I’ve been scouring the Web to see who’s got the best coverage, and The Hollywood Reporter has some excellent videos of filmmakers and actors up for awards on Sunday. Read on to see what Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Hugh Jackman, Amy Adams and others have to say about their projects.

In this clip, Ron Howard talks about making "Frost/Nixon," while Clint Eastwood gives his take on leading lady, Angelina Jolie:

Hugh Jackman tells us why making "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" made him feel "pretty badass," and which X-Men mutant might be even more popular than Wolverine. Say what?!

Think stars have it easy? Then listen to Amy Adams and Michelle Williams talk about the challenges they faced while making "Doubt" and "Wendy and Lucy."

Mickey Rourke wasn’t all that keen on making "The Wrestler" at first. Listen as he talks about his initial reservations and gaining a few pounds for the role.

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If you haven’t seen the 2009 Oscar Nominees for Best Picture, now’s your chance – if you have an AMC Theatre in your town, that is. The details:

Date: Feb. 21, 2009

Cost: $30 for all 5 Best Picture Nominees; come and go with your all-day pass. Also includes a large popcorn with free unlimited refills all day.

Schedule:

• Milk – 10:30 a.m.
• The Reader – 1:05 p.m.
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – 3:45 p.m.
• Slumdog Millionaire – 7:15 p.m.
• Frost/Nixon – 9:45 p.m.

Get Tickets: At participating box offices or online at AMC Theatres; enter your zip code to find theaters near you.

Happy Oscar Watch, Geckos!

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Inkheart.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. This prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their one-time slaves, the Lycans. Rated R. Official Site

Slumdog Millionaire (wide). Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Rated R. Preview & Trailer

Frost/Nixon (wide). In 1977, three years after the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency, Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) selects British TV personality David Frost (Michael Sheen) to conduct a one-on-one exclusive interview. Rated R. Preview & Trailer

More after the jump…

Revolutionary Road (wide). Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple trying to find fulfillment in the 1950s era of conformity. Rated R. Preview & Trailer

The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience. Yes, it’s back, featuring six sequences filmed with IMAX® cameras. This marks the first time that a major feature film has been even partially shot using IMAX cameras. Rated PG-13. Film Gecko Review

Image: Inkheart, New Line Cinema, 2009

Post from: Film Gecko

Honestly? I think they should just give everything to "Slumdog Millionaire" now, because that’s going to walk away with most awards.

I’m bummed but not surprised that "The Dark Knight" was shut out of the major categories, except for an expected Best Supporting Actor nod for Heath Ledger. The movie did get eight nominations, mostly in technical categories.

The Academy Awards will be handed out Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 in Los Angeles at the Kodak Theater.

After the jump, the entire list of nominees and my picks…

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire (Jane’s Pick)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor

Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn for Milk

Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (Jane’s Pick)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie for Changeling

Melissa Leo for Frozen River

Meryl Streep for Doubt

Kate Winslet for The Reader (Jane’s Pick)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Josh Brolin for Milk

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (Jane’s Pick)

Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams for Doubt

Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Jane’s Pick)

Viola Davis for Doubt

Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

Best Achievement in Directing:

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (Jane’s Pick)

Stephen Daldry for The Reader

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon

Gus Van Sant for Milk

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:

Frozen River: Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky: Mike Leigh

In Bruges: Martin McDonagh

Milk: Dustin Lance Black (Jane’s Pick)

WALL·E: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Eric Roth, Robin Swicord

Doubt: John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon: Peter Morgan

The Reader: David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire: Simon Beaufoy (Jane’s Pick)

Best Achievement in Cinematography:

Changeling: Tom Stern

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Claudio Miranda (Jane’s Pick)

The Dark Knight: Wally Pfister

The Reader: Roger Deakins, Chris Menges

Slumdog Millionaire: Anthony Dod Mantle

Bes Achievement in Editing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter (Jane’s Pick)

The Dark Knight: Lee Smith

Frost/Nixon: Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill

Milk: Elliot Graham

Slumdog Millionaire: Chris Dickens

Best Achievement in Art Direction:

