Slumdog Millionaire Wins Best Pic, 8 Oscars®

2009 Oscar® Winner Count: Slumdog 8, Benjamin Button 3, Milk 2, Dark Knight 2 Picture: Slumdog Millionaire Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader) Actor: Sean Penn (Milk) Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona) Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (Dark Knight) Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black (Milk) Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire Art Direction: Benjamin Button Costume Design: The Dutchess Music Score: Slumdog Millionaire (A.R. Rahman) Song: "Jai Ho" (Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman/Gulzar) Special Visual Effects: Benjamin Button Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire Sound Editing: Dark Knight Makeup: Benjamin Button Foreign Language Film: Departures (Japan) Documentary, feature: Man on Wire (James Marsh) Documentary, short: Smile Pinki (Megan Mylan) Animated feature: Wall-E (Andrew Stanton) Animated short: la maison en petit cubes Live action short: Spielzeugland (Toyland), Germany Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis (whom, we were told, also holds a patent for a camera assist device) Highlights of the night: 1 - The subject of documentary winner Man on Wire balanced the director's Oscar on his chin after making a lucky coin from German director Werner Herzog 'disappear' 2 - Kate Winslet's dad whistling in the audience so she'd know his location, and he was a cool dude in a wide brimmed Hendrix looking felt hat! POLL RESULTS: Slumdog easily won our Oscar poll, while Dark Knight won 'should have been nominated'. Interesting to me, since Wall-E has won 36 awards this year, and should have been up for best.

2009 Oscar® Nominations

On Jan. 22, the Oscar® nominations were announced for films released in 2008, with the awards to be presented on live tv on February 22, at 8pm est. Leading the way was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with 13, the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald's, starring Brad Pitt, about a man born old who grows younger over time. Eric Roth adapted the screenplay, who also adapted Forrest Gump and won an Oscar®. Here's the official Academy Awards® Site 2009 Oscar® Nominees I'm disappointed that Wall-E wasn't nominated for Best Picture (but has won 35 awards already), my favorite so far. Slumdog Millionaire has won every major award up to the AA's, appears to be a lock. My Predictions for the Major Awards (partial list, just biggies) Picture: Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, *Slumdog Millionaire* [Prediction: Slumdog – My Choice: Wall-E] Directing: Benjamin Button (David Fincher), Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard), Milk, The Reader (Sam Mendes), *Slumdog Millionaire* - Danny Boyle [Prediction: Danny Boyle – My Choice: David Fincher, long overdue] Actor: Richard Jenkins (Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), *Sean Penn* (Milk), Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (Wrestler) [Prediction: Mickey Rourke – My Choice: now Mickey after finding out his dog Loki just died, so add yet another sentimental factor; but I've always liked Richard Jenkins, who played the dead father in Six Feet Under] Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt), Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), *Kate Winslet* (The Reader) [Prediction & Choice: Kate Winslet] Supp Actor: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), *Heath Ledger* (Dark Knight), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Rd) [Prediction & Choice: Heath Ledger] Supp Actress: Amy Adams (Doubt), *Penelope Cruz* (Vicky Christina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P. Henson (Benjamin Button), Marisa Tomei (Wrestler) [Prediction: Taraji P. Henson – My Choice: Penelope Cruz, yum; not only was she terrific but acted in two languages] Animated Feature: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, *Wall-E* [Prediction & Choice: Wall-E] Adapted Screenplay: Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, *Slumdog Millionaire* [Prediction: Slumdog – My Choice: The Reader; cuz I loved the book] Original Screenplay: Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, *Milk*, Wall-E [Prediction: In Bruges – My Choice: Wall-E] ...as always, no wagering - the Jman® ...

The Wrestler Wins Best Picture at the Indy Spirit Awards

The Wrestler won the big awards at tonight's Indy Spirit awards, picture and actor for Mickey O'Rourke. The main awards: Picture: The Wrestler (dir. by Daniel Aranofsky) Director: Tom McCarthy (The Visitor) Lead Actor: Mickey O'Rourke (The Wrestler) Lead Actress: Melissa Leo (Frozen River) Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona) Supporting Actor: James Franco (Milk) Screenplay: Woody Allen (Vicky Christina Barcelona) First Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black (Milk) Documentary: James Marsh for Man on Wire Here's the story: 2009 Independent Awards

To Wear is Human at Muze

Just got a couple of shirts from one of our affiliates, Muze Clothing, and they are excellent quality - extremely soft and well-designed. Muze puts classic film quotes on short-sleeve t's and long-sleeve thermals, each quote in a unique design. Some examples are: "Sell Crazy Someplace Else... we're all stocked up here" (the first part is large, the second is a small afterthought underneath the big design) - As Good As It Gets "Ever Dance With the Devil in the Pale Moon Light?" - Batman "Never Leave Your Wingman" - Top Gun "You Talkin to Me?" - Taxi Driver "It's Not a Motorcycle Baby, It's a Chopper" - Pulp Fiction There's also a nice Muze logo shirt with "To Wear Is Human" on the sleeves. Many athletes and celebrities have been seen in these, Muze has photos of these people wearing their shirts (among many others): Matt Damon, Ryan Seacrest, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Martin Sheen, Paula Abdul, Kevin Nealon, Jason Kidd, Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice... As they say... "you're in great company". Check them out at: Muze Clothing

Slumdog Millionaire Ready to Complete the Awards Sweep

Frida Pinto in Slumdog Millionaire This year's feel good film, Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, is set to complete a sweep of this year's major film awards on Sunday, Feb. 22nd at the Oscars® ("no wagering"). Here's the new link for Slumdog Millionaire at the Internet Movie Database: Slumdog Millionaire at IMDB (Frida Pinto, rt., gets my vote for whatever she's got) So far this year, Slumdog has won these best film awards:

• BAFTA (British Acad.) (won 7 of 11 nominations)
• Director's Guild Award
• Producer's Guild Award
• Golden Globe Award
• Screen Actor's Guild Ensemble Acting Award
• Critic's Choice Award
• National Board of Review

Meanwhile, non-nominee for picture Wall-E has won 35 awards so far this year, most for animated feature, but a few for best picture and song (Peter Gabriel's "Down to Earth"). Here's a link to all its awards at IMDB: Wall-E Awards

New Reviews at 1000 DVDs to See

We recently added these to the DVD's reviewed at "1000 DVDs to See" (Updated: 2/22/09)

30 Rock (2006) American History X (1998) An American Werewolf in London (1981) The Avengers (1964-67) tv The Barbarian Invasions (2003) Canada, tv Born Yesterday (1950) bw Burn After Reading (2007) Bye Bye Birdie (1963) Frequency (2000) Gloomy Sunday (1999) Germany The Golden Compass (2007) Gone With the Wind (1939) Germany Grumpy Old Men (1993) Hard Eight (1997) How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) In Cold Blood (1967) bw Jodhaa Akbar (2007) India The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) Mongol (2007) Russia Monsoon Wedding (2000) India The More the Merrier (1943) bw Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) bw Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983) tv Requiem for a Dream (2000) *10* Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.. and Spring (2003) Korea The Sweet Hereafter (1997) Canada There Will Be Blood (2007) Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) The Twilight Samurai (2002) Japan The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) Wall-E (2008) *10*