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2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

10 articles from 2009

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Is Avatar the Timeliest Movie of the Year?

14 December 2009 1:21 PM, PST | Vanity Fair | See recent Vanity Fair news »

As we hurry up and wait for a clearer picture of the ten-nominee Best Picture race to emerge, a key concept driving much pre-season speculation is “timeliness.” Variety’s Todd McCarthy may have started it, with a Sundance wrap-up piece declaring eventual Oscar hopefuls as disparate as An Education, Precious and the environmental documentary The Cove to be “emblematic” of the “start of the Obama age.” The relevancy torch has since been carried by Frank Rich, who recently effused that Up in the Air “captures the distinctive topography of our Great Recession as vividly as a far more dour Hollywood product of 70 years ago, ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ did the vastly different landscape of the Great Depression,” and by fans on Twitter, arguing the “zeitgeisty” merits of Jason Reitman’s film versus those of The Hurt Locker and Precious. Timeliness is not always next to godliness as far as the Academy is concerned. »

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The Messenger

4 December 2009 7:08 AM, PST | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »

Quickcard Review

The Messenger

Directed by: Oren Moverman

Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton

Running Time: 1 hr 48 min

Rating: R

Release Date: December 4, 2009

Plot: Sergeant Will Montgomery (Foster) and Sergeant Anthony Stone (Harrelson) are the soldiers who have the unenviable task of notifying army families after a soldier dies in battle.

Who’S It For? It’s an emotional story, with a different perspective. We are watching soldiers deal with delivering bad news, instead of just watching families grieve.

Overall

War, what is it good for? Movies. Infinity is exactly how many movies can be made about war. Here’s a new one. The story of messenger’s delivering the worst news possible to families in an incredibly griping tale.

Will Montgomery has been selected after an injury sent him home. He tries to tell his superiors that it’s not a job for him because of his beliefs, »

- Jeff Bayer

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Susan Sarandon at Stockholm Film Festival

29 November 2009 8:14 PM, PST | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »

Susan Sarandon, the star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pretty Baby, Atlantic City, Thelma & Louise, Lorenzo’s Oil, The Client, and one of the leads in Peter Jackson’s upcoming The Lovely Bones, was honored with the 2009 Stockholm Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Sarandon, who won an Oscar for Dead Man Walking, was in Stockholm to receive her special Bronze Horse. Photo: Johan Gunnarsson Among Sarandon’s other screen credits are The Other Side of Midnight, Loving Couples, The Hunger, The Buddy System, The Witches of Eastwick, Bull Durham, Twilight (not the Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart vampire tale), Elizabethtown, The Greatest, In the Valley of Elah, Enchanted, Speed Racer, and the upcoming Peacock and Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. Sarandon [...] »

- Joan Lister

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Messenger, The | Review

16 November 2009 11:02 AM, PST | SmellsLikeScreenSpirit | See recent SmellsLikeScreenSpirit news »

Director: Oren Moverman Writer(s): Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone After recovering from wounds inflicted during a tour of duty in Iraq, the heroically decorated Will (Ben Foster) is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification Office in the drab environs of suburban New Jersey. Upon his return stateside, Will is greeted with some flowers and a shag by Kelly (Jena Malone) – the girl he left behind. Unfortunately, this hello is also goodbye as Kelly is engaged to another man. Despite his cool expression we know that Will is emotionally devastated. Will’s superior officer, Tony (Woody Harrelson), is a recovering alcoholic carrying other apparent psychological baggage as well. Tony catholically abides by the casualty notification manual – meaning that he avoids any gestures of sympathy (most importantly he does not touch the next of kin) – and his goal is to get »

- Don Simpson

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The Next Three Days Cast Keeps Getting Bigger

29 September 2009 8:36 AM, PDT | cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news »

Even though Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days is really just a drama about one family and a falsely imprisoned wife, the cast keeps ballooning by the day. Today THR reports that Olivia Wilde and Jonathan Tucker have signed on as well, joining the movie that starts filming in Pittsburgh this week. Wilde, who you may recognize from House or a really silly role in Year One, will play "a young mother who befriends the husband," while Tucker, of Haggis' earlier film In the Valley of Elah, will play a guy running a meth lab. No idea who someone trying to get his wife freed from jail would encounter a meth lab, but that must be Haggis' special skills at work. The film already stars Elizabeth Banks as the woman tossed in jail and Russell Crowe as her husband, trying desperately to free her. »

