Man on Wire

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

‘WALL-E,’ ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ ‘The Dark Knight’ Win Awards From Chicago Film Critics Association

BrianTT — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:21:57 -0700

CHICAGO – The Chicago Film Critics Association announced their winners for the best of 2008 and an animated robot, superhero movie villain, wrestling star, and former teen actress walked away with big prizes. “Wall-E” was the big winner of the day, taking home an amazing four prizes, the most presented to any one movie this year.

Pixar’s “Wall-E”, an animated masterpiece about the last robot on planet Earth, won the big prize for Best Picture and also took home Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Animated Film.

The Chicago Film Critics Association, which includes HollywoodChicago.com’s Publisher Adam Fendelman and Content Director Brian Tallerico, gave their Best Director prize to Danny Boyle for “Slumdog Millionaire”. The sleeper hit about a young man trying to prove that he didn’t cheat on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” also claimed prizes for Best Adapted Screenplay and Dev Patel for Most Promising Newcomer.

The Best Actor trophy for 2008 went to Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”, beating out Sean Penn in “Milk”, Clint Eastwood in “Gran Torino”, Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”, and Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon”.

For Best Actress, Sally Hawkins in “Happy-Go-Lucky”, Angelina Jolie in “Changeling”, Melissa Leo in “Frozen River”, and Meryl Streep in “Doubt” all lost out to Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”.

Heath Ledger took home another prize for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of The Joker in “The Dark Knight”, stealing the prize from Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder”, Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”, Bill Irwin in “Rachel Getting Married”, and Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road”. “The Dark Knight” also won Best Cinematograpy.

Perhaps the most surprising win of the day was Kate Winslet’s for Best Supporting Actress for “The Reader”. Also nominated in that category was the most-common winner of the season, Penelope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, Amy Adams in “Doubt”, Rosemarie DeWitt in “Rachel Getting Married”, and Viola Davis in “Doubt”.

The excellent Swedish horror sensation “Let the Right One In” won the prizes for Best Foreign-Language Film and Most Promising Director for Tomas Alfredson and “Man on Wire” took the trophy for Best Documentary.

The Chicago Film Critics Association

2008 CFCA AWARD WINNERS

BEST PICTURE: WALL-E

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: WALL-E (Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire (Simon Beaufoy)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Let the Right One In

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Man On Wire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Dark Knight (Wally Pfister)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: WALL-E (Thomas Newman)

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

MOST PROMISING DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson - Let the Right One In

If you’d like to go back in time a few days and see the 2008 nominees from the Chicago Film Critics Association, read our coverage here from Dec. 15, 2008.

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

The 10 Best Film Documentaries of 2008

BrianTT — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:39:45 -0700

CHICAGO – One of the most wonderful things about the world of documentary film is the complete unpredictability of the form. It seems much easier to look at a list of upcoming works from major and minor narrative directors and know what’s going to stand out at the end of the year than to even attempt the same thing with an upcoming batch of documentaries.

Critics will tell you that they go into every film with a blank slate of opinion, but it’s naive to think that we don’t have different expectations for the next Coen brothers film than we do for the next Uwe Boll piece of “work.” (You were expecting a different word to end that sentence, weren’t you?) And most years shake out with a healthy mix of cinematic veterans and relative newcomers delivering movies of a somewhat predictable baseline of quality with a few healthy surprises sprinkled in between.

However, with rare exceptions, the world of documentaries usually follows much different and less predictable rules. Big names like Martin Scorsese, Bill Maher, Errol Morris, Morgan Spurlock, and last year’s Oscar winner for “Taxi to the Dark Side,” Alex Gibney, all released documentaries this year that didn’t make the cut for the ten best. Meanwhile, newcomers with unpredictable subject matter that ranged from personal accounts of tragedy and triumph to international stories of controversy and climate change made 2008 one of the better years for non-fiction film in a long time. And none of us saw it coming.

Runner-ups: “American Teen”, “At the Death House Door”, “Flow”, “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson”, “Kurt Cobain: About a Son”, “Religulous”, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”, “Shine a Light”, “Standard Operating Procedure”, and “Surfwise.”

10. "Encounters at the End of the World"

The "biggest" director on this list, Werner Herzog, made one of his most personal films with "Encounters at the End of the World," a travelogue about the people who choose to live WAY off the grid. Herzog has always been fascinated with Mother Nature in both his fictional (Aguirre, Wrath of God) and non-fiction (Grizzly Man) films, and it's his inquisitive, intellectual personality that makes "Encounters" work. As he says early in his narration, this is not "March of the Penguins." Herzog is much more interested in if penguins ever go crazy from the tedium of their lives than how they nurture their newborns. And it's Herzog's refusal to turn "Encounters" into just another nature documentary that makes it interesting. With some of the most riveting photography of the year - non-fiction or not - "Encounters at the End of the World" is one of the most unique films of 2008, a personal, spiritual, and magical journey to a place that most of us will never see.

