A YEAR OF GREAT PERFORMANCES

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (LEADING OR SUPPORTING)
Juliette Binoche, "Flight of the Red Balloon"
Do-yeon Jeon, "Secret Sunshine"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Anamaria Marinca, "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" (in green shirt)
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (LEADING OR SUPPORTING)
Michael Fassbender, "Hunger" (2008)(left)
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor" (2007)
Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Yun-seok Kim, "The Chaser" (2008)

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD IN "DOUBT," "SLUMDOG," "MILK"

Proving that this year's U.S. awards season is all about well heralded roles and Oscar front runners, the Screen Actors Guild has unveiled its performances-centered nominations for the 2009 awards.

The list is predictable though: ensemble films "Doubt" (5 nominations including its 4main thespians), "Milk" (3 nods), and "Frost/Nixon" (2 nods) were cited along with the unexpected high profile showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2 nods inc. Brad Pitt as Best Male Actor-Lead and Ensemble Cast Performance). And another proof that the Brits might rule the Kodak Theater come March 2009: Danny Boyle's critically praised "Slumdog Millionaire" hit the slam dunk with its Ensemble Cast nod (as well as Best Male Actor-Supporting nominee Dev Patel, which narratively speaking is a lead role, just like another actress with category fraud issues: Kate Winslet - pictured above, right). The latter was nommed for Best Female Lead and Supporting nods for Ensemble Cast snubbee "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader" respectively. And proving that the SAGs are into glamour parties just like the Globes, the husband and wife team of "Brangelina" will be there as lead actor and actress nominees (Jolie for her role in Best Male Actor snubbee Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" and Pitt).

Here is the complete list of film category nominees:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
RICHARD JENKINS / Walter Vale - “THE VISITOR” (Overture Films)
FRANK LANGELLA / Richard Nixon - “FROST/NIXON” (Universal Pictures)
SEAN PENN / Harvey Milk - “MILK” (Focus Features)
BRAD PITT / Benjamin Button - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
MICKEY ROURKE / Randy - “THE WRESTLER” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

SNUBBED: Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino" (he's well loved by the Academy, so I expect that he will receive retribution come nominations day on January 29); Leonardo diCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
ANNE HATHAWAY / Kym - “RACHEL GETTING MARRIED” (Sony Pictures Classics)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Christine Collins - “CHANGELING” (Universal Pictures)
MELISSA LEO / Ray Eddy - “FROZEN RIVER” (Sony Pictures Classics) (Her nod is expected given the more actors and actresses-friendly SAG.)
MERYL STREEP / Sister Aloysius Beauvier - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films) (Pictured above, left)
KATE WINSLET / April Wheeler - “REVOLUTIONARY ROAD” (Paramount Vantage)

SNUBBED: Critics' fave Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky" (Her Oscar chances are safe though, as Academy-fave Mike Leigh's previously nommed lead actresses Brenda Blethyn and Imelda Staunton show, though both were shortlisted by the SAG during their runs.); Kristin Scott-Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"; Cate Blanchett, "The Curious Case..."

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JOSH BROLIN / Dan White - “MILK” (Focus Features) (Retribution for being snubbed by the Guild last year for "No Country...")
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. / Kirk Lazarus - “TROPIC THUNDER” (Paramount Pictures) (I'm not sure with the Academy though, given the divisive reception to the film and his role.)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN / Father Brendan Flynn - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
HEATH LEDGER / Joker - “THE DARK KNIGHT” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DEV PATEL / Older Jamal - “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

SNUBBED: James Franco, "Milk"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
AMY ADAMS / Sister James - “DOUBT” (Miramax Flms)
PENÉLOPE CRUZ / Maria Elena - “VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA” (The Weinstein Company)
VIOLA DAVIS / Mrs. Miller - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
TARAJI P. HENSON / Queenie - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
KATE WINSLET / Hanna Schmitz - “THE READER” (The Weinstein Company)

SNUBBED: Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler" (two consecutive Oscar nods with no SAG citation though, so her future is similar to Academy fave Clint Eastwood); Rosemarie de Witt, "Rachel Getting Married" (goodbye Oscar!); Debra Winger, "Rachel..."

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Paramount Pictures)
DOUBT (Miramax)
FROST/NIXON (Universal Pictures)
MILK (Focus Features)
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

SNUBBED: "The Dark Knight" (Its Oscar Best Pic chances are getting dimmer lately, given its Golden Globe and SAG Best Pic and Ensemble Cast nod absence.); "Revolutionary Road" (The high profile cast didn't help matters clearly, esp. with Kate Winslet being the only actress from the movie to be cited by most guilds and critics' groups. Its Oscar Best Film hopes are a foregone conclusion for sure, though Winslet's two nods are expected to happen also come Oscar nominations day.); "Rachel Getting Married" (Divisive critical and box-office reception for the film resulted to a single nod for lead actress Anne Hathaway, now a formidable Oscar contender.); "WALL-E" (Goodbye Oscar Best Pic hopes? I don't think so. "Dark Knight"? Hmmm...)

'OSCAR'-WATCH: November 2008

Now that various film critics' groups in the US have announced their annual 'Best Films' lists, awards momentum continues. With last week's Golden Globe Awards nominees revealed (plus the Screen Actors Guild nominations show on Thursday), here is my prediction list for November.

(FORMULA: awards/recognitions/critical approbation + audience appeal/recall and box-office reception + awards tradition and film conventions= Oscar potential

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E (yes! the LAFCC's Best Film of 2008 award is a major traction)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
David Fincher, The Curious Case...
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Andrew Stanton, WALL-E

BEST ACTOR-LEAD
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (this is his third shot at an acting nod, and early critical reception is strong)
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS-LEAD
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt (pictured, above with P. S. Hoffman)
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road (could be her sixth nod, and her first win...wishful thinking)

BEST ACTOR-SUPPORTING
Josh Brolin, Milk (despite the nature of his role)
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder (see Brolin)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt (see Downey Jr.)
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (say no more, period)
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire (despite the category fraud - it's a lead role)

BEST ACTRESS-SUPPORTING
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married

BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTATION) (Very competitive category this year, with two acclaimed novels and award winning plays in the mix)
The Curious Case..., Eric Roth (winner in this category for Forrest Gump)and Robin Swicord (director of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Jane Austen Book Club, both middling film adaptation of well-loved books)
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley (1987 Oscar winner for Best Orig. Screenplay, Moonstruck)
The Reader, David Hare (Oscar nominee, The Hours)
Revolutionary Road, Justin Haythe (first time nominee if ever)
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy (Oscar nominee, The Full Monty)

BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL)
Gran Torino, Nick Schenk
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
Rachel Getting Married, Jenny (the daughter of director Sidney) Lumet
Vicky Christina Barcelona, Woody Allen (his 15th career nod)
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, etc. (token animated film nomination every time a Pixar movie is in Oscar contention)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (unchanged since October)
Revanche, Austria
Gommorah, Italy
The Mermaid, Russia
The Blind Sunflowers, Spain
Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moment, Sweden

