WALL-E

Blu-Ray Review: Pixar’s Beloved ‘Up’ Continues HD Dominance

BrianTT — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:21:30 -0700

CHICAGO – One of the most beloved films of the year and a likely contender for the Oscar for Best Picture now that the category has expanded to ten nominees, Pixar’s “Up” was recently released on Blu-Ray in yet another lovingly produced set from a company that has been a pioneer in the next-gen format. “Up” doesn’t exceed expectations but also doesn’t falter from the critically-acclaimed pattern.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

Pixar has built a reputation by taking unexpected character models and turning them into movie magic. Whether it be toys that come to life, a refined rat, a family of superheroes, or a lovable robot, one never can judge a Pixar character by its cover. Such is the case with Carl Fredericksen (Ed Asner), the delightful hero of “Up” who just happens to be a crotchety old man.

Up was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Video

It’s hard to truly capture the magic of “Up” in a plot description, which is why the advertising has focused so heavily on the colorful balloons. There’s a lot more to Pete Docter’s film than a house that flies.

Up was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Video

The film opens with a young Carl fawning over the exploits of adventurer Charles Muntz. The silent-but-wide-eyed Carl finds himself entangled with another young dreamer named Ellie and the two form a bond that will last nearly a century. A spectacular, heart-breaking montage details the life of Carl and Ellie, ending with her passing, which leaves our hero grumpy, creaky, and alone. When the nursing home comes to take him away, he follows through on a promise he made to a young Ellie and uses helium balloons to fly away from this cruel world and find happiness somewhere else. Along for the ride are a junior explorer (Jordan Nagai), a talking dog, and a colorful bird.

There’s a lot to love about “Up” but an element that has been missed in much of the copious praise is that Docter’s film is simply hilarious. “WALL-E” was a sci-fi adventure, “The Incredibles” was an action movie, and “Ratatouille” was a film about culinary passion, but “Up” is primarily a comedy. There are dramatic themes but fans will revisit this movie and laugh out loud as they fall in love with the importance of never letting life get in the way of your spirit of adventure.

The first two acts of “Up” are as perfect as anything released this year but the film somewhat falters in the final one. Action has never been a strength of Pixar and the film gets a bit too goofy for its own good in the final act as dozens of talking dogs, a blimp, and the balloon-buoyed house are forced into a somewhat awkwardly-conceived action sequence. The ending also lacks a bit of the emotional undercurrent of not just the best of Pixar but the rest of the film.

Up was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Video

I may be harder on “Up” than I would be if it were a Sony or Fox film and there’s MORE than enough here to warrant a recommendation. The fact that “Up” is “merely” one of the most entertaining films of the year is only a viable criticism when one considers the bar set by what Pixar had produced before. (“WALL-E” was my number one film of 2008 and both “Toy Story”s, “Finding Nemo,” “Ratatouille,” and “The Incredibles” are among my favorite films of the last twenty years.)

Ultimately, what has allowed Pixar to shine is the fact that they recognize that animation is a medium, not a genre, You can make action films, dramas, sci-fi adventures, or whatever your imagination can dream up within that medium. With “Up,” Pixar produced a beautiful, heartwarming, comedy adventure that shouldn’t be missed.

Technically, the Blu-Ray release for “Up” is a beauty. Disney and Pixar films always look amazing in HD and this one’s perfect, as is the audio mix.

Special features for “Up” include a commentary by Docter and co-director Bob Peterson, the mildly-amusing “Dug’s Special Mission” short film, the great “Partly Cloudy” short film that played in theaters, “The Many Endings of Muntz” (which proves that perhaps there were a few problems with the development of the final act of the film), “Adventure is Out There,” the “Cine-Explore” feature, “Geriatric Hero,” “Canine Companions,” “Russell: Wilderness Explorer,” “Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin,” “Homemakers of Pixar,” “Balloons and Flight,” “Composing for Characters,” “Married Life,” and “The Global Guardian Badge Game”.

The combo pack release for “Up” also includes a DVD and digital copy of the film, continuing Pixar/Disney’s fantastic trend of providing their films in every format, recognizing that families need options when it comes to entertainment. Don’t miss the option to add “Up” to your collection.

‘Up’ is released by Walt Disney Home Video and stars the voice work of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, and Delroy Lindo. It was written by Bob Peterson and directed by Pete Docter. It was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 10th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Oscars: Best Picture Category to Expand to 10 Nominees in 2010

BrianTT — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:12:49 -0600

CHICAGO – In a shocking announcement today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that there will be ten nominees for Best Picture next year instead of the usual five. The move comes a year too late for “WALL-E” and “The Dark Knight,” both of which were notoriously snubbed last year but that one has to assume would have made it in with ten. (Although this makes a nod for “Up” far more likely.)

