Doubt

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Doubt’ Spotlights Spectacular Performances in HD

BrianTT — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:27:39 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The history of films to score four acting Oscar nominations would make for a very short list. And yet most critics knew the rare set of nods was inevitable when they saw the quartet of talent on display in John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt”. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis shine in “Doubt,” now available on Blu-Ray.

“Doubt” is not a perfect film. Some of the overt symbolism (the burned-out bulb, the changing winds) is a little too on-the-nose and the piece doesn’t quite break free from its theatrical roots to feel like much more than a filmed play, but what a play. This is an acting powerhouse, a dialogue-driven examination of faith that includes some of the best performances of 2008.

Doubt was released on Blu-Ray on April 7th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista

Essentially, “Doubt” is a three-character show - Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Sister James (Amy Adams). Sister A. finds herself up against the consistently changing tides of her Bronx Catholic school in the mid-’60s.

Doubt was released on Blu-Ray on April 7th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista

Father Flynn represents change and progress with his more laid back and lenient style with the students. It immediately makes Sister A. suspicious and those suspicions quickly turn into something more serious when one of the Father’s students, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), comes back from a meeting with Flynn acting unusually.

The uncertain younger sister feeds the elder’s doubts when she sees the Father placing Donald’s undershirt back in his locker and a battle of will between Flynn and Beauvier begins. The Father is unwavering in his denial of any wrongdoing, claiming that all his actions with Miller were to support a troubled child. Sister A. not only doesn’t believe Father Flynn but seems like a woman who would never admit if she did. Once she believes in something, she does with all her heart.

“Doubt” is a character piece with theme of faith, sin, change, and, of course, doubt. The exchanges between Steep, Hoffman, Adams, and Davis (who plays the young boy’s mother in two of the most powerful scenes of last year) are riveting. History will recognize that Kate Winslet may have won what was essentially a lifetime achievement award for “The Reader” but that Streep was more deserving for her work here. Many thought she might pull the upset and win her third Oscar.

And no one would have been surprised if Amy Adams or Viola Davis had walked off with an Oscar as well. (Hoffman’s very good but he should have been eligible for lead, not supporting, and in the latter category he never stood a chance against Heath Ledger.)

Doubt was released on Blu-Ray on April 7th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista

“Doubt” is well-worth the rental on Blu-Ray just for one of these four excellent performances, much less the sum of the acting parts. This may be Streep and Hoffman’s show, but Adams and Davis are nearly as good. This is the kind of old-fashioned, acting showcase that they don’t make that often any more. It leaves you in awe of the performances, even if the direction and writing may not completely match them.

“Doubt” is presented in 1080p high definition with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and has been given an English 5.1 DTS-HD track and a French 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Miramax/Disney always produces quality video transfers and “Doubt” is no exception. This is not the kind of material that really displays the true potential of HD but the video and audio are never distracting.

The special features are not extensive but are appropriately detailed for a non-technical film that really kind of speaks for itself. The best special feature is the commentary by writer/director Shanley. No one knows this material better than the man who wrote the play and adapted/directed the film. It’s fantastic that he decided to take the time to discuss it.

The rest of the special features make up a pretty standard quartet of featurettes entitled “Doubt: From Stage to Screen,” “Scoring Doubt,” “The Cast of Doubt,” and “The Sisters of Charity”. No one’s coming to a Blu-Ray like “Doubt” looking for a gag reel or games to play, so a commentary and four featurettes is about what you’d expect.

‘Doubt’ is released by Miramax/Buena Vista Home Entertainment and stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. It was written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. It was released on April 7th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

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

From ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to ‘Milk’: HollywoodChicago.com Picks the 2009 Oscar Winners

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:28:15 -0700

CHICAGO – Content director Brian Tallerico and staff writers Dustin Levell and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview. Win your office pool, impress your friends and propose a toast to the nominees that should have been when the 81st-annual Academy Awards are broadcast on Feb. 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. CST.

