BuzzSugar

The Oscar Shorts: Coming to a Theater Near You?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:30:00 PST

In case my recent posts on the Oscar-nominated short films have piqued your interest in seeing the little gems for yourself, there's good news: The films start making their way around the country today thanks to Magnolia Pictures. One program shows all five of the live-action short films, while the other combines the five animated shorts. I went to both shows last year and highly recommend them: It's great to see films like this that so rarely make it into theaters.

If your city doesn't have the shorts yet, don't worry - they'll be touring around the country even after the Oscars are handed out. To see where they're playing so far and what other cities already have planned stops, just

read more. IN THEATERS NOW Alaska Anchorage: Out North Arizona Tempe: Valley Art 1 Theatre Tucson: The Loft Cinema California Berkeley: Shattuck Cinemas Los Angeles: The Landmark Pasadena: Laemmle's One Colorado Cinemas Sacramento: Crest Theatre San Diego: Hillcrest Cinemas San Francisco: Embarcadero Center Cinema San Rafael: Smith Rafael Film Center Santa Cruz: Nickelodeon Theatres Colorado Boulder: International Film Series Denver: Chez Artiste Connecticut Hartford: Real Art Ways Cinema Norwalk: Garden Cinemas Norwalk 4 Stamford: Avon Twin Theatre Delaware Wilmington: Theater N at Demours Florida Bradenton: Lakewood Ranch 6 Fort Lauderdale: Cinema Paradiso Lake Worth: Lake Worth Playhouse Tallahassee: Tallahassee Film Society, Inc Georgia Atlanta: Midtown Art Cinemas 8 Hawaii Honolulu: Doris Duke Theatre Illinois Chicago: Landmark's Century Centre Cinema Indiana Indianapolis: Key Cinemas Iowa Iowa City: University of Iowa, Bijou Theater Kansas Salina: Salina Art Center Maine Brunswick: Frontier Cafe Ellsworth: Grand Theatre Rockland: Strand Theatre Maryland Baltimore: Landmark Harbor East 7 Massachusetts Brookline: Coolidge Corner Theatre Pittsfield: Colonial Theatre Michigan Detroit: Detroit Institute of Art Ann Arbor: Michigan Theater Minnesota Minneapolis: Lagoon Cinema Missouri Kansas City: Tivoli @ Manor Square Springfield: Moxie Cinema University City: Tivoli Theatre Nebraska Omaha: Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater New Hampshire Concord, NH: Red River 3 New Jersey Cape May: Cape May Beach 4 New Mexico Santa Fe: The Screen New York Albany: Spectrum Glens Falls: Charles R. Wood Theater aka Wood Theatre Hudson: Time and Space Limited Hunter: The Mountain Ithaca: Cornell Cinema New York: IFC Center Rochester: Little Theatre North Carolina Charlotte: Ballantyne Village 5 Wilmington: Cucalorus Film Foundation Ohio Columbus: Gateway 8 Cleveland Heights: Cedar Lee Theatres Oklahoma Oklahoma City: Oklahoma City Museum of Art Tulsa: Circle Theatre Oregon Portland: Hollywood Theatre Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg: Pocono Harrisburg: Midtown Cinema Philadelphia: Ritz 5 Movies Pittsburgh: Regent Square Theater Tennessee Nashville: Belcourt Theatre Texas Austin: Alamo South Lamar Dallas: Magnolia Theatre - Dallas San Antonio: Santikos Bijou @ Crossroads 6 Utah Salt Lake City: Tower Theatre Washington Seattle: Varsity Theatre Washington, DC E Street Cinema Wisconsin Madison: Sundance Cinemas 608 COMING SOON Feb. 22 Boulder, CO: International Film Series Norwalk, CT: Garden Cinemas Norwalk 4 Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa, Bijou Theater Rochester, NY: Little Theatre Salt Lake City, UT: Tower Theatre Feb. 23 Tallahassee, FL: Tallahassee Film Society, Inc Wichita, KS: Wichita Public Library Feb. 25 Durham, NC: Carolina Theatre - Durham Feb. 28 Boston, MA: Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater Feb. 29 Santa Rosa, CA: Rialto Cinemas Lakeside Pelham, NY: Pelham Picture House Fort Worth, TX: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Milwaukee, WI: Times Cinema March 4 Utica, NY: Munson Cinema March 6 Hollywood, CA: Egyptian Theatre March 7 Provincetown, MA: New Art Cinema March 8 Napa, CA: Jarvis Conservatory March 13 Reno, NV: Reno Film Festival March 14 Amherst, MA: Amherst Cinema Arts Center 3 March 18 Reno, NV: Nevada Musuem of Art March 19 Bryn Mawr, PA: Bryn Mawr Film Institute March 28 Albuquerque, NM: Guild April 18 Fresno, CA: Fresno Filmworks c/o Tower Theatre April 27 Grande Prairie, AB: Grande Prairie Live Theatre

Oscar Nominees: The Live-Action Short Films

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:30:00 PST

The short film categories used to be some of the most obscure at Oscar time, but recently, I've come to appreciate these little gems. Online video has made it easier to track down the shorts before I have to fill out my Oscar balot, and now they eventually hit theaters and even iTunes.

I recently showcased this year's five animated shorts nominees, and today, I'm highlighting the five contenders in the Live Action Short Film category. They're an interesting bunch, from a satire about a substitute teacher to a somber look at life in a cancer ward. To check out clips of the five films, just

read more. Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets) This French film has one of the most interesting premises in the category this year: Two thieves have their lives changed when they somehow wind up adopting a deaf, homeless boy. It looks like I'll have to wait till the films are in theaters to see this one with its subtitles, but if you speak French, you're in luck. Be sure to tell the rest of us what's happening in this clip:

Om Natten (At Night) At Night is the longest film in this category, and it seems like the heaviest. The Danish film focuses on three young women spending the holidays in a cancer ward. While the clip below feels bleak and moody, the film also makes a point of showing the patients' sense of humor and love of life.

Tanghi Argentini This Belgian film is described as a modern fairy tale set in an office, where a clerk enlists the help of his coworkers as he attempts to learn the tango for a blind date. The film, which is set at Christmastime, eventually becomes a fable about giving. At first glance, it reminds me a bit of the delightful Japanese version of Shall We Dance?

The Tonto Woman This short is based on a short story of the same name by Elmore Leonard, who also wrote 3:10 to Yuma. The film revolves around a cattle rustler who meets and befriends a woman who is struggling to readjust to society after being held captive by the Mojave Indians for more than a decade. You can watch several clips of the film on YouTube. Here's one:

Il Supplente (The Substitute) This Italian film was one of the shorts shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. In it, a new substitute teacher turns up in a high school classroom, trading insults and sarcastic barbs with a room full of rowdy kids. The kids actually wind up getting excited about school - until a secret about the substitute is revealed. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any clips of this one, but you can buy the film for $1.99 on iTunes - or watch a clip there for free.
Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

Get the Oscar Shorts on iTunes!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 08:30:24 PST

Remember when I said I wished the Oscar-nominated shorts would make their way to the iTunes store? Well, it's happened. Now, you can buy nine of the 10 nominated movies for just $1.99 each. All five of the live-action shorts are there, along with four of the animated shorts - the only one missing is Pixar's Lifted, which comes out this summer.

You can also see if the shorts will be coming to a theater near you. And to get a taste of the nominated films (and see a few for free), check out my take on the live-action movies or the animated shorts.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

The Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Now Playing at a Theater Near You?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:52:18 PST

I never have any shortage of opinions when it comes to my Oscar predictions in the major categories. But since I don't normally get to see the animated shorts or live-action short films, I'm left totally clueless or faking my way through uninformed opinions. Thankfully, not only are many of the films online this year, but Magnolia Pictures has also put together a program featuring all 10 short-film nominees, including No Time For Nuts (above) and West Bank Story, plus a few other indie shorts.

