Oscars Nominations

This morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 2008 Academy Awards:

Best motion picture of the year

• Atonement
• Juno
• Michael Clayton
• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

Achievement in directing

• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Julian Schnabel
• Juno, Jason Reitman
• Michael Clayton, Tony Gilroy
• No Country for Old Men, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
• There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• George Clooney in Michael Clayton
• Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
• Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Tommy Lee Jones in In the Valley of Elah
• Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War
• Hal Holbrook in Into the Wild
• Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie in Away from Her
• Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose
• Laura Linney in The Savages
• Ellen Page in Juno

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There
• Ruby Dee in American Gangster
• Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
• Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
• Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

Adapted screenplay

• Atonement, Christopher Hampton
• Away from Her, Sarah Polley
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Ronald Harwood
• No Country for Old Men, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay

• Juno, Diablo Cody
• Lars and the Real Girl, Nancy Oliver
• Michael Clayton, Tony Gilroy
• Ratatouille, Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
• The Savages, Tamara Jenkins

Best animated feature film of the year

• Persepolis
• Ratatouille
• Surf's Up

Best animated short film

• I Met the Walrus
• Madame Tutli-Putli
• Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
• My Love (Moya Lyubov)
• Peter & the Wolf

Best live action short film

• At Night
• Il Supplente (The Substitute)
• Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
• Tanghi Argentini
• The Tonto Woman

Best documentary feature

• No End in Sight
• Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
• Sicko
• Taxi to the Dark Side
• War/Dance

Best documentary short subject

• Freeheld
• La Corona
• Salim Baba
• Sari’s Mother

Best foreign language film of the year

• Beaufort (Israel)
• The Counterfeiters (Austria)
• Katyń (Poland)
• Mongol (Kazakhstan)
• 12 (Russia)

Achievement in cinematography

• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Roger Deakins
• Atonement, Seamus McGarvey
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Janusz Kaminski
• No Country for Old Men, Roger Deakins
• There Will Be Blood, Robert Elswit

Achievement in film editing

• The Bourne Ultimatum, Christopher Rouse
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Juliette Welfling
• Into the Wild, Jay Cassidy
• No Country for Old Men, Roderick Jaynes
• There Will Be Blood, Dylan Tichenor

Achievement in art direction

• American Gangster, Arthur Max and Beth A. Rubino
• Atonement, Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer
• The Golden Compass, Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock
• Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo
• There Will Be Blood, Jack Fisk and Jim Erickson

Achievement in costume design

• Across the Universe, Albert Wolsky
• Atonement, Jacqueline Durran
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Alexandra Byrne
• La Vie en Rose, Marit Allen
• Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Colleen Atwood

Achievement in makeup

• La Vie en Rose, Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
• Norbit, Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• Atonement, Dario Marianelli
• The Kite Runner, Alberto Iglesias
• Michael Clayton, James Newton Howard
• Ratatouille, Michael Giacchino
• 3:10 to Yuma, Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Falling Slowly” from Once, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
• “Happy Working Song” from Enchanted, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
• “Raise It Up” from August Rush, Nominees to be determined
• “So Close” from Enchanted, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
• “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz

Achievement in sound editing

• The Bourne Ultimatum, Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
• No Country for Old Men, Skip Lievsay
• Ratatouille, Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
• There Will Be Blood, Matthew Wood
• Transformers, Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing

• The Bourne Ultimatum, Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
• No Country for Old Men, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
• Ratatouille, Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
• 3:10 to Yuma, Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
• Transformers, Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Achievement in visual effects

• The Golden Compass, Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
• Transformers, Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Razzie Awards 2008

In anticipation of the Academy Award announcements tomorrow, the Razzie awards have announced the nominees for their annual (dis)honors:

Worst Picture

• Bratz
• Daddy Day Camp
• I Know Who Killed Me
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
• Norbit

Worst Actor

• Nicolas Cage, Ghost Rider, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and Next
• Jim Carrey, The Number 23
• Cuba Gooding, Jr., Daddy Day Camp and Norbit
• Eddie Murphy (as Norbit), Norbit
• Adam Sandler, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Worst Actress

• Jessica Alba, Awake, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Good Luck Chuck
• Logan Browning, Janel Parrish, Nathalia Ramos & Skyler Shaye, Bratz
• Elisha Cuthbert, Captivity
• Diane Keaton, Because I Said So
• Lindsay Lohan (as Aubrey), I Know Who Killed Me
• Lindsay Lohan (as Dakota), I Know Who Killed Me

Worst Supporting Actor

• Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
• Kevin James, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
• Eddie Murphy (as Mr. Wong), Norbit
• Rob Schneider, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
• Jon Voight, Bratz, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, September Dawn, and Transformers

Worst Supporting Actress

• Jessica Biel, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Next
• Carmen Electra, Epic Movie
• Eddie Murphy (as Rasputia), Norbit
• Julia Ormond, I Know Who Killed Me
• Nicolette Sheridan, Code Name: The Cleaner

