Countdown to Oscar 2010: National Board of Review Awards 2009

From the National Board of Review:

UP IN THE AIR NAMED 2009 BEST FILM OF THE YEAR BY THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW


New York, NY – December 3rd, 2009 – The National Board of Review named Up In The Air the 2009 Best Film of the Year. Directed by Jason Reitman, Up In The Air is the timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection.

Below is a full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review:

Best Film: UP IN THE AIR

Best Director: CLINT EASTWOOD, Invictus

Best Actors: Tie
GEORGE CLOONEY, Up In The Air
MORGAN FREEMAN, Invictus

Best Actress: CAREY MULLIGAN, An Education

Best Supporting Actor: WOODY HARRELSON, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress: ANNA KENDRICK, Up In The Air

Best Foreign Language Film: A PROPHET

Best Documentary: THE COVE

Best Animated Feature: UP

Best Ensemble Cast: IT’S COMPLICATED

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: JEREMY RENNER, The Hurt Locker

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: GABOUREY SIDIBE, Precious

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:
DUNCAN JONES, Moon
OREN MOVERMAN, The Messenger
MARC WEBB, (500) Days of Summer

Best Original Screenplay: JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay: JASON REITMAN and SHELDON TURNER, Up In The Air

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Film History Award: JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG

NBR Freedom of Expression:
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
INVICTUS
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

TEN BEST FILMS (in alphabetical order):
AN EDUCATION
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
INVICTUS
THE MESSENGER
A SERIOUS MAN
STAR TREK
UP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order):
THE MAID
REVANCHE
SONG OF SPARROWS
THREE MONKEYS
THE WHITE RIBBON

Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
CRUDE
FOOD, INC.
GOOD HAIR
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
AMREEKA
DISTRICT 9
GOODBYE SOLO
HUMPDAY
IN THE LOOP
JULIA
ME AND ORSON WELLES
MOON
SUGAR
TWO LOVERS


“The NBR is very proud to announce its honorees for 2009 – a year in which filmmakers’ voices and visions were innovative, exciting and eclectic. We are thrilled to honor Jason Reitman’s bittersweet and poignant film, Up In The Air, with wonderfully strong performances, writing and direction,” said NBR President Annie Schulhof. “The NBR is looking forward to this year’s gala at Cipriani 42nd Street with Meredith Vieira joining us as the evening’s MC.”

This year the NBR screened over 300 films – 181 narratives, 79 documentaries, 46 foreign language films and 11 animated films. The NBR, founded on January 25th, 1909, was originally founded as an anti-censorship organization and continues to honor excellence and freedom of expression in filmmaking today. The 108 members include knowledgeable film enthusiasts, academics, filmmakers and students from the NY metropolitan area. Many of the student members are past recipients of the NBR student grant program which enables students and young filmmakers to finish their projects and exhibit their work.

The 2010 NBR Gala wAS held on January 12th at Cipriani’s 42nd St. in New York City. Meredith Vieira served as the Mistress of Ceremonies. Once again, the accounting firm of Lutz & Carr tabulated the actual ballots.


THE NBR
For more than a century, the National Board of Review has been committed to freedom of expression in the cinema. Originally established to fight government censorship of motion pictures, the NBR has championed many films of significant social impact. The NBR continues that commitment today with its annual William K. Everson Award for film history, so named for the signature film historian and educator of modern times, a long-time NBR member, as well as its annual freedom of expression award. The NBR also celebrates the filmmakers of tomorrow with student philanthropy, which supports young filmmakers with financial aid that enables honorees to complete projects and exhibit them at various film festivals. For more information please visit http://www.nbrmp.org/

HISTORY
The National Board of Review was founded in 1909 in New York City, just thirteen years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George McClennan's revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses Christmas Eve 1908 on the grounds that the new medium supposedly degraded the morals of the community. To assert their constitutional freedom of expression, theater owners, led by Marcus Loew, and film distributors (Edison Biograph, Pathe, and Gaumont), joined John Collier of The People's Institute at Cooper Union to establish a National Review Committee, an anti-censorship group, that endorsed films of merit and encouraged the new "art of the people." In 1919 the organization first selected its "10 best movies of the year." The NBR later published a magazine called Films in Review, which was the first publication devoted to critical discussion of film, counting among its contributors Harold Robbins, Dore Schary, Stephen Sondheim, Alfred Hitchcock, and Tennessee Williams. During the era of the Hollywood blacklist (when others were silent), Films in Review vigorously opposed film censorship. Movies released between 1920 and 1950 carried the legend "Passed by the National Board of Review."

http://www.nbrmp.org/

Hayao Miyazaki Talks about "Ponyo"

Provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment:

Hayao Miyazaki Q&A


Ponyo, the latest animated masterpiece from Academy-Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) debuts on DVD & Blu-ray on March 2, 2010 from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, Ponyo tells the enchanting and visually rich story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human. Ponyo was the top film in Japan in 2008 and is the eighth highest grossing film in Japanese history. Featuring an all-star English language voice cast, including newcomers Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, the Walt Disney Studios presentation of a Studio Ghibli film is also the highest grossing Miyazaki feature in U.S. history.

The single disc Ponyo DVD contains the new English-language version executive produced by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Also included is the subtitled original Japanese version. Bonus features include: "Behind The Microphone," a behind the scenes look at the voice talent for Ponyo, and the music video for the Ponyo theme song sung by Frankie Jonas & Noah Cyrus.

Meanwhile, the single disc Ponyo Blu-ray contains the same content as the DVD, plus such exclusive bonus features as "The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo" (including Supervising Animator Katsuya Kondo, Art Director Noboru Yoshida, Color Designer Michiyo Yasuda and Recording & Sound Mixer Shuji Inoue); interviews with Miyazaki and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki; a storyboard documentary; and Trailer #2.

On a rare trip to Los Angeles for the movie's theatrical release, the legendary director spoke about Ponyo:

Q: Aside from The Little Mermaid, what else inspired Ponyo?

MIYAZAKI: I was initially attracted to a children's book about a frog: But as I worked on the story, it became something completely different… so I didn't pursue that direction. I have told the author of that children's book that that was the hint for this film, though. Sometimes, I test myself, wondering, if I get a death sentence if I don't make this movie, would I still make this movie. And that's where the frog came into play.

Q: Why are you attracted to fairy tales?

MIYAZAKI: When I work on a new story, I think I'm writing a new story, but when I scrape things away to its core, I realize that there are fragments of these old folk tales or legends that form my stories. It's not that I'm trying to resurrect an old legend, but naturally it's there at the core. I think it shows that I'm in the flow of human civilization.

Q: Did you reference Disney's animated version of The Little Mermaid?

MIYAZAKI: I watched the video of The Little Mermaid many years ago when I was first given it," Miyazaki continued, "but I haven't watched it recently. And, on purpose, I didn't watch it while making this film.

Q: How do you make your movies?

MIYAZAKI: I do all my work on storyboard, so as I draw my storyboard, the world gets more and more complex. And as a result, my north, south, east, west sense of direction kind of shift and go off base. But it seems like my staff as well as the audience don't quite realize that this is happening. Don't tell them about it.

Q: Why did you abandon your CG department for Ponyo?

MIYAZAKI: Actually, at Studio Ghibli, we dissolved the computer graphics section before we started production on Ponyo. So we had decided at that point to stick with hand-drawn animation… I think I can leave the computer-generated animation [John Lasseter] and I can stick to the hand-drawn animation.

Q: How did you achieve the splashing waves?

MIYAZAKI: The secret was keeping the squiggly lines moving all the time.

Q: Where does your concern for nature come from?

MIYAZAKI: It's not that nature or ecology has become a growing concern for me. I think it's just part of our natural surrounding and it's sort of a common thing to depict it. For example, I tell my artists and the team working together to make it smoggier. Then it looks more like the natural surroundings that we live in. It's not that I like smog. So it's the kind of landscape that our children and we are used to living in and whether we should do something about it or not is something that we should think about in real life rather than depicting it in a particular way in the stories on screen.

Q: How do you make your villains so sympathetic?

MIYAZAKI: When I start creating a villain, I start liking the villain and so the villain is not really evil. The Fleischer brothers made Superman, and they have a scene where there's a steel making iron works right behind the Hollywood Hills. A bad guy -- the evil character -- who puts so much into creating such a factory and investing so much is somebody that should be lovable. And villains actually work harder than the heroes.

Q: How is the importance of family demonstrated in Ponyo?

MIYAZAKI: The most important thing is, I think, that even within such an environment, children grow up, they learn to love and they enjoy living in that environment. I think what is most important is that parents and children see each other as being very valuable and very precious to each other, and if they can get that out of the movie that's fine.

John Lasseter Talks Ponyo

Provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment:

PONYO INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN LASSETER


Ponyo, the latest animated masterpiece from Academy-Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), debuts on DVD & Blu-ray on March 2nd from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, Ponyo tells the enchanting and visually rich story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human. Ponyo was the top film in Japan in 2008 and is the eighth highest grossing film in Japanese history. Featuring an all-star English language voice cast, including newcomers Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, the Walt Disney Studios presentation of a Studio Ghibli film is also the highest grossing Miyazaki feature in U.S. history.

The single disc Ponyo DVD contains the new English-language version executive produced by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Also included is the subtitled original Japanese version. Bonus features include: "Behind The Microphone," a behind the scenes look at the voice talent for Ponyo, and the music video for the Ponyo theme song sung by Frankie Jonas & Noah Cyrus.

Meanwhile, the single disc Ponyo Blu-ray contains the same content as the DVD, plus such exclusive bonus features as "The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo" (including Supervising Animator Katsuya Kondo, Art Director Noboru Yoshida, Color Designer Michiyo Yasuda and Recording & Sound Mixer Shuji Inoue); interviews with Miyazaki and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki; a storyboard documentary; and Trailer #2.

"In one of my favorite scenes, Ponyo arrives at Sosuke's house as a girl while a storm rages," says Lasseter. "Sosuke's mother makes noodles for her -- which she discovers she loves. It's so special, because Ponyo is a little girl but she's a brand-new little girl and everything is brand new to her.

"Ponyo transcends age groups: everybody enjoys this film," adds Lasseter. "I've watched it with many audiences and people are truly entertained by it. There's a depth and a beauty to the film; it really works for all ages."

Aside from The Little Mermaid, what else inspired Ponyo? On a rare trip to Los Angeles for the movie's theatrical release, the legendary director suggested that he was initially attracted to a children's book about a frog: "But as I worked on the story, it became something completely different… so I didn't pursue that direction. I have told the author of that children's book that that was the hint for this film, though. Sometimes, I test myself, wondering, if I get a death sentence if I don't make this movie, would I still make this movie. And that's where the frog came into play."

"He is one of the great filmmakers of our time and has been a tremendous inspiration to our generation of animators," continues Lasseter. "At Pixar, when we have a problem that we can't seem to solve, we often look at one of Miyazaki's films."

The lure of fairy tales still resonates strongly for Miyazaki. "When I work on a new story, I think I'm writing a new story, but when I scrape things away to its core, I realize that there are fragments of these old folk tales or legends that form my stories. It's not that I'm trying to resurrect an old legend, but naturally it's there at the core. I think it shows that I'm in the flow of human civilization."

And what inspiration did Miyazaki glean from the acclaimed Disney animated version of The Little Mermaid? "I watched the video of The Little Mermaid many years ago when I was first given it," Miyazaki continued, "but I haven't watched it recently. And, on purpose, I didn't watch it while making this film."

Not surprisingly, the 68-year-old animation master, who manages to find the time to draw monthly for a Japanese Manga magazine, still maintains the same disciplined approach to making his animated features. "I do all my work on storyboard, so as I draw my storyboard, the world gets more and more complex. And as a result, my north, south, east, west sense of direction kind of shift and go off base. But it seems like my staff as well as the audience don't quite realize that this is happening. Don't tell them about it," he joked.

For those who notice a much simpler graphic design to Ponyo, it's no coincidence. Ponyo marks Miyazaki's return to completely hand-drawn animation. "Actually, at Studio Ghibli, we dissolved the computer graphics section before we started production on Ponyo," Miyazaki explained. "So we had decided at that point to stick with hand-drawn animation… I think I can leave the computer-generated animation to [John Lasseter] and I can stick to the hand-drawn animation."

In fact, watching Ponyo more closely on DVD or Blu-ray will enable the viewer to see how exquisite the splashing waves look. Miyazaki explained that the secret to the hand-animated waves in Ponyo was keeping the squiggly lines moving all the time.

"It reminded me of when I was on holiday at the beach with my boys," explains Lasseter. "The waves were very different—coming up out of the water and smashing right on the boys. They were scared, so I started giving the waves personality—like they're hiding from the kids and waiting for them to come close and then they'd reach up and get them. In Ponyo, Miyazaki actually made the ocean a character," Lasseter continues. "The waves become creatures and the style of the water is actually very believable for the world that he created."

And yet, Miyazaki's appreciation and love of nature is very evident in Ponyo. "It's not that nature or ecology has become a growing concern for me. I think it's just part of our natural surrounding and it's sort of a common thing to depict it. For example, I tell my artists and the team working together to make it smoggier. Then it looks more like the natural surroundings that we live in. It's not that I like smog. So it's the kind of landscape that our children and we are used to living in and whether we should do something about it or not is something that we should think about in real life rather than depicting it in a particular way in the stories on screen."

Even Miyazaki's depiction of villains remains generous in Ponyo. The goldfish's wizard of a father (voiced by Liam Neeson) is terrified that his daughter's transformation into a little human girl will upset the delicate balance of nature. He tries to use his magic to return her to the sea and her former self, rather than letting go and letting her exhibit her free will.

"When I start creating a villain, "Miyazaki explained, "I start liking the villain and so the villain is not really evil. The Fleischer brothers made Superman, and they have a scene where there's a steel making iron works right behind the Hollywood Hills. A bad guy -- the evil character -- who puts so much into creating such a factory and investing so much is somebody that should be lovable. And villains actually work harder than the heroes."

And with Ponyo, the director stresses the importance of family."The most important thing is, I think, that even within such an environment, children grow up, they learn to love and they enjoy living in that environment. I think what is most important is that parents and children see each other as being very valuable and very precious to each other, and if they can get that out of the movie that's fine."

"Ponyo is just stunning visually and tells a wonderful story. The magic in the film, the adventure itself are beyond description," says Lasseter. "It's so beautiful and full of heart and it features great characters. I want people all over the country to see it, fall in love with it, and discover Miyazaki's whole library."

God, I Still Hate This Movie: Million Dollar Baby

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Running time: 137 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, some disturbing images, thematic material, and language
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
WRITER: Paul Haggis (based upon short stories by F.X. Toole)
PRODUCERS: Clint Eastwood, Paul Haggis, Tom Rosenberg, and Albert S. Ruddy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tom Stern
EDITOR: Joel Cox
Academy Award winner including “Best Motion Picture of the Year”

DRAMA

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Lucia Rijker, Brian (F.) O’Byrne, Anthony Mackie, Margo Martindale, Riki Lindhome, Michael Pena, and Benito Martinez

Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a crusty boxing trainer with a rep as a great cut man (fixing bloody cuts, bruises, and orifices during fights). Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) is in her early 30’s, and her boxing career has lasted because of her raw talent, unshakable focus, and tremendous force of will. Maggie shows up at Frankie’s gym one day and eventually asks him to train her, but he brushes her off because, as he tells her, she is too old and he doesn’t train girls. Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman), Frankie’s longtime friend and the janitor/maintenance man of Frankie’s gym, encourages Maggie to chase her dream. Frankie managed Eddie in the distant past, and Eddie nudges Frankie towards training Maggie. Eventually, Maggie’s spirit and gutsy determination do win over Frankie, and he agrees to train her. They bond, and she rapidly climbs the ranks of women boxers. However, sudden tragedy strikes, and it will test the bond between a girl trying to replace her late, beloved father and a man left lonely by the estrangement of his only daughter.

I really didn’t connect with Million Dollar Baby. From the first frame, I knew that I wouldn’t care for or like this movie. Clint Eastwood’s performance has its moments, but I had to labor to find anything worth paying attention to beneath his gruff exterior, scowling, and gravelly voice. Sometimes, Eastwood’s best moments were quite and subtle – a glance, an expression, or stillness. It didn’t help that there were two raspy-voiced old men in the film. Morgan Freeman’s performance also alternated between flat and lukewarm. He has a few glorious moments (as when he teaches a lesson to an arrogant boxing trainee), but his voiceover reminded me of Harrison Ford’s listless and reluctant voiceover for Blade Runner. Freeman deserves an Oscar, and if he gets it for Million Dollar Baby, it will be a career achievement award because he doesn’t give an award-winning turn in Baby. [Freeman did go on to win an Oscar for this role.]

Hilary Swank, who won an Oscar for her leading role, is pretty good here. She gives a sense of solidness and realness to her gutsy hick girl character, but playing streetwise or common sense hayseeds seems her specialty. Her performance is more like a cakewalk than an achievement. She does, however, shine in the moments when she really has to bring the heat, as in the scene with Maggie’s family. Other than that, Ms. Swank is only a little above ordinary.

Million Dollar Baby is long and morbid, and it reeks of being one of those films made to get awards. In that vein, it reminds me of another overwrought Oscar-winner wannabe, The Hours from 2002. The script, by Emmy-winner Paul Haggis, is a bunch of re-cooked fairytales – the scrappy rural type that comes to the city to make it, the lost father finding redemption in a surrogate, and the wise old black man or (as Spike Lee says) Magical Negro. Eastwood doesn’t do a lot to make this really good, but his score for this film is very, very nice. That and a few other things make Million Dollar Baby decent enough to be a nice film to rent on DVD, but isn’t worthy of being a big award winner.

5 of 10
C+

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 4 wins – “Best Picture of the Year” (for which the Academy only recognizes Eastwood, Rosenberg, and Ruddy as producers), “Best Achievement in Directing,” “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Hilary Swank), and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Morgan Freeman); 4 nominations: “Best Achievement in Editing,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Clint Eastwood), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.”


2005 Golden Globes: 2 wins “Best Director – Motion Picture” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Hilary Swank); 3 nominations for “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Clint Eastwood); “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” and (Morgan Freeman)

Miyazaki's Ponyo Now on DVD and Blu-Ray

Press release from Walt Disney Home Video:

Disney Presents a Studio Ghibli Film From Oscar®-Winning Director Hayao Miyazaki:


PONYO

A Fantastic Re-imagination of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”

Comes to Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def and DVD on March 2, 2010

A heartwarming and lushly animated retelling of a beloved fairytale, Ponyo comes to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD on March 2, 2010 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Presented by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and featuring the exquisitely hand-drawn animation that has won Miyazaki worldwide acclaim, Ponyo transports audiences into an enchanting dreamscape where anything seems possible. Inspired by the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Little Mermaid” also incorporates a very contemporary concern for nature. Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo is packed with never-before-seen bonus features. The Ponyo Blu-ray and DVD brings audiences a breathtaking introduction to the world of global animation for children and adults, making it a perfect holiday gift for the whole family.

Miyazaki creates a bold, imaginative vision of a magical world from a child’s point of view. The first film from Miyazaki to be made available on Blu-ray, Ponyo brims with color and energy on a stunning journey into a child’s inner life. With a story that families can enjoy together, the film’s star-studded voice cast includes Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, Babel), Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), Liam Neeson (The Chronicles of Narnia), Cloris Leachman (Castle in the Sky), Betty White (“The Golden Girls”), comedian Lily Tomlin and introduces Noah Lindsey Cyrus (as Ponyo) and Frankie Jonas (as Sosuke).

Creator of acclaimed and beloved animated classics including Academy Award®-winner Spirited Away (2002 winner for Best Animated Feature) and Howl’s Moving Castle, Miyazaki is founder of the legendary Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, is a two-time Academy Award winner (1998 winner for Best Short Film, Animated for Tin Toy and 1995 Special Achievement Award for Toy Story) and a recognized pioneer in the field of animation. He is credited with executive producing as well as directing the English language voice cast on the film. Joining Lasseter as executive producers of the English-language version are Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

Walking on the beach near his home, a five-year old boy named Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas) finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle. He releases the tiny creature and, sure that she is no ordinary fish, names his new friend Ponyo (Noah Lindsey Cyrus). As Ponyo and Sosuke grow closer, she reveals to him that she is the daughter of a powerful wizard (Liam Neeson) and a sea goddess (Cate Blanchett), and magically transforms herself into a real human girl. But by crossing from her watery world onto land, Ponyo has created a dangerous imbalance in nature. As the moon begins to draw closer to the earth, sea levels rise and a giant tsunami threatens to destroy Sosuke’s home. Ponyo’s father marshals all his might to find his missing daughter, as the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to try and save the world.

Bonus Features
The World of Ghibli- Allows fans to immerse themselves in the amazing worlds from each film created by legendary filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki in this multi-layered interactive experience.

Lands to explore include:
• PONYO’S Land
• KIKI’S Land
• CASTLE’S Land
• TOTORO’S Land

Behind the Studio- Unprecedented access to all the background, inspiration and process behind he making of Ponyo and the inner workings of Studio Ghibli through a series of documentaries. They include all new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki, and composer Joe Hisaishi.

Also included in this feature are:
• Creating Ponyo
• Ponyo & Fujimoto
• The Nursery
• Behind the Microphone: The Voice of Ponyo
• Producers Perspective: Telling the Story
• Scoring Miyazaki
• The Scenery in Ghibli
• Original Japanese Trailer

Ponyo is priced at $39.99 for Blu-ray Hi-Def and $29.99 for 2-Disc DVD.
STREET DATE: March 2, 2010
Pricing: DVD: $29.99 (US), $ 35.99(Canada)
Blu-ray Disc: $39.99 (U.S.), $41.99 (Canada)
Rated: G

Technical specifications may only apply to feature

[END]

Death Race 2 Begins Principal Photography

Press release from Universal Pictures:

One Race, Three Days and 20,000 Rounds of Ammo


PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DEATH RACE 2 BEGINS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Start your engines…and load your weapons. The explosive, all-new high-octane Death Race 2 began principal photography on February 13, 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa. The spectacular prequel to Paul W.S. Anderson’s audacious re-imagining of the Roger Corman cult classic stars Luke Goss (Hellboy 2: The Golden Army), Ving Rhames (Con Air, Pulp Fiction), Sean Bean (National Treasure, Lord of the Rings trilogy), Danny Trejo (Planet Terror, “Burn Notice”), Frederick Koehler (“Oz,” “Touching Evil”) and Lauren Cohan (“Supernatural”) and promises even more outrageously outfitted muscle cars and death-defying stunts in a deadly driving competition. Director Roel Reiné (The Marine 2, The Lost Tribe) takes the helm of the adrenaline-fueled chronicle of Frankenstein, the greatest Death Race driver of all time, in an all-out thrill ride through a dystopian future.

The screenplay is by Tony Giglio (Chaos), from a story by Paul W.S. Anderson. A top-flight production team has also been assembled, including director of photography John McKay, production designer Johnny Breedt, editor Josh Galvin and costume designer Moira Meyer.

The latest in the hugely successful line of DVD Originals™ from Universal Studios Home Entertainment Productions, Death Race 2 is produced by Paul W.S. Anderson and Jeremy Bolt and executive produced by Paula Wagner and Mike Elliott. Death Race 2 is an official South African/German Co-Production, produced in South Africa by Universal Pictures Productions GmbH and Moonlighting Death Race Films C.C. and co-produced by Genevieve Hofmeyr and Ralph Tuebben.

Since its introduction in 2005, Universal’s extensive DVD Originals™ slate of new live-action and animated content has dominated sales charts, scored impressive ratings on television network and cable outlets, performed successfully in multi-international markets and helped to shape the made-for-DVD arena. The high profile string of hits includes multiple installments of the powerhouse Bring It On and American Pie franchises as well as the epic saga Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior and most recently the explosive action release, Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball.
Death Race 2 takes place in the very near future, as the United States economy begins to decline and violent crime starts to spiral out of control. To contain the growing criminal population, a vast network of for-profit, private prisons springs up, creating a lawless subculture ruled by gangs, cold-blooded killers and sociopaths. The worst of these prisons is Terminal Island. Convicted cop-killer Carl Lucas arrives on the Island to serve his life sentence just as ruthlessly ambitious television personality September Jones launches the ultimate reality show, Death Race. A brutal prison yard demolition derby that pits prisoners against each other in steel reinforced, heavily armed vehicles, Death Race offers the winner the ultimate prize: freedom — if he can survive to enjoy it. When Lucas signs up to be a driver, the stage is set for the birth of a legendary racer.


Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi. [END]

Countdown to Oscar 2010: The 2009 New York Film Critics Awards

At its website, the New York Film Critics Circle describes itself as "an organization of film reviewers from New York-based publications that exists to honor excellence in U.S. and world cinema."


The Circle was founded in 1935, and its membership includes critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, and qualifying on-line general-interest publications. Every year in December the organization meets in New York to vote on awards for the previous calendar year's films.

The New York Film Critics Circle 2009 Awards:

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

Best Screenplay: In The Loop

Best Actress: Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Best Actor: George Clooney - Up In The Air / Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique - Precious

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Best Cinematographer: Christian Berger - The White Ribbon

Best Animated Film: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary): Of Time and The City

Best Foreign Film: Summer Hours (France)

Best First Film: Hunger - Steve McQueen (Director)

Special: Andrew Sarris

http://www.nyfcc.com/