28.2.09

National Skyline - Bliss & Death (2009)


Link


After a five-year absence, National Skyline returns with the epic Bliss & Death. Recorded entirely in 2008, the album is an expression of singer/sonwriter Jeff Garber’s searching look at the lesser-visited recesses of the psyche. Inspired by acts such as Wilco, Dungen and The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Bliss & Death finds National Skyline dabbling in organic territory. Multi-layered guitars and synths swirl around filtered vocal tracks throughout the album, creating a stunning arc of sound. Influences such as Pink Floyd, Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine seep in to the mix as well, creating a bold, yet personal doubt, and wonder. Garber had the bulk of the album finished by May 2008, but felt as if some extra input were needed to give the record more texture. “I began to feel like this record was closer to my first band, Castor, and one of the most important things about Castor was Derek Niedringhaus’s bass playing. “Once again, computers served Garber well, as Niedringhaus and Garber began to trade music files via internet. As a whole, Bliss & Death is meant to be listened to in alubm form, that is, Garber made a very conscious effort to make a soild record throughout: no filler. Today, When singles rule the world, Bliss & Death plays to the anti-single sect.


'Seraphine' tops Cesar Awards (Variety)


By ELSA KESLASSY

PARIS -- "Seraphine," a modestly budgeted biopic of Gallic painter Seraphine de Senlis, took top honors at France's 34rd Cesar Awards Friday, taking seven nods including film, original screenplay and actress for Yolande Moreau.

Moreau previously won two Cesars for "When the Sea Rises," which she toplined and co-directed with Gilles Porte in 2004.

She is currently filming the horror pic "The Pack" and will appear in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Micmacs a tire-larigot," set for an Oct. bow in Gaul.

"I would like to thank Seraphine, who disappeared during the 1930s depression but apparently is getting her luck back from this crisis," said thesp-turned-helmer Martin Provost.

Another strong contender in the film category was the biopic about French bank robber Jacques Mesrine, "Public Enemy Number One," which had garnered a record 10 noms. The pic ended up with three Cesars, including director for Jean-Francois Richet and actor for Vincent Cassel.

Bafta foreign-film winner "I've Loved You So Long" garnered nods for first film for helmer Philippe Claudel and supporting actress Elsa Zylberstein.

Jean-Paul Roussillon won supporting actor laurels for his turn as a family patriarch in Arnaud Desplechin's "A Christmas Tale."

Known for playing rebellious, tough guys, Cassel was previously nommed for two Cesars for Jacques Audiard's "Read My Lips" and "Hate."

Palme d'Or winner and Oscar foreign-language film nominee "The Class" nabbed adapted screenplay.

Thesp Sean Penn was in attendance to present the best pic nod and rep "Into the Wild" in the foreign-film category, but the pic lost to "Waltz With Bashir."

Famed French producer Claude Berri, who died in January, was honored during the ceremony, drawing a standing ovation.

Another highlight of the ceremony was Dustin Hoffman accepting the lifetime achievement award from "Last Chance Harvey" castmate and close friend, Emma Thompson.

"One day, as I was in therapy and I said, 'Jesus, the only time I ever fell centered in my life is when I'm playing someone else,'" said Hoffman, in tears. "There is a corpse inside of us all, and that corpse represents the person we're not; and acting allows me to know that person better."

Cesars awards went to:

FILM

"Seraphine," Martin Provost

ACTRESS

Yolande Moreau, "Seraphine"

ACTOR

Vincent Cassel, "Public Enemy Number One"

DIRECTOR

Jean-Francois Richet, "Public Enemy Number One"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Martin Provost, "Seraphine"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Laurent Cantet, Francois Begaudeau, Robin Campillo, "The Class"

FIRST FILM

"I've Loved You So Long," Philippe Claudel

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Elsa Zilberstein, " I've Loved You So Long"

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jean-Paul Roussillon, "A Christmas Tale"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, ACTRESS

Deborah Francois, "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, ACTOR

Marc-Andre Grondin, "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

ORIGINAL SCORE

Michael Galasso, "Seraphine"

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Laurent Brunet, "Seraphine"

COSTUME DESIGN

Madeline Fontaine, "Seraphine"

EDITING

Sophie Reine, "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

FOREIGN FILM

Ari Folman, "Waltz With Bashir"

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

"The Beaches of Agnes," Agnes Varda

Boston Spaceships - The Planets Are Blasted (2009)



Boston Spaceships are:
CHRIS SLUSARENKO (Takeovers, Guided By Voices, Svelt, Sprinkler)
JOHN MOEN (Perhapst, Decemberists, Jicks, Elliott Smith, Dharma Bums)
ROBERT POLLARD (needs no introduction)

“This is this you know…”

Though you’ll notice some subtle prog flourishes and acoustic strums, Boston Spaceships is a pop punk band, made by and for kids who’ve worn out the grooves on their Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Wire and dBs records. While Pollard has stretched out post-GBV, experimenting on each of his diverse and unique solo records, Boston Spaceships rock hard, have fun and drink Miller Lite.

Without undue hyperbole, Pollard is penning fantastic pop songs in a style no longer fashionable, perhaps we should say, never fashionable. Makes no difference. Pollard’s charged up and sings his ass off.

Mr. Pollard was so enthusiastic about this band that he decided to play his first proper club tour in two years. This from a guy who hates flying, goes bananas sitting in the van, and who has turned down tours with Radiohead and the Strokes. Give the records a spin or two - they’ll make you feel like a kid again, too.

www.bostonspaceships.com

27.2.09

Peter Scarlet exits Tribeca Film Fest (Variety)

Peter Scarlet is ankling as creative director of the Tribeca Film Festival on the eve of its eighth edition and his seventh.

The move, announced in a concise press release Friday morning, is effective immediately. It follows news earlier this month that ex-Sundance guru Geoffrey Gilmore will join Tribeca Enterprises in March as a top exec with some oversight of the fest.

Tribeca reps insist the timing is coincidental and that Scarlet's departure relates more to shifts in programming philosophy. Scarlet characterized his exit as a simple case of wanting to move on.

"The term 'Seven-Year Itch' always evokes that famous still of Marilyn Monroe," Scarlet said. "But as my seventh Tribeca Film Festival loomed, I realized simply that it's time for me to seek new challenges."

Programming duties will be handled by exec director Nancy Schafer and the core team of David Kwok and Genna Terranova. Fest reps said it was unclear whether anyone would be given Scarlet's role or the existing programming group will just be reorganized.

"The finishing touches are being put on our program and I am truly thrilled with the slate our programming team has put together," said co-founder Jane Rosenthal.

