip/Tuck’ and ‘Damages’

FX sets Return Dates for ‘Nip/Tuck’ and ‘Damages’

  • News
  • November 13, 2008

FX announced the return dates of two of its award-winning dramas, Nip/Tuck and Damages.  The continuation of the fifth season of Nip/Tuck begins on Tuesday, January 6 at 10 p.m. for eight weeks, while the second season of Damages premieres on Wednesday, January 7 at 10 p.m. with 13 new episodes.

Nip/Tuck revolves around the lives of Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon), two plastic surgeons, close friends and business partners who run McNamara/Troy, an overwhelmingly successful plastic surgery practice. 

Earlier this season, Sean and Christian departed Miami for Los Angeles seeking a fresh start for McNamara/Troy in a new city.  As season five continues, Sean tries to re-build his life after surviving a brutal attack from Colleen Rose.  McNamara/Troy faces an unexpected, serious medical crisis. Christian decides to settle down with one woman and Sean discovers a new love in a moment of extreme vulnerability.

Guest stars include Sharon Gless, Portia de Rossi, AnnaLynne McCord, Bradley Cooper, John Schneider, Jennifer Coolidge, Morgan Fairchild and Katee Sackoff.

Damages, fresh off its Emmy wins for Outstanding Lead Actress (Glenn Close) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Željko Ivanek), follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), the nation’s most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator and her bright, ambitious young protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).

After her unprecedented victory over billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), Patty Hewes has the legal world at her feet.  Just as she’s pondering her next move, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), a man from Patty’s mysterious past, storms back into her life, catapulting Patty into a new legal challenge. 

At the same time, Ellen is on a mission to take down Patty.  She’s agreed to act as an informant for the FBI, assisting them in their criminal investigation of Patty and the firm.  As Patty unravels the mystery surrounding Daniel Purcell, she must also negotiate the perilous minefield both inside and outside her office.

In addition to Academy Award winner William Hurt, Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden and Timothy Olyphant join the cast of Damages for its second season. 

I am Spartacus!

I am Spartacus!

  • News
  • October 27, 2008

The cry of “I am Spartacus!” will once more resound, this time weekly. Starz will air a new 13-episode series from executive producers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Joshua Donen.

The premium movie channel has already produced Crash, a weekly series based on the Oscar-winning film, which began airing several weeks back. This will be the first in-house production for the channel. Steven S. DeKnight (Smallville) will be the head writer and showrunner.

Raimi, Tapert, and Donen developed the series and intend to produce the series in New Zealand in time for debut next summer. Each episode is likely to have a budget in excess of $2 million, surpassing their other series, Legend of the Seeker.  The world of ancient Rome will be digitally rendered, a first for a weekly TV series.

No casting has been announced as yet.

The real story of the slave who led a rebellion against his Roman captors in 73 A.D. was immortalized in the 1960 movie starring Kirk Douglas which won four Academy Awards. It was most recently retold as a 2004 miniseries starring ER’s Goran Visnjic and Rhona Mitra.

"This is not going to be at all like the 1960s Kirk Douglas film," Starz Entertainment executive vp programming Stephan Shelanski told The Hollywood Reporter. "We didn’t want your typical sword-and-sandals. It’s going to be fun, fast-moving, full of action and interesting characters and have a little more depth to it than the 1960s film."

Shelanski says the channel acknowledges the storytelling has to be done for an audience primed by movies like 300.  Being a premium channel, they can go for R-rated violence and storytelling. "It will bring the younger audience who has grown up on graphic novels and video games this heightened reality; it’s not going to look like anything you’ve seen before, especially on TV," said executive vp original production William Hamm. Hamm has previously worked with Raimi and Tapert at Universal TV to produce the similar Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Studios Shuffle Holiday Schedules

Studios Shuffle Holiday Schedules

  • News
  • October 21, 2008

As films falter in meeting their deadlines to make their scheduled release dates, studios are constantly shuffling the calendar.  This time of years the gamesmanship is especially tough as studios eye projects with the hopes of securing Academy Award nominations. The dominoes have been falling with particular speed in the last week so here’s a recap.

With The Weinstein Company most likely bumping The Road from November to December to 2009, it has put its marketing efforts behind The Reader.

This was seen as a good opportunity for Paramount which had a lot of faith in the Robert Downey Jr. film, The Soloist.  Instead, they surprised prognosticators and moved the film to March 13, 2009. Word is that test screenings did not go well and rather than spend extra dollars to rush, Paramount’s budget cutting has prompted the schedule shift.

The studio has also delayed Defiance, the World War II drama starring Daniel Craig, to open on December 31, just in time to qualify for the Oscars but away from the box office competition in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

What this does is also shift which performers will receive studio dollars behind Oscar bids.  As we wave farewell to Viggo Mortenson, Jamie Foxx and others, the field now turns to focus on Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (Wrestler), Josh Brolin (W.), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Sean Penn (Milk).  Downey is likely to be pushed by Paramount for both Iron Man and more likely a supporting nod in Tropic Thunder while Warner Bros. will most certainly launch a major campaign for Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

The final bit of scheduling news also involves Downey as his Sherlock Holmes has been pencilled in for November 20 2009.

‘The Dark Knight’ Returns to IMAX in January

‘The Dark Knight’ Returns to IMAX in January

  • News
  • September 12, 2008

Warner Bros. has already scheduled a re-release for The Dark Knight in January, designed specifically to influence Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters. Warner is working with Imax to have the film play on several of their screens during the crucial voting period, to remind everyone the summer blockbuster was also a critical darling.

"It’s just a matter of bringing it back as a reminder for people," a studio insider told The Hollywood Reporter.

Prognosticators have put director Christopher Nolan and the late actor Heath Ledger on their lists of potential nominees.

The film will be released on DVD in time for Christmas although details have yet to be released.
 

Heath Ledger’s Oscar-Winning Performance?

Heath Ledger’s Oscar-Winning Performance?

Whenever the subject of The Dark Knight comes up, everyone seems to be asking the same question (when they’re not talking about the film’s viral marketing, that is): Do you think Heath Ledger will receive an Oscar post-humously?

Over at Cinematical, they’ve started a discussion thread on exactly that subject, and the resulting comments have been interesting, to say the least. Reader response is all over the spectrum, but I thought commenter "techstar25" summed up the debate pretty darn well:

Last year the Academy recognized the work of two brilliant actors playing two of the most heinous villains ever put to film (Javier Bardem and Daniel Day-Lewis). There is now clearly a baseline with which Ledger’s Joker will be compared. How does "Joker" stack up against "Anton Chigurh" and "Daniel Plainview"? We’ll see, but at least now we know that the barriers have been broken and the voters will take a second look at "the bad guy".

This subject has certainly been the topic of conversation at many a ComicMix meeting, but I’d like to throw it out there for discussion among our readers. Is Ledger a lock to take home an Academy Award, or is the entire discussion premature with the film’s July 18 release still months away?

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