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Rest In Peace, Sydney Pollack

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:30:46 -0700

Sad news to report today: Director and actor Sydney Pollack died on Sunday at the age of 73. He had been diagnosed with cancer nine months ago.

The hard-working actor and highly respected director is known for a variety of accomplishments. Older generations might recognize him as the Oscar-nominated director of Tootsie and the Oscar-winning director of Out of Africa. He also directed The Way We Were, The Firm and The Interpreter, among other titles.

In more recent years, he took on more acting roles, from Will's dad in Will & Grace to the boss at Michael Clayton's law firm in Michael Clayton to Patrick Dempsey's wedding-happy father in Made of Honor, along with many others.

Clayton costar George Clooney issued a statement about Pollack's death, writing, "Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act. He'll be missed terribly."

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Best Picture Breakdown: Michael Clayton

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:33:41 -0800

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. I started off with There Will Be Blood, and today I'm turning my sights to Michael Clayton.

The plot description on IMDB is most succinct: "An attorney known as the Fixer in his law firm comes across the biggest case of his career that could produce disastrous results for those involved." It's screenwriter Tony Gilroy's first attempt at directing and he lucked out with some phenomenal talent: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson - all of whom nabbed acting nominations as well. To see what I think Michael Clayton has going for and against it in this year's race, read more.

Why It Might Win

The Academy seems to be smitten with this film. Other movies in this category have already won many awards in other circles, but this is the first awards committee to seem truly besotted with Clayton.
Director Tony Gilroy delivers some of the best direction I've seen in any of the movies from 2007. The quick edits and artful alternating between storylines makes for a visually interesting story. I was particularly struck by the ending in which the credits roll and the camera stays on Clayton's face as he sits in a cab, his destination unknown. The attention to detail on Gilroy's part is impressive.
That George Clooney . . . he's just so darn watchable. Playing the titular character, he struggles through this turning point in his life and we know that though he was once less of an upstanding person, there's no doubt that he's the ragged hero of this story. You just gotta love Clooney.

Why it Might Not Win

Though beloved by many critics and, clearly, the Academy, this movie isn't particularly appealing in the general sense. Many people found it to be boring, confusing and simply not enjoyable. Every one of the other movies nominated for Best Picture this year was a bigger hit with audiences.
While the larger message in this movie has to do with moving from moral emptiness to a place of redemption, in general, the subject matter isn't particularly grand. Lacking a sweeping universal subject as well as much interesting action, it may not grab that Best Picture award.
The same reason that it might win also works against Michael Clayton: it's been nominated for several awards. The Academy might reward the film in other categories and hand the statue for Best Picture to another movie.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Oscar Worthy Gadgets: Michael Clayton's BlackBerry

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:06:18 -0800

As the title character of Michael Clayton, George Clooney is stunning as a conflicted lawyer, and as that lawyer, he's outfitted appropriately with the latest gadgets and technology. Most notable is his BlackBerry, which is glued to his hand and ear and provides the picture of a modern, hardworking attorney on the case of his life. Happily for me, the BlackBerry wasn't the only tech eye-candy - in fact, there were many gadgets that played important roles in the plot.

A GPS device goes haywire, foreshadowing an upcoming scene. Bluetooth earpieces and digital cameras are made sinister by villains to undertake evil deeds, while an iPod is outfitted completely in black - including headphones - to echo the ominous scene it appears in. Finally, in my favorite gadget scene in the whole movie, Michael Clayton uses a camera phone after he delivers the best line in the film. Of the Best Picture nominees, I'm pretty sure Michael Clayton is the geekiest - and that Clooney ain't too shabby, either.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Will You Go See a Movie Just Because It's Nominated?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:30:03 -0800

With so much ado over the Oscars each year, it's always interesting to see what impact, if any, the king of all award shows has on the nominated films at the box office. This year's not looking so good: Lacking major blockbuster crowd-pleasers a la Lord of the Rings, this year's five best picture nominees will likely be the second-lowest box office earners in two decades.