Variety reported, “There will be 10 best picture nominees starting with the 82nd Oscar ceremony, skedded for March 7, at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.” Sid Ganis, President of the Academy, released a press release, reprinted by the great Awards Daily:

“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said Ganis. “The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”

Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” commented Ganis. “I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”

The TEN nominees for Best Picture of 2009 will be announced on February 2nd, 2010.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video Game Review: Wii Version of ‘Up’ Delightful Companion to Beloved Film

BrianTT — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:33:56 -0600

CHICAGO – Pixar movie tie-ins can be hard to review simply due to the strength of their source material. Pete Docter’s “Up” is the most critically acclaimed and brilliantly written films of the year. How can a game possibly match “Up”?

The answer is, of course, that it can’t and it shouldn’t even try. No game, especially one using the graphics engine of the Wii, is going to look as good as a Pixar film and it would be the game of the year if it had the same witty dialogue and storytelling. Most movie tie-in games fail completely when compared to the actual film but it would be downright unfair to attempt that with a Pixar title.

Up
Photo credit: THQ

Once you let that expectation go and you view the video game version of “Up” as more of a companion piece than a direct tie-in to the film, the game by THQ and devloper Heavy Iron Studios works on its own terms, as a child-friendly diversion for little ones who just want to spend a little more time with Carl, Russell, Kevin, and Dug.

The game follows much of the action of the film but opens with one of the final scenes, an aerial “dog fight” as Dug tries to save Carl, Russell, and their house from attack.

After the prologue, the meat of the game kicks in. The elderly Carl and adventurous Russell must work together to navigate the treacherous terrain in the jungles of South America. The primary focus of “Up” is teamwork and the game is better enjoyed if two players take on the lead characters. If not, a single player can switch back and forth, but the drive of the game is how Carl and Russell must work together to combat enemies or even get from point A to point B.

For example, sometimes you’ll need to use Carl’s cane to lift him up to a higher point or perhaps switch to Russell to lower a rope down to the most charming elderly character of the year. Even Kevin and Dug will come into play with the puzzle-solving aspects of the game.

Up
Photo credit: THQ

“Up” is also a collection game. Cleverly playing off the movie version of Russell’s wilderness explorer background, players have to collect rare bugs and merit badges that will earn them “Quest Cards”. Artifacts and mementos are also cleverly hidden throughout the levels, adding to the replay value of the title.

As for Wii-mote control, “Up” is a mixed bag. The ways in which the Wii-mote comes into play get pretty repetitive quickly, but kids will enjoy swinging the controller to mimic cutting a rope with their knife or lowering one down to save their partner.

The levels of “Up” are almost entirely puzzle-solving based. Yes, the player will occasionally have to battle a talking dog or a man-eating plant but the majority of the gameplay is about how to get Carl and Russell from point A to point B, complete with voice work by the film’s actors and even a few clever quips. Unlike a lot of movie tie-ins, I actually laughed out loud a few times at the dialogue in “Up” and didn’t grow too weary of the repetitive dialogue that often hampers a title like this one.

What’s wrong with “Up”? Even for a Wii movie tie-in aimed at kids, it is disturbingly short. Even casual players will finish it in under 3 hours, which is unacceptable for a $40 game. The dog fights are bizarrely incomplete. The player stands and waits for a dog to attack, hits B a few times, fight ends. And the camera can be shockingly frustrating in its angle choices, which is not good for a game that requires the player to often jump precisely from rock formation to rock formation.

Up
Photo credit: THQ

Ultimately, perhaps I’m not as hard on “Up” as I was last year’s awful “WALL-E” tie-in or other movie tie-in games, because of increasingly lowered expectations with a title like this one. Could the game version of “Up” have been better? Certainly. There could have been more creativity with the controls and level design and it should be at least twice as long. But what “Up” does right - original actor voice work and even the score from the film stand out - makes for a pleasant diversion, a companion to the more complete experience in theaters.

The game version of a Pixar film is probably never going to be better than the theatrical experience. Yes, the developers of “Up” the game could have tried a bit harder to come closer, but judged as a diverting desert after the main meal of the actual film, a lot players will find this title a sweet treat.