"We are grateful to Peter for his leadership, his knowledge and his contributions," she added.

The feature lineup for the fest, which runs April 22 to May 3, will be announced in the coming days.

Yes Please - For Now, For Then, For Them (2008)



Lily Maring's solo project Yes Please has served as an outlet for her social and musical development throughout her late teens and early twenties. Formerly based in Olympia, WA, Maring now resides in Oakland, CA where she is involved in the Bay Area's punk/DIY scene and continues to record as Yes Please on a 4-track. Lily's first full length release is an album diverse in feel and content. Acapella, nylon string guitar, lushly orchestrated tracks; this album displays a greatly expanded musical palette while retaining the well crafted imagery and lyricism she's always shown.

Elysian Fields - The Afterlife (2009)


Link

Now that you’ve eaten your own heart, will you ever taste ambrosia again? Never mind that now—the Afterlife brings you sustenance of a different kind: the bitter palate of true love, as it is lived and endured. Ten new songs from Elysian Fields stir the pot of Romance through all its flavors—from deranging eros to self-less devotion—but it is a menu of cold comforts. There is regret, and there are secrets; there is love that requires surrender and submission, like Baudelaire’s surgeon and patient; there is truth and treachery, and yearning that collapses into disillusion; there is love that panders, and great tenderness; and there is ecstasy, but only for tonight.

Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow make songs of such refinement, one searches in vain for the seams between sound and word: it is at times as if one heartsick, enraptured mind inhabited two heads. As always, they are joined at the table by their extended family of players from New York City’s jazz and pop demimonde, in music of timeless dislocation, uniting elements of cabaret, Noir rock and torch, Art Song and gospel: a murderous piano vamp is coming for you, now a guitar mocks, a vibrato-soaked chord quivers at the ear and falls off like a lover’s sigh; while an unadorned, simple tune leads us through a catechism of sworn love at first sight. Song-craft so rarely strikes such collaborative equipoise between lyric and setting—each partaking of the other’s instincts for allusion and inflection, attack and release—as here. This is hand-made pop music, patient and thoughtfully wrought, risky and knowing, inhabiting its unique idiom as easily as a sharp-dressed man mixes his woolens and silks, never sounding like pastiche. The band sinks us under a constant spell, while its emotionally naked, unflinching singer—in a voice sometimes only above a whisper—lowers her ladder of dark hair and dares us to climb.

-Peter Spagnuolo, 2009


Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Beware (2009)


26.2.09

The Veils - Sun Gangs (2009)


Link

The original lineup of The Veils disbanded in late 2004, following a string of inter-band altercations related to the future sound of the band. After this Andrews returned to New Zealand in order to find a new lineup and the write a new record. He spent the summer rehearsing with high school classmates Liam Gerrard (keyboards) and Sophia Burn (bass).

The trio returned to London in early 2005 where they were joined by Dan Raishbrook (guitar) and Henning Dietz (drums).
The group recorded their second album Nux Vomica at Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles, with producer Nick Launay, and the album was released on 18 September 2006. The album featured string arrangements by ex-Lounge Lizard and long time Lou Reed collaborator Jane Scarpontoni. Nux Vomica featured on 9 critics' Best Of The Year lists in 2006.

During the sixteen months of touring that followed the release of Nux keyboard player Liam Gerrard left the band and The Veils continued on as a four piece. It was during this period that they started living in a garage in Oklahoma and using The Flaming Lips studio to record demos for their third album between playing shows on the east and west coats of America. They returned to London 6 months later and began recording with Graham Sutton. The album, entitled Sun Gangs, is now finished and due for release on 6 April, 2009.


Honorary Palme D'Or for Clint Eastwood



Speech by Gilles Jacob in honour of Clint Eastwood :

My dear Clint, allow me to begin with a guessing game. What do you suppose is the greatest frustration a festival president can feel ? Do you give up ? And yet it’s not hard : he never gets to voice his opinion when the most important of moments arrives, and I’m talking about the moment when the prizes are given out. And that’s why we’re having this meeting here today, between old friends. Don’t be hurt, but I’m two weeks younger than you !

However, let’s get back to business. We’ve decided to grant ourselves, exceptionally, a privilege that is usually beyond the control of Thierry or myself. There is a precedent for this, the Palme des Palmes given to Bergman: but today it’s you that we’d like to honor, in the name of the Festival de Cannes.

The Festival isn’t making some kind of revolutionary action by doing this, the symbolic gesture simply joins the enthusiasm that cinema-goers and critics the world over have for you. What’s more, we find it impossible to determine which of your films over all the others would most deserve the prize. How can we expect to choose between BIRD, MYSTIC RIVER, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, your Japanese diptych or GRAN TORINO, already acclaimed as being the film “in which Clint Eastwood brings together his thoughts on film, his career and his country”.
So it would seem just the right moment to dedicate the Palme to Clint Eastwood, the maker of all these masterpieces. And to hell with your legendary modesty !

I mentioned your huge talent. What you need to know is that there are two Clint Eastwoods, each blending into the features of the lonesome American hero who so deeply moved the hearts of our Old World. There’s the one who is famous for his charisma, his temper and his ability to pull out his 38 Magnum faster than lightning : I am of course talking about Inspector Harry and the other highly popular characters that you kill once and for all in GRAN TORINO. They did, however, enable you to gain your independence, as well as a certain reputation. And they enabled the other, more confidential Clint, to make personal films that surprised people who do not know you, by their charm, their originality, their little night music, my dear Mozart – because life isn’t just about Jazz, you know – and their tempered lyricism. In these two currents of your work, the Bad and the Misty, we can all easily recognize the American mainstream versus the European touch. I’ll let you guess which one I prefer. But what’s comforting about it is that cinema-goers slowly became interested as much, if not more, in your films “about people” as with your action films.

Your directing skill is such that you shoot love scenes like thrillers, and thrillers like… thrillers! The journey of Million Dollar Baby, which I’m very found of, is proof of this: who would have thought that this dark, infinitely sad film would touch the hearts of so many audiences and thus become a classic ?

The same is true of your other masterpieces. Just like the great filmmakers the world over: Bresson; Ford; Ozu; Satyajit Ray or Rossellini, you very quickly understood that simplicity, the camera centered on the person, the exact length of a shot, the type of lens, the editing or the placing of music were crucial decisions. And, for each of them, there is only ever one choice – and not another. This is how one slowly takes one’s place in the History of film.