BEST PICTURE

Slumdog Millionaire
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
-Paramount; 13 nominations; $123 million gross

“Frost/Nixon”
-Universal; 5 nominations; $17 million gross

“Milk”
-Focus; 8 nominations; $27 million gross; winner of New York Critics Award

“The Reader”
-The Weinstein Company; 5 nominations; $21 million gross

“Slumdog Millionaire”
-Fox Searchlight; 10 nominations; $89 million gross; winner of BAFTA, Boston Critics, National Board of Review, Producers Guild Award, SAG Ensemble Award, and Golden Globe

Nearly everyone on Earth is predicting a locked-in win for Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” and HollywoodChicago.com is no different. It would be an absolute, jaw-dropping shock to hear “Frost/Nixon” or “The Reader” announced on Oscar night and “Milk” doesn’t have the support needed to get the big win. That leaves the nomination leader - “Button” - and the little movie that could. It’s a Slumdog World, and we only live here.

Dustin thinks the Academy will get it right this year and award the film that deserves the big prize but Patrick and Brian wouldn’t mind seeing a win for “Milk”.

As for the already-notorious snubs of “Wall-E” and “The Dark Knight,” Dustin says, “Twenty years from now, though people will be still be talking about Dark Knight and WALL-E as the great cinematic achievements of 2008 and how they raised the bar for their respective genres.” With no explanation, Patrick throws an interesting film into the ring for what should have been nominated - Neil LaBute’s “Lakeview Terrace”. We love Mr. McDonald and the limb he’s out on with that one.

BEST ACTOR

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
-1st nomination

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
-1st nomination

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
-2nd nomination (no wins)

Sean Penn, “Milk”
-5th nomination (one win); won Boston (tie) and LA Critics Awards and Screen Actors Guild Award

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
-1st nomination; won BAFTA, Boston (tie) and Chicago Critics Awards and Golden Globe

This may be one of the tightest races in the history of Best Actor. Eliminating the possibility of a shocking split vote letting a third candidate sneak in, it’s going to be one of two ’80s icons - Sean Penn as Harvey Milk or Mickey Rourke as Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson. Langella, Pitt and Jenkins just got picked in the wrong year.

The SAG win for Penn and universal acclaim seems to give him the edge but Rourke has been nearly as lauded during precursor season and won the Golden Globe. It doesn’t hurt Mickey that Sean has won before. It’s a lot harder to get a second prize. But that doesn’t stop Brian from saying Sean’s going to be one of the few and that he deserves it. Dustin and Patrick are going with Mickey and all three think their choice to win is also the one that should.

There may be solid agreement that either Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn will and should win but there’s no consensus pick on the HollywoodChicago.com staff as to who should have been nominated.

Dustin points to the most financially successful film in Clint Eastwood’s history, “Gran Torino,” and what could be the legendary star’s final performance and finds it surprising that the Academy didn’t throw the old man a bone on his last go round as an actor.

Patrick goes back further in the year and picks the underrated Sam Rockwell and his excellent work in David Gordon Green’s “Snow Angels”.

Finally, Brian thinks no one worked as hard or embodied a character quite as completely as Benicio Del Toro in “Che”. Sadly, all three men have as much of a chance of winning an Oscar on Sunday night as you do.

Interview: From Central Falls to Oscar With Viola Davis of ‘Doubt’

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:32:50 -0700

CHICAGO – Having met Viola Davis, Oscar-nominated for “Doubt,” it’s easy to believe that people who have spent time with this charming, fascinating woman might be more inclined to give her the edge in the very close Best Supporting Actress race.

It’s been long-rumored that an actor’s personality can play a major role in if they win an Oscar. It’s not that the performance isn’t the main focus of the award, but it’s human nature for people to want to reward colleagues that they respect and like. Davis is very easy to like and impossible not to admire.

Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller.
Photo credit: Andrew Schwartz/Miramax Film Corp.

Davis has been doing a quick PR tour to promote her role in “Doubt,” one that earned her a first Oscar nomination, alongside nods for Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, and she was kind enough to give a little time to HollywoodChicago.com. In an all-too-brief interview, Davis covered her past in Central Falls, Rhode Island, the process she used to bring Mrs. Miller to life, and what it feels like to be an Oscar nominee.

