Samson & DelilahMakeup Takes Its 29th Turn at the Academy Awards
In the recent round of talk show appearances by actors from the new version of Alice in Wonderland, many of the performers discussed their lengthy stints “getting into costume.” This is both a travesty and at the same time not surprising. While costumes have been heralded by cinema onlookers for decades, makeup... »
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards
The Oscar winners in the 82nd Annual Academy Awards are... »
Contenders – Editors Bob Murawski and Chris Innis, The Hurt Locker
Editor Bob Murawski was finishing Spiderman 3 when he got a call from friend, Paul Ottosson, who had been hired as sound designer on The Hurt Locker. Director Kathryn Bigelow was looking for an editor and wanted to meet him. Desperate to find an editor who would go to the Middle East, she was... »
Rick Baker’s New Wolf
Throughout his nearly 40-year career, Rick Baker has created some of cinema’s most memorable monsters. The six-time Oscar winner for Best Makeup notably realized one of the greatest horror monsters in movie history with An American Werewolf in London. Now, thirty years later, he is bringing another lycanthropic creature to the screen... »
Contender – Sound Designer/Mixer, Paul Ottosson, The Hurt Locker
In Oscar contender The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the action starts with a bomb squad in Iraq trying to diffuse an IED. The tension never lets up from there. To keep that level of tension must have been difficult for everyone involved, but especially for Oscar-nominated, Emmy-wining sound designer Paul Ottosson.... »
Contenders – Composers Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, The Hurt Locker
The intensity of drama in Director Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, is framed by the sparse, yet effective score by Oscar contenders Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders. “It has almost a documentary feel to it,” Beltrami offered. “The fear was that putting too much music in it, would take you out of the picture.... »
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
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 newest project, which is winning troves of awards and breaking... »
Contender – Cinematography, Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
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 same "visceral look and immediacy of that film." Their first face-to-face meeting was in Jordan during prep in preproduction. "We discussed films, but I always... »
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 for best sound mixing. Both films were directed by Michael Bay, known for his spectacular action-and-effects movies. “I’ve been on board with Michael for... »
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Director Series
Joe Johnston Conjures The WolfmanFebruary 2010 | By Scott Essman
Former Industrial Light and Magic art director Joe Johnston became a feature film director over 20 years ago when he came aboard... »
Danish Director Blends Comedy and Tragedy in An Education
January 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
The critically acclaimed film, An Education, which garnered the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, has quietly slipped into Oscar contention. From... »
Exclusive Film Reviews
Up in the AirDecember 2009 | By Len Klady
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
The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »