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Cannes Competitors Announced
23 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Clint Eastwood's Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie, will compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival next month, festival organizers announced today (Wednesday) as they unveiled the titles of 19 movies, selected from 1,792 films submitted from 96 countries, that will vie for the prestigious award. (A 20th film, from France, is due to be announced soon.) Steven Soderbergh's four-hour Che, about Cuban revolutionary hero Che Guevara and made up of two films (The Argentine and Guerrilla), will also contend for the prized trophy. German director Wim Wenders will be coming to the festival with his The Palermo Shooting. U.S. screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is also entered in the competition with his first film as a director, Synecdoche, New York, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. "There are films that are hair-raising because they break new ground," festival president Gilles Jacob told a news conference in Paris. Among U.S. films screening out of competition will be the Steven Spielberg-George Lucas production of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, starring Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem; and the animated DreamWorks comedy Kung-Fu Panda, featuring the voices of Jolie, Jack Black, Lucy Liu and Dustin Hoffman. The festival runs from May 14 to May 25.

Bardem Pulls Out of Coppola Film, Replaced by Maura
4 April 2008 (WENN)
Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem has pulled out of Francis Ford Coppola's new movie Tetro - only to be replaced by Spanish actress Carmen Maura. The legendary director originally wrote the part for a male lead, but decided to re-write the character as female when Bardem was forced to withdraw from the project. And Coppola insists he was glad he had the opportunity to give the character a sex-change. He tells The Hollywood Reporter, "One of the important roles in the script is a mentor and teacher to Tetro (leading character played by Vincent Gallo), and I originally wrote it for a man. As I read and re-read (the script), I felt that the interaction between the two characters would be far more intriguing if they were of the opposite sex." Maura has now joined the rest of the cast for the film's 11-week shoot, which began on March 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Oscar Winners: The Rundown
25 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men made a stronger-than-expected showing at Sunday night's Academy Awards presentation. Although it was favored to win the best picture Oscar, it was not expected to take three major awards -- for best director (the Coens), best adapted screenplay (also the Coens), and best supporting actor (Javier Bardem). In another surprise, the best actress went to French actress Marion Cotillard for her portrayal of legendary singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. (Cotillard is only the second woman in Oscar history to win the best-actress Oscar in a foreign-language film; the other was Sophia Loren for 1961's Two Women.) Equally surprising was the supporting-actress award to Tilda Swinton for her role in Michael Clayton. Daniel Day-Lewis, on the other hand, had been a clear-cut favorite to win the best actor award -- and he did so -- for There Will Be Blood. But that film had also been favored to win several other top awards, and didn't, save in the cinematography category. Other winners had been widely predicted. Diablo Cody took the best original screenplay award for Juno. Pixar's Brad Bird picked up the animation Oscar for Ratatouille. The Austrian-produced The Counterfeiters, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, won for best foreign-language film, the Iraq-war related Taxi to the Dark Side won the feature documentary Oscar, while the gay-rights-themed Freeheld won the Oscar for documentary shorts.

Oscars Favor No Country for Old Men
25 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
No Country for Old Men was the big winner at the 80th Annual Academy Awards, winning four Oscars including Best Picture. The gritty thriller, a favorite among critics, also won top awards for directors Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (the second duo to win the Best Direction award), adapted screenplay (also for the Coens), and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem. Surprisingly, the next movie to win the most awards was The Bourne Ultimatum, which took home three technical awards, while the two movies to win top acting honors earned two awards each. There Will Be Blood was the recipient of Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, while La Vien En Rose nabbed Best Make-Up and, in a bit of a surprise, Best Actress for Marion Cotillard, who thanked both life and love upon receiving her Oscar. Michael Clayton's Tilda Swinton was the winner in the highly-contentious Best Supporting Actress category, while Juno was, as expected, the winner of the Original Screenplay award.

There were a few more surprises in other categories, as Elizabeth: The Golden Age won for Best Costume Design, and Taxi to the Dark Side was named Best Documentary over favorites Sicko and No End in Sight. Best Picture nominee Atonement won a single award for Original Score, with Best Song going to "Falling Slowly" from Once. Other single-award winners included Ratatouille for Best Animated Feature, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street for Art Direction, and The Golden Compass for Visual Effects. Art Director Robert Boyle, nominated for such films as North by Northwest and Fiddler on the Roof, was presented with an honorary Oscar.

Hosted by Jon Stewart, the ceremony went along smoothly with few hiccups, though more than one presenter slid on the floor on their way to the podium. For home viewers, the show went only about 20 minutes or so over the expected time. You can check out photos from the Academy Awards, courtesy of WireImage.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Juno Tops at Independent Spirit Awards
24 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Juno was the top winner at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, nabbing three awards including Best Feature. The hit comedy, which is also the highest-grossing of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture, also won awards for Best Female Lead for star Ellen Page, who professed her adoration for director Jason Reitman, and Best First Screenplay for ebullient writer Diablo Cody. Winning two awards each were two films also up for Oscars: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which received Best Director for Julian Schnabel (clad in his requisite pajamas) and Best Cinematography, and The Savages, which took home Best Screenplay honors for Oscar nominee Tamara Jenkins and Best Male Lead, in a bit of a surprise, for Philip Seymour Hoffman. The supporting awards went to a very pregnant Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There) and an absent Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk to Me), while Once was named Best Foreign Film, Crazy Love received Best Documentary, and The Lookout won Best First Feature.

Hosted by first-timer Rainn Wilson of The Office, the Spirit Awards also bestowed I'm Not There with the first Robert Altman Award, honoring the outstanding director, casting director, and ensemble cast of an independent film; director Todd Haynes paid homage to late star Heath Ledger as well as his acclaimed cast. In between award presentations, there were songs performed -- some parodies, some not -- as it rained outside in Santa Monica and Javier Bardem, who presented the Best Director award, became the object of affection for host Wilson. You can check out photos from the Spirit Awards, courtesy of WireImage.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Oscars Favor No Country for Old Men
24 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
No Country for Old Men was the big winner at the 80th Annual Academy Awards, winning four Oscars including Best Picture. The gritty thriller, a favorite among critics, also won top awards for directors Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (the second duo to win the Best Direction award), adapted screenplay (also for the Coens), and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem. Surprisingly, the next movie to win the most awards was The Bourne Ultimatum, which took home three technical awards, while the two movies to win top acting honors earned two awards each. There Will Be Blood was the recipient of Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, while La Vien En Rose nabbed Best Make-Up and, in a bit of a surprise, Best Actress for Marion Cotillard, who thanked both life and love upon receiving her Oscar. Michael Clayton's Tilda Swinton was the winner in the highly-contentious Best Supporting Actress category, while Juno was, as expected, the winner of the Original Screenplay award.

There were a few more surprises in other categories, as Elizabeth: The Golden Age won for Best Costume Design, and Taxi to the Dark Side was named Best Documentary over favorites Sicko and No End in Sight. Best Picture nominee Atonement won a single award for Original Score, with Best Song going to "Falling Slowly" from Once. Other single-award winners included Ratatouille for Best Animated Feature, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street for Art Direction, and The Golden Compass for Visual Effects. Art Director Robert Boyle, nominated for such films as North by Northwest and Fiddler on the Roof, was presented with an honorary Oscar.

Hosted by Jon Stewart, the ceremony went along smoothly with few hiccups, though more than one presenter slid on the floor on their way to the podium. For home viewers, the show went only about 20 minutes or so over the expected time. You can check out photos from the Academy Awards, courtesy of WireImage.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Juno Tops at Independent Spirit Awards
23 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Juno was the top winner at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, nabbing three awards including Best Feature. The hit comedy, which is also the highest-grossing of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture, also won awards for Best Female Lead for star Ellen Page, who professed her adoration for director Jason Reitman, and Best First Screenplay for ebullient writer Diablo Cody. Winning two awards each were two films also up for Oscars: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which received Best Director for Julian Schnabel (clad in his requisite pajamas) and Best Cinematography, and The Savages, which took home Best Screenplay honors for Oscar nominee Tamara Jenkins and Best Male Lead, in a bit of a surprise, for Philip Seymour Hoffman. The supporting awards went to a very pregnant Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There) and an absent Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk to Me), while Once was named Best Foreign Film, Crazy Love received Best Documentary, and The Lookout won Best First Feature.

Hosted by first-timer Rainn Wilson of The Office, the Spirit Awards also bestowed I'm Not There with the first Robert Altman Award, honoring the outstanding director, casting director, and ensemble cast of an independent film; director Todd Haynes paid homage to late star Heath Ledger as well as his acclaimed cast. In between award presentations, there were songs performed -- some parodies, some not -- as it rained outside in Santa Monica and Javier Bardem, who presented the Best Director award, became the object of affection for host Wilson. You can check out photos from the Spirit Awards, courtesy of WireImage.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Cruz & Johansson Set for Lesbian Love Scene
12 February 2008 (WENN)
Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson are to steam up the big screen in Woody Allen's new movie - by taking part in a reported lesbian sex scene. The actresses will lock lips and get hot and heavy in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which also features Cruz's boyfriend Javier Bardem. According to British tabloid The Sun, Allen's aiming for one of the most erotic scenes in movie history. A source tells the publication, "People will be blown away and even shocked. Penelope and Scarlett go at it in a red-tinted photography dark room, and the whole scene will leave the audience gasping."

'Atonement' Triumphs at BAFTAs
11 February 2008 (WENN)
Atonement has won the top prize at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs) on Sunday, landing the gong for Best Film at the London ceremony. The romantic epic, starring James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, triumphed over German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives Of Others, the Coen brothers' No Country For Old Men, Ridley Scott's American Gangster, and Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood to claim the coveted prize. But McAvoy and Knightley were overlooked in the Leading Actor and Actress categories, with awards going instead to Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood and Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose, respectively. Meanwhile, Javier Bardem was named best Supporting Actor for No Country For Old Men, and British actress Tilda Swinton was honored as best Supporting Actress for her role in legal thriller Michael Clayton. Accepting his award at the capital's Royal Opera House, Bardem said: "I want to thank the mommy and daddy of, not mine, (but) Joel and Ethan Coen, because without them there would be no film..." Joel Coen and Ethan Coen also added to their growing collection of awards after they were presented with the Best Director prize for the Academy Award-nominated thriller No Country For Old Men.

BAFTAs Pick Atonement for Best Film
11 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Literary adaptation Atonement took home the Best Film award at this year's BAFTAs, though it was La Vie En Rose and No Country for Old Men which won the most awards. While Atonement received just one other award, for Production Design, La Vie En Rose was the top winner overall with four honors, including Best Actress for Marion Cotillard and three technical awards for Music, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair. The Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, which is heavily favored for the upcoming Academy Awards, won three top awards, including Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem and the cinematography award. The only other film to win more than one award was The Bourne Ultimatum, which received the Sound and Editing honors.

Oscar favorite Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor for There Will Be Blood, while Tilda Swinton was the surprise winner in the Best Supporting Actress category for Michael Clayton. Screenplay awards went to Juno (original) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (adapted), and This Is England was named Outstanding British Film of the Year. Other winners included The Lives of Others (Best Film not in the English Language), The Golden Compass (Visual Effects), Ratatouille (Animated Film), Shia LaBeouf (the Orange Rising Star Award), and Control screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh (Most Promising Newcomer).

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

'No Country' Claims Gold Again
4 February 2008 (WENN)
Acclaimed Coen Brothers movie No Country For Old Men picked up another top film prize in Hollywood on Saturday when it claimed gold at the Producers Guild of America gala. The Oscar-nominated film, starring Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, beat fellow Academy Award hopefuls There Will Be Blood, Juno and Michael Clayton. Ethan Coen and Joel Coen were on hand to collect the prestigious Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of The Year award. The film is a front runner to claim gold at the Oscars on February 24. after picking up the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild Best Film prizes, among a string of honors. Meanwhile, another Oscar favorite, Ratatouille, was named Best Animated Film, and TV honors went to the producers of 30 Rock, The Sopranos and Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. Michael Moore's Sicko claimed the Best Documentary honor.