Lest you think this art-house assortment is only coming to New York and Los Angeles, have no fear. The program is now playing in more than 35 cities and will expand to 25 more theaters nationwide in the coming weeks. To see the full list of locations,

read more The 10-film program of Oscar-nominated shorts is now playing at these locations: Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa, Bijou Theater Atlanta, GA: Midtown Art Cinemas 8 Brookline, MA: Coolidge Corner Theatre Ithaca, NY: Cornell Cinema Chicago, IL: Music Box Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Art Museum Columbus, OH: Gateway 8 Santa Fe, NM: CCA Cinematheque Austin, TX: Dobie Theatre Houston, TX: Greenway 3 Theatre Dallas, TX: Magnolia Theatre - Dallas San Antonio, TX: Santikos Embassy 14 Boulder, CO: International Film Series Denver, CO: Starz Filmcenter Detroit, MI: Detroit Institute of Art Indianapolis, IN: Key Cinemas Springfield, MO: Moxie Cinema Salina, KS: Salina Art Center Kansas City, MO: Screenland Theatre Honolulu, HI: Doris Duke Theatre Tucson, AZ: Loft Cinema Twin West Los Angeles, CA: Nuart Theatre Milwaukee, WI: Times Cinema Minneapolis, MN: Lagoon Cinema Hartford, CT: Real Art Ways Cinema Pleasantville, NY: Jacob Burns Film Center New York, NY: IFC Center Tulsa, OK: Circle Theatre Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City Museum of Art Dover, DE: Schwartz Center for Arts Pittsburgh, PA: Harris Theatre Portland, OR: Cinema 21 Theatre Seattle, WA: Varsity Theatre San Francisco, CA: Lumiere Theatre Berkeley, CA: Shattuck Cinemas San Rafael, CA: Smith Rafael Film Center Salt Lake City, UT: Tower Theatre University City, MO: Tivoli Theatre The Oscar shorts are coming soon to these locations: 2/23/2007 Hollywood, CA: Egyptian Theatre San Diego, CA: Ken Cinema Santa Rosa, CA: Rialto Cinemas Lakeside South Lake Tahoe, CA: Lake Tahoe Community College Washington, DC: E Street Cinema Maplewood, MN: Plaza Maplewood Theatre University Park, PA: PSU GSA CAFE Film Committee Fort Worth, TX: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 2/24/2007 Wichita, KS: Wichita Public Library Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan Theater 3/7/2007 Buffalo, NY: Market Arcade Film & Arts Center 3/8/2007 Fort Lauderdale, FL: Cinema Paradiso Lake Worth, FL: Lake Worth Playhouse Reno, NV: Reno Film Festival 3/9/2007 Gulf Breeze, FL: Gulf Breeze 4 Scranton, PA: Scranton Cultural Center 3/10/2007 Wilmington, DE: Theater N at Demours 3/13/2007 Norfolk, VA: Naro Expanded Cinema 3/16/2007 Miami Beach, FL: Miami Beach Cinematheque 3/22/2007 Paducah, KY: Maiden Alley 3/23/2007 Grande Prairie, AB: Grande Prairie Live Theatre 4/10/2007 Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Melnitz Movies 4/13/2007 Fresno, CA: Fresno Filmworks c/o Tower Theatre Albuquerque, NM: Guild 5/11/2007 Chicago, IL: Gene Siskel Film Center Source

The Oscar Nominees: Live Action Short Films

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:32:14 PST

Like animated shorts, the live action short film category is another one that usually leaves me clueless come Oscar night. It's tough to see shorts unless you catch them at a festival or a great theater. (Tune in later to find one near you.) Luckily, at least parts of all five of this year's films have also turned up online - and you can watch two of them in full. Here's a rundown:

West Bank Story
This musical parody of West Side Story is set in the cutthroat world of competing falafel stands in the West Bank. An Israeli soldier falls in love with a Palestinian cashier, but their families' dueling restaurants threaten to keep them apart. I love the movie's tag line: "A little singing, a little dancing, a lot of hummus." There's a clip online at this site, and here's the trailer:

To see two full films and clips from two others,

read more Binta y La Gran Idea Set in Senegal, Binta is narrated by a 7-year-old girl whose older cousin longs to go to school and whose father has a dream that he believes could change the world. The film is in French and an African dialect with subtitles in Spanish, but even if you speak none of those languages, it's still gorgeous to watch. There's also one short clip with English subtitles. The Saviour In this film, a young Mormon evangelist has an affair with a married woman and then struggles to keep the illicit relationship a secret from his fellow missionaries, his pastor, and the woman's husband. In addition to the clip below, there's another one here. Eramos Pocos When a man's wife leaves him, he and his son discover that they're hopeless at keeping house. Desperate for help, he pulls his mother-in-law out of her nursing home so she can cook and clean for them. The film is in Spanish without subtitles, but you can get the gist if you watch the video below; there's also one clip with English subtitles. Helmer and Son In this Danish film, a busy son gets called to the rest home where his father has locked himself inside a closet and won't come out. The video below is a clip with English subtitles. Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

Announcing the 2012 Oscar Nominations!

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:21:53 PST

The 2012 Oscar nominations have been announced! Lots of award season regulars, like The Artist and The Descendants, got some love, but there were also a handful of surprises, like nominations for Nick Nolte, Gary Oldman, and Terrence Malick. Bridesmaids also scored big, with noms for best original screenplay and best supporting actress for Melissa McCarthy.

The Academy chose nine films for best picture, with lots of familiar titles in there, plus a couple that had early awards buzz but haven't necessarily had consistent attention, like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Tree of Life. The films that racked up the most nominations were Hugo with 11 and The Artist with 10.

To see the full list of nominations, just keep reading.

5 Entertaining and Romantic Movie Dates

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:50:00 PST

In honor of this year's Sundance Film Festival that just began yesterday, it's time to explore different movie date night options for you and your honey to warm up to this Winter. Beyond your average movie complex, there is a whole world of independent theaters and festivals to explore and attend to have a romantic and memorable date experience. Here are a few ideas to reinvigorate the ol' movie night standard.

Technicolor features: Films in technicolor have intensely vivid and dreamy hues. Usually independent and historical theaters will screen special technicolor features, and it's a unique and rare opportunity to see such amazing colors and classic films like Gone With the Wind on the big screen. Even if the film you see isn't a classic, it's still nice to curl up close and enjoy the romantic, sleepy quality of technicolor.
Historical theaters: Check to see if your town has at least one historical theater with a classic, blinking marquee and intricate interior architecture. Research the history behind the building before you go so you and your date can appreciate the theater's story and architectural details upon your visit.
Cult midnight movies: There is an entire culture that follows midnight screenings of B-rated films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The especially diehard will dress up, act out scenes, and sing along. Attending a midnight movie like Rocky can be a ridiculous yet fun way to bond and break any inhibitions.
Film festivals: Independent, horror, documentary, shorts, underground, and international are just a few of the dozens of film festivals that take place in North America. It's cold and dark during the Winter, so you might as well use the time to expand your film repertoire and have a dozen new stories and concepts to discuss with your date afterward.
Drive-ins: If you live in an area with a milder climate, you could drive out of town to go to a drive-in theater. The tickets are cheaper, you're in the comfort of your car, and you can bring your own food. Most importantly, depending on your parking spot, you might have enough privacy to engage in some high-school-esque backseat action.

Living Inside a Painting

Guest Writer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:46 PST

I'm excited to present a post from guest writer David Stark!

Recently we produced a video, shot in our Brooklyn studio for the amazingly talented singer Migguel Anggelo, and the title cut from his new CD Donde Estara Matisse. This short film was created by the stylist and artist Helen Quinn, and Helen brilliantly combines stop-motion animation with live action to create a fantasy walk inside a Matisse painting. The artist sings (in Spanish), looking high and low for the iconic French painter, and I have been trapped inside this painted world since. You can watch the video "Donde Estara Matisse" here.

I would love to live in a painted world like this and am now seeing items for the home that would certainly be fitting there too. It’s fun to imagine how to decorate a home in that context. Here are some ideas if you live inside a painting or are similarly inspired by the artist’s painted touch.