And, finally, sometimes, someone can be a great artist and a raving egomaniac. It happens! But not in your case. When Pierre Rissient, who’s been “bearing your flag” for so long, was unexpectedly brought to Cedar Sinaï Hospital, what did he see when he opened his eyes, half-conscious ? Clint Eastwood at his bedside. How long you’d been there, nobody knows, but you’d arranged for treatment, for nurses, for everything, and that foreigner suddenly found himself bathed in such an aura of popularity that even the most daunting of nurses was charmed. Why did I mention this unknown anecdote? Simply because these human qualities, so rare these days, are also one of the reasons we honor you today. Disproving the phrase from Scott Fitzgerald with which you epigraphed BIRD: "There are no second chances for an American hero", I’m now, my dear Clint, going to present you with the Palme d’Or, as a token of our admiration and a quarter century of shared complicity.

--------------------------------------------------------

Clint Eastwood yesterday became only the second person to receive a lifetime achievement Palme d'Or from the organisers of the Cannes film festival. The 78-year-old film-maker was honoured for his body of work at a presentation at Le Fouquet's restaurant in Paris. He joins Ingmar Bergman, who received the honour in 1997, in the most exclusive club on the festival circuit.

Eastwood first competed at Cannes with his 1985 western Pale Rider, and also attended the festival to support White Hunter, Black Heart and Mystic River. Plans to honour him at last year's event were scrapped when his 1930s-set drama Changeling was selected for the official competition.

"I'm very, very flattered that you've chosen me for this," Eastwood said. "French cineastes have always been very supportive of me along the way. When I directed my first movie, French cineastes and critics encouraged me, while in my own country, everyone was much more reticent. France is the first country to approach and appreciate cinema as an art form."

Yesterday, Cannes president Gilles Jacob paid tribute to Eastwood's work before and behind the camera. "It would be impossible to choose just one of your works for this supreme honour," he said. "It's the right time to give the Palme d'Or to Clint Eastwood." Turning to Eastwood, he added: "And forget about your legendary modesty."

While Eastwood may have been a model of modesty at yesterday's ceremony, he was rather more outspoken in an interview earlier in the week. Speaking to the German magazine Der Spiegel, Eastwood, currently seen in cinemas as an unreconstructed racist ex-soldier in Gran Torino, railed against what he sees as a culture of political correctness that has effectively outlawed jokes about people's nationality or ethnicity. "People have lost their sense of humour," he insisted. "In former times we constantly made jokes about different races. [But] you can only tell them today with one hand over your mouth, otherwise you will be insulted as a racist. I find it ridiculous."

He added: "In those earlier days every friendly clique had a 'Sam the Jew' or 'Jose the Mexican' – but we didn't think anything of it or have a racist thought."

Eastwood will not be attending this year's Cannes film festival because he will be in South Africa, shooting a biopic of Nelson Mandela. The event runs from 13-24 May, and the jury will be headed by Isabelle Huppert.




"Watchmen", de Zack Snyder (Variety Review)


A Warner Bros. (in U.S.)/Paramount (international) release and presentation, in association with Legendary Pictures, of a Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin production. Produced by Gordon, Levin, Deborah Snyder. Executive producers, Herbert W. Gains, Thomas Tull. Co-producer, Wesley Coller. Directed by Zack Snyder. Screenplay, David Hayter, Alex Tse, based on the graphic novel co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and published by DC Comics.


Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II - Malin Akerman
Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman - Billy Crudup
Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias - Matthew Goode
Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre - Carla Gugino
Rorschach - Jackie Earle Haley
Edward Blake/Comedian - Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl - Patrick Wilson

By
JUSTIN CHANG

Finally unleashed from a much-publicized rights dispute between Fox and Warner Bros., “Watchmen” is less a fully realized comicbook epic than a sturdy feat of dramatic compression. Fans of Alan Moore’s landmark graphic novel, concerning a ring of Gotham superheroes brought out of retirement by an impending nuclear threat, will thrill to every pulpy line of dialogue and bloody act of retribution retained in director Zack Snyder’s slavishly faithful adaptation. But auds unfamiliar with Moore’s brilliantly bleak, psychologically subversive fiction may get lost amid all the sinewy exposition and multiple flashbacks. After a victorious opening weekend, the pic’s B.O. future looks promising but less certain.

Only illustrator Dave Gibbons is credited onscreen with authorship of the 12-part novel, first published in single issues by DC Comics from 1986-87. As with previous adaptations of his work (including “From Hell,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and “V for Vendetta”), Moore, no friend to Hollywood, has distanced himself from this much-anticipated take on his notoriously unfilmable magnum opus.

Set in an alternate 1985, with Richard Nixon still in office and nuclear war with the Soviet Union imminent, it’s a densely plotted, sociopolitically charged tale of costumed crime-fighters, driven to existential despair by a world that seems both hard to save and hardly worth saving. Though it cries out for equally audacious cinematic treatment, the novel has instead been timidly and efficiently streamlined by David Hayter (“X-Men,” “X2: X-Men United”) and Alex Tse, who struggle to cram as many visual and narrative details as possible into the film’s 161 minutes.

Before it becomes a meditation on the nature and value of heroism in uncertain times, “Watchmen” is, first and foremost, a whodunit. The victim is Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), formerly a vigilante known as the Comedian, who’s attacked by a masked intruder in his upper-story New York apartment and hurled to his death in suspended slow-motion. The murder triggers a reunion of sorts for several of the Comedian’s associates, who, before Nixon outlawed “masks,” or costumed superheroes, were collectively known as the Watchmen.

These include Daniel Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson), a nebbishy gadget expert who longs for the days when he fought crime as the birdlike Nite Owl; his ex-partner, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley, face concealed by a mask bearing an inkblot pattern), a raspy-voiced sociopath with a knack for breaking tough guys’ fingers; smug golden boy Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode), who has successfully licensed and merchandised his identity as Ozymandias, “the smartest man in the world”; and sexy Laurie Jupiter (Malin Akerman), who had a superhero’s legacy forced on her by her mother and predecessor, Sally (Carla Gugino).

And then there’s Laurie’s lover, Jon Osterman, better known the world over as Dr. Manhattan. The product of a government accident that destroyed him yet also endowed him with regenerative superpowers, this blue-hued, godlike being has been deployed as a tactical weapon by the U.S. military. Inhabited with eloquent gravity and hyper-intelligent detachment (via motion-capture techniques) by Billy Crudup, and endowed with a ripped physique — and, true to the source material, an often visible set of cerulean genitalia — he’s easily the film’s most imposing creation.