‘Up’ was released by THQ and developed by Heavy Iron Studios. It is rated E (Everyone). The version reviewed was for the Nintendo Wii but the title is also available for the DS, PS3, PS2, PSP, PC and XBox 360. It was released on May 26th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Riding the Animated Wave ‘Up’ With Pixar Director Pete Docter

BrianTT — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:39:13 -0600

CHICAGO – Pixar’s “Up” recently became the first animated 3D film to open the Cannes Film Festival and the reviews were just as rapturous as those who had been tracking the latest Pixar offering expected them to be. Before he want to France, director Pete Docter sat down for an exclusive interview with HollywoodChicago.com.

Docter has been a part of the Pixar team since the beginning and remains one of the most prominent voices in the company along with John Lasseter (“Toy Story”), Brad Bird (“Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles”) and Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”). Docter made a splash when he directed “Monsters Inc.” and will make waves with “Up”.

For someone who has made such vibrant, energetic, nearly-glowing films, Docter is a surprisingly humble and quiet man. It’s not an accident that he’s made a film about a man escaping the dangerous, depressing world on the ground by tying helium balloons to his house and fleeing for the jungle.

“UP” (L-R) Russell and Carl Fredricksen
Photo credit: ©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

“I’m just not an extroverted person,” says Docter. “I think a lot of us became animators because talking to people is kind of scary….especially girls. So it’s easier to draw. It’s easier to just communicate through drawing. It’s a way to communicate with people. It was really hard becoming a director on Monsters, Inc because up until then I had a chance to withdraw to my office and animate. As a director, you’re thrust out and you’re talking to people all day. And at the end of the day, I just want go hide under the bed or something and talk to nobody. This film was kind of born out of that.”

Pete Docter
Photo credit: ©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

“Up” features more human characters than most recent Pixar animation but the characters are highly stylized and more caricatured than any previous Pixar work. This was a challenge for Docter and his team. He told me, “We’ve always pushed caricature but in this one Carl is like three heads tall, which is quite stylized. Even his house - they seem like very realistic textures, but they’re basically like a dry-brush. Even the leaves in the jungle, it looks like someone went through and very theatrically painted. It was finding the balance between theatre and believability. We designed Carl’s house first. We built a miniature of the house interior and built all these little models and painted them. It really helped inform how we would build them in the computer. Then when you get to the wilderness, you can’t have that looking like a craft project. It has to be believable. You have to feel the wind in your face and smell the jungle. It was finding the balance between those two extremes.”

“Up” was partially born out of a surprising influence - Thomas McCarthy’s “The Station Agent,” another film about a man trying to escape the world and come out of his shell. Docter also cites “Casablanca,” “Lady and the Tramp,” and “101 Dalmatians” as influences. “Movies that had a beautiful simplicity to them and a focus on character.”

“Up” is the first Pixar film in 3D but the story had been developed and worked on for awhile before the new technology entered into it. An entirely different group was set up to study previous 3D films for their “pitfalls and successes”.

“UP” (L-R) Russell and Carl Fredricksen
Photo credit: ©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

“We tried to learn from all the films that had come before us and what makes it work. The things that were important to me as a director was not distract people with 3D. You don’t want to pop them out of the movie by going “ooga-booga”. We basically said, “Okay, the screen is like a window and you can see into it but let’s not bring too many things out.” That adds a certain sense of depth and I think, for a lot of people, they feel more transported into that world. Hopefully, it’s not distracting to the point of popping you out of the film and it’s a more immersive experience.”

The immediate question to this animation aficionado is if the entire form has been forever altered. Will we see 2D animated films any more?

“I don’t know,” says Docter. “It kind of depends on what the audience wants to see. If people really embrace it and feel it’s the way to go, then we’ll do them all that way. This one, you can see either way, which I think is nice. Some people find it really engaging and interesting but other people are kind of put off by the glasses and whatever. I don’t think you’re losing anything by seeing it in 2D, it’s just a different way to see it.”

“WALL-E” and “Ratatouille” were accused by some critics as being more for the parents than for their children. I think kids will fall in love with the sense of adventure and the young protagonist in “Up”. It’s more traditional fun than most recent Pixar. But it’s not a conscious goal. The creative voices at Pixar makes the movies they want to make.

Ed Asner and Pete Docter
Photo credit: Deborah Coleman

“It’s tricky,” says Docter. “We’re always directing the films at an audience. You want to make sure it communicates to people and has something to say. But, at the same time, it’s a real director-driven studio, so the films are kind of like where we are as people that end up in the movies. So, it was just kind of the expression of Bob and myself as we developed this one as it has a balance of comedy, action, adventure, and that emotion that hangs it together and supports the other.”

What separates Pixar? Docter admits to keeping an eye on other animation and expresses admiration for Henry Selick’s “Coraline,” but almost shies away from the suggestion that there’s something special going on at Pixar. He does admit that the system at Pixar is a little unique.