'BUTTON,' 'DOUBT, 'NIXON' TOP GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEES

Winners to be announced on Sunday, January 11th.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) (pictured, left)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
The Reader (2008)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Burn After Reading (2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
In Bruges (2008)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
* Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio for Revolutionary Road (2008)
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Sean Penn for Milk (2008)
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
* Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008)
* Kristin Scott Thomas for Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (2008)
Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
* Colin Farrell for In Bruges (2008)
James Franco for Pineapple Express (2008)
Brendan Gleeson for In Bruges (2008)
Dustin Hoffman for Last Chance Harvey (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
* Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Frances McDormand for Burn After Reading (2008)
Meryl Streep for Mamma Mia! (2008)
Emma Thompson for Last Chance Harvey (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder (2008)
* Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
Ralph Fiennes for The Duchess (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams for Doubt (2008)
* Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Viola Davis for Doubt (2008)
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)
Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
* David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Sam Mendes for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
Doubt (2008): John Patrick Shanley
* Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
The Reader (2008): David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Bolt (2008)("I Thought I Lost You")
Cadillac Records (2008)("Once in a Lifetime")
Gran Torino (2008)("Gran Torino")
* WALL•E (2008)("Down to Earth")
The Wrestler (2008)("The Wrestler")

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Changeling (2008): Clint Eastwood
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat
Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard
Frost/Nixon (2008): Hans Zimmer
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman

Best Animated Film
Bolt (2008)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
* WALL•E (2008)

Best Foreign Language Film
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)(2008)
Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick (Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments)(2008)
* Gomorra (2008)
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I've Loved You So Long) (2008)
Waltz with Bashir (2008)

(* - my bets)

AWARDS WATCH 2008: "WALL-E" "MILK" TOP L.A., NEW YORK CRITICS

Disney Pixar's critical and box office hit "WALL-E" (pictured, left)becomes the first animated feature to win Best Picture from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Gus Van Sant's biopic of America's first openly gay mayor, Harvey Milk was cited as Best Film of 2008 by the New York Film Critics Circle. Oscar winner Sean Penn was honored by both L.A. and New York critics for his acclaimed portrayal of the ill-fated politician, while "Happy Go Lucky's" Sally Hawkins and "Vicky Christina Barcelona" star Penelope Cruz were singled out as Best Lead Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

NYFCC WINNERS
Best Picture - Milk
Best Director - Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Actor - Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress - Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin (Milk)
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Screenplay - Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Cinematographer - Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Foreign Film - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Animated Film - WALL-E
Best First Film - Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
Best Documentary - Man on Wire

LAFCC WINNERS
Picture: “Wall-E”
Runner-up: “The Dark Knight”
Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Actress: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Elegy”
Runner-up: Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Screenplay: Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”
Foreign-language film: “Still Life”
Runner-up: “The Class”
Documentary: “Man on Wire”
Runner-up: “Waltz With Bashir”
Animation: “Waltz With Bashir”
Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, “Still Life”
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Production design: Mark Friedberg, “Synecdoche, New York”
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, “The Dark Knight”
Music/score: A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
New Generation: Steve McQueen, “Hunger”
Douglas E. Edwards independent/experimental film/video: James Benning, “RR” and “Casting a Glance”

10 on 10: REEL REVIEWS BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

Here is the shortlist of 20 films from which Reel Reviews will choose its 10 Best Films of 2008:

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, Cristian Mongiu
After This, Our Exile, Patrick Yam
Beauty in Trouble, Jan Hrebjik
The Chaser, Hong-jin Na
Flight of the Red Balloon, Hou Hsiao Hsien
Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard (pictured above)
Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
It’s A Free World…, Ken Loach
Let the Right One In, Tomas Alfredson
Milk, Gus Van Sant
Mongol, Sergei Bodrov
Mouchette, Robert Bresson
Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant
Secret Sunshine, Chang-dong Lee
Shanghai Dreams, Wang Xiaoshuai
Silent Light, Carlos Reygadas
United Red Army, Koji Wakamatsu
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton
Wendy and Lucy, Kelly Reichardt

"SLUMDOG," EASTWOOD TOP NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW AWARDS

British director Danny Boyle's ("Trainspotting," "The Beach," "28 Days") critical and box-office champ, the Mumbai-set "Slumdog Millionaire" (pictured, left) top the first awards ceremony of the season, winning Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (for "The Full Monty" scribe Simon Beaufoy), and Best Male Newcomer for Dev Patel. The British-American co-production must have impressed the members of National Board of Review in its 100th year, leaving its American counterparts as bridemaids.

Hometown favorite David Fincher ("Seven"; "Panic Room"; "The Game") scored Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (tied with "Slumdog") honors for his much-buzzed fantasy drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and last year's Oscar Best Supporting Actress winner Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton"). Hollywood legend and four-time Oscar winning actor-director Clint Eastwood and recent tabloid fodder Anne Hathaway received Best Actor and Best Actress awards for their performance in "Gran Torino" (whose original screenplay was also singled out) and "Rachel Getting Married," respectively.

Other winners include

JOSH BROLIN, Best Sup. Actor for "Milk"
PENELOPE CRUZ, Best Sup. Actress for "Vicky Christina Barcelona"
VIOLA DAVIS, Best Female Newcomer, "Doubt."
Character actor RICHARD JENKINS ("The Visitor") and indie film actress MELISSA LEO ("Frozen River"), Spotlight Award recipients
The cast of "DOUBT," Best Ensemble Performance
"WALL-E," Best Animated Film
80th Academy Awards Best Foreign Film nominee "MONGOL," Best Foreign Language Film
"MAN ON WIRE," Best Documentary Feature

"GOMORRAH" FEVER AT the 21st EFA

Matteo Garrone's controversial film about the Naples' Mafia, "Gomorrah" dominated the 21st European Film Awards at Copenhagen on December 6. Kristin Scott-Thomas won her first Best Actress award of the season for her lauded work in "I've Loved You So Long," while Steve McQueen was honored with the European Discovery Award for his critically acclaimed film "Hunger".

BEST EUROPEAN FILM - "Gomorrah"
BEST DIRECTOR - Matteo Garrone, "Gomorrah"
BEST ACTOR - Toni Servillo, "Gomorrah" and "Il Divo"
BEST ACTRESS - Kristin Scott-Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
BEST SCREENPLAY - Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso & Roberto Saviano for “Gomorra”
CARLO DI PALMA BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD - Marco Onorato, "Gomorrah"
BEST EUROPEAN COMPOSER - Max Richter, "Waltz with Bashir"
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY AWARD - writer-director Steve McQueen, "Hunger"
PRIX D'EXCELLENCE - Magdalena Biedrzycka for costume design, “Katyn"

Based on its overwhelming critics' reviews and impressive awards credentials, it looks like Garrone and company should save some money for a trip to the Kodak Theater come March next year. It's a sure bet and retribution for novellist Saviano, now that he's being threatened by the people whom he depicted in the book.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER...

