85th Academy Award Winners

• Best Picture – Argo
• Best Animated Feature Film – Brave
• Best Foreign Language Film – Amour
• Best Documentary, Searching for Sugar Man
• Best Direction – Ang Lee, Life of Pi
• Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• Best Actress – Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
• Best Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
• Best Original Song – Adele, Skyfall
• Best Original Score – Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
• Best Production Design – Lincoln
• Best Sound Mixing – Les Miserables
• Best Sound Editing – (tie) Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Film Editing – William Goldenberg, Argo
• Best Original Screenplay – Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
• Best Adapted Screenplay – Chris Terrio, Argo
• Best Make-Up and Hair Styling – Lisa Westcott/Julie Dartnell, Les Misérables
• Best Costume Design – Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
• Best Cinematography – Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
• Best Visual Effects – Life of Pi
• Best Short Documentary – Inocente
• Best Live Action Short Film – Curfew
• Best Animated Short Film – Paperman

Agree or disagree with the winners? Sound off in our comments!

The Golden Globe winners have been announced! Head over here to check out the full list of nominees.

• Motion Picture (Drama): Argo
• Best Director: Ben Affleck, Argo
• Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• Best Actress (Drama): Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
• Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical): Les Misérables
• Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
• Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
• Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
• Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
• Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
• Foreign Language Film: Amour (Austria)
• Animated Feature Film: Brave
• Original Score: Life of Pi by Mychael Danna
• Original Song: “Skyfall” from Skyfall by Adele & Paul Epworth
• Cecil B DeMille Award: Jodie Foster

• TV Series (Drama): Homeland
• TV Series (Comedy): Girls
• Actor in a TV Series (Drama): Damian Lewis, Homeland
• Actress in a TV Series (Drama): Claire Danes, Homeland
• Actor in a TV Series (Comedy): Don Cheadle, House of Lies
• Actress in a TV Series (Comedy): Lena Dunham, Girls
• TV Movie or Miniseries: Game Change
• Actor in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
• Actress in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Julianne Moore, Game Change
• Supporting Actor in a Series/Miniseries/TV Movie: Ed Harris, Game Change
• Supporting Actress in a Series/Miniseries/TV Movie: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
With The Dark Knight Rises now on Blu-Ray, we thought that this would be a perfect time to revisit it with a Mini-Review. The scope here was great and that was my favorite part of it. The cast was amazing, the writing top notch, and the directing was great. I liked this more than The Avengers which I felt became too cluttered as it went along. Lots of recognizable faces in this one. Definitely better then Batman Begins, but just a step down from The Dark Knight.

Overall, this is a great way to end one of the greatest trilogies in film history. Nolan did with superhero films what Coppola did with mob movies. He reached and got to a bar higher than what anybody would ever expect from a film like this. It was definitely worth seeing in theaters (twice) and you should own it on Blu-Ray. I hope Warner Brothers sees what Nolan did and allows for that spin-off to happen, if you know what I mean (and those who have seen it will know what I’m talking about).

If you haven’t seen this one yet, make it the next movie on your list.

[rate 4.5]

Check out these Batman related Blu-Rays for sale…

Release Date: July 20, 2012
Studio: Warner Brothers
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine.
Plot: Eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face’s crimes, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham’s finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy. (via IMDB)

Thoughts: Well the end is in sight for a journey that began eight years ago and is arguably one of the greatest cinematic trilogies of all time. Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise took comic book movies to a new level. Placing the character in the real world and giving the characters and story that sense of realism that could make you believe that this could actually happen. The Dark Knight Rises is shaping up to be THE movie of 2012.

The Dark Knight Rises, like it predecessors, boast an impressive cast. Joining the returning Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I think out of three films, this cast seems to be the best by far. Nolan has said that he didn’t want to save anything from this movie and this looks like it. While not a lot is known officially about the story, that hasn’t stopped the fanboys and internet writers from speculating.

From the trailers and other footage that’s been released, It seems like Nolan is sticking true to his word. There’s already a sense of epicness to this and a feeling that this will easily top anything that’s been done in the two previous films. Hardy and Hathaway look impressive as Bane and Selena Kyle/Catwoman. I like the fact that the film is set quite a while after the events of The Dark Knight. (8 years is official figure I keep hearing). Not only is this a great story setting but this could be a great move for Warner Brothers. With Nolan definitively stating this is the last Batman film he is directing. It’s been rumoured that he will be on the reboot as a producer much like his role on next years Superman Reboot “Man Of Steel”.

If that is the case, this reboot or next series of films could take place in those eight years. Bale has recently said he would up for a fourth film if the story is right- but we’ll have to wait and see. The Dark Knight Rises will be giving an epic conclusion to this wonderful journey and I think it will be the best movie of the summer. I’ve seen The Avengers and loved it, but I just think that TDKR will be better. Nolan hasn’t let us down yet and I think he will be able to top everything else we’ve seen. Either way, July 20^th can’t come quick enough for this Bat-Fan.

At first, I thought this category had some pretty stiff competition and would be difficult to predict, but as I saw all the films and the awards season wore on, it was made pretty clear who the front runner is here.

• Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie for Changeling
• Melissa Leo for Frozen River
• Meryl Streep for Doubt
• Kate Winslet for The Reader

Prediction:

Kate Winslet. Her performance in The Reader is amazing and I’m so glad to see it here. If her other performance this year (Revolutionary Road) had been nominated I don’t think she’d have stood a chance.

What Should Win:
Winslet, for sure, though I would have loved to see Hathaway up there as well.

I saw this one last November as a screener at home on a rainy Sunday. It really matched the tone of this film.

Kym (Anne Hathaway) is a recovering drug addict who leaves rehab to attend the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt). Her homecoming brings out a lot of bubbling tension amongst the family and causes everyone to air their grievances on the weekend of the wedding.

This film is a lot darker and more depressing than one would think as it strikes the chord of nearly every family problem you can think of. A lot of scenes tend to drag on with trite dialogue and seem as though they could have been cut down a lot. In fact, the film could have been a lot shorter, probably under an hour and a half, with all the unnecessary fringe cut out. Either way, it’s interesting but really the best part of the film, and the only thing worth nominating, is Anne Hathaway.

Nominations:

Best Actress – Anne Hathaway
I love to see her coming into her own as an actress and this role is definitely a career best. She was an early front-runner for this award, but now she should just be glad to be here since I think this award belongs to Kate.

[rate 3]

Best Picture

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• The Reader
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
• Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
• Gus van Sant, Milk
• Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Continue reading to check out the full list of 2009 Oscar Nominees! And keep checking back with the site as Phasekitty watches and takes a look at all of the nominees as we march towards the awards show.

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