“We have a system where people are selfless about giving up their own time, their own energy, their own comments,” says Docter. “Brad [Bird] will be off in the middle of directing something and we’ll drag him in to watch this movie and he’ll spew out all these great ideas that I get to use and then I’ll do the same with whoever comes along next. Between that and the philosophy of “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not taking enough risk.” We’re sort of expected to fail along the way. It’s expected that we’re going to falter and pull the emergency cord and get everybody on board to make this good.”

Docter ends by refusing to confirm or deny the rumors about a planned “Monsters Inc. 2” but expresses excitement for what’s to come from Pixar.

“Now more than ever there are more varied and diverse films in the pipeline than we’ve ever had. It seems like there’s just a great variety and diversity of things that you’re going to see stretching out into the future.”

Up opens on May 29th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Pixar’s ‘Up’ to Open Cannes Film Festival in May 2009

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:01:47 -0600

CHICAGO – Pixar continues their plan for world dominance with their 2009 film “Up” being announced today as the opening film for the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May. Produced under John Lasseter’s supervision, the film that follows “WALL-E,” “Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story,” and more under the prestigious Pixar banner will be the Opening Ceremony film in Disney Digital 3-D on Wednesday, May 13th, 2009.

Pixar also sent over a new still for director Pete Docter’s (“Monsters, Inc.”) adventure about a 78-year-old who fulfills his dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America, only to discover that he has brought with him his biggest nightmare, a 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer stowaway.

Up will be released in theaters on May 29th, 2009.
Photo credit: Pixar

“Up,” which opens in the United States on May 29th, 2009 and in France on July 29th, 2009 will be the first animated film to open the Festival de Cannes. Other animated films that have played there in Official Selection include “Dumbo,” “The Fantastic Planet,” “Fritz the Cat,” “Shrek,” “The Triplets of Belleville,” “Shrek 2,” “Over the Hedge,” “Kung-Fu Panda,” and “Waltz With Bashir”. The fest runs from May 13th to May 24th.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Taking the Oscars Home: How to See the 2009 Academy Award Winners

BrianTT — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:57:43 -0700

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.

Milk
Photo credit: Universal

Of course, the big winner of the night was “Slumdog Millionaire,” which does not yet have a DVD/Blu-Ray release date, but you can expect one soon. The film will probably get another expansion in theaters to capitalize on its eight Oscars before a DVD release in probably May or June.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” winner of three awards, didn’t get enough major trophies to get a theatrical expansion, but also doesn’t have a release date yet. Expect it in late April or early May, although they could be putting together a more “special edition,” which would delay till closer to Summer.

In the final bit of sad, major winner news, “The Reader” is still playing in theaters, so you’ll have to pay to see Kate Winslet on the big screen or wait a while for the home release.

Now for the good news. Three out of the four acting winners are either on DVD/Blu-Ray now or coming soon.

Sean Penn won best actor and Dustin Lance Black won best original screenplay for “Milk” and Focus/Universal has timed that film’s home release perfectly, bringing Gus Van Sant’s masterful film home on March 10th, 2009. Universal also holds the DVD rights to the fifth best picture nominee “Frost/Nixon”. The Ron Howard film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.

Frost/Nixon
Photo credit: Universal

Both supporting award winners were already available at DVD stores. You can catch Penelope Cruz’s work in the great “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and Heath Ledger’s in the amazing “The Dark Knight” now. You’re not a movie fan if you haven’t seen them both.

The question I was asked the most on Sunday night was how to see the Oscar-nominated and winning short films. Most are all available on iTunes for $1.99 a piece. Sadly, the deserving and gorgeous animated winner, “La Maison en Petits Cubes,” is not available.

But there’s still a few shorts worth checking out. Start with the winning and touching “Toyland”. If you want to see more deserving nominees, the animated “This Way Up” is totally worth the time and live action “Auf Der Strecke (On the Line)” & “Manon on the Asphalt” are both better than the actual winner, in my opinion. And better than “The Reader”.

Of course, the most Oscar-nominated animated film of all time and the winner in its specialized category, “WALL-E” has been available on DVD and Blu-Ray for a while now. If you’re thinking about upgrading to Blu-Ray and HD, “WALL-E” may be reason enough. It’s beautiful.

The winner for best documentary, “Man on Wire” is also available on DVD and Blu-Ray, but the foreign language film winner, “Departures,” hasn’t even played in most domestic markets. Good luck tracking that one down, although its win should get it a wider theatrical release than it otherwise would have received.

