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Benjamin Button, Plumm Summer on DVD May 5, 2009

Jane Boursaw — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:06:40 +0000

N ew on DVD this week is Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, and a sweet family film starring Jeff Daniels and William Baldwin.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Brad Pitt plays a guy who ages backwards, falling in love with Cate Blanchett along the way. Interesting premise, but a little dreary and self-involved. Official Site

Enchanted April. Josie Lawrence and Miranda Richardson play two proper Englishwomen who find enchantment on the Italian Riviera. IMDB

Last Chance Harvey. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson star in this sweet love story about middle-aged romance. Official Site

Wendy and Lucy. An idealistic young drifter (Michelle Williams) and her dog roam the Pacific Northwest. Official Site

A Plumm Summer. Jeff Daniels and William Baldwin star in this sweet family tale that revolves around a stolen marionette. Official Site

Twilight: Ultimate Collector’s Set (Blu-ray). It really is the ultimate set, including everything from a jewelry box to a charm bracelet. Check it out here.

Image: Amazon.com

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The Oscars 2009: Red Carpet Fashions – VIDEO

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:33:45 +0000

Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Anne Hathaway and the rest of the A-List Stars shown brightly at the 2009 Academy Awards.

My favorites included Winslet’s darkish-blue gown, Hathaway’s shimmery mermaid affair, and Penelope Cruz’s princess gown. What about you? Did you have a favorite dress this year?

For more Film Gecko Oscar coverage: Live-Blog, Winners, and Photos.

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Oscar 2009 Photos – Kate Winslet, Sean Penn and More!

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:00:52 +0000

The 2009 Academy Awards is already fading, but there are plenty of pictures to keep us occupied for days!

We live-blogged the show right here on Film Gecko (and had a blast!). Read the transcript here, and check out the full list of winners here.

So did you watch the Oscars? What did you think? Any favorite moments? Voice your opinions in the comments below the photos!

Images: Russ Einhorn / Splash News

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The 2009 Oscars: That’s a Wrap!

Jane Boursaw — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:36:35 +0000

Did you watch the Oscars last night? If so, you were one of 36.3 million viewers, according to this story in Variety. That’s 13% better than last year, which seems good.

I know a lot of people were pretty nonchalant about the awards ceremony, but I still think people tune in to check out the fashions, see who wins, see if there’s any awesome acceptance speeches, and just get out of their own world for a few hours.

If you missed our live-blog of the event, you can still replay it here, and read the full list of winners here. Overall, I thought it was a good show, and the live-bloggers and I loved hanging out together. Highlights for me:

Hugh Jackman. I loved his singing and dancing, and his musical numbers were a high point of the show for me. The live-bloggers and I all wanted more Hugh.

The Fashions. Jessica Biel’s look was the only one I really didn’t like (one of the live-bloggers said it looked like she forgot to take her dinner napkin off after she got done eating). My favorites were Kate Winslet and Natalie Portman, but most of the dresses were either very nice or downright spectacular.

Heath Ledger’s family. Their acceptance speech was so emotional, and I wept right along with the audience. And I loved how his mom said that they wanted to celebrate his life and be happy. That was really classy.

The Veteran Actors. Whoever decided to gather past Oscar winners and have them present to the nominees should get a raise. It was not only awesome seeing them all on stage together, but it was an incredible gift for the nominees. You could tell that they were all very touched.

The “Slumdog” Kids. They were so cute! What a thrill it must have been for them to do the red carpet, then climb onstage when the movie won Best Picture. It’s these moments that remind me how much fun it is being a film buff.

Kate Winslet’s Shout-Out to Her Dad. How cool and sweet when she asked her dad to whistle so she knew where he was. It was like we all got to be part of his intimate moment with her family.

Sean Penn Forgetting to Thank Robin. First of all, I think we all know that Robin Wright Penn is a saint, but it’s totally unacceptable if Sean forgot to thank her in his acceptance speech. I didn’t hear anything – did you? Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks.

Queen Latifah’s Song. She has such a beautiful voice, and I’m once again reminded what a versatile performer she is. Loved her song, even if the camera work was a little goofy during that segment.

So what did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Image: Russ Einhorn / Splash News

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The 2009 Oscars: The Winners!

Jane Boursaw — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:52:15 +0000

The Oscars are already a fading memory, and I’ve got all the winners below (and even got a lot of my predictions right, too!). The big surprise for me was Sean Penn winning Best Actor instead of Mickey Rourke. Other than that, I don’t know that there were any shockers. Check out all the winners:

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Actor in a Leading Role:

Sean Penn, Milk

Actress in a Leading Role:

Kate Winslet, The Reader

Achievement in Directing:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Foreign Language Film:

Departures

Original Song:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Original Score:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Film Editing:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Sound Mixing:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Sound Editing:

THE DARK KNIGHT

Achievement in Visual Effects:

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Best Documentary Short Subject:

SMILE PINKI

Best Documentary Feature:

MAN ON WIRE

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Live Action Short Film:

SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

Achievement in Cinematography:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Makeup:

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Achievement in Costume Design:

THE DUCHESS

Achievement in Art Direction:

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Best Animated Short Film:

La Maison en Petits Cubes

Best Animated Feature Film:

WALL-E

Adapted Screenplay:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Original Screenplay:

MILK

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

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AMC Theatres – Watch All 5 Best Picture Oscar Nominees for $30!

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:28:22 +0000

My friend, Vicki Powers, who blogs at Houston on the Cheap, tipped me off about this cool offer. Thanks, Vicki!

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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Box Office: Jan. 23-25, 2009

Jane Boursaw — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:25:17 +0000

"Paul Blart: Mall Cop" is still tops at the box office! I guess other moviegoers liked the funny Kevin James as much as I did. Here’s the roundup from Box Office Mojo:

Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $21.62M
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, $20.82M
Gran Torino, $16.24M
Hotel for Dogs, $12.86M
Slumdog Millionaire, $10.69M
My Bloody Valentine 3D, $10.01M
Inkheart, $7.60M
Bride Wars, $6.86M
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $6.08M
Notorious, $5.77M

Image: Sony Pictures, 2009

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And the Oscar nominations go to…

Jane Boursaw — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:32:04 +0000

I’m not surprised that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Slumdog Millionaire" were top dogs in Oscar noms, announced earlier today. Both films are up for Best Picture, as well as director and screenplay.

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

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"Gran Torino" Speeds into Box Office: Jan. 9 – 11, 2009

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:34:19 +0000

Clint Eastwood is a master at making thoughtful, interesting movies, and "Gran Torino" is no exception. It sailed into first place at the box office this weekend, with "Bride Wars" placing second. Here’s the rundown from Box Office Mojo:

Gran Torino, $29.48M

Bride Wars, $21.05M

The Unborn, $19.81M

Marley & Me, $11.39M

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $9.21M

Bedtime Stories, $8.80M

Valkyrie, $6.61M

Yes Man, $6.03M

Not Easily Broken, $5.31M

Seven Pounds, $3.81M

Image: Tran Torino, Warner Bros., 2009

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American Film Institute Picks Top 10 Movies of 2008

Jane Boursaw — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:54:29 +0000

This time of year, most of us look back to what we did right, what we could have done better, and just life, in general. The American Film Institute has compiled their own list; specifically, their Top 10 Movies of 2008. Here it is below. I’ll be posting my own list shortly, and I definitely agree with "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," and "Wall*E." Any thoughts on the AFI list?

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

After the jump, a little compilation video from AFI:

Image: The Dark Knight, Warner Bros., 2008

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