February 9, 2010
Features

And the Nominees Are…

February 2010 | By Scott Lehane
And the Nominees Are…

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,... »

Joe Letteri on the Visual Effects of Avatar

January 2010 | By Scott Essman
Joe Letteri on the Visual Effects of <em>Avatar</em>

After supervising visual effects on massive projects such as Peter Jackson’s final two films in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Stephen SommersVan Helsing, and Jackson’s King Kong, Joe Letteri might have faced an even greater challenge with James Cameron’s Avatar. For this... »

Contender – Cinematography, Eric Steelberg, Up In The Air

January 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
Contender – Cinematography, Eric Steelberg, <em>Up In The Air</em>

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... »

Contender – Cinematography, Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker

January 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
Contender – Cinematography, Barry Ackroyd, <em>The Hurt Locker</em>

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... »

Contender – Best Foreign Film, Warwick Thornton

January 2010 | By Scott Essman
Contender – Best Foreign Film, Warwick Thornton

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.... »

Contenders – Sound Re-recording Mixers, Greg Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

January 2010 | By Jack Egan
Contenders – Sound Re-recording Mixers, Greg Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

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... »

The Making of Avatar

December 2009 | By Scott Essman
The Making of <em>Avatar</em>

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... »

Documentary Filmmaker Exposes Brutal Dolphin Hunt in The Cove

December 2009 | By Bob Bayless
Documentary Filmmaker Exposes Brutal Dolphin Hunt in <em>The Cove</em>

After a screening of The Cove, I was moved and impressed as well as depressed by the experience. »

Developing an Eye for Great Cinematography

December 2009 | By Jack Egan

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... »

A Great Year for Animation

December 2009 | By Scott Lehane
A Great Year for Animation

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... »

Grass Roots Marketing for Indie Films

December 2009 | By Scott Lehane
Grass Roots Marketing for Indie Films

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... »

TV Everywhere—Unions, Not so much

December 2009 | By Mark London Williams

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... »



Director Series

Danish Director Blends Comedy and Tragedy in An Education

January 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres

Danish Director Blends Comedy and Tragedy in <em>An Education</em>

The critically acclaimed film, An Education, which garnered the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, has quietly slipped into Oscar contention. From... »



Terry Gilliam on Creating The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

January 2010 | By Jack Egan

Terry Gilliam on Creating <em>The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus</em>

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... »


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Exclusive Film Reviews

Up in the Air

December 2009 | By Len Klady

<em>Up in the Air</em>

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 Young Victoria

December 2009 | By Len Klady

<em>The Young Victoria</em>

The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »


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Upcoming Award Deadlines

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
View the full 2009-2010 Award Season Calendar