Penelope Cruz

CHICAGO – The trailer for the highly anticipated musical “Nine” was released today and you really must take a look. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Fergie, and Sophia Loren, and directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”), “Nine” feels like the first trailer for a likely major Oscar candidate for 2009.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – They have yet to perfectly adapt the great author Philip Roth’s tone from page to screen, but Isabel Coixet’s “Elegy” comes the closest. With other modern masters like Ian McEwan (“Atonement”) and Cormac McCarthy (“No Country For Old Men”) finding a new audience through the successful adaptations of their work, maybe “Elegy” will bring fans to Roth.

CHICAGO – The legacy of Oscar winners following their wins with horrible career choices is long and well-recorded. Perhaps the best piece of news about this year’s Academy Award winners is that they are unlikely to produce a “Snow Dogs,” “Gothika,” or “Aeon Flux” any time soon. The upcoming projects for 2009 Academy Award winners is a more promising slate than most years.

Previous | Image 1 of 20 | Next

Dustin Lance Black

CHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains a selection of the award-winners and presenters back backstage at “The 81st Annual Academy Awards,” which aired on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009.

CHICAGO – Believe it or not, a lot of people heard about some critically acclaimed 2009 films for the first time on Sunday night, when they won or were nominated for 2009 Academy Awards and are now wondering how they can see winning films like “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and shorts like “La Maison en Petits Cubes” and “Toyland”. Let us guide the way.

Previous | Image 1 of 27 | Next

Host Hugh Jackman

CHICAGO – This 27-image slideshow contains a selection of the award-winners and presenters at “The 81st Annual Academy Awards,” which aired on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009.

Previous | Image 1 of 30 | Next

Miley Cyrus

CHICAGO – This 30-image slideshow contains a selection of the arrivals at The 81st Annual Academy Awards. Want to know what people were wearing? Check out images of Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, “High School Musical“‘s Vanessa Hudgens, Marisa Tomei, Mickey Rourke, Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, Melissa Leo, “New Moon“‘s Robert Pattinson, and many more.

CHICAGO – Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” was the huge winner at The 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 taking home an amazing eight Oscars, including the trophies for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Song, and Best Sound Mixing.

CHICAGO – “The Wrestler” was the big winner at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, as Darren Aronofsky’s film took home the prize for Best Picture and Mickey Rourke won for Best Actor. Other big winners included Melissa Leo for Best Actress for “Frozen River,” James Franco for Best Supporting Actor for “Milk,” and Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – I love “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. It’s a wonderful slice of whimsy and sexuality that perfectly captures something about Spain that’s impossible to put into words.