The film that introduced America to Star Trek Discovery‘s Michelle Yeoh and helped make Ang Lee a popular director, is making its 4K Ultra HD debut on December 1 in a limited edition steelbook.
Synopsis
Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi) prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face to face with their worst enemy – and the inescapable, enduring power of love. Set against 19th-century China’s breathtaking landscape, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the action-packed box office smash from two-time Best Director Academy Award winner Ang Lee and featuring stunning martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).
The limited edition SteelBook includes the critically-acclaimed film on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray.
Synopsis
Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi) prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face to face with their worst enemy – and the inescapable, enduring power of love. Set against 19th-century China’s breathtaking landscape, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the action-packed box office smash from two-time Best Director Academy Award winner Ang Lee and featuring stunning martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).
The limited edition SteelBook includes the critically-acclaimed film on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray.
- 10/3/2020
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
At least twenty fine actors and stars make Robert Altman’s period piece about a party in a big English country house into a gala occasion. The show is also a fascinating entree into a classed world of masters and servants. The drama of manners could also be described as a mystery who-dunnit. Either way, we’re floored by excellent work from a stellar cast.
Gosford Park
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy USA
2001 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date , 2018 / Available from Arrow Video
Starring: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Camilla Rutherford, Charles Dance, Geraldine Somerville, Tom Hollander, Natasha Wightman, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, James Wilby, Claudie Blakley, Laurence Fox, Trent Ford, Ryan Phillippe, Stephen Fry, Ron Webster, Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Emily Watson, Alan Bates, Derek Jacobi, Richard E. Grant.
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn
Film Editor: Tim Squyres
Production Design: Stephen Altman
Original Music: Patrick Doyle
Written by Julian Fellowes,...
Gosford Park
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy USA
2001 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date , 2018 / Available from Arrow Video
Starring: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Camilla Rutherford, Charles Dance, Geraldine Somerville, Tom Hollander, Natasha Wightman, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, James Wilby, Claudie Blakley, Laurence Fox, Trent Ford, Ryan Phillippe, Stephen Fry, Ron Webster, Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Emily Watson, Alan Bates, Derek Jacobi, Richard E. Grant.
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn
Film Editor: Tim Squyres
Production Design: Stephen Altman
Original Music: Patrick Doyle
Written by Julian Fellowes,...
- 12/1/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Paul Auster on Smoke, Blue In The Face, and Lulu On The Bridge star Harvey Keitel: "I loved working with Harvey." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In the first instalment of my conversation with author, screenwriter, and director Paul Auster at his home he discusses the performances of Willem Dafoe, Mira Sorvino, and Harvey Keitel in Lulu On The Bridge, Wings Of Desire, and his friendship with Wim Wenders. We touch on Louise Brooks and Vanessa Redgrave, Frank Wedekind's Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box, Arnaud Desplechin's view of Marion Cotillard’s character in Ismael's Ghosts, Hilma af Klint, and Ernst Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait.
Paul Auster on Willem Dafoe: "Willem is an ambiguous character, Van Horn is. I never thought of him as the devil, though. He's more like St. Peter." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Lulu on the Bridge, shot by Alik Sakharov (The Sopranos), edited by Tim Squyres,...
In the first instalment of my conversation with author, screenwriter, and director Paul Auster at his home he discusses the performances of Willem Dafoe, Mira Sorvino, and Harvey Keitel in Lulu On The Bridge, Wings Of Desire, and his friendship with Wim Wenders. We touch on Louise Brooks and Vanessa Redgrave, Frank Wedekind's Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box, Arnaud Desplechin's view of Marion Cotillard’s character in Ismael's Ghosts, Hilma af Klint, and Ernst Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait.
Paul Auster on Willem Dafoe: "Willem is an ambiguous character, Van Horn is. I never thought of him as the devil, though. He's more like St. Peter." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Lulu on the Bridge, shot by Alik Sakharov (The Sopranos), edited by Tim Squyres,...
- 11/30/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Paul Auster on the beginning of ending up directing Lulu On The Bridge: "My good friend Wim Wenders, who gets a credit here, he said he had been working with Juliette Binoche, talking for years about a project to do Lulu, somehow." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Paul Auster's Lulu On The Bridge, shot by Alik Sakharov (The Sopranos), edited by Tim Squyres, and costumes by Adelle Lutz, stars Harvey Keitel and Mira Sorvino with Willem Dafoe, Gina Gershon, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Edson, Don Byron, Victor Argo, Kevin Corrigan, Sophie Auster (Paul and Siri Hustvedt's daughter), and has scene stealing cameos by Lou Reed and David Byrne.
Lulu On The Bridge and The Inner Life Of Martin Frost in Paul Auster x 2
At Metrograph's screening of a 35mm print on loan from MoMA, attended by Tim Squyres, who is also Ang Lee's incredibly longtime editor, Paul Auster...
Paul Auster's Lulu On The Bridge, shot by Alik Sakharov (The Sopranos), edited by Tim Squyres, and costumes by Adelle Lutz, stars Harvey Keitel and Mira Sorvino with Willem Dafoe, Gina Gershon, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Edson, Don Byron, Victor Argo, Kevin Corrigan, Sophie Auster (Paul and Siri Hustvedt's daughter), and has scene stealing cameos by Lou Reed and David Byrne.
Lulu On The Bridge and The Inner Life Of Martin Frost in Paul Auster x 2
At Metrograph's screening of a 35mm print on loan from MoMA, attended by Tim Squyres, who is also Ang Lee's incredibly longtime editor, Paul Auster...
- 10/28/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“Your story Billy, no longer belongs to you. It’s America story now.”
Visionary Director Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’S Long Halftime Walk Arrives on 4K Ultra HD for the Ultimate Immersive Home Entertainment Experience.
A two-time Academy Award® winner for Best Director, Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, 2005; Life of Pi, 2012) brings his extraordinary vision to Billy Lynn’S Long Halftime Walk, debuting on three-disc 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray 3D™/Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and digital February 14 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In an industrywide first, the 4K presentation of the film is displayed at 60 frames per second (Fps), versus the standard 24 Fps, offering a first-of-its-kind, unique, and immersive viewing experience. Dubbed a “groundbreaking masterpiece” (Mark S. Allen, ABC-tv), Billy Lynn’S Long Halftime Walk follows a 19-year-old soldier as he is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing battle in Iraq. Through flashbacks,...
Visionary Director Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’S Long Halftime Walk Arrives on 4K Ultra HD for the Ultimate Immersive Home Entertainment Experience.
A two-time Academy Award® winner for Best Director, Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, 2005; Life of Pi, 2012) brings his extraordinary vision to Billy Lynn’S Long Halftime Walk, debuting on three-disc 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray 3D™/Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and digital February 14 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In an industrywide first, the 4K presentation of the film is displayed at 60 frames per second (Fps), versus the standard 24 Fps, offering a first-of-its-kind, unique, and immersive viewing experience. Dubbed a “groundbreaking masterpiece” (Mark S. Allen, ABC-tv), Billy Lynn’S Long Halftime Walk follows a 19-year-old soldier as he is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing battle in Iraq. Through flashbacks,...
- 2/4/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lauded filmmaker Ang Lee’s next feature is mere weeks from release — the technology-busting “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” due out next month — but if you’re feeling nostalgic for some of his earlier work, you’re in serious luck. Lee’s 2001 martial arts epic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is hitting shelves again, thanks to a brand new 4K Ultra HD home video release, along with an updated Blu-ray edition, both out today.
Read More: ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’: Ang Lee Explains How He Is Creating a New Medium With His Technological Breakthrough
The new Blu-ray is available today as part of Sony’s “Supreme Cinema Series,” billed as “a premium, limited edition collection befitting beloved cinematic favorites and modern classics” that also includes a 24-page booklet of rare photos and behind-the-scenes detail that will only be available while supplies last. The 4K Ultra HD disc...
Read More: ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’: Ang Lee Explains How He Is Creating a New Medium With His Technological Breakthrough
The new Blu-ray is available today as part of Sony’s “Supreme Cinema Series,” billed as “a premium, limited edition collection befitting beloved cinematic favorites and modern classics” that also includes a 24-page booklet of rare photos and behind-the-scenes detail that will only be available while supplies last. The 4K Ultra HD disc...
- 10/18/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ (Courtesy: Sony)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk had its world debut on October 14 at the New York Film Festival and the early reviews are, to put it simply, a little all over the place. While Ang Lee’s latest work is, as intended, a visual spectacle — to its own detriment, some critics note — it seems as though the story isn’t being mentioned all that often and, when it is, there’s not much praise to dole out.
