“KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS” Nominated For Best Animated Feature, Best Visual Effects Oscars

“KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS” (Focus Features) – Nominee, Best Animated Feature Film – Academy Awards

"I’m over the moon!  An Academy Award nomination is an extraordinary and cherished gift.  Two nominations is more than anyone could hope for.  Every filmmaker dreams of a moment like this.  But the truth is, I already lived my dream by making this film. Movies have always given me great joy. They enriched my life.  They inspired me to dream.  That’s the kind of film our team at LAIKA sought to make with KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS.  A film is a slice of a hundred souls.  In this case many more.  An incredible, immense community of artists gave ceaselessly and selflessly to breathe life into this story.  I’m so thankful for their talents and efforts and so proud of what we've done together.  I’m profoundly grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who somehow saw fit to include us among the finest storytellers in film.  It is a tremendous honor to stand alongside them." – Travis Knight, Academy Award nominee as director and producer of KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS, Best Animated Feature Film

STEVE EMERSON, OLIVER JONES, BRIAN MCLEAN & BRAD SCHIFF – "KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS" (Focus Features) - Nominees, Achievement in Visual Effects – Academy Awards

“As much as Kubo and the Two Strings is an homage to Japanese culture and to woodblock artists including Kiyoshi Saito, it is also a tribute to special effects pioneers Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien, Jim Danforth, and the many innovative FX artists who tell stories using in-camera effects, puppets, and human hands. We're thrilled for the artists at LAIKA who put years into realizing Kubo. For all of us at the studio, being recognized alongside such distinguished and talented members of the VFX community is truly an honor.” – Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean & Brad Schiff, Academy Award nominees for Achievement in Visual Effects (KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS)

Please Note: this represents the first time an animated film has been nominated in the visual effects category since THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS in 1994

“KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS” Nominated For Best Animated Feature, Best Visual Effects Oscars

THE COUNTRY GIRL -- Movie Review by Porfle

A busy year for Grace Kelly, 1954 would bring what was arguably her greatest success as an actress--namely, the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin in director George Seaton's Best Picture contender THE COUNTRY GIRL.

Bing Crosby snagged a Best Actor nomination as Georgie's alcoholic husband Frank. (The movie received seven nominations in all.)

William Holden (THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI) is back and bursting with energy in the role of Bernie Dodd, a hot-shot Broadway director who ignores his backers' misgivings by wanting to hire the washed-up Frank for the lead role in a new musical despite his potential unreliability.

After a successful audition, insecure Frank disappears when he discovers he's up for the pivotal part instead of a simple supporting role. Bernie tracks him down to convince him that he can handle it--but can he?

As Frankie's mousey wife Georgie, Grace Kelly gains extra critical cred by toning the glamour dial way down. In fact, she's probably as close to "dowdy" here as the future Princess of Monaco could possibly get without going full Jane Hathaway. (Bernie evens chides Georgie for trying too hard to look plain.)

Since their young son (a pre-"Lassie" Jon Provost) was killed while in Frank's care, the distraught dad has been on a downward spiral that Georgie's tried her best to stop even if it means overly protecting him to the point of being domineering, of which Bernie accuses her.

When the play's early notices aren't exactly glowing and Frank starts hitting the bottle again, it becomes apparent to Bernie that Georgie's influence over her husband may have been more crucial than he suspected.

Not only that, but more secrets about Frank's past come to light which convince Bernie he's got a much bigger problem on his hands than he ever imagined.

Grace not only holds her own next to both Holden and a very effective Crosby, but spars expertly with them in several emotionally-charged exchanges that really give her acting skills a workout.

Any reservations I might've had about her getting by mainly on girlish good looks and an elegant charm are put to rest watching her make the most of this demanding role. One thing's for sure after the fadeout--she deserved that Oscar.

THE COUNTRY GIRL skirts the line between pathos and bathos and ends up just on the right side of it with a satisfying conclusion which rewards our emotional investment in it. 

Read our review of the GRACE KELLY COLLECTION

THE COUNTRY GIRL -- Movie Review by Porfle

Best Picture Nominee ATONEMENT Comes to DVD March 18th

Nominated for seven Academy Awards® including Best Picture
Winner of Best Music Score

Winner of two Golden Globe® Awards including
Best Motion Picture- Drama

Winner of two BAFTA® Awards including
Best Film

SYNOPSIS: From the award-winning director of Pride and Prejudice comes a stunning, critically acclaimed epic story of love, betrayal, and all its consequences. When a young girl catches her sister in a passionate embrace with a childhood friend, her jealousy drives her to tell a lie that will irrevocably change the course of all their lives forever. Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an all-star cast in the film critics are calling "the year’s best picture" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).


BONUS FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes
Bringing the Past to Life: The Making of Atonement
Watch the new become old as the filmmakers recreate the English Countryside of 1935, the famous Dunkirk evacuation and the drama of war torn WWII London.
From Novel to Screen: Adapting a Classic

Once again director Joe Wright takes a classic period story and re-invigorates it for a new audience. Re-uniting the director, producer and star of PRIDE & PREJUDICE, we look at how Wright’s modern style of film-making brings these novels to life.
Feature Commentary with Director Joe Wright


TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Street Date: March 18, 2008
Price: $29.98
Selection Number: 61033285 AWS; 61033286 FF
Running Time: 2 Hours 3 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layers
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1; Full Frame 1.33:1
Rating: R for disturbing war images, language, and some sexuality.
Languages: English SDH/ Spanish/French
Subtitles: English SDH/Spanish/French
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Best Picture Nominee ATONEMENT Comes to DVD March 18th