Review: Taken 2 (2012)

"I got a telephone call from Istanbul..."

Directed by Olivier Megaton
Produced by Luc Besson
Written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
Starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade Serbedzija

Best Cinematography: 2000s

2000: In the Mood for Love (Christopher Doyle, Pung-Leung Kwan and Mark Lee Ping-bin)

Oscar winner: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Peter Pau)

Was this film nominated?: No

Director Quotes Relay Race

David from Taste of Cinema has given us bloggers a relay race in which we compile our favorite directorial quotes. He passed it on to Chris from Movies and Songs 365, who passed it on to Alex from And So It Begins…, who has graciously passed it on to me. Deep breath.

Oscar Oddity #3: Hal Mohr

A unique Oscar winner (left).

Hal Mohr won his first Oscar for Best Cinematography for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935