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Wilde And Tucker Join Next Three Days

29 September 2009 12:54 AM, PDT | EmpireOnline | See recent EmpireOnline news »

Paul Haggis begins filming his new movie, the Russell Crowe/Elizabeth Banks-starring thriller The Next Three Days, this week and, just in the nick of time, he’s fleshed out his cast with Olivia Wilde and Jonathan Tucker.Wilde, the unbelievably gorgeous House star who’s slowly but surely turning her attentions to movies (she’ll next be seen in Tron: Legacy), will play a woman who befriends Crowe’s character as he tries to exonerate his wife (Banks) of a murder she claims she didn’t commit. We’ve no idea if ‘befriends’ has any bouncy-bouncy connotations at this juncture, by the way.Tucker, who worked with Haggis on In The Valley Of Elah, will play a street thug – or urban entrepreneur, if you will - who runs a meth lab. So clearly the flick, based on the French movie Pour Elle, will take Crowe into some pretty murky areas. »

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Exclusive Video: Charlize Theron Discusses Her Role in The Burning Plain

18 September 2009 12:47 PM, PDT | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

Charlize Theron began her career as just another pretty face in movies like 2 Days In The Valley and The Cider House Rules, but it was her star-turning role in the Academy Award winning film, Monster that earned her not only an Oscar but also the respect of her critics and peers alike. She followed that up with a strong performance in the film In the Valley of Elah and another Oscar nomination for her work in North Country. Now, the acclaimed actress is back again with a gritty, realistic and heart-shattering performance in Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut, "The Burning Plain. I had the opportunity to speak exclusively with Charlize Theron about her powerful new performance in the film, which opens on September 18th.

Guillermo Arriaga makes his directorial debut with The Burning Plain, a film about regret and crippling loss. Charlize Theron plays Sylvia, a woman on the verge of suicide, »

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The Hollywood Film Festival Announces Craft Honorees

8 September 2009 5:59 AM, PDT | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

The 13th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards, presented by Starz, are pleased to announce their craft honorees for this year's Hollywood Awards. The festival and awards will mark their return on October 21 for a weeklong series of screenings, competitions and awards.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins, A.S.C., will receive the "Hollywood Cinematographer Award," Composer Alexandre Desplat, Bmi, will be given the "Hollywood Film Composer Award," editor Dana Glauberman, A.C.E., will be honored with the "Hollywood Editor Award," production designer Rick Carter, A.D.G., will receive the "Hollywood Production Designer Award" and costume designer Colleen Atwood, C.D.G., will be honored with the "Hollywood Costume Designer Award."

The Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 26, 2009.

"We are honored to have these exceptionally talented artists honored for their outstanding work and creative vision at this year's festival, »

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Elizabeth Banks Fancies Some Haggis

25 August 2009 12:41 AM, PDT | EmpireOnline | See recent EmpireOnline news »

The lovely, charming, and talented Elizabeth Banks is in talks to star in Paul Haggis’ latest flick, the suspense thriller, The Next Three Days.Based on the recent French hit, Pour Elle, Banks – who’s increasingly dipping into serious roles after a string of comedic movies made her name - would play Laura, a woman who’s jailed for a murder she didn’t commit (or did she? Etc. etc.). Russell Crowe has already signed on to play the husband who won’t, in the grandest tradition of Reeves & Mortimer, let it lie, and so begins his own investigation.Sounds like it could be a pretty interesting thriller, and it certainly gives Haggis a chance to stretch as a director after the dramas, Crash and In The Valley Of Elah. Of course, this all means that we’re still no closer to a Due South movie, but we can still dream, »

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Battle For Haditha DVD Review

9 January 2009 11:00 AM, PST | Spout.com | See recent Spout news »

At the cinema, 2008 was the year when it was hip to depart from the moral outrage any conscientious individual might feel about our countries’ on going illegal and immoral war 6,000 miles away. Light satire, be it of the buddy (Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay) or “five minutes in the future, things will be even more remarkably Fubar” variety (War Inc.) were fashionable. Stop-Loss, much like last year’s ill conceived Lions for Lambs, luke warm Rendition and sneakily powerful In the Valley of Elah, was too sincere for most audience members and a large swath of critics’ taste. On the other hand, did we really need Morgan Spurlock to go looking for Osama ... »

- Brandon Harris

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2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

10 articles from 2009

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