Doubt
Photo credit: Miramax

Finally, the winner for best costume design, “The Duchess” has been available on DVD and Blu-Ray for a few months.

To recap the big winners - “WALL-E,” “The Dark Knight,” “Man on Wire,” “The Duchess,” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” are all at your local video store. “Milk” will be released on 3/10/09. We’re waiting on release dates for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire”.

As for nominees on DVD and Blu-Ray, you can also check out “The Visitor,” “Changeling,” “Frozen River,” “Tropic Thunder,” “In Bruges,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Encounters at the End of the World,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Iron Man,” and “Wanted” today if you want.

As for upcoming nominees, “Australia” comes home on March 3rd, 2009, “Rachel Getting Married” and “Happy-Go-Lucky” will be released with “Milk” on March 10th, 2009 (call it “Oscar DVD Day”), “Bolt” will be in stores on March 22nd, 2009, “Doubt” will hit stores on April 7th, 2009, and “Frost/Nixon” comes out on April 21st, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Sean Penn Win 2009 Academy Awards

BrianTT — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:17:08 -0700

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.

“Slumdog” was easily the big winner of the night, followed by “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” with three trophies and “Milk” and “The Dark Knight” with two.

Penelope Cruz at the 2009 Oscars.
Photo credit: Michael Yada/AMPAS

Acting winners started with Penelope Cruz taking the Supporting Actress trophy for “Amy Adams & Viola Davis for “Doubt,” Taraji P. Henson for “Benjamin Button,” and Marisa Tomei for “The Wrestler”. Cruz joked about possibly fainting and thanked Woody Allen for giving her a great role.

The Supporting Actor trophy went to Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight”. The deceased actor’s family accepted for him after a standing ovation from the audience. Ledger beat out Josh Brolin for “Milk,” Robert Downey Jr. for “Tropic Thunder,” Philip Seymour Hoffman for “Doubt,” and Michael Shannon for “Revolutionary Road”. The last posthumous winner was Peter Finch who won Best Actor for 1976’s “Network”. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after Ledger’s win.

The Actress award went, predictably, to the great Kate Winslet for “The Reader,” her first win after five previous nominations. A teary-eyed Winslet beat out Meryl Streep for “Doubt,” Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married,” Melissa Leo for “Frozen River,” and Angelina Jolie for “Changeling”.

The final acting award of the night was arguably the most nail-biting with Sean Penn taking the prize for “Milk” over Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”. The two were in a dead heat from most Oscar watchers, leaving Frank Langella for “Frost/Nixon,” Richard Jenkins for “The Visitor” and Brad Pitt for “Benjamin Button” to wait till next time.

Philippe Petit of “Man on Wire” at the 2009 Oscars.
Photo credit: Michael Yada/AMPAS

Danny Boyle jumped up and down after winning for “Slumdog Millionaire,” clearly the emotional favorite of the evening. The last film to win at least eight awards was “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” five years ago.

Best Animated Film went to “WALL-E,” Best Documentary to “Man on Wire,” and, in one of the few surprises of the evening, Best Foreign Language Film went to “Departures,” over the more popular “The Class” and “Waltz With Bashir”.

The style of the Academy Awards this year was very different. Previous winners gave speeches about each of the acting nominees including presenters like Shirley MacLaine, Sophia Loren, Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ben Kingsley, Tilda Swinton, Halle Berry, and Kevin Kline. Awards were also commonly given away in groups with both screenplays, sound and visual effects, and the music awards being given away at the same time.

Dustin Lance Black won Best Original Screenplay for his debut work on “Milk” and gave one of the most heartfelt and moving speeches of the night. Simon Beaufoy won Best Adapted Screenplay for “Slumdog Millionaire”.

On the technical ledger for awards that “Slumdog Millionaire” didn’t take home, “The Dark Knight” won Sound Editing, “Benjamin Button” won Visual Effects, Makeup, and Art Direction, and “The Duchess” won Costume Design.

The winning short films were “Smile Pinki,” “La Maison en Petits Cubes,” and “Toyland”. Hugh Jackman hosted the affair and while many will critique and praise him in the coming hours, he came off as likable and certainly gave it his all. Jerry Lewis won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

See our 30-image red-carpet slideshow of the 2009 Oscars.
Read our full list of the 2009 Oscar nominees.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

The 10 Biggest Oscar Snubs of 2009

BrianTT — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:31:57 -0700

CHICAGO – Stories are released every year about the gap between the Oscars and public opinion. It’s a chasm that seems to be growing with every passing year. For the 81st-annual Academy Awards, this legendary group had a chance to close that gap and nominate two films for best picture that were critically acclaimed and commercially successful: “The Dark Knight” and “WALL-E”. But they blew it.

