Sean Penn

Honoring Oscar-Winning Actor Ernest Borgnine: An Appreciation

PatrickMcD — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:17:23 -0600

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com’s ace photographer, Joe Arce, recently photographed the Academy Award winning actor Ernest Borgnine at a book signing event in Chicago. The 92 year-old survivor was in excellent spirits, telling many rich anecdotes to the gathered crowd.

As a kid, I first came upon Ernie as the rascally Lt. Commander Quinton McHale in “McHale’s Navy” (1962-66), heavy in afternoon reruns at the time. I was surprised to see him re-appear in the cult disaster film “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) as the loud and abrasive Mike Rogo, the cop that never believed Gene Hackman’s preacher-to-the-promised-land of rescue.

92 year-old Oscar winning actor Ernest Borgnine flashes his famous smile for the HollywoodChicago.com lens at the signing of his book ‘Ernie: The Autobiography’ on July 20, 2009 at Borders North Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

But Borgnine was much more than those two famous roles, as I soon discovered. His amazing turn as the butcher desperate for partnership in “Marty” (1955) is universal. Everyone is the underdog Marty at some point in their lives, and the sheer joy that Borgnine expresses at the end of the film is as clear an expression of love as an actor can hopefully conceive.

He won the Best Actor Oscar for that film, beating out such heavyweights as Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Cagney, Frank Sinatra and James Dean. The underdog did it again.

Ernest Borgnine as a lonely widower in ‘Segment USA’ as part of ‘11’09”01 – September 11’
Photo credit: Studio Canal

He has filled out his career channeling characters, from playing an Asian character named Hu Chang in his debut film (”China Corsair” 1951) to fulfilling the voice of the Mermaid Man on “SpongeBob Squarepants.” His characters were usually beefy guys who either had a chip on their shoulder or were sensitively brittle.

But one of my favorites came under the radar, and is relatively recent. In the 2002 anthology entitled “11’09”01 - September 11” – in which 11 international directors made interpretive stories out of that fateful day – Ernie was the lead in Sean Penn’s short film representing the USA.

In it, he plays an old man who is a recent widower. He is a ghost in Manhattan, acknowledging few people and known by even less. He is living out the rest of his life sentence alone without the love of his life. When the towers fall, there is a sense of redemption that he and Penn succinctly interprets. It is perfect casting and a poignant late career performance.

Borgnine – Underdog. Winner. Character. Actor. Carry on, Ernie.

Ernest Borgnine’s new memoir is entitled “Ernie, The Autobiography” and is available wherever books are sold.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: Sean Penn’s Oscar-Winning ‘Milk’ Will Recruit Movie Fans Around the World

BrianTT — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:17:07 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – With the help of Dustin Lance Black’s Oscar-winning screenplay, Sean Penn’s Oscar-winning performance, Josh Brolin’s Oscar-nominated performance, James Franco’s Spirit Award-winning performance and Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-nominated direction, Harvey Milk has been brought back from the dead. Milk has been put back atop his soapbox and given the chance to recruit millions for the cause of human rights through the masterpiece “Milk”. Harvey used to say: “My name is Harvey Milk and I want to recruit you.” Now he has another chance.

“Milk” was easily one of the best films of 2008, arguably a better choice to win than the Academy made with “Slumdog Millionaire,” and it’s an absolute must-see. Honestly, this writer feels in such agreement with Dustin Lance Black and Sean Penn’s speeches at the Oscars about the importance of gay rights and the effect this film could have on the movement that I think they should show “Milk” in school. Teach ‘em about such an important figure early.

Milk was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Revisiting “Milk” again on Blu-Ray, I was struck by its incredible re-watchability. From the amazing period detail - captured so vividly in Universal’s nearly-perfect HD process - to the award-winning performances to the incredible structure of Dustin Lance Black’s screenplay. “Milk” is one of those things that only comes along a few times a year, if we’re lucky, a flawless movie.