Naomi Watts Shares Her Natural Beauty Tips and Tricks

Allie Merriam — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:59:11 PDT

Naomi Watts became the new face of Pantene's Flat to Volume collection last month, and yesterday she celebrated the appointment with a kickoff party in New York. She took the stage to speak about her latest honor and also introduced a short film about Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, which encourages women and men to chop off and donate their locks to make wigs for cancer patients - impressively, over 20,000 real hair wigs have been donated to the American Cancer Society so far. We have a behind-the-scenes look at Naomi's shoot for Pantene, and she told us all about her beauty routine, the products she can't live without, and how she likes to keep makeup and hair care easy and quick! Naomi said:

On the one beauty product she can't live without: "I have to wear mascara or I have my eyelashes tinted because my eyelashes are completely blond. And my eyes just disappear if they're not framed well."
On how she changes her beauty routine for Summer: "Loads of sunscreen, just loads of sunscreen. The humidity just makes my hair curly, definitely and I just kind of go with that."
On her day-to-day hair routine: "It's not very much. I don't have the time, skill, or interest, really. So even before having kids but now it's really shrunk down to a bare minimum. That's why I expect a lot out of my shampoo and conditioner. But I will, if I'm doing it myself, use the triple action mousse. And then if I'm going to work and I know that I'm going to get hot irons all over the place then I'll use a little bit of the heat protector and that helps."
On picking up hair tips from working with pros for years: "You would think so, right? But I just have never done my own hair. I can't even blow-dry it. I'm a ponytail kind of girl. The best one for me is just the scrunch. Because I actually don't mind the look of, not unruly, but beach-y looking hair, slightly undone. I don't like big bouncy hair."

View 5 Photos ›

To read what Naomi said about getting ready to go out and the start of working with Pantene, just read more.

On what she does to look fancier to go out: "On my own time, I'm never wearing foundation. Even at night I'll just put lipstick and mascara and rouge and call it a night."
On how she came to work with Pantene: "I just got a call saying they were thinking about me and I was excited. I just thought, 'Wow, I didn't ever think I had good hair so why would they choose me?' And I think that's the whole point is that everyone should be able to have good hair. If it's well-treated, you too can have the volume and shine and I've got fine hair. So the product line that's specific for my hair type works very well with it. [You have to] stay consistent; it's not a magic potion that one uses and then overnight will have extremely different hair. It's a commitment. It's a process and I started using the products about a month ago and I have to say my hair has grown more because I'm treating it well."

Tom Has Katie and a Career's Worth of Costars Showing Support as He Picks Up Humanitarian Honor

Allie Merriam — Fri, 06 May 2011 06:55:38 PDT

Katie Holmes and Connor Cruise were by Tom Cruise's side last night as the actor picked up an award from the Wiesenthal Center at the Four Seasons Hotel in LA. Tom earned the Jewish human rights organization's humanitarian honor, and the distinction was earned due to his longtime support of their Museum of Tolerance in addition to work bringing Nazi atrocities to light. He was especially able to reveal WWII abuses in the film Valkyrie, playing a German soldier who attempted to assassinate Hitler. Tom had friends and business partners from movie projects of the past, present, and future on hand to wish him well. His old Jerry Maguire buddy, Cuba Gooding, Jr., turned out, along with his Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol friends like Jeremy Renner, who's actually taking over the MI franchise, and Paula Patton. J.J. Abrams, who wrote the script for the latest installment of the action series, was on hand to emcee the proceedings. Even Malin Akerman, who nabbed the lead in Tom's new film Rock of Ages, came out to show love for the superstar. Malin and Tom's other costar, Russell Brand, was off jet-skiing in Miami, though, and couldn't make it. Tom was touched about the prize and made a short speech from the stage. Tom Cruise said of his humanitarian award, "It's a tremendous honor. For me and my family this is really a very special evening and I look at what Simon Wiesenthal accomplished with his life, what this museum represents . . . Our challenge, ladies and gentlemen, is to make sure that we do all in our power to see to it that there will be no more Auschwitz Birkenaus, no more Rwandas, no more Darfurs on our planet. That our children and their children may be free to live in a world where men and women are judged by their accomplishments and deeds rather than by their race or religion."