Nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards were announced early this morning, and it came as little surprise that James Cameron’s wildly successful sci-fi blockbuster, Avatar scored big in both above- and below-the-line categories. The stereoscopic film, which recently surpassed Titanic as the highest grossing film of all time,... »
After supervising visual effects on massive projects such as Peter Jackson’s final two films in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing, and Jackson’s King Kong, Joe Letteri might have faced an even greater challenge with James Cameron’s Avatar. For this... »
As with many successful filmmaking collaborations, cinematographer Eric Steelberg has known director Jason Reitman for a long time. They met in high school through a friend and discovered a mutual interest in film. Staying in touch over the years, they began making... »
Director, Kathryn Bigelow called cinematographer, Barry Ackroyd, in the spring of 2007. She had seen United 93, which he had shot, and wanted The Hurt Locker to have the... »
When one has a view of a culture that comes from within, the common belief is that such a personal view will make for a more authentic cinematic experience.... »
The mission for the sound team on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was to top the work done on the first Transformers film, nominated for an Oscar in 2007... »
James Cameron’s long-awaited epic fantasy Avatar is definitely “titanic” in size and scope. “It’s got a big story—that’s where it starts,” said producer Jon Landau, who also produced Cameron’s... »
After a screening of The Cove, I was moved and impressed as well as depressed by the experience. »
The look and emotional feel of a film, more than simply a series of unfolding images, is the responsibility of the director of photography. The cinematographer, from choice of... »
This year has seen a bumper crop of top-notch animated films, making the competition for the Best Animated Feature Oscar particularly interesting. The award, recognizing a genre that was long... »
The indie film business is a tumultuous, often unpredictable world, where survival is always a tenuous proposition. You can have a low-budget movie like Paranormal Experience that comes out... »
Long time readers of this column (and hey, if that’s you—thanks!), will recall I have written occasionally, (well, at least once), of my annual treks out to Austin where... »
The critically acclaimed film, An Education, which garnered the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, has quietly slipped into Oscar contention. From... »
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is director Terry Gilliam’s first film in four years. The movie tells the story of a circus wagon with... »
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has an amiable disposition that belies the fact that it’s best to stay out of his path. You see he’s... »
The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »
| AMPAS Final ballots mailed | Feb 10 | ||
| ADG final ballots due | Feb 12 | ||
| ADG Awards Presentation | Feb 13 | ||
| ACE Eddie Awards | Feb 14 | ||
| AMPAS Nominees Luncheon | Feb 15 | ||
Samson & Delilah