Changeling: James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

The Dark Knight: Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

The Duchess: Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

Revolutionary Road: Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt (Jane’s Pick)

Best Achievement in Costume Design:

Australia: Catherine Martin

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Jacqueline West

The Duchess: Michael O’Connor (Jane’s Pick)

Milk: Danny Glicker

Revolutionary Road: Albert Wolsky

Best Achievement in Makeup:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Greg Cannom

The Dark Knight: John Caglione Jr., Conor O’Sullivan (Jane’s Pick)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army: Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Alexandre Desplat

Defiance: James Newton Howard

Milk: Danny Elfman

Slumdog Millionaire: A.R. Rahman (Jane’s Pick)

WALL·E: Thomas Newman 

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:

Slumdog Millionaire: A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")

Slumdog Millionaire: A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")

WALL·E: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth") (Jane’s Pick)

Best Achievement in Sound:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

The Dark Knight: Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo

Slumdog Millionaire: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

WALL·E: Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt (Jane’s Pick)

Wanted: Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Best Achievement in Sound Editing:

The Dark Knight: Richard King (Jane’s Pick)

Iron Man: Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes

Slumdog Millionaire: Tom Sayers

WALL·E: Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood

Wanted: Wylie Stateman

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

The Dark Knight: Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin (Jane’s Pick)

Iron Man: John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:

Bolt: Chris Williams, Byron Howard

Kung Fu Panda: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne

WALL·E: Andrew Stanton (Jane’s Pick)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (Germany) (Jane’s Pick)

Entre les murs (France)

Revanche (Austria)

Okuribito (Japan)

Vals Im Bashir (Israel)

Best Documentary, Features:

The Betrayal – Nerakhoon: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

Encounters at the End of the World: Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser

The Garden: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Man on Wire: James Marsh, Simon Chinn

Trouble the Water: Tia Lessin, Carl Deal (Jane’s Pick)

Best Documentary, Short Subjects:

The Conscience of Nhem En: Steven Okazaki

The Final Inch: Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant

Smile Pinki: Megan Mylan (Jane’s Pick)

The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306: Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde

Best Short Film, Animated:

La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio Kato

Ubornaya istoriya – lyubovnaya istoriya: Konstantin Bronzit

Oktapodi: Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand

Presto: Doug Sweetland (Jane’s Pick)

This Way Up: Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

Best Short Film, Live Action:

Auf der Strecke: Reto Caffi

Manon sur le bitume: Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont

New Boy: Steph Green, Tamara Anghie

Grisen: Tivi Magnusson, Dorthe Warnø Høgh (Jane’s Pick)

Spielzeugland: Jochen Alexander Freydank

Image: TM and Copyright, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, All Rights Reserved

Post from: Film Gecko

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"The Dark Knight"

"Frost/Nixon"

"Frozen River"

"Gran Torino"

"Iron Man"

"Milk"

"Wall*E"

"Wendy and Lucy"

"The Wrestler"

After the jump, a little compilation video from AFI:

Image: The Dark Knight, Warner Bros., 2008

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Punisher: War Zone.

Cadillac Records. It’s the 1950’s in Chicago, and Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) starts his own recording company, launching the careers of Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles), Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) and others. Rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality. [Official Site]

Nobel Son. It’s a story of families, kidnapping, ransom, and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Stars Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, and Shawn Hatosy. Rated R for violent gruesome images, language and sexuality. [Gecko Preview] [Official Site]

More after the jump…

LIMITED:

Frost/Nixon. In 1977, three years after the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency, Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) selects British TV personality David Frost (Michael Sheen) to conduct a one-on-one interview.[Gecko Preview] [Official Site]

Milk. In 1977, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. [Gecko Preview] [Official Site]

Image: Punisher: War Zone, Lionsgate, 2008

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Post from: Film Gecko

For all you Bluth fans out there, Howard said an “Arrested Development” movie is definitely in a go mode! And they’ve got “a narrator who just can’t wait to get to the microphone,” giving a nod to himself, of course. And I, for one, can’t wait to see it in a theater. Check it out:

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