Am busy at work for a month now, not to mention the pile-up of movie backlogs I have to see soon.

For now, I have to wake-up and keep the awards fever on track as I post updated news on critics' honors and pre-Oscars awards. Here's a sneak peek on this month's schedules:

DEC. 9 - Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations to be announced
DEC. 9 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association winners to be announced
DEC. 17 - Hollywood Foreign Press' 62nd Golden Globe Awards nominees to be announced
late December - New York Film Critics Circle citations to be announced

RANDOM THOUGHTS: pelikula@cinema FILMS THAT MATTER (OCTOBER 2008)

THE BAND'S VISIT (2007), Erin Kolirin
HUNGER (2008), Steve McQueen
THE LAST WAVE (1977), Peter Weir
SILENT LIGHT (2007), Carlos Reygadas
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1976), Tobe Hooper
UNITED RED ARMY (2007), Koji Wakamatsu

QUICK TAKES: The 21st EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS NOMINEES

61st Cannes Filmfest winners Gomorrah and Il Divo lead the 21st European Film Awards nominees this year with five nods, respectively.

Here is the shortlist of competing films:

BEST EUROPEAN FILM
Entre Les Murs (The Class), Laurent Cantet (France)
Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone (Italy)
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh (U.K.)
Il Divo, Paolo Sorrentino (Italy-France)
L'Orfanato (The Orphanage), Juan Antonio Bayona (Spain)
Waltz with Bashir, Ari Folman (Israel-Germany-France)

BEST EUROPEAN DIRECTOR
Laurent Cantet, Entre Les Murs
Matteo Garrone, Gomorrah
Andreas Dresen, Folke 9 (Cloud 9)
Ari Folman, Waltz with Bashir
Paolo Sorrentino, Il Divo
Steve McQueen, Hunger (U.K.-Ireland)

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2008
Michael Fassbender in “Hunger”
Thure Lindhardt & Mads Mikkelsen in “Flammen & Citronen” (Flame & Citron)
James McAvoy in “Atonement”
Toni Servillo in “Gomorra” (Gomorrah) and “Il Divo”
Juergen Vogel in “Die Welle” (The Wave)
Elmar Wepper in “Kirschbluten - Hanami” (Cherry Blossoms)

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2008
Hiam Abbass in “Lemon Tree”
Arta Dobroshi in “Le Silence de Lorna” (Lorna’s Silence)
Sally Hawkins in “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Belen Rueda in “El Orfanato” (The Orphanage)
Kristin Scott Thomas in “Il y a Longtemps Que Je T’aime” (I’ve Loved You So Long)
Ursula Werner in “Wolke 9” (Cloud 9)

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2008
Suha Arraf & Eran Riklis for “Lemon Tree”
Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso & Roberto Saviano for “Gomorra” (Gomorrah)
Ari Folman for “Waltz With Bashir”
Paolo Sorrentino for “Il Divo”

CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2008
Luca Bigazzi for “Il Divo”
Oscar Faura for “El Orfanato” (The Orphanage)
Marco Onorato for “Gomorra” (Gomorrah)
Sergey Trofimov & Rogier Stoffers for “Mongol”

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY PRIX D’EXCELLENCE 2008
Marton Agh for production design, “Delta”
Magdalena Biedrzycka for costume design, “Katyn”
Laurence Briaud for editing, “Un Conte de Noel”
Petter Fladeby for sound design, “O’Horten”

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2008
Tuur Florizoone for “Aanrijding in Moscou” (Moscow, Belgium)
Dario Marianelli for “Atonement”
Max Richter for “Waltz With Bashir”
Fernando Velazquez for “El Orfanato” (The Orphanage)

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2008
“Hunger,” UK, directed by Steve McQueen
written by Enda Walsh & Steve McQueen
“Snijeg” (Snow), Bosnia and Herzegovina / Germany / France / Iran, directed by Aida Begi
written by Aida Begi and Elma Tataragi
“Tatil Kitabi” (Summer Book), Turkey, written and directed by Seyfi Teoman
“Tulpan,” Germany / Switzerland / Kazakhstan / Russia / Poland, directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy
written by Sergey Dvortsevoy and Gennady Ostrovskiy

Major omissions include one nod (Laurence Briaud for Film Editing) for Arnaud Desplechin's critically praised drama Un Conte de Noel (A Christmas Tale) and zero noms for Oscar 2008 Best Foreign Language Film entries Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments by Jan Troell (Sweden), The Mermaid (Russia), and Revenche by Gotz Spielmann (Austria). Steve McQueen's directorial debut, Cannes Camera d'Or winner Hunger, was cited in three categories including himself (Best European Director) and Michael Fassbender (Best European Actor).

The ceremony will be held at Copenhagen, Denmark on December 2.

'OSCAR'-WATCH: MY MONTHLY 81st OSCARS PREDICTION LIST

In keeping with "awards season fanatics" tradition, here is my "too early to tell" monthly 81st Oscar nominees prediction this month:

BEST PICTURE
Australia (pictured above, left)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Baz Luhrmann, Australia
David Fincher, The Curious Case...
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR-LEADING ROLE
Benicio del Toro, Che
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS-LEADING ROLE
Sally Hawkins, Happy Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Kristin Scott-Thomas, I Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep, Doubt.
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt.
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
John Malkovich, Changeling
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt.
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Class, France
Everlasting Moment, Sweden (pictured above, right)
Gomorrah, Italy
The Mermaid, Russia
Revanche, Austria

"My Monthly 81st Oscars Prediction" will be a regular post in this blog from now on until the 81st Oscars (February 2009).

QUICK TAKES: The 81st Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film Entries

(Press release)
67 Countries Vying for 2008 Foreign Language Film Oscar®

Beverly Hills, CA — A record 67 countries, including first-time entrant Jordan, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 81st Academy Awards®, Academy President Sid Ganis announced today.