Coen Brothers win Directors Guild Prize
28 January 2008 (WENN)
Filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have been hotly tipped to win the Best Director Oscar at next months' Academy Awards - after their movie No Country For Old Men scooped the same prize from the Directors Guild of America on Saturday. The winner selected by the Directors Guild frequently goes on to win the Best Director honor at the Academy Awards - as with Martin Scorsese, who as the winner of last year's prize presented the award to the Coens at the Los Angeles ceremony After the win, Joel Coen told reporters, "Oh, we get two of them (award statues). Ethan and I have a bookshelf in our office where we keep various plaques and such that we've gotten over the years that we call our ego corner." And when brother Ethan is feeling low, he uses silver polish and "spit shines his medals for an hour or two. It makes him feel better. This is a really big one, in every respect. It's going to keep him busy." But the fate of the glittering event is dependent on the ongoing Hollywood writers strike. Organizers are currently making plans as usual for the ceremony, which is due to take place on Sunday February 24 at the legendary Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The Coen brothers-directed thriller is nominated for a stack of Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem.

SAGs Favor No Country for Old Men
28 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Heavy Oscar favorite No Country for Old Men was the big winner at the Screen Actors Guild awards, taking home two honors including the group's ensemble award. Javier Bardem was also named Best Supporting Actor, an expected win alongside the two lead awards for Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away from Her). The big surprise of the evening was the supporting actress award, which went to veteran Ruby Dee for American Gangster, who hadn't won any previous awards this season. On the television side, it was a lovefest for The Sopranos, which nabbed three awards, for ensemble cast and stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. The two leads of another acclaimed show, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, won the top comedy honors for 30 Rock, though the ensemble award went to another NBC show, The Office. With the exception of Mr. Baldwin, and Kevin Kline and Queen Latifah (winners for TV film actor and actress for As You Like It and Life Support, respectively), most winners were onhand to accept their awards on a show that once was considered a lesser-tier broadcast but that reveled in its star power.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

SAGs Favor No Country for Old Men
27 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Heavy Oscar favorite No Country for Old Men was the big winner at the Screen Actors Guild awards, taking home two honors including the group's ensemble award. Javier Bardem was also named Best Supporting Actor, an expected win alongside the two lead awards for Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away from Her). The big surprise of the evening was the supporting actress award, which went to veteran Ruby Dee for American Gangster, who hadn't won any previous awards this season. On the television side, it was a lovefest for The Sopranos, which nabbed three awards, for ensemble cast and stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. The two leads of another acclaimed show, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, won the top comedy honors for 30 Rock, though the ensemble award went to another NBC show, The Office. With the exception of Mr. Baldwin, and Kevin Kline and Queen Latifah (winners for TV film actor and actress for As You Like It and Life Support, respectively), most winners were onhand to accept their awards on a show that once was considered a lesser-tier broadcast but that reveled in its star power.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Oscars Favor There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men
22 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Two art house films ruled the roost at the 80th Annual Academy Award nominations, as No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood tied for the most nods with eight each. Both films received nominations for Best Picture, Directing, and Adapted Screenplay, as well as a single acting nomination -- No Country for Old Men's Javier Bardem received a Best Supporting Actor nod and the heavily-favored Daniel Day-Lewis was an expected nominee for Best Actor for There Will Be Blood. The Coen brothers received nominations in four categories -- Picture, Directing, Editing and Adapted Screenplay -- and are the third two-man team to get a Directing nod. Following behind the two Westerns were Atonement and Michael Clayton with seven nominations apiece, although Atonement failed to snag mentions for director or leads Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, young Saoirse Ronan was a Best Supporting Actress contender. Michael Clayton, on the other hand, dominated with acting nominations for George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton as well as directing and screenplay nods. Indie comedy Juno rounded out the Best Picture list and received four nominations overall, including nods for director Jason Reitman, screenwriter Diablo Cody and star Ellen Page. Other films scoring multiple nominations included Ratatouille (five nods) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (four, including a mention for director Julian Schnabel).

In terms of surprises and omissions, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street managed only three nominations, though one was for Best Actor contender Johnny Depp. An unexpected Best Actor contender was Tommy Lee Jones for the little-seen Iraq war drama In the Valley of Elah, and Cate Blanchett received two nominations, for Best Actress (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and Supporting Actress (I'm Not There -- the second time an actor has been nominated for playing the opposite sex). Into the Wild, favored by a number of guild awards with nominations, failed to nab a Best Picture nod or a director mention for Sean Penn; only Hal Holbrook received a major nomination, for Supporting Actor. And Disney once again co-opted the Best Song category, as three songs from Enchanted help fill out the full list of nominees in that category - expect a lot of Amy Adams at this year's ceremony!

Speaking of which, if all goes according to plan, the Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 24th at 8pm ET/5pm ET. Though the continuing WGA strike tacitly threatens to mar the proceedings, the Academy is moving forward as planned with the show. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Get the full list of nominees in our Road to the Oscars section.

Atonement Wins Top Award at Golden Globes
14 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Atonement took the top honor at the extremely short Golden Globe Awards, nabbing Best Picture (Drama), but no single film took home more than two awards. The literary adaptation also won the Best Score award as well, while on the Comedy/Musical side, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was Best Picture (Comedy/Musical), with star Johnny Depp winning his first Globe ever for the title role. Other movies winning two awards were critical favorite No Country for Old Men (screenplay and supporting actor for Javier Bardem) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Foreign Language Film and a surprise win for director Julian Schnabel). Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away From Her), now officially heavy Oscar favorites, won dramatic lead honors, and Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was named Best Actress - Comedy/Musical. Cate Blanchett nabbed Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There -- which could have been the subtitle of the Globes show -- and other winners included Ratatouille (animated film) and Into the Wild (song).

On the television side, freshman drama Mad Men was the top series winner, taking home the only two awards for which it was nominated -- Dramatic Series and Best Actor (Drama) for star Jon Hamm; the new show with the most nominations, Damages, won only one, for lead actress Glenn Close. The comedy winners were all a bit unexpected, with Extras nabbing the series award, and comedy acting honors going to Tina Fey (30 Rock) and David Duchovny (Californication). Winning three awards -- more than any other television show or film -- was the HBO film Longford, starring Globe winners Jim Broadbent and Samantha Morton. Other winners were also HBO stars - Queen Latifah for Life Support and Jeremy Piven, winning his first Globe for Entourage.