Jean-Christophe Castelli wrote the screenplay, which is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by author Ben Fountain, for the movie about a young soldier named Billy Lynn who returns home from Iraq in 2004. Both works, which are anti-war yet pro-military, focus on the 19-year-old as well as the surviving squad members with flashbacks to the battlefield action coupled...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk had its world debut on October 14 at the New York Film Festival and the early reviews are, to put it simply, a little all over the place. While Ang Lee’s latest work is, as intended, a visual spectacle — to its own detriment, some critics note — it seems as though the story isn’t being mentioned all that often and, when it is, there’s not much praise to dole out.
Jean-Christophe Castelli wrote the screenplay, which is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by author Ben Fountain, for the movie about a young soldier named Billy Lynn who returns home from Iraq in 2004. Both works, which are anti-war yet pro-military, focus on the 19-year-old as well as the surviving squad members with flashbacks to the battlefield action coupled...
- 10/17/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
Ang Lee’s martial arts film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was a critical and commercial success upon release in 2000, garnering numerous awards and grossing over $200 million. It is now considered a modern classic and led to a boost in popularity of Chinese wuxia films. Now, an all-new 4K restoration of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” will soon debut on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. Watch an exclusive clip of Ang Lee discussing his film and how martial arts movies owe a debt to musicals.
Read More: Watch: The Battle Begins In New Trailer For Netflix’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny’
The new release will be loaded with all-new bonus content in both releases. The Blu-ray release will include six never-before-seen deleted scenes, all-new retrospective interviews with director Ang Lee, producer James Schamus and editor Tim Squyres, an archival making-of featurette and the “A Love Before Time” music video.
Read More: Watch: The Battle Begins In New Trailer For Netflix’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny’
The new release will be loaded with all-new bonus content in both releases. The Blu-ray release will include six never-before-seen deleted scenes, all-new retrospective interviews with director Ang Lee, producer James Schamus and editor Tim Squyres, an archival making-of featurette and the “A Love Before Time” music video.
- 8/22/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
In the Qumra Master Class 2016 where James Schamus and Richard Peña, former long-time head of Lincoln Film Society in NYC, carried on an informal and open-ended discussion, James gave a personal view of himself before going into the professional ins and outs of his film production and distribution life.
I was surprised to hear that James, who seems like a quintessential New Yorker, is not a native New Yorker but is an Angeleno and attended Hollywood High in Los Angeles.
When I spoke with him afterward, he said that he actually was from North Hollywood but had attended Jd Melton at Hollywood High. On looking the school up for this article, I was even more pleasantly surprised to see that their branding is serendipitously, “Home of the Sheiks”.
James grew up in L.A. in the 70s and Hollywood High was equivalent to Jodie Foster’s school in “Taxi Driver” only it was in L.A. It was a working class and poor school where only half of the student body took the SATs (College qualifying exams), and he was definitely the nerd in the herd. He would spend his Friday nights watching a little known TV show on the local Channel 13 moderated by the L.A. Times critic Charles Champlin. The show was of silent films and there he saw “Birth of a Nation” and the German Expressionist movies among others. Later he wrote his PhD dissertation Carl Theodor Dreyer's ‘Gertrud’: The Moving Word, and it was published by the University of Washington Press. He moved to New York to write it after completing his Bachelors, Masters and PhD studies at Uc Berkeley.
He said he does not remember much about his high school days, but recently as he was unpacking some old boxes, he came across his high school yearbook.
You know how people signed with little paragraphs? One of these said ‘Thanks for persuading me to skip school with you and going on the 93 bus to see movies’ and it was signed ‘Frank’. I had no idea who Frank was but as I tried to remember, I recalled skipping school to go to L.A.’s only film festival which was new and called ‘Filmex’.
(Editor’s note: Filmex was the creation of ‘The two Garys’, Gary Essert and Gary Abrahams, both of whom died of Aids during the Aids epidemic. Gary Essert was a UCLA Film School student in the 60s where he started Filmex with marathon screenings in the Quonset hut which was the film school. The two Garys are both vividly remembered today by the American Cinematheque crews and others of us from L.A. because the Cinematheque was their creation.)
It was at Filmex that I saw a film made by a film student from USC. It was a sci-fi film and there was a Q&A afterward. The film was called ‘Thx-1138’ and it was by George Lucas. Then I remembered! Frank was Frank Darabont! And we were now sharing the same agent, so I gave him a call and yes, he went to Hollywood High too.
James combines his acclaimed filmmaking career with other roles within the industry: he is a revered film historian and academic. He is also a multi award-winning screenwriter, director and leading U.S. indie producer, best known for his long creative collaboration with Taiwanese director Ang Lee. He has worked with Lee on nine films, including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography, and remains the highest-grossing non-English-language film in the U.S. He was the screenwriter for Lee's “The Ice Storm”, for which he won the award for Best Screenplay at the Festival de Cannes in 1997 and co-wrote “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994), the first of Lee’s films to achieve both critical and commercial success.
As producers, Schamus and Ted Hope (today head of production at Amazon) co-founded the U.S. low- to no-budget production company Good Machine in the early 1990s.
It was macho to brag about how we made films with no money. ‘I made my movie for $5,000.’ ‘Well, I made mine for $4,000.’
Ted also loves lists and he made a list of all the short films made in the past 10 years by filmmakers who had yet to make feature films. We got the VHS tapes and one of the films we saw was by Ang Lee when he was studying at Nyu. It was called “Fine Line” and was Chazz Palminteri’s first film.
“Fine Line” was about an Italian guy on the run from the mob. It takes place in New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown. Ang Lee had an agent and we called him. He said Ang Lee was working on three great films before hanging up on us…
To hear James tell this story, watch him speaking here with Richard Peña.
What was cut out of the above online story was that at the time of “Pushing Hands”
Ang had no idea we had just contacted his agent and he also thought we would steal all his money. He was 38 years old, an unemployed stay-at-home parent with a working wife and two kids living in a little apartment in New York. In his spare time he had become a great cook. He came in and pitched a comedy for one hour. It was awful. We were such no-money producers; our office was upstairs from a strip club and the music would blast into our offices starting at 2:00 every day. With this pounding beat, he pitched the worst pitch we ever heard. But there was a $5,000 fee for us. I then said that though his pitch was poor he had actually described the entire movie in his head to us scene by scene. He was not trying to sell the film.
So we made the film and then made his second film “Wedding Banquet” which shared a first prize in Berlin. The third film was “Eat Drink Man Woman” from an original idea with a Taiwanese writer, very TV in the open-endedness of all the characters feeling the push and pull of letting it happen. But in this was a Hollywood 40s style screwball comedy that could be imposed.
Again, when James and I spoke together, I challenged him on the claim that “Dim Lake” was Chazz’s first film because my own partner in life and business, Peter Belsito, claims to have produced Chazz’s first film, “Home Free All” at which time Chazz took Peter aside and said, 'I am not just a dumb guinea hoodlum, I am a real actor destined for better roles. I can act serious.' So James and I checked IMDb to see and sure enough, “Dim Lake” was his first film and “Home Free All” was his second, but it was Chazz’ first feature film. We then looked at the rest of his 68 film credits and in every single one, he is playing the Italian.
Doing this with James gave me a momentary feel of his love for research.
“For my first time writing with Ang I needed to research food in Taiwan for ‘Pushing Hands’, the position and placement of food, families and food….The script would be translated from English to Chinese, but Ang was not satisfied with it. I was having trouble tapping into the mentality of the Chinese family so I took all the characters’ names and changed them to Jewish names and rewrote the script totally as a Jewish family. Then I changed the names back to their Chinese names. Ang read the script and said ‘This is really Chinese!’ And so I got ‘the cross-cultural idea’ -- not really…I still don’t get that.
The first day in Taiwan we were shooting the film in a fast food restaurant and I as I watched the rushes, one of the character’s name was Rachel and I realized I had forgotten to change the name back. I asked if we needed to reshoot, but at that time it was a fad to change Chinese names to Anglo names and no one thought it was out of place, and so it stayed.
The most difficult part of the film was shooting the opening title sequence of the father cooking a meal. It went over schedule because it had to be perfect. We used the food so many times it was held together by glue by the end.
Preparing a shot list is very important for Ang and he constantly reduces the list and his vision jells as he does this. By his third film, the process was very internalized. Next he had to communicate it. The plan is always the result of the overall idea. That’s why his style always changes.
As he shoots, the relationship with the editor is very close. He has a long-time relationship with his editor Tim Squyres.