Going all the way back to the beginning, Viola Davis remembers vividly when she knew she wanted to be an actress. She was only six, living on Washington Street in Central Falls, when she saw Cicely Tyson in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and it was over.

“It was like Christ himself had appeared or Moses had parted the Red Sea,” Davis says. “She was dark-skinned. She had full lips. She had an afro. She looked just like my mother. She was vulnerable. She was feminine. I thought that I was watching a miracle unfold before me. And I said, “I want to do that. That’s what I want to do. I want to create that kind of magic.””

Growing up in Central Falls was not easy for Davis, but her background played in to her understanding of Mrs. Miller and influenced her performance in “Doubt”. She gave us a little history - “[“Doubt” is set in] ‘64. I was born in ‘65 in St. Matthews, South Carolina on a farm. My grandmother delivered me.”

Viola Davis from the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Photo credit: TNT.

“Two months after I was born we moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island where my father groomed and trained horses. Central Falls is a predominately Catholic and white community. We were the only black family. And we’re not Catholic. So, we very much were on the periphery and very much wanting to be a part of something and be accepted. Shunned. I’ve had to see my mom being an advocate for us several times in situations that normally wouldn’t be thrown at you. So, a lot of my research came from life. I always say that Mrs. Miller makes a “Sophie’s Choice”. She doesn’t make your average, everyday choice.”

Davis admits that she saw the potential of her role in “Doubt” from the very beginning, largely due to the quality of her “perfectly cast” colleagues in the film, all of whom were signed on before Davis. And the part did win a Tony for the actress who played it on Broadway.

In fact, if anything, even though she’s won a Tony herself, Davis was intimidated by her fellow castmates. She says, “To me, when I walked into it, I said, they’re extraordinary, they’re exquisite. I felt like the hack. I felt like the unknown. I felt like the one who really had to prove herself and hold up my end of the bargain. I think that I felt, at first, that this could possibly just get me some attention and more work. That’s what I thought. And then once I went to my first rehearsal, I went into survival mode. I went from “It could get me attention” to “Oh my God, I just need to hold up my end of the bargain.”

Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius and Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller
Photo credit: Miramax Film Corp.

In working to hold up her end of the bargain, Davis wrote dozens of pages of back story for Mrs. Miller. As she notes, this was her only shot. “I don’t have another scene to establish her. I don’t have a scene where you establish her relationship with her husband or her son. I have nothing but this scene, so I had to create this back story.”

And Davis was careful not to be a social mouthpiece or merely a plot device for the rest of the film. She says, “For this role, I thought there was a trap where you could hear the argument with Sister Aloysius but not see the person behind the argument. You could get the effect. But I wanted to create someone where you could see what her life is like. “I can see that she loves her son. I can see that life is probably not what she thought it would be. I can see that she’s not always strong.” I wanted people to feel for her as well as hear the argument.”

After the film’s release and several nominations came the morning of January 22nd, 2009, when the Oscar nominations were announced. With a bottle of champagne and joined by her husband and publicist, Viola Davis slept for only an hour the night before and spent most of that morning “screaming down the frickin’ hallways of the Four Seasons. I think about now. It was so primal.”

And she hasn’t really stopped screaming. When asked if she still feels that primal joy that made her want to jump up and down, a full, beautiful smile crosses her face, she nods, and says, “Jumping up and down. Absolutely. Absolutely. Jumping up and down, still. I’ll be jumping up and down for years to come.”

‘Doubt’ stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. ‘Doubt,’ was written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, is currently in theaters.

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

Anne Hathaway ‘Randomly,’ Inadvertently Awarded Early Golden Globe For ‘Rachel Getting Married’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:10:11 -0700

CHICAGO – At least one “Web site technician” for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) revealed a secret crush on Anne Hathaway’s lead role in “Rachel Getting Married” when the worker “randomly” awarded the actress an early Golden Globe two days before the official NBC telecast.

For a very short period of time, a star was noticed indicating Hathaway as the winner on the official Web site of the Golden Globes for her against-type role as a recovering junkie in “Rachel Getting Married”.

