Venganza Media Gazette

Tech, TV, Movies, Games, and More

Several Oscar Nominated Films Reviewed by Now Playing Podcast

<> on October 19, 2009 in Santa Clarita, California.

The Academy Award nominees have been announced, and Now Playing Podcast has reviewed (or will soon be reviewing) several nominees!

boyhoodPosterBoyhood, directed by Richard Linklater, is one of the leading films of the year.  The film earned six nominations; only three films beat that number this year.  The film, which Linklater filmed over a span of 12 years, is up for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke), Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette), Best Editing, Best Director, and Best Screenplay!

Our review of is film will be posted at NowPlayingPodcast.com on Feb 10, but we start leading up to that next week!  Starting January 20th we begin reviewing Linklater’s Before trilogy of films:  Before Sunrise, Before Sunsetand Before Midnightall directed by Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke.

Big Hero 6 is up for Best Animated Film. Do the Now Playing Hosts agree? That review is out now at NowPlayingPodcast.com (additionally Feast is up for Best Animated Short and we discussed that in our Big Hero 6 review as well!)

Interstellar was blocked from the big categories but did get Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Score and, most unexpectedly, Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing (did they hear that film right????  Were the screener DVDs mixed differently??) . That review is up now in the Now Playing archives, along with every other film Christopher Nolan has reviewed!

Guardians of the Galaxy may have won top spot in the 2014 box office, but the Academy only nominated Marvel’s blockbuster film in two technical categories:  Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects.  (I rewatched the film over the holidays and that the film did not get Best Costume Design is a travesty–those outfits were intricate and varied).  You can hear our review of this film now!

Also nominated for Best Visual Effects were Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Pastboth of which we reviewed as part of our ongoing Marvel Movie Retrospective.

Now Playing Podcast donors who took part in our Spring Donation Drive also heard our review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but that review is no longer available as the donation drive has completed.

The full list of nominees for The 87th Annual Academy Awards are:

 

Best Picture

  • American Sniper
  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • Boyhood
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Imitation Game
  • Selma
  • The Theory of Everything
  • Whiplash

Actor in a Leading Role

  • Steve Carell for Foxcatcher
  • Bradley Cooper for American Sniper (Hear us discuss Cooper in our reviews of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Midnight Meat Train)
  • Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game (Hear us discuss Cumberbatch in our review of Star Trek Into Darkness)
  • Michael Keaton for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Hear us talk about Keaton playing a different winged hero in our reviews of Batman and Batman Returns, and he also featured in the remake of Robocop)
  • Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

Actress in a Leading Role

  • Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night (Hear us review her turn as the evil Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises and also her role in Christopher Nolan’s Inception)
  • Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything (We discussed her blink-and-you-miss-it turn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
  • Julianne Moore for Still Alice (We recently reviewed Moore for her role in the remake of Carrie, as well as her work in Next and Hannibal)
  • Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl (Hear us discuss this former Bond Girl’s work in Die Another Day)
  • Reese Witherspoon for Wild

Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Robert Duvall for The Judge
  • Ethan Hawke for Boyhood (Hear us discuss Hawke in the upcoming Now Playing Before Sunrise Retrospective Series, starting Jan. 20!)
  • Edward Norton for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (We reviewed Norton’s work in Fight Club, plus his one-and-done turn as The Incredible Hulk)
  • Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher (We first discussed this star of 13 Going on 30 in our review of Shutter Island, as well as his work replacing Norton as The Hulk in The Avengers and Iron Man 3)
  • J.K. Simmons for Whiplash (We reviewed the Farmer’s Insurance salesman for his role of J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films)

Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Patricia Arquette for Boyhood (We reviewed her first big-screen role in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors)
  • Laura Dern for Wild
  • Keira Knightly for The Imitation Game
  • Emma Stone for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)   (We reviewed her performances in both of the Amazing Spider-Man films)
  • Meryl Streep for Into the Woods

Animated Feature Film

  • Big Hero 6
  • The Boxtrolls
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • Song of the Sea
  • The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Cinematography

  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Ida
  • Mr. Turner
  • Unbroken

Costume Design

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Inherent Vice
  • Into the Woods
  • Maleficent
  • Mr. Turner

