Saturday, February 21, 2015

Cesar Awards Name "Timbuktu" as Best Picture of 2014 - Complete List of Winners

First given out in 1975, the César Award is the national film award of France.  Some even think of the César Award as the French equivalent of the American Academy Awards (Oscars). The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, and the award ceremony is held in Paris each February.  The name of the award comes from the late sculptor César Baldaccini, and the trophies are actual sculptures of the artist.

The winners for the 40th Cesar Awards were announced on Friday, February 20, 2015 in Paris.  Director Abderrahmane Sissako's Timbuktu won 7 Césars, including “Best Film” and “Best Director.”  Timbuktu is also one of the five films nominated for the foreign language film Oscar at the 87th Oscars.  Kristen Stewart won for “Best Supporting Actress” for Sils Maria, becoming the first American to win an acting award from the French Academy.  Sean Penn won an Honory César.

The 2015 / 40th Cesar Award winners (for the year in 2014) – complete list:

Best Film
Timbuktu, dir: Abderrahmane Sissako

Best Director
Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu

Best Actress
Adèle Haenel, Les Combattants

Best Actor
Pierre Niney, Yves Saint Laurent

Best Supporting Actress
Kristen Stewart, Sils Maria

Best Supporting Actor
Reda Kateb, Hippocrate

Best Newcomer (Female)
Louane Emera, La Famille Bélier

Best Newcomer (Male)
Kevin Azaïs, Les Combattants

Best Original Screenplay
Timbuktu

Best Adapted Screenplay
Diplomatie

Best Foreign Film
Mommy, dir Xavier Dolan

Best Debut Feature
Les Combattants

Best Score
Timbuktu

Best Editing
Timbuktu

Best Cinematography
Timbuktu

Best Set Design
La Belle Et La Bête

Best Costumes
Saint-Laurent

Best Documentary
Salt Of The Earth

Best Sound
Timbuktu

Best Animated Film
Minuscule – La Vallée Des Fourmis Perdues, dirs: Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud

Best Short Film
La Femme De Rio

Best Animated Short
Les Petits Cailloux

Honorary César: Sean Penn

Prix Daniel Toscan du Plantier: Sylvie Pialat

Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma – Médaille d’Or: Luc Besson

------------------


Webcomics Update: Grumble #1 Page 17


Page 17 is here: http://www.comicbookbin.com/grumbleone017.html


Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of February 15th to 21st, 2015 - Update #17


NEWS:

From Variety:  Oliver Stone's film, "Snowden," with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley is due for Christmas.

-------------------
From TheWrap:  Lena Dunham, the star and creator of HBO's "Girls," will guest star on ABC's "Scandal," or which she is reportedly a super-fan.

--------------------
From Variety:  District 9's Neill Blomkamp is working on an Alien movie for 20th Century Fox.

---------------------
From YahooMovies:  The quiet furor over the blood profits of American Sniper.

-------------------
From TheHollywoodReporter:  An anonymous Oscar voter shares her hilarious views on her voting process with THR.  For the record, Missy Anonymous, if a 60-year-old white man had directed Selma, he would have been nominated for "Best Director."

------------------
From TheHollywoodReporter:  Roman Polanski to attend extradition hearing in Poland.

-------------------
From BlackAmericaWeb:  Don Lemon "Hates" FOX's "Empire."

--------------------
From TheVerge:  Alejandro Jodorowsky tries Kickstarter to finance his next film project.

--------------------
From HitFix:  The winner of the Feb. 13th to 15th, 2015 weekend box office is Fifty Shades of Grey with an estimated take of $81.6 million.


COMIC BOOKS:

From TheVerge:  First image of Jason Momoa as "Aquaman" for "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

---------------------
From YahooMovies:  Marvel and Netflix's "Jessica Jones" adds three new cast members.


STAR WARS:

From TheDailyBeast:  Huge Star Wars spoiler - another reason this movie needs to be released at an earlier date.

----------------------
From IBT:  Rumors about Han Solo and Princess Leia's children.

-----------------------
From HitFix:  Rumors about a son of Luke Skywalker.


OBITS:

From YahooMovies:  The French actor, Louis Jourdan, died at the age of 93 on Saturday, February 14, 2015.  Many remember him for his role in Gigi, but many others best remember Jourdan as the villain, Kamal Khan (an exiled Afghan prince), in the 1983 James Bond movie, Octopussy.

--------------------
From Variety:  Gary Owens, the original voice of Hanna-Barbera character, Space Ghost, died Thursday, February 12, 2015.  He was either 78 or 80.  Recently, Owens was the voice of the over-the-air digital network, Antenna TV.  He is a fond remembrance of my childhood.  I send my condolences to his family.