The 2008 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “Opium War,” Siddiq Barmak, director;
Albania, “The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider,” Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani, directors;
Algeria, “Masquerades,” Lyes Salem, director;
Argentina, “Lion’s Den,” Pablo Trapero, director;
Austria, “Revanche,” Gotz Spielmann, director;
Azerbaijan, “Fortress,” Shamil Nacafzada, director;
Bangladesh, “Aha!,” Enamul Karim Nirjhar, director;
Belgium, “Eldorado,” Bouli Lanners, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Snow,” Aida Begic, director;
Brazil, “Last Stop 174,” Bruno Barreto, director;
Bulgaria, “Zift,” Javor Gardev, director;
Canada, “The Necessities of Life,” Benoit Pilon, director;
Chile, “Tony Manero,” Pablo Larrain, director;
China, “Dream Weavers,” Jun Gu, director;
Colombia, “Dog Eat Dog,” Carlos Moreno, director;
Croatia, “No One’s Son,” Arsen Anton Ostojic, director;
Czech Republic, “The Karamazovs,” Petr Zelenka, director;
Denmark, “Worlds Apart,” Niels Arden Oplev, director;
Egypt, “The Island,” Sherif Arafa, director;
Estonia, “I Was Here,” Rene Vilbre, director;
Finland, “The Home of Dark Butterflies,” Dome Karukoski, director;
France, “The Class,” Laurent Cantet, director;
Georgia, “Mediator,” Dito Tsintsadze, director;
Germany, “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” Uli Edel, director;
Greece, “Correction,” Thanos Anastopoulos, director;
Hong Kong, “Painted Skin,” Gordon Chan, director;
Hungary, “Iska’s Journey,” Csaba Bollok, director;
Iceland, “White Night Wedding,” Baltasar Kormakur, director
India, “Taare Zameen Par,” Aamir Khan, director;
Iran, “The Song of Sparrows,” Majid Majidi, director;
Israel, “Waltz with Bashir,” Ari Folman, director;
Italy, “Gomorra,” Matteo Garrone, director;
Japan, “Departures,” Yojiro Takita, director;
Jordan, “Captain Abu Raed,” Amin Matalqa, director;
Kazakhstan, “Tulpan,” Sergey Dvortsevoy, director; (pictured above)
Korea, “Crossing,” Tae-kyun Kim, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “Heavens Blue,” Marie Jaoul de Poncheville, director;
Latvia, “Defenders of Riga,” Aigars Grauba, director;
Lebanon, “Under the Bombs,” Philippe Aractingi, director;
Lithuania, “Loss,” Maris Martinsons, director;
Luxembourg, “Nuits d’Arabie,” Paul Kieffer, director;
Macedonia, “I’m from Titov Veles,” Teona Strugar Mitevska, director;
Mexico, “Tear This Heart Out,” Roberto Sneider, director;
Morocco, “Goodbye Mothers,” Mohamed Ismail, director
The Netherlands, “Dunya & Desie,” Dana Nechushtan, director;
Norway, “O’Horten,” Bent Hamer, director;
Palestine, “Salt of This Sea” Annemarie Jacir, director;
Philippines, “Ploning,” Dante Nico Garcia, director;
Poland, “Tricks,” Andrzej Jakimowski, director;
Portugal, “Our Beloved Month of August,” Miguel Gomes, director;
Romania, “The Rest Is Silence,” Nae Caranfil, director;
Russia, “Mermaid,” Anna Melikyan, director;
Serbia, “The Tour,” Goran Markovic, director;
Singapore, “My Magic,” Eric Khoo, director;
Slovakia, “Blind Loves,” Juraj Lehotsky, director;
Slovenia, “Rooster’s Breakfast,” Marko Nabersnik, director;
South Africa, “Jerusalema,” Ralph Ziman, director;
Spain, “The Blind Sunflowers,” Jose Luis Cuerda, director;
Sweden, “Everlasting Moments,” Jan Troell, director;
Switzerland, “The Friend,” Micha Lewinsky, director;
Taiwan, “Cape No. 7,” Te-Sheng Wei, director;
Thailand, “Love of Siam,” Chookiat Sakveerakul, director;
Turkey, “3 Monkeys,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
Ukraine, “Illusion of Fear,” Aleksandr Kiriyenko, director;
United Kingdom, “Hope Eternal,” Karl Francis, director;
Uruguay, “Kill Them All,” Esteban Schroeder, director;
Venezuela, “The Color of Fame,” Alejandro Bellame Palacios, director.

As per Academy rule, the Oscar Foreign Film committee will announce a shortlist of the nine highest-rated films from among the national submissions. A smaller committee was then created to narrow down the list to the five films which will be nominated for the Oscar.

Hmmmm... This year's line-up isn't groundbreaking after all. Considering last year's omissions (4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days; Secret Sunshine; Silent Light; Persepolis), we can only expect the unexpected. But then...

MY TOP NINE SHORTLIST (based on festival circuit reception, national impact, and expected Academy response)

Austria, "Revanche"
France, "The Class" (Palme d'Or, 61st Cannes FF; Official Selection, 46th New York FF)
Italy, "Gomorrah" (Grand Prize of the Jury, 61st Cannes FF; Official Selection, 46th New York FF; January 2009 North American release-IFP Films)
Jordan, "Captain Abu Raed" (World Cinema Audience Award winner, Sundance FF
Kazakhstan, "Tulpan" (Camera d'Or, 61st Cannes FF; Official Selection, 46th New York FF; Toronto FF)
Norway, "O'Horten"
Russia, "The Mermaid" (Official Selection, Sundance FF)
Spain, "The Blind Sunflowers"
Sweden, "Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments" (from the Oscar nominated director of Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film nominee "The Emigrants")

RANDOM THOUGHTS: DEKADA CINEMANILA

My first hand, "insider" thoughts on the 10th Cinemanila FF:

VENUE: So-so. For a Makati resident (like me) the place is far. At least there is the MRT wherein I can take a one-way drive going to Gateway Mall. Never mind that I have to pass by a lot of classy shops (Folded and Hung, Lacoste, Bench, Esprit, etc.) before reaching the Cineplex.
MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS: To the max! As in extensive broadcast and print media coverage. Name it and fest organizer Director Tikoy Aguiluz has contacts with: ABS-CBN (in an interview with Mario Dumauag last night), Phil. Daily Inquirer, Phil. Star, Tempo, and so on. But when it comes to
BOX-OFFICE: This year's fest is an unmitigated flop, except for two crowd pleasers that managed to be an audience favorite: Thailand's official 81st Oscar Best Foreign Language Film entry Love of Siam (a gay romance comedy-drama; pictured above ) and Israel's Cannes Filmfest winner and U.S. box-office hit The Band's Visit (a light but affable comedy based on "true events"). Blame it on the absence of more popular festival entries this year.
LINE-UP OF FILMS: Weak, compared with last year's fabulous array of entries (60th Cannes Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days; Lino Brocka World Cinema Grand Prize winner and 60th Cannes Best Screenplay honoree The Edge of Heaven; 60th Cannes Jury Prize and eventual Cinemanila Special Jury Prize for World Cinema awardee Persepolis; 59th Cannes Camera d'Or winner Luxury Car, among others). Though the presence of last year's festival hits The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Roy Andersson's 60th Cannes Un Certain Regard entry You, The Living; 60th Cannes Un Certain Regard winner California Dreamin' are commendable (even if they were available on bootlegged DVD last year, thereby affecting ticket sales), the International and Southeast Asian Cinema films in competition (Indonesia's The Photograph; Thailand's Love of Siam; Japan's United Red Army; Russia's Vanished Empire, etc.) are relatively uncommon.
PARALLEL EVENTS: As if I care! Master Class in Filmmaking, Directing, Editing, and Screenplay Writing featuring Cinemanila regulars Lav Diaz (recent Venice Filmfest winner), relatively unknown filmmaker Amir Muhammad, and 53rd Cannes Palme d'Or for Best Short Film winner (and inactive of late indie filmmaker) Raymond Red for P150.00? Why attend a lecture when you can seek practical advice from other thriving indie directors? Or at the most, why not do it yourself?