9. "Stranded: I've Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains"

Gonzalo Arijon's "Stranded" forces its viewers to ask several difficult questions. If it meant your survival, could you eat human flesh? Would you judge those who did? Would you ever be able to forgive yourself? By focusing his camera almost entirely on interviews with the survivors of the famous 1972 Andes plane crash - best remembered nowadays thanks to the 1993 movie "Alive" - Arijon has turned the emphasis from the horrifying action that the survivors had to participate in to live another day and, instead, attempts to learn more about the crash victims themselves. Consequently, "Stranded" is not just the recreation that it might have been in someone else's hands. Arijon treats his subject matter without tabloid sensationalism, turning it into a sentimental and emotionally powerful experience. Documentaries often succeed or fail from their conception, and Arijon's smartest decision was when he realized that all the power of his work was there in the words of the people who did everything they had to do to survive. "Stranded" could have been a little shorter but it contains some of the most powerful interviews of the year.

8. “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”

The issue of steroid use is a lot more complex than Capital Hill, Barry Bonds, and Hulk Hogan would have you believe. It’s certainly complex for Chris Bell. His older brother “Mad Dog” and his younger brother “Smelly” openly use steroids every single day. All three of the Bell brothers grew up obsessed with ’80s icons like Ah-nuld, Sly, and the Hulkster, and they desperately wanted to have muscles like their heroes. But the catch of the body-building world is that it’s impossible to do so without a little “help.” How do you survive in a culture that so openly rewards the person who rises to the top thanks to using steroids and you’re not? And are the stories about the damaging effects of steroids overblown? Did Barry Bonds cheat or did he do whatever it took to become the best? The great thing about “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” is that it refuses to answer those questions. It just asks some new ones that you might not have considered about the issue of steroids. The irony of it all is that it took steroids to show Chris Bell what he truly does excel at - making films. (Note: A real-life tragedy recently befell the film when Bell’s older brother passed away. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Bell family.)

7. “Chicago 10”

Brett Morgen does not make traditional documentaries. “The Kid Stays in the Picture” was a fascinating one-man show with Robert Evans telling riveting stories about his more-than-a-little colorful life, and Morgen’s approach to “Chicago 10” was one of the more unique filmmaking slants of 2008. Instead of just telling the story of the insanity that happened in Chicago in 1968 and the ridiculous court case that followed, Morgen made a film more consistently entertaining than most fictional movies this year. Morgen blends archival footage of the riots that surrounded the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 with animated recreations of the court case that are based on the transcripts. Eight of the counter-culture leaders who protested in Chicago were brought before a clearly-prejudicial judge and charged with inciting to riot. Using motion-capture animation and talented actors like Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeffrey Wright, Morgen gives the viewer a “you-are-there” experience that a typical recreation, archival footage, or basic interviews never could have achieved.

DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Dec. 9, 2008: ‘Jet Li’s Fearless,’ ‘Man on Wire,’ ‘Swingtown’

BrianTT — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:37:57 -0700

CHICAGO – Every week there are a few titles that fall through the cracks. They’re movies or TV shows that don’t really merit the kind of comprehensive coverage of something like “Lost: Season Four” or “Deadwood: The Complete Series”.

Welcome to the DVD Round Up: a weekly column that devotes time to the DVDs that might not get full-page spreads in the Best Buy circular but will certainly have fans out there anticipating their release.

TV seasons of mid-level shows, re-releases on Blu-Ray, arthouse films - you can expect to see it all in the DVD Round-Up. In just the first week, you’ll find a martial arts movie, one of the year’s most acclaimed documentaries, and a show about horny suburbanites. If you want variety, come to the Round-Up every week.

“Jet Li’s Fearless: Director’s Cut (Blu-Ray)”

Fearless: Director’s Cut is available on Blu-Ray from Universal on December 9, 2008.

Timed to coincide with the release of “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” next week, Universal releases the 2006 martial arts film that was supposed to represent Jet Li’s departure from the genre on Blu-Ray. What’s most notable about “Fearless” is that it’s not your typical “Director’s Cut”. Most DVDs or Blu-Rays with that label are merely extended by a few minutes here and there, but “Fearless” is over 35 minutes longer than the theatrical version. If you haven’t seen the film since its theatrical exhibition, you haven’t seen this version of the film.