MISC:

From TheVox:  It's a Black thing... or is it?

-----------------------
From YahooSports:  Bobby Knight should have been run out of "polite" society a long time ago.

-----------------------
From YahooParenting:  A great birthday story.


"Birdman" leads 2015 Costume Designers Guild Awards - Complete Winners List

The Costume Designers Guild is an international group that represents motion picture, television, and commercial costume designers, assistant costume designers and costume illustrators.  The Costume Designers Guild (CDG) is Local 892 of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.).  The Costume Designers Guild Awards began in 1999 to annually honor costume designers in Motion Pictures, Television, and Commercials.

The winners for the 17th Costume Designers Guild Awards, which celebrates excellence in film, television and commercial costume design, were announced Tuesday, February 17th, 2015. The winners of the seven competitive awards were revealed at the gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Continuing its long-time support of the Guild, LACOSTE returned as Presenting Sponsor of the Costume Designers Guild Awards.  LACOSTE has been featured in numerous films such as Bridesmaids, That Awkward Moment, The Heat, Chef, and Last Vegas, as well as television shows including Mad Men, Saturday Night Live, Glee, and The Newsroom. 

Acclaimed producer, director and screenwriter Richard Linklater (who recently collaborated with costume designer Kari Perkins on the 12-Years-In-the-Making epic film, Boyhood) received the Distinguished Collaborator Award in recognition of his support of Costume Design and creative partnerships with Costume Designers.  An Honorary Career Achievement Award was presented to Costume Designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers for her outstanding work in film.  The 2015 Edith Head Award for the Advancement of the Art of Costume Design was presented to costume designer, scholar, and two-term CDG past president, Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis, a CDG member and costume design activist for nearly 40 years. The LACOSTE Spotlight Award honoree was Naomi Watts, with the award presented to her by Laura Dern.

2015 / 17th Costume Designers Guild Awards winners and nominees:

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
Birdman – Albert Wolsky WINNER
Boyhood – Kari Perkins
Gone Girl – Trish Summerville
Interstellar – Mary Zophres
Wild – Melissa Bruning

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero WINNER
The Imitation Game – Sammy Sheldon Differ
Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges
Selma – Ruth E. Carter
The Theory of Everything – Steven Noble

EXCELLENCE IN FANTASY FILM
Guardians of the Galaxy – Alexandra Byrne
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – Kurt and Bart
Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood WINNER
Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard, Jane Clive

OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION SERIES
House of Cards – Johanna Argan
Ray Donovan – Christopher Lawrence
Saturday Night Live – Tom Broecker, Eric Justian
Scandal – Lyn Paolo
True Detective – Jenny Eagan WINNER

OUTSTANDING PERIOD/FANTASY TELEVISION SERIES
Boardwalk Empire – John Dunn
Game of Thrones – Michele Clapton WINNER
The Knick – Ellen Mirojnick
Mad Men – Janie Bryant
Masters of Sex – Ane Crabtree

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TV MOVIE OR MINI SERIES
American Horror Story: Freak Show – Lou Eyrich WINNER
Houdini – Birgit Hutter
The Normal Heart – Daniel Orlandi
Olive Kitteridge – Jenny Eagan
Sherlock – Sarah Arthur

EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL COSTUME DESIGN
Army ‘Defy Expectations, Villagers’ – Christopher Lawrence WINNER
Direct TV ‘Less Attractive’, with Rob Lowe – Mindy Le Brock, Jessica Albertson
Dos Equis ‘Most Interesting Man in the World Walks on Fire’ – Julie Vogel
Kia Soul Hamster Commercial Featuring ‘Animals’ – Anette Cseri
Smirnoff ‘The Mixologist’ – Laura Jean Shannon

----------------------


Friday, February 20, 2015

"Empire's" Terrence Howard to Present at 87th Oscars

Terrence Howard And Felicity Jones To Present At 87th Oscars®
Oscar®-nominated actor Terrence Howard (2006) and Oscar nominee Felicity Jones will be presenters at this year’s Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

Howard was nominated for his leading role in 2006’s “Hustle & Flow.” His other films include Oscar-winning Best Picture “Crash” (2004), “Ray” (2004), “Iron Man” (2008), “Prisoners” (2013), “Lee Daniel’s The Butler” (2013) and “St. Vincent” (2014).  Howard currently stars in the hit television series “Empire.”  His upcoming films include “Term Life” and “Cardboard Boxer.”