Milk was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

In the best performance of his amazing career, Sean Penn disappears into Harvey Milk, a city supervisor in San Francisco who was assassinated after only a short time in office. Milk changed the lives of millions just by being himself and refusing to live in a world where everyone wasn’t allowed to do the same without trying to do something about it.

Black’s incredible screenplay, one that I think stands among the best of the ’00s, focuses on the movement of the last eight years of Milk’s life but it does so without preaching or turning to melodrama. It perfectly places what Milk accomplished in context of not only history but humanity. Milk’s message was always that gay people have the same lives and loves as straight people and Black never forgets to ground the movement in a touching human story.

“Milk” opens with Harvey and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) moving from New York to San Francisco’s Castro District, the center of the gay rights movement in the ’70s. With the community around them, Harvey and Scottie realize that they have the power to rally for change. Through boycott, the hurt stores that display homophobia and even join forces with the teamsters to enact change.

Harvey, Scott, Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Anne Kronenberg (Allison Pill) soon learn that they’ll get a lot more done in office than they could on a soap box and Milk begins several office. They try and lose, try and lose, until Milk finally gets into the position to make a real change. In office, Milk crossed paths with the seriously damaged Dan White (Josh Brolin), the man who would shoot him and the Mayor in just a year.

Milk was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Watching “Milk” again, I was struck by something that Diego Luna notes in one of the special features - the film captures the “light” of Harvey Milk. It’s not a depressing film, which is one of the main reasons it works. So many filmmakers mistake depressing for moving. “Milk” is never the former and undeniably the latter.

Milk was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

My adoration for one of the best films of 2008 is clear, but the Blu-Ray release of it is a bit disappointing. I find it impossible to believe that this will be the final word on “Milk,” an eight-time Oscar nominee.

The special features included are excellent and the technical transfer is typically great (Universal very rarely falters in HD and DTS Master Audio), but there’s not a single word from Van Sant or Penn on the entire release, no commentary track, and only just over a half-hour of featurettes. A movie like “Milk” deserves (and will probably eventually get) a more extensive collection of special features.

With no U-Control (Universal’s great feature that allows featurette access during the playback of a film), viewers hoping for more detail about the film and its subject will want to see three great featurettes - “Remembering Harvey,” “Hollywood Comes to San Francisco,” and “Marching For Equality”.

The first features interviews with the actual people in the movie, including Cleve Jones, and is unlikely to leave a dry eye in the house. It hammers the real-life impact that Milk had home but it could have been four times as long as its 13-minute running time.

“Hollywood Comes to San Francisco” is the only featurette to include interviews with any of the on-camera talent and Josh Brolin, James Franco, and Diego Luna do have interesting things to say. Once again, as he did on the Oscars, Dustin Lance Black tugs at the heartstrings, talking about how much Milk personally influenced him.

Finally, “Equality” focuses on the production design and how perfectly it recreated San Francisco in the ’70s. “Milk” is one of the most technically impressive films of 2008. 8 minutes on how that was accomplished doesn’t seem like enough.

The story of “Milk” is not over. I’ve long bristled against the idea that art should be used as political force, but this could be the rare exception, a film that will get people talking and influence generations to come. Harvey is still recruiting.

‘Milk’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Anne Kronenberg, Emile Hirsch, and Diego Luna. It was written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Gus Van Sant. It was released on March 10th, 2009. It is rated R.

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

Blu-Ray Review: Barry Levinson Wastes Great Ensemble in ‘What Just Happened’

BrianTT — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:02:59 -0700

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

CHICAGO – They made a movie about Bruce Willis’ beard. “What Just Happened” is yet another head-scratcher from one of the more acclaimed directors of the ’80s and ’90s, Barry Levinson. Like “Envy” and “Man of the Year” before it, Levinson has spit out yet another inert comedy with a great ensemble but no passion, creativity or life to it. A mediocre Blu-Ray presentation does nothing to enhance the film.