Of the group, only Rorschach suspects a link between the Comedian’s death and the encroaching threat of global annihilation, and fears a conspiracy to eliminate the Watchmen entirely. Subsequent twists — an attempt on Veidt’s life, a media disaster that sends Dr. Manhattan into self-imposed exile on Mars, Rorschach’s framing for murder — only seem to justify the gathering paranoia.

These threads are played out in a tight chronological continuum with a series of flashbacks that delve into each hero’s origins and unique worldview. As in the novel, they provide some of the most gripping moments; Dr. Manhattan’s backstory, in particular, achieves a near-mystical awe thanks to the superb musical choices of Philip Glass’ “Pruit Igoe” and “Prophecies” (from “Koyaanisqatsi”).

From the clues and in-jokes embedded in Larry Fong’s widescreen compositions and Alex McDowell’s vaguely retro Gotham-noir production design to the meticulous narrative framework and whole chunks of dialogue lifted from the novel, there’s no question that “Watchmen” reps some sort of ultimate fanboy’s delight. Whether it’s Dreiberg’s flying owl ship or the staggering glass palace Dr. Manhattan conjures up on Mars, the filmmakers have spared no expense in their mission to visualize every last frame.

Yet the movie is ultimately undone by its own reverence; there’s simply no room for these characters and stories to breathe of their own accord, and even the most fastidiously replicated scenes can feel glib and truncated. As “Watchmen” lurches toward its apocalyptic (and slightly altered) finale, something happens that didn’t happen in the novel: Wavering in tone between seriousness and camp, and absent the cerebral tone that gave weight to some of the book’s headier ideas, the film seems to yield to the very superhero cliches it purports to subvert.

While Snyder still exults in gratuitous splatter (sawed-off limbs, dangling human entrails, a very random display of adolescent vampirism), he demonstrates a less oppressive directorial hand than he did in “300,” avoiding that film’s ultra-processed digital look and shooting almost entirely on carefully mounted sets (pic was shot in Vancouver). William Hoy’s editing is fluent and measured, even when it cross-cuts rapidly in an attempt to echo the jumpiness of Gibbons’ comicbook panels.

While none of the actors leaves an indelible impression, Haley’s feral, ferrety Rorschach (narrating most of the film in gravelly voiceover) makes the most of his few unmasked appearances; Wilson is touching as a man emerging from physical and psychological impotence; and Goode is appropriately fey as the self-styled Veidt. Robert Wisden appears in a few scenes as Tricky Dick himself, complete with comically elongated nose, but doesn’t quite give Frank Langella a run for his money.

With: Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie, Laura Mennell, Rob LaBelle, Robert Wisden.

Camera (Technicolor prints, Panavision widescreen), Larry Fong; editor, William Hoy; music, Tyler Bates; production designer, Alex McDowell; supervising art director, Francois Audouy; art director, Helen Jarvis; set designers, Bryan Sutton, Allan Galajda, Jay Mitchell, Rodirigo Segovia, Peter Bodnarus, Andrew Li, Maya Shimoguchi, Rich Romig, Aaron Haye; set decorator, Jim Erickson; costume designer, Michael Wilkinson; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Michael McGee; supervising sound designer, Eric A. Norris; sound designer, Jeremy Peirson; supervising sound editor, Scott Hecker; re-recording mixers, Chris Jenkins, Frank Montano; visual effects supervisor, John “DJ” DesJardin; visual effects producer, Tom Peitzman; visual effects and animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks; visual effects, the Moving Picture Co., Intelligent Creatures, CIS Visual Effects Group; special effects makeup, Greg Cannom; stunt coordinator/fight choreographer, Damon Caro; assistant director, Martin Walters; casting, Kristy Carlson. Reviewed at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Feb. 25, 2009. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 161 MIN.

Esto sí que es raro...


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The documentary "Must Read After My Death," which opened in New York on Friday, has inspired a narrative film adaptation of the real-life family drama.

Morgan Dews' film is drawn from 8mm films, tape recordings and written materials left behind by his grandmother, who died in 2001. It offers a portrait of a suburban couple in 1960s Connecticut who attempt to combine a traditional life with an open marriage and the wife's desire to break free of conventional expectations.

Craig Wright will write the screenplay based on the nonfiction material, and Alan Poul will direct the film.

Poul is making his feature directing debut with the romantic comedy "Plan B," starring Jennifer Lopez. His credits as producer and director include "Six Feet Under" and "Swingtown," and he also has directed episodes of "Big Love" and "Rome."

Wright, co-executive producer of "Brothers & Sisters," also was the creator and executive producer of "Dirty Sexy Money." In addition to his TV work on such shows as "Lost" and "Six Feet Under," Wright is a playwright whose work includes "The Pavilion," "Recent Tragic Events" and "Orange Flower Water."

Dews' documentary, which opened at the Quad Cinemas in New York, will bow at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles on Friday and also is available at giganticdigital.com. (http://www.giganticdigital.com/)


Crystal Antlers - Tentacles (2009)


New link

Tentacles', the hotly anticipated debut album from Crystal Antlers will be released on April 6th (Europe) via the stalwart indie label Touch and Go Records, home to CocoRosie, Ted Leo, The Jesus Lizard, and many others. Recorded and mixed on 2” tape at San Francisco’s Closer Studios in the span of one sleepless week, 'Tentacles' is a dоcument of the Antlers’ vigorous work ethic and breathless vitality. As hinted at on last year’s /EP/, many of the tracks here touch on the fragility of nature and its destruction by humankind, all under a cloudburst of epic sound and energy. Beyond the sonic expansion, the band itself has grown: original guitarist Errol Davis returned to the fold for ‘Tentacles’, bringing the personnel tally to one bass, two guitars, two drummers, and an organ. Davis will also be a part of the Antlers’ manic and massive live show, joining them on the road for the North American tour in March.

Más de Coppola y "Tetro"


25.2.09

Arranca "Las viudas de los jueves", de Marcelo Piñeyro


“Las viudas de los jueves” se rodará entre marzo (el lunes será la primera jornada de rodaje) y mayo de 2009 en locaciones ubicadas en la provincia de Buenos Aires. El film se estrenará en Argentina el jueves 10 de septiembre. El elenco lo integran Leonardo Sbaraglia, Adrián Navarro, Ernesto Alterio, Juan Diego Botto, Pablo Echarri (foto), Juana Viale, Gabriela Toscano, Ana Celentano y Gloria Carrá. Esta película unirá nuevamente al director con el guionista y adaptador de “Plata Quemada”, Marcelo Figueras. Así también, con los actores: Sbaraglia y Echarri también del mismo film que se estrenó en el 2000. “Las viudas de los jueves” es el nombre que lleva la novela de la escritora argentina Claudia Piñeiro, ganadora del Premio Clarín de Novela 2005. Este libro se convirtió en un best-seller que fue traducido a diversos idiomas y va por su edición 29.

Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw (2009)


Link

Dozens of musical genres have come to favor and disappeared since Lady Sovereign’s debut Public Warning hit in 2006, and now she’s back, trying yet again to launch grime into the American mainstream with her new album, Jigsaw. The album’s first single, “I Got You Dancing” sounds like M.I.A. filtered through Dizzee Rascal, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it remains to be seen if it can breakthrough further than her hit single, “Love Me Or Hate Me.” The album is the first for Sovereign’s Midget record label.


Anuncios del BAFICI


La undécima edición del Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente (BAFICI) organizado por el Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y dirigido por Sergio Wolf, se llevará a cabo entre el 25 de Marzo y el 5 de abril de 2009, continuando con el calendario de Festivales organizados por la Ciudad.

De esta forma, el cine atravesará los distintos barrios porteños de la Ciudad donde se verán un total de 350 películas entre largos y cortometrajes. Asimismo, este año el 11° BAFICI contará con más salas sumando más funciones por película, y tendrá invitados internacionales que acompañarán y presentarán al público local sus películas.

Entre los títulos que forman parte de la programación de esta edición ya están confirmados 35 shots of rhum de la reconocida directora francesa Claire Denis (Chocolat, Nénette et Boni, Beau travail); Filmefobia (Brasil, 2008) una película sobre los miedos del realizador Kiko Goifman, que en la pasada edición del Festival presentó Handerson e as horas.

Examined Life (Canadá, 2008) de Astra Taylor indaga las ideas sobre la existencia actual en un recorrido por la 5ta Avenida; Shirin (Irán, 2008) de Abbas Kiarostami (Detrás de los olivos, El sabor de las cerezas, Y el viento nos llevará) presentada en el 65º Festival de Venecia se define como un homenaje a la mujer iraní.

El segundo largometraje del chileno Sebastián Silva La nana (Chile-México, 2009) ganador del Mejor Largometraje Dramático Internacional en el reciente Festival Sundance; la película Une autre homme (2008) del director suizo Lionel Baier que indaga en el mundo cinematográfico en la relación entre una celebre crítica de cine y un novato del medio.

Milestones (Estados Unidos, 1975) el documental de Robert Kramer (Guns, À toute allure, Notre nazi) sobre la escritora Grace Paley y su particular visión de la guerra de Vietnam; Awaydays (Reino Unido, 2008) de Pat Holden basada en la novela homónima de Kevin Sampson's.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Japón, 2008) del maestro de la animación Hayao Miyazaki (El viaje de Chihiro, La Princesa Mononoke, El castillo ambulante) y 16 memorias (Colombia, 2008) de Camilo Botero Jaramillo que es una película sobre las filmaciones familiares de los Posada Saldarriaga de Medellín, entre otras.

Las mismas podrán verse en las diversas secciones del festival y algunas de ellas contarán con la presencia de su realizador durante la muestra.

El precio de las entradas es de $8.- y $6.- para estudiantes y jubilados que acrediten su condición.

"Tetro", de Francis Ford Coppola: el website





Link

American Zoetrope will self-release Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro in limited release in the US on June 11 based on the first original screenplay by Coppola since The Conversation in 1974.

The story tells of two brothers, of family lost and found, and the conflicts and tragedies within a highly creative Argentine-Italian family.

Vincent Gallo stars in the title role alongside Maribel Verdu, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Carmen Maura and newcomer Alden Ehrenreich.

“Our families form the basis of our original view of life,” Coppola said. “I think most people are caught up in issues, experiences and memories of their families – I am no exception. Even though this is a fictional story, I used what I know best, my life”.

The film’s official website www.tetro.com launched on February 24 and new content will be added weekly including interviews with Coppola and the cast, as well as footage, stills, cast bios and the trailer.



The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground (2009)


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Owen and Hobbs both grew up in the village of Wendover in Buckinghamshire. They met when they were still in school and started writing songs together. They began writing and recording songs for The Boy Least Likely To in the summer of 2002. The group created the independent label Too Young to Die as a means to release their music.

Their first release was the 7" single "Paper Cuts" in 2003. They released three singles and completed the recording of their debut album before they played any live shows. Their debut album The Best Party Ever was released in the UK in February of 2005. The album was released in the United States in late Spring 2006.
The Best Party Ever was included in the Pitchfork top 50 albums of 2005 and was number 8 in the Rough Trade Shop top 100 albums of the same year.

They are known for the colourful characters that they use in their artwork, which are drawn by Jof Owen's brother, Tim. The artwork for their second album features 3D versions of the drawings that have been knitted. The band describe their own sound as "Country Disco". They were included in the top ten bands of 2006 in Rolling Stone magazine, and described as sounding like what would happen "if all your childhood stuffed animals got together and started a band."

In October 2006 they toured the United Kingdom with Razorlight.
The touring band commonly included: Alistair Hamer, dr., Adam Chetwood, gtr., Anthony Bishop, bs., Bahar Brunton, keys/vio., Amanda Applewood, keys./bvs/cakes. In September 2006 they began work on their second album. In February 2008, the band posted two new songs from their upcoming album on their MySpace. They also released a "I Box Up All The Butterflies" as a free download single. The new album, previously delayed by label troubles, is entitled Law of the Playground and will be released in March 2009.


24.2.09

DM STITH - Heavy Ghost (2009)


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David Stith has always been pushing his creative limits. Having been raised in a musical family in Buffalo, New York, he grew up with sounds all around him, often slouched in the kitchen interpreting his family’s melodies into line drawings and poetry. Though a gifted musician from an early age, he remained silent for a long time, instead choosing to express himself through poetry and the visual arts—excelling in many modes of artistic expression. He’s wandered from Buffalo to Rochester to Brooklyn, where he became friends with Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. In small technical ways (by providing a computer with ProTools, a space to record demos, and gallons of coffee to accompany wandering conversations about her songs), David began helping her record her album Bring Me The Workhorse. Shara was astounded to learn that he also possessed an innate talent for working in the studio.