As for the show itself, it was devoid of movie stars, but filled with correspondents from entertainment news shows -- Mary Hart, Giuliana Rancic, and Jim Moret, among others -- who simultaneously saluted the striking writers of the WGA and praised Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Jorge Camara, who presented the final awards of the evening. At around 32 minutes, it was succinct and to the point, but without the stars, the fashion, the high-profile goofs, the speeches, and the champagne, this year's Globes were a shadow of their former incarnations. But Camara promised next year's show would be "bigger and better" than ever before. Hopefully, no one will be on strike then. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Atonement Wins Top Award at Golden Globes
13 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Atonement took the top honor at the extremely short Golden Globe Awards, nabbing Best Picture (Drama), but no single film took home more than two awards. The literary adaptation also won the Best Score award as well, while on the Comedy/Musical side, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was Best Picture (Comedy/Musical), with star Johnny Depp winning his first Globe ever for the title role. Other movies winning two awards were critical favorite No Country for Old Men (screenplay and supporting actor for Javier Bardem) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Foreign Language Film and a surprise win for director Julian Schnabel). Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away From Her), now officially heavy Oscar favorites, won dramatic lead honors, and Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was named Best Actress - Comedy/Musical. Cate Blanchett nabbed Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There -- which could have been the subtitle of the Globes show -- and other winners included Ratatouille (animated film) and Into the Wild (song).

On the television side, freshman drama Mad Men was the top series winner, taking home the only two awards for which it was nominated -- Dramatic Series and Best Actor (Drama) for star Jon Hamm; the new show with the most nominations, Damages, won only one, for lead actress Glenn Close. The comedy winners were all a bit unexpected, with Extras nabbing the series award, and comedy acting honors going to Tina Fey (30 Rock) and David Duchovny (Californication). Winning three awards -- more than any other television show or film -- was the HBO film Longford, starring Globe winners Jim Broadbent and Samantha Morton. Other winners were also HBO stars - Queen Latifah for Life Support and Jeremy Piven, winning his first Globe for Entourage.

As for the show itself, it was devoid of movie stars, but filled with correspondents from entertainment news shows -- Mary Hart, Giuliana Rancic, and Jim Moret, among others -- who simultaneously saluted the striking writers of the WGA and praised Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Jorge Camara, who presented the final awards of the evening. At around 32 seconds, it was succinct and to the point, but without the stars, the fashion, the high-profile goofs, the speeches, and the champagne, this year's Globes were a shadow of their former incarnations. But Camara promised next year's show would be "bigger and better" than ever before. Hopefully, no one will be on strike then. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

'No Country' Wins Again
8 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The Coen Bros.' No Country for Old Men collected yet another best picture award Monday -- this one from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. At the group's 13th annual Critics' Choice Awards Monday night, No Country also picked up awards for best director (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) and supporting actor (Javier Bardem). The group's trophy for best actor went to Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood. Julie Christie won the best actress award for Away From Her. Amy Ryan won for best supporting actress for Gone Baby Gone.

Atonement Leads Golden Globe Nominations
13 December 2007 (IMDb News Flash)
Atonement was the dominant movie at this morning's announcement of the Golden Globe nominations with seven nods, including Best Picture (Drama) and three acting nominations. The adaptation of Ian McEwan's acclaimed bestseller also received nominations for directing, screenplay, and score as well as for its two leads, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, and a supporting actress mention for young Saoirse Ronan. Critical favorite No Country for Old Men received four nominations, including picture, supporting actor (Javier Bardem), and directing and screenplay nominations for Joel Coen and Ethan Coen; legal thriller Michael Clayton also received four nods, including picture and three acting nominations for George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton. Rounding out the dramatic Best Picture nominees -- there were an unprecedented seven in all -- were American Gangster, Eastern Promises, The Great Debaters, and There Will Be Blood.

Over on the Comedy/Musical side, Charlie Wilson's War led the pack with five nods, including Best Picture (Comedy/Musical), three acting nominations for stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and a screenplay nomination for Aaron Sorkin. Tim Burton's blood-filled adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd received four nominations in the Comedy/Musical categories for picutre, Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Best Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), and a directing nod for Burton. Indie hit Juno also scored well, with mentions for star Ellen Page and screenwriter Diablo Cody as well as a best picture nod, and summer musical Hairspray bounced back to life with nominations for picture, lead actress (Nikki Blonsky) and supporting actor (John Travolta). The other nominee for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical) was the Beatles musical Across the Universe.

In the television categories, FX newcomer Damages was the leading series contender with four nominations, while the HBO movie Longford also received four nods. Freshman hit Pushing Daisies, returning comedies Entourage and 30 Rock, and miniseries Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee received three nominations each.


Get all of the Golden Globe Nominations in our Road to the Oscars section

'No Country for Old Men' Tops With Critics' Awards
10 December 2007 (IMDb News Flash)
As the awards season begins, no less than four critics' groups announced their awards over the past two days, with the highest-profile group, the New York Film Critics Circle, giving its top honor to emerging favorite No Country for Old Men. Quickly turning into the movie to beat this season, the Coen brothers movie also won the Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem) awards from the Gotham critics. Top acting honors went to Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away From Her), with the supporting actress award going to Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), who is appearing on as many winners' lists as the Coen brothers. Other winners included The Lives of Others (Foreign Language Film), Persepolis (Animated Film), and No End in Sight (Documentary).

In Los Angeles on Sunday, there was blood -- and lots of it -- as Paul Thomas Anderson's historical epic There Will Be Blood swept the awards, taking Best Picture, Director, and Lead Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) honors. Marion Cotillard of La Vie En Rose was named Best Actress, Vlad Ivanov of the Romanian abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was the surprise supporting actor winner, and -- yes -- Amy Ryan was named best supporting actress for Gone Baby Gone as well as Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days also won the foreign language film award, and Tamara Jenkins's The Savages received best screenplay honors. No End in Sight was the documentary winner, with Ratatouille and Persepolis sharing the animated feature award.

Also handing out awards on Sunday was the Boston Society of Film Critics, which jumped on the No Country for Old Men bandwagon, naming it their best picture and Javier Bardem as the supporting actor winner. While Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was the lead actress winner, the group threw a couple curveballs with awards to lead actor Frank Langella for the acclaimed but little-seen drama Starting Out in the Evening, and to director Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (which also won cinematography and foreign language film honors). Once again, Amy Ryan won the supporting actress award for Gone Baby Gone. Other winners included Ratatouille (screenplay) and Crazy Love (documentary).