Art Linson is one of the most successful and notorious producers in Hollywood. His name is on “Into the Wild,” “Spartan,” “Fight Club,” “Heat,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” and more. He wrote a memoir about his complicated times in Hollywood and adapted his own book into the screenplay for “What Just Happened”.

What Just Happened was released on Blu-Ray on February 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: Magnolia

Linson has been turned into Ben (Robert De Niro), a producer trying to keep two troubled projects together while juggling a problematic personal life at the same time. One of his projects, “Fiercely,” stars Sean Penn (playing himself) in a dark drama with a downbeat ending that the financiers (headed by the great Catherine Keener) want radically changed. Ben has to convince the hothead director (Michael Wincott) to play along or see their movie shelved forever.

Meanwhile, Ben has to convince Bruce Willis (playing himself) that his weight gain and bushy beard could completely derail his about-to-shoot project. Willis was hired for his looks and Ben has to work with him and his agent (John Turturro) to keep the film from shutting down before it even begins. Robin Wright Penn, Kristen Stewart, and Stanley Tucci co-star.

What Just Happened was released on Blu-Ray on February 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: Magnolia

In one of the few interesting special features on “What Just Happened,” Levinson speaks about giving a rather anecdotal book without much action “pace” and how “you have to work it out”. The funny thing is that they didn’t. We never get to know anyone in “Happened” and the “insight” into Hollywood feels a few years behind the times.

The problem with making a movie about tinseltown is that it’s been done SO well before. It’s impossible not to think of “The Player” or “Entourage” when you’re watching “What Just Happened” and the script by Linson simply isn’t sharp enough to be in the same satirical knife drawer as those great behind-the-scenes looks at Hollywood. “Happened” wants to be a “bitingly sharp comedy” but we’ve seen all these personalities before. It’s going behind-the-scenes on something that has become the scene itself.

To be fair, there are elements of “What Just Happened” that works. The hilariously simple quote on the front of the case that advertises “priceless, laugh-out loud lines” isn’t that far off. Yes, there are a few funny lines, and De Niro looks more awake than in recent junk like “Righteous Kill”. It’s also impossible to be completely bored by an ensemble that includes both Penns, Tucci, Turturro, and Wincott. They’re all having fun. The problem is that they’re having more fun than you probably will.

The Blu-Ray release from Magnolia is average to mediocre. The 1080P High Definition 16x9 (2.40:1) picture is surprisingly flat. The colors are distinct and there’s not an excessive amount of grain or visual noise, but the picture looks about the same as an average upconverted standard DVD. The audio in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is similarly never distractingly bad but also unimpressive.

The special features continue the mediocrity of “What Just Happened”. The commentary with Levinson and Linson is shockingly dull. The two take long, regular pauses and spend way too much time describing the action. There needs to be a class or a book to guide commentary participants away from simply talking about what we’re watching. The deleted scenes are the most interesting special feature, especially a nauseating epilogue in which each character gets a happy ending that was very thankfully cut.

What’s most annoying about the special features for “What Just Happened” are mini-docs that run about 2 minutes long. There really needs to be a law that anything that throws you back to a menu after two minutes can not legally be called a “special feature”. The only featurette with anything interesting (and the only one that should have been included) is the roughly 23 minute “Making of What Just Happened: From Book to Screen”.

A few years ago, a Barry Levinson movie with Robert De Niro, Catherine Keener, John Turturro, Sean Penn, and Bruce Willis would have been a major, major event. Perhaps the most insightful thing that “What Just Happened” has to say about the ups and downs of Hollywood is that the movie so clearly was not.

‘What Just Happened’ is released by Magnolia Home Video and stars Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, John Turturro, Robin Wright penn, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Stewart, Michael Wincott, and Bruce Willis. It was written by Art Linson and directed by Barry Levinson. It was released on February 24th, 2009. It is rated R.