Directing

  • Alejandro G Iñárritu for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 
  • Richard Linklater for Boyhood
  • Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher
  • Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Morten Tyldum for The Imitation Game

Documentary Feature

  • CitizenFour
  • Finding Vivian Maier
  • Last Days in Vietnam
  • The Salt of the Earth
  • Virunga

Documentary Short Subject

  • Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
  • Joanna
  • Our Curse
  • The Reaper (La Parka)
  • White Earth

Film Editing

  • American Sniper
  • Boyhood
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Imitation Game
  • Whiplash

Foreign Language Film

  • Ida
  • Leviathan
  • Tangerines
  • Timbuktu
  • Wild Tales

Makeup and Hairstyling

Music – Original Score

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Imitation Game
  • Interstellar
  • Mr. Turner
  • The Theory of Everything

Music – Original Song

  • “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie
  • “Glory” from Selma
  • “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights
  • “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
  • “Lost Stars” from Begin Again

Production Design

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Imitation Game
  • Interstellar
  • Into the Woods
  • Mr. Turner

Short Film – Animated

  • The Bigger Picture
  • The Dam Keeper
  • Feast
  • Me and My Moulton
  • A Single Life

Short Film – Live Action

  • Aya
  • Boogaloo and Graham
  • Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)
  • Parveneh
  • The Phone Call

Sound Editing

  • American Sniper
  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • Interstellar
  • Unbroken

Sound Mixing

  • American Sniper
  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • Interstellar
  • Unbroken
  • Whiplash

Visual Effects

Writing – Adapted Screenplay

  • American Sniper by Jason Hall
  • The Imitation Game by Graham Moore
  • Inherent Vice by Paul Thomas Anderson
  • The Theory of Everything by Anthony McCarten
  • Whiplash by Damien Chazelle

Writing – Original Screenplay

  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) by Alejandro G Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo
  • Boyhood by Richard Linklater
  • Foxcatcher by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson, Story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
  • Nightcrawler by Dan Gilroy

January 15, 2015 Posted by | Movies, News | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Several Oscar Nominated Films Reviewed by Now Playing Podcast

Announcement – Disney’s Big Hero 6 Arrives on DMA 02/03 and Blu-ray 02/24

 

 

 

From the studio that brought you “Frozen” and “Wreck-It Ralph” comes Disney’s Big Hero 6” on Digital HD/ Disney Movies Anywhere February 3rd and Blu-ray™ Combo Pack on February 24th! Exciting bonus features include the theatrical short “Feast” as well as a host of deleted scenes and extras. 

 

BIG HERO 6

Own It Early on Digital HD/Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) February 3, 2015

Bring It Home on Blu-ray Combo Pack on February 24, 2015

 

From Walt Disney Animation Studios (“Frozen,” “Wreck-It Ralph”), Disney’s “Big Hero 6” introduces you to a lovable robot who will change your world. Join Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit) and Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter) in a comic adventure that will make your heart soar as they learn about teamwork and becoming more than you thought you could be.

With all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios,Big Hero 6” is an action-packed comedy adventure that introduces Baymax, a lovable, personal companion robot, who forms a special bond with robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to Baymax and his diverse group of friends — adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred — who transform into a band of unlikely heroes. Bring home Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” featuring comic-book-style action and hilarious, unforgettable characters — it’s fun for the whole family!

Pre-order it now at Amazon.com!

 

EXEC. PRODUCER:            John Lasseter (“Toy Story,” “Cars”)

PRODUCER:                        Roy Conli (“Tangled,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”)

 

DIRECTORS:                        Don Hall (“The Emperor’s New Groove,” “The Princess and the Frog”)
Chris Williams (“Bolt,” “The Emperor’s New Groove”)

VOICE TALENT:                  Ryan Potter (“Save the Date”) as Hiro Himada, Scott Adsit (TV’s “30 Rock”) as Baymax, Jamie Chung (TV’s “Once Upon A Time”) as Go Go Tomago, Damon Wayans, Jr. (“Let’s Be Cops,” TV’s “New Girl”) as Wasabi, Genesis Rodriguez (“Identity Theft”) as Honey Lemon, T.J. Miller (“Silicon Valley”) as Fred, Maya Rudolph (“Bridesmaids”) as Aunt Cass, James Cromwell (“The Green Mile”) as Professor Robert Callaghan, Alan Tudyk (TV’s “Suburgatory”) as Alistair Krei and Daniel Henney (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) as Tadashi Hamada.

                                               

SCREENPLAY:                     Jordan Roberts (“March of the Penguins”), Daniel Gerson (“Monsters University”), Robert L. Baird (“Monsters University”)

COMPOSER:                       Henry Jackman (“The Dark Knight”)

RELEASE DATES:                Digital HD & 3D on February 3, 2015

                                                Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital SD, DVD and On-Demand on Feburary 24, 2015

PRODUCTS:                        Digital HD/3D/SD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On-Demand

 

BONUS:                                Digital HD/3D/SD*, Blu-ray Combo Pack & Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA)

·         FEAST Theatrical Short

·         The Origin Story of “Big Hero 6”: Hiro’s Journey (hosted by Jamie Chung, voice of Go Go Tomago) – Join the team behind the team that brought Big Hero 6 to the big screen as they travel on research trips to Tokyo and San Francisco and go behind the scenes of this epic film. Explore everything comic-book about Big Hero 6, from director Don Hall’s passion for comics to the story’s roots in a lesser known Marvel property. We’ll talk to Marvel’s Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb, who were consultants on the film, to learn what makes a good comic-book story, and how these devices were used to help create Disney’s “Big Hero 6.”

·         Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind the Characters – Join the six lead animators of Big Hero 6 as they talk about each of the characters and how they came to be the heroes they are now.

·         Deleted Scenes (intro by Directors Don Hall & Chris Williams) – Includes two alternate openings and more.

·         Big Hero Secrets (Easter Egg) The movie is filled with Easter Eggs, and this Buzzfeed-type list piece will give you a sampling of some of the hidden treasures in the film. See if you can find this Easter Egg about Easter Eggs! (BLU-RAY ONLY)

·         Gag Animations (intro by Directors Don Hall & Chris Williams) – For fun, animators made alternate versions of scenes they were working on and threw them into the mix at review sessions. The directors will present some of these gags for the first time to the public in this piece. (DMA ONLY)

·         Beatmax – Check out some of Baymax’s greatest lines auto-tuned like you’ve never heard before.  (DMA ONLY)

 

DVD:

·         FEAST Theatrical Short

·         Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind the Characters

·         “Big Hero 6” Theatrical Teaser

 

*Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer               

 

 

FEATURE RUN TIME:       Approximately 102 min.

RATING:                               Feature Film: PG in U.S.; PG in CE; G in CF (Additional Bonus Features Not Rated)

ASPECT RATIO:                  Blu-ray Feature Film = 1080p High Definition / 2.39:1

                                                DVD Feature Film = 2.39:1

AUDIO:                                 Blu-ray = 5.1 DTS

                                                DVD = 5.1 Dolby

LANGUAGES:                     English, French & Spanish

SUBTITLES:                          English SDH, French & Spanish

 

ABOUT DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE (DMA):

Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) is an engaging and family-friendly cloud-based digital movie service that makes it simple to buy your favorite Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies once and watch them anywhere.  With DMA you can explore Disney’s library of over 400 eligible digital movies, discover hours of new and exclusive short-form content, and watch your digital movies from the comfort of the living room or across multiple mobile devices.   In addition, you can redeem Digital Copy codes found in Disney, Pixar and Marvel Blu-rays and DVDs, as well as earn Disney Movie Rewards points with every digital purchase.  Sign up and access Disney Movies Anywhere for free on DisneyMoviesAnywhere.com and through the Disney Movies Anywhere iOS and Android apps. Users can then simply connect their iTunes, Google Play and/or VUDU at VUDU.com/DMA accounts to begin enjoying their Disney, Pixar, and Marvel digital movie collections across platforms and devices.

January 7, 2015 Posted by | Comic Books, Movies, News | , , , , , | Comments Off on Announcement – Disney’s Big Hero 6 Arrives on DMA 02/03 and Blu-ray 02/24