If the star stands, she’d best a powerhouse of other actresses in the lead-actress category including Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Meryl Streep for “Doubt,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long” and Kate Winslet for “Revolutionary Road”.

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Quickly after the snafu went public, the HFPA posted the following whoopsie notice on Jan. 9, 2008 on its Web site:

In the process of preparing for Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, a technician working on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Web site made a mistake and a name of a nominee was randomly marked as a winner. The mistake was immediately corrected.

The ballots are tabulated by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Only four executives of the accounting firm know the identity of the winners before the envelopes are opened and recipients are announced during the live telecast.

No one else – including the members of the HFPA – knows who the winners are prior to the live announcement.

The 66th-annual Golden Globes will air on NBC at 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 11, 2009. The full official list of Golden Globe nominees can be found below.

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“The Reader”
“Revolutionary Road”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Burn After Reading”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“In Bruges”
“Mamma Mia!”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”
Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”
James Franco, “Pineapple Express”
Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”
Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise, “Tropic Thunder”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Ralph Fiennes, “The Duchess”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Wall-E”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (Germany)
“Everlasting Moments” (Sweden, Denmark)
“Gomorrah” (Italy)
“I’ve Loved You So Long” (France)
“Waltz With Bashir” (Israel)

Best Director, Motion Picture
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Sam Mendes, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (written by Eric Roth)
“Doubt” (written by John Patrick Shanley)
“Frost/Nixon” (written by Peter Morgan)
“The Reader” (written by David Hare)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (written by Simon Beaufoy)

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
“Changeling” (composed by Clint Eastwood)
“Defiance” (composed by James Newton Howard)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (composed by A. R. Rahman)
“Frost/Nixon” (composed by Hans Zimmer)

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Down to Earth,” “WALL-E” (lyrics by Peter Gabriel)
“Gran Torino,” “Gran Torino” (lyrics by Jamie Cullum)
“I Thought I Lost You,” “Bolt” (music/lyrics by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele)
“Once in a Lifetime,” “Cadillac Records” (music/lyrics by Beyoncé Knowles, etc.)
“The Wrestler,” “The Wrestler” (music/lyrics by Bruce Springsteen)

Best Television Series, Drama
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“House” (FOX)
“In Treatment” (HBO)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order”
January Jones, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Anna Paquin, “True Blood” (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, “House” (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors” (Showtime)

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Californication” (Showtime)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“The Office” (NBC)
“Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife” (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)
Kevin Connolly, “Entourage” (HBO)
David Duchovny, “Californication” (Showtime)
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” (USA)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“A Raisin in the Sun” (ABC)
“Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
“Cranford” (PBS)
“John Adams” (HBO)
“Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench, “Cranford” (PBS)
Catherine Keener, “An American Crime”
Laura Linney, “John Adams” (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine, “Coco Chanel”
Susan Sarandon, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
Paul Giamatti, “John Adams” (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, “Recount” (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, “24” (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson, “Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins, “Cranford” (PBS)
Laura Dern, “Recount” (HBO)
Melissa George, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
Denis Leary, “Recount” (HBO)
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage” (HBO)
Blair Underwood, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams” (HBO)

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Lead Nominees From Chicago Film Critics Association

BrianTT — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:09:26 -0700

CHICAGO – The Chicago Film Critics Association announced its choices for the best of 2008 on Monday morning. The biggest blockbuster of the year, “The Dark Knight,” and the sleeper hit of the season, “Slumdog Millionaire,” tied for the most nominations and will compete for best picture of the year from Chicago film critics.

The Chicago Film Critics Association

“The Dark Knight”, the massively successful continuation of the Batman franchise, and “Slumdog Millionaire”, the magical tale of a young man forced to prove he didn’t cheat on a game show, scored six nods a piece, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Picture.

Four films nearly matched the big two this year for the CFCA with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Doubt”, “Milk”, and “WALL-E” all landing five nods. Jonathan Demme’s “Rachel Getting Married” scored four nominations and the Swedish vampire film “Let the Right One In” came away with three.