Still, studios put a lot of stock in these accolades. Michael Clayton, for example, got a re-release after it started racking up critics' awards and nominations in the hopes that audiences would give it a second chance because of all the acclaim. What do you think? Do Oscar nods or other award nominations make you more interested to see a movie you originally planned to skip?

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

The BAFTA Awards: The Winners

PopSugarUK — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:04:57 -0800

There were smiles all round on Sunday night, as the British Academy of Film and Television award winners were announced in London. Jonathan Ross presented the award ceremony, in place of the familiar Stephen Fry, and the gongs were split fairly evenly over the best films of last year. Out of its massive haul of fourteen nominations, Atonement picked up only two awards – although one of those was the top award of Best Film, and La Vie En Rose picked up four awards. Its star, the very sweet Marion Cotillard, unpredictably beat Brit Julie Christie to receiving the Leading Actress nod.

To catch up on the rest of the winners, including the pictured Daniel Day-Lewis, Diablo Cody and Shane Meadows, just read more

BEST FILM

Atonement – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster

BEST BRITISH FILM

This Is England – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
(for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film)

Matt Greenhalgh (Writer) – Control

DIRECTOR

No Country For Old Men – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Juno – Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly – Ronald Harwood

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The Lives Of Others – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

ANIMATED FILM

Ratatouille – Brad Bird

LEADING ACTOR

Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

MUSIC

La Vie En Rose – Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY

No Country for Old Men – Roger Deakins

EDITING

The Bourne Ultimatum – Christopher Rouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Atonement – Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN

La Vie En Rose – Marit Allen

SOUND

The Bourne Ultimatum – Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/David Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

The Golden Compass – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Wood

MAKE UP & HAIR

La Vie En Rose – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

SHORT ANIMATION

The Pearce Sisters – Jo Allen/Luis Cook

SHORT FILM

Dog Altogether – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

Shia LaBeouf

Announcing the 2008 Oscar Nominations!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:16:51 -0800

No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood led the field this morning when the Oscar nominations were announced in Hollywood. Each film snagged eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

After it raked in a huge number of Golden Globe nominations, Atonement made less of a splash here, scoring nods for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress but largely getting shut out of other major categories.

Juno and Michael Clayton are the other two films that will compete for Best Picture when the awards are presented Feb. 24. Juno scored a total of four nominations, while Michael Clayton nabbed seven. To see the full list of nominees, just read more.

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Beaufort (Israel)
The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Katyn (Poland)
Mongol (Kazakhstan)
12 (Russia)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari's Mother

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from Once
"Happy Working Song" from Enchanted
"Raise It Up" from August Rush
"So Close" from Enchanted
"That's How You Know" from Enchanted

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter and the Wolf

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
At Night
Il Supplente
Le Mozard des Pickpockets
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

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Michael Clayton Gets a Theatrical Re-Release

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:30:50 -0800

Warner Bros. has announced today that the George Clooney drama Michael Clayton will get a re-release in approximately 1,000 North American theaters starting January 25. The film was originally released in October and didn't do too well at the box office - but this was before all the awards buzz started up. Apparently the movie has made "more than 100 critics' top-ten lists." It also nabbed four Golden Globe nominations and five BAFTA Awards nominations, among others.

Do you think you'll check out Michael Clayton in its second theatrical run? If you've already seen it, what did you think?

To check out the trailer for Michael Clayton, read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Into the Wild Leads Screen Actors Guild Nominations

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:35:27 -0800

Nominations were announced today for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the only major awards ceremony guaranteed to still happen now that the writers' strike is threatening the Golden Globes. Into the Wild dominated the film side with four nominations, followed by No Country for Old Men and Michael Clayton with three each.

On the TV side, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, and Mad Men were among the recognized series. To see the full list of nominees, just read more.