The two films did land a combined fourteen nominations, but were excluded from Best Director and Best Picture, proving that the Academy still has a long way to go when it comes to actually recognizing the best of the year. But they were far from the only mistake revealed on Thursday morning, January 22nd, 2009.

Before we discuss the serious snubs, Best Foreign Language Film is too much of a joke to be considered eligible. The likely winner, Waltz With Bashir, is very deserving, but the process is so flawed that it makes the inevitable win for Ari Folman’s excellent film a slightly hollow one. The fact that the Academy still employs a process that makes one of the best foreign films of the year (Let the Right One In) ineligible and ignores one of the most critically acclaimed choices like Gomorrah from even making the short list is mind-boggling to me. It’s not snubbing, it’s utter nonsense.

Picking ten snubs from this year’s list of nominees was shockingly easy. In fact, there wasn’t a single category that didn’t have a worthy contender on the outside looking in. And how do you rank them? What’s more painful - Sally Hawkins, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, or Rosemarie DeWitt still being unable to put Oscar nominee next to their name? Instead, we’re picking the biggest snub per category with the big eight and then two notable omissions from the other categories rounding out a top ten (well, top eleven if you’re being picky).

Dear Zachary.
Photo credit: Oscilloscope

10. “Dear Zachary” for Best Documentary

Kurt Kuenne’s amazing dissection of pure evil and immeasurable good didn’t even make the short list for a category that’s almost as messed up as Best Foreign Language Film. Man on Wire will probably and predictably win but there were so many other choices they could have made to join it then the ones they did. Trouble the Water was powerful, so that’s a great nod, but it is mind-boggling to me that Werner Herzog gets snubbed for one of the best nature documentaries of the last few years, Grizzly Man, but nominated for a film that even he would admit wasn’t nearly as good, Encounters at the End of the World. But all of it pales in comparison to the most powerfully emotional experience that I had in 2008 - Dear Zachary. Like Foreign Language Film, this will be a category that I use for a bathroom break.

Winner Bruce Springsteen for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for “The Wrestler” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

9. “The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen for Best Song

This is perhaps the most head-scratching snub of the day. It’s clearly not an anti-Boss thing, as they gave him the award for “Streets of Philadelphia”. No, I think there’s a deeper problem here. I think this category is broken. Maybe after giving the trophy to Three Six Mafia (deservedly, I might add), something snapped. How else do you explain the THREE nominations for “Enchanted” in this category last year (snubbing Eddie Vedder’s great work on “Into the Wild” and tunes by John Mayer, Rufus Wainwright, and Bob Dylan) and now this disaster? Don’t get me wrong. The two songs from “Slumdog Millionaire” are both good and it will be ridiculously cool to see M.I.A. perform on the Oscars. And I love the track from “WALL-E” by Peter Gabriel. But did they forget the other two nominees? How about “The Wrestler” and “Dracula’s Lament” from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”? Come on. It’s not too late. Just pretend there were five all along. We’re gonna need a laugh after all the “Reader” and “Frost/Nixon” clips anyway.

Let the Right One In
Photo credit: Magnolia

8. “Let the Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist for Best Adapted Screenplay

I know it will be a cold day in movie hell when a foreign horror movie gets a nomination this prestigious, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t snubbed. The script for Tomas Alfredson’s stunning study of vampirism and adolescence is easily better than three of the chosen nominees and arguably second only to Simon Beaufoy’s stunning work on “Slumdog Millionaire”. No offense to the talented people chosen for this category, but could it have been any more predictable? Take the award-winning plays, the F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation, and something called “The Reader” has to be a great adapted screenplay, right? “Let the Right One In” is a challenging, daring examination of childhood isolation through the lens of the vampire mythology. It’s a wonderful screenplay that was probably not even considered. It will stand the test of time far more impressively than “Frost/Nixon” or “The Reader”.

‘WALL-E,’ ‘The Dark Knight’ Snubbed For Major 2009 Oscar Nominations

BrianTT — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:36:15 -0700

CHICAGO – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their 81st annual nominees this morning, January 22nd, 2009. For a body that has been known to make shocking mistakes, they may have topped themselves by excluding the two most beloved movies of 2008, “WALL-E” and “The Dark Knight” from the Best Picture category.

Heath Ledger landed a nomination for “The Dark Knight” and “WALL-E” was included in the screenplay category, but both were left out of several major categories, including both Christopher Nolan and Andrew Stanton being ignored for best director of the year.

