Why So Serious?

Happy Birthday Chris Nolan!

2010-07-30T22:23:00.004+03:00

The Dark Knight and Inception architect Christopher Nolan celebrates his 40th birthday today!

Birthday: Christian Bale

2010-01-30T23:00:00.004+02:00

Christian Bale turns 36 today. Happy birthday!

R.I.P. Heath Ledger

2010-01-22T13:03:00.003+02:00

2009-11-15T15:35:00.001+02:00

Birthday: Hans Zimmer

2009-09-12T22:31:00.004+03:00

A very happy 52nd birthday to Hans Zimmer!

2009-08-28T18:16:00.005+03:00

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus trailer is out! The movie seems very interesting judging from this sneak peek, and Heath looks awesome in this one, too! Depp, Farrell and Law seem very promising as well; I'm intrigued to see how the role of Tony unfolds through the four different performances. Hope it gets released soon!

King Rat music video out

2009-08-28T17:49:00.005+03:00

Heath Ledger's directorial work sees the light; the music video for King Rat is out. The videoclip, animated by Daniel Auber, tackles the subject of whaling and is originally and beautifully directed by Heath. King Rat is a bonus track in the 2007 Modest Mouse album "We were dead before the ship even sank". The 6-minute video can be viewed on youtube.

Oscar Best Film Contenders Rise To 10

2009-07-02T15:26:00.000+03:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the number of the nominated films in the category of Best Picture will change to 10 in the next Academy Awards, scheduled for March 7. This way, president Sid Ganis said, more genres will be included. This is a past academy tradition, since in 1939, in the first Academy Awards, 10 films were nominated for Best Picture (Wuthering Heights, Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz, Dark Victory, Of Mice And Men, Ninotchka, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Stagecoach).

The press announcement can be viewed in the following link, http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2009/20090624.html, where expectedly, The Dark Knight was mentioned (its exclusion from the past 5-film list was widely discussed, in a way it did propel this change, I believe).

Furthermore, we have an addition of new members to the Academy; actors Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, Amy Ryan, Viola Davis, Taraji P.Henson, Michael Shannon, Melissa Leo, Brendan Gleeson, James Franco, Emily Blunt, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen and director Danny Boyle are a few of the 134 artists invited to join the Academy.

Big TDK Win in 2009 Saturn Awards

2009-06-28T16:15:00.003+03:00

The Dark Knight scored a total of 5 awards in the 2009 Saturn Awards that took place on June 24. Heath Ledger won for Best Supporting Actor (over Aaron Eckhart who was nominated in the same category for TDK), while the film also got the coveted Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film Award, as well as Best Music (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard), Best Writer (Christopher and Jonathan Nolan) and Best Special Effects (Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber and Paul J. Franklin). Chris Nolan was nominated for Best Directing for TDK but lost out to Jon Favreau for Iron Man. Other nominations included Christian Bale for Best Actor, Maggie Gyllenhaal for Best Actress, Best Costume (Lindy Hemming), Best Makeup (John Caglione Jr , Connor O'Sullian) and Best DVD Special Edition Release (2-disk collector's edition).

Happy birthday Liam Neeson!

2009-06-07T18:28:00.009+03:00

Liam Neeson turns 56 today. Happy birthday!

Heath's Joker is Best Villain in MTV Movie Awards

2009-06-02T23:40:00.006+03:00

MTV viewers voted for Heath's Joker as the Best Villain of 2008! The award ceremony took place on Sunday, May 31st and Heath's was the only award for The Dark Knight, which was also nominated for Best Movie, Best Fight Scene (Christian Bale VS Heath Ledger) and Best Male Performance for Christian Bale.

Happy Birthday Morgan Freeman!

2009-06-01T15:36:00.004+03:00

Morgan Freeman turns 72 today! We will see Morgan later this year as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood's The Human Factor. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Cillian Murphy!

2009-05-25T22:58:00.000+03:00

Happy birthday to Cillian Murphy, who turns 33 today!

Imaginarium Premiere!

2009-05-22T23:00:00.006+03:00

Heath's last movie The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus premiered today at Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits and Lilly Cole, it mingles between fantasy and reality.

TDK Classical BRIT Soundtrack of the Year!

2009-05-16T19:02:00.000+03:00

The Dark Knight Soundtrack "scored" yet another win in Thursday's Classical BRIT Awards! In a mesmerising ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard were honoured by a panel from film and television for their work in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed film. Other nominees in the soundtrack category were Paul Cantelon's The Other Boleyn Girl and James Newton Howard's I Am Legend. The awards will be telecast on ITV1 on Tuesday, May 19th, on 22:35 GMT.

Maggie and Peter married!

2009-05-04T23:19:00.006+03:00

On Saturday, May 2nd, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard got married, their rep confirmed. The wedding took place in a chapel at the Masseria hotel in Brindisi, Italy. Maggie's brother Jake Gyllenhaal and his girlfriend actress Reese Witherspoon attended the ceremony. May the couple, and their 2-year-old daughter Ramona, live happily.

Imaginarium Cannes Premiere May 22nd

2009-04-30T22:28:00.010+03:00

Heath's last film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus finally gets a date for a world premiere; it will light the big screen at the Cannes film festival on May 22nd.

This new Terry Gilliam picture tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his unusual traveling theatre show, the Imaginarium. Because of Heath's unfortunate passing during the making of the movie, his character Tony is also played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.

Michael Caine joins Inception

2009-04-26T10:29:00.006+03:00

Michael Caine proved prophetic when he said that Chris (Nolan)
won't do a movie without him! Caine officially has a small part in Nolan's new film Inception, according to Caine a very tiny part that he estimates would require him shooting it for around three days. Still, even in a small role, Caine is an excellent addition to an already exceptional cast, including DiCaprio, Murphy, Page and Cotillard and the latest addition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who we've previously seen alongside Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You.
"It’ll be extraordinary, wait until you see this one. I think if I say another word he’s going to kill me!", Caine said about the movie. Apparently, Nolan is firm about keeping the plot under tight wraps. Never mind, it does sound promising and won't keep us waiting very long with a release date a little over a year from now. Nolan is a spellbinding director and with the element of surprise on his side as well, he may stun us with this film.

TDK soundtrack nod in Classical BRIT Awards 2009

2009-04-23T20:18:00.006+03:00

Although the Academy Awards didn't do justice to The Dark Knight Soundtrack, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard hit the Classical BRIT Awards with a nomination in the Best Soundtrack 2009 category. Up against the Dark Knight nomination are Newton Howard's score for Will Smith's blockbuster I Am Legend and Paul Cantelon's soundtrack for The Other Boleyn Girl, which I have to say is wonderful and suits perfectly to the film. The Dark Knight nomination is probably the strongest one; after all, the joined forces of the two renowned composers have already won them this year's Grammy for Best Soundtrack. Anyway, all three composers have done amazing work and the nominations are well-deserved. The award ceremony will take place in the Royal Albert Hall on May 14.

Birthday: Jack Nicholson

2009-04-22T14:40:00.012+03:00

Jack Nicholson, 3-time Academy Award winner, Hollywood legend and the first film Joker, turns 72 today. We've recently watched him co-star with another Batman film actor, Morgan Freeman, in the wonderful film The Bucket List. Happy birthday!

Birthday: Eric Roberts

2009-04-18T15:24:00.001+03:00

Eric Roberts, Academy Award nominated actor who plays Salvatore Maroni in The Dark Knight, turns 53 today. Happy birthday!

Maggie to star in Nanny McPhee Sequel

2009-04-17T21:35:00.005+03:00

Maggie Gyllenhaal has signed up for a role in Nanny McPhee 2, the sequel of the 2005 film starring Emma Thompson. Also set to star are Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans and (rumoured) Maggie Smith.

New projects for Bale and Eckhart

2009-04-05T11:50:00.013+03:00

Christian Bale is said to be attached in a new thriller called "Prisoners", starring Mark Wahlberg and under the direction of Bryan Singer. The plot is about a man who turns vigilante after his daughter gets kidnapped.

Aaron Eckhart is in negotiations for a new project, a movie adaptation of the Broadway play Rabbit Hole, alongside Nicole Kidman. It's about a couple trying to regain happiness after being striken by tragedy.