The “Wedding Banquet” was the first film edited on Avid. Before “Wedding Banquet”, four minutes was the full length of films edited on Avid which is now ancient technology.
Tim cuts several versions and talks them through with Ang. They have spent more time in the dark together than most married people. Ang is in the editing room from the beginning to the end. Tim talks very directly, like he might say Ang should have spent more time on a scene or should have shot a scene from a different angle. I used to watch Ang’s face tense up as he listened to Tim’s criticism and often they would fight, but they have spent 25+ years together.
On the transnational global reach of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”:
Critics said it was not an authentic chop-socky movie. But the Hong Kong chop-socky genre itself was a regional hybrid. The origins of chop-socky were from Shanghai and Singapore. It was not so “Cantonese” as critics claimed. Bruce Lee himself was U.S. based. So the transnational aspect was already there.
From 2002 to 2014 Schamus was CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing and worldwide distribution company whose films during his tenure included Wes Anderson's “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Roman Polanski's “The Pianist “ (2002), Henry Selick's “Coraline” (2009) and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (2003).
On actors:
Character is secondary to the action. You only have action and words in a script. Working with good actors, you need images.
Actors are at such high risk, they are very vulnerable. They need respect. Sometimes they act out.
On casting and directors:
During the casting process, the director must direct the actor, set the tone for the part. Most of the film’s directing can be done during the casting process.
On storyboarding:
“Ride with the Devil” was the first film Ang Lee storyboarded. He also storyboarded “Life of Pi”. Storyboarding could take the life out of a movie.
On production design:
It takes lots of research. It includes the worldview of the film and everything ties in to that. It first starts with costumes. Research is not done only by the department but by everyone.
On film distribution and Focus:
Where is distribution now for specialized films? Focus was everything, attached to the studio system as its specialized film division, Focus’ model was not Fox Searchlght’s which is locked into the domestic U.S. market. Seachlight bought global rights and produced by way of its international TV deals. Focus didn’t have that. It had to presell theatrical rights to independent distributors worldwide. Driven primarily by the international marketplace, it could not be driven by U.S. Its primary focus for production was London. It was all international but also driven by flagship releases in the U.S.
In 2014, Schamus turned his hand to directing with the short documentary “That Film About Money” (2014).
Paul Allen of Microsoft started Vulcan with a commitment to shorts. I did a doc with a crew of people I had never worked with before. And it was about people like Paul.
In 2016 James made his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Philip Roth's “Indignation”. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and screened at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section.
Schamus is also Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches film history and theory.
On Doha’s newest foray into Hollywood:
Doha-based beIN Media Group’s acquiring Miramax could be a great deal depending on the price paid.
Much of the 600-plus films in the Miramax library is probably locked into licensing deals already around the globe, but depending on when those deals are up for renewal and what other rights can be exploited, if the price point was right, it’s a great way to get into the game because they are sitting on top of so much intellectual property.
Just integrating into the deal structures and understanding the economics, from the end point where the money is coming from to the rights holder, is a good idea.
Miramax, under the leadership of Zanne Devine, has also co-acquired with Roadside Attractions, the 2016 Sundance premiering feature, “Southside with You”, the narrative feature of Barak Obama and Michelle’s first date. That will bring beIN into the Roadside Attraction/ Lionsgate sphere of distribution and international sales.
On Hollywood interest in territories like China, India and the Middle East:
The less successful pattern is to find a Hollywood producer who flies in on his private jet and give him hundreds of millions (ed: Stx?) to make movies. This is a very different version, this is owning intellectual property - it’s a good first step.
On moviegoing in the Gulf:
The next step is to build a cinema culture that makes movie-going a practice in the region far more than it is now - movie exhibition and movie-going as a power lever.
On TV in the Middle East:
My intuition says new media, television in particular, is going to be a space that is very dynamic once it breaks open, here in the Gulf or elsewhere.
During this week at Qumra, James is also mentoring 10 filmmakers working on five Dfi-backed projects: Mohamed Al Ibrahim’s “Bull Shark”; Hamida Issa’s “To The Ends Of The Earth”; Sherif Elbendary’s “Ali, The Goat And Ibrahim”; Mohanad Hayal’s “Haifa Street” aka “Death Street”; and Karim Moussaoui’s “Till The Swallows Return”.
Elia Suleiman, the Artistic Advisor to Doha Film Institute, recalls how he and James “grew up together” in New York as long-time friends. James introduced him to the Chilean master filmmaker Raul Ruiz. While at Good Machine, Schamus helped him with his short film. He helped edit the script and was his guardian angel helping with his first contract. They even had a code for “urgent”. When Elia was in Jerusalem and James in London, they used the code whenever Elia was overwhelmed by the paperwork needed. James would answer within 15 minutes. Now James has come full circle on his own, from being one of the most important producers of the decade to directing his own film.
When asked by Qumra what was most important, he said “first time filmmakers are the most important”. And he has always been able to spot the most talented of emerging filmmakers.
I was surprised to hear that James, who seems like a quintessential New Yorker, is not a native New Yorker but is an Angeleno and attended Hollywood High in Los Angeles.
When I spoke with him afterward, he said that he actually was from North Hollywood but had attended Jd Melton at Hollywood High. On looking the school up for this article, I was even more pleasantly surprised to see that their branding is serendipitously, “Home of the Sheiks”.
James grew up in L.A. in the 70s and Hollywood High was equivalent to Jodie Foster’s school in “Taxi Driver” only it was in L.A. It was a working class and poor school where only half of the student body took the SATs (College qualifying exams), and he was definitely the nerd in the herd. He would spend his Friday nights watching a little known TV show on the local Channel 13 moderated by the L.A. Times critic Charles Champlin. The show was of silent films and there he saw “Birth of a Nation” and the German Expressionist movies among others. Later he wrote his PhD dissertation Carl Theodor Dreyer's ‘Gertrud’: The Moving Word, and it was published by the University of Washington Press. He moved to New York to write it after completing his Bachelors, Masters and PhD studies at Uc Berkeley.
He said he does not remember much about his high school days, but recently as he was unpacking some old boxes, he came across his high school yearbook.
You know how people signed with little paragraphs? One of these said ‘Thanks for persuading me to skip school with you and going on the 93 bus to see movies’ and it was signed ‘Frank’. I had no idea who Frank was but as I tried to remember, I recalled skipping school to go to L.A.’s only film festival which was new and called ‘Filmex’.
(Editor’s note: Filmex was the creation of ‘The two Garys’, Gary Essert and Gary Abrahams, both of whom died of Aids during the Aids epidemic. Gary Essert was a UCLA Film School student in the 60s where he started Filmex with marathon screenings in the Quonset hut which was the film school. The two Garys are both vividly remembered today by the American Cinematheque crews and others of us from L.A. because the Cinematheque was their creation.)
It was at Filmex that I saw a film made by a film student from USC. It was a sci-fi film and there was a Q&A afterward. The film was called ‘Thx-1138’ and it was by George Lucas. Then I remembered! Frank was Frank Darabont! And we were now sharing the same agent, so I gave him a call and yes, he went to Hollywood High too.
James combines his acclaimed filmmaking career with other roles within the industry: he is a revered film historian and academic. He is also a multi award-winning screenwriter, director and leading U.S. indie producer, best known for his long creative collaboration with Taiwanese director Ang Lee. He has worked with Lee on nine films, including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography, and remains the highest-grossing non-English-language film in the U.S. He was the screenwriter for Lee's “The Ice Storm”, for which he won the award for Best Screenplay at the Festival de Cannes in 1997 and co-wrote “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994), the first of Lee’s films to achieve both critical and commercial success.
As producers, Schamus and Ted Hope (today head of production at Amazon) co-founded the U.S. low- to no-budget production company Good Machine in the early 1990s.
It was macho to brag about how we made films with no money. ‘I made my movie for $5,000.’ ‘Well, I made mine for $4,000.’
Ted also loves lists and he made a list of all the short films made in the past 10 years by filmmakers who had yet to make feature films. We got the VHS tapes and one of the films we saw was by Ang Lee when he was studying at Nyu. It was called “Fine Line” and was Chazz Palminteri’s first film.
“Fine Line” was about an Italian guy on the run from the mob. It takes place in New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown. Ang Lee had an agent and we called him. He said Ang Lee was working on three great films before hanging up on us…
To hear James tell this story, watch him speaking here with Richard Peña.
