Academyawards Videos

Obama headed overseas this week, to the Copenhagen climate talks. Today, though, he made a stop in Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. It's also Human Rights Day, but you might be excused for not having heard that--the media seems more concerned with Tiger Woods' sex life. A panel of journalists join us in the studio to discuss the way the media did--and didn't--cover the biggest news of the week. Joseph Huff-Hannon, independent journalist and Nation contributor, Rana Foroohar, senior editor at Newsweek, and Lionel of Air America critique coverage of Copenhagen, Obama, health care, the economy, and yes, even Tiger. Our documentary feature this week is Garbage Dreams, directed by Mai Iskander, a film that tells the story of the 60,000 Zaballeen who live in a "garbage village" and make their living by recycling an impressive 80 percent of Cairo's garbage. The documentary follows several teenage boys as they figure out their futures, while multinational garbage corporations threaten their livelihood. Since it's Human Rights Day, we take the time to remember those whose human rights are often forgotten. Until When, co-produced by our own Suzy Salamy, follows four Palestinian families living in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. In Obama's acceptance speech today, he mounted a defense of war as a tool for peace. But activists Robi Damelin, who lost her son to a Palestinian sniper, and Mazen Faraj, who lost his father to an Israeli sniper, are advocating a different approach. Members of The Parents Circle-Families Forum, they're touring the U.S. with Cartoons in Conflict, an exhibit featuring the work of forty renowned American and international cartoonists, who offer their singular perspective on conflict, reconciliation, and peace. Robi and Mazen join Laura in the studio to tell their stories, how they came to work for peace, and talk about the cartoons they're presenting. Finally, today we peel back the curtain a bit with Joel Silberman, strategic communications consultant/trainer with the New Organizing Institute and also an award-winning theatrical director and performer. Joel gives us some quick tips for doing media that anyone can use should they find themselves on the receiving end of a camera.

Our documentary feature this week is Garbage Dreams, directed by Mai Iskander, a film that tells the story of the 60,000 Zaballeen who live in a "garbage village" and make their living by recycling an impressive 80 percent of Cairo's garbage. The documentary follows several teenage boys as they figure out their futures, while multinational garbage corporations threaten their livelihood. Shortlisted for an Academy Award, Garbage Dreams has gathered over a dozen awards at film festivals nationwide, and is scheduled to air on PBS's Independent Lens.

One mark of a world-class actor is the ability to convince us that a character exists outside the confines of the screenplay. It is one thing to skillfully deliver a dramatic monologue, to tap depths of volcanic rage or crippling grief for a big Oscar moment played to the cheap seats. Far rarer and more valuable are performances that quietly suggest what isn't spelled out: key character details expressed through gait or inflection; off-screen experiences hinted at with a look, a gesture, or a wayward smile. This is really a difference between an actor and a performer. Tom Cruise is a great performer. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great actor. So is, for example, Patricia Clarkson. In The Messenger, Ben Foster plays Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, who is shipped home after an injury, and assigned to serve out the last three months of his enlistment on "notification duty" with the apparently unbalanced Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson). The two of them are tasked with telling the next of kin that a soldier won't be coming home, a job that consists of knocking on a door, reading from a script ("the Secretary of the Army extends his deepest condolences..."), and bracing oneself for a likely onslaught of abuse.Filed under: Drama, Awards, New Releases, WarContinue reading Exposed Wounds: Oscar Season's Two Best Performances Permalink | Email this | Comments

By: Erik Childress It's sad that every year the awards season is kicked off with the National Board of Review (see our post from yesterday for the complete list of winners). As unknown as the members of the MPAA or the Hollywood Foreign Press - and about as credible as serious-minded critics of film - we nevertheless entrust their choices to help steer our curiosity towards the eventual Oscar nominees. Christening this flying wasp yesterday with the announcement that Up In The Air has taken their prize for Best Picture of 2009, they can now await their RSVP from George Clooney, amongst others to their annual party. Which is what it's really all about for them. But if the Academy Awards have taught us anything, it's to respect the trends and traditions in place. Plus a few people who have seen only about a quarter of the films released this year could use a tip in the right direction. Coming up tops is indeed Jason Reitman's Up In The Air, widely considered to be a frontrunner for this year's Best Picture honors at the Oscars. The film certainly has a leg up for a nomination with this win as 9 of the last 10 NBR winners have gone on to a nod. Quills was the lone holdout in 2000. But only three of their choices in that time (American Beauty, No Country for Old Men and Slumdog Millionaire) have jetted on to winning the big prize.Filed under: Awards, Oscar WatchContinue reading Just How Often Does the NBR Predict Oscar Winners? Permalink | Email this | Comments

Movie News & Reviews The Movie Geeks review the latest releases and movie news headlines, including James Toback's reaction to the Academy's documentary short list selections, the phenomenon of Twilight: New Moon, and the critical controversies surrounding Precious. movie geeks united | miss movie fan | precious | james toback | academy awards

Movie News & Reviews The Movie Geeks review the latest releases and movie news headlines, including James Toback's reaction to the Academy's documentary short list selections, the phenomenon of Twilight: New Moon, and the critical controversies surrounding Precious. movie geeks united | precious | james toback | academy awards | twilight

Are members from the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences being paid to short list some films over others? That's what it sounds like director James Toback was alluding to when he spoke to the New York Times recently about how his buzzed-about documentary, Tyson, was left off the Academy's short list along with several other notable documentaries from the past year. Toback told the Times that at some point during the selection process he experienced something he puts "fully in the category of extortion", adding that he did not go along with it. Speaking on behalf of the documentary branch -- which Toback refers to as "some tiny, dirty covert weirdly protective group" -- chairman (and filmmaker) Rob Epstein said, "I have no idea. It certainly hasn't come before me." Among some of the critically acclaimed docs snubbed this year are Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, the awesome Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and The September Issue. This year's documentary short list was narrowed down to 15 finalists from 89 possible contenders. So, yeah, obviously you're going to see some fantastic films miss the cut, and, subsequently, some pissed off filmmakers, but it's a pretty bold move for Toback to go and claim extortion, don't you think?Filed under: Documentary, Awards, Celebrities and Controversy, Oscar WatchContinue reading Oscar Snubs? Extortion Plot? Do Tell! Permalink | Email this | Comments

I'm so pleased to learn from IndieWIRE that five animated features will probably be in the running for a 2009 Academy Award. If fewer than 16 films are eligible, then only three films end up on the list of nominees. But the shortlist released today by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences includes 20 films eligible for Oscar nominations, assuming that all films on the list have a qualifying run in Los Angeles before the end of the year. That means five films will be nominated for Best Animated Feature. Of course the list includes lots of big animated films: Pixar's Up, Disney's The Princess and the Frog, Henry Selick's Coraline, Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox and Dreamworks's Monsters vs. Aliens, among others. But I may or may not have squealed and bounced in my seat to read one unexpected candidate: A Town Called Panic, the Belgian animated film that won the Audience Award at Fantastic Fest this year, and which I reviewed. I hope the film will hit L.A. for the required time, and although it is the world's biggest longshot, I'd love to see it get a nomination. The Best Animated Feature category needs something this bizarre, original and creative. We'll find out for sure when Oscar nominations are announced on Feb. 2, 2010.Filed under: Animation, Awards, Oscar Watch Permalink | Email this | Comments

You're invited as we catch up with some of the biggest names in the Hip Hop game. We'll check in with Ludacris, relax with Common in Malibu, find Suge Knight on the set of a music video, and even chat with Oscar winners Three 6 Mafia.

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