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

The Morning After: Upcoming Projects For 2009 Oscar Winners

BrianTT — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:56:35 -0700

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.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Photo credit: Reel Movie News

Of course, the most well-documented post-Oscar career choice for this year’s winners is that of “The Dark Knight“‘s Heath Ledger, who will have only one more film released, Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”. From the visionary director of “Brazil” and “Twelve Monkeys,” “Parnassus” will be the epilogue for Ledger’s filmography, another brief glimpse at this excellent actor who left us far too soon.

Ledger was midway through filming the fantasy movie when he passed away and his role was recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying a character whose exterior changes as he travels through different dream worlds. All three actors will reportedly redirect their wages from the film to Heath Ledger’s daughter, Matilda. Good, bad, when we do see Heath’s final part and the memoriam credit comes up at the end, there’s unlikely to be a dry eye in the theater.

The projected release date for “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” is September 24th, 2009.

The winner for Best Actor, Sean Penn, won’t be seen in this month’s “Crossing Over” (he was notoriously cut from the ensemble film) but does have one major project already scheduled for this year - Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”.

The Tree of Life
Photo credit: Playlist

Penn co-stars with someone he beat for the Oscar this week, Brad Pitt, in a drama that any good movie fan should be highly anticipating. Heath Ledger was reportedly in talks to take the Pitt part in late 2007.

To be fair, don’t expect Pitt and Penn to share any screen time. Pitt plays the father of a family dealing with a devastating loss in the ’50s. Penn plays the adult version of one of his sons. Shot by the amazing Emmanuel Lubezki, designed by Jack Fisk, and with a score by “Button” composer Alexandre Desplat, this should be on anyone’s “top ten most anticipated films of 2009” list. Can Sean Penn win two years in a row?

“The Tree of Life” won’t be released until late 2009 but will reportedly play at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

As for beyond “The Tree of Life,” it’s unclear where Sean Penn will go next but we should report that one of the best actors of his generation has been rumored to play Larry in The Farrelly Brothers’ update of “The Three Stooges”. An actor as talented as Penn can clearly do anything he sets his mind to, but we’ll believe that one when we see it.

Best Actress winner Kate Winslet has not committed to a post-Oscar project yet, but one of the hardest-working actresses of her generation has one of the best resumes of the last decade. She makes very smart decisions and it seems unlikely that she’ll make “Catwoman 2”. Yes, we’re looking at you Halle Berry.

Broken Embraces
Photo credit: Pathe

The Oscar winner with arguably the most impressive list of upcoming projects has to be Best Supporting Actress winner Penelope Cruz. Penn certainly has to be in the conversation of 2009 winners who may be there in 2010 too just for “Tree of Life,” but Cruz has two projects that also seem to have Oscar written all over them.

The first will be the newest film from Pedro Almodovar, the highly anticipated “Broken Embraces”. The last time Pedro and Penelope got together, they made the incredible “Volver,” which netted Cruz a nomination and worldwide acclaim. Very little is known about the plot of “Embraces” but it will reportedly open soon in Europe. American audiences will have to wait until November 6th, 2009.

Just a few weeks after “Broken Embraces” opens stateside, Penelope Cruz will be seen again in “Nine,” the highly anticipated musical from “Chicago” director Rob Marshall. With NINETEEN Oscar nominations and nine wins with only two movies (his sophomore film was “Memoirs of a Geisha”), anything Rob Marshall has in production has to be taken very seriously and this one has Oscar potential written all over it.

“Nine” co-stars an amazing SIX Oscar winners. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the lead with Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, and Penelope Cruz in supporting roles. Kate Hudson and Fergie also play supporting parts in the adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name based on Federico Fellini’s autobiographical “8 1/2”.