What was cut out of the above online story was that at the time of “Pushing Hands”
Ang had no idea we had just contacted his agent and he also thought we would steal all his money. He was 38 years old, an unemployed stay-at-home parent with a working wife and two kids living in a little apartment in New York. In his spare time he had become a great cook. He came in and pitched a comedy for one hour. It was awful. We were such no-money producers; our office was upstairs from a strip club and the music would blast into our offices starting at 2:00 every day. With this pounding beat, he pitched the worst pitch we ever heard. But there was a $5,000 fee for us. I then said that though his pitch was poor he had actually described the entire movie in his head to us scene by scene. He was not trying to sell the film.
So we made the film and then made his second film “Wedding Banquet” which shared a first prize in Berlin. The third film was “Eat Drink Man Woman” from an original idea with a Taiwanese writer, very TV in the open-endedness of all the characters feeling the push and pull of letting it happen. But in this was a Hollywood 40s style screwball comedy that could be imposed.
Again, when James and I spoke together, I challenged him on the claim that “Dim Lake” was Chazz’s first film because my own partner in life and business, Peter Belsito, claims to have produced Chazz’s first film, “Home Free All” at which time Chazz took Peter aside and said, 'I am not just a dumb guinea hoodlum, I am a real actor destined for better roles. I can act serious.' So James and I checked IMDb to see and sure enough, “Dim Lake” was his first film and “Home Free All” was his second, but it was Chazz’ first feature film. We then looked at the rest of his 68 film credits and in every single one, he is playing the Italian.
Doing this with James gave me a momentary feel of his love for research.
“For my first time writing with Ang I needed to research food in Taiwan for ‘Pushing Hands’, the position and placement of food, families and food….The script would be translated from English to Chinese, but Ang was not satisfied with it. I was having trouble tapping into the mentality of the Chinese family so I took all the characters’ names and changed them to Jewish names and rewrote the script totally as a Jewish family. Then I changed the names back to their Chinese names. Ang read the script and said ‘This is really Chinese!’ And so I got ‘the cross-cultural idea’ -- not really…I still don’t get that.
The first day in Taiwan we were shooting the film in a fast food restaurant and I as I watched the rushes, one of the character’s name was Rachel and I realized I had forgotten to change the name back. I asked if we needed to reshoot, but at that time it was a fad to change Chinese names to Anglo names and no one thought it was out of place, and so it stayed.
The most difficult part of the film was shooting the opening title sequence of the father cooking a meal. It went over schedule because it had to be perfect. We used the food so many times it was held together by glue by the end.
Preparing a shot list is very important for Ang and he constantly reduces the list and his vision jells as he does this. By his third film, the process was very internalized. Next he had to communicate it. The plan is always the result of the overall idea. That’s why his style always changes.
As he shoots, the relationship with the editor is very close. He has a long-time relationship with his editor Tim Squyres.
The “Wedding Banquet” was the first film edited on Avid. Before “Wedding Banquet”, four minutes was the full length of films edited on Avid which is now ancient technology.
Tim cuts several versions and talks them through with Ang. They have spent more time in the dark together than most married people. Ang is in the editing room from the beginning to the end. Tim talks very directly, like he might say Ang should have spent more time on a scene or should have shot a scene from a different angle. I used to watch Ang’s face tense up as he listened to Tim’s criticism and often they would fight, but they have spent 25+ years together.
On the transnational global reach of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”:
Critics said it was not an authentic chop-socky movie. But the Hong Kong chop-socky genre itself was a regional hybrid. The origins of chop-socky were from Shanghai and Singapore. It was not so “Cantonese” as critics claimed. Bruce Lee himself was U.S. based. So the transnational aspect was already there.
From 2002 to 2014 Schamus was CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing and worldwide distribution company whose films during his tenure included Wes Anderson's “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Roman Polanski's “The Pianist “ (2002), Henry Selick's “Coraline” (2009) and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (2003).
On actors:
Character is secondary to the action. You only have action and words in a script. Working with good actors, you need images.
Actors are at such high risk, they are very vulnerable. They need respect. Sometimes they act out.
On casting and directors:
During the casting process, the director must direct the actor, set the tone for the part. Most of the film’s directing can be done during the casting process.
On storyboarding:
“Ride with the Devil” was the first film Ang Lee storyboarded. He also storyboarded “Life of Pi”. Storyboarding could take the life out of a movie.
On production design:
It takes lots of research. It includes the worldview of the film and everything ties in to that. It first starts with costumes. Research is not done only by the department but by everyone.
On film distribution and Focus:
Where is distribution now for specialized films? Focus was everything, attached to the studio system as its specialized film division, Focus’ model was not Fox Searchlght’s which is locked into the domestic U.S. market. Seachlight bought global rights and produced by way of its international TV deals. Focus didn’t have that. It had to presell theatrical rights to independent distributors worldwide. Driven primarily by the international marketplace, it could not be driven by U.S. Its primary focus for production was London. It was all international but also driven by flagship releases in the U.S.
In 2014, Schamus turned his hand to directing with the short documentary “That Film About Money” (2014).
Paul Allen of Microsoft started Vulcan with a commitment to shorts. I did a doc with a crew of people I had never worked with before. And it was about people like Paul.
In 2016 James made his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Philip Roth's “Indignation”. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and screened at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section.
Schamus is also Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches film history and theory.
On Doha’s newest foray into Hollywood:
Doha-based beIN Media Group’s acquiring Miramax could be a great deal depending on the price paid.
Much of the 600-plus films in the Miramax library is probably locked into licensing deals already around the globe, but depending on when those deals are up for renewal and what other rights can be exploited, if the price point was right, it’s a great way to get into the game because they are sitting on top of so much intellectual property.
Just integrating into the deal structures and understanding the economics, from the end point where the money is coming from to the rights holder, is a good idea.
Miramax, under the leadership of Zanne Devine, has also co-acquired with Roadside Attractions, the 2016 Sundance premiering feature, “Southside with You”, the narrative feature of Barak Obama and Michelle’s first date. That will bring beIN into the Roadside Attraction/ Lionsgate sphere of distribution and international sales.
On Hollywood interest in territories like China, India and the Middle East:
The less successful pattern is to find a Hollywood producer who flies in on his private jet and give him hundreds of millions (ed: Stx?) to make movies. This is a very different version, this is owning intellectual property - it’s a good first step.
On moviegoing in the Gulf:
The next step is to build a cinema culture that makes movie-going a practice in the region far more than it is now - movie exhibition and movie-going as a power lever.
On TV in the Middle East:
My intuition says new media, television in particular, is going to be a space that is very dynamic once it breaks open, here in the Gulf or elsewhere.
During this week at Qumra, James is also mentoring 10 filmmakers working on five Dfi-backed projects: Mohamed Al Ibrahim’s “Bull Shark”; Hamida Issa’s “To The Ends Of The Earth”; Sherif Elbendary’s “Ali, The Goat And Ibrahim”; Mohanad Hayal’s “Haifa Street” aka “Death Street”; and Karim Moussaoui’s “Till The Swallows Return”.
Elia Suleiman, the Artistic Advisor to Doha Film Institute, recalls how he and James “grew up together” in New York as long-time friends. James introduced him to the Chilean master filmmaker Raul Ruiz. While at Good Machine, Schamus helped him with his short film. He helped edit the script and was his guardian angel helping with his first contract. They even had a code for “urgent”. When Elia was in Jerusalem and James in London, they used the code whenever Elia was overwhelmed by the paperwork needed. James would answer within 15 minutes. Now James has come full circle on his own, from being one of the most important producers of the decade to directing his own film.
When asked by Qumra what was most important, he said “first time filmmakers are the most important”. And he has always been able to spot the most talented of emerging filmmakers.
- 4/3/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Unbroken follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini who survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash during World War II—only to be caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a series of prisoner-of-war camps.
The inspirational biopic is on Digital HD now and on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand March 24, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Legendary Pictures. Directed by Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Unbroken chronicles the unbelievable true story about triumph over tribulation and the resilient power of the human spirit.
Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Unbroken is packed with exclusive bonus content that dives deeper into the life of Louie Zamperini and the legacy he left behind. Exclusive to the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack are deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes interviews and a closer look at the life of the real Louie...
The inspirational biopic is on Digital HD now and on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand March 24, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Legendary Pictures. Directed by Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Unbroken chronicles the unbelievable true story about triumph over tribulation and the resilient power of the human spirit.
Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Unbroken is packed with exclusive bonus content that dives deeper into the life of Louie Zamperini and the legacy he left behind. Exclusive to the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack are deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes interviews and a closer look at the life of the real Louie...
