John Adams

Blu-Ray Review: HBO Brings Home Best Two Mini-Series of 2008 in HD

BrianTT — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0600

CHICAGO – If you haven’t seen HBO’s “Generation Kill” or “John Adams,” then you haven’t seen two of the best mini-series of the last several years and the absolute best of 2008. These are both pieces of amazing television, must-sees for fans of intense, adult drama and now available on Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

The brilliance of “Generation Kill” was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that HBO produced one of the most critically-acclaimed mini-series of all time in the stunning “John Adams” in the same year. With both titles finally available on Blu-Ray, now viewers who may have seen only one of the two or not had a chance to catch up with either can see both in the format most people watch HBO in nowadays - HD.

“Band of Brothers” has long been one of the most successful DVD (and now Blu-Ray releases) on the market and anyone who bought that set for Father’s Day in years past should pick up “Generation Kill” for the upcoming holiday. It’s the best fictional document that has yet to be produced about the nightmare in the Middle East.

Generation Kill will be released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.
Photo credit: HBO

From the creator of the brilliant “The Wire,” “Generation Kill” is based on the book “Generation Kill: A Conversation With 1st Recon Marines” by Evan Wright. As a journalist, he was trying to break down the myth that previous generations had brought to the war movie and de-romanticize combat by presenting it without commentary or idolization.

The attention to detail in “Generation Kill,” from reporters buying their own Kevlar on Ebay before going into a war zone to soldiers having to shave their facial hair so they won’t be infiltrated by an enemy not allowed to shave, is what separates the piece from the generic pack. You can feel the dirt, boredom, and anxiety of really being on the ground.

Running a total of 470 minutes, “Generation Kill” is presented on three discs with a gorgeous 1080p High Definition 16x9 1.78:1 aspect ratio picture. The video is great but the sound, presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is even better.

Exclusive new interactive Blu-Ray features include a “Military Glossary,” “Chain of Command Chart,” and “Mission Maps”. The new stuff is cleverly interactive and it’s nice of HBO to offer something to people willing to pay twice for the same mini-series - once on standard and once on Blu-Ray - but they’re nowhere near as interesting as the previously available special features.

The best featurette is “Generation Kill: A Conversation with 1st Recon Marines” but “Making Generation Kill,” “Eric Ladin’s Video Diaries,” and great audio commentaries are also included.

John Adams will be released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.
Photo credit: HBO

What more is there to say about the detailed brilliance of “John Adams” that hasn’t been said already? HBO’s sprawling, epic production details the life of this founding father over seven nearly-perfect episodes. John Adams guided his peers, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, in the design of our nation and this incredible saga brings this man back to life. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are spectacular, especially the latter, who gives one of the best TV performances in history, but the entire ensemble is ridiculously good. They’re better than most film casts.

“John Adams” has won 32 awards from various guilds and voting bodies, making it one of the most awarded mini-series in history. It won an insane THIRTEEN Emmys including trophies for Giamatti, Linney, Wilkinson, and Best Mini-Series of the Year. If you haven’t seen “John Adams,” what more acclaim could you possibly be waiting for?

Maybe you were waiting for HD. “John Adams” features HBO’s best video transfer to date with a flawless 1080p picture. The sound mix in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is similarly perfect. With “Band of Brothers,” “True Blood,” “Generation Kill,” and “John Adams,” HBO has entered the world of Blu-Ray with as high a standard when it comes to video and audio as they did in normal DVD.

Exclusive new interactive Blu-Ray features include “Facts Are Stubborn Things: An Exclusive Onscreen Historical Guide” and “Who’s Who in History: Interactive Biographies”. Additional bonus features include “David McCullough: Painting With Words” and “The Making of John Adams”. A commentary would have been nice but television this good speaks for itself.

‘Generation Kill’ is released by HBO Home Video and stars Alexander Skarsgard, James Ransone, Stark Sands, Lee Tergesen, Jon Huertas, Jonah Lotan, Rudy Reyes, Billy Lush, Chance Kelly, Eric Nenninger, Michael Kelly, Marc Menchaca, and Owain Yeoman and was written by David Simon, Ed Burns, & Evan Wright. It will be released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.

‘John Adams’ is released by HBO Home Video and stars Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane, Danny Huston, David Morse, and Sarah Polley and was written by Kirk Ellis and Michelle Ashford and directed by Tom Hooper. It will be released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009.

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

Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Mickey Rourke, Sally Hawkins, Colin Farrell Big Winners at 2009 Golden Globes

BrianTT — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:03:37 -0700

CHICAGO – The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards were held Sunday night and “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Mad Men,” “John Adams,” and “30 Rock” were the big winners from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The HFPA spread the wealth around to a variety of talented actors including Heath Ledger, Sally Hawkins, Anna Paquin, Laura Dern, Laura Linney, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Tina Fey, Colin Farrell, Mickey Rourke, and Kate Winslet, twice.