Jones is nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for “The Theory of Everything.” Her previous film credits include “The Tempest” (2010), “Like Crazy” (2011), “The Invisible Woman” (2013) and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014). Jones’ upcoming films include “True Story,” “Autobahn,”  “A Monster Calls” and “Inferno.”

Oscar presenters and performers include:
Presenters:
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Ansel Elgort, Chris Evans, Kevin Hart, Terrence Howard, Josh Hutcherson, Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Felicity Jones, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Jared Leto, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Sienna Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Murphy, Liam Neeson, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, Margot Robbie, Zoe Saldana, Octavia Spencer, Meryl Streep, Channing Tatum, Miles Teller, John Travolta, Kerry Washington, Naomi Watts, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon.

Performers:
Jack Black, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Anna Kendrick, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Adam Levine with Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Rita Ora and Tegan and Sara with The Lonely Island.


The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars, produced by Zadan and Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

2015 Cesar Award Nominations - Complete List

First given out in 1975, the César Award is the national film award of France.  Some even think of the César Award as the French equivalent of the American Academy Awards (Oscars). The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, and the award ceremony is held in Paris each February.  The name of the award comes from the late sculptor César Baldaccini, and the trophies are actual sculptures of the artist.

The nominations for the 40th Cesar Awards were announced Friday, January 28, 2015.  The 40th Cesar Awards will be presented on Friday, February 20, 2015 in Paris.

The 2015 / 40th Cesar Award nominees (for the year in 2014) – complete list:

Best Film
Les Combattants, dir: Thomas Cailley
Eastern Boys, dir: Robin Campillo
La Famille Bélier, dir: Eric Lartigau
Saint Laurent, dir: Bertrand Bonello
Hippocrate, dir: Thomas Lilti
Sils Maria, dir: Olivier Assayas
Timbuktu, dir: Abderrahmane Sissako

Best Director
Céline Sciamma, Bande De Filles
Thomas Cailley, Les Combattants
Robin Campillo, Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti, Hippocrate
Bertrand Bonello, Saint Laurent
Olivier Assayas, Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu

Best Actress
Juliette Binoche, Sils Maria
Catherine Deneuve, Dans La Cour
Marion Cotillard, Deux Jours, Une Nuit
Emilie Dequenne, Pas Son Genre
Adèle Haenel, Les Combattants
Sandrine Kiberlain, Elle L’Adore
Karin Viard, La Famille Bélier

Best Actor
Pierre Niney, Yves Saint Laurent
Romain Duris, Une Nouvelle Amie
Gaspard Ulliel, Saint Laurent
Guillaume Canet, La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur
Niels Arestrup, Diplomatie
François Damiens, La Famille Bélier
Vincent Lacoste, Hippocrate

Best Supporting Actress
Marianne Denicourt, Hippocrate
Claude Gensac, Lulu Femme Nue
Izïa Higelin, Samba
Charlotte Le Bon, Yves Saint Laurent
Kristen Stewart, Sils Maria

Best Supporting Actor
Eric Elmosnino, La Famille Bélier
Jérémie Renier, Saint Laurent
Guillaume Gallienne, Yves Saint LAurent
Louis Garrel, Saint Laurent
Reda Kateb, Hippocrate

Best Newcomer (Female)
Lou de Laâge, Respire
Joséphine Japy, Respire
Louane Emera, La Famille Bélier
Ariane Labed, Fidelio, L’Odyssée D’Alice
Karidja Touré, Bande De Filles

Best Newcomer (Male)
Kevin Azaïs, Les Combattants
Ahmed Dramé, Les Héritiers
Kirill Emelyanov, Eastern Boys
Pierre Rochefort, Un Beau Dimanche
Marc Zinga, Qu’Allah Bénisse La France

Best Original Screenplay
Les Combattants
La Famille Bélier
Hippocrate
Sils Maria
Timbuktu

Best Adapted Screenplay
La Chambre Bleue
Diplomatie
Pas Son Genre
Lulu Femme Nue
La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur

Best Foreign Film
Winter Sleep, dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Boyhood, dir: Richard Linklater
12 Years A Slave, dir: Steve McQueen
Deux Jours, Une Nuit, dirs: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Mommy, dir Xavier Dolan
Ida, dir: Pawel Pawlikowski
The Grand Budapest Hotel, dir: Wes Anderson

Best Debut Feature
Les Combattants
Elle L’Adore
Fidelio, L’Odyssée D’Alice
Party Girl
Qu’Allah Bénisse La France

Best Score
Bande De Filles
Bird People
Les Combattants
Timbuktu
Yves Saint-Laurent