- 3/20/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
They've done what they've had to do to survive on AMC's The Walking Dead, brining hope and despair to palpable life on the small screen with gritty realism every week. Covered in grime, splattered in blood, and trudging down the sun-baked backroads and brush-bordered trails this season, the stellar cast and crew of The Walking Dead have paid their dues and then some, and now they're getting a tip of the cap in return with seven nominations for the 41st Annual Saturn Awards.
Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Emily Kinney, Melissa McBride, Chandler Riggs, and Andrew J. West have all earned nominations, with the TV series itself receiving one as well. Also recognized in this year's nominations is Scream Factory's Nightbreed: The Director's Cut Blu-ray, NBC's Hannibal TV series, Only Lovers Left Alive, and many more.
Press Release - "The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films announces the...
Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Emily Kinney, Melissa McBride, Chandler Riggs, and Andrew J. West have all earned nominations, with the TV series itself receiving one as well. Also recognized in this year's nominations is Scream Factory's Nightbreed: The Director's Cut Blu-ray, NBC's Hannibal TV series, Only Lovers Left Alive, and many more.
Press Release - "The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films announces the...
- 3/4/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" follows the struggle between light and dark inside Olympic athlete-turned-bombardier Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell). We watch him learn to fight through to find spiritual transcendence. His extraordinary true-life survival story is a study in contrast -- harrowing yet beautiful -- which sophomore director Jolie wanted to emphasize visually, sonically, and musically. After speaking with cinematographer Roger Deakins, I grabbed more of the behind-the-scenes crafts story from production designer Jon Hutman, costume designer Louise Frogley, supervising sound editor Becky Sullivan, editors Tim Squyres and Billy Goldenberg, and composer Alexandre Desplat. Point-of-view is key. "My goal is to make the place look the way it feels to Louis," says Hutman. "For example, when he lands at Kwajalein after 47 days in a raft, there are two things that are emotionally important: One is strangeness, foreignness, the most...
- 12/26/2014
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
When Angelina Jolie got the job directing "Unbroken," the new film about Louie Zamperini and his WWII experience, she immediately started hiring the very best people she could possibly hire. Roger Deakins is her photographer. The score is by Alexandre Desplat. William Goldenberg and Tim Squyres cut it. Designed by Jon Hutman. And the list of screenwriters who share final credit for adapting the book by Laura "Seabiscuit" Hillenbrand? Amazing. A murderer's row. Joel and Ethan Coen. Richard Lagravenese. William Nicholson. Nuclear force talent. Here's where I tell you that I have not read Hillenbrand's book, nor was I especially familiar with Zamperini's story before I sat down in the theater yesterday. Anything I write, I'm writing about the film and the way his story is presented here, not about the real guy, who evidently touched a lot of lives. I want to be clear about that because it always...
- 12/2/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Angelina Jolie had one key goal, I believe, in bringing Unbroken to the screen, and that was to do right by the remarkable life of Louis Zamperini. Simple as that. And that she has accomplished in every way. This was clearly evident as the film got its local sendoff Sunday afternoon with multiple screenings for guild and Oscar voters as well as the pundit crowd, which couldn’t wait to jump on Twitter to give an instant verdict on the film’s Oscar chances.
After all, this one is a big target, as it is the last realistic Best Picture contender to debut and it has been handicapped, virtually since it went into production, as the one to beat. Is it? Who knows?
Some viewers sent off mixed vibes afterward, though most seemed at the very least to admire it. A few cautioned about the realistic scenes of torture that Zamperini,...
After all, this one is a big target, as it is the last realistic Best Picture contender to debut and it has been handicapped, virtually since it went into production, as the one to beat. Is it? Who knows?
Some viewers sent off mixed vibes afterward, though most seemed at the very least to admire it. A few cautioned about the realistic scenes of torture that Zamperini,...
- 12/1/2014
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline
Want to know what's in contention for Best Picture? Look to Best Film Editing. No category except Best Director has as much overlap with the top category as of late. Is that how things will turn out this year? Let's take a look… That aside, the branch is also fond of suspense films, action films and war films. Musicals (if they are big players overall) and films with non-linear narratives tend to have a leg up, too. We don't tend to see film editors racking up nods like we do other disciplines, though. Michael Kahn is the all-time nominations leader with eight. And don't get me wrong – that's a lot of nominations. But compared to "all time" figures in every other crafts category, it's on the low side. So with that out of the way, what can we bank on this year? William Goldenberg won this category two years ago...
- 11/6/2014
- by Gerard Kennedy
- Hitfix
Angelina Jolie can be currently seen on movie screens worldwide as the title character in Disney's blockbuster "Maleficent," which recently became Jolie's most successful movie ever, with a worldwide gross of $600 million (and climbing). And while she has certainly secured her dominance as a box office draw, this Christmas she will be gunning for a different kind of gold, as she enters the Oscar race as a director with the harrowing true-life drama "Unbroken," which now has a brand new trailer.
"Unbroken" was based on the best-selling nonfiction book by "Seabiscuit" author Laura Hillenbrand and concerns a former Olympic track star named Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who joins the Pacific campaign in World War II, spends nearly 50 days at sea after his airplane is shot down, and then is captured by the Japanese and spends more than two years in a Pow camp. Remind me of this the next time...
"Unbroken" was based on the best-selling nonfiction book by "Seabiscuit" author Laura Hillenbrand and concerns a former Olympic track star named Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who joins the Pacific campaign in World War II, spends nearly 50 days at sea after his airplane is shot down, and then is captured by the Japanese and spends more than two years in a Pow camp. Remind me of this the next time...
- 7/10/2014
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, Winter’S Tale is a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil.
The film stars Colin Farrell (“Saving Mr. Banks”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar® winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). “Winter’s Tale” also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).
The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), who also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Helprin.
Wamg invites you to enter for your chance to receive a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of Winter’S Tale – Monday, February 10 at 7Pm in St. Louis.
Answer the following:
What...
The film stars Colin Farrell (“Saving Mr. Banks”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar® winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). “Winter’s Tale” also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).
The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), who also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Helprin.
Wamg invites you to enter for your chance to receive a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of Winter’S Tale – Monday, February 10 at 7Pm in St. Louis.
Answer the following:
What...
- 2/4/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Deadline revealed exclusively Friday that longtime UTA Production Department co-head Wayne Fitterman had left that agency and was in talks to land at Wme. I have confirmed that he has now officially joined Wme as a partner and that he will head Wme’s Production Department. As I wrote, Fitterman had expected to bring three of his cohorts along with him. UTA staved off that coup, but Fitterman brings 46 clients with him so far, with a lot more hanging in the balance. This is an unsung part of the business, covering cinematographers, editors, line producers, production designers, costume designers, and visual effects supervisors. But it’s important. Aside from making piles of money, the department is a breeding ground for first-time directors. Among the clients Fitterman has brought with him are Jenny Beavan (The King’s Speech), Mark Bridges (The Artist), Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis), Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood...
- 11/11/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe are at odds in an age-old battle between good and evil in this first trailer for Winter’S Tale. Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, Winter’S Tale is a love story of miracles and crossed destinies.
Bring the hankies – this tear-jerker opens Valentine’s Day 2014. For those not prone to sentimental films of the heart, The Weinstein Company’s Vampire Academy also debuts on February 14th.
The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). It also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).
The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), who also wrote the screenplay,...
Bring the hankies – this tear-jerker opens Valentine’s Day 2014. For those not prone to sentimental films of the heart, The Weinstein Company’s Vampire Academy also debuts on February 14th.
The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). It also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).
The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), who also wrote the screenplay,...
- 11/7/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“I didn’t live a lot of lies. But I lived one big one. You know, it’s different I guess. Maybe it’s not. But yeah, it’s… And what I said in there with just how this story is all over the place and there are these two… you know, these just complete opposite narratives. You know… The only person that can actually start to let people understand what the true narrative is, is me. And you should know that better than anybody else to the get into the… the real nature and the real detail of the story. Because we haven’t heard it yet is the truth.”
– Lance Armstrong; January 14, 2013
In 2008, Academy Award® winning filmmaker Alex Gibney set out to make a documentary about Lance Armstrong’s comeback to the world of competitive cycling. Widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the history of sports,...
– Lance Armstrong; January 14, 2013
In 2008, Academy Award® winning filmmaker Alex Gibney set out to make a documentary about Lance Armstrong’s comeback to the world of competitive cycling. Widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the history of sports,...
- 10/4/2013
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Warner Bros. Pictures has set a winter release date for Winter’S Tale, written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”) and based on the novel by Mark Helprin. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, will open in North America on February 14, 2014.
Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, Winter’S Tale is a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil.
The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). It also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).
Winter’S Tale marks the directorial debut of Akiva Goldsman, who also wrote the screenplay, based...
Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, Winter’S Tale is a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil.
The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). It also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).
Winter’S Tale marks the directorial debut of Akiva Goldsman, who also wrote the screenplay, based...
- 8/17/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The creative team from the Oscar®-winning film Life Of Pi will reunite to examine the breakthrough 3D and visual effects work that went into crafting the film.
The evening will feature film sequences and “making-of” clips along with an onstage conversation with Academy Award®-winning visual effects artists Bill Westenhofer, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott, Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda, previsualization supervisor Brad Alexander, and Oscar-nominated film editor Tim Squyres.
This year’s Oscar winner for Cinematography, Directing, Music – Original Score and Visual Effects, Life Of Pi tells the story of a boy lost at sea and his struggle to survive inside a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Hosted by Academy governor Bill Kroyer, “Deconstructing Pi” will take place on Monday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Follow The Academy
www.
The evening will feature film sequences and “making-of” clips along with an onstage conversation with Academy Award®-winning visual effects artists Bill Westenhofer, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott, Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda, previsualization supervisor Brad Alexander, and Oscar-nominated film editor Tim Squyres.
This year’s Oscar winner for Cinematography, Directing, Music – Original Score and Visual Effects, Life Of Pi tells the story of a boy lost at sea and his struggle to survive inside a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Hosted by Academy governor Bill Kroyer, “Deconstructing Pi” will take place on Monday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Follow The Academy
www.
- 4/25/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Life of Pi evening at the Academy: ‘Deconstructing Pi’ (photo: The Tiger Richard Parker in Life of Pi) The Life of Pi creative team will get together to discuss the 3D and visual-effects work employed on the Ang Lee-directed fantasy adventure on Monday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. “Deconstructing Pi” will be hosted by Academy governor Bill Kroyer (The Green Mile, The Monkey King), and will feature film sequences and “making-of” clips, in addition to an onstage chat with Academy Award-winning visual-effects artists Bill Westenhofer, Erik-Jan De Boer, and Donald R. Elliott; Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda; previsualization supervisor Brad Alexander; and Oscar-nominated film editor Tim Squyres. “Thinking in 3D really helped me make this movie," Ang Lee is quoted as saying on the Academy’s website. "…I think that put me in a position to...
- 4/23/2013
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
When Ang Lee was awarded with his second Best Director Oscar during the 85th Annual Academy Awards, it marked the end of more than five years of work on "Life of Pi," his 2012 3D adventure epic. With the film taking in almost $600 million worldwide and becoming the most awarded film at this year's ceremony (it won four Oscars), it seems fair to say that the investment paid off. At a recent event celebrating the film's upcoming 3D Blu-ray release at New York's Crosby Street Hotel, Lee spoke at length about the film with his editor and longtime collaborator Tim Squyres and writer David Magee, covering almost every aspect of its' production, going back as far as 2008, when the writing process first began. While it was clear that Lee was prepared to move away from the project and towards the next stages of his career, he still had much to say on the notoriously "unfilmable" project.
- 3/12/2013
- by Cameron Sinz
- Indiewire
The Academy Awards may have happened only a few weeks ago, but Ang Lee's Oscar-winning film Life of Pi is already being released in 3D Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, March 12. Visually stunning and based off the book by Yann Martel, Lee and his team created a film that ultimately led to him winning an Oscar for Best Director.
| Related: Enter A Chance To Win A Copy Of Life Of Pi! |
"Normally when something is very expensive it's hard to make it personal, but I had personal experiences with 100 people helping to create with me those images," Lee said during a panel discussion in New York City March 4. "I think the movie is encouraging to watch. It gets so much better every month," he adds about 3D and usng visual effects. "This is a new cinematic language we're all trying out. Whether eventually people think there's some other ways or it will take over,...
| Related: Enter A Chance To Win A Copy Of Life Of Pi! |
"Normally when something is very expensive it's hard to make it personal, but I had personal experiences with 100 people helping to create with me those images," Lee said during a panel discussion in New York City March 4. "I think the movie is encouraging to watch. It gets so much better every month," he adds about 3D and usng visual effects. "This is a new cinematic language we're all trying out. Whether eventually people think there's some other ways or it will take over,...
- 3/11/2013
- by Stephanie Webber
- Filmology
Thelma Schoonmaker and Martin Scorsese. Walter Murch and Francis Ford Coppola. Tim Squyres and Ang Lee. For many an editor, these longtime creative partnerships represent the most alluring and elusive of career ideals. For editor Andrew Weisblum, that ideal is well on the way to becoming a reality — twice over. Since 2007, Weisblum has cut all of both Wes Anderson’s and Darren Aronofsky’s feature films, ranging in style from the witty charm of Fantastic Mr. Fox to the demented psychodrama of Black Swan (for which Weisblum was Oscar nominated). Kicking off this year’s Manhattan Edit Workshop series “Inside the …...
- 2/27/2013
- by Heather von Rohr
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
If you didn't tune in for the Academy Awards last night, here's a short breakdown of what you missed: William Shatner showed up from the future, Jennifer Lawrence tripped and fell, and Michelle Obama co-presented the award for Best Picture. It was kind of a weird night, but for the most part, the hardware was handed out to all of the expected parties. Argo won Best Picture, Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor and Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress. If there was a surprise, it was that Life of Pi walked away with the most awards (4) including Best Director for Ang Lee. Zero Dark Thirty got shut out of everything except for Best Sound Editing (in a rare tie with Skyfall). Quentin Tarantino was also a pleasant surprise for Best Original Screenplay. What did you think of this year's Oscars? What was the highlight of the night? How would you rate Seth McFarlane as host?...
- 2/25/2013
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
The fill list of winner for the 85th Annual Academy Awards is below, 'Argo' was the named the film of the year:
Best Picture
Argo Winner
Amour
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Life Of Pi - Ang Lee Winner
Lincoln - Steven Spielberg
Amour - Michael Haneke
Silver Linings Playbook - David O. Russell
Beasts Of The Southern Wild - Benh Zeitlin
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln Winner
Denzel Washington - Flight
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained Winner
Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook Winner
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Jessica Chastain...
Best Picture
Argo Winner
Amour
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Life Of Pi - Ang Lee Winner
Lincoln - Steven Spielberg
Amour - Michael Haneke
Silver Linings Playbook - David O. Russell
Beasts Of The Southern Wild - Benh Zeitlin
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln Winner
Denzel Washington - Flight
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained Winner
Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook Winner
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Jessica Chastain...
- 2/25/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
Hollywood's most prestigious night is coming to an end inside the Dolby Theatre, and GossipCenter has the complete list of winners from Sunday's 85th Academy Awards.
Helmed by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, celebrities gathered inside to find out which films received the historic Oscar winner recognition.
The top prize went to "Argo" taking home Best Film, while Ang Lee scored a win in the Best Director category.
Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis can add a new title to their name after taking home the win for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively.
Meanwhile, Adele, Norah Jones, and the cast of "Les Miserables" took to the stage to wow the crowd with amazing performances.
Take a look below for the complete list of the 2013 Academy Award winners!
Best Motion Picture of the Year
“Amour”
“Argo” Winner
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”
“Django Unchained”
“Les Misérables”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Silver Linings Playbook...
Helmed by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, celebrities gathered inside to find out which films received the historic Oscar winner recognition.
The top prize went to "Argo" taking home Best Film, while Ang Lee scored a win in the Best Director category.
Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis can add a new title to their name after taking home the win for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively.
Meanwhile, Adele, Norah Jones, and the cast of "Les Miserables" took to the stage to wow the crowd with amazing performances.
Take a look below for the complete list of the 2013 Academy Award winners!
Best Motion Picture of the Year
“Amour”
“Argo” Winner
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”
“Django Unchained”
“Les Misérables”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Silver Linings Playbook...
- 2/25/2013
- GossipCenter
This evening’s Oscar ceremony is now over, and with the dust settling on the biggest awards ceremony of the entire year, and the winners and losers celebrating and commiserating together, we’ve put together a full list of the winners (as well as the beaten nominees) for this year’s awards.
Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain nailed the red carpet, apparently, and Sandra Bullock did wonderful things with a diamond hair-clip, while Bradley Cooper and Chris Pine both proved that beards are very much the hot thing right now. But the big events were yet to happen inside the La venue, as the audience sat ready to receive host Seth MacFarlane, and his inevitably cutting humour.