FAVORITES SO FAR: Koji Wakamatsu's enthralling docudrama United Red Army; Johnnie To's latest film Sparrow (this year's opening Film); You, The Living; The Band's Visit

OF INTEREST: Kiumars Pourahamd's Night Bus; Karen Shakhnazarov's Vanished Empire; Roynston Tan's 12 Lotus; Malaysian films Flower in the Pocket and Village People Radio Show

MUCH AWAITED: Melancholia; The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela; Adolf Alix's Adela; Brillante Mendoza's Serbis, Foster Child, Tirador

OVERHYPED: Love of Siam (A gay romance comedy-drama? Have we seen something like this before?)

AVAILABLE ON DVD: The Diving Bell...; Persepolis; Tsotsi; Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth; Ken Loach's It's A Free World; With a Girl of Black Soil

RUSHES: DEKADA CINEMANILA 2008

It's confirmed: The 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival will kick off on Wednesday, October 16 with the Philippine theatrical premiere of Hongkong action auteur Johnnie To's (Election, Exiled, Mad Detective) latest movie Sparrow.

Among the seven confirmed films in competition are Eran Kolirin's crowd pleasing, Cannes certified hit The Band's Visit (pictured, above) and Philippine indie cinema maverick Lav Diaz's Venice Filmfest winner Melancholia. In the Southeast Asia Competition, good friend Adolf Alix, Jr's (co-writer, Small Voices; Homecoming; Yesterday's Children; Daybreak, the 2009 Piolo Pascual starrer Manila) much awaited Anita Linda project Adela will have its world premiere, while Indonesian filmmaker Nan Achnas (Cinemanila 2001 entry Whispering Sands) will present his latest work The Photograph.

Sure, the line-up is most Southeast Asian. Well, as with previous Cinemanila editions we never know. One thing's for sure: I will be there.

THE LINE-UP

MAIN COMPETITION
1. The Band's Visit (Eran Kolirin, Israel)
2. Lucky Miles (Michael James Rowland, Australia)
3. Melancholia (Lav Diaz, Philippines)
4. Night Bus (Kiumars Pourahmad, Iran)
5. The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela (Olaf de Fleur Johannesson,
Iceland/Philippines/France/Thailand) (Berlin Film Festival 2008 winner)
6. United Red Army (Koji Wakamatsu,Japan)
7. Vanished Empire (Karen Shakhnazarov, Russia)

SOUTHEAST ASIA COMPETITION
1. 12 Lotus (Royston Tan, Singapore)
2. Adela (Adolf Alix, Philippines)
3. The Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (Edwin, Indonesia)
4. Confessional (Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Dahis Antipuesto, Philippines)
5. Flower in the Pocket (Liew Seng Tat, Malaysia)
6. Love of Siam (Chukiat Sakveerakul, Thailand)
7. The Photograph (Nan Achnas, Indonesia)

RANDOM THOUGHTS: SPANISH FILMFEST 2008

Some observations on the 7th edition of Pelikula! Spanish Filmfest:

VENUE: Excellent, no questions asked.
MARKETING AND PUBLICITY: Very good, considering the cineastes' dire need for art-house, foreign language pictures. Nothing beats Instituto Cervantes for their astute publicity and classy reception in marketing recent Spanish films.
LINE-UP: Good, though my expected high profile Latin film festival awardees The Silly Age (Cuba), The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (Brazil), and XXY (Argentina) (all Oscar Best Foreign Film entries last year) were conspicuously absent in favor of hometown favorites. At least, uncompromising filmmaker Carlos Reygadas (Battle in Heaven; Japon) will be toasted during the Mexican Cinema night for his recent 60th Cannes Filmfest Jury Prize winner and critics' fave (Film Comment Magazine's Best Unreleased Film of 2007) Silent Light (Luz Silenciosa).
BLOOPERS: The opening film, Fuera de CartaOff The Menu (pictured above, right)(Oct. 1) had its fair share of real-life humor when the last reel wasn't shown. No explanations were given though. Ditto Mataharis, in which the projector failed to press the English subtitle button --- to the audience's surprise and comic relief. (It was discovered that the female detective drama will be shown in DVD format. Sigh.)
HIGHLIGHTS (so far): Fuera de Carta had its payback time --- in a very good way --- last night when it was enthusiastically received by the jampacked audience, not to mention the presence of its director, Nacho G. Velilla who introduced his film. It was revenge served hot and mighty indeed.

Here are my favorites:

MATAHARIS (pictured, above left)- Iciar Bollain (Te Doy Mis Ojos, SFF 2005)
LO MEJOR DE MI (The Best of Me)
FUERA DE CARTA - Sure to be an Audience Choice Awardee this year, this family/gay romance comedy starring heralded contemporary Spanish cinema thespians Javier Camara (Talk To Her; Torremolinos '73; this year's entry Under the Stars) and Lola Duenas (The Sea Inside; Volver) was filled with many catchy dialogue, though the plot falters dramatically after the climax. Viewers who are into light comedies like this won't care about this narrative setback.
SILENT LIGHT - After the headache-causing, squirming Batalia en el Cielo (Battle in Heaven), Carlos Reygadas returns to his auteur roots with this critically acclaimed, Cannes winning drama. Watching it was a spiritual experience for me (really), and the jam-packed theater was in complete silence while watching it (despite a few walkouts). The Mexican filmmaker's narrative devices and stylish yet dramatically concurrent directorial touches justified its larger than life plot. (A full critique will be published later this month.)

Reviews of the said films and extended coverage of other movies to be shown this week will be posted after the festival (October 12).

RUSHES: PELIKULA! 2008 SCHEDULE

Date/Time

1 Wed 4:30 pm 7 mesas de billar francés
7:00 pm La torre de Suso
9:30 pm Mataharis

2 Thu 4:30 pm La caja
7:00 pm Concursante
9:30 pm Lo mejor de mí

3 Fri 4:30 pm El pollo, el pez y el cangrejo real
7:00 pm Fados
9:30 pm Los crímenes de Oxford
12:00 pm Yo soy la Juani

4 Sat 2:00 pm Miguel y William
4:30 pm La torre de Suso
7:00 pm Mataharis
9:30 pm 7 mesas de billar francés
12:00 pm Fuera de carta

