News for
I'm Not There. (2007)

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Williams and Friends Pay Magazine Tribute to Ledger
13 March 2008 (WENN)
Heath Ledger's closest Hollywood pals, including ex-partners Michelle Williams and Naomi Watts, have spoken out for the first time since his death in January. The pair joined forces with director Todd Haynes - who made Ledger's movie I'm Not There - actors Sean Penn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, his agent Steve Alexander, and pal Ellen DeGeneres, to talk to Interview magazine about their relationship with the star. Williams, the mother of his daughter Matilda, describes Ledger's energy and talent, saying, "He had an uncontrollable energy. He buzzed. He would jump out of bed. For as long as I'd known him, he had bouts with insomnia. He just had too much energy. His mind was turning, turning, turning - always turning. He had a talent for everything that he put his mind to. He didn't know limits. I think that the interesting thing about Heath, which maybe people have only really fully discovered in his death, his how vulnerable he was. You can pick up on it in his performances, but it's easy to overlook because he was so physical and beautiful and strong and masculine. But there was always that underlying sensitivity. That's who he was." Watts, who dated Ledger for two years, adds, "His acting was just so touching, so connected in truth. I think he was just getting started." Seymour Hoffman, who met Ledger when they were both nominated for the Best Actor Oscar in 2006, describes the actor's "childlike enthusiasm," adding, "His body was always in motion." And his agent Alexander paints the picture of a Ledger as a "rolling stone." Ledger suffered a fatal accidental overdose of prescription drugs in his New York apartment on January 22, 2008. He was 28.

De Facto Strike Hits Hollywood
4 March 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Independent movie producers who are required by their backers to purchase completion bonds to guarantee that their films will get done have been told by insurance companies that they will not do business with them unless their movies can be finished by June 15, two weeks before the actors' contract with producers expires, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Tuesday). Producer Paul Schiff (Rushmore) told the newspaper that he was forced to shelve three movies because he couldn't finish them by the June deadline. Producer James Stern (I'm Not There) added, "Whether or not a strike happens, for our purposes it's happening. ... It's a big deal."

Blanchett Reveals Baby Gender
26 February 2008 (WENN)
Pregnant actress Cate Blanchett let slip the sex of her unborn child while she was at the Oscars on Sunday night. The Aviator star referred to her baby-bump as male when she was asked how she was coping with pregnancy. Blanchett - who failed to take home the Best Actress award for Elizabeth: The Golden Age or Best Supporting Actress honor for her role in I'm Not There- told People.com her baby seemed to be very relaxed because "he" was asleep. She says, "He's actually asleep - believe it or not, which bodes well."

High Spirits for 'Juno' As Film Claims Three Indie Awards
25 February 2008 (WENN)
Juno was the big winner at the 2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on Saturday, claiming three of the five awards the sleeper hit was nominated for. As well as the event's big Best Feature prize, Oscar nominee Ellen Page was named the Best Female Lead and Diablo Cody claimed the Best First Screenplay honor. Double winners at the Spirits were The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, I'm Not There and The Savages. But the event belonged to the memory of late actor Heath Ledger, who was honored with tributes from his I'm Not There director Todd Haynes and co-star Cate Blanchett, who dedicated her Best Supporting Actress prize to her fellow Aussie, who died in January. The independent film gala was hosted by actor Rainn Wilson, who closed the ceremony by staging a pretend fight in the audience with Best Male Lead winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, after poking fun at The Savages star throughout the prizegiving.

Juno Tops at Independent Spirit Awards
24 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Juno was the top winner at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, nabbing three awards including Best Feature. The hit comedy, which is also the highest-grossing of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture, also won awards for Best Female Lead for star Ellen Page, who professed her adoration for director Jason Reitman, and Best First Screenplay for ebullient writer Diablo Cody. Winning two awards each were two films also up for Oscars: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which received Best Director for Julian Schnabel (clad in his requisite pajamas) and Best Cinematography, and The Savages, which took home Best Screenplay honors for Oscar nominee Tamara Jenkins and Best Male Lead, in a bit of a surprise, for Philip Seymour Hoffman. The supporting awards went to a very pregnant Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There) and an absent Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk to Me), while Once was named Best Foreign Film, Crazy Love received Best Documentary, and The Lookout won Best First Feature.

