Ang Lee

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Takei, Other Asian Academy Members Blast Oscars' Asian Jokes

Letter to Academy calls skits on awards show 'tasteless and offensive'

(Newser) - The child actors who were part of a joke about Asians on Oscars night seem unperturbed by the ensuing controversy, but more than two dozen members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who are of Asian descent feel otherwise. Per the Hollywood Reporter , 25 members—including director...

Michelle Obama Presents Best Picture Oscar to Argo

Plus Academy Award wins for Jennifer Lawrence, Daniel Day-Lewis, and more

(Newser) - And they're off! After a rousing opening monologue by Seth MacFarlane , Christoph Waltz won the first award of the night: Best Supporting Actor for Django Unchained. Stick with us for live updates throughout the show:
  • Best Animated Short went to Paperman, and Best Animated Feature Film went to Brave.
...

And the Oscar Will Go To ...

 And the Oscar 
 Will Go To ... 
Nate Silver Predicts

And the Oscar Will Go To ...

Nate Silver brings cold, hard statistics to movies' biggest night

(Newser) - Nate Silver has quantified baseball, politics, and the Super Bowl (that last one not so successfully )—and now he turns his big geeky brain to the Academy Awards, trying to sort out the signal and the noise for the year's biggest movies in the New York Times . Just...

Breaking Dawn Gets 11 Razzie Noms

And bad film awards show only has 10 categories

(Newser) - A nice bit of schadenfreude for Twilight haters: Breaking Dawn Part 2, the merciful final installment in the vampire saga, leads this year's nominations for the Golden Raspberry Awards (aka Razzies), which honor the year's worst films. It managed to grab a nomination in each of the 10...

Life of Pi Is Cinematic 'Landmark'
 Life of Pi 
 Is Cinematic 
 'Landmark' 

movie review

Life of Pi Is Cinematic 'Landmark'

Ang Lee's latest is gorgeous

(Newser) - Critics are stunned by the visuals in Life of Pi, Ang Lee's take on the novel about a boy and a tiger struggling to survive at sea. There's some debate, however, over whether the film's story and grand theological questions hold up to its vision:
  • The Los
...

Woodstock Not Worth the Trip
 Woodstock Not Worth the Trip 
movie review

Woodstock Not Worth the Trip

Mixed reviews for 1960s coming-of-age flick

(Newser) - Taking Woodstock isn’t really about the music: it’s more about coming of age on the outskirts of the festival. Critics are lukewarm about Ang Lee's latest effort:
  • “You can’t deny the smiling mood that wafts through the film like incense,” admits Anthony Lane of the
...

Schreiber 'Giddy' in Drag
 Schreiber 'Giddy' in Drag 

Schreiber 'Giddy' in Drag

Actor finds cross-dressing 'exhilaratingly humiliating'

(Newser) - Acting is all about challenging yourself—just ask Liev Schreiber, who had to get a full body wax, sport a dress and master walking in high heels for his role as a transvestite in Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, People reports. “It was exhilaratingly humiliating," Schreiber said of...

Cannes Prepares for a Quieter Festival

Economic woes put the breaks on Croisette craziness

(Newser) - The Cannes Film Festival opens tomorrow with a screening of the new Pixar film Up, but this year the glitzy two-week movie fest on the French Riviera may be a low-key affair, writes the Hollywood Reporter. Yachts have gone unrented, Vanity Fair has canceled its annual party, and movie execs...

Basterds Headlines Cannes
 Basterds Headlines Cannes 

Basterds Headlines Cannes

(Newser) - The Cannes Film Festival unveiled this year’s roster today, and it’s packed with regulars like Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Terry Gilliam, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Among the most buzzed-about selections is Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s violent World War II pic. Anticipation is also high for ...

Hulk Packs a Fun Punch
 Hulk
 Packs
 a Fun
 Punch 
movie review

Hulk Packs a Fun Punch

Critics say action-packed flick will please the summer movie crowd

(Newser) - It’s no Iron Man, but The Incredible Hulk is a crowd-pleaser that comic book devotees and action fans will appreciate, critics say. The second adaptation of the Marvel comic in five years avoids the missteps of Ang Lee’s 2003 moody bust (Hulk) and “embraces its identity as...