5 Sun 4:30 pm Nocturna
7:00 pm Fados
9:30 pm Fuera de carta
12:00 pm El orfanato

6 Mon 4:30 pm Concursante
7:00 pm La caja
9:30 pm Bajo las estrellas

7 Tue 4:30 pm Miguel y William
MEXICAN CINEMA NIGHT: Luz silenciosa (By invitation only)
9:30 pm El violín

8 Wed 4:30 pm Lo mejor de mí
7:00 pm 7 mesas de billar francés
9:30 pm Los crímenes de Oxford

9 Thu 4:30 pm Fados
7:00 pm El orfanato
9:30 pm El pollo, el pez y el cangrejo real

10 Fri 4:30 pm Bajo las estrellas
7:00 pm El violín
9:30 pm Concursante
12:00 pm La torre de Suso

11 Sat 2:00 pm Nocturna
4:30 pm Luz silenciosa
7:00 pm Fuera de carta
9:30 pm El orfanato
12:00 pm Los crímenes de Oxford

12 Sun 2:00 pm El violín
4:30 pm Mataharis
7:00 pm Todos estamos invitados
9:30 pm Winner, Audience Choice Award/Premio del Público

RUSHES: PELIKULA! 2008 LINE-UP

BAJO LAS ESTRELLAS UNDER THE STARS
[en] Benito learns that his brother Lalo willsoon marry. Knowing the bride-to-be, he decides to step in, but finds himselfup against Nines’s daughter, Ainara, with whom he ends up forging a peculiarfriendship. When things take a turn for the worst in this peculiar family,Benito decides for the first time in his life to take control.
• Director: Félix Viscarret
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 108 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: AlbertoSan Juan, Emma Suárez, Julián Villagrán
•
• Best Lead Actor (Alberto San Juan); Best Screenplay,Adapted
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

CONCURSANTE • THE CONTESTANT
[en] Martin’s life is turned upside down when he wins almost 4 million dollars in prizes from a quiz show. But his life becomes a roller-coaster ride when his girlfriend starts spending the cash value of the prizes at the same rate he is frantically trying to sell them.
• Director: Rodrigo Cortés
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 88 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Cheta Lera, Miyam Gallego, Fernado Cayo, Myriam de Maetzu

• Critics Award, Silver Biznaga
• Nominated Golden Biznaga
• Málaga Spanish Film Festival, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

EL ORFANATO THE ORPHANAGE
[en] Laura returns to the orphanage where shespent the best years of her childhood to discover that it has acquired ahaunted, unhappy air. She then sets out to learn what happened at the orphanageafter she left, plunging headlong into a netherworld where the dead reach outto the living.
• Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
• Producción • Production: Spain, Mexico; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 105 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: BelénRueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla
•
• Best Screenplay,Best New Director, five other awards and seven nominations (including BestFilm)
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

EL POLLO, EL PEZ Y EL CANGREJO REAL • THE CHICKEN, THE FISH AND THE KING CRAB
[en] Jesús Almagro was a happy man when he won Spain’s National Award for Best Cook 2007. His next challenge was to compete for the World Championship, the Bocuse d’Or. He thought he was up to the challenge, that preparing was just a matter of time and skills. But he was definitively not ready for what lay ahead
• Director: José Luis López-Linares
• Producción • Production: Spain; 2008
• Duración • Duration: 86 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Jesús Almagro, Juan María Arzak, Alberto Chicote, Felix
Guerrero, Padero Larumbe
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

EL VIOLÍN
[en] Don Plutarco, his son Genaro and grandson Lucio make a humble living as traveling musicians. They also collect supplies and ammunition for the guerrilla movement that has arisen in response to the tyrannical regime.
• Director: Francisco Vargas
• Producción • Production: Mexico, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 98 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Ángel Tavira, Gerardo Taracena, Dagoberto Gama, Mario
• Garibaldo, Fermín Martínez
Best Actor (Ángel Tavira)
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

FADOS
[en] After more than two years research on the Fado, Carlos Saura makes an important change in his approach to musical films. In Fados, the plot and the images work to reflect the origins of this organic port music in a unique, original way.
• Director: Carlos Saura
• Producción • Production: Spain, Portugal; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 90 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Camané, Carlos do Carmo, Lila Downs, Cesária Évora, Toni Garrido

• Best Documentary - Cinema Writers Circle Awards, 2008
• Nominated Best Documentary - Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En portugués con subtítulos en inglés • In Portuguese with English subtitle

FUERA DE CARTA CHEF’S SPECIAL
[en] Maxi thinks his life is perfect. Then,unexpectedly, the children from his sham marriage turn up on his doorstep and ahandsome ex-football player from Argentina moves in next door, making himreevaluate his own morals and values.
• Director: Nacho G. Velilla
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2008
• Duración • Duration: 111 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: JavierCámara, Lola Dueñas, Fernando Tejero, Benjamín Vicuña
•
• Audience Award:Best Film, Best Actor (Javier Cámara)
• Málaga SpanishFilm Festival, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

LA CAJA • THE WOODEN BOX
[en] In a fishing village in the Canary Islands, the hated don Lucio dies and his wife has asks her neighbor Isabel to keep vigil over the body. All the neighbors visit him to settle old scores. Rest in peace, Don Lucio... if you can.
• Director: Juan Carlos Falcón
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2006
• Duración • Duration: 96 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Ángela Molina, Elvira Mínguez, Antonia San Juan, Vladimir Cruz, María Galiana
•
• Audience Award
• Las Palmas Film Festival, 2007
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

LA TORRE DE SUSO • SUSO'S TOWER
[en] Cundo returns home after a ten-year absence, on the news of the death of his best friend, Suso. He pretends that everything in his life is hunky-dory, planning to leave the scene as quickly as he had come. But Cundo actually isn’t doing so well and Suso won’t be content with a simple toast to his life.
• Director: Tom Fernández
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 95 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Javier Cámara, Gonzalo de Castro, César Vea, José Luis Alcobendas, Malena Alterio
•
• Nominated Best New Director (Tom Fernández) and two other nominations
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitle

LO MEJOR DE MÍ THE BEST OF ME
[en] When Raquel was a little girl, she couldnot understand why everyone talked constantly about love. When Raquel moves inwith Tomas, she will have to ask herself what she could be willing to do forlove, discovering how beautiful, and at the same how difficult, it is to trulylove someone.
• Director: Roser Aguilar
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2008
• Duración • Duration: 85 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: MariánÁlvarez, Juan Sanz, Lluís Homar, Alberto Jiménez, Marieta Orozco
•
• Best Actress(Marián Álvarez)
• Locarno International Film Festival, 2007
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

LOS CRÍMENES DE OXFORD THE OXFORD MURDERS
[en] The murdered corpse of an old lady is discovered by two men who meet for the first time, on the site of the first in a series of murders, all announced by the perpetrator by strange symbols. Professor and student join forces to try and crack the code, revealing an elaborate puzzle where nothing is as it seems
• Director: Álex de la Iglesia
• Producción • Production: Spain, France; 2008
• Duración • Duration: 107 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Elijah Wood, John Hurt, Leonor Watling, Julie Cox, Burn Gorman
•
• En inglés con subtítulos en español • In English with Spanish subtitles