And sharing in the fun was the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, which along with Boston and New York named No Country for Old Men as their Best Picture, and giving the Coen brothers directing honors and Javier Bardem the supporting actor award; to exacerbate the sense of deja vu, Amy Ryan was again the supporting actress winner for Gone Baby Gone. A bevy of usual suspects rounded out the DC awards, with George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Julie Christie (Away From Her) nabbing lead acting awards, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly taking the foreign language film honor. Other winners included Michael Moore's Sicko (documentary), Ratatouille (animated film), Charlie Wilson's War (adapted screenplay) and Juno (original screenplay and breakthrough performance for Ellen Page).

Following up these critical honors will be the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations this Thursday morning; the Academy Award nominations will be unveiled next month on Tuesday, January 22. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Allen Says Adios to Spain
29 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Woody Allen has canceled plans to film his next movie in Spain after controversy arose over funding that the film was expected to receive from the city of Barcelona and regional authorities. The funding reportedly amounted to 10 percent of the film's budget. Britain's Guardian newspaper reported today (Thursday) that local filmmakers had complained that Allen was receiving special treatment, including the kind of financial backing from the local governments that would never have been granted to them. But Jaume Roures, president of Mediapro, the production company backing the film, which stars Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, told the Guardian that there was nothing unusual about the funding.

Penn Rules at Gotham Awards
29 November 2007 (WENN)
Sean Penn and Michael Moore picked up the big prizes at Tuesday's 17th annual Gotham Awards in New York. Penn's Into The Wild won best feature and Moore's Sicko - an expose of U.S. healthcare - was awarded best documentary at a ceremony at Brooklyn's Steiner Studios. The ceremony - which celebrates low-budget and art house films - is held annually by non-profit organization the Independent Feature Project. Elsewhere, Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - starring Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Talk To Me, starring Don Cheadle, were joint winners in the Best Ensemble Cast category. Juno actress Ellen Page won the Best Newcomer award; Great World Of Sound director Craig Zobel won Breakthrough Director. Guests at the star-studded bash included Martin Scorsese, Javier Bardem and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Depp & Cruz Movies Postponed Due to Strike
21 November 2007 (WENN)
Two movies starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz have become the latest casualties of the Hollywood writers' strike. Depp was due to have started filming director Mira Nair's Shantaram in February, but the production start date has now been called off. And Cruz was to have teamed up with reported boyfriend Javier Bardem, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard and director Rob Marshall for Nine, which has had its start date postponed from March. Members of the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) began their industrial action on November 5 after failing to negotiate a better financial deal for royalties from DVD and internet sales with producers and movie executives.

Two More Movies Strike Out
20 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Perplexing analysts who had predicted that the writers' strike would have little impact on movie making in its early stages and that TV alone would take the initial brunt, two more studios announced Monday that they have postponed production of features they were about to shoot. The films were Warner Bros.' Shantaram, starring Johnny Depp, and The Weinstein Co.'s Nine, starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren and Marion Cotillard. Both studios said that the screenplays required additional work. Earlier, Sony's Columbia announced that it was delaying The Da Vinci Code prequel, Angels and Demons and United Artists said it was postponing Oliver Stone's Pinkville for the same reason. Meanwhile, both the film and TV businesses were bracing for the possibility that the writers' strike could shut down the Oscar awards in February. Syndicated gossip columnist Liz Smith asked today (Tuesday): "How can they hold the Oscars if there are no writers? No self-respecting, or self-protective, actor would cross the inevitable picket line -- not even to pick up an Oscar."

Damon Beats Dempsey, Reynolds & Pitt To Be Sexiest Man Alive
15 November 2007 (WENN)
Matt Damon has topped a new poll to be named the Sexiest Man Alive. The Bourne Ultimatum star, 37, beat Grey's Anatomy hunk Patrick Dempsey - who is nicknamed Doctor McDreamy on the hit medical series - and Blade: Trinity actor Ryan Reynolds to the top position on the annual People magazine hotlist. The title will be a welcome accolade for Damon - he recently revealed it has been his longtime ambition to beat pal George Clooney - a frequent entrant in such surveys - to the coveted number one spot. But married Damon, who became a first-time father earlier this year, remains coy about his win. He tells People, "You've given an aging suburban dad the ego-boost of a lifetime." The magazine cites Damon's "irresistible sense of humor," "rock solid family man" and "heart-melting humility" for landing him the title. The top 10 Sexiest Men are as follows: 1. Matt Damon; 2. Patrick Dempsey; 3. Ryan Reynolds; 4. Brad Pitt; 5. James McAvoy; 6. Johnny Depp; 7. Dave Annable; 8. Will Smith; 9. Javier Bardem; 10. Shemar Moore.

Cruz & Bardem Enjoy Romantic Vacation Together?
15 October 2007 (WENN)
Penelope Cruz has been spotted kissing and cuddling fellow Spaniard Javier Bardem, just months after laughing off reports the pair are dating. The couple, who are in talks to star in upcoming movie musical Nine together, were photographed embracing in the sea during a romantic vacation in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Cruz and Bardem were also "very touchy-feely" at the New York Film Festival recently, according to PageSix.com. An onlooker tells the website: "They held hands when they thought no one was watching, and she kissed his cheek, and he put his arm around her." However, in July, Cruz was adamant her relationship with Bardem was purely platonic, dismissing speculation of any romance: "It's not true. He's a friend and the best actor in the world."

Jones & Cotillard Join 'Nine' Cast
10 September 2007 (WENN)
Catherine Zeta-Jones and French actress Marion Cotillard have won coveted roles in Chicago director Rob Marshall's new movie musical Nine. The European actresses were among many top stars in the running for roles in the big screen adaptation, and now Marshall has confirmed his cast for the project. Zeta-Jones and Cotillard will join Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem in the film. Italian screen siren Sophia Loren will also appear in the film, which will be directed, produced and choreographed by Marshall. Nine revolves around fictional filmmaker Guido Contini, who re-examines his past romances in the midst of a nervous breakdown. The musical claimed the Tony Award for Best Revival when it returned to the Broadway stage in 2003. That production starred Antonio Banderas, Chita Rivera and Jane Krakowski.