Meanwhile, Aaron's film with Jennifer Aniston seems to have changed title; form Traveling, now it's listed in IMDb as Brand New Day, with a release date in September.

We will see Aaron in the sci-fi "Battle: Los Angeles" and in The Rum Diary, which he's currently filming with Johnny Depp and Richard Jenkins.

Bale will also appear with Depp, in Public Enemies. Other than that, we'll see him in Killing Pablo (release date 2011) and in the awaited Terminator: Salvation this summer.

Heath Ledger's birthday

2009-04-04T17:52:00.019+03:00

30 years ago, on this very day, Heathcliff Andrew Ledger came to this world, and although he left it very soon himself, he left behind a legacy that will stay for a long, long time. Here's to the birth of a great artist. God bless you, Heath.

2009-04-02T14:54:00.000+03:00

Murphy, Page and Cotillard in talks for Nolan's Inception

2009-04-02T13:18:00.027+03:00

Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page and Marion Cotillard are said to be in talks for joining Chris Nolan's new project, Inception.

Page and Murphy already have an upcoming film together, Peacock, while Cotillard will appear in Public Enemies alongside Christian Bale and Johnny Depp and in the star-studded musical Nine with Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench and Penelope Cruz.

Now, take this with a grain of salt; there has been a little speculation whether Inception is actually the next Batman film's fake title (Nolan had done that in The Dark Knight, which was at first known as Rory's First Kiss, Rory being the name of Chris' son), which is backed by the rumours that DiCaprio may be in the next Batman film; we'll see, although recently Michael Caine said that due to Inception, a TDK sequel will be postponed for a while, indicating they are different projects.

Credit for Nolan photo: Sipa Press / Rex Features

Jameson Empire Awards Honour The Dark Knight

2009-03-30T15:27:00.015+03:00

The Dark Knight had yet another great victory, in the Jameson Empire Awards in London last night.

The 2008 picture won Best Film, an award accepted by Kevin De La Noy and Cillian Murphy. Chris Nolan won Best Director for The Dark Knight and expressed his thanks in a videotaped speech from L.A.

Another videotaped speech from L.A. was delivered by Christian Bale,who won Best Actor for his portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight and thanked the voters and his director for his excellent work.

Cillian Murphy Credit: Jeff Spicer / Alpha All photos belong to their respective owners.

The awards honoured the late Heath Ledger as well, with a special tribute award for his outstanding work and a video tribute to him, where Nolan and Bale paid homage to the great actor.

Happy Birthday Gary Oldman!

2009-03-21T16:15:00.012+02:00

Gary Oldman, the well-known and talented actor who stars in Nolan's Batman films as Jim Gordon, also famous for his performance of Dracula and Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series, turns 51 today! We wish you a very happy birthday Gary!

Videoclips directed by Ledger to be released

2009-03-17T23:48:00.007+02:00

There are said to be 2 videoclips that Heath directed before he died that are about to be released soon. The first is a videoclip for the song King Rat from the Seattle band's Modest Mouse 2007 album "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank"- King Rat was a bonus track. The videoclip that Heath directed for the song is said to feature animation by Terry Gilliam, although I have seen the name Daniel Auber listed in BBC news as the animator of the project.

The second videoclip Ledger directed is of a cover of David Bowie's Quicksand by Grace Woodroofe, due out later this year as part of the latter's debut solo album.

The video for King Rat was, according to BBC, screened at a tribute to the late singer - songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974 at 26 from an overdose of an anti-depressant drug.

Happy Birthday Sir Michael Caine!

2009-03-14T16:01:00.005+02:00

A very happy birthday to TDK's Alfred Pennyworth, acting legend Sir Michael Caine, who turns 76 today.

Happy Birthday Aaron Eckhart!

2009-03-12T14:28:00.002+02:00

Aaron Eckhart, TDK's Harvey Dent/Two-Face, turns 41 today. We wish you a very happy birthday Aaron!

DiCaprio to take lead role in Nolan's Inception

2009-03-04T16:48:00.006+02:00

Leonardo DiCaprio is said to be in the last round of negotiations for taking the lead part in Chris Nolan's new film Inception. DiCaprio recently wrapped up Shutter Island, a Martin Scorcese film where he stars alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer and Michelle Williams and his official site has not posted anything on Inception, so we can't be certain yet. Sounds great to me, Nolan and DiCaprio working together, they're both amazing at their work. Inception has a release date for July 16, 2010. We'll see how things turn out...