LUZ SILENCIOSA • SILENT LIGHT (pictured, above)
[en] Johan, married to Esther, with seven sons from her, has been having a passionate love affair with Marianne for 2 years. He confesses to his friend, Zacaris and to his father, a preacher, who sees it as the devil’s work. Nevertheless, both of them support him, pity him. And envy him.
• Director: Carlos Reygadas
• Producción • Production: Mexico, France, Netherlands, Germany; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 127 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Cornelio Wall, Maria Pankratz, Miriam Toews, Peter Wall, Jacobo Klassen, Elizabeth Fehr
•
• Jury Prize
• Cannes Film Festival, 2007
•
• En alemán con subtítulos en Inglés • In German with English subtitles

MATAHARIS
[en] Private detectives Inés, Eva and Carmen find that they have to cross the thin line between public and private matters, bringing their own issues to light in order to solve more than just their professional cases.
• Director: Iciar Bollain
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 95 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Najwa Nimri, Tristán Ulloa, María Vázquez, Diego Martín, Nuria González
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

MIGUEL Y WILLIAM • MIGUEL & WILLIAM
[en] Leonor leaves London to marry a rich, widowed duke in Castile, also leaving her lover, William Shakespeare, a promising playwright. In Spain, she meets Miguel de Cervantes, a man of letters who has lost faith in his talent. Shakespeare arrives to prevent the marriage between his beloved and the duke and so Leonor sees the chance to bring together the talents of the two writers to create a unique work.
• Director: Inés París
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 102 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Elena Ayana, Juan Luis Galiardo, Will Kemp, Geraldine Chaplin
•
• Audience Award
• Peñíscola Comedy Film Festival, 2007
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

NOCTURNA
[en] Tim leaves the orphanage he calls home to find out why the stars have disappeared from the sky. He embarks on an exciting journey where he encounters the denizens of Nocturna, a parallel world that comes to life as we lie asleep, with a mission to find Moka, keeper of the night, to plead him to return the stars to the night sky.
• Director: Adriá García, Víctor Maldonado
• Producción • Production: Spain; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 80 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Imanol Arias, Natalia Rodríguez, Carlos Sobera
•
• Best Animation Film
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En inglés con subtítulos en español • In English with Spanish subtitles

SIETE MESAS DE BILLARFRANCÉS SEVEN BILLIARD TABLES
[en] Angela is faced with what’s left of the family business, a hall with seven billiard tables: Despite this, the death ofher father, and the sudden and mysterious disappearance of her husband, she resolves to get on and rebuild her life and to get the seven tables back ontheir feet.
• Director: Gracia Querejeta
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 116 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Maribel Verdú, Blanca Portillo, Jesús Repartoejón, Víctor Valdivia, Enrique Villén
•
• Best Film; Best Actress (Maribel Verdú); 7 other nominations Cinema Writers Circle, Spain, 2008
• Best Lead Actress; Best Supporting Actress (Amparo Baró); 8 other nominations, Goya Awards
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

TODOS ESTAMOS INVITADOS
[en] Josu Jon is injured in a clash with the Civil Guard, losing his memory. He is treated in a prison hospital, where he awaits judgment. The inmates help him remember that he is actually a gudari, and that he will soon return to the struggle if he manages to get out of prison.
• Director: Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
• Producción • Production: Spain;2007
• Duración • Duration: 95 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Óscar Jaenada, José Coronado, Vanessa Incontrada, Iñaki Miramón
•
• Silver Biznaga,Best Supporting Actor (Óscar Jaenada)
• Málaga Spanish Film Festival, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

YO SOY LA JUANI • MY NAME IS JUANI
[en] Juani leaves her boyfriend to do what she couldn’t have done while she was with him. Sick of having to take it all in, she decides to go on with her life and to find success. She’s going to be an actress and no one can stop her. After all, she’s Juani and Juani is number one.
• Director: Bigas Luna
• Producción • Production: Spain; 2006
• Duración • Duration: 100 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Verónica Echegui, Dani Martín, Laya Martí, Gorka Lasaosa, José Chaves
•
• Best Actress (Verónica Echegui)
• Barcelona Film Award , 2006
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

RUSHES: THE 7th SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL

(Taken from the official press release)

The PELIKULA 7th Spanish Film Festival unveils this October 1-12 at Greenbelt 3, Cinema 1. Catch the Philippine premiere of 18 movies from Spain and Latin America and mingle with two film directors (Fuera de carta’s Nacho G. Velilla and Ángeles González Sinde of Todos estamos invitados.) Complementing activities of mime theatre, photo exhibits and special guests make sure there’s something for everyone. The most important Spanish film festival in Asia, the 7th edition of PELIKULA is a not-to-be-missed event!

REEL REVIEWS 2008: MORE RECENT SCREENINGS

MAMMA MIA
A kitschy yet enjoyable adaptation of the Broadway hit, with the immortal songs of ABBA as the thin plot of this romance drama. Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, and Amanda Seyfried are impressive, while the guys (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper) are (sadly) bland and overshadowed by the gals. Mamma Mia indeed!

THE CHASER (pictured, above)
Hong-jin Na has crafted a fast paced, highly involving suspense thriller about a handsome serial killer (Ha Jeong-Woo) who is chased by a corrupt ex-police/pimp (the great Kim Yeon-Seok. The plot unfolds in an assured pace as the characters outwit and come together in unexpected ways. The acting was strong, the script was dramatically urgent, and the direction was focused especially in the final chase scenes.

THE DEVIL'S ISLAND
Life in the outskirts of Reyjavik circa 1950s is the setting of Fridrik Thor Fridiksson's (Oscar nominee Children of Nature, 1991) tart social commentary/satire. Performances (particularly that of actor-director Baltazar Kormakur, The Sea) are strong, characters were varied yet well developed, the plot structure was fast paced, the direction assured, but the themes (Western imperialism, decaying family values) were overly familiar.

THE BEST MAN
Italian director Pupi Avati (A Heart Elsewhere, The Story Of Girls and Boys) has crafted an intriguing period drama about a complicated woman's (Ines Sastre, in a weak performance) struggle to break free from family tradition, especially when she experiences "love at first sight" with her best man. The intelligent written script evokes extensive period detail, and the plot progressed unpredictably.

LE TEMPS DE LOUP (TIME OF THE WOLF)
The director and lead actress of The Piano Teacher team up in this intriguing yet dramatically staid apocalyptic thriller. The reliable Isabelle Huppert plays a mother whose husband was killed by unidentified cave people/tribes (the characters were vague, except that they look like the latter) upon arriving at their vacation house. From then on, the journey becomes a survival of the fittest as she attempts to save her son from the assailants. Michael Haneke does not know where to focus: is it about the decaying social structure, inexistent family values, or the impact of organized socio-political system? His intentions were fascinating, but the results were pretentious, hokey, and emotionally blank.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: FOREIGN LANGUAGE JITTERS

Since 1999, I have seen the five Oscar nominated Best Foreign Language Films. As history will tell, it would be hard to blame the typically staid Academy voters for preferring audience-friendly genres (family drama, epic films) and plots (children at war, historical dramas set in Europe, stories about elderly citizens) over movies with ingenious, unconventional narrative.