Hosted by first-timer Rainn Wilson of The Office, the Spirit Awards also bestowed I'm Not There with the first Robert Altman Award, honoring the outstanding director, casting director, and ensemble cast of an independent film; director Todd Haynes paid homage to late star Heath Ledger as well as his acclaimed cast. In between award presentations, there were songs performed -- some parodies, some not -- as it rained outside in Santa Monica and Javier Bardem, who presented the Best Director award, became the object of affection for host Wilson. You can check out photos from the Spirit Awards, courtesy of WireImage.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Juno Tops at Independent Spirit Awards
23 February 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Juno was the top winner at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, nabbing three awards including Best Feature. The hit comedy, which is also the highest-grossing of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture, also won awards for Best Female Lead for star Ellen Page, who professed her adoration for director Jason Reitman, and Best First Screenplay for ebullient writer Diablo Cody. Winning two awards each were two films also up for Oscars: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which received Best Director for Julian Schnabel (clad in his requisite pajamas) and Best Cinematography, and The Savages, which took home Best Screenplay honors for Oscar nominee Tamara Jenkins and Best Male Lead, in a bit of a surprise, for Philip Seymour Hoffman. The supporting awards went to a very pregnant Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There) and an absent Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk to Me), while Once was named Best Foreign Film, Crazy Love received Best Documentary, and The Lookout won Best First Feature.

Hosted by first-timer Rainn Wilson of The Office, the Spirit Awards also bestowed I'm Not There with the first Robert Altman Award, honoring the outstanding director, casting director, and ensemble cast of an independent film; director Todd Haynes paid homage to late star Heath Ledger as well as his acclaimed cast. In between award presentations, there were songs performed -- some parodies, some not -- as it rained outside in Santa Monica and Javier Bardem, who presented the Best Director award, became the object of affection for host Wilson. You can check out photos from the Spirit Awards, courtesy of WireImage.

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Blanchett Gives Eulogy To Ledger at Memorial Service
11 February 2008 (WENN)
Actress Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger's parents paid tribute to the late actor with moving eulogies at a memorial service in his hometown of Perth, Australia on Saturday. More than 600 family members, friends and fans gathered to bid farewell to the Brokeback Mountain star, where his I'm Not There co-star Blanchett gave a funny and touching eulogy about their time spent together. Mourners watched a photo montage dedicated to Ledger's family and daughter Matilda, his two-year-old with former fiance Michelle Williams. The actress was in attendance but did not bring Matilda to the service at Penrhos College, a private girls' school. Ledger's father Kim addressed the media earlier in the day to ask for privacy as the family attended a private funeral service at Fremantle Cemetery, where the body was cremated. He told reporters, "It's a pretty sad time and we're finding it difficult to cope by ourselves, let alone cope with everybody around the world. Having said that we do really appreciate the outpouring and the emotional support from all over the world, which, suffice to say, we're luckier than most families, most families that are in our position, our grieving position, don't have that kind of support. So thank you all very much. That's all I've got to say." Ledger was found dead at his New York apartment on January 22, aged just 28. Toxicology results released on Wednesday revealed he was killed by an accidental overdose of prescribed medication.

Heath Ledger Dead at 28
23 January 2008 (WENN)
Movie star Heath Ledger has been found dead in his Manhattan, New York apartment. The actor was declared dead by medics at his Broome Street, SoHo home at 3:30pm on Tuesday, according to the New York Police Department. A police spokesperson reveals Ledger was discovered by his housekeeper, after he failed to answer the door to a masseuse he had booked to give him a massage. While prescription drugs were found at scene, there were no illegal drugs discovered. The Australian Brokeback Mountain star, 28, was just about to start promoting the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight, in which he plays movie villain The Joker. Born in Perth in 1979, Ledger made a name for himself in a series of brooding roles on the big screen; he was nominated for a 2006 Oscar for his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in the gay-themed drama Brokeback Mountain. Fiercely private, Ledger has openly spoken about his public shyness, but he hit the headlines for romances with Heather Graham, Naomi Watts and his Brokeback Mountain co-star Michelle Williams, the mother of his two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose.

A star field hockey player and athlete, Ledger turned his attentions to drama in his teens and, when a friend headed to Sydney, Australia to chase an acting dream, the star-to-be went along for the ride. He landed a break as a gay cyclist in 1996's Sweat - a TV drama about a group of Olympic hopefuls - and then he portrayed the best friend of a rapist in low-budget 1997 movie Blackrock. Hedger left Australia to find acting work in America in 1999 and landed the lead in Aussie director Gregor Jordan's crime thriller Two Hands. That film helped him land the lead hunk role in teen movie hit Ten Things I Hate About You. He went on to play Mel Gibson's son in The Patriot and Billy Bob Thornton's troubled offspring in Monster's Ball. Both roles earned Ledger high praise from critics. But then came a string of critical flops - A Knight's Tale, Ned Kelly, The Four Feathers, The Order, Lords Of Dogtown, and The Brothers Grimm. But then followed Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain in 2005, which Ledger has often described as a major turning point in his professional and personal life. As awkward cowboy Ennis Del Mar, Ledger regained his position as one of Hollywood's top stars. The role led to a Best Actor Oscar nod and the coveted role of The Joker in the upcoming The Dark Knight, for which he's already receiving great acclaim. Ledger has also won acclaim for his role as Robbie Clark in quirky Bob Dylan-inspired movie I'm Not There. The tragic star was last seen publicly on the London set of director Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus on Saturday.

Oscar Nominations Announced
22 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood received eight Oscar nominations each, the most of any films that will be competing in this year's Academy Awards. Atonement and Michael Clayton each earned seven nominations. All four films were nominated for best film, along with the comedy Juno. The nominations were announced early today (Tuesday) in Beverly Hills, hours before an informal meeting was scheduled to take place between representatives of the Writers Guild of America and media executives that could determine whether the awards ceremonies would take place as usual next month. The nominations also included two for Cate Blanchett -- one for best actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the other for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the young Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. Also nominated for best actress were Julie Christie for Away from Her, Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose, Laura Linney for The Savages and Ellen Page for Juno. In the best actor category, Daniel Day-Lewis was regarded as a shoo-in for his performance in There Will Be Blood. Also competing for the honor will be George Clooney for Michael Clayton, Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah, and Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises. In the director's category, the contest appeared to be a two-way affair between Paul Thomas Anderson, who helmed There Will Be Blood and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, who directed No Country for Old Men. Also competing are Jason Reitman for Juno, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton and Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Oscars Favor There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men
22 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Two art house films ruled the roost at the 80th Annual Academy Award nominations, as No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood tied for the most nods with eight each. Both films received nominations for Best Picture, Directing, and Adapted Screenplay, as well as a single acting nomination -- No Country for Old Men's Javier Bardem received a Best Supporting Actor nod and the heavily-favored Daniel Day-Lewis was an expected nominee for Best Actor for There Will Be Blood. The Coen brothers received nominations in four categories -- Picture, Directing, Editing and Adapted Screenplay -- and are the third two-man team to get a Directing nod. Following behind the two Westerns were Atonement and Michael Clayton with seven nominations apiece, although Atonement failed to snag mentions for director or leads Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, young Saoirse Ronan was a Best Supporting Actress contender. Michael Clayton, on the other hand, dominated with acting nominations for George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton as well as directing and screenplay nods. Indie comedy Juno rounded out the Best Picture list and received four nominations overall, including nods for director Jason Reitman, screenwriter Diablo Cody and star Ellen Page. Other films scoring multiple nominations included Ratatouille (five nods) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (four, including a mention for director Julian Schnabel).

In terms of surprises and omissions, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street managed only three nominations, though one was for Best Actor contender Johnny Depp. An unexpected Best Actor contender was Tommy Lee Jones for the little-seen Iraq war drama In the Valley of Elah, and Cate Blanchett received two nominations, for Best Actress (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and Supporting Actress (I'm Not There -- the second time an actor has been nominated for playing the opposite sex). Into the Wild, favored by a number of guild awards with nominations, failed to nab a Best Picture nod or a director mention for Sean Penn; only Hal Holbrook received a major nomination, for Supporting Actor. And Disney once again co-opted the Best Song category, as three songs from Enchanted help fill out the full list of nominees in that category - expect a lot of Amy Adams at this year's ceremony!

Speaking of which, if all goes according to plan, the Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 24th at 8pm ET/5pm ET. Though the continuing WGA strike tacitly threatens to mar the proceedings, the Academy is moving forward as planned with the show. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Get the full list of nominees in our Road to the Oscars section.

