Biography: Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor is known for successfully portraying an array of diverse characters. From his breakthrough role as the heroin-addicted Mark Renton in Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, to the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode 1, to starring as “Christian” opposite Nicole Kidman in the Academy Award® and BAFTA award winning musical Moulin Rouge directed by Baz Luhrmann, McGregor has proven himself as a true actor time and again.

McGregor was recently seen as the reputable author hired to write the memoirs of controversial former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) in Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer.  He also starred as the title character in the comedy I Love You Philip Morris with Jim Carrey. In 2011, he was seen opposite Christopher Plummer in Beginners. And in January 2012, he starred in the Steven Soderburgh film Haywire.

He recently wrapped Jack the Giant Killer, a modern take on the well-known fable, “Jack and the Beanstalk.” McGregor also filmed The Impossible with Naomi Watts, a drama based around a true story set during and after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.

McGregor starred in the BAFTA award winning Shallow Grave as Alex Law. Shallow Grave was named Best Film at the 1994 Dinard Film Festival and the film won the 1994 BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year and the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Feature Film.  McGregor’s portrayal of Alex Law earned him the Hitchcock D’Argent Best Actor Award and a nomination for Best Actor at the BAFTA Scotland Awards, as well as laying the roots for a highly successful partnership with the director, Danny Boyle.  McGregor then went on to portray the shifty London drug-dealer Dean Raymond opposite an up-and-coming Catherine Zeta-Jones, followed by his first solo male lead in Peter Greenaway’s erotic art-house film The Pillow Book. Read more

The 84th Annual Academy Award Winners

Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson, “Hugo”

Best Art Direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schavo, “Hugo”

Best Costume Design: Mark Bridges, “The Artist”

Best Makeup: Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, “The Iron Lady”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation”

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Editing: Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

Best Sound Editing: Phillip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, “Hugo”

Best Sound Mixing: Tom Fleischman and John Midgley, “Hugo”

Best Documentary: “Undefeated”

Best Animated Feature: “Rango”

Best Visual Effects: “Hugo” Read more

Watch: The BAFTA Award Winners Speeches

Last Sunday, the British Academy Film Awards were held at London’s Royal Opera House. There wasn’t much difference in their nominees and the one’s we have for the Oscars and, I’m thinking their winners and our eventual ones.

In the Leading Actor categories, Jean Dujardin won for The Artist and Meryl Streep won The Iron Lady.

In the Supporting Actor category, Christopher Plummer won for Beginners and Octavia Spencer for The Help.

Below are the acceptance speeches of Streep, Dujardin and Spencer. And if you really wanted to see Plummer’s speech, you’re out of luck. I couldn’t find it anywhere.  Read more

Watch: The SAG Award Winners Acceptance Speeches

Thanks to SAG, we have the video and transcripts of all of the acceptance speeches from last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.

My favorites of the night were Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis. Both were great and hopefully this puts them as front runners in the Academy Awards.

Check them out below!

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18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Winners

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
JEAN DUJARDIN / George – “THE ARTIST” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal – “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote
Read more

Thoughts On the 2012 Oscar Nominations

I was laying in bed after the nominations had already been announced, grabbed my phone and saw the list. My first reaction was: The Tree of Life? What the hell?

It’s a beautiful movie to look at. Look at. That’s it. It leaves you with no emotional response after leaving the theater, nothing. I’m actually mad that the Academy snubbed Girl with the Dragon Tattoo over this.

Best Picture: War Horse, The Artist, Moneyball, The Descendants, The Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris, The Help, Hugo, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

War Horse was another Huh? It’s expected for the Academy to nominate this Oscar bait of a movie but this was a paint-by-numbers film that Spielberg could have done in his sleep. In fact, he may have. Didn’t he have 3 other films released this year? (It was only Tintin, I know. I was making a joke.).

I”m completely disappointed that these two films were included in the nominations.

I was happy to see that The Artist, Moneyball and The Descendants were nominated. Fantastic films that deserve recognition and more eyeballs to watch.  Read more

Complete List of the 2012 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture

War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Actress

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Actor

Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Read more

2012 Golden Globes Winners: ‘The Descendants’ and ‘The Artist’ Come Out On Top

The Golden Globes are usually the best awards show to watch, mostly because the people in the audience are drinking up a storm. This one though didn’t seem as fun as years past. 

There were some good moments – George Clooney‘s acceptance speech was a highlight as was Morgan Freeman‘s award for lifetime achievement. 

I also didn’t think Ricky Gervais was as funny as last year. Maybe he held back a bit because of all of the controversy he got?

The Artist took took home the Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical award while star Jean Dujardin got the statue for best acting.

The Descendants won for Best Motion Picture Drama and it’s star, George Clooney,  for best acting.

In TV, Modern Family won for Best Television Series Comedy or Musical while and Homeland got the drama award.

Read more

Full List of 2011 SAG Award Screeners and Digital Downloads

SAG has just confirmed the list of screeners and digital downloads it’s members are going to receive and we’re getting some good ones!

As we previously wrote, SAG members should have already gotten The Help. The rest of physical DVDs are below.

DVDs:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
Moneyball
Read more

The 2011 Best (and Worst) List of Films and Actors

As the year comes to a close and I have some free time, I’ve finally compiled our year-end Best and Worst list.

These are the Best, Worst and Most Disappointing films of the year as well as the Best Actors, both lead and supporting.

Check them out and let me know if you agree, disagree or want to throw rotten fruit at me because I’m so damn wrong. 

Best Films
50/50
Crazy Stupid Love
Like Crazy
MoneyBall
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Warrior
Win Win

Read more

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