By spending more and more time recording, David began to rekindle his passion for his first familial love: music. Something within him caught alight, and he began spending countless days stored away in his bedroom, sketching folk songs with epic electronic gestures, grappling with his inner demons, trying to capture his observations of the world with his music. His sustained period of silence, of gestation, of contemplation, was finally over. He continued cultivating his musical compositions privately—until one day Shara introduced David to his doppelganger, Sufjan Stevens, co-operator of Asthmatic Kitty Records. After hearing only two of his songs, Asthmatic Kitty coaxed David to record an album of his own for release.

Now with the release of Heavy Ghost, David is putting his inexplicable visions to song. A true artistic entrepreneur, David spent a year writing, arranging and recording, performing nearly all of the music on Heavy Ghost—even creating all of the album’s artwork—resulting in an intensely personal masterwork that exposes his own conflicted spirituality and his drive to find a place in which he belongs. In addition to coming from a musical family, David was also brought up in an intensely religious family, and much of his artistic struggle has been trying to reconcile his emerging sense of ethics with that of his church’s identity. Finding a spiritual host for himself—without repressing or discrediting any part of himself—is the central struggle that his music addresses.

Musically, Heavy Ghost is as dense as it is transparent, taking listeners through a tumultuous narrative of self-discovery with its rich and daring orchestration. In the opening track, “Isaac’s Song,” a torrent of piano slams, shouts, machine-gun snare, and ghostly harmonics evoke the biblical story of Abraham—when God called upon him to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moria, testing him to see if he would be willing to make the highest sacrifice in order to appease the God he so loves and fears. In the context of Heavy Ghost, this reference introduces the album as a sort of sacrifice, as an offering. In “Pity Dance,” the lilting guitar of Violeta Parra, the over-saturated production of Tom Waits, the dark choirs of The Shangri-Las, and the speak song of Randy Newman all serve to support a sense of lyrical self-awareness that is alternately confounding and thrilling. No longer can the artist simply ignore or suppress the parts of himself “that he doesn’t like” in order to be accepted by his spiritual community; these parts must either be completely embraced or exhumed. But first these elements must be confronted. Heavy Ghost continues along the route of confrontation and purification, reaching a frenzied breaking point with “Spirit Parade,” in which David performs a sort of musical exorcism on himself. Full of visceral, percussive elements, otherworldly wails, and a humming motif that echoes an African-American spiritual, Spirit Parade gives thrilling nods to haunting mysticism. After this track, the tone of the album begins to gradually settle into a realm of peaceful resolution. In “Morning Glory Cloud,” David Stith begins to leave his previously tortured persona behind, embarking on a journey of self-acceptance and atonement.

Lyrically and conceptually, David Stith explores the ineffable. “Morning Glory Cloud” captures a mysterious and rare rolling cloud formation, connecting it to memories of playing hide and seek while growing up in the Rust Belt. In “Fire of Birds,” David connects seemingly disparate experiences: being awakened one morning by what sounds like the neighbors speaking with fire; a memory of being burned by fireworks as a child; following a friend through the rain in the woods in the middle of the night to fix a water collection system; the story of Isaac burning and somehow finding a new body. Throughout the album, the concepts of water and fire are continually contrasted and expounded upon. Fire as menacing and rejected romantic passion in “BMB” is transmuted into joyous and liberating fire in “Fire of Birds;” the foreboding, melancholic clouds of rain in “Pity Dance” become cleansing, empowering watery visages in Pigs—the track that sets up the jaunting sacrificial rite in “Spirit Parade.” Heavy Ghost communicates a startling range—from earnest yearning to heartbreak, shimmering hopefulness to the brink of existential despair. David Stith’s ethereal voice communicates the unfathomable—mysticism, the commingling of water and fire, waking dreams, spiritual torment—with such reckless abandon that is rarely seen in many albums, let alone a debut work.
asthmatickitty


44-Year-Old Indie Film Distributor Is Closing (The New York Times)


New Yorker Films, the distributor that helped introduce American moviegoers to the works of Bernardo Bertolucci, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Ousmane Sembène, announced on Monday that it was going out of business after 44 years.

One of the most influential distributors of foreign and independent films, New Yorker has amassed a library of more than 400 titles, including Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless” and Claude Lanzmann’s epic Holocaust documentary “Shoah,” said Dan Talbot, who founded the company in 1965.

Mr. Talbot, 82, said in a telephone interview that the company was going out of business because its library was being sold. It had been pledged as collateral on a loan taken out by its former owner, Madstone Films, which bought New Yorker Films in 2002.

The library could be auctioned off as early as next week, he added.

New Yorker Films held rights to distribute movies to theaters and to institutions like colleges, and also to release DVDs.

Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, the specialty-film multiplex on the Upper West Side that Mr. Talbot owns, is unaffected by the travails of New Yorker Films.

For more than four decades Mr. Talbot has been one of the most prominent figures in art-house cinema in New York and the United States, controlling not only New Yorker Films but also several theaters (including the New Yorker Theater, now defunct, an important revival house at Broadway and 88th Street).

“Without a doubt it was the pre-eminent distributor of foreign art films in the United States from the mid-1960s really into the ’80s,” J. Hoberman, the senior film critic of The Village Voice, said of New Yorker Films. “And for much of the time he was the only game in town.”

The company’s comes at a troubled time for independent film companies. Last year, several of the big studios shuttered or downsized their specialty divisions. Warner Brothers, for example, closed Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse.

Mr. Talbot said he was crushed by the end of the company. “I nurtured this,” he said. “These films are like babies.”

But the next film on the New Yorker docket, “Fados,” will open on schedule at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on March 6, he said.

“I bought that film with my own money,” Mr. Talbot said.

Bosque Brown - Baby (2009)



Denton, Texas singer-songwriter Mara Lee Miller and producer Chris Flemmons purportedly spent over a year working on the follow up to the group's debut album, 2005's Plays Mara Lee Miller. The pair has created a sound that's somewhat fuller and more textured than either that debut CD or its follow up EP, Cerro Verde, from 2006. Even with the addition of keyboards and various percussion elements, Miller's Lone Start State twang still takes center stage, as exemplified on songs like "Went Walking" and "Train Song." This time around, the vocals are also more of a group project with Miller's sister Gina Milligan and guitarist Jeremy Buller both offering harmonies. Vocals are emphasizes so much that there's an a cappella song, "On and Off," that's sectioned out into three parts.

Oscar 2009: la única sorpresa fue la ceremonia (Clarín)



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No hubo, finalmente, demasiadas sorpresas en los Oscar, aunque sí las hubo en la ceremonia. A falta de tensión en un evento en el que, con pocas excepciones, ganaron los candidatos, la atención estuvo puesta en la emisión en sí y en los cambios (no radicales, pero sí llamativos) aportados por los productores del show y, especialmente por su conductor, Hugh Jackman.