For the most part, MacFarlane was reserved, though a few barbs did land before the end of the night. He played his part also in the excellent musical staging throughout the ceremony, whose highlights featured Shirley Bassey,...
Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain nailed the red carpet, apparently, and Sandra Bullock did wonderful things with a diamond hair-clip, while Bradley Cooper and Chris Pine both proved that beards are very much the hot thing right now. But the big events were yet to happen inside the La venue, as the audience sat ready to receive host Seth MacFarlane, and his inevitably cutting humour.
For the most part, MacFarlane was reserved, though a few barbs did land before the end of the night. He played his part also in the excellent musical staging throughout the ceremony, whose highlights featured Shirley Bassey,...
- 2/25/2013
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
Tonight, Hollywood's biggest stars are at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the 2013 Oscar Awards, and Et is bringing you all of the winners as they are announced! (Winners underlined).
Click here for full Oscar coverage.
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin, Argo
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Original Song
Before My Time, Chasing Ice
Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi
Suddenly, Les Miserables
Everybody Needs a Best Friend, Ted
Skyfall, Skyfall
Best Supporting Actress
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Amy Adams, The Master
Best Animated Film
Frankenweenie
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
ParaNorman
Brave
Best Foreign Language Film
Amour
No
War Witch
A Royal Affair
Kon-Tiki
Best Adapted Screenplay
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
Best Original Screenplay
Flight
Zero Dark Thirty
[link...
Click here for full Oscar coverage.
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin, Argo
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Original Song
Before My Time, Chasing Ice
Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi
Suddenly, Les Miserables
Everybody Needs a Best Friend, Ted
Skyfall, Skyfall
Best Supporting Actress
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Amy Adams, The Master
Best Animated Film
Frankenweenie
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
ParaNorman
Brave
Best Foreign Language Film
Amour
No
War Witch
A Royal Affair
Kon-Tiki
Best Adapted Screenplay
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
Best Original Screenplay
Flight
Zero Dark Thirty
[link...
- 2/25/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
It’s the biggest night in Hollywoodland and we’re along for the crazy, caffeine-fueled night. Whether it’ll be Lincoln’s night or a wider net of awards there’ll be plenty to talk about for weeks to come.
If you’re on Twitter then follow us tweet the night away over at @heyuguys and you can keep abreast of all the winners as they are announced right here.
Ang Lee’s Life of Pi took home the most awards, with four statues to its name for Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.
Ben Affleck’s Argo and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables were next, taking three apiece. Affleck’s third feature took the most coveted award of the evening, very much deservedly winning him, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov the Best Picture award, as well as taking home the Best Film Editing and...
If you’re on Twitter then follow us tweet the night away over at @heyuguys and you can keep abreast of all the winners as they are announced right here.
Ang Lee’s Life of Pi took home the most awards, with four statues to its name for Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.
Ben Affleck’s Argo and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables were next, taking three apiece. Affleck’s third feature took the most coveted award of the evening, very much deservedly winning him, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov the Best Picture award, as well as taking home the Best Film Editing and...
- 2/25/2013
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
And in the end, it was the movie with a snubbed director that took the top prize. Ben Affleck's "Argo" rocked the Academy Awards by winning the Best Picture of the year award. The biggest surprise for me was Ang Lee who went home with the Best Director trophy for "Life of Pi" while Steven Spielberg went home empty handed. His "Lincoln" still won two Academy Awards, one for Best Actor for the great Daniel Day-Lewis' fine performance as our beloved 16th President, and the other for production design.
Just as I predicted to the lovely Anne Hathaway three months ago, she went home with the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her brilliant performance as Fantine in "Les Miserables." This sort of is a blessing from the Academy as well for turning in a memorable Catwoman performance in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises."
Jennifer Lawrence won (and fell,...
Just as I predicted to the lovely Anne Hathaway three months ago, she went home with the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her brilliant performance as Fantine in "Les Miserables." This sort of is a blessing from the Academy as well for turning in a memorable Catwoman performance in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises."
Jennifer Lawrence won (and fell,...
- 2/25/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Oscars took place on Sunday with "Argo" ending up being the big winner of the night, despite the fact that Ben Affleck wasn't even nominated for Best Director. The film also won for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Best Editing. "Lincoln" was nominated for twelve Oscars, but ended up winning only two, including Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis and Production Design. Quentin Tarantino got an Oscar for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for "Django Unchained." Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor award for the same movie. Check out the full list of nominees and winners (marked in red) below. And let us know if you think the academy got it right. Best Picture: * Argo * Amour * Beasts of the Southern Wild * Django Unchained * Les Miserables * Life of Pi * Lincoln * Silver Linings Playbook * Zero Dark Thirty Directing: * Ang Lee (Life of Pi) * Michael Haneke (Amour) * Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild...
- 2/25/2013
- WorstPreviews.com
The Oscars are finally upon us, as tonight, host Seth McFarlane and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the winners in the 85th annual Academy Awards. We have full coverage the show for you tonight here at We Got This Covered – including a complete live-blog of the event – but if you just want to learn about the winners as they are announced, keep your eyes on this article. It will be updated throughout the night with the winner in each category, the most recent announcement being brought to the top of the page.
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Winner: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Animated Short Film
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Winner: Paperman
Best Animated Feature:
Winner: Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates!
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Winner: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Animated Short Film
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Winner: Paperman
Best Animated Feature:
Winner: Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates!
- 2/25/2013
- by Jonathan R. Lack
- We Got This Covered
It’s the biggest night of the year for Hollywood — the 85th Annual Academy Awards! HollywoodLife.com has the live stream from the Red Carpet, and we’ll stream the entire ceremony as well! Look below for video.
See which stars are wearing what, whose showing sideboob and who ends up on our best and worst dressed lists. Hear from celebs such as Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Kristen Stewart and more as they make their way down the red carpet to Hollywood’s Dolby Theater for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24! Click below to watch the live stream video.
Watch: Oscars Live Stream Video Full List Of Nominees:
Best Actor In A Leading Role:
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight
Best Actor In A Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in Argo...
See which stars are wearing what, whose showing sideboob and who ends up on our best and worst dressed lists. Hear from celebs such as Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Kristen Stewart and more as they make their way down the red carpet to Hollywood’s Dolby Theater for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24! Click below to watch the live stream video.
Watch: Oscars Live Stream Video Full List Of Nominees:
Best Actor In A Leading Role:
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight
Best Actor In A Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in Argo...
- 2/25/2013
- by Christopher Rogers
- HollywoodLife
Just as viewers seemed divided over Seth MacFarlane’s hosting of this year’s Oscars, so Academy voters were split over the films themselves. Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Amour, Lincoln, and Silver Linings Playbook all scored major awards, with Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis winning the top acting Oscars. But Life of Pi director Ang Lee took home the Best Director prize while Argo won Best Picture. You can check out the full list of winners below.
Best Picture
Amour
Argo–Winner
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper,...
Best Picture
Amour
Argo–Winner
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper,...
- 2/24/2013
- by Clark Collis
- EW - Inside Movies
Contributed by Jim Batts, Tom Stockman, Ken Parker, Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue
On Oscar Sunday the great and good of the silver screen will assemble at the Dolby Theatre for the 85th Academy Awards. This year’s extravaganza will surely be a night to remember.
With it being the biggest event in movie geekdom, the Wamg crew came up with their own Oscar predictions. Some of the categories there was a consensus on, while others we were divided.
Throughout the awards season, frontrunners jockeyed for position, all hoping to head into Sunday’s ceremony as the favorite to take home gold.
Best motion picture of the year
“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics) “Argo” (Warner Bros.) Jim, Tom, Ken, Michelle “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight) “Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company) “Les Misérables” (Universal) Melissa “Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox) “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox) “Silver Linings Playbook...
On Oscar Sunday the great and good of the silver screen will assemble at the Dolby Theatre for the 85th Academy Awards. This year’s extravaganza will surely be a night to remember.
With it being the biggest event in movie geekdom, the Wamg crew came up with their own Oscar predictions. Some of the categories there was a consensus on, while others we were divided.
Throughout the awards season, frontrunners jockeyed for position, all hoping to head into Sunday’s ceremony as the favorite to take home gold.
Best motion picture of the year
“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics) “Argo” (Warner Bros.) Jim, Tom, Ken, Michelle “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight) “Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company) “Les Misérables” (Universal) Melissa “Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox) “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox) “Silver Linings Playbook...
- 2/23/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling), created by Jeff Bayer.
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor,...
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor,...