Jet Li stars in “Fearless” as a renowned martial arts champion forced to battle the world’s most ferocious fighting champions. The Blu-ray release of “Fearless” features three versions of the film - theatrical (101 minutes), unrated (104 minutes), and director’s cut (141) - and the Universal standard feature of “My Scenes”, which allows the viewer to collect their favorite clips from the show and share them with friends. “Fearless” is displayed in 1080P High-Definition Widescreen 2.40:1 with Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with English and French 5.1 tracks on the theatrical and unrated versions. If you want to watch the director’s cut, you don’t get to do so dubbed. Makes sense to us.

“Man on Wire”

Man On Wire is available on DVD from Magnolia on December 9, 2008.

One of the most highly acclaimed documentaries of the year, “Man on Wire” comes to DVD in a relatively bare-bones package that places the emphasis on the film itself. “Man on Wire” could easily become a word-of-mouth hit on the home market as the buzz that first greeted the film at Sundance (where it won the Jury Prize and Audience Award for World Documentary) has continued throughout the year. With over a dozen outlets, including The Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, listed on the back and a striking cover shot, video store browsers are likely to pick up “Man on Wire” when they’re looking for an alternative to all the Summer 2008 movies hitting the market this week.

“Man on Wire” tells the story of Philippe Petit, a young Frenchman who walked a tightrope between the two towers of the World Trade Center on August 7th, 1974. He was arrested, taken for a psychological evaluation, and brought to jail. 34 years later, “Man on Wire” documents the build-up to the event and a little bit of the reaction to the artistic crime of the century. Special features include “Philippe Petit’s Sydney Harbor Bridge Crossing (1973)”, “Philippe Petit Interview”, and an animated short film called “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers”.

Read Patrick MacDonald’s Theatrical Review of the Film Here.

“Swingtown: Season One”

Swingtown: Season One is available on DVD from Paramount on December 9, 2008.

CBS can turn anything into a hit. While critically acclaimed shows like “Pushing Daisies” and “Chuck” fail to get viewers, 2008 rookies like “The Eleventh Hour”, “Flashpoint” and “Swingtown” have been surprisingly successful without critical support. “Swingtown” is the first to hit DVD with thirteen episodes that aired this past summer released on a 4-disc DVD set from CBS/Paramount. “Swingtown” stars Molly Parker and Jack Davenport as the polite, innocent couple who move to the horny suburbs of the ’70s, where apparently every neighbor was having sex with the couple next door. Grant Show, Lana Parilla, Josh Hopkins, and Miriam Shor co-star in this music-infused, swinging drama that comes much closer to “Melrose Place” than “The Ice Storm” but provides the occasional guilty thrill.

“Swingtown: Season One” includes a commentary by creator Mike Kelley and director Alan Poul on “Pilot”, deleted scenes on the same episode, deleted scenes on “Love Will Find a Way”, deleted scene on “Cabin Fever”, and a commentary by Kelley and Poul on the season finale, “Take It To the Limit”. The final disc includes “The Spirit of ‘76: The Making of Swingtown”, “Have a Nice Revolution: Sex & Morality in 1970’s America” and a gag reel.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Death-Defying Audacity Walks Between the Twin Towers in New Documentary ‘Man on Wire’

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:27:52 -0600

CHICAGO – Where have all the true eccentrics gone? Where are all those people who achieve a Zen purpose just because the challenge is there?

“Man on Wire” is a documentary that tells of such a challenge 34 years ago in another place and time. The story of Frenchman Phillipe Petit and his gang of merry pranksters brings into focus another legendary piece in the puzzle within the twisted history of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Phillipe Petit is a performance artist whose main specialty is tightrope or high-wire walking. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he conquered two wire-walking feats through his own grit and determination.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Man on Wire” in our reviews section.

View our full “Man on Wire” image gallery.

These were between the spires of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris and two bridge bays in Sydney, Australia.

But these were merely warm-ups for his next and greatest goal: walking between the buildings of the relatively new Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.

After gathering a team of “experts” (more like stoners and hangers-on), he devises a plan for getting through the more lax building security of the era.

The documentary creates a tension as the story builds. The film cuts between the recreated scenes of the tower entry and operation with flashbacks to the preparation and stunts that led up to the moment.

“Man on Wire,” which features actors in recreations of real-life high-wire walker Phillipe Petit, opened on Aug. 8, 2008 in limited theaters.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full “Man on Wire” review.

Philippe Petit in “Man on Wire”.
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full “Man on Wire” review.