Como se preveía, la película de Danny Boyle,
Slumdog Millionaire, fue la gran vencedora llevándose ocho premios de los diez a los que estaba nominada, incluyendo mejor película y director (ver Todos los ganadores). A lo largo de las más de tres horas y media que duró el show iba quedando claro que el filme del director de Exterminio iba a quedarse con todo. Y así fue: la contagiosa alegría de los niños protagonistas fue un adecuado cierre para la noche de gloria para esa película.

Pese a obtener sólo dos premios, se puede decir que la otra gran ganadora fue Milk. Porque la Academia finalmente se volcó por Sean Penn como mejor actor, por el premio al mejor guión que ganó Dustin Lance Black y por el tono político y emocional que ambos le imprimieron a sus discursos, centrados en la pelea por la legalización del matrimonio gay.

La victoria de Penn no sorprendió, pero si dejó un gusto amargo, ya que se esperaba una resurrección completa de Rourke. El actor se había transformado en el candidato popular y todos querían verlo subir al escenario. Pero tal vez pecó de quererlo demasiado (estuvo semanas dando vueltas por la TV contando su dura historia), a la inversa de la discreción de Penn. Además, hay que tener cuenta que el universo
trash que evoca Rourke, y su densa reputación, pueden llegar a ser demasiado para la Academia.

Penélope Cruz confirmó los pronósticos y se llevó el segundo Oscar actoral consecutivo para España tras la victoria de Javier Bardem el año pasado. También emocionada, pero menos incoherente que otras veces, Kate Winslet recibió el premio a mejor actriz. De hecho, su discurso fue divertido ya que no encontraba a sus padres en el teatro y les pidió que silbaran para ver dónde estaban. Y en el fondo aparecieron, tras un sonoro y poco británico chiflido.

El otro momento emotivo de los premios se dio cuando en el rubro actor de reparto triunfó la actuación de Heath Ledger en Batman: el Caballero de la noche. El premio fue recibido por sus padres y por su hermana, mientras las cámaras enfocaban a decenas de actores con los ojos enrojecidos por el llanto.

Y la otra sorpresa -aunque muchos analistas la habían anticipado- estuvo en el rubro filme extranjero, que ganó el japonés
Departures por sobre las más renombradas Waltz with Bashir y Entre los muros.

¿Se viene una nueva era para las ceremonias?


De entrada quedó claro que el evento iba a ser distinto. De hecho, se venía vendiendo eso hace semanas para atraer a la gente. Y los cambios estuvieron allí. No fueron tan fuertes como para hacer a los Oscar irreconocibles: fue más bien un maquillaje para modificar ciertos hábitos.


Tres fueron los cambios principales. El más llamativo -y que lograron mantenerlo en secreto- fue el de la forma de entregar los premios actorales, convocando a cinco ganadores previos de ese mismo rubro y haciendo que cada uno diga algo sobre un nominado. Algunos lo hicieron muy bien (como Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., entre otros), aunque a otros se los notaba leer sin estar demasiado involucrados en lo que decían. Es una buena idea -a los nominados les encanta, por sus caras de éxtasis-, pero necesita más trabajo.


El otro estuvo en tomar a la ceremonia como celebración del cine del año y no sólo de los filmes nominados. Así se armaron segmentos especiales para comedias (uno muy divertido, dirigido por Judd Apatow) y otro para documentales, además de repasos de filmes de acción, animación y comedias románticas.


Otro cambio tuvo que ver con la organización "narrativa" de la ceremonia, que implicaba ir dando los premios a cada categoría de manera similar a las etapas en las que se arma una película. El sistema tuvo grandes excepciones (de ser completo, los premios a los actores y al director tendrían que darse al principio), pero se trató de un intento de darle un contexto a los llamados premios técnicos.

Pero la modificación fundamental estuvo en el concepto musical (¿más Broadway que Hollywood?) con el que se armó la puesta en escena en el Teatro Kodak. Conducido por un ovacionado Hugh Jackman, que no desentonó a la hora de las bromas pero que brilló especialmente cantando y bailando, la ceremonia combinó un homenaje al género musical dirigido por Baz Luhrmann (otro de sus clásicos popurris de canciones de todas las épocas) que estuvo correcto pero no se salió de la norma clásica, una puesta diferente (tipo mix) de las canciones nominadas y las citadas modificaciones temáticas.

Algo de emoción -pero contenida- motivaron el recuerdo de los fallecidos en el último año y el premio humanitario a Jerry Lewis. Pero a las tres horas y media de ceremonia, pese a los esfuerzos de Hugh, el cansancio y la falta de sorpresas en los premios habían ganado la partida. Todo era de Slumdog Millionaire desde hace semanas.



23.2.09

Janusz Kaminski!!!



Esto estuvo divertido...


Findlay Brown - Love WIll Find You (2009)



'Love Will Find You' is the stunning second album from Yorkshire man Findlay Brown, produced by former Suede guitarist turned uber producer Bernard Butler, and it heralds a dramatic change in musical direction.

The booming echoes of the Ronettes in the drums of the opening title track immediately lay bare this album's debt to vintage pop, but Findlay's Orbison-esque vocals create a more sumptuous emotional swell that make this so much more than an exercise in retro stylistics.

Elsewhere the gorgeous 'Everybody Needs Love' and 'I Had A Dream' offer the warm familiarity of melodies you think you know and love, but can't quite remember where from, as if they have already become weaved into your DNA from years of being lost in music. 'Holding Back The Night' is an upbeat, beautifully arranged track with Findlay's trademark sonorous vocals enhancing a magical song, while 'Nobody Cared' harks back to The Righteous Brothers, a vintage, melodic song at its best. More esoteric are the Joe-Meek-produces-The-Righteous- Brothers sweep of 'I Still Want You', punctuated with 'Telstar- style electric organ, the weary waltz of 'If I Could Do It Again' and the urgent jive of 'That's Right'.

So there are tales of the unexpected here if you want them, but lyrically as well as musically, this is an album which is happy not to reinvent the wheel. 'I wanted the words to be simple and straightforward too,' Findlay admits. 'Both records I have done have been romantic records, but the first album was more personal, whereas I wanted these to be universal themes, which are love songs but are also spiritual, reflecting my feelings about the world in general. It sounds daft but I do feel like I'm on a spiritual journey, and this is just the next step.'

And it's not just a small step, it's a giant leap. On one level, you could be forgiven for regarding this as a very conservative record, steeped as it is in songwriting values as old as rock'n'roll itself. But regarded in context alongside his previous work and the musical climate that surrounds him, you realise Findlay Brown has made the kind of radical creative departure that few mainstream artists ever dare to attempt.