It's the Oscars everyone!

2009-02-24T23:59:00.003+02:00

The 81st Annual Academy Awards

Hugh Jackman proved to be a brilliant host, delivering a mesmerizing opening number, a tribute to some of the most important films of the year: Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, The Dark Knight, Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader and The Wrestler. His duet with Anne Hathaway was astounding, not to mention the dancing part, one of my favourites, Hugh rocked!!!

There were a few differences this year in the presentation. For each actor award, five previous winners in that category presented and praised this year’s nominees. Great innovation, in my humble opinion, it gave a sense of prestige to the academy and the ceremony and was very moving and personal for the nominated actors.The winners of the Academy’s acting awards were: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn for Milk
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet for The Reader
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Moving acceptance speeches were delivered by Sean, Kate, Penelope and Heath’s parents and sister Kate, who accepted his award on behalf of his 3-year-old daughter Matilda. Overall, Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner, it scored 8 out of its 10 nominations. Its Three Musketeers all won an Oscar, Christian Colson for Best Picture, Danny Boyle for Best Directing and Simon Beaufoy for Best Adapted Screenplay. Anthony Dod Mantle won for Best Cinematography and A.R. Rahman won for Best Score and Best Song for Jai Ho.

Richard King won Best Sound Editing for The Dark Knight, which scored two awards out of its eight nominations. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button won for Best Visual Effects, Best Make Up and Best Art Direction.

Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Danny Boyle
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn for Milk
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet for The Reader
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Screenplay Original: Dustin Lance Black for Milk
Screenplay Adapted: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire
Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume Design: The Duchess
Make Up: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Visual Effects: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Original Score: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song: Jai Ho, A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
Foreign Language Film: Departures
Animated Feature: WALL-E
Animated Short Film: La Maison En Petites Cubes
Live-Action Short Film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Documentary Feature: Man On Wire
Documentary Short: Smile Pinki
Honorary: Jerry Lewis

TDK Academy Award for Sound Editing

2009-02-24T23:57:00.003+02:00

TDK is now an Academy Award winning film!!! The Dark Knight was honoured with 2 gold statuettes in the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22nd. Except for the "locked" award for Best Supporing Actor for Ledger, The Dark Knight also won for Best Sound Editing, by Richard King. Congratulations! He offered us a grand experience in the cinemas, the sound was indeed remarkable, dare I say flawless, so a very much deserved award.

Heath Ledger Academy Award Winner!!!!!

2009-02-24T23:33:00.004+02:00

Delayed post, but I wanted to watch the awards myself and couldn't make it before today.
The 81st Academy Awards honoured Heath's performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight as the best in a male supporting role!
Congratulations Heath! A well deserved award, accepted by Heath's parents and sister Kate, with moving speeches from all three of them.
Heath, thank you for your astounding contribution to the art of film making. Your memory will be with us, your faithful fans, for ever.

And the Oscar goes to...

2009-02-22T21:41:00.005+02:00

We are to find out soon! Only hours to go before the 81st Academy Awards! Hopefully our prayers for Heath's recognition from the Academy will be answered. Good luck Heath, fingers crossed!

Also, good luck to all the other nominated artists and technicians who worked on The Dark Knight! Who knows, it could even get 8 out of 8 awards! Even if it doesn't, that won't diminish the value of the film at all, but all acknowledgement from the Academy is welcome, the nomination is on its own a great honour. Anyway, we hope for the best!

And let the awards begin!

Next Nolan project not a TDK sequel

2009-02-16T20:33:00.005+02:00

It appears that the next film that Christopher Nolan will direct won't be a sequel to The Dark Knight. The Internet Movie Database lists a different project called Inception as being currently in production and to be released in 2010. Nolan is said to have written the original script for the movie, which is a sci-fi action thriller. That doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be a third Batman film by Nolan, he could still decide to make another; he did The Prestige between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Anyway, whatever he decides to do, it will be interesting to watch his next film; as Eckhart said, Chris is such a creative genius.