Best Editing
Les Combattants
Hippocrate
Party Girl
Saint-Laurent
Timbuktu

Best Cinematography
La Belle Et La Bête
Saint-Laurent
Sils Maria
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Set Design
La Belle Et La Bête
La French
Saint-Laurent
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Costumes
La Belle Et La Bête
La French
Saint-Laurent
Une Nouvelle Amie
Yves Saint Laurent

Best Documentary
Caricaturistes – Fantassins De La Démocratie
Les Chèvres De Ma Mère
La Cour De Babel
National Gallery
Salt Of The Earth

Best Sound
Bande De Filles
Bird People
Les Combattants
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu

Best Animated Film
Minuscule – La Vallée Des Fourmis Perdues, dirs: Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud
Jack Et La Mécanique Du Coeur, dir: Stéphane Berla
Le Chant De La Mer, dir: Tomm Moore

Best Short Film
Aïssa
La Femme De Rio
Inupiluk
Les Jours D’Avant
Où Je Mets Ma Pudeur
La Virée A Paname

Best Animated Short
Bang Bang!
La Bûche De Noël
La Petite Casserole D’Anatole
Les Petits Cailloux

-------------


Fifth "Misssion: Impossible" Movie to Hit IMAX Screens in July 2015


THE FIFTH INSTALLMENT IN THE “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” FRANCHISE, FROM PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SKYDANCE PRODUCTIONS AND BAD ROBOT, WILL BE RELEASED IN IMAX® THEATRES GLOBALLY BEGINNING JULY 31st

Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot, and IMAX Corporation today announced that the fifth installment in the blockbuster “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format and released in IMAX® theaters worldwide beginning July 31st, 2015.

The new film is produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. The executive producers are David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger of Skydance Productions and Jake Myers. Drew Pearce, Christopher McQuarrie, Will Staples, Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier and Dylan Kussman wrote the screenplay, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller.

The newest installment reunites Cruise with stars from 2011’s “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL,” including Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. Joining the cast is Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris.

“IMAX is so important in giving the audience the best experience of the film we have made. I am very happy to have this partnership on the next ‘MISSION,’” said Cruise.

“After the innovative way we worked with our longtime partners Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot and Tom Cruise on the record-setting ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL,’ we are beyond thrilled to once again offer audiences The IMAX Experience® of the latest installment of this action-packed franchise,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “This film was literally made for IMAX and summer moviegoing.”

Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures said, “Audiences the world over proved with the last ‘MISSION’ that the IMAX experience is not to be missed and so we are all thrilled to again partner with Rich, Greg and everyone at IMAX to bring this next exciting installment to their screens this summer.”
The “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise has earned more than $2 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.

The IMAX® release of the latest “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE “ film will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Skydance Productions
Skydance Productions tells big stories and creates immersive worlds, producing narratives that span film, television, games and more. Skydance is currently in post-production on a reset of the TERMINATOR franchise, TERMINATOR GENISYS, to be released on July 1, 2015. The company is also in post-production on the latest installment in the highly successful MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise starring Tom Cruise with Chris McQuarrie directing. Additionally, Skydance is currently in production on a disaster film on a global scale titled GEOSTORM written by Dean Devlin and Paul Guyot with Devlin also directing. Skydance will next begin production on STAR TREK 3, the third installment in the JJ Abrams franchise. Simon Pegg and Doug Jung are attached to co-write with Justin Lin to direct. Currently in development is AFRICA, a sweeping epic about paleo-anthropologist Richard Leakey's battle with ivory poachers that threaten the existence of the African elephant population and the very soul of Africa. Angelina Jolie is attached to direct the film based on Eric Roth's screenplay. Skydance’s recent releases include JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT, from director Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Pine; WORLD WAR Z, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster; STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS, directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto; and G.I. JOE: RETALIATION, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson. Skydance’s previous projects include Christopher McQuarrie’s JACK REACHER, starring Tom Cruise; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, starring Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner; and the award-winning Coen Brothers film TRUE GRIT, starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.

About Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot was formed by filmmaker J.J. Abrams in 2001. The company has produced television series such as ALIAS, LOST, FRINGE, PERSON OF INTEREST, REVOLUTION, ALMOST HUMAN, feature films such as CLOVERFIELD, STAR TREK, SUPER 8, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, the upcoming STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, the latest installment of the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchise, STAR TREK 3 and interactive content including the mobile apps SUPER 8 and ACTION MOVIE FX. Bad Robot’s first foray into publishing, S., a novel conceived by Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, was a New York Times Best Seller. Bad Robot is based in Los Angeles and can be followed at twitter.com/bad_robot.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of September 30, 2014, there were 880 IMAX theatres (751 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 110 institutions) in 60 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).