Major acting nominees for the Chicago Film Critics Association include Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Heath Ledger, Penelope Cruz, and Kate Winslet alongside nominated newcomers like Sally Hawkins, Melissa Leo, Michael Shannon, and Rosemarie DeWitt.

The members of the CFCA, which includes HollywoodChicago.com Publisher Adam Fendelman and Content Director Brian Tallerico, are currently in the midst of their second and final round of voting and the winners will be announced on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 18 on WGN-TV in three chunks at 6:50 AM, 7:50 AM and 8:50 AM with Richard Roeper, Dean Richards and CFCA President Dann Gire. They will be released to the public immediately afterwards.

2008 Chicago Film Critics Association Nominees

Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL*E

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle—Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher—The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan—The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton—WALL*E
Gus Van Sant—Milk

BEST ACTOR
Clint Eastwood—Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins—The Visitor
Frank Langella—Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn—Milk
Mickey Rourke—The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway—Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins—Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie—Changeling
Melissa Leo—Frozen River
Meryl Streep—Doubt

Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr.—Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman—Doubt
Bill Irwin—Rachel Getting Married
Heath Ledger—The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon—Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams—Doubt
Penelope Cruz—Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis—Doubt
Rosemarie DeWitt—Rachel Getting Married
Kate Winslet—The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
In Bruges—Martin McDonagh
Milk—Dustin Lance Black
Rachel Getting Married—Jenny Lumet
Synecdoche, N.Y.—Charlie Kaufman
WALL*E—Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button—Eric Roth
The Dark Knight—Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Doubt—John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon—Peter Morgan
Slumdog Millionaire—Simon Beaufoy

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
The Band’s Visit
Che
A Christmas Tale
I’ve Loved You So Long
Let the Right One In

BEST DOCUMENTARY
American Teen
Dear Zachary
IOUSA
Man On Wire
Standard Operating Procedure

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda
Tale of Desperaux
WALL*E
Waltz with Bashir

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Australia—Mandy Walker
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button—Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight—Wally Pfister
The Fall—Colin Watkinson
Slumdog Millionaire—Anthony Dod Mantle

WALL*E

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button—Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight—Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard
Milk—Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire—A.R. Rahman
WALL*E—Thomas Newman

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Russell Brand—Forgetting Sarah Marshall
David Kross—The Reader
Lina Leandersson—Let the Right One In
Dev Patel—Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters—Australia

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Tomas Alfredson—Let the Right One In
Lance Hammer—Ballast
Courtney Hunt—Frozen River
Martin McDonagh—In Bruges
Steve McQueen—Hunger

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

8:54 p.m. update on Dec. 18, 2008: The 2008 awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association are in. Read our coverage here.

Despite Smothered Direction, ‘Doubt’ Brings Out Best in Performers

Dustin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:01:00 -0700

CHICAGO – The inherit drama of a Catholic priest accused of molesting an African American boy during the 1960s would be enough to make for an interesting film on its own. In “Doubt,” this is one of the less-explored themes writer and director John Patrick Shanley examines.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Instead, there is a tale of Machiavellian ethics, power struggles within the church, and of course the gray areas that encircle certainty and doubt.

Read Dustin Levell’s full review of “Doubt” in our reviews section.

Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) is everything you could expect from a pre-Vatican II nun in 1964. Playing the strict disciplinarian at her Catholic St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx, Beauvier doesn’t believe that the students should be coddled with things like ball point pens.

“Every easy choice today will have its consequence tomorrow,” she explains to her colleague, a cynically free and more hopeful Sister James played by Amy Adams. What seems to be a simple personality clash between Sister Beauvier and the younger, progressive thinking Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), comes to a head when Sister James reports that Father Flynn might have “interfered” with school’s first black student.

“Doubt” stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. “Doubt,” which is written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, opened on December 12, 2008. In Chicago, the film opened at Landmark Century Centre Cinema and AMC River East.

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Doubt” review.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn and Amy Adams as Sister James in “Doubt”.
Photo credit: Andrew Schwartz, Miramax

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Doubt” review.