- 2/22/2013
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Predicting the Oscars? Whew! It.s a tough one this year! Besides, honestly, Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day-Lewis, there.s no clear-cut favorite at the 85th Academy Awards. Even Hathaway and Day-Lewis are on shaky grounds, okay, not that much. They may be surefire but what about for Best Picture, or heck, Best Director with the presumed frontrunner, Ben Affleck, missing from the race?
But, every year, I slaved to give you my honest, heartfelt Oscar predictions, which should help you with your Oscar pool.I hope. If you win anything, just give me an Oscar buck!
So here you go, my complete 2013 Oscar predictions for all categories:
Here's the video of the top categories, for the complete predictions, keep on reading :happy
Best Picture
"Amour"
*** "Argo"
"Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Miserables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Will Win: .Argo. . Why?...
But, every year, I slaved to give you my honest, heartfelt Oscar predictions, which should help you with your Oscar pool.I hope. If you win anything, just give me an Oscar buck!
So here you go, my complete 2013 Oscar predictions for all categories:
Here's the video of the top categories, for the complete predictions, keep on reading :happy
Best Picture
"Amour"
*** "Argo"
"Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Miserables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Will Win: .Argo. . Why?...
- 2/22/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling), created by Jeff Bayer.
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor,...
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor,...
- 2/21/2013
- by Shane T. Nier
- The Scorecard Review
Leading up to Sunday’s Oscars, EW.com will take a closer look at four categories that moviegoers may mistakenly think of as “technical.” First up: Film Editing, with insights from Life of Pi’s Tim Squyres, Silver Linings Playbook’s Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, and Zero Dark Thirty’s Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, the latter of whom also cut Argo, making him one of only a handful of editors in Oscar history to compete with himself. Lincoln’s Michael Kahn completes the category. (Update: Read our Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Cinematography pieces.)
Ask a film editor...
Ask a film editor...
- 2/21/2013
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW - Inside Movies
Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling).
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress).
You...
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress).
You...
- 2/21/2013
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Today the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films announced its nominees for the 2013 Saturn Awards, one of the few awards programs in which a lot of us will recognize nearly every production. The awards have been expanded over recent years, so if you are unclear about just what type of productions are honored by the Academy, an explanation is included in the press release below, although it can really be summarized as “we know it when we see it.”
A few head-scratchers, however, just beg to be called out:
Anna Karenina? Les Miserables? Leverage? Elementary? Really? That is some broad definition. No subgenre categories for television. The Academy proofreader should know by now that it’s “Syfy” and not “SyFy” (don’t worry, I fixed it, and sorry, it’s a pet peeve). Adding in historical fiction somewhere somehow without actually mentioning it. The entire category “Best Youth-Oriented...
A few head-scratchers, however, just beg to be called out:
Anna Karenina? Les Miserables? Leverage? Elementary? Really? That is some broad definition. No subgenre categories for television. The Academy proofreader should know by now that it’s “Syfy” and not “SyFy” (don’t worry, I fixed it, and sorry, it’s a pet peeve). Adding in historical fiction somewhere somehow without actually mentioning it. The entire category “Best Youth-Oriented...
- 2/20/2013
- by Erin Willard
- ScifiMafia
This Sunday is Oscar day, but for genre fans it's The Saturn Awards that really matter, and we have the full list of this year's nominees. Although we have to say the horror pickings are rather slim indeed!
From the Press Release:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey received more Saturn Award nominations than any other film released last year, with Life of Pi and Skyfall close behind as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today revealed the nominations for the 39th Annual Saturn Awards.
Marvel’s The Avengers, The Dark Knight Returns, Looper, Cloud Atlas, Argo and Les Miserables are among the films that have received multiple Saturn Award nominations, underscoring the ways in which genre filmmaking has expanded beyond its roots as niche entertainment.
The only major awards dedicated to honoring the finest in genre entertainment in film, television and home entertainment, The Saturn Awards will be presented in June,...
From the Press Release:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey received more Saturn Award nominations than any other film released last year, with Life of Pi and Skyfall close behind as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today revealed the nominations for the 39th Annual Saturn Awards.
Marvel’s The Avengers, The Dark Knight Returns, Looper, Cloud Atlas, Argo and Les Miserables are among the films that have received multiple Saturn Award nominations, underscoring the ways in which genre filmmaking has expanded beyond its roots as niche entertainment.
The only major awards dedicated to honoring the finest in genre entertainment in film, television and home entertainment, The Saturn Awards will be presented in June,...
- 2/20/2013
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
The 39th Annual Saturn Award Nominations have been officially announced and we have the full list of nominees. The Saturn Awards recognizing outstanding Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror releases in the last 12 months, and will announce the winners in June. Included on the list are multiple nominations for American Horror Story and The Walking Dead.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the leading film with nominations for the prestigious Saturn Awards presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Peter Jackson’s return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth received 9 nominations. Other films receiving major nominations include Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (8 nominations), and the 23nd entry in the James Bond franchise, Skyfall (7 nominations).
Comic book icons-turned-cinematic spectacles, Marvel’s The Avengers and Christopher Nolan’s triumphant conclusion to his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, followed closely behind with 6 nominations each, along with the epic...
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the leading film with nominations for the prestigious Saturn Awards presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Peter Jackson’s return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth received 9 nominations. Other films receiving major nominations include Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (8 nominations), and the 23nd entry in the James Bond franchise, Skyfall (7 nominations).
Comic book icons-turned-cinematic spectacles, Marvel’s The Avengers and Christopher Nolan’s triumphant conclusion to his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, followed closely behind with 6 nominations each, along with the epic...
- 2/20/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Predicting the Oscars? Whew! It.s a tough one this year! Besides, honestly, Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day-Lewis, there.s no clear-cut favorite at the 85th Academy Awards. Even Hathaway and Day-Lewis are on shaky grounds, okay, not that much. They may be surefire but what about for Best Picture, or heck, Best Director with the presumed frontrunner, Ben Affleck, missing from the race?
But, every year, I slaved to give you my honest, heartfelt Oscar predictions, which should help you with your Oscar pool.I hope. If you win anything, just give me an Oscar buck!
So here you go, my complete 2013 Oscar predictions for all categories:
Best Picture
"Amour"
*** "Argo"
"Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Miserables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Will Win: .Argo. . Why? Because it.s simply the best movie of 2012! Plus, it already won a Producer.s...
But, every year, I slaved to give you my honest, heartfelt Oscar predictions, which should help you with your Oscar pool.I hope. If you win anything, just give me an Oscar buck!
So here you go, my complete 2013 Oscar predictions for all categories:
Best Picture
"Amour"
*** "Argo"
"Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Miserables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Will Win: .Argo. . Why? Because it.s simply the best movie of 2012! Plus, it already won a Producer.s...
- 2/20/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The partnership between a director and an editor can be one of the longest lasting in Hollywood: just ask Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker, Steven Spielberg and Michael Kahn, and Ang Lee and Tim Squyres. Squyres has cut 11 of Lee’s 12 movies, the exception being “Brokeback Mountain” (2005). He reaped his first Oscar nomination for Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) -- losing to Stephen Mirrione ("Traffic") -- and contends again for “Life of Pi.” Ace Eddies champ William Goldenberg ("Argo") leads the field for Best Editing with odds of 3/2. “One of the great things about Ang is he does not make the same movie over and over again,” says Squyres during the video chat with Gold Derby below. “If it weren’t for my relationship with him, I doubt I would’ve edited a comic book superhero movie ('Hulk,' 2003) or a martial...
- 2/19/2013
- Gold Derby
Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling).
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress).
You...
Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.
This is a confidence list.
There are 24 categories.
How to play
Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.
This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress).
You...
- 2/18/2013
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
"Argo" remains the Oscar-frontrunner! The Ben Affleck film was the big winner at the recently concluded 63rd Annual Ace Eddie Awards honoring outstanding editing in nine categories of film, television, and documentaries. "Argo" won the Dramatic category, "Silver Linings Playbook" for Comedy/Musical, "Brave" for Animated, and "Searching for Sugar Man" for Documentary.
Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
*** Argo
William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Lincoln
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Skyfall
Stuart Baird, A.C.E.
Zero Dark Thirty
Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Chris Gill
Les Misérables
Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.
Moonrise Kingdom
Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
*** Silver Linings Playbook
Jay Cassidy,...
Here are the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
*** Argo
William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Lincoln
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Skyfall
Stuart Baird, A.C.E.
Zero Dark Thirty
Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E.
Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy Or Musical):
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Chris Gill
Les Misérables
Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.
Moonrise Kingdom
Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
*** Silver Linings Playbook
Jay Cassidy,...
- 2/18/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
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