Penelope Cruz rehearses for Nine
Photo credit: The New York Times

“Nine” will open on November 25th, 2009 and has to be a very early frontrunner for most Oscar-likely contender at next year’s awards. It seems like Penelope Cruz is making all of the right career decisions.

To be fair, fans of Cruz will be able to hear her before they see her, as the animated “G-Force” opens on July 24th, 2009.

What about the Oscar winners behind-the-scenes? Best adapted screenplay winner for “Slumdog Millionaire,” Simon Beaufoy has a script called “Leap Year” in pre-production with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode reportedly set to go in front of Anand Tucker’s camera. Winner for “Milk,” Dustin Lance Black has no upcoming credits listed on IMDB, but he is a producer and regular writer on “Big Love,” which continues on HBO.

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who won for his camera work on “Slumdog Millionaire,” is reportedly shooting Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist”.

Two of the more acclaimed directors at this year’s Oscars - Danny Boyle and “WALL-E“‘s Andrew Stanton - have potential projects that could really get fans excited.

Boyle has talked about making “28 Months Later” for a while and when I spoke to him last Fall, he said that he had a good idea for it that was quite complex and required a bigger budget than the last two films. They were working out the economics, but one would think an Oscar makes any potential project easier to greenlight. If I had to bet, I’d bet “28 Months Later” is Boyle’s next project.

As for Andrew Stanton, Pixar has “Up” coming out later this year but Andrew may move into live-action with the long-in-development adaptation of “John Carter From Mars”. IMDB even lists the film as officially happening for a 2012 release. I spoke to Andrew last summer and he was spending all of 2008 with co-writer Mark Andrews on the story, unsure even if it would be live-action or animation until they got that right, but it seems pretty likely to be Stanton’s next film.

From “Milk” to “The Tree of Life,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” to “Nine,” “The Dark Knight” to “The Imagnarium of Doctor Parnassus,” and many more, it seems like the 2009 Oscar class has a more exciting slate of upcoming projects than in many former seasons. We may be writing about them all again in twelve months time.

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

Slideshow: 20-Image Gallery From Back Stage at 81st Annual Academy Awards

BrianTT — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:12:59 -0700

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.

Winners and presenters include Dustin Lance Black, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, A.R. Rahman, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, Steven Spielberg, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Anjelica Huston, Tilda Swinton, Goldie Hawn, Eva Marie Saint, Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Andrew Stanton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Adam Larkey and courtesy of ABC. All Rights Reserved.

oscars2009_backstage_01: Dustin Lance Black
oscars2009_backstage_02: Kate Winslet
oscars2009_backstage_03: Kate Winslet
oscars2009_backstage_04: Sean Penn
oscars2009_backstage_05: Sean Penn
oscars2009_backstage_06: A.R. Rahman
oscars2009_backstage_07: Danny Boyle
oscars2009_backstage_08: Danny Boyle
oscars2009_backstage_09: Christian Colson and Steven Spielberg
oscars2009_backstage_10: Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, and Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_11: Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, and Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_12: Atmosphere
oscars2009_backstage_13: Anjelica Huston, Tilda Swinton, Goldie Hawn, Penelope Cruz, Eva Marie Saint, and Whoopi Goldberg
oscars2009_backstage_14: Tina Fey, Dustin Lance Black, and Steve Martin
oscars2009_backstage_15: Andrew Stanton
oscars2009_backstage_16: Sir Ben Kingsley, Sean Penn, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, and Sir Anthony Hopkins
oscars2009_backstage_17: Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_18: Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_19: Penelope Cruz
oscars2009_backstage_20: Dustin Lance Black

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

Slideshow: 27-Image Oscar Gallery From on Stage at 81st Annual Academy Awards

BrianTT — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:15:25 -0700

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.