Golden Globe Statuette
Photo credit: Chris Haston

“Slumdog Millionaire” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” won the two Best Picture awards, with the former taking away the most Golden Globes overall with four. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association chose “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” as the best television series on the air, giving the latter the most regular series awards with three. HBO’s “John Adams” tied “Slumdog Millionaire” for the most awards with four. Only “Adams,” “Slumdog,” “The Wrestler,” and “30 Rock” won more than a single award with the prizes being spread around to different films and shows.

One of the more emotional beats of the night came when director Chris Nolan accepted Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger for his amazing work in “The Dark Knight” and incredible speeches were given by Kate Winslet, Sally Hawkins, Tina Fey, Steven Spielberg, Danny Boyle, Colin Farrell, Mickey Rourke, and Tracy Morgan, accepting Best Comedy for “30 Rock”.

HBO destroyed on the TV side of the awards, winning all the major dramatic acting awards, as their “True Blood,” “In Treatment,” “John Adams,” and “Recount” were all given trophies before another network even took home their first prize. When the comedy awards came up, it was a clean sweep for “30 Rock,” winning best actor, actress, and comedy series. The dramatic awards were more spread out with “Mad Men” taking series, but “In Treatment” and “True Blood” winning the acting awards.

Winner Kate Winslet for Best Supporting Actress in “The Reader” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

On the film side, “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Revolutionary Road,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Reader,” “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “In Bruges,” and “The Wrestler” were all recipients of major awards, adding fuel to their various Oscar campaigns.

The night opened with Jennifer Lopez presenting the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture to Kate Winslet in “The Reader,” who beat Amy Adams and Viola Davis in “Doubt,” Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”, and Penelope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. With a stunning seven nominations in her Golden Globe history, including two this year, Winslet’s win was the first of her amazing career (but not the last of the night). She gave a humble speech and looked absolutely amazing. Winslet is clearly the frontrunner for the equivalent Oscar, another award she has never won.

Sting presented the Best Song award to Bruce Springsteen for his excellent contribution to Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler”. He had one of the best lines of the night when he said, “This is the only time I’m gonna be in competition with Clint Eastwood. Felt pretty good, too.”

Simon Baker of “The Mentalist” and Eva Longoria of “Desperate Housewives” kicked off the awards for TV by giving Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie to Tom Wilkinson for playing Ben Franklin in HBO’s “John Adams,” beating Neil Patrick Harris for “How I Met Your Mother,” Denis Leary for “Recount,” Jeremy Piven for “Entourage,” and Blair Underwood for “In Treatment”. It was Wilkinson’s first win.

Winner Tom Wilkinson, Best Supporting Actor in Mini-Series or TV Movie “John Adams” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

The same presenters gave HBO another prize when they handed Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie to Laura Dern for “Recount,” beating Eileen Atkins for “Cranford,” Melissa George for “In Treatment,” Rachel Griffiths for “Brothers & Sisters,” and Dianne Wiest for “In Treatment”. Dern dedicated her award to the people who voted for “change in this country” in the last presidential election.

Hayden Panettiere and Zac Efron gave the TV award for Best Actor in a TV Series - Drama to Gabriel Byrne for his brilliant work on “In Treatment”. Byrne, who could not attend, beat Jon Hamm from “Mad Men,” Hugh Laurie from “House,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers for “The Tudors,” and Michael C. Hall for “Dexter”.

The equivalent actress award went to Anna Paquin in “True Blood”. The first-year series star beat Sally Field in “Brothers & Sisters,” January Jones in “Mad Men,” Kyra Sedgwick in “The Closer,” and Mariska Hargitay in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”. If you’re keeping track, all four acting awards for dramatic television went to HBO and for four different series or movies. It was an amazing night for the network that was just getting started.

The Jonas Brothers gave “WALL-E” the award for Best Animated Feature Film, beating “Bolt” and “Kung Fu Panda”. The winner for Best Motion Picture or Mini-Series Made for Television continued the run for HBO and created the first multiple award winner as “John Adams” beat “Raisin in the Sun,” “Bernard and Dorris,” “Cranford,” and “Recount”.

Anna Paquin, Winner of Best Actress: TV Series Drama for “True Blood” on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

Johnny Depp gave Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy to Sally Hawkins for “Happy-Go-Lucky,” beating out Meryl Streep for “Mamma Mia!,” Emma Thompson for “Last Chance Harvey,” Rebecca Hall for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and Frances McDormand for “Burn After Reading”. The delightful Hawkins was clearly surprised and stunned at her win and gave arguably the most charming speech of the night.

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture went, as expected, to Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight,” beating Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder,” Ralph Fiennes in “The Duchess,” and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”. Director Christopher Nolan accepted the award, which was greeted with an almost-immediate standing ovation.

Best Foreign Language Film went to Israel’s “Waltz With Bashir,” beating Germany’s “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” “Everlasting Moments” from Sweden/Denmark, Italy’s “Gomorra,” and France’s “I’ve Loved You So Long”.