Movies

MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno

SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

ENSEMBLE CAST
3:10 to Yuma
American Gangster
Hairspray
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
300
The Bourne Ultimatum
I Am Legend
The Kingdom
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End

Television

MALE ACTOR IN A TELEFILM OR MINISERIES
Michael Keaton, The Company
Kevin Kline, As You Like It
Oliver Platt, The Bronx is Burning
Sam Shepard, Ruffian
John Turturro, The Bronx is Burning

FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEFILM OR MINISERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Mitch Albom's For One More Day
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Queen Latifah, Life Support
Vanessa Redgrave, The Fever
Gena Rowlands, What If God Were the Sun?

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, Damages
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Tony Shalhoub, Monk

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

DRAMA ENSEMBLE
Boston Legal
The Closer
Grey's Anatomy
Mad Men
The Sopranos

COMEDY ENSEMBLE
30 Rock
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
The Office
Ugly Betty

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
24
Heroes
Lost
Rome
The Unit

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Charles Durning

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Atonement Leads Golden Globe Nominations

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:49:17 -0800

Atonement came up big this morning when the nominations for the Golden Globe Awards were announced in Hollywood. The film snagged seven nominations - three for the acting of stars James McAvoy,
Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan and four more for Best Dramatic Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Score.

Also getting a lot of attention from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association: Charlie Wilson's War, which snagged five nominations, including Best Musical or Comedy and acting nominations for Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Sweeney Todd, Michael Clayton, and No Country for Old Men were close behind with four nominations each.

In the television categories, cable series got a lot of love, including new shows Californication, Damages, and Mad Men.

I'll be back with my complete thoughts later today, but for now, you can check out all the nominees if you read more.

MOVIES

DRAMATIC PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (France/USA)
The Kite Runner (USA)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

BEST DIRECTOR
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel, Diving Bell & the Butterfly
Ridley Scott, American Gangster
Joe Wright, Atonement

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington, The Great Debaters

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley, Atonement

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Savages
John C. Reilly, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page, Juno

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta, Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell & the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson's War

ANIMATED FILM
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

ORIGINAL SCORE
Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Howard Shore, Eastern Promises
Clint Eastwood, Grace is Gone
Michael Brook, Into the Wild
Alberto Iglesias, The Kite Runner

TELEVISION

DRAMATIC TV SERIES
Big Love
Damages
Grey's Anatomy
House
Mad Men
The Tudors

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors
Bill Paxton, Big Love

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Glenn Close, Damages
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Californication
Entourage
Extras
30 Rock
Pushing Daisies

BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
David Duchovny, Californication
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
The Company
5 Days
The State Within
Longford

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Bryce Dallas Howard, As You Like It
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Queen Latifah, Life Support
Sissy Spacek, Pictures of Hollis Woods
Ruth Wilson, Jane Eyre

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Adam Beach, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Ernest Borgnine, A Grandpa For Christmas
Jim Broadbent, Longford
James Isaacs, The State Within
James Nesbitt, Jekyll

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Rose Byrne, Damages
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Samantha Morton, Longford
Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jamie Pressly, My Name is Earl

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ted Danson, Damages
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Andy Serkis, Longford
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money

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Box Office: 30 Days of Night Sucks Up All the Money

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:15:24 -0700

Not a lot of folks are going to the movie theaters lately, but those who are seem to be most interested in the super scary vampire flick 30 Days of Night, which came in at No. 1 at the box office with $16 million. What with all the highly dramatic dramas coming out, maybe it's understandable that people are drawn to the fun unreality rather than checking out movies that address the starkest aspects of human life.

Only one of the weekend's anticipated dramas even cracked the top five at the box office: Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone came in fifth place. At No. 2 was Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? while Disney's The Game Plan held steady at No. 3, and Michael Clayton followed up in fourth place. Rendition opened in ninth place to the tune of just over $4 million. The Halle Berry/Benicio Del Toro weepie Things We Lost in the Fire came in fifteenth place, while Reservation Road - only playing in a handful of theaters - came in at No. 39.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures