It All Comes Back To Caddyshack...

I don’t’ know if La-La Land Records intended to release a Michael O’Keefe comedy diptych, but their limited CDs of Caddyshack (1980) and Nate and Hayes (1983) both co-starred the actor, and mark each score’s debut on disc.

In the case of Caddyshack, it’s a surprise it took so long, since music from the 1988 sequel, Caddyshack II, was issued on LP and CD. One would’ve thought the first film’s album would’ve been reissued in tandem with the sequel, but 1988 was still early for labels to be reissuing old scores again, and again, and again – like the Bond albums.

Nate and Hayes proved more demanding for fans of Trevor Jones’ score, since much of his early work rarely enjoyed commercial releases on LP and CD. Written by David Odell and a young snot named John Hughes, the swashbuckler spoof was made in the wake of Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which rekindled an interest in period set, buddy-type action films.

You could argue Raiders had Nazi pirates, since there was a golden treasure of sorts everyone wanted badly, whereas Nate and Hayes had pirate ships, maidens, and treacherous treks over water and on land. As Jeff Bond points out in the CD’s extensive liner notes, the film was followed by a few swashbuckling duds, such as Roman Polanski’s bloated Pirates (1986).

Whereas the creators of Nate and Hayes tried to differentiate their action film by setting the hijinks in a pirate world, it still dealt with rebels, imperial villains, and maidens in need of rescuing – exactly what made Raiders such a success, and spawned several sequels.

Those elements also proved to be a lure for TV producers, which resulted in a pair of rival shows that lasted (unsurprisingly) one season: Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982), starring Stephen Collins, and Bring ‘Em Back Alive (1982), headed by Bruce Boxleitner.

Tales has enjoyed a small following for years (check out the detailed fan site), and their persistence is finally being rewarded with a Region 1 release of the complete series from Shout! Factory. Slated for a June 8 release ($49.97 U.S.), the 6-disc set comes with all 22 episodes, the original feature-length pilot, audio commentaries, photo gallery, costume and artifacts gallery, 24-page booklet, and a 36 min. documentary.

My only memories of this show was its’ run during the weekdays, Collins smiling a lot in big close-ups, his peppercorn-sized dog Jack, and Faye Grant looking very silly in a blue flower frock and yellow Shirley Temple curls, spouting whiny dialogue with a faux accent francaise. After that, the series disappeared.

I may well be compelled to review the show in June, though not for nostalgia’s sake; it’s purely the curiosity to see if the show had the chops to stand on its own and be distinct from Raiders. When TV producers and networks hit the “COPY” button, they tend to get sloppy, lazy, and dumb; one only need recall Fox’ rubbish show The Burning Zone (1996-1997), crafted in the wake of the virus thriller Outbreak (1995), itself a fast cash-in on Richard Preston’s 1994 best-seller, The Hot Zone.

No wonder Burning star Dennis Arndt fled after shooting the choppy pilot episode.

Of course, if Monkey can make it to DVD, then it’s only fair Bring ‘Em, Back Alive deserves a chance, since it’s actually based (very loosely) on the exploits of Great White Hunter Frank Buck, who hosted a trio of wildlife adventure films in the thirties: Frank Buck’s Bring ‘Em Back Alive (1932), Wild Cargo (1934), and Fang and Claw (1935) – each based on a book authored by Buck.

The 18-episode series starred Boxleitner, and added love interest Gloria Marlowe, played by Caddyshack co-star Cindy Morgan. Neither the TV series nor the feature films are apparently on DVD, which means someone should poke the owners of the morbid Buck franchise and get them cracking on some rival releases, since most writers (like me) will be referring to the show, now that Monkey is coming to home video.

It all comes back to Caddyshack, doesn’t it?

Cue the dancing gopher.

- MRH

2009 BAFTA Winners

This past Sunday the BAFTA Awards were handed out, with The Hurt Locker winning Best Film and Best Director awards (Kathryn Bigelow), plus Original Screenplay (Mark Boal), Cinematography (Barry Ackroyd), Editing (Bob Murawski, Chris Innis), and Sound (Ray Beckett, Paul N.J. Ottosson), whereas the monster hit Avatar grabbed awards for Production Design (Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair) and Special Visual Effects (Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones).

Of the British productions, Fish Tank won the Outstanding British Film Award, and Duncan Jones won the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Moon.

The French film A Prophet won in the oddly titled Film Not in the English Language category, and Pixar’s Up (perhaps unsurprisingly) won the Animated Film and Music (Michael Giacchino) awards.

For the complete list of nominees and winners, as well as clips of the winners’ glee, click on the official BAFTA link.

The Hurt Locker’s wins may convince fence-sitters to check out the film on DVD, whereas those wanting Avatar I at home will have to wait until it debuts “flat” in non-3D DVD/BR versions April 22.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, James Cameron alluded to a 3D home video release in November of 2010, but that may be wishful thinking for the time being, since Avatar may well go through the Multiple Version Syndrome, starting with a bare bones release, then a 3D version, then in a Super Happy Magic Deluxe Edition, and then maybe something else in 2011, requiring a new 3D TV, custom chair for long-term 3D exposure, non-dimensional paint for optimum DVD/BR display in a home environment, a special 3800 Volt converter for the new gear that should protect against non-failure of your street’s electrical needs, protective laminate for nearby aquariums to inhibit Spasmodic Fish Syndrome, monophonic ear plugs for cats and dogs sensitive to 48.5 channel Surround Sound reproduction (plugs for budgies are still in the works), and the new Eye-No-Pe Beer made from genetically enhanced hops which delay the need to micturate for 2.5 hours.

Next week may be the last chance for Torontonians to catch Avatar in IMAX 3D, so I have to set aside 2.5 hours of my life to catch the blue people re-enacting Cameron’s version of Dances with Wolves. Tied to that will be some film reviews of primordial 3D movies, including Bwana Devil, Hollywood’s first commercial 3D feature film, a sort-of technical ‘Avatar’ from 1952.

I specify ‘Hollywood,’ though, because in 1946 Aleksandr Andriyevsky directed Robinzon Kruzo, a Soviet production of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe that was shot in colour and 3D. Instead of a flat screen with anaglyph spectacles, the film was reportedly projected onto a louvered screen called Stereokino.

I first read of the film in an ancient edition of the Penguin Film Guide, and the movie is available as a non-3D, Russian DVD, although the disc has no alternate audio tracks, nor subtitles. (It apparently has no distribution in English language markets, but some private venders on Amazon.com list them for sale).

- MRH

The Carlton Cinemas' Resurrection

As Torontoist reported earlier this week (with pictures), Magic Lantern Theatres (who also operate the Rainbow Cinemas) have their eye on a June 2010 target date to reopen the Carlton Cinemas, which they purchased from former owners Cineplex Odeon.

Cineplex shuttered the cinemas Dec. 6, 2009, and the event received mixed reactions from the media (including myself), whereas others chose to mark the final night by attending a screening, and snapping a few photos for posterity.

MLT's official press release states the 9–screen cinemas will be refurbished and will provide a mix of Hollywood, foreign and indie fare, although I hope the upgrades will include genuinely comfortable seating (the old setup featured stiff seats in cramped quarters), true 5.1 surround sound setups in each theatre, and digital projection systems.

The rebirth of the Carlton might also prove to be a worthy experiment in reformulating the old neighbourhood theatre concept into more than just showing an eclectic film fare. On the one hand, it'll be a welcome quick walk for locals less inclined to trek down and navigate through the kludge of people traffic in order to reach the AMC complex at Dundas Square, as well as the Varsity screens at Bloor & Bay or trek a bit father to the Cumberland.

The Carlton might also be able to service the needs of small groups of cinemagoers or filmmakers wanting to rent a screen for a private use, and perhaps offer the occasional live HD broadcast to patrons (such as the Olympics), or limited runs of classic and cult films from Blu-ray discs, which the Varsity experimented with during the winter holidays.

Because studios practice a kind of hit-and-run style of exhibition – movies open big and loud, but don't last as long in theatres because of preordained ancillary release dates and commitments – cinema owners augment their revenues with absurdly high snack food prices, licensing counter space to brand name vendors, and adding amusements to lobbies, as well as noxious pre-trailer ads that obliterate any hushed conversations between patrons before the house lights have dimmed; collectively they form an assault that makes people prefer watching movies at home for less money and advertorial noise.

Instead of a straight refurbishment, the Carlton's new owners should view the cinemas as an opportunity to create a fusion of classical film exhibition – avoid as much of the vulgarity that's prevalent in the city's major screen complexes – and exploit the advantage of watching a movie that may well be coming soon to, or already present on home video, but is unlikely to be played as big and loud in a modest-sized apartment or condo.

Additionally, the new owners should consider setting up an elite team of in-house behavioral police, expertly trained to extract ringing phones and glowing devices from addicted patrons, and use wide-ended Idiot Sticks for families and patrons who bring chatty living room behaviour into a public theatre.

Just a few suggestions.

- MRH

Postwar Berlin, Hollywood Style

Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman is an upgraded version of Curt (Kurt) Siodmak’s better, leaner, and more fun 1941 script, The Wolf Man, but prior to writing that classic Universal monster movie, Siodmak had written some very striking films during his early years in Germany.

Among his best-known works from the pre-Nazi era are F.P.1 antwortet nicht / F.P.1. Doesn’t Answer (1932), which dealt with a giant airport in the middle of the ocean for long distance flights; and the English version of Der Tunnel / The Transatlantic Tunnel (1933), about an underwater tunnel that links Europe with the U.S.

In the case of F.P.1., there were English and German versions with different directors/cast, whereas The Tunnel was filmed in German, French and English versions for specific markets. (I’ll eventually have reviews comparing the various versions in a future series of reviews.)

Siodmak was the brother of famous director Robert Siodmak (The Killers, The Crimson Pirate), and when Curt settled in the U.S., he quickly found his talents being used for monster and sci-fi films, notably Donavan’s Brain (based on his novel), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), The Beast with Five Fingers (1946), and the Swedish horror anthology 13 Demon Street (1961), of which three episodes were re-edited into the feature film The Devil’s Messenger (1961).

A rare foray into realism happened in 1948 when he wrote the story for what became Berlin Express, the first Hollywood studio film shot in postwar Berlin. Basically a mystery thriller about pro-Nazi insurgents out to kidnap and kill a progressive German who seeks to unify the broken country with the aid of victory powers America, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union, it was a low budget RKO production with pretty good pedigree: the director was Jacques Tourneur (I Walked with a Zombie), starred Merle Oberon, the great Robert Ryan, Paul Lukas, and Fritz Kortner, was filmed by Lucien Ballard, and scored by Frederick Hollander.

The film also featured real postwar locations (Frankfurt, and a little bit of Berlin), and a progressive philosophy about banding together and making the world a better place, which didn’t really happen when the Cold War and Red Menace kicked into gear a few years later.

As a postwar film, it’s a curio, but it’s also intriguing to see a level of (liberal) optimism which wasn’t present in other films shot in Berlin, including Carol Reed’s The Man Between (1953), and Nunnally Johnson’s The Night People (1954), which had Gregory Peck starring as a U.S. officer coordinating a prisoner swap when East German thugs use a kidnapped American soldier as bait for the handover of anti-Communist double-agents hiding out in the American Sector.

Night People was an early CinemaScope production and was shot on location in postwar Berlin, but Johnson was still a novice director, and the film has many flaws that make it tough to endure in spite of getting an Oscar nomination for Best Story.

Berlin Express recently aired on TCM as part of the station’s tribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall, so I’ve uploaded a review of the film which still doesn’t exist on DVD in Region 1 land. I’ve also uploaded a review of The Night People, which is a glossy Fox production that’s not available on DVD either, but one can apparently download the film (full screen only…) from Amazon.com if one lives in the U.S.

Once upon a time Fox was bringing out beautiful special editions of their classic back catalogue, with historically important extras and fine transfers… now they just don’t give a damn about the films that built their back catalogues.

What a waste.

- MRH

Doctor Zhivago Blu-ray and More Canadian Release Dates

Among the newly announced dates and titles for Canada are the following:

Alliance: Defender makes its DVD debut April 13, as well as Lesbian Vampire Killers ($25.99 DVD/$30.99 BR).

Mongrel Media: Doug Pray's documentary Art and Copy will be available on DVD April 6 for $34.95. Loft is (finally!) being released in Canada March 23 for $29.95, and Petropolis will be released March 30 for $29.95, and will include webisodes, narrated slideshow, Media B-roll, and trailer.

Universal: Is this idea really worth giving a second spin? Universal's first two flipper BR/DVD combos in Canada will be Out of Africa and The Jackal; the former is cinematically important, whereas the latter is rabbit rubbish, and both will street April 27 for $30.99 each. The Digital Bits found significant playback issues with the studio's first efforts to place HD-DVD content on the A-side (go HERE, and scoot down to the entry "1/12/10"), and DVD content on the B-side, and one hopes the glue that sandwiches the two discs together will last a while.

Warner Bros.: Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings comes back remastered on DVD ($24.98) and Blu-ray ($34.97). Now that Bakshi's LOTR is an "animated classic," it also comes with a new featurette, "Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for LOTR."

April 27th brings the first two volumes of Looney Tunes Super Stars, with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck getting their own themed collection. Each single disc set comes with 15 remastered cartoons previously unavailable on DVD, and will retail for $24.98.

Doctor Zhivago debuts on Blu-ray in a 45th Anniversary Edition May 4 for $37.99. The Blu-ray book format will contain 44 pages of of essays, as well as a wan sampler CD featuring 8 score selections. New to the anniversary edition is a documentary "Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration, Parts 1 & 2," as well as the extras present on the prior 2-disc DVD release from 2001.


- MRH

See the Film, Hear the Music: Panic in Year Zero! (1962)

I’m hoping this will become a bit of a regular thing – when the score to a classic film comes out on CD for the first time/in a definitive edition, it’ll nudge an opportunity to revisit or see the film for the first time.

I had seen Ray Milland’s Panic in Year Zero! (1962) years before, but a second viewing actually surprised me, because it’s one unusually bleak little film with a central character who never really evolves into a better person. He remains stuck in survivalist mode, and he’s a bully to his family while they stay alive in the mountains outside of Los Angeles after a massive nuclear strike.

AIP marketed the film as another drive-in B-flick, but it’s much smarter than what the trailer sold, plus there’s some grim subtext that managed to remain in the final shooting script.

Panic was released on DVD by MGM as part of their apparently now-dead Midnite Madness series that carried a great collection of exploitation films from the fifties, sixties, and seventies, and were often double-billed with a related film (which in Panic’s case, is another Milland post-apocalyptic thriller from 1964, The Last Man on Earth, the first film version of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend novel, which I’ll review at a later date).

Many of the MGM DVDs mined the AIP (American International Pictures) catalogue, and for those unfamiliar with the indie studio, it was a profitable, cheap outfit that proved to be a training ground for burgeoning filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Bogdanovich, to name a few.

Many of them worked on films directed and produced by Roger Corman (The Intruder), a ridiculously confident filmmaker who made all kinds of films (musicals excepted) for AIP before an effort with major studio UA – the ill-fated Von Richthofen and Brown (1971) – soured him from active directing, and he stepped away to found New World Pictures, and later Concorde Pictures and New Horizons.

(Elements from the Corman catalogue have a new home video distributor via Shout Factory! so maybe some long out of print titles will finally get definitive releases, as well as be available in Canada by domestic distributors.)

Panic has nothing to do with Corman, but it is a typical example of the occasionally smart production that transcended the usual bug-eyed monster movies and teen escapist fodder that built the company, and like most of AIP’s productions, it was scored by the underrated Les Baxter, a multi-talented composer, arranger and producer whose background went beyond films, and included mood music album of the sixties.

Few of Baxter’s complete scores exist on CD, and even those that popped up on LP were restricted to the 35-40 min. running times of the era, or were represented by a few cues on albums alongside pop songs. That makes it hard to assess Baxter’s skill separate from the actual films, which is why La-La Land’s CD is important to the composer’s fans, as well as sci-fi fans and those deeply fond of AIP.

Baxter was AIP’s in-house composer, and most of his career was tied to the company. Pieces of prior scores were recycled in other films, and he had to contend with tight budgets, as well as the controversial chores in sometimes re-scoring some of the foreign films AIP picked up, recut, redubbed, and sometimes integrated reshot material for the American market.

The downside for fans of director Mario Bava was being stuck with Baxter’s music for the AIP edits of Black Sunday (1960), Black Sabbath (1963), and Baron Blood (1972), for example. I use “stuck” in the sense that for decades there was no way to see the untouched Italian versions until the first laserdiscs and DVDs from Image arrived with the original music scores written by Italian composers.

Sometimes the U.S. versions of AIP’s imported titles used old Baxter cues from other films, but certainly in the case of the aforementioned Bava films, the scores were original, and while they exist in suite form on CD, the films that sported them are no longer available (except maybe in some public domain, budget-line DVD collection).

Apparently MGM claims ownership of the U.S. versions, but they’re doing nothing productive with them, like actually releasing the films so fans can see how Baxter scored the dramas differently than the Italian composers.

That’s one level of Baxter’s scoring output that still remains unsettled, but Panic in Year Zero! contains a lengthy original score, and can be enjoyed on CD as well as DVD, so check out both reviews.

- MRH

Re-birthing The Wolfman

Friday Feb. 12 marks the beginning of the Winter Olympics, but for horror fans the release of the much-delayed Wolfman from Universal will determine whether the franchise can be rebooted, and whether star/co-producer Benicio Del Toro's gamble on playing Lawrence Talbot was such a good idea after years of pondering, wishing, and planning.

The good news: Stephen Sommers has nothing to do with the film, so it isn't paced like a crackhead's exercise in attention deficit editing and sonic bombast. Danny Elfman's rejected/restored score is very good, and the production values are quite elegant, but there are flaws in this dream project that may have some longevity in theatres, or will be placed alongside Francis Ford Coppola's earnest but awful messed up Dracula (1992) in video store racks.

For more info, click HERE for the film review.



- MRH

Calling Doctor Grumpy

The home video release pattern of British shows in Canada and the U.S. is an odd one when it concerns Doc Martin, arguably ITV’s most successful comedy series in recent years.

In Canada, the Image DVD set of Season 1 debuted around the same time the show started airing on Vision TV (roughly during the summer of 2007), and then came a long, LONG wait for Season 2 to arrive on DVD (like, two years), whereas in the fall of 2007 one could purchase both seasons in Britain.

That big gap may be attributed to Image testing the waters and gauging North American audience interest in the series, as well as stations like Vision airing of Season 2 on TV (since it’s only fair a broadcaster has some window of exclusivity before everyone can buy the DVD and watch it at home without any bleepin’ commercials).

But added into the mix is a change in North American home video distributors for Seasons 2 and 3, which certainly isn’t the case in Britain where Momentum Pictures handles the entire series run.

Acorn Media snapped up the season rights in Region 1 land, but they were smarter than Image by playing catch-up and releasing Season 3 in February. To get that far may have cost the label more for the home video rights, which perhaps explains why Acorn’s Doc Martin sets are more expensive than the U.K. Region 2 releases, but Acorn was wise to include the Christmas special that preceded Season 3 in their Season 2 set – something not done in England.

This probably sounds like retentive release minutia mush, but it’s significant for viewers who demand some regular release pattern so the wait isn’t so grueling. Take Martin Clunes’ other series, William & Mary, which is available as a boxed set with all 3 seasons in the U.K., but thus far Image has only released Seasons 1 and 2 in a single set way back in 2007, leaving Region 1 viewers hanging, since there’s been no word on when the final season will appear over here.

(Actually, I know how it ends, because I bought the British box during the fall of 2008, and will feature reviews in about a month.)

Clunes shot William & Mary in between the Doc Martin seasons, and it’s a typical example of how the lower episode runs of British series makes it possible for actors to do other things before production for the next season starts up again. That limited tally mostly guarantees a series has no filler episodes, and character arcs can be plotted with greater care.

As it stands, Seasons 1 and 2 of Doc Martin are perfect. Utterly, utterly perfect in scope, stories, characters, and Clunes’ brilliant creation of a grumpy but brilliant doctor having to deal with folks he finds thoroughly dim.

Season 3 has some fumbling, and that might be due to the unusually long wait between seasons in Britain that perhaps affected the writers’ focus. Season 1 debuted in 2004, Season 2 in 2005, and then came a wait that was hastily filled with a feature-length Christmas special in 2006 (Doc Martin: On the Edge), after which Season 3 debuted in 2007, and Season 4 followed in 2009. There are some other flaws within Season 3 that are addressed in the review, as well as the finale that was just so bloody cruel to fans.

In any event, I’ve uploaded reviews of Seasons One, Two (plus the Christmas Special), and Three, and I’ll have Season 4 up when it’s released March 1st in Britain. Tied to Season 4 will also be reviews of a pair of documentary shows hosted by Clunes, Martin Clunes: A man and His Dogs (2008), and Martin Clunes: Islands of Britain (2009).

Those curious about the character’s lineage can also read prior reviews of the film Saving Grace (2000) where Doc Martin first appeared, as well as the two spinoff TV movies, Doc Martin, and Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie (both from 2003).

Lastly, if you’re curious about the show’s music, there’s also a prior interview with series composer Colin Towns, and a review of the soundtrack album which is worth snapping up.

And when enough time has passed since I last saw Clunes’ version of the good doctor, I’ll take a poke at Doktor Martin, the German version of the series (!) which replicates the stories of the first two seasons with an all-German cast and a northern German location.

(If you’re curious about how Doc Martin plays in Deutsch, the trailers for the DVD releases of Staffel Einz und Zwei are up on YouTube. For Clunes fans, it’s all so bloody surreal.)

Coming next: Panic in Year Zero (1962) – the film, as well as the new soundtrack album released by La-La Land Records.

- MRH

Cosmatos on Blu-ray, and the Hobo Returns

I’ll have reviews of Doc Martin, Seasons 1 thru 3 up shortly, but here are some new release announcements worth noting.

The DigitalBits reports Disney is releasing Michael Bay’s Armageddon (1998) on Blu-ray [BR] May 4th for an SRP of $29.99 U.S., along with George P. Cosmatos’ 1993 western Tombstone (same release day, same price).

Details of extras are few, although Armageddon apparently won’t contain the Criterion extras, including the liner notes by the otherwise sane Jeanine Basinger who starts off claiming Bay is a “cutting-edge artist.” Maybe a smidge of that was true for a while, but then came Bay Boys II (2003), where the naughty lads invade Cuba after a car chase involving throwing cadavers from a truck. Bodies-smashing-windshield-funny-in-Baylandt, apparently.

Tombstone is a guilty pleasure because Cosmatos’ intense close-ups and kinetic editing. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) is a bad movie, but it’s so fun to watch for the ridiculous melodrama, hysterical bathos, and stuff being blown to bits after extreme sweaty close-ups of things like explosive arrow tips.

Cosmatos took over Tombstone when screenwriter Kevin Jarre was dismissed, and although Cosmatos’ own vision was pruned by the studio, vestiges of deleted scenes appeared in the theatrical trailer, as well as the Vista DVD edition that sported some deleted scenes with Georgie commenting on where they originally fit in his unrealized director's cut.

With the director having passed away in 2005, there’s no chance of a special director’s cut with commentary (unless rumours of Cosmatos having recorded one are true). The least Disney can do is author the BR with seamless branching so we can choose between the theatrical and longer director’s cut. Tombstone isn’t art, but it’s a grand, old fashioned brutish western with truly weird characters and revenge montages that admittedly push the film’s length beyond the necessary.

Whereas Bay will continue to make what he deems to be artful drama (just try watching the longer cut of Pearl Harbor), I don’t’ think Cosmatos ever took himself that seriously. He made a 1993 Canadian tax shelter film about a giant rat upsetting Peter Weller’s home (Of Unknown Origin), but he also directed the Grand Hotel of killer virus flicks, The Cassandra Crossing (1976), a thriller that’s part kitsch and part textbook study on how to cut and score some truly arresting action scenes.

The opening sequence beautifully sets the tone of how bursts of frenzied action will be handled at key plot junctures, and there are few disappointments in this dated but exceptionally fun thriller. Pity Artisan withdrew the widescreen edition and replaced it with a full screen DVD in Region 1 land, but then again, Cassandra was an ITC production, and we’ve seen how well its back catalogue has been treated on home video over the past 20 years.

The Bits also reports Universal’s giving its flipper disc format another try, offering the BR version of Traffic, Out of Africa, and The Jackal (blacch!) on one side, and standard DVD on the B-side.

If memory serves correct, the Bits found their own experience with Universal’s HD-DVD/DVD flipper releases to be fraught with read errors, so I’m not sure why Universal is revisiting a cursed concept again.

Fox and MGM are also offering BD/DVD combos, but it sounds like titles including A Bridge Too Far, Rollerball, and Windtalkers will be 2-disc editions. Bridge will probably feature a single-disc DVD edition of the film (the main extras fill out Disc 2 in the current special edition DVD release), but there are no further details whether Rollerball will be Norman Jewison’s original, John McTiernan’s 2002 remake (Theatrical cut? Unrated? Or more graphic director’s cut?), nor which version of Windtalkers in standard DVD will accompany the BR edition.

This is what happens when you get a cluster of remakes, alternate edits, suppressed versions, and titles already having gone through multiple releases on DVD. Even Wall Street (1987) is coming out again in its second special edition DVD in 2.5 year because of the upcoming sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Here’s a few questions: What happens to the prior Wall Street 20th anniversary editions in Fox’ warehouse? Will they be shredded, or stay in the order catalogues until the supply finally dries out? Do the second special editions get lower pressing runs, or does the studio believe Wall Street fans will buy the film in its 3rd DVD incarnation?

What actually happens to the gross stock of a single title when it’s already reached its target audience, and sales of the latest edition reveal not just a flat market, but an increasingly downward trend of souped-up re-issues being sent back to distributors, and shipped back to the labels as dead stock?

If the theatrical run of a film has become a glorified advert for the home video edition, then these re-issues must be regarded as pre-release trailers that seed an awareness and build anticipation of the sequel, which makes one wonder whether the studio classifies the re-issues as back catalogue, or part of its advertising campaign, like posters, trailers, radio shows, and publicity junkets.

More importantly, do people really buy the re-issues so soon after the last anniversary edition, or are these runs truly just loss-leader promo materials given commercial distribution?

- - -

Switching briefly to soundtracks, Film Score Monthly’s latest release is Leonard Rosenman’s Prophecy (1979), John Frankenheimer’s bonehead environmental thriller that’s capped with a guy in a pus-soaked bear suit with a clacking maw. It’s a guilty pleasure of cinematic idiocy, but Rosenman’s score was always a solid thing, and captured the terror Frankenheimer and screenwriter Walter Seltzer (The Omen) utterly missed.

If you think you’ve never heard of Leonard Rosenman, you’re quite wrong. His friendship with James Dean facilitated his involvement in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and East of Eden (1955), and his music for the otherwise silly 1966 sci-fi thriller Fantastic Voyage (also out via FSM) is work of art. Even swathes of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) has strong moments before the finale chorales closed the score with some unintentional chuckles.

Lastly, Silva Screen will be releasing Pete Rugolo’s music from The Fugitive in digital format, which should please fans of the composer’s film/TV music, and his jazz music from the 50s and 60s. This is the London Symphony Orchestra recording conducted by Harry Rabinowitz which Silva had previously released on CD back in 2001.

Also from the label’s digital arm is Terry Bush’s Littlest Hobo theme “Maybe Tomorrow” (instrumental, plus original vocal version). Fans of the show should be pleased, although as a Canadian, I’m compelled to provide a slightly biased take on the show.

Many have nostalgia for this 1979-1985 series which guest-starred major Hollywood character actors and aging stars, but it’s also the one Canadian series that will never, ever disappear. Its makers must have a trust fund to cover the post-academic studies of five future generations, because it’s been in syndication for decades, and was part of the first batch of shows to be broadcast by fledgling specialty cable channels like Showcase because of Cancon rules (broadcasters must carry a minimum requirement of indigenous productions).

It’s also another example of classic Canadian TV that’s not available domestically. Like The Starlost (1973), Swiss Family Robinson (1976), War of the Worlds (1988-1990), and Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990), Hobo was only released on DVD in the U.S., and while I’ve never been a fond of the friendly pooch show, the ongoing conundrum of Canadians having to import a substantive amounts of local product continues.

It’s really only in the last few years that current shows such as Flashpoint, Durham County, and Corner Gas have gotten their own domestic home video releases, but perhaps similar to digital music downloads, some long-unavailable TV shows might get a second life online.

If old transfers of one-off TV series like Logan’s Run (1977-1978) can be bought via iTunes, why can’t an established Canadian online vendor offer up seasons or complete series of local shows like Wojeck (1966-1968), Strange Paradise (1969-1970), or the still-unreleased Seasons 2 and 3 of This is Wonderland (2004-2007)?

Maybe we’ll just have to wait for the Hobo to get things started, since that specific show seems to be a signal of progress. (Think about it: every time a new distribution venue and ancillary market opens up, the dog is always there.) Of course, if the first wave includes Sweating Bullets (1991-1993) or Street Justice (1991-1993), then it’s clear the apocalypse has begun.

Wait a minute! They ARE out on DVD in the U.S., but at least we have the 49th parallel to protect us.

Let the record also state that I did not even mention The Trouble with Tracy.

Whoops.

- MRH

2009 Oscar Nominated Short Films on Home Video

Lastly, here are links to the Oscar-nominated short films – documentary, live action, and animated – with links to their websites or IMDB entries if there are no film websites.

Among Oscar fans and critics, shorts often get short-shrift (sorry) because few know they exist, or where they can be seen or bought.

Most of the documentary shorts stem from HBO and might be in rotation right now on the cable station. The live action shorts are even harder to come by beyond IMDB listings, though maybe some of the filmmakers have them up on YouTube. (If so, the links below will be amended.)

Fans of animated shorts will have better luck since Nick Parks’ “A Matter of Loaf and Death” came out on DVD last fall, and both “French Toast” and “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” can be viewed as streaming videos at each film’s official website.

For fans wanting to check out prior nominated and award-winning shorts, there’s Magnolia’s three Oscar Shorts DVDs, each available separately, covering films from the years 2005, 2006, and 2007.

I think all that’s left are the Razzies, which should end this wave of awards for a while.

2009 82^nd Oscar Nominated Short Films


Best documentary short subject
"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
A Downtown Community Television Center Production Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
A Just Media Production Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
A Community Media Production Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
"Music by Prudence"
An iThemba Production Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
"Rabbit à la Berlin” / “Królik po berlinsku" (Deckert Distribution)
An MS Films Production Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Best live action short film
"The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
"Instead of Abracadabra" / "Istället för abrakadabra" (The Swedish Film Institute)
A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
"Kavi"
A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey
"Miracle Fish" (Premium Films)
A Druid Films Production Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
"The New Tenants"
A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Best animated short film
"French Roast" --- site includes streaming of complete short
A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production Fabrice O. Joubert
"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" --- site includes streaming of complete short A Brown Bag Films Production Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
"The Lady and the Reaper" / “La Dama y la Muerte"
A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production Javier Recio Gracia
"Logorama" / “Autour de Minuit”
An Autour de Minuit Production Nicolas Schmerkin
"A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations) --- available on DVD
An Aardman Animations Production Nick Park

- MRH

2009 Oscar Nominated Music / Upcoming Score Notables

Before I get into the next batch of nominated talent for shorts and music, now’s also a good time for a quick soundtrack update with regards to newly announced goodies that will make you wish you didn’t buy the fat Rozsa box from Film Score Monthly. (Don’t these labels know we can’t get into the black from Xmas binging until spring?)

Intrada’s latest limited CD duet are Gil Melle’s still extraordinary electronic score for Robert Wise’s The Andromeda Strain (1971), a great procedural virus thriller that the makers of the 2008 remake bungled when they added a bonehead reporter to fill out the story’s running time for a two-part TV movie.

Andromeda first appeared on the old KAPP Records as a hexagonal platter that actually came with a warning telling music lovers to lower the tone arm *gently* to ensure the needle wasn’t decapitated. The LP was nestled in a set of silver petals with info about the score and film, and that pressing remains a top collectible.

That status, as well as the utter stagnation of the KAPP catalogue in Universal’s vaults meant no one could hear Melle’s music commercially, unless they bought the hexagonal platter from a dealer, collector, or auction, or the standard round LP that followed after. It’s a pity Melle’s score is brief (I frankly can’t recall if the album actually represents the full score), but I hope Intrada added some detailed liner notes to place the score and its brilliant (and neglected) composer in their historical context.

Melle was an amazing combo of talent: jazz musician, composer, album art director & artist, film composer, and more. To jazz fans, he’s best-known for his arresting music – which wasn’t always easy to decipher – whereas film fans will recognize his name from feature as well as many TV productions, like the chilling Deliberate Stranger.)

Whereas Andromeda is limited to 1500 copies, the other Intrada CD – Jerry Goldsmith’s Players (1979) – is set for 3000 copies. Frankly, I’ve never heard of the latter film, but we’ll find out soon enough how the music stacks up in Goldsmith’s fat C.V.

Film Score Monthly also announced last month John Williams’ Black Sunday and Goldsmith’s Islands in the Stream were coming on CD. Black Sunday rocks; it’s one theme beaten to death through addictive variations that keep changing according to the intensity of the terrorists advancements in enacting their plan to explode a cluster bomb from a blimp over the Super Bowl. The score has been around as grubby bootlegs likely taken from tape sources for years, so this legit release is long overdue.

Islands in the Stream, on the otherhand, has appeared in weird incarnations. There was a bootleg LP from the 70s or 80s that featured half the score on one side, and The Reincarnation of Peter Proud on Side B; 53 mins. of stereo score material from the infamous Soundtrack Library CDR during the 90s, and Goldsmith’s own superb re-recording of his score for Intrada, done in 1986 when the label was emerging as a prominent player in soundtrack production and distribution.

(In 1986 the LP was only available in Canada via Masters Film Music. The guy who ran the company – some dude named Robert Townson up in Whitby, if I recall - later moved on to become an integral component of some unknown label called Varese Sarabande.)

The only legit commercial release of the original score was as a wonky isolated music track on Paramount’s laserdisc, so FSM’s CD finally makes what’s arguably Goldsmith’s most harmonically beautiful score available. FSM’s run for each CD is 5000 copies, so they shouldn’t disappear in a blip the way Intrada’s Inchon vanished in one day.

Inchon, for Pete’s sake.

Not a career highpoint.

Other notables coming out soon include Andre Previn’s Elmer Gantry (1000 copies) from Kritzerland. The CD features the LP cues, bonus cuts, and cues in chronological order as they appeared in the original film mix.

Tadlow Music, who crafted the amazing 3-CD set of Miklos Rozsa’s El Cid (which Silva Screen released as a non-limited set, minus the bonus 3^rd disc) are releasing two of Maurice Jarre’s best ethnic scores.

Jarre’s hardest detractors felt he wrote music out of tune; his supporters likely love everything he’s ever written. I’ve always been in the middle, because he was a composer whose style only clicked every so often with a film, but where he often fell into perfection was in writing music drawn from specific ethnic heritages, of which his forays into Arabic epics were his apex.

Best-known for Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Jarre also crafted some dynamic music for Moustapha Akkad’s two epics, Lion of the Desert / Omar Mukhtar: Lion of the Desert (1981), and the Oscar-Nominated score for The Message / Mohammad: Messenger of God (1976). The scores first appeared on LP, and then as a double-bill Silva CD. Tadlow’s release will feature The Message LP master, and the full Lion score with alternate and source cues.

The CD will also include a recording of Jarre’s “Giubleo,” which seems to be an orchestral and choral suite of music based around themes from Lion, his rejected River Wild score, and Solar Crisis (a film and score badly in need of proper releases). I really want to hear this thing, because the thematic material comes from a film about persecuted Arabs, thugs holding river rafters hostage, and an apocalyptic sci-fi epic about a solar flare that will fry the Earth unless Charlton Heston and ex-model Annabel Schofield save us.

Please absorb that combo and reflect on the possibilities.

Both Lion and Message are listed in the Medved Bros.’ book “The Hollywood Hall of Shame” as pricey stinkers, but I think in spite of each film’s flaws, unlike the book, the movies lived on as glossy epics that still entertain, so the late director managed to establish a bigger legacy in spite of the Medved’s trashing. (The book, however, is exceptionally funny, with Inchon among the hallowed members.)

When Tadlow’s 2-CD set comes out, I’ll pair the score reviews with film reviews, since Anchor Bay released special editions of each film a few years ago. (I haven’t watched them nor listened to Akkad’s commentary tracks, but now I’ve an excuse to blow 8 hours of my life on the DVDs. Wait. That’s more than 10 hours if you count the CDs.)

Now then.

Below are the Oscar-nominated scores and songs, with links to release info as available at Soundtrackcollector.com, and Amazon.com (where applicable).

2009 82^nd Oscar Nominations for Film Music

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Horner
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

- MRH

2009 Oscar Nominated Films on Home Video

Here are the nominated films currently available or announced for a home video release, with links to Amazon.com (and Region 2 releases where applicable). For a list of nominees in their respective Categories, click HERE.

The following list has been edited from the complete printable list at Oscar.com:

2009 82nd Oscar Award Nominations by Film (minus short films)
.

"Ajami," an Inosan Production (Kino International) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Israel)

"Avatar," a Lightstorm Entertainment Production (20th Century Fox) (9 nominations)
Art direction
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Visual effects

"The Blind Side," an Alcon Entertainment Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Sandra Bullock - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Best picture

"Bright Star," a Jan Chapman/Bright Star Films Production (Apparition) (1 nomination)
Costume design

"Burma VJ," a Magic Hour Films Production (Oscilloscope Laboratories) (1 nomination) --- Region 2 DVD release only
Documentary feature

"Coco before Chanel," a Haut et Court Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination) --- available Feb. 16
Costume design

"Coraline," a LAIKA Production (Focus Features) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film

"The Cove," an Oceanic Preservation Society Production (Roadside Attractions) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Crazy Heart," an Informant Media/Butcher's Run Films Production (Fox Searchlight) (3 nominations)
Jeff Bridges - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Original song - "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)"

"District 9," a Block/Hanson Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (4 nominations)
Film editing
Best picture
Visual effects
Adapted screenplay

"Education, An" a Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (3 nominations) --- available as a Region 2 release March 8
Carey Mulligan - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"El Secreto de Sus Ojos," a Haddock Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Argentina)

"Fantastic Mr. Fox," an American Empirical Production (20th Century Fox) (2 nominations) --- available March 23
Best animated feature film
Original score

"Food, Inc.," a Robert Kenner Films Production (Magnolia Pictures) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," a Warner Bros. Production (Warner Bros.) (1 nomination)
Cinematography

"Hurt Locker, The" a Voltage Pictures Production (Summit Entertainment) (9 nominations)
Jeremy Renner - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Original screenplay

"Il Divo," an Indigo Film/Lucky Red/Parco Film/Babe Films Production (MPI Media Group through Music Box) (1 nomination)
Makeup

"Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The" a Poo Poo Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations) --- available as a Region 2 release March 29
Art direction
Costume design

"In the Loop," a Loop Film/BBC Films and UK Film Council in association with Aramid Entertainment Production (IFC Films) (1 nomination)
Adapted screenplay

"Inglourious Basterds," a Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production (The Weinstein Company) (8 nominations)
Christoph Waltz - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Original screenplay

"Invictus," a Liberty Pictures Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Morgan Freeman - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Matt Damon - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

"Julie & Julia," a Columbia Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (1 nomination)
Meryl Streep - Performance by an actress in a leading role

" Last Station, The" an Egoli Tossell Film/Zephyr Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations)
Christopher Plummer - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Helen Mirren - Performance by an actress in a leading role

"Lovely Bones, The" a Wingnut Films Production (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)
Stanley Tucci - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

"Messenger, The" an All the King's Horses Production (Oscilloscope Laboratories) (2 nominations)
Woody Harrelson - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Original screenplay

"Milk of Sorrow, The" a Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Peru)

"Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, The" a Kovno Communications Production (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Nine," a Weinstein Brothers/Marc Platt/Lucamar/Relativity Media Production (The Weinstein Company) (4 nominations)
Penélope Cruz - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Art direction
Costume design
Original song - "Take It All"

"Paris 36," a Galatée Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Original song - "Loin de Paname"

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," a Lee Daniels Entertainment/ Smokewood Entertainment Production (Lionsgate) (6 nominations) --- available March 9
Gabourey Sidibe - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Mo'Nique - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Directing
Film editing
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"Princess and the Frog, The" a Walt Disney Pictures Production (Walt Disney) (3 nominations) --- available March 16
Best animated feature film
Original song - "Almost There"
Original song - "Down in New Orleans"

"Secret of Kells, The" a Cartoon Saloon/Les Armateurs/Vivi Film Production (GKIDS) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film

"Serious Man, A" a Working Title Films Production (Focus Features) (2 nominations) --- available Feb. 9
Best picture
Original screenplay

"Sherlock Holmes," a Warner Bros. UK Services Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Art direction
Original score

"Single Man, A" a Fade to Black and Depth of Field Production (The Weinstein Company) (1 nomination)
Colin Firth - Performance by an actor in a leading role

"Star Trek," a Bad Robot Production (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) (4 nominations)
Makeup
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Visual effects

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," a Don Murphy/Tom DeSanto/di Bonaventura Pictures/Ian Bryce Production (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)
Sound mixing

"Un Prophète," a Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (France)

"Up," a Pixar Production (Walt Disney) (5 nominations)
Best animated feature film
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Original screenplay

"Up in the Air," a Montecito Picture Company Production (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) (6 nominations)
George Clooney - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Vera Farmiga - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Anna Kendrick - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Directing
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"Which Way Home," a Mr. Mudd Production (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"White Ribbon, The" an X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations) --- available as a Region 2 release March 8
Cinematography
Best foreign language film (Germany)

"Young Victoria, The" a GK Films Production (Apparition) (3 nominations) --- available as a Region 2 release only
Art direction
Costume design
Makeup

The 82nd Oscar Awards will be broadcast March 7 at 8pm on ABC in the U.S., and CTV in Canada. Hopefully there will be no dance numbers, and any singing will be reduced to :30 second vocal burps (unless there's a song & dance routine for Inglourious Basterds, which would be fascinating.

- MRH

2009 Oscar Nominations: List of Categories

The nominees for the slender bald statue were announced this morning, and given this list is LONG (the total Best Picture nominees were doubled from 5 to 10 in an apparent move to win over more viewers), I've decided to post the nominees in two formats: by Category, and by Film, of which the latter contains links to titles currently available/announced on home video, and can be accessed HERE.

The following list has been edited from the complete printable list at Oscar.com:



2009 82nd Oscar Award Nominations by Category


Performance by an actor in a leading role
Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Coraline" (Focus Features) Henry Selick
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
"The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
"Up" (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg
Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro
Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette
Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design
"Bright Star" (Apparition) Janet Patterson
"Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Cameron
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature
"Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
A Magic Hour Films Production Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
"The Cove" (Roadside Attractions)
An Oceanic Preservation Society Production Nominees to be determined
"Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures)
A Robert Kenner Films Production Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"
A Kovno Communications Production Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
"Which Way Home"
A Mr. Mudd Production Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject
"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
A Downtown Community Television Center Production Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
A Just Media Production Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
A Community Media Production Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
"Music by Prudence"
An iThemba Production Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
"Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution)
An MS Films Production Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year
"Ajami"(Kino International)
An Inosan Production Israel
"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Haddock Films Production Argentina
"The Milk of Sorrow"
A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production Peru
"Un Prophète" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production France
"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics)
An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production Germany

Achievement in makeup
"Il Divo" (MPI Media Group through Music Box) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Horner
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner
Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)
A Lightstorm Entertainment Production James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
An Alcon Entertainment Production Nominees to be determined
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Block/Hanson Production Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
A Voltage Pictures Production Nominees to be determined
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production Lawrence Bender, Producer
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)
A Working Title Films Production Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
"Up" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Jonas Rivera, Producer
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
A Montecito Picture Company Production Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers
Best animated short film
"French Roast"
A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production Fabrice O. Joubert
"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Brown Bag Films)
A Brown Bag Films Production Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
"The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)"
A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production Javier Recio Gracia
"Logorama" (Autour de Minuit)
An Autour de Minuit Production Nicolas Schmerkin
"A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations)
An Aardman Animations Production Nick Park

Best live action short film
"The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
"Instead of Abracadabra" (The Swedish Film Institute)
A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
"Kavi"
A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey
"Miracle Fish" (Premium Films)
A Druid Films Production Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
"The New Tenants"
A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Wylie Stateman
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by Nick Hornby
"In the Loop" (IFC Films) Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Written by Quentin Tarantino
"The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
"A Serious Man" (Focus Features) Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Up" (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy



The 82nd Oscar Awards will be broadcast March 7 at 8pm on ABC in the U.S., and CTV in Canada, and will undoubtedly be preceded by red carpet stupidities, and Babawa Wawa's Q&A with stars who will be forced to cry on camera at least once.

- MRH

Criterion Announces More OOP DVDs for March

As reported by Criterion this morning in an email to its subscribing fans, 23 titles spanning Criterion and Essential Art House lines will go out of print at the end of March when their agreement with Canal Plus ends. Some of the titles are surprisingly new - Carlos Saura's Flamenco Trilogy (Eclipse Series 6) as well as The Fallen Idol, Mayerling, and The Small Back Room had fairly short lives under the label, and one suspects Canal Plus may either be planning their own line of special editions, spanning DVD and Blu-ray formats.

Ran, formerly available from Criterion as a special edition and announced for a Blu-ray release at one time is now OOP, but the title will be back in circulation Feb. 16 via Lionsgate, who have an agreement with Canal Plus/Studio Canal to bring out their own DVD and Blu-ray editions, much like Contempt (also Feb. 16).

For collectors, it means the feeding frenzy against speculators has now begun, much in the way The Third Man DVD and Blu-rays were snatched up as soon as word leaked that these troublesome titles for North American distribution were going OOP yet again.

Here's the list of imminently OOP Criterions:

Alphaville

Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Trilogy (Eclipse Series 6)

Le corbeau

Coup de torchon

Diary of a Country Priest

The Fallen Idol

Forbidden Games (Criterion and Essential Art House editions)

Gervaise (Essential Art House edition)

Grand Illusion (Criterion and Essential Art House editions)

Le jour se lève (Essential Art House edition)

Last Holiday (Essential Art House edition)

Mayerling (Essential Art House edition)

The Orphic Trilogy

Peeping Tom

Pierrot le fou (DVD and Blu-ray editions)

Port of Shadows

Quai des Orfèvres

The Small Back Room

The Tales of Hoffmann (Criterion and Essential Art House editions)

Trafic (1971)

Le trou

Variety Lights (Essential Art House edition)

The White Sheik

Paid up your Visa bill yet?

- MRH