Globes Spin to a Standstill
14 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The Golden Globe awards, known more for their glamour and glitz than for the prestige of the awards themselves, had neither Sunday night as they were reduced to a perfunctory announcement of the winners by the hosts of several syndicated entertainment TV magazines. The awards are voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a small group of mostly part-time and freelance writers for overseas newspapers and magazines (none of whom announced any winners). The winners were not on hand for the announcements, abiding by directions from their unions not to cross picket lines of the Writers Guild of America, which had vowed to send strikers to the ceremonies in Beverly Hills en masse if the awards show was staged as usual. (Ironically the first winner announced Sunday night was Cate Blanchett, who won the supporting actress award for a film titled I'm Not There.) Sometimes regarded as a forecast of the Oscars, Sunday night's non-affair was only that in the sense that it raised the question of whether a similar fate would befall the equally glitzy but far more prestigious Academy Awards show, scheduled for February 24. As usual, the awards were spread over numerous films -- in order to curry favor with stars and publicists, according to some critics -- with Atonement, which was voted best film, receiving only one additional award -- for best original music. Some of the awards seemed to come out of left field and mirrored none that had come earlier. Contacted by the Associated Press, producer Richard Zanuck, whose Sweeney Todd won for best musical or comedy (beating the favorite, Juno), predicted that the strike will either be settled before the Oscars or that the WGA will grant a waiver for the show to take place. "I don't think they want to be responsible in bringing the most important event in the motion-picture industry each year down to its knees," he said. The WGA has maintained, however, that it is the studios who would be responsible for such an eventuality since they are the ones who broke off negotiations and continue to insist that they will not return to the talks until the union drops several demands regarding jurisdiction over reality and animated films and TV shows.

Atonement Wins Top Award at Golden Globes
14 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Atonement took the top honor at the extremely short Golden Globe Awards, nabbing Best Picture (Drama), but no single film took home more than two awards. The literary adaptation also won the Best Score award as well, while on the Comedy/Musical side, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was Best Picture (Comedy/Musical), with star Johnny Depp winning his first Globe ever for the title role. Other movies winning two awards were critical favorite No Country for Old Men (screenplay and supporting actor for Javier Bardem) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Foreign Language Film and a surprise win for director Julian Schnabel). Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away From Her), now officially heavy Oscar favorites, won dramatic lead honors, and Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was named Best Actress - Comedy/Musical. Cate Blanchett nabbed Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There -- which could have been the subtitle of the Globes show -- and other winners included Ratatouille (animated film) and Into the Wild (song).

On the television side, freshman drama Mad Men was the top series winner, taking home the only two awards for which it was nominated -- Dramatic Series and Best Actor (Drama) for star Jon Hamm; the new show with the most nominations, Damages, won only one, for lead actress Glenn Close. The comedy winners were all a bit unexpected, with Extras nabbing the series award, and comedy acting honors going to Tina Fey (30 Rock) and David Duchovny (Californication). Winning three awards -- more than any other television show or film -- was the HBO film Longford, starring Globe winners Jim Broadbent and Samantha Morton. Other winners were also HBO stars - Queen Latifah for Life Support and Jeremy Piven, winning his first Globe for Entourage.

As for the show itself, it was devoid of movie stars, but filled with correspondents from entertainment news shows -- Mary Hart, Giuliana Rancic, and Jim Moret, among others -- who simultaneously saluted the striking writers of the WGA and praised Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Jorge Camara, who presented the final awards of the evening. At around 32 minutes, it was succinct and to the point, but without the stars, the fashion, the high-profile goofs, the speeches, and the champagne, this year's Globes were a shadow of their former incarnations. But Camara promised next year's show would be "bigger and better" than ever before. Hopefully, no one will be on strike then. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

Atonement Wins Top Award at Golden Globes
13 January 2008 (IMDb News Flash)
Atonement took the top honor at the extremely short Golden Globe Awards, nabbing Best Picture (Drama), but no single film took home more than two awards. The literary adaptation also won the Best Score award as well, while on the Comedy/Musical side, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was Best Picture (Comedy/Musical), with star Johnny Depp winning his first Globe ever for the title role. Other movies winning two awards were critical favorite No Country for Old Men (screenplay and supporting actor for Javier Bardem) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Foreign Language Film and a surprise win for director Julian Schnabel). Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away From Her), now officially heavy Oscar favorites, won dramatic lead honors, and Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was named Best Actress - Comedy/Musical. Cate Blanchett nabbed Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There -- which could have been the subtitle of the Globes show -- and other winners included Ratatouille (animated film) and Into the Wild (song).

