Gabourey Sidibe, who plays the title role in the film stated, “I am so excited and honored to be recognized by the Academy and included in such a remarkable group of actors. I’m very proud of my film, my cast and extremely grateful to Mr. Daniels for the incredible opportunity to play Precious.”

When asked for her reaction on her nomination in the Actress in a Supporting Role category, Mo’nique commented, “What an honor to be nominated for this prestigious award. God bless us.”

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards® airs Sunday, March 7th on ABC.

Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway and Academy President Tom Sherak announced the nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Photo credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Quentin Tarantino’s WWII film starring Brad Pitt, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, received eight nominations, including Best Picture, Directing and Writing (Original Screenplay).

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards® will air Sunday, March 7th on ABC and will be co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film
“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction
“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography
“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing
“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)
“Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
“The Cove” Nominees to be determined
“Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
“Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
“Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing
“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film
“Ajami” Israel
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
“The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
“Un Prophète” France
“The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup
“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)
“Avatar” James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture
“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
“District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
“The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
“French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
“Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)
“The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
“Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
“Kavi” Gregg Helvey
“Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
“The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects
“Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
“District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Farmiga, who was recently seen in ORPHAN commented, “I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition and truly grateful to the Academy for their support of UP IN THE AIR. I feel my nomination is due, in large part, to the phenomenal work of George, Anna and Jason on this film and it is especially moving to receive my first nomination in their company.”

Kendrick likewise remarked, “I am thrilled beyond words to be nominated with these talented and inspiring women. Being involved in a film as special as Up in the Air was a dream come true. I am overwhelmed and honored by this nomination and am so grateful to be able to share this experience with George, Vera and Jason.”

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 7th on ABC.

© Copyright 2010 Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Cable TV Ratings January 25-31, 2010

Source: The Nielsen Company

The first thing that you will notice about Michael Mann’s film PUBLIC ENEMIES, new on DVD and Blu-ray today, is how he is able to contain the larger than life mythology that has become John Dillinger. From the movie’s opening, Mann and cinematographer Dante Spinotti, who had previously collaborated together on Mann’s 1995 film HEAT, keep the camera as tight as they can on their subjects, never allowing the viewer to see the enormity of 1930s Chicago. Instead, the frame is filled with the immediate characters in the scene, establishing from the onset a differentiation between the outside world, that where John Dillinger is both public enemy number one as well as a romanticized folk hero, and the closed circle of Dillnger’s private world. The audience knows that there is something more existing right off of screen, an inescapable danger, and thus the tension of PUBLIC ENEMIES is created. This is not to say that Mann ignores the vastness of the Dillinger myth, for he regularly utilizes low angle shots, forcing the viewer to look up at the larger than life image of Dillinger. It was here that I realized that this was not your ordinary gangster film.

It would be easy to allow Dillinger the myth to run loose on the screen, and equally as likely that an actor playing the notorious bank robber would expand their performance to try and encompass an image of Dillinger that has been generated over the last seventy odd years, even if rooted more in fiction than in reality. Johnny Depp however does not do this. Depp instead draws inward, allowing his performance to become tightly packaged within himself, and thus controlling that which can be seen on an outward level. The result is brilliant. Much like Spinotti’s tightly framed shots, Depp’s performance allows the viewer to know that there exists something much greater underneath the surface that is not being allowed to be seen. Dillinger was a murderer, but we do not see a stereotypical rage or bloodlust that could easily have been mined by a lesser actor. Depp’s internalization has the result of a controlled calmness that completely conveys an unbridled confidence. Thus, when Dillinger is asked, “Where are you going?,” the response of, “Anywhere I want,” as delivered by Depp, has a multi-layered resonance that speaks volumes about the character.

This subtle calmness within the chaos that Depp creates is beautifully matched by the amazing Marion Cotillard (LA VIE EN ROSE). Playing Dillinger’s girlfriend, Billie Frechette, Cotillard has a subtlety to her performance that creates an immediate chemistry on screen with Depp and that solidifies her as an actress of enormous depth. Once again, there is so much going on just beneath the surface, and Cotillard can instantly convey a wide range of emotions with a single look. This I think is a key element of Mann’s direction and what I found to be most successful with the film. Mann allows those small moments of subtlety to exist, he does not have the pacing of the action barrel over Depp’s and Cotillard’s performances. The characters are free to share a moment to simply look at one another, without exchanging words, and to thus convey more than a drawn out scene of professing their inner feelings at that moment ever could. Frechette too could be a character portrayed in a basis of cliché or melodrama, but Cotillard does not allow this to happen. We are not presented with a typical gangster girlfriend who we have seen on screen a hundred times before, but instead are invited to discover a fully realized character capable of a quiet strength.

Likewise, Billy Cruddup (ALMOST FAMOUS) gives a great turn as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, another character who could have easily been based solely in the stereotype of the modern public legend than in originality. Cruddup finds something more complex though and his Hoover gives us something different than has been seen time and time again, making his supporting performance stand out.

With such amazing performances by the extremely talented Depp and Cotillard, a great supporting cast and with a bold choice in how this movie was filmed, relying heavily on the tightly framed close-up, I still came away from the movie not completely satisfied. I did enjoy the film, and do recommend that you see it, but ultimately, I would’ve like to have seen a little bit of that which Mann kept just on the fringe, the enormity of the mythology of Dillinger that existed at the time amidst the chaos. At one point we are briefly allowed to see an over the shoulder shot of crowds cheering on Dillinger as he rides in a car and it is here that I would’ve been interested in seeing a bit more. By juxtaposing Dillinger as folk hero, Dillinger as ruthless gangster and Dillinger as someone who truly loved Frechette, I think a better film would’ve emerged. Perhaps in the end, Mann contracted and confined his Dillinger a little too much.

Universal has released a two-disc Special Edition of PUBLIC ENEMIES and for a limited time is including a digital copy of the film that will allow viewers to watch it on their home computers. The two discs contain:

Disc One

• “Larger Than Life: Adversaries” (10:15) a documentary focusing on Dillinger and Purvis
• Feature length audio commentary with Michael Mann

Disc Two

• “Michael Mann: Making PUBLIC ENEMIES” (20:30)
• “Last of the Legendary Outlaws” (8:40)
• “On Dillinger’s Trail: The Real Locations” (9:45) a great featurette showing how Mann sought out the actual historical locations that Dillinger used and how he transformed the Biograph theatre in Chicago to appear as it did in 1934
• “Criminal Technology” (9:35)

To order directly from Amazon, CLICK HERE.

Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

DVD bonus features: AVERAGE

© Copyright 2009 Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Cable TV Ratings November 30-December 6, 2009

Source: The Nielsen Company

© Copyright 2009 Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.