Most importantly, you'll soon realise they don't write songs like this any more. Another piece of hoary old wisdom that we're not afraid to throw out there, and another cliche which will seem truer than ever the more you listen to this bold, refreshing and beautiful album.

"Slumdog Millionaire", la gran ganadora de la noche


Luego de cerrar a velocidad crucero ocho páginas para "Clarín" sobre los Oscar, lo que menos ganas tengo es de seguir escribiendo sobre el tema. Los que quieran ver lo que salió allí, sólo tienen que entrar aquí. Recuerden que uno escribe esto al estilo kamikaze: ves, escribís, mandás, te cortan y reordenan, seguís viendo, escribiendo y mandando, y luego sale terrible e ilegible mezcla. Y el horario tardío, claro, dejó un cierre por la mitad de la ceremonia. El resto sale mañana. Así es esto. Y acá encima llueve...

Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows (2009)


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Montreal’s Bell Orchestre, who announced their signing to Arts & Crafts last month, are now set to release their sophomore full-length, As Seen Through Windows, on March 10. The nine-song full-length is filled with stunning, lush instrumentation, and builds off where their acclaimed, Juno nominated, 2005 debut, Recording A Tape The Colour Of Light, left off. Recorded with John McEntire (Tortoise/Sea & Cake), As Seen Through Windows continues the sextet’s exploration of various classical styles and non-traditional musical forms to create a panoramic soundtrack, expansive and enveloping, both challenging and pleasurable to the listener.

Oscars: todos los ganadores

Me quedé corto, con 16 aciertos. Entre Sean Penn, Penélope Cruz, A.R. Rahman y la película japonesa, me arruinaron el promedio.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Sean Penn for Milk (2008/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Winner: Okuribito (2008)(Japan)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Best Achievement in Editing

Best Achievement in Sound

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Winner: The Dark Knight (2008) - Richard King

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Winner: Smile Pinki (2008) - Megan Mylan

Best Documentary, Features

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Best Short Film, Live Action

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Best Achievement in Makeup

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Winner: The Duchess (2008) - Michael O'Connor

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Best Short Film, Animated

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Winner: WALL·E (2008) - Andrew Stanton

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Winner: Milk (2008/I) - Dustin Lance Black

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

22.2.09

Mis predicciones para el Oscar


Suelo ser bueno para estas cosas, pero creo que la sobreabundancia de información que tengo este año me haga confundirme, perderme. Es que se leen tantas cosas y tan distintas entre sí, que uno empieza a dudar de todo, aún de lo que parecía más confirmado. Así que allí van mis 21 predicciones (no voto para las tres categorías de cortos porque es pura lotería para mí). Si consigo acertar 17, me doy por hecho.

Mejor película:
El curioso caso de Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire.

Mejor director: David Fincher (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).

Mejor actor: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (El luchador/The Wrestler).

Mejor actriz: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (El sustituto), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (La duda), Kate Winslet (The Reader).

Mejor actor de reparto: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Una guerra de película), Philip Seymour Hoffman (La duda), Heath Ledger (Batman: El caballero de la noche), Michael Shannon (Sólo un sueño).

Mejor actriz de reparto: Amy Adams (La duda), Viola Davis (La duda), Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Taraji P. Henson (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), Marisa Tomei (El luchador).

Guión adaptado: Eric Roth (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), John Patrick Shanley (La duda), Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), David Hare (The Reader), Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire).

Guión original: Courtney Hunt (Frozen River), Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky), Martin McDonagh (Escondidos en Brujas), Dustin Lance Black (Milk), Andrew Stanton y Jim Reardon (Wall-E).

Mejor película en idioma extranjero: The Baader Meinhof Complex, de Uli Edel (Alemania), Entre les murs, de Laurent Cantet (Francia), Departures, de Yojiro Takita (Japón), Revanche, de Gotz Spielmann (Austria), Waltz with Bashir, de Ari Folman (Israel).

Mejor película animada: Bolt, un perro fuera de serie, de Chris Williams y Byron Howard; Kung Fu Panda, de John Stevenson y Mark Osborne; Wall-E, de Andrew Stanton.

Mejor documental (largo): The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), de Ellen Kuras y Thavisouk Phrasavath; Encounters at the End of the World, de Werner Herzog; The Garden, de Scott Hamilton Kennedy; Man on Wire, de James Marsh y Trouble the Water, de Tia Lessin y Carl Deal.

Mejor fotografía: Tom Stern (El sustituto), Claudio Miranda (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), Wally Pfister (El caballero de la noche), Chris Menges y Roger Deakins (The Reader), Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire).

Mejor música original: Alexandre Desplat (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Danny Elfman (Milk), A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), Thomas Newman (Wall-E).

Mejor canción original: Peter Gabriel y Thomas Newman por Down to Earth, de Wall-E, A.R. Rahman y Gulzar por Jai Ho, de Slumdog Millionaire y A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam, por O Saya, de Slumdog...

Mejor edición: Kirk Baxter y Angus Wall (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), Lee Smith (El caballero de la noche), Mike Hill y Dan Hanley (Frost/Nixon), Elliot Graham (Milk), Chris Dickens (Slumdog Millionaire).

Mejor vestuario: Catherine Martin (Australia), Jacqueline West (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button, Michael O' Connor (La duquesa), Danny Glicker (Milk), Albert Wolsky (Sólo un sueño).

Mejor dirección de arte: James J. Murakami y Gary Fettis (El sustituto), Donald Graham Burt y Victor J. Zolfo (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), Nathan Crowley y Peter Lando (El caballero de la noche), Michael Carlin y Rebecca Alleway (La duquesa) Kristi Zea y Debra Schutt (Sólo un sueño).

Mejor maquillaje: Greg Cannon (El curioso caso de Benjamin Button), John Caglione Jr. y Conor O'Sullivan (El caballero de la noche), Mike Elizalde y Thom Floutz (Hellboy II: el ejército dorado).

Mejor edición de sonido: Richard King (El caballero de la noche), Frank Eulner y Christopher Boyes (Iron Man), Tom Sayers (Slumdog Millionaire), Ben Burtt y Matthew Wood (Wall-E) Wylie Stateman (Se busca).

Mejor mezcla de sonido: El curioso caso de Benjamin Button, El caballero de la noche, Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E, Se busca.

Mejores efectos visuales: El curioso caso de Benjamin Button, El caballero de la noche, Iron Man.