On the television side, freshman drama Mad Men was the top series winner, taking home the only two awards for which it was nominated -- Dramatic Series and Best Actor (Drama) for star Jon Hamm; the new show with the most nominations, Damages, won only one, for lead actress Glenn Close. The comedy winners were all a bit unexpected, with Extras nabbing the series award, and comedy acting honors going to Tina Fey (30 Rock) and David Duchovny (Californication). Winning three awards -- more than any other television show or film -- was the HBO film Longford, starring Globe winners Jim Broadbent and Samantha Morton. Other winners were also HBO stars - Queen Latifah for Life Support and Jeremy Piven, winning his first Globe for Entourage.

As for the show itself, it was devoid of movie stars, but filled with correspondents from entertainment news shows -- Mary Hart, Giuliana Rancic, and Jim Moret, among others -- who simultaneously saluted the striking writers of the WGA and praised Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Jorge Camara, who presented the final awards of the evening. At around 32 seconds, it was succinct and to the point, but without the stars, the fashion, the high-profile goofs, the speeches, and the champagne, this year's Globes were a shadow of their former incarnations. But Camara promised next year's show would be "bigger and better" than ever before. Hopefully, no one will be on strike then. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Get the full list of winners in our Road to the Oscars section.

'There Will Be Blood' Tops Critics Awards
7 January 2008 (WENN)
There Will Be Blood has been hailed as the Best Picture of the Year for 2007 by the National Society of Film Critics. The movie, which was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, beat competition from Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's No Country For Old Men and Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell And The Butterfly to take the award, while he beat the same filmmakers for the Best Director prize. There Will Be Blood was also praised for Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of an oil-hungry businessman, winning him the honor for Best Actor. Best Actress went to Julie Christie for her starring role in Away From Her, while Best Supporting awards were awarded to Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There. Other winners included the Romanian 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days as Best Foreign-Language Film, while No End In Sight, by Charles Ferguson, won the award for Best Non-Fiction Film.

National Society of Film Critics Pick 'There Will Be Blood'
4 January 2008 (WENN)
The last of the major film critics groups, the National Society of Film Critics has given the bulk of its awards to Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, honoring the period epic with its Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Cinematography and Best Director awards. Though it bucked the trend of honoring the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men (which was shut out entirely from the group's awards), the NSFC bestowed a few of its awards to previous critics' winners. In addition to Day-Lewis, who's emerging as the front runner for Best Actor, acting honors went to Julie Christie (Best Actress for Away from Her), Casey Affleck (Supporting Actor for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and in a bit of a surprise, Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There, who bypassed perennial Supporting Actress winner Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone). No End in Sight was named Best Non-Fiction Film, Tamara Jenkins' The Savages received the Best Screenplay award, and Foreign Language Film Honors went to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

'Atonement' Takes the Lead
13 December 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Atonement, the British period romance which received strong reviews and has attracted solid box-office business in limited release, received seven Golden Globes nominations today -- more than any other film. Joining it among best drama nominees were American Gangster, Eastern Promises, The Great Debaters, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood.It was the first time that seven films had ever been included in a Golden Globes category. (The usual number is five.) The Globes, which divides the best film award into drama and comedy/musical categories, nominated in the latter category: Across the Universe, Charlie Wilson's War, Hairspray, Juno, and Sweeney Todd. While the dramatic category reflected the fare being considered by many other awards groups, the comedy/musical group surprisingly omitted the two Judd Apatow features, Knocked Up and Superbad, easily the two best reviewed and best-attended comedy films of the year. Two other surprise omissions were I'm Not There and Into the Wild in any of the drama categories. It was a particularly good day for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett, each of whom received two acting nominations, Hoffman for The Savages and Charlie Wilson's War and Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I'm Not There. Winners are scheduled to be announced during an NBC telecast on Sunday, Jan. 13.

