Filming Begins on Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Warner Bros. Pictures says principal photography began this week on “The Dark Knight Rises,” the conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

The film will be shot inIndia,England,Scotlandand the American cities ofNew York,Los AngelesandPittsburgh.

Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman are also returning to the cast. Newcomers for the third installment in the franchise include Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Gordon-Levitt, Hardy and Cotillard also appeared in Nolan’s 2010 film “Inception.”

The studio reports director Christopher Nolan will use IMAX cameras “even more extensively than he did on ‘The Dark Knight,’ which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX cameras. The results were so spectacular that the director wanted to expand the use of the large-format cameras for this film.”

“The Dark Knight” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

The screenplay for “The Dark Knight Rises” is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer.

Actor Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his portrayal of the Joker in 2008 summer blockbuster.
“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

EW Names Top 100 Greatest Characters of the Past 20 Years

Homer Simpson is Entertainment Weekly’s pick for the greatest character of the past 20 years.

The magazine looked at characters from TV, movies, the Internet and other places to come up with the list.

Simpson’s creator Matt Groening said millions of people were able to identify with Homer, best known for his catchphrase “D’oh”.

“People can relate to Homer because we’re all secretly propelled by desires we can’t admit to,” he said. “Homer is launching himself head-first into every single impulsive thought that occurs to him. His love of whatever has caught his eye is a joy to witness.”

Harry Potter ranks second, followed by Buffy, Tony Soprano and Heath Ledger’s Joker.

Others on the list include Jack Sparrow at number 13 and Gollum at number 36.

The only character from “Glee” is Sue Sylvester. She’s in 18th place.

The only character from “Lost”? John Locke, in 63rd place.

Pearl the Landlord from Will Ferrell’s viral video ranks 50th.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Ledger’s Final Performance Screened at Cannes

Heath Ledger’s final performance has been presented at the Cannes Film Festival.

Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” stars Ledger as a slick-tongued man who falls in with a mysterious troupe offering a portal to fantasy worlds.

Ledger died after completing the real-world portions of the film. Gilliam finished the film with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell taking Ledger’s role in three trips to make-believe realities.

The movie closes with the dedication: “A film from Heath Ledger and friends.”

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Wins Big at Oscars

It was a big Oscar night for “Slumdog Millionaire.” The ghetto-to-glory story wins the best-picture Academy Award and seven other Oscars.

Danny Boyle wins best director for “Slumdog Millionaire” and he thanked the people of Mumbai, India, saying they even dwarf Oscar himself.

Kate Winslet wins best actress for the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader.” Sean Penn takes best actor for the title role of “Milk.” The late Heath Ledger wins supporting actor for “The Dark Knight,” while Penelope Cruz was honored as best supporting actress for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

Penn used his acceptance speech to urge an end to the ban on gay marriage. He played the slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk.

The crowd gave a standing ovation to Heath Ledger’s family as they accepted his best supporting actor Oscar. Ledger died 13 months ago. His father, Kim, thanked the academy for recognizing his son’s “amazing work.”

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

7 Rules for Winning Your Oscar Pool

posted by Jonathan Crow via Yahoo

As the stars are busily getting waxed and coiffed for this Sunday’s Academy Awards Ceremony, thousands of people across the country are facing the question: who the heck do they vote for in their Oscar pool? Slumdog or Ben Button? Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke? David Fincher or Danny Boyle? The choices can be overwhelming. I don’t claim to have any insider knowledge at Price Waterhouse, but the Academy, as a body, tends to vote in patterns. Knowing those patterns can give you a leg up over your friends, enemies, and co-workers in picking who wins Oscar gold.

1. Follow the Guilds
There are professional unions for virtually every aspect of filmmaking in this town — hello, Art Director’s Guild — and the people who are in these guilds tend to be the same people who vote for the Oscars in their category. Note which movies are raking in the trophies and vote accordingly. Thus, Danny Boyle won the Director’s Guild prize this year, so he’s a pretty good bet for winning the gold on Sunday. But, as usual, this rule isn’t hard and fast: Julie Christie won the Screen Actor Guild trophy only to watch Marion Cotillard get the Oscar. Though Sean Penn won the SAG prize this year, Mickey Rourke might just win instead.

2a. The Oldest/Youngest Rule
The Best Supporting Actor prize usually goes for the oldest guy nominated. Think of it as a sort of lifetime achievement award. Thus Tommy Lee Jones won for “The Fugitive” and Alan Arkin won for “Little Miss Sunshine.” Since Heath Ledger’s nomination is obviously going to be view through the prism of his death, he’s the one vote for.

2b. On the flip side, “Best Supporting Actress” awards tend to go to the youngest woman nominated. Think Angelina Jolie in “Girl, Interrupted,” Mira Sorvino in “Mighty Aphrodite” and Anna Paquin in “The Piano.” Of course, there are exceptions here too; 12-year-old Saoirse Ronan lost to Tilda Swinton last year, for instance. This year, this category is a bit of a toss up. The Academy might follow its tendencies and give the nod to either Amy Adams or Taraji P. Henson. Or they might just give it to Penelope Cruz (Being in a Woody Allen movie helps your chances in the catagory; Diane Wiest won twice in his films). You’re best bet is close your eyes and pick blindly.

3. The Best Picture Factor
Movies that get the coveted Best Picture nomination are more likely to get the gold for their actors. Thus Tilda Swinton won for “Michael Clayton,” even though that movie didn’t take home any other trophies. Same goes for Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Capote.” This might bode well for both Senn Penn or Frank Langella.