Overall, “The Dark Knight” scored eight nominations and “WALL-E” racked up an impressive six, but the exclusion of both from director and picture makes it clear that the Academy didn’t think they were among the best films of the year.

Christian Bale (left) stars as Batman and Heath Ledger (right) stars as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

The films that did have a good morning when the nominees were announced on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” with a stunning 13 nominations. “Button” will compete with “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire” for the big prize. “Slumdog” came in second with a surprising 10 nominations. “Frost/Nixon” scored five nods, “Milk” landed an impressive eight, and “The Reader” can lay claim to five.

The best director category matched the picture one five for five with David Fincher, Ron Howard, Gus Van Sant, Stephen Daldry, and Danny Boyle all being able to put Oscar-nominated next to their name now. Shockingly, Christopher Nolan was left off the list and some had expected that Darren Aronofsky, might make the cut for “The Wrestler”. We forgot about the Academy’s blind adoration of Stephen Daldry. Three movies - “Billy Elliot,” “The Hours,” “The Reader” - a best director nomination for all three.

In one of the few pleasant surprises of the day and a category that they arguably got right, Richard Jenkins will compete for best actor for “The Visitor” with Frank Langella from “Frost/Nixon,” Sean Penn for “Milk,” Brad Pitt for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”.

Angelina Jolie made up for her snubbing last year and landed a nod for her work in “Changeling”. She’ll fight for best actress with Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married,” Melissa Leo in “Frozen River,” Meryl Streep in “Doubt,” and Kate Winslet in “The Reader”. The exclusion of Sally Hawkins’ award-winning work in “Happy-Go-Lucky” was the shock of the day and the kind of snubbing that will be remembered for decades.

The supporting actor category produced a surprise with Michael Shannon landing the only nomination for “Revolutionary Road”. He will compete against the frontrunner, Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight,” Josh Brolin in “Milk,” Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder,” and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”. Why does it feel like Heath Ledger’s category is the only one people will tune in for? If they’re smart, they’ll give it away late in the telecast.

With Winslet moving from supporting to lead for her work in “The Reader,” that left the race for that category wide open with Penelope Cruz returning back to frontrunner status for her turn in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. She’ll compete with the ladies from “Doubt” - Amy Adams & Viola Davis - Taraji P. Henson for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and Marisa Tomei for “The Wrestler”.

Taraji P. Henson (left) stars as Queenie with Brad Pitt (right front) in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.
Photo credit: Merrick Morton, Paramount Pictures

Another shocking snub happened in original screenplay when the regularly-nominated Woody Allen was left out of the category in favor of “Frozen River,” “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “In Bruges,” “Milk”, and “WALL-E”. The adapted screenplay category was the most predictable of the day with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire” being the predictable competition.

Nominees for best foreign language film include “Der Baader Meinhof Complex,” “The Class,” “Departures,” “Revanche,” and the likely winner, “Waltz With Bashir”. Animated film nominees were pretty routine with “Bolt” and “Kung Fu Panda” competing for second place with “WALL-E” a likely winner. The final snub of the day? Bruce Springsteen didn’t make the cut for his great title track from “The Wrestler”. The other nominees follow.

Best Art Direction
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Duchess”
“Revolutionary Road”

Best Cinematography
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Costume Design

“Australia”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Duchess”
“Milk”
“Revolutionary Road”

Best Documentary Feature
“The Betrayal”
“Encounters at the End of the World”
“The Garden”
“Man on Wire”
“Trouble the Water”

Best Editing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Makeup
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”

Best Original Score
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Defiance”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”

Best Original Song
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E”

Best Sound Editing
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Sound Mixing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Visual Effects
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”

3:26 p.m. update on Jan. 22, 2009: Various nominees have responded with statements about their 2009 Oscar nominations. Read this story here.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

The 10 Best Blu-Ray, DVD Releases of 2008

BrianTT — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:43:37 -0700

CHICAGO – For audiences increasingly accustomed to watching movies at home instead of at the multiplex, it was an interesting year for DVDs and Blu-rays.

In this list of top Blu-rays and DVDs of 2008, we cover “Tropic Thunder,” “Dirty Harry,” “The Last Emperor,” “Iron Man,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Dark City,” “Mad Men,” “Spaced,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Godfather” and others including “Band of Brothers,” “Firefly,” “Star Trek,” “Transformers,” “The Wire,” “The Sopranos,” “Dexter,” “24,” “Lost,” “Deadwood” and “Casablanca”.