Fox Searchlight Leads Indie Spirit Awards Nods
28 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Fox Searchlight received 11 nominations to lead all other independent film production companies contending for honors at the Independent Spirit Awards to be held on February 23rd. Its Juno was nominated for best feature, director (Jason Reitman), actress (Ellen Page), and first screenplay (Diablo Cody). The Bob Dylan-based drama I'm Not There also received nominations for best director (Todd Haynes), supporting actress (Cate Blanchett); and supporting actor Marcus Carl Franklin). The movie was also chosen to receive the first Robert Altman Award. Paramount Vantage, Miramax, Focus Features and The Weinstein Co each netted five nominations. Other films competing in the best feature category are The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Paranoid Park from Miramax; I'm Not There from the Weinstein Co.; and A Mighty Heart from Paramount Vantage. None of the films was a box office hit, and analysts say that none is likely to contend for an Oscar.

'I'm Not There' Leads Spirit Nominations
28 November 2007 (WENN)
Director Todd Haynes' quirky, all-star Bob Dylan-inspired movie I'm Not There is set to be the toast of the IFC Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Los Angeles in February, after landing the event's first Robert Altman Award. Announced at the Spirit Awards last year, the honor is given to the director, casting agent and cast of an outstanding indie movie. In I'm Not There, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett are among the actors who conjure up the spirit of Dylan at different stages of his life for the offbeat biopic. The movie was also nominated for the Spirits' Best Film prize, where it will compete with Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, Juno, A Mighty Heart and Paranoid Park. Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin earned Best Supporting Actress and Actor nods respectively for their portrayals of Dylan, and Todd Haynes is a Best Director nominee. Other four-film nominees are acclaimed coming-of-age film Juno, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly and The Savages.

Meanwhile, Ang Lee's controversial Lust, Caution is also a multi-nominee; the film's stars Tony Leung and Tang Wei are up for Best Actor and Actress honors, while Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is also under consideration. French actress Julie Delpy's 2 Days In Paris earned her a First Feature nomination; she'll be up against Jeffrey Blitz's Rocket Science, which garnered three nominations. In the lead acting categories, Angelina Jolie is an immediate favorite for her role as grieving Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart. Jolie will compete against Sienna Miller (Interview), Parker Posey (Broken English), Ellen Page (Juno) and Tang Wei. Leung will be up against Pedro Castaneda (August Evening), Don Cheadle (Talk To Me), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages) and Frank Langella (Starting Out In The Evening) in the Best Actor category. The nominations were announced on Tuesday morning by Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff.

Six Films Roll Out for Holiday
21 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
A feast of six new movies will be offered up at the box office over the Thanksgiving holiday, ranging from a live/animated Disney fairy-tale fantasy (Enchanted) to a fantasy about the life of Bob Dylan (I'm Not There). Others include a horror film (The Mist), an adaptation of a video game (Hitman), a family film (August Rush) and a holiday title (This Christmas). All of the critics are betting on Enchanted to win but are divided on how the remainder will line up.

Movie Reviews: 'I'm Not There'
21 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Befitting the subject of the movie, Todd Haynes's I'm Not There, in which one actress and five actors play Bob Dylan at different stages of his life (although none of the characters is named Dylan), is created from a mind-bending screenplay and Dylan's mind-bending music. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times predicts that the film is "likely to confuse or baffle" some but that he himself responded "with a wry admiration for the enormous risks Todd Haynes has taken here." More directly, A.O. Scott writes in the New York Times that the film "respects the essential question Mr. Dylan's passionate followers have always found themselves asking -- What does it mean? -- without forgetting that the counter-question Mr. Dylan has posed is more challenging and, for a movie, more important: How does it feel?" Steven Rea in the Philadelphia Inquirer is not about to get all metaphysical in coming up with descriptions of the film. He writes plainly: "Haynes juggles the facts, plays fast and loose, but serves up images, and songs that are as much a part of the collective pop consciousness as anything the 20th century produced. On top of all that, the thing's just plain beautiful, and fun." On the other hand, Claudia Puig concludes in USA Today that although Dylan "is an undeniable enigma, this unconventional film does little to illuminate him. And it's not nearly as enjoyable as one of his rambling, meditative songs, though perhaps it is aspiring to be the cinematic equivalent. Give me 'Tangled Up in Blue' any day over this incoherent, tangled trip."