4. The Numerous Nominations Factor
The more times an actor has been nominated but doesn’t win, the more likely they are to win the next time. Thus Russell Crowe won for “Gladiator” (one prevous nomination), Sean Penn for “Mystic River” (three noms), and Al Pacino for “Scent of a Woman” (seven nods without a win). Once that actor wins the prize, however, it’s actually harder to win again. There are exceptions, of course; ask Tom Hanks. In general, though, this looks good for Kate Winslet and Heath Ledger but not so good for Sean Penn.

5. The Hoop Skirt Factor
The movie with the most hoop skirts almost always wins Best Costume Design.

6. The X-Factor
Some stories are too good to past up. Think Charlize Theron transforming herself for her role in “Monster.” If the story is good enough, it will pretty much trumps every other Academy tendency. Thus Heath Ledger wowing critics with his turn as the Joker so soon after his untimely death is one good story. Mickey Rourke resurrecting his career after spending the past half-decade in wretched obscurity is another.

7. The Panic Choice
If you haven’t a clue what to vote for, pick the movie that sounds like it’s most closely related to the Holocaust. Think of it like filling in that fail-safe “C” bubble on the SATs.

Who’ll Get Heath Ledger’s Oscar if he Wins?

If Heath Ledger wins an Oscar Sunday, as expected, who gets to keep the statuette?

The Academy has decided that Ledger’s daughter Matilda will get it, but won’t officially own it until she’s 18. And only if she signs the standard agreement that she won’t resell the Oscar without first offering it back to the academy for one dollar.

As to who will accept the award if Ledger wins, the academy says tradition calls for it to be someone who’s a close relative or an artist who was close to the nominee.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

 AP

One Step Closer to Oscar

The rags-to-riches story “Slumdog Millionaire” continues its fairy-tale journey.

The movie has won seven prizes including best picture at the British Academy Film Awards and sealing its place as favorite for the Oscars later this month.

Kate Winslet and Mickey Rourke also gained Oscar momentum with acting wins, Winslet for her role as a former Nazi concentration camp guard in “The Reader,” Rourke for his career-reviving performance as a washed-up athlete in “The Wrestler.” Heath Ledger won a posthumous supporting actor award for The Dark Knight.”

 Reuters

“Slumdog,” Danny Boyle’s film about a Mumbai street boy’s rise from poverty to game-show triumph, went into the ceremony with 11 nominations and won prizes for best film, best director, adapted screenplay, music, cinematography, editing and sound.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Kellene’s 2009 Oscar Picks

Best Picture

 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

 

Best Actor

 

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

 

Best Actress

 

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie, The Changeling

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Kate Winslet, The Reader

 

Best Supporting Actor

 

Josh Brolin, Milk

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon, The Revolutionary Road

 

 

Best Supporting Actress

 

Amy Adams, Doubt

Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barelona

Viola Davis, Doubt

Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

 

Animated Feature

 

Bolt

Kung-Fu Panda

Wall-E

 

Best Director

 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

 

Adapted Screenplay

 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Doubt

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

 

Original Screenplay

 

Frozen River

Happy-Go-Lucky

In Bruges

Milk

Wall-E

 

And for the heck of it this year I’ll chose another category to see how I do:

 

Makeup

 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Something For Me to Aspire To

`Dark Knight’ Bags WGA Screenplay Nomination

Add writing to Batman’s bag of tricks. “The Dark Knight” has earned a nomination for best adapted screenplay from the Writers Guild of America.

The Batman blockbuster is competing alongside the romantic fantasy “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the Roman Catholic drama “Doubt,” the Richard Nixon saga “Frost/Nixon” and the street-orphan tale “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Joel and Ethan Coen, last year’s adapted-screenplay winners for “No Country for Old Men,” have an original-screenplay nomination for their CIA romp “Burn After Reading.”

Also nominated for original screenplay Wednesday: the Harvey Milk drama “Milk,” the romance “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” the cross-culture tale “The Visitor” and the ringside story “The Wrestler.”

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Kellene’s 2009 Oscar Predictions

 ABC

If you followed me last year I tried to predict what would be nominated for an Oscar. I didn’t do too bad and I also did ok for my ‘winner’ selections.

So this year I wanted to spice it up a little more – why not!? So here are my Oscar predictions pre-Golden Globe Awards show! So it proves I’m not cheating.

So let’s start:

 

Best Picture

Milk

Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Revolutionary Road

The Reader

* the only wildcard in this category is Slumdog Millionaire. It’s totally dependent on what category the filmmakers place it in. I feel if they enter it in Foreign it will win for sure, but it faces stiffer competition if placed in the above Best Picture.  

 

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married  

Angelina Jolie, The Changeling

Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Cate Blanchett – Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Meryl Streep, Doubt – I’m up in the air about this one. The academy obviously loves her, but at the same time, it’s ok if other people are nominate you know? My alternate choice is Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long

 

Best Actor

Sean Penn, Milk

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Brad Pitt, Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road

 

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder – it’s possible you know!

Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Ralph Fiennes – The Dutchess  

Josh Brolin, Milk

 

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Doubt

Kate Winslet, The Reader

Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Viola Davis, Doubt

 

Animated Feature Film

Kung Fu Panda

Bolt

Wall-E – also something dependent on what category it’s entered into. There are rumblings it should be nominated for Best Picture. But could it stand up to the other live action films?

 

Best Director

Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

David Fincher, Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Gus Van Sant, Milk