Nolan receives ASC Award

2009-02-16T19:28:00.003+02:00

The 23rd Annual ACS Outstanding Achievements Awards took place last night and presented Christopher Nolan with the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Board of Governors Award. The latter is awarded annually to "an individual who has made significant contributions to advancing the art of filmmaking".

Congratulations to Chris for this tremendous win.

The Dark Knight Soundtrack Wins Grammy!

2009-02-11T10:44:00.008+02:00

A much deserved win for Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, as their score/soundtrack album beat its fellow nominees in the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. The nominated musical pieces were recordings released during the Eligibility Year October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008.

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media.)

The Dark Knight

James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer, composers

[Warner Sunset/Warner Bros.]

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

John Williams, composer

[Concord Records]

Iron Man

Ramin Djawadi, composer

[Lionsgate]

There Will Be Blood

Jonny Greenwood, composer

[Nonesuch Records]

Wall-E

Thomas Newman, composer

[Walt Disney Records/Pixar]

BAFTA award winner Heath Ledger!

2009-02-10T13:55:00.004+02:00

Heath Ledger won the Bafta award for best supporting actor on Sunday night, beating fellow nominees Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr, Brad Pitt and Brendan Gleeson. This year, no one stands a chance against Heath's Joker! I still can't believe how he lost the Satellite Award for supporting actor, at least Michael Shannon who did win it was quite good himself in Revolutionary Road. He won't get the Oscar, though, that's a lock for Heath. Should the Academy not recognise him, there will be chaos from the press and movie lovers all over the world. Go Heath, one last challenge to conquer...

Happy Birthday Christian Bale!

2009-01-30T14:55:00.001+02:00

A very happy birthday to our favorite Batman Christian Bale, who turns 35 today.

SAG Awards: Heath wins again

2009-01-26T23:43:00.006+02:00

Heath triumphs this awards season, adding the Screen Actors Guild Award for best supporting actor in his collection. An emotional Gary Oldman accepted the Actor (that's how they call the SAG statuette) on Heath's behalf, remembering him as an extraordinary actor and an extraordinary person.

Academy Award Nominations Announced

2009-01-22T17:12:00.004+02:00

The Dark Knight was honoured with 8 nominations in this year's Academy Award shortlist. Although it did not get a nod in the main categories Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score (as I personally hoped, TDK was the film of the year and not just because of the box office record, it was artistically phenomenal), the awaited Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination is there for TDK and will probably result in a win for Heath. Fingers crossed! Wally Pfister is up for Best Cinematography and we have high hopes of him winning, as well as in the make up and sound (editing and mixing) categories.

Here are this year's nominees:

Best motion picture of the year

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year

“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in directing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

Best documentary feature

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

Best foreign language film of the year

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

Best animated short film

“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
“Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
“This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
“Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Adapted screenplay

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay

“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

In Memoriam: Heath Ledger

2009-01-22T11:05:00.005+02:00

It's been a year since Heath Ledger's unfortunate passing and this year he's been on our minds a lot. He's been greatly admired for his luminous Joker and dearly missed. Though the future of cinema seems less bright without him, his work has been a great inspiration and he will not be forgotten. As Chris Nolan said accepting the late actor's Golden Globe, Heath has built for himself a special place in the history of cinema. We can honour and celebrate his talent by watching his films and keeping a place for him in our hearts.

Heath, you are indeed much missed and not forgotten. Rest in peace.

Heath won!!!!!

2009-01-12T09:23:00.007+02:00

Posthumous Golden Globe for Heath Ledger! Excellent news for Heath's fans, as the late actor was honoured with this coveted award. Chris Nolan received on behalf and gave a moving speech praising Heath's work on The Dark Knight and the place he has created in film history for himself these past few years.

Golden Globes tonight!!!

2009-01-11T19:41:00.000+02:00

The 66th Golden Globes are to take place tonight, at last! Fingers crossed for Heath Ledger, hopefully his luminous performance will be rewarded, his Joker truly was a revelation.

14th Annual Critics Choice Awards today

2009-01-08T11:37:00.014+02:00

The Dark Knight will battle in 6 categories in the 14th Annual Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles tonight. Good luck!