Back to the TV award, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart gave Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television to Laura Linney to “John Adams,” making it three awards for the film. She beat Judi Dench in “Cranford,” Catherine Keener in “An American Crime,” Shirley MacLaine in “Coco Chanel,” and Susan Sarandon in “Bernard and Doris”. Six TV awards into the evening and HBO was the only network that had won a single prize.

Alec Baldwin, winner Best Actor in TV Series Musical or Comedy 30 Rock on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen gave the first big award of the night to “Slumdog Millionaire,” giving Simon Beaufoy the award for Best Screenplay, beating “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” and “The Reader”.

Bouncing back and forth between film and television, the next award was Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, which went to Alec Baldwin in “30 Rock”. Baldwin predictably beat Steve Carell from “The Office,” Kevin Connolly from “Entourage,” David Duchovny in “Californication,” and Tony Shalhoub from “Monk”.

Terence Howard and Megan Fox gave the award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie to, as widely expected by this point, Paul Giamatti in “John Adams,” making it a clean sweep for the mini-series, winning a stunning four awards. Giamatti beat Kiefer Sutherland in “24: Redemption,” Tom Wilkinson and Kevin Spacey in “Recount,” and Ralph Fiennes in “Bernard and Doris”. It was the great Giamatti’s first win at the Golden Globes.

“30 Rock” won the prize for Best TV Comedy again, beating “Californication,” “Entourage,” “The Office,” and “Weeds”.

“Slumdog Millionaire” would take home its second prize of the night when Kate Beckinsale and Sean Combs gave A.R. Rahman the trophy for Best Score. Rahman beat the much more widely known composers, Alexandre Desplat for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Clint Eastwood for “Changeling,” James Newton Howard for “Defiance,” and Hans Zimmer for “Frost/Nixon”.

Danny Boyle, winner Best Director of Motion Picture Slumdog Millionaire on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

David Duchovny and Kane Krakowski gave Best Actress in a TV Comedy to, predictably, Tina Fey in “30 Rock”. Fey beat Christina Applegate for “Samantha Who?,” America Ferrera for “Ugly Betty,” Debra Messing for “The Starter Wife,” and Mary Louise Parker for “Weeds”. “30 Rock” had swept the comedy awards, winning best actor, actress, and series, all choices hard to argue with although it might have been nice to spread the wealth a bit. Fey gave a great speech, taking jabs at the people who had criticized her online.

Steven Spielberg accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement from Martin Scorsese, an old friend and, as Spielberg said, “inspiration”. As the clip reel of Spielberg’s work made crystal clear, if anyone deserves a lifetime achievement award it is Steven Spielberg.

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson presented best director to Danny Boyle for “Slumdog Millionaire,” beating Stephen Daldry for “The Reader,” David Fincher for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Ron Howard for “Frost/Nixon,” and Sam Mendes for “Revolutionary Road”.

The most surprising win of the night, by far, came when Sandra Bullock gave Best Actor in a Comedy to Colin Farrell for “In Bruges”. The very gracious and surprised Farrell beat his co-star in the film, Brendan Gleeson, Dustin Hoffman for “Last Chance Harvey,” James Franco for “Pineapple Express,” and Javier Bardem in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

Sacha Baron Cohen cracked about the end of Madonna’s marriage before giving Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy to Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” beating “Burn After Reading,” “In Bruges,” “Mamma Mia!,” and “Happy-Go-Lucky”. Sadly, Woody didn’t appear to accept the award himself.

Mickey Rourke, winner Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama The Wrestler on stage during the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009.
Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater

Mark Wahlberg and Cameron Diaz presented Kate Winslet with her second award of the night for “Revolutionary Road,” beating Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married,” Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long,” and Meryl Streep for “Doubt”. The clearly stunned Winslet was speechless, repeating “thank you so much” and crying. It took seven nominations for Kate Winslet to win two awards in one night.

After what was clearly now just a technical error in favor of Anne Hathaway earlier this week, most expected her to win, making the Winslet announcement that much more surprising.

Blake Lively and Rainn Wilson presented the award for Best Television Series - Drama to “Mad Men,” beating “Dexter,” “House,” “In Treatment,” and “True Blood”. A predictable but deserving win.

Susan Sarandon appeared to present Best Actor in a Drama, which went to Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”. Rourke beat out Sean Penn in “Milk,” Leonardo DiCaprio in “Revolutionary Road,” Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon,” and Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Rourke was humbled and happy to win. He thanked, among others, Axl Rose, Bruce Springsteen, and his dogs. Someone give this man an Oscar.

Not surprisingly, “Slumdog Millionaire” closed the night with a win for Best Drama, presented by Tom Cruise. The excellent film beat “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Reader,” and “Revolutionary Road”.

See the full list of 2009 Golden Globe winners in list form.
Read about Anne Hathaway’s early, accidental Golden Globe snafu.
Read more Golden Globes articles on HollywoodChicago.com.

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