Cruz and Bardem: "Just Good Friends"
19 July 2007 (WENN)
Penelope Cruz has laughed off rumors she is dating Spanish actor Javier Bardem, insisting the pair are just good friends. Since splitting with Matthew McConaughey in 2006 after a two-year relationship, the actress has been one of Hollywood's hottest bachelorettes, linked with Orlando Bloom, Josh Hartnett and most recently Bardem. The Spanish star hates talking about her personal life and rumors surrounding her, saying, "I don't read most of what is written about me." But she is adamant her relationship with Bardem - her co-star in an as-yet-unnamed Woody Allen movie - is platonic. She says, "It's not true. He's a friend and the best actor in the world."

Cannes Selections Announced
19 April 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The Cannes Film Festival confirmed today (Thursday) that Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights, starring Jude Law, Ed Harris, Norah Jones and Natalie Portman, will open the 60th annual festival on May 16. In something of a surprise, the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez "double bill" Grindhouse, which was expected to compete for the top Palme d'Or prize, will only be represented by the Tarantino half of the feature, Death Proof, which is being expanded to one hour and 50 minutes. Among the other 21 films selected for the competition are the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Javier Bardem; David Fincher's Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr.; James Gray's We Own the Night, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg; and Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, starring mostly first-time actors. Serbian director Emir Kusturica, a two-time winner at Cannes and the chairman of the jury in 2005, will again be represented in the competition with the comedy Promise Me This. Among films screening out of competition will be Michael Moore's documentary Sicko (about the U.S. health system); Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen; Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie as the late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl's wife Mariane; and Ken Burns's The War. The latter film will presumably be compiled from Burns's upcoming documentary series about World War II for PBS. It is the only film on the Cannes list whose length is not indicated.

Cruz and Bardem Reunite for Allen
26 February 2007 (WENN)
Spanish cinema stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are reuniting for Woody Allen to shoot their first screen pairing since 1992. Jamon Jamon launched the pair's glittering career when Cruz was just 19 and her co-star Bardem was 23. They since appeared in Pedro Almodovar's Live Flesh in 1997 but didn't share a scene. Now Hollywood director Allen has convinced the couple to re-team for his first foray into continental Europe. His movie is to be shot this summer in Barcelona in English and Spanish.

Soderbergh To Direct Back-to-Back Che Biopics
1 November 2006 (WENN)
Ocean's Eleven director Steven Soderbergh is set to shoot two back-to-back films about Latin American revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro, who will play Guevara, have been working on the movies since they made Traffic together in 2000. The films will also likely star Javier Bardem, Franka Potente and Benjamin Bratt, who are currently in talks for key roles. Both films pick up after the formative Guevara years captured in Walter Salles' film The Motorcycle Diaries. The first movie, The Argentine, begins as Guevara and a band of Cuban exiles - led by Fidel Castro - reach the Cuban shore from Mexico in 1956. The second film, Guerilla, begins with Guevara's trip to New York City, where he spoke at the United Nations in 1964 and was celebrated in society circles. He then disappeared into the jungles of South America. When he tired to use Bolivia as the catalyst for more revolution, he was captured and executed. The movies will be shot back-to-back beginning next May in Mexico and South America.

Bardem Responds to Broken Nose Lawsuit
1 February 2005 (WENN)
Spanish actor Javier Bardem has slammed ex-model Jill Marshall's lawsuit against him, claiming the beauty's nose was broken through "her own conduct". Marshall filed suit last month accusing Bardem of breaking her nose on the dance floor of New York's Gypsy Tea nightclub during an after party for the premiere of his film The Sea Inside. Marshall claims her injury was so severe, she required surgery following the alleged incident. Besides suing Bardem, she has also accused Gypsy Tea of negligence for continuing to serve alcohol to the actor "while in a state of intoxication" and their failure to provide security to prevent the incident. Bardem's attorney Martin Singer claimed Marshall approached Bardem for a dance several times at the bash, but was turned down. Singer says, "He is an excellent dancer. I'm not going to comment on the woman's dancing abilities. However, to the extent the woman was injured while she was dancing, it was caused by her own conduct."

Spanish Director Wins Top Award at Palm Springs Festival
18 January 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Highlighting its international aspect, the Palm Springs International film Festival ended Monday by presenting its audience award for best narrative feature to Alejandro Amenábar's The Sea Inside, starring Javier Bardem, which is Spain's entry for the foreign-language Oscar. The documentary feature award went to Israeli director Yaron Zilberman's Watermarks, which tells the story of a group of Austrian Jewish athletes, members of the Hakoah Sports Club, who achieved great success in the early 20th century and who were forced to flee their country after the Anschluss with Germany. Meanwhile, it was announced that Fox Searchlight's Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson in the title role, has been selected to close the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 20, according to trade publications. The festival opens on Feb. 10 with the previously announced screening of French director Regis Wargnier's Man to Man.

Screen Actors Guild Nominations Go Sideways
11 January 2005 (IMDb News Flash)
Perennial awards favorite Sideways dominated the Screen Actors Guild nominations with a field-best four nominations, including Best Ensemble Cast. The Alexander Payne comedy also nabbed three individual acting nominations as well for lead Paul Giamatti and supporting players Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, putting it just ahead of a number of films that received three nominations each, including The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, and Hotel Rwanda; all those movies also earned Best Ensemble nominations alongside Ray and Sideways. Jamie Foxx was once again the actor of the hour, taking home three individual nominations for Ray, Collateral, and TV movie Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story as well as an Ensemble nod for Ray. Foxx was followed by Hilary Swank, who received two solo nominations, for Million Dollar Baby and HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels, and an Ensemble mention for Million Dollar Baby.

With their film nominations, the SAGs threw a number of new names into the awards season mix, including Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), James Garner (The Notebook), Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland), Cloris Leachman (Spanglish), and Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda). A few noticeable absentees included Liam Neeson (Kinsey), Javier Bardem (The Sea Inside), and the entire cast of Closer, an actor-driven movie if there ever was one. On the TV side, familiar shows (The Sopranos, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc) rubbed elbows with a handful of newcomers, including Arrested Development and Desperate Housewives, and Patricia Heaton pulled a Hilary Swank of her own, getting two individual nominations for Everybody Loves Raymond and TV movie remake The Goodbye Girl as well as an Ensemble nomination for Raymond.