Worst On Screen Couple

• Jessica Alba & either Hayden Christensen (Awake) or Dane Cook (Good Luck Chuck) or Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
• Any Combination of Two Totally Air-Headed Characters from Bratz
• Lindsay Lohan & Lindsay Lohan, I Know Who Killed Me
• Eddie Murphy (as Norbit) & either Eddie Murphy (as Mr. Wong) or Eddie Murphy (as Rasputia), Norbit
• Adam Sandler & either Kevin James or Jessica Biel, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Worst Remake/Rip Off

• Are We Done Yet? (Remake/Rip-Off of Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House)
• Bratz (A Rip-Off If Ever There Was One!)
• Epic Movie (Rip-Off of Every Movie it Rips Off)
• I Know Who Killed Me (Rip-Off of Hostel, Saw, and The Patty Duke Show)
• Who's Your Caddy? (Rip-Off of Caddyshack)

Worst Sequel or Prequel

• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
• Daddy Day Camp
• Evan Almighty
• Hannibal Rising
• Hostel: Part II

Worst Director

• Dennis Dugan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
• Roland Joffe, Captivity
• Brian Robbins, Norbit
• Fred Savage, Daddy Day Camp
• Chris Siverston, I Know Who Killed Me

Worst Screenplay

• Daddy Day Camp, Geoff Rodkey and David J. Stem & David N. Weiss
• Epic Movie, Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer
• I Know Who Killed Me, Jeffrey Hammond
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Barry Fanaro and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
• Norbit, Eddie Murphy, Charles Murphy, Jay Sherick, & David Ronn

Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie

• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
• Captivity
• Hannibal Rising
• Hostel: Part II
• I Know Who Killed Me

Variety: Directors Make Deal

DIRECTORS MAKE DEAL
By DAVE MCNARY

In the first dramatic stroke toward ending the writers strike, the DGA’s reached a three-year deal with the AMPTP that offers key advances in jurisdiction and payment for programming on the Internet.

The deal, announced Thursday afternoon, capped six days of talks and opened the door for the Writers Guild of America to reach a similar pact. Minutes after the DGA deal was announced, the moguls asked WGA leaders to start informal talks that could lead to the end of the strike -- noting that such informal talks had helped lead to a deal with directors.

“We hope that this agreement with DGA will signal the beginning of the end of this extremely difficult period for our industry,” the moguls said. “Today we invite the WGA to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining.”

The move by the moguls may also smooth the path to a WGA deal by creating a de facto set of negotiations under which the major points would be hammered out before a return to formal bargaining with the AMPTP. Such a step could heighten chances for a WGA deal given the hostility that dominated last year’s negotiations.

Even before the Directors Guild deal was announced, the town’s focus had shifted to whether its gains would be enough to satisfy the WGA -- which departed from its usual fiery rhetoric in its first statement reacting to the pact while still grousing that the AMPTP ditched negotiations six weeks ago.

AP: Troubled Actor Brad Renfro Dies at 25

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brad Renfro was a street-smart Tennessee schoolboy plucked from obscurity in 1993 to play the title role in "The Client."

The film's success brought him instant stardom, but struggles with drugs and alcohol dogged his career. On Tuesday, he was found dead in his home. He was 25.

The cause of death was not immediately determined, said Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office. An autopsy was planned.

In "The Client," based on a John Grisham best-seller, he played a youngster who witnesses a suicide and gets caught up in a mob investigation. Susan Sarandon was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the lawyer the boy hires to help protect him.

Director Joel Schumacher wanted an unknown for the role.

"I didn't want to use one of those pretty kid faces the audience would be instantly familiar with," the director said when the film came out. "I want a real wise-ass, a kid who nobody would know."

A Knoxville police officer who worked to educate children about drugs told a casting director about Renfro, whom he had seen in an anti-drug skit. That led to an audition and Renfro was chosen for the part.

"I'm definitely going to film school," the boy said when "The Client" came out. "I want to be like Joel."

Renfro followed up with major parts in the 1995 AIDS drama "The Cure," the 1997 "Sleepers," and "Telling Lies in America," also 1997. More recent credits included "Ghost World," 2001; "Deuces Wild," 2002; and "The Jacket," 2005.

But he was arrested numerous times over the past decade. The actor served 10 days in jail in 2006 after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated and guilty to attempted possession of heroin. The latter charge stemmed from his arrest in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, when he attempted to buy the drug from an undercover officer.

Other run-ins with the law included a 1998 charge of cocaine and marijuana possession, for which he avoided jail time in a plea deal. He was also placed on probation and ordered to pay $4,000 for repairs to a 45-foot yacht he and a friend tried to steal in Florida in 2000.