Dylan Movie To Get Cover Treatment by NY Times Magazine
4 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The trade publication Editor & Publisher has disclosed many of the details of next Sunday's cover story in The New York Times Magazine about I'm Not There, in which six actors play Bob Dylan. The article, titled "This Is Not a Bob Dylan Movie," quotes Cate Blanchett, who plays one of the Dylans as saying, "I don't know that it does make sense. ... I don't think the film even strives to make sense, in a way." Producer Harvey Weinstein, who says in the article that he will get Blanchett an Oscar nomination or kill himself, also remarks, "Nothing's ever been attempted like this before [in film]. ... There are scenes and episodes that are amongst the best filmmaking that has taken place in American film. ... There are other sections that are going to be a little bumpy." Speaking at the New York Film Festival Tuesday night, director Todd Haynes was asked about his decision to cast Blanchett as one of the Dylans. According to the online Radar magazine, he replied, "For all the ways that Dylan is associated as a guy's artist or a heterosexual kind of icon, his flamboyance and foppery during that time were profound, and it must have been a freaker for people at the time." The film is due to open on November 21.

Ang Lee's Den of Lions
10 September 2007 (StudioBriefing)
For the second time in three years, a film by Taiwanese director Ang Lee has won the top Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. His controversial Chinese-language drama Lust, Caution, which drew an NC-17 rating from the MPAA for its upcoming U.S. release, was regarded as a surprise winner. Critics had greeted it with vastly divergent reviews. Lee's victory comes two years after accepting the Golden Lion for his equally controversial Brokeback Mountain. Other winners included Brad Pitt, who received a best actor award for his performance as the famed outlaw in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Cate Blanchett, who was voted best actress for her role as the young Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There. (The film also tied for the Special Jury Prize with the French film The Secret of the Grain.) Brian De Palma received the runner-up Silver Lion award for his Iraq war drama, Redacted. Pitt received news of his surprise win at Venice while attending the Toronto Film Festival. He told the online Hollywood Today: "The nicest thing is how excited my friends are for me and ... to be amongst the lineage of people that have also been bestowed this honor. It's a really nice honor. I could try to play it down, but it's great fun."

Ang Lee Triumphs at Venice Film Festival
10 September 2007 (WENN)
Director Ang Lee has triumphed at the Venice Film Festival - by winning the event's top award for the second time in two years. The filmmaker was awarded the Golden Lion for Lust, Caution at this year's festival in Italy; the same honor he won in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain. He dedicated his prize to iconic Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, who died in July. Cate Blanchett was named Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her role in Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, while Brad Pitt was awarded the Best Actor honor for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, although neither star was at the ceremony to collect their prize. Pitt told reporters at the Toronto Film Festival, where he is promoting the outlaw movie, "I could try to play it down, but it's great fun. The nicest thing is how excited my friends are for me and to be amongst the lineage of people that have also been bestowed this honor. It's a really nice honor." Other winners included Brian De Palma, who was honored for Best Direction for Iraq War drama Redacted. British director Ken Loach was awarded Best Screenplay for It's a Free World, while Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci was lauded with a special award for his work in cinema, which includes Last Tango In Paris and The Last Emperor.

Ledger To Join 'Batman' Cast As Joker?
27 July 2006 (WENN)
Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger may have scored the coveted role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel, according to press reports in Australia. The actor was reportedly offered the plum part last week and will star in the next installment of the film set to be released in 2008. Oscar-winner Robin Williams was reportedly desperate to land the role and The Da Vinci Code star Paul Bettany was also rumored to be in talks for the part. According to film website Moviehole.net, filmmakers wanted to cast an actor in the part of Batman's adversary who was roughly the same age as 32-year-old star Christian Bale. Ledger is also working with Bale on I'm Not There, a film in which seven actors embody different aspects of musician Bob Dylan's life and work.

Dylan Bio Is Blowin' in the Wind
10 February 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Paramount is planning a film about the life of Bob Dylan improbably titled I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan from writer-director Todd Haynes (Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story; Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven), Daily Variety reported today (Tuesday). The trade paper suggested that the movie, to be made with Haynes' Killer Films and Wells Productions, may take on the psychedelic images of Dylan's era. It quoted producer Christine Vachon as saying, "The film is going be inspired by Dylan's music and his ability to re-create and re-imagine himself time and time again."