BEST PICTURE
Nominees:
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Nominees: Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
James Franco - Milk

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Nominees:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Milk
Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR
Nominees:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant - Milk

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Nominees:
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum of Solace
Wanted

BEST COMPOSER
Nominees:
Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
Danny Elfman - Milk
Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

People's Choice Awards - TDK Soars!

2009-01-08T10:03:00.004+02:00

The 35th People's Choice Awards honoured yesterday The Dark Knight with 5 awards, including Best Movie and Best On Screen Match Up, for Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger.

Favorite Movie
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man

Favorite Action Movie
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man

Favorite Cast
The Dark Knight
Mamma Mia!
Sex And The City

Favorite On Screen Match Up
Christian Bale and Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Shia LaBeouf and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones)
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (Baby Mama)

Favorite Superhero
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
Will Smith as John Hancock

Favorite Male Action Star
Will Smith
Christian Bale
Robert Downey Jr.

Favorite Leading Man
Brad Pitt
Christian Bale
Mark Wahlberg

Heath has swept supporting actor awards!

2008-12-21T22:43:00.007+02:00

So far, The Dark Knight has been considered in most awards for motion pictures, with Heath winning the Best Supporting Actor Award almost every time. To be precise, the only case where I've seen him lose was at the Satellite Awards, to Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road, which I haven't watched yet, therefore cannot assess, but I highly doubt ANYONE has achieved Heath's level of performing.

Below are listed the categories in which The Dark Knight won in various awards.

EDA ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Best Actor in Supporting Role
Heath Ledger - Dark Knight

Unforgettable Moment Award (Tie)
Dark Knight: Joker’s first scene
Slumdog Millionaire: Young Jamal jumps into the poop

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Chicago Critics Awards
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Cinematography
Wally Pfister – The Dark Knight

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 2008 Awards
Top 10 Films of the Year

Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Dark Knight
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Wrestler
The Visitor
Frost/Nixon
Doubt
Wall-E
Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin - Milk
Eddie Marsan - Happy-Go-Lucky
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Best Director

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Best Cinematography

Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight
followed by Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Detroit Film Critics Society 2008

Film:Slumdog Millionaire
Other nominees: The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, WALL-E, The Wrestler

Best Director:Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Other nominees:Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton, WALL-E

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Other nominees:James Franco, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Florida Film Critics Circle 2008 Awards
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Cinematography
Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight

Houston Film Critics Society Awards
Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

(International Press Academy) 13th Annual Satellite Awards
Winners listed below in orange

Best Director
Thomas McGarthy - The Visitor
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader

Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Rade Sherbedgia - Fugitive Pieces
James Franco - Milk
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Visual Effects
Quantum Of Solace
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Australia

Film Editing
Quantum Of Solace
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
Australia
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon

Sound (Mixing And Editing)
Quantum Of Solace
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
Australia
WALL-E
The Day The Earth Stood Still

Los Angeles Film Critics Association 2008 Awards
Best Picture: WALL-E
Runner-up: THE DARK KNIGHT

Director: Danny Boyle, "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "THE DARK KNIGHT”

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "THE DARK KNIGHT"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "HAPPY-GO-LUCKY"

Production Design: Mark Friedberg, "SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK"
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, "THE DARK KNIGHT"

National Board of Review Awards
Best film
Slumdog Millionaire

Top 10 Films (in alphabetical order)
Burn After Reading
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Grand Torino
Milk
WALL-E
The Wrestler

2008 NYFCO FILM AWARDS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

BEST PICTURES (alphabetical)
Che
A Christmas Tale
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Happy-Go-Lucky
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler

2008 PHOENIX FILM CRITICS SOCIETY AWARDS
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Top Ten Films of 2008 (in alphabetical order):
 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
 The Dark Knight
 Frost/Nixon
 In Bruges
 Milk
 The Reader
 Slumdog Millionaire
 The Visitor
 WALL-E
 The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Production Design: The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects: The Dark Knight

Best Stunts: The Dark Knight

2008 SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS SOCIETY AWARDS
Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire
Runner-up: The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

2008 SOUTHEASTERN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
BEST PICTURE
Milk
Runners-up:
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. WALL-E
4. The Dark Knight
5. The Wrestler
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. The Reader
8. The Visitor
9. Frost/Nixon
10. Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Runner-up: Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder

St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards
Winners listed below in orange

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
Wall-E

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin (Milk)
Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
John Malkovich (Burn After Reading)
Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
Jeffrey Wright (Cadillac Records)

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
Gus Van Sant (Milk)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins (Revolutionary Road)
Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight)
Harris Savides (Milk)
Mandy Walker (Australia)

BEST MUSIC (SOUNDTRACK OR SCORE, ORIGINAL OR ADAPTED)
Cadillac Records
The Dark Knight
Gran Torino
The Visitor
Wall-E

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Speed Racer
Wall-E

Toronto Film Critics Association 2008 Awards
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Runners-up:
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr, Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) 2008 Awards
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Top Ten Lists
Roger Ebert’s 20 best films for 2008

This year’s Roger Ebert Top 10 Movie List is twice as big.
“In these hard times, you deserve two ‘best films’ lists for the price of one. It is therefore with joy that I list the 20 best films of 2008, in alphabetical order. I am violating the age-old custom that film critics announce the year's 10 best films, but after years of such lists, I've had it. A best films list should be a celebration of wonderful films, not a chopping process.”

Ballast
The Band's Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W.
Wall-E

IFA Top Ten 2008
1. The Dark Knight
2. WALL-E
3. Man On Wire
4. Milk
5. Slumdog Millionaire
6. The Counterfeiters
7. Iron Man
8. Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father
9. Shine A Light
10. The Visitor

Semifinals: 15 in Running for 2008 Visual Effects Oscar®

2008-12-18T20:39:00.000+02:00

Official Academy Awards Press Release

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that 15 films were selected as semifinalists for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 81st Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
“Australia”
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
“Cloverfield”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Day the Earth Stood Still”
“Hancock”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
“The Incredible Hulk”
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
“Iron Man”
“Journey to the Center of the Earth”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
“Quantum of Solace”
“The Spiderwick Chronicles”

In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who voted the semifinalists, will narrow the list to seven.
On Thursday, January 15, all members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.
The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Heath gets a Golden Globe nomination!

2008-12-11T17:54:00.000+02:00

Heath Ledger officially stands a chance to win at the 66th Golden Globes as Best Supporting Actor. The nominations were announced today and fortunately Heath was not forgotten; his performance was indeed one of a kind and hopefully he will win as well. Heath’s is the only Golden Globe nomination for The Dark Knight, though, which does not appear in any other category. That’s a shame, in my humble opinion, I think it’s by far the best movie of the year, I was expecting at least three more nominations (Best Movie – Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay).

Anyway, fingers crossed for Heath!

Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture Nominations
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

TDK DVD out today!!! Review: The Dark Knight

2008-12-10T12:39:00.002+02:00

Why So Serious?

A truly phenomenal movie, exceeds all expectations. Nolan's first installment of the caped crusader, Batman Begins, was really enjoyable; other Batman films from the older days seemed funny in comparison. Yet, this... The Dark Knight is impeccable. Chris Nolan has created a masterpiece, a mesmerising cinematic experience not to be missed. The direction and the dialogues are both excellent, personally I did not expect such a smart, well-written script, with original twists. The action scenes bear a wonderful musicality in them, the score fits perfectly with the film and sets its tone. Zimmer and Newton Howard have taken their Batman Begins soundtrack a step further and the result's great.

The entire cast deliver extraordinary performances. Bale is undeniably the best Batman so far, totally love the way he voices him. Heath Ledger cannot be praised enough... His portrayal of the Joker was inspired and truly flawless. Definitely worthy of an Academy Award, even though it would be posthumous. In my mind, it would be preposterous for Heath not to receive an Oscar nod for this. Aaron Eckhart is outstanding as Harvey Dent /Two-Face, same for Maggie Gyllenhaal, who replaces in this film Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes brilliantly. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine perform tremendously, as usual. Not to be forgotten are the actors who played smaller roles, but still deliver admirably and helped make the movie a first-rate achievement.

Nolan's vision of Gotham is very realistic, could be the actual situation in a modern day city, like Chicago. The cast don't go too far with their performances either, they don't push the scenes over the edge, everything is very believable.