Winners and presenters include Hugh Jackman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Anne Hathaway, Ben Stiller, Natalie Portman, Jessica Biel, Beyonce Knowles, Jerry Lewis, A.R. Rahman, Reese Witherspoon, Zac Efron, Alicia Keys, Robert Pattinson “Twilight” and “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon,” Amanda Seyfried of “Mamma Mia,” Danny Boyle, and Steven Spielberg

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Michael Yada and courtesy of ABC. All Rights Reserved.

oscars2009_stage_01: Host Hugh Jackman
oscars2009_stage_02: Host Hugh Jackman and Performer/Nominee Anne Hathaway
oscars2009_stage_03: Host Hugh Jackman
oscars2009_stage_04: Penelope Cruz Wins Best Supporting Actress
oscars2009_stage_05: Kate Winslet Wins Best Actress
oscars2009_stage_06: Sean Penn Wins Best Actor
oscars2009_stage_07: Host Hugh Jackman
oscars2009_stage_08: Host Hugh Jackman and Performer/Nominee Anne Hathaway
oscars2009_stage_09: Presenters Robert Pattinson and Amanda Seyfried
oscars2009_stage_10: Presenters Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman
oscars2009_stage_11: Presenter Jessica Biel
oscars2009_stage_12: Performer Beyonce Knowles
oscars2009_stage_13: Performer Beyonce Knowles
oscars2009_stage_14: The Family of Heath Ledger Accepts Best Supporting Actor
oscars2009_stage_15: The Family of Heath Ledger Accepts Best Supporting Actor
oscars2009_stage_16: Phillippe Petit Accepts Best Documentary
oscars2009_stage_17: Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Jerry Lewis
oscars2009_stage_18: Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Jerry Lewis
oscars2009_stage_19: Zac Efron and Alicia Keys Present Best Score to A.R. Rahman
oscars2009_stage_20: Performer/Winner A.R. Rahman
oscars2009_stage_21: Presenter Reese Witherspoon
oscars2009_stage_22: Danny Boyle Wins Best Director
oscars2009_stage_23: Kate Winslet Wins Best Actress
oscars2009_stage_24: Kate Winslet Wins Best Actress
oscars2009_stage_25: Sean Penn Wins Best Actor
oscars2009_stage_26: Presenter Steven Spielberg
oscars2009_stage_27: Producer Christian Colson and the Cast and Crew of Slumdog Millionaire Win Best Picture

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

Slideshow: 44-Image Gallery For 15th-Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

BrianTT — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:17:19 -0700

CHICAGO – This 44-image slideshow contains a selection of official press images from The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which were handed out on Sunday, January 25th, 2009.

The Screen Actors Guild gave out their coveted awards on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 and Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, and Meryl Streep walked away with the major film acting prizes. “Slumdog Millionaire” was awarded the prize for best ensemble of the year.

Predictably, “30 Rock” and “Mad Men” took home the television ensemble prizes. Images of all winners are included in the slideshow.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Photo credits listed on each individual slide.

Read our news story with the winners of the 2009 SAG awards.