The following year, he was charged with underage drinking and violating the terms of his probation, and was ordered into alcohol rehabilitation.

After one court appearance, Renfro talked to reporters about rehabilitation, saying it had "definitely been an eye-opener" and he was eager to get clean.

Renfro's lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said he did not know whether the death was connected to addiction.

"He was working hard on his sobriety," Kaplan said. "He was doing well. He was a nice person."

Renfro recently completed a role in "The Informers," a film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel that stars Winona Ryder, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton.

"Brad was an exceptionally talented young actor and our time spent with him was thoroughly enjoyable," Marco Weber, president of the film's production house, Senator Entertainment, said in a statement.

Dennis Bowman, the retired police officer who had launched his career, told The Knoxville News Sentinel on Tuesday he had followed Renfro's ups and downs over the years.

"With all the other problems he had, I can't say I was dumbfounded (at his death)," he said. "I told everybody in 1993, `This will either be the best thing or the worst thing for Brad. Time will tell.' I guess it told today."

Link

Golden Globe Winners

Last night the Golden Globes winners were announced at a press conference, since the usual program had been cancelled due to the writer's strike. Here are the winners:

Picture – Drama

• American Gangster
• Atonement
• Eastern Promises
• The Great Debaters
• Michael Clayton
• No Country For Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

Picture - Musical Or Comedy

• Across The Universe
• Charlie Wilson's War
• Hairspray
• Juno
• Sweeney Todd

Animated Film

• Bee Movie
• Ratatouille
• The Simpsons Movie

Actor In A Leading Role - Drama

• George Clooney in Michael Clayton
• Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
• James McAvoy in Atonement
• Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
• Denzel Washington in American Gangster

Actor In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy

• Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd
• Ryan Gosling in Lars And The Real Girl
• Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson's War
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Savages
• John C. Reilly in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Actress In A Leading Role - Drama

• Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie in Away From Her
• Jodie Foster in The Brave One
• Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart
• Keira Knightley in Atonement

Actress In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy

• Amy Adams in Enchanted
• Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray
• Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeney Todd
• Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose
• Ellen Page in Juno

Actor In A Supporting Role

• Casey Affleck in The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
• Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War
• John Travolta in Hairspray
• Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton

Actress In A Supporting Role

• Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
• Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War
• Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
• Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
• Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

Director

• Tim Burton for Sweeney Todd
• Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for No Country For Old Men
• Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
• Ridley Scott for American Gangster
• Joe Wright for Atonement

Screenplay

• Atonement, written by Christopher Hampton
• Charlie Wilson's War, written by Aaron Sorkin
• The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, written by Ronald Harwood
• Juno, written by Diablo Cody
• No Country For Old Men, written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Original Score

• Atonement, composed by Dario Marianelli
• Eastern Promises, composed by Howard Shore
• Grace Is Gone, composed by Clint Eastwood
• Into The Wild, composed by Michael Brook
• The Kite Runner, composed by Alberto Igleslias

Original Song

• "Despedida" from Love In The Time Of Cholera, music and lyric by Pedro Aznar, Shakira
• "Grace Is Gone" from Grace Is Gone, music by Clint Eastwood, lyric by Carole Bayer Sager
• "Guaranteed" from Into The Wild, music and lyric by Eddie Vedder
• "That's How You Know" from Enchanted, music by Alan Menken, lyric by Stephen Schwartz
• "Walk Hard" from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, music and Lyric by Judd Apatow, Marshal Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan, John C. Reilly

Foreign Film

• The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days
• The Kite Runner
• Lust, Caution
• Persepolis

2007 Year End Wrap Up

Today on Maverick at the Movies the 2007 Year End Wrap Up was finally broadcast. Here is a rundown of the major lists:

Top 10 Films of 2007:

1. Into the Wild
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Zodiac
4. The Hoax
5. Black Snake Moan
6. In the Valley of Elah
7. The Kite Runner
8. Waitress
9. 28 Weeks Later
10. The War

Bottom Ten Films of 2007

1. Perfect Stranger
2. D-War: Dragon War
3. Next
4. The Hitcher
5. The Hills Have Eyes II
6. Halloween
7. The Reaping
8. The Invasion
9. Ghost Rider
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Look at this page for full explainations on each film and some additional lists and observations about the year.

Coming Soon: 2007 End of the Year Wrap Up

Another year has come and gone and that means it's time for an End of the Year Wrap Up on Maverick at the Movies. More films were reviewed on Maverick at the Movies in 2007 than any other year of the show's history, and right now I am sifting through my previous reviews and catching up on some of the films that did not make it to the Mankato area theaters so that my countdowns of the best and worst of the year can be as accurate and inclusive as possible. Look for the End of the Year wrap up to be featured later this month. After it is broadcast, the text will be made available on the web. Previous End of the Year wrap ups can be found here.

Also, look for a brand new website design with additional features and other goodies to be unvieled in 2008.