The prolific writer-director/brother team comprised of Joel and Ethan Coen has created cinematic classics in genres ranging from crime-thrillers to bizarre burnout comedies and even dabbled with an almost-musical, not to mention winning four Oscars. They’re responsible for some of the most memorable, shocking and original moments in cinema from the past decade and with the release of their latest, A Serious Man, they can add theological drama to their resumes.
He’s become the first choice when man-boy comedies need a lovably arrogant blow-hard with a heavy dose of charm and whether you love him or you hate him (we’ll side with the former, thank you very much), Vince Vaughn’s manic energy, rapid-fire delivery and undeniable on-screen presence makes him an original. As one of comedy’s leading men, he’s had us in hysterics as a scheming wedding crasher, a delusional smooth-talker who’s just so money, baby, and an aging frat boy, not to mention notable performances in subtler, more dramatic fare.
“Wanna go up on the hill and play war?”
Not exactly how Canadian comedic icon Catherine O’Hara expected to be greeted by her Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze when she arrived at his house, but appropriately whimsical, impulsive and blissfully innocent considering the film they were making together.
The Oscars are less than six months away and although plenty of Academy Award-worthy films have already lit up screens during the earlier part of 2009, there's still plenty of show to be had before the year is over.
We're taking a look at the last batch of Oscar contenders that are getting in under the wire and are poised to pick up nominations, if not wins, when the golden statuettes are handed out March 7.
Whether it's the actors involved, a visionary director at the helm, a gripping story that pulls viewers in or peerless visuals that wow the senses, these films represent our picks for likely Oscar favourites.
Montreal's Sarah Fortin cleaned up at the 2009 enRoute Film Festival with her film Synthétiseur, an 11-minute introspective look at a single girl navigating the city as a tourist, winning Best Short Film, Achievement in Directing and the grand prize.
Ghosts, goblins and girls in skin-tight, tattered zombie costumes - it must be Halloween. For those of us too, ahem, mature to hit the streets, pillowcases in hand, scouring the neighbourhood for the best loot - cans of pop and full chocolate bars, obvs - the next best thing to free candy is scaring ourselves silly with some Halloween movie staples. Whether it's the weird and wonderful world of Frank-N-Furter, a good girl-possessed tale or the personification of why clowns are creepy, there's no better time to settle in with a frightening flick than on All Hallow's Eve.
I wavered between using the above title or going with an equally descriptive alternative: Traumatic films our parents shouldn't have let us watch until we hit the age of majority. Both get right to the heart of the countdown for from monstrous winged monkeys to creepy classic clowns, every one of these flicks had the stuff childhood nightmares were made of. Revisit the traumatic films of our youth and see how many of them still have the power to send chills down our spines!
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