SAG_Awards_01: Kate Winslet and Freida Pinto arrive to the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevn Mazur.
SAG_Awards_02: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive to the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Lester Cohen.
SAG_Awards_03: Mickey Rourke and Josh Brolin arrive to the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Lester Cohen.
SAG_Awards_04: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive to the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_05: Kate Winslet in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_06: Forest Whitaker and James Earl Jones in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_07: Laura Linney in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_08: Sean Penn in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_09: The cast of Slumdog Millionaire in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_10: Freida Pinto in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_11: Meryl Streep in the Press Room at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Buckner.
SAG_Awards_12: Kate Winslet on stage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Caulfield
SAG_Awards_13: James Earl Jones on stage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Caulfield
SAG_Awards_14: Gary Oldman on stage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Caulfield
SAG_Awards_15: Taraji P. Henson and Brad Pitt on stage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Caulfield
SAG_Awards_16: Meryl Streep on stage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Caulfield
SAG_Awards_17: Penelope Cruz and Meryl Streep attend the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris.
SAG_Awards_18: Evan Rachel Wood, Mickey Rourke, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt attend the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris.
SAG_Awards_19: Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski in the audience at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by John Shearer.
SAG_Awards_20: Actors Penelope Cruz and Marisa Tomei in the audience at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur
SAG_Awards_21: Actress Tina Fey, actress Amy Poehler and actor Will Arnett in the audience at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_22: Actors Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet in the audience at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_23: Sean Penn backstage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_24: Tina Fey backstage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Lester Cohen.
SAG_Awards_25: Tracy Morgan backstage at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Lester Cohen.
SAG_Awards_26: Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn in the audience at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_27: Actor Alec Baldwin poses for his portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_28: Actress Tina Fey and actor Alec Baldwin poses for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_29: The Cast of “30 Rock” pose for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_30: Actress Tina Fey poses for her portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_31: Actress Tina Fey poses for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_32: Actress Sally Field poses for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_33: Actress Kate Winslet and actress Sally Field pose for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_34: Actress Kate Winslet poses for her portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_35: Actor Hugh Laurie poses for his portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_36: Actor Hugh Laurie poses for his portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_37: The cast of “Mad Men” pose for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_38: Actor Forrest Whittaker and actor James Earl Jones pose for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_39: Actress Laura Linney poses for her portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_40: Actor Sean Penn poses for his portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_41: Actress Meryl Streep poses for her portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_42: Actress Meryl Streep poses for her portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_43: Actors Irrfan Kahn, Frieda Pinto, Dev Patel and Anil Kapoor pose for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.
SAG_Awards_44: Actor Dev Patel and actress Freida Pinto poses for their portrait at the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur.

Read our news story with the winners of the 2009 SAG awards.

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

Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet Win 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards

BrianTT — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:41:34 -0700

CHICAGO – The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) gave out its coveted awards on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009 and Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn and Meryl Streep walked away with the major film acting prizes. “Slumdog Millionaire” was awarded the prize for best ensemble of the year. Predictably, “30 Rock” and “Mad Men” took home the television ensemble prizes.

The 15th Annual SAG Awards
Photo credit: Turner

“Slumdog Millionaire” beat “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” and “Milk” for the main prize, often a good indication of what will win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Last year’s winner, “No Country For Old Men,” went on to win the Oscar. “Crash” also won the award on its way to a surprising Oscar for Best Picture.

Sean Penn won best actor for “Milk,” beating Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler” and making that race for the Oscar a dead heat. Other nominees included Richard Jenkins for “The Visitor,” Frank Langella for “Frost/Nixon,” and Brad Pitt for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.

The win for Meryl Streep for “Doubt” throws that Oscar category into complete disarray. She beat Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married,” Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Melissa Leo for “Frozen River,” and Kate Winslet for “Revolutionary Road”.

Winslet was nominated for the Oscar as well but for “The Reader,” a performance which she won the SAG Award, Golden Globes, and other award for this year. And many people still think Hathaway has a shot. With Streep winning last night, this is a three-lady race like none we have seen in years.

Heath Ledger took the prize for his supporting work in “The Dark Knight” and an emotional Gary Oldman accepted on his behalf. Ledger beat Josh Brolin from “Milk,” Robert Downey Jr. for “Tropic Thunder,” Philip Seymour Hoffman for “Doubt,” and Dev Patel for “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Kate Winslet won for “The Reader,” beating Amy Adams for “Doubt,” Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” Viola Davis for “Doubt,” and Taraji P. Henson for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.

“30 Rock” and “Mad Men” won the ensemble awards for television. Predictably, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey took the individual acting honors for comedy series. The drama prizes were a little more surprising with Hugh Laurie winning for “House” and Sally Field taking the trophy for “Brothers & Sisters”. The male and female lead of HBO’s “John Adams” - Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney - took the awards for the television movie or miniseries categories.

Check out our 44-image gallery for the 15th-annual SAG awards.

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