Studios Gamble on Hulk's Quick Return

Execs think buzz for June release can overwhelm stink of '03 bust

(Newser) - Studio executives are hoping that The Incredible Hulk, due out June 13, will roar in dollar-sign green—and not the sicklier shade of moviegoers still recovering from Ang Lee's 2003 version, the Los Angeles Times reports. Funders Universal and Marvel promise more action in the new version, and bigger names...

Director Rips China Over Actress Ban

Lee blasts media silence, blacklisting of Lust, Caution star

(Newser) - Director Ang Lee has blasted Chinese officials for blacklisting a young actress who appeared in his film Lust, Caution. Authorities have ordered TV stations to stop reporting on actress Tang Wei and to pull ads featuring her, even though censors signed off on her portrayal of a student activist who...

Rolled $20 Found Near Ledger
Rolled $20 Found Near Ledger

Rolled $20 Found Near Ledger

Bill to be tested; no visible residue found

(Newser) - A rolled-up $20 bill was discovered close to Heath Ledger’s body, the AP reports. No illegal drugs were found in the New York apartment where the 28-year-old Australian actor was found dead yesterday, and a police official said there was no visible drug residue on the bill, which will...

Movie Imperils Copycats, Computers
Movie Imperils Copycats, Computers

Movie Imperils Copycats, Computers

Lust, Caution dangers include risky sexual positions, virus-laden downloads

(Newser) - Doctors are warning fans of Ang Lee's new film, Lust, Caution, not to try to imitate the sexual positions featured in the movie, Reuters reports. The uncut version's extensive sex scenes moved one Chinese doctor to caution, "Only women with comparatively flexible bodies that have gymnastics or yoga experience...

Stiller Feels Heartbreak as Flick Takes 2nd

Farrelly Brothers romp can't break Rock-solid The Game Plan

(Newser) - Ben Stiller stumbled with The Heartbreak Kid this weekend, a weak opening compared to his recent efforts. A mere $14 million return held it at 2nd behind a still-strong The Game Plan, which raked in $16.3 million in a moderate 29% drop. The Rock's vehicle has earned $42.8...

Rock Scores With Game Plan
Rock Scores With Game Plan

Rock Scores With Game Plan

Geopolitical shoot-'em-up The Kingdom takes second at weekend box office

(Newser) - Disney blitzed the weekend box office with The Game Plan, a PG comedy that outscored Universal's geopolitical shoot-'em-up, The Kingdom, $22.7 million to $17.7 million. They held a near-tie until Game Plan pulled away with a 63% increase on Saturday and Sunday. Variety reports that a third wide...

Will Lust, Caution Break NC-17 Taboo?

Producer lobbies theaters to show it despite kiss-of-death rating

(Newser) - Ang Lee, who turned taboo into gold with Brokeback Mountain, hopes theaters will show his new flick despite its NC-17 rating. And Hollywood is watching to see if the film — Lust, Caution, an erotic spy thriller — jumps hurdles for other filmmakers. NC-17 has been box office death for...

Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt Win Top Honors in Venice

Ang Lee's sexy thriller grabs Golden Lion

(Newser) - Cate Blanchett’s performance as the young Bob Dylan in the biopic 'I’m Not There' earned her the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival last night.. Ang Lee's controversial 'Lust, Caution' took the Golden Lion for best film and Brad Pitt won best actor for the title...

Ang Lee's 'Lust' Too Hot for Hollywood

Ratings group slaps 'Brokeback' director's new flick with NC-17

(Newser) - Focus Features says it will stand by Ang Lee and his racy new war flick “Lust, Caution,” even though a movie trade group branded the film NC-17. The film industry's Scarlet Letter could cost the pic audiences, ad dollars, and theater distribution, but Focus CEO James Schamus said...

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