On January 15, a lot of eyebrows were raised and gasps were heard when high-profile, critically acclaimed entries from Romania, Korea, Mexico, Germany, and Spain were excluded from the shortlist of nine highest rated films from the 63 national submissions. How on earth can the Foreign Language Film board reject 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Palme d'Or, 60th Cannes), Secret Sunshine (Best Actress, 60th Cannes), Silent Light (pictured, second from top) (Jury Prize co-winner, 60th Cannes), The Edge of Heaven (Best Screenplay, 60th Cannes), and The Orphanage is beyond me, really.

Here are the nine shortlisted films in contention for Best Foreign Language Film: (Boldfaced titles are the nominated five.)

Austria — The Counterfeiters — Stefan Ruzowitzky, director
Brazil — The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (pictured, top)— Cao Hamburger, director
Canada — Days of Darkness — Denys Arcand, director
Israel — Beaufort — Joseph Cedar, director
Italy — La Sconosciuta (The Unknown Woman) — Giuseppe Tornatore, director
Kazakhstan — Mongol — Sergei Bodrov, director
Poland — Katyń — Andrzej Wajda, director
Russia — 12 — Nikita Mikhalkov, director
Serbia — The Trap — Srdjan Golubovic, director

Other high profile submissions include:

XXY, Argentina
The Silly Age, Cuba
I Served The King Of England, Czech Republic
I Just Didn't Do It, Japan
Caramel, Lebanon
You The Living, Sweden

Though France's official entry Persepolis was not included in the shortlist, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature (though it lost to the much hyped, Paris set Ratatouille).

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: 81ST OSCARS BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM ENTRIES

Proving that the "early bird catches the worm," 43 countries so far have submitted their respective films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category of the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

Among the high profile entries include:
1. ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS), Laurent Cantet, France
Winner, Palme d'Or, 61st Cannes FF
2. GOMORRAH (pictured, above), Matteo Garrone, Italy
Winner, Grand Prize of the Jury, 61st Cannes FF
3. THREE MONKEYS, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey
Winner, Best Director, 61st Cannes FF
4. WALTZ WITH BASHIR, Ari Folman, Israel
In Competition, 61st Cannes FF
Official Selection, 46th New York FF
5. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, Aamir Khan, India

The Philippines has submitted the Judy Ann Santos starrer Ploning, directed by Dante Nico Garcia. Let's see if the country will break through with its first Oscar nod in this category.

The list is incomplete as other countries have yet to submit their respective entries. Deadline is on October 1, 2008.

A record 96 countries were invited by the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film. Nominations will be announced on January 22, 2009, and the winner will be revealed during the 81st Awards ceremony on February 22.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: THE BEST OF CINEMANILA

As a long-time patron and former programmer of Philippine short films (2002) of Cinemanila International Film Festival, it would be an opportune time to reminisce the many treasures that were unfolded during its first nine years:

1999
CENTRAL STATION, Walter Salles
BIRTH OF A BUTTERFLY, Mojtaba Raie (Co-winner, NETPAC Award)
LEAF ON A PILLOW, Garin Nugroho (Winner, Grand Prize)
PILA-BALDE (FETCH A PAIL OF WATER), Jeffrey Jeturian (Co-winner, NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film)

2000
COLOR OF PARADISE (pictured, above), Majid Majidi (Winner, Grand Prize; Best Actor for Mohsen Ramezani)
YANA'S FRIENDS, Arik Kaplun (Winner, Best Actress for Evelyn Kaplun)
UN LIAISON PORNOGRAPHIQUE, Frederic Fontayne
AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE, Jane Campion
ROSETTA, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

2001
BATANG WEST SIDE, Lav Diaz (Winner, Grand Prize; Ensemble Best Actor award)
THE ISLE, Kim Ki-duk (Winner, Best Actress)
CLOUDS OF MAY, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
6IXTY9INE, Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Audience Choice)
UNDER THE SAND, Francois Ozon (Winner, Lifetime Achievement Award for actress Charlotte Rampling)

2002
WHAT TIME IS IT THERE, Tsai Ming-liang (Co-winner, Grand Prize)
ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER, Zacharias Kunuk (Co-winner, Grand Prize)
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, Wong Kar-wai (Audience Choice)
WHISPERING SANDS, Garin Nagruho
RINGU, Hideo Nakata (Audience Choice)

2003
DISTANT, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winner, Grand Prize)
CITY OF GOD, Fernando Meirelles (Co-winner, Jury Grand Prize)
DIVINE INTERVENTION, Elia Suleiman (Co-winner, Best Screenplay)
WHALE RIDER, Niki Caro (Winner, Jury Special Prize)
DOGVILLE, Lars Von Trier

2004
CRIMSON GOLD, Jafar Panahi
OSAMA, Siddiq Barmak (Co-winner, Best Actress for Marina Golbahari)
RECONSTRUCTION, Christofer Boe (Co-winner, Best Actor for Nikolaj Lie Kaas)
ZATOICHI, Takeshi Kitano (Winner, Audience Award)
THE MOTHER, Roger Mitchell

2005
MOOLAADE, Ousmane Sembene (Winner, Best Actress for Fatoumata Coulibaly)
THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG, Sang-soo Im (Winner, Grand Prize)
LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
LILJA 4-EVER, Lukas Moodysson
KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL, Chuan Lu

2006
KUBRADOR, Jeffrey Jeturian (Winner, Grand Prize; Best Actress for Gina Pareno)
EVERLASTING REGRET, Stanley Kwan
BLACK, Sanjay Leela Bhansali

2007
4 MOIS, 3 SEMAINES, 2 JOURS, Cristian Mongiu
PERSEPOLIS, Marjane Satrapi and Jonathan Parronaud (Winner, Jury Special Prize)
THE EDGE OF HEAVEN, Fatih Akin (Winner, Grand Prize)

RUSHES: DEKADA CINEMANILA

Next month, the country will once again open its doors to independent world cinema and Filipino films as Cinemanila International Film Festival celebrates its 10th year.

Dubbed as "Dekada Cinemanila," the country's premier festival of independent films will run on October 19-29 at Gateway Cineplex 10 of Gateway Mall, Araneta Center. One million pesos await for the best foreign and local Grand Prize winners.

With the support of Independent Cinema Association of the Philippines (ICAP), Araneta Center, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Dekada Cinemanila continues the fine tradition of screening critically acclaimed movies around the world. In 1999, it hosted the Philippine theatrical premiere of Walter Salles' Oscar nominated Central Station (pictured, above), and last year Oscar winning writer-director (and indie film pioneer) Quentin Tarantino was on hand to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and to present his latest feature Death Proof.

Among the highlights of this year's event is the Asian premiere of Director's Fortnight selections in last May's Cannes Film Festival.