Of course, the biggest event was the end of the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray, but the impact of that Blu-ray victory has yet to fully be realized considering the incredibly small market share still being occupied by the next-gen format. With Blu-Ray players dropping in price by the day and the increasing popularity of HD TVs, it seems like only a matter of time before Blu-Ray supplants DVD in the same way the previous format took over for VHS.

Besides the horrendous economy and the notion that Blu-Ray isn’t significantly superior to DVD to force the change on a technological level, it seems to me that the next hurdle for Blu-Ray is that there just haven’t been enough must-own titles to spur buyers to make the upgrade. Imagine if Blu-Ray had deleted scenes or special features unavailable on the standard version. Imagine the impact that would’ve had on a lot of people’s decision to trade up to HD.

And Blu-Ray wouldn't necessarily even have to resort to format-exclusive features. The more titles that hit the format that truly utilize its potential, the more people will go out and pick up a player. There were a few of those discs this year. "Game-changers,” if you will. They're in the top ten.

But, before we get to that, some honorable mentions. In the world of TV on DVD, the well went considerably dry in 2008. Not only have most of the classic shows already hit the market, but the strike-shortened season of '07-'08 made nearly every new release more lackluster than the season before.

Some of the most notable TV on DVD releases were re-issues of already available material. "Band of Brothers" and "Firefly" both hit Blu-Ray in sparkling sets, while fans of "Star Trek: The Original Series" can now own seasons two and three with remastered video and special effects on standard DVD.

One of the most consistent producers of quality TV on DVD this year was BBC Home Video, releasing excellent season sets for the first and second installments of the brilliant "Torchwood,” a great package for the first volume of "Primeval,” and one of the best mini-series in the history of the form, "State of Play.” HBO didn't lag too far behind with series sets for "Extras,” "The Wire", "Deadwood", and "The Sopranos" all warranting acclaim alongside 2008 gems like "John Adams" and "Generation Kill.”

The first season of "24" was finally given the special edition treatment (the initial release of the first bad day in Jack Bauer's life had been relatively bare-bones) and a few current shows - "Weeds,” "Dexter,” "Lost" - did release above-average season sets. Finally, "Family Guy: Blue Harvest" is a must-own for any fan of the Griffin family, "Frisky Dingo: Season One" was the best Adult Swim title of the year and everyone worth knowing would smile at the third season of "The Muppet Show.”

As for classic movies released on DVD or Blu-Ray, early-year highlights included a great 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition of "In the Heat of the Night" and a Platinum Edition of "101 Dalmatians” and this month's collector's set for "Casablanca" is a beauty. And, while the box set market was underwhelming compared to years past, "The Stanley Kramer Collection,” "The Frank Sinatra Collection,” "Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set,” "5 Films by Dario Argento,” and "The Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection" were all notable.

When it comes to current films, the stand-outs were few and far between. There are a couple in the top ten, but lackluster presentations and a dearth of interesting special features were more common complaints this year than in many past. Stand-outs include one of the best transfers in the history of home theaters for "The Transformers" on Blu-Ray, a sparkling gift set release of "Batman Begins" on the new format, and gorgeous sets for the two most successful animated films of the year, "Wall-E" and "Kung Fu Panda.”

Finally, Criterion had another impressive year, moving seamlessly into Blu-Ray at the end of the year with new releases for "Bottle Rocket" and "Chungking Express" along with reissues of some of their best work like "The Third Man" and "The Last Emperor.” Must-add Criterion titles of 2008 included "Blast of Silence,” "The Lovers,” "Before the Rain,” "Mafioso,” and "Europa.”

THE TEN BEST DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASES OF 2008

10. "Tropic Thunder: Director's Cut"

The comedy Blu-Ray release of the year included not only a director's cut worth seeing but also special features nearly as funny as the movie itself. There are a few too many bite-sized featurettes (5-10 minutes before getting thrown back to a menu screen is just annoying), but they were more than balanced out by commentaries, perfect picture and sound, and the fantastic spoof documentary, "Rain of Madness.” Including a satire of a pretentious behind-the-scenes documentary on the release for a satire of pretentious war movies and their obnoxious actors was a stroke of genius.

9. “Dirty Harry: Ultimate Collector’s Edition”

The best DVD box set of the year includes hours of special features, a gorgeous collection of physical collectibles, and fantastic video and audio. What’s most unusual about “Dirty Harry” is that it may be the last time you ever read these words - pick it up on standard DVD, not Blu-Ray. The HD picture makes “Dirty Harry” look a little too plastic and clean. Harry needs to be a little dirtier. But the DVD gift set is remarkable. With new featurettes and interviews with the major players along with some previously available material, it’s a definitive set.