MOVIES | Nine foreign language films continue to Oscar race

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Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards. Sixty-six films had originally qualified in the category. The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:                             Algeria, Hors la Loi (Outside the Law), Rachid Bouchareb, director;               Canada, Incendies, Denis Villeneuve, director;                                 Denmark, In a Better World, Susanne Bier, director;               Greece, Dogtooth, Yorgos Lanthimos, director;               Japan, Confessions, Tetsuya Nakashima, director;               Mexico, Biutiful, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director;                                  South Africa, Life, above All, Oliver Schmitz, director;               Spain, Tambien la Lluvia (Even the Rain), Iciar Bollain, director;               Sweden, Simple Simon, Andreas Ohman, director. The Swedish contender, Simple Simon, deals with Asperger Syndrome. Simon is afflicted with Asperger’s and decides to go on a quest to find his brother, Sam, a perfect girlfriend.   The Mexico film, Biutiful, was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes. Continue Reading

MOVIES | Seven advance in race for Makeup Oscar; Red Carpet show expanded

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Seven films remain in competition in the Makeup category for the 83rd Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced. The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

Alice in Wonderland

Barney’s Version

The Fighter

Jonah Hex

True Grit

The Way Back

The Wolfman

“A make-up artist is a storyteller,” said Academy Governor Leonard Engleman in an interview at last year’s Oscars. “They help the actor form the look and emotion of the character. They help the actor realize the character.” The makeup branch is a relatively new Oscar category. Continue Reading

MOVIES | James Franco and Anne Hathaway will host 83rd Academy Awards

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James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the telecast but not in hosting capacities. Franco, who currently can be seen in 127 Hours, will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include Eat, Love, Pray, Date Night, Milk and Pineapple Express. Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy. Continue Reading

MOVIES | 15 documentary features advance in 2010 Oscar race

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards. 101 pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, Alex Gibney, director (ES Productions LLC)Enemies of the People, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, directors (Old Street Films)Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)Gasland, Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Michele Hozer and Peter Raymont, directors (White Pine Pictures)Inside Job, Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)The Lottery, Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)Precious Life, Shlomi Eldar, director (Origami Productions)Quest for Honor, Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, director (Smothers Bruni Productions)Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)This Way of Life, Thomas Burstyn, director (Cloud South Films)The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev, director (Passion Pictures/Axis Films)Waiting for “Superman,” Davis Guggenheim, director (Electric Kinney Films)Waste Land, Lucy Walker, director (Almega Projects)William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, directors (Disturbing the Universe LLC) The Enemies of the People tells the story of the Killing Fields of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, which ran what is regarded as one of the 20th century’s most brutal regimes. Investigative journalist Thet Sambath gained the trust, and interviews, a high-up Khmer Rouge leader, as well as foot soldiers. The film is currently being shown at the St. Continue Reading

MOVIES | Academy Awards announce 15 animated feature nominees for 83rd Oscars

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Fifteen features have been accepted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards. The 15 features are:

Alpha and Omega
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Despicable Me
The Dreams of Jinsha
How to Train Your Dragon
Idiots and Angels
The Illusionist
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Megamind
My Dog Tulip
Shrek Forever After
Summer Wars
Tangled
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
Toy Story 3

The Dreams of Jinsha, The Illusionist, Summer Wars, and Tangled have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and meet the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. Under the rules for this category, in any year in which eight to 15 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, a maximum of three motion pictures may be nominated. If 16 or more animated features are submitted and accepted in the category, a maximum of five motion pictures may be nominated. Continue Reading

MOVIES | Minnesotan wins $30,000 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship

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Micah Ranum of Minnesota is one of five writers selected Wednesday as a recipient of the 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The Nicholl Fellowships are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  Each writer will receive a $30,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills on November 4. “I am thrilled. It’s a tremendous opportunity. It’s the most prestigious screenwriting contest in the country,” said Ranum. Continue Reading