The SAGs will be handed out on Saturday, February 5. Here's the (very long) list of film and TV nominees:

FILM

Male Actor in a Leading Role: Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda; Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator; Jamie Foxx, Ray; Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Female Actor in a Leading Role: Annette Bening, Being Julia; Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace; Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake; Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby; Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Thomas Haden Church, Sideways; Jamie Foxx, Collateral; Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby; James Garner, The Notebook; Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland

Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator; Cloris Leachman, Spanglish; Laura Linney, Kinsey; Virginia Madsen, Sideways; Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda

Ensemble Cast: The Aviator; Finding Neverland; Hotel Rwanda; Million Dollar Baby; Ray; Sideways

TELEVISION

Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Jamie Foxx, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story; William H. Macy, The Wool Cap; Barry Pepper, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story; Geoffrey Rush, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers; Jon Voight, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Glenn Close, The Lion in Winter; Patricia Heaton, Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl; Keke Palmer, The Wool Cap; Hilary Swank, Iron Jawed Angels; Charlize Theron, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Male Actor in a Drama Series: Hank Azaria, Huff; James Gandolfini, The Sopranos; Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace; Jerry Orbach, Law & Order; Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Female Actor in a Drama Series: Drea De Matteo, The Sopranos; Edie Falco, The Sopranos; Jennifer Garner, Alias; Allison Janney, The West Wing; Christine Lahti, Jack & Bobby

Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Bateman, Arrested Development; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace; Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond; Tony Shalhoub, Monk; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives; Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace; Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City; Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond

Ensemble in a Drama Series: 24; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Six Feet Under; The Sopranos; The West Wing

Ensemble in a Comedy Series: Arrested Development; Desperate Housewives; Everybody Loves Raymond; Sex and the City; Will & Grace

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: James Garner

Model To Sue Bardem Over Broken Nose
27 December 2004 (WENN)
Spanish actor Javier Bardem is set for a courtroom battle after his wild dance moves resulted in former model Jill Marshall nursing her broken nose. The 35-year-old heart-throb was dancing with Marshall at the New York premiere party for his latest film The Sea Inside earlier this month, when disaster struck on the dance floor. American gossip site PageSix.Com reports Marshall has hired attorney Sanford Rubenstein to handle her case. Marshall fumes, "It felt like a baseball bat hitting me in the face," before admitting she is having reconstructive surgery to correct her broken nose. An onlooker at the party in Manhattan hotspot Gypsy Tea says, "He was crazy-dancing. He was totally out of control - it was like he thought he was Justin Timberlake onstage. I've never seen anything like it."

Bardem Breaks Former Model's Nose
21 December 2004 (WENN)
Spanish actor Javier Bardem accidentally broke a former model's nose while dancing at the New York launch party for his new movie The Sea Inside. The 35-year-old was attempting to dance with Jill Marshall at Chelsea nightclub Gypsy Tea at the December 9 bash, when disaster struck. An onlooker tells the New York Post, "He was crazy-dancing. He was totally out of control - it was like he thought he was Justin Timberlake onstage. I've never seen anything like it." Bardem dashed for an ice-pack and Marshall held it against her nose for 45 minutes until the bleeding had stopped - but after consulting a doctor, she discovered it was broken and will need surgery. The former catwalk queen is furious with Bardem, who she claims refused to leave his name or ask for her details, and wants the actor to pay for her medical expenses. She tells the New York Post, "It was an accident, but he was wildly out of control and when you injure someone, you have to take responsibility. I am in a lot of pain, and I haven't left the house for a week."

'Sideways' Wins Big at L.A. Film Critics Awards
13 December 2004 (StudioBriefing)
The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. heaped awards aplenty on Alexander Payne's Sideways, voting it best picture of 2004. Payne received the best director award and shared the screenwriting award with longtime collaborator Jim Taylor. The film also garnered honors for supporting actors Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen. Liam Neeson won for best actor for his performance in the title role of Kinsey and Imelda Staunton took the best actress award for her portrayal of a backstreet abortionist in Vera Drake. Overseas, Fatih Akin's Head-On received the award for best European film at the 17th European Film Awards in Barcelona. Spain's Alejandro Aménabar was voted best director for The Sea Inside. Imelda Staunton received the best European actress award for the British film Vera Drake, and Javier Bardem won the best European actor award for The Sea Inside.

'Vera Drake' Wins at Venice
13 September 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Thanking the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival for rejecting his film, British director Mike Leigh accepted the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion award for his film, Vera Drake. The film also earned its star, Imelda Staunton, the festival's best actress award. It was the first time since 1992 that a film rejected by Cannes received top honors in Venice. (The 1992 film was Chinese director Zhang Yimou's The Story of Qiu Ju.) Under festival rules, a film screened in competition may not have been previously screened at any other festival. The movie, produced for just $8.5 million, is due to play the New York Film Festival on Oct. 8 and open the London Film Festival on Oct. 20. Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar took the Jury Grand Prize for his Mar Adentro, starring Javier Bardem, who received the festival's best actor award. Both films are due to be released by Fine Line in the U.S. in the fall. Meanwhile, Joshua Marston's Maria Full of Grace won the Grand Prix for Independent Film at the Deauville Festival of American Film in France on Sunday.

'Vera Drake' Takes Two Awards in Venice
13 September 2004 (WENN)
Controversial Mike Leigh movie Vera Drake has won the Golden Lion prize for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival in Italy. Vera Drake, which focuses on a fictional back street abortionist in 1950s London, also saw Imelda Staunton win the Coppa Volpi award for Best Actress. Staunton plays a cleaner who specializes in illegal terminations. Staunton told the audience on Saturday, "I want to thank the tireless jury for embracing and honoring this film which I'm so proud to be in, because it deals with a complex subject with such compassion." Elsewhere, Spanish star Javier Bardem was named Best Actor for his performance as a suicidal paralyzed man in Mar Adentro.

Soderbergh Takes Over 'Che' Movie
5 April 2004 (WENN)
Traffic Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro and director Steven Soderbergh have teamed up again on a new biopic about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. The moviemaker will replace Terrence Malick as the project's director. Malick, who co-wrote the script for Che with Del Toro, quit the project to work with Colin Farrell on The New World. Soderbergh is now negotiating with Del Toro's supporting cast, which includes Ryan Gosling, Benjamin Bratt and Javier Bardem, to keep them involved in the film, which will start shooting this summer.

Hopkins To Play 19th Century Pope
22 May 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Anthony Hopkins is expected to play Pope Pius IX in a controversial film, Edgardo Mortara, produced by Britain's FilmFour, set during the papal inquisition of 1858, the British trade publication Screen International reported on its website today (Wednesday). Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) has already been cast as the father of Mortara, a six-year-old Jewish child who was adopted by the Pope, despite protests from Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and French Emperor Napoleon III.

Bird Scene To Be Cut From U.K. Release Of Night Falls
7 June 2001 (StudioBriefing)
The British Board of Film Classification, the U.K.'s official film censors, has ordered that a scene in the movie Before Night Falls, in which a bird appears to be captured, must be cut before the film may be shown in the U.K. The BBC reported Wednesday that it was the first time in four years that the BBFC has cut a scene from a film for breaching rules on animal cruelty. The board, noting that the bird appears to be "clearly distressed" in the scene, said that it had not received adequate assurances from the bird's trainer that it had not been harmed during the filming. The movie garnered a Best Actor Oscar nomination for its star, Javier Bardem.

Top Indie Award Goes To Crouching Tiger
26 March 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was selected as the top independent film of 2000 at Saturday's 16th annual Independent Spirit Awards ceremonies in Santa Monica. Lee also was selected as best director. Other winners: First Feature: You Can Count On Me; Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count On Me; First Screenplay: Gina Prince-Bythewood, Love & Basketball; Feature under $500,000: Chuck & Buck; Debut Performance: Michelle Rodriguez, Girlfight; Supporting Female: Zhang Ziyi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Supporting Male: Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire; Female Lead: Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream; Male Lead: Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls; Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique, Requiem for a Dream; Foreign Film: Dancer in the Dark; Documentary: Dark Days.

Schnabel Disrespects Oscar Competitors
15 March 2001 (WENN)
While all other Oscar hopefuls are offering nothing but praise for their rival films, Before Night Falls director Julian Schnabel is taking a different stance. Schnabel is convinced all the Oscars should go to him - because the other films are terrible. The artist/director, who directed Spanish actor Javier Bardem in the critically acclaimed movie - which has won Bardem a Best Actor nomination - says that he truly believes the movie about persecuted Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas is by far the best thing in cinemas this year. And he hasn't been shy to voice his opinion of the other Oscar hopefuls. Schnabel describes Cast Away as "idiotic", and Kevin Costner's political drama Thirteen Days as "a dumb, poorly acted, waste-of- time movie." He added that he'd gone to see Quills, for which Geoffrey Rush has received a best actor nod, but had come away unimpressed. He says, "It was OK. No big deal. Geoffrey Rush is an excellent actor but it's all fake. You don't care about these people. It's no competition for my film."

Gladiator Gets Thumbs Up From Academy
13 February 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Proving once again that movie academy voters love their Roman epics, Ridley Scott's Gladiator picked up 12 Oscar nominations this morning (Tuesday), including nods for best picture, best actor (Russell Crowe) and best director (Scott). The Chinese-language Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was close behind with 10 nominations. The other best-picture candidates were Traffic, Erin Brockovich and Chocolat. The inclusion of Chocolat in the list was regarded by some analysts as more of a tribute to the marketing acumen of its distributor Miramax than a recognition of the artistic merits of the film. Almost Famous and Wonder Boys, two critical favorites that fared poorly at the box office but were regarded as strong candidates for best-picture nominations nonetheless, found themselves shut out in the four top categories (picture, actor, actress, director).

Nominees in the leading categories: Best Picture: Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Gladiator, Traffic. Actor: Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls; Russell Crowe, Gladiator; Tom Hanks, Cast Away; Ed Harris, Pollock; Geoffrey Rush, Quills. Actress: Joan Allen, The Contender; Juliette Binoche, Chocolat; Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream; Laura Linney, You Can Count On Me; Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich. Director: Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot; Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich; Ridley Scott, Gladiator; Steven Soderbergh, Traffic. Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, The Contender; Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire; Benicio Del Toro, Traffic; Albert Finney, Erin Brockovich; Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator. Supporting Actress: Judi Dench, Chocolat; Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock; Kate Hudson, Almost Famous; Frances McDormand, Almost Famous; Julie Walters, Billy Elliot. Screenplay (based on previously produced or published material): Robert Nelson Jacobs, Chocolat; Wang Hui Ling and James Schamus and Tsai Kuo Jung, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Stephen Gaghan, Traffic; Steve Kloves, Wonder Boys. Screenplay (original): Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous; Lee Hall, Billy Elliot; Susannah Grant, Erin Brockovich; David Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson, Gladiator; Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count On Me.

Quills Voted Best Film In First Movie Awards Of Season
7 December 2000 (StudioBriefing)
Quills won for Best Film, Julia Roberts won for Best Actress (Erin Brockovich), Javier Bardem won for Best Actor (Before Night Falls) and Steven Soderbergh won for Best Director (Erin Brockovich) at the National Board of Review Awards Wednesday, the annual event that traditionally heralds the start of the movie awards season, which continues next week when winners of the DGA and the New York Film Critics Circle are announced.

Venice, Deauville Winners Named
11 September 2000 (StudioBriefing)
The Iranian film Dayereh (The Circle) won the Golden Lion Award for best film at the Venice Film Festival Saturday, besting 19 other films in the festival's competition. The U.S. film Before Night Falls won the runner-up grand jury prize. Javier Bardem, the Spanish actor, received the best actor award for his portrayal of dissident Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls, while Australia's Rose Byrne won the best actress award for her role in The Goddess of 1967. Meanwhile, the top prize at France's Deauville Film Festival, which highlights American independent films, went to Karyn Kusama's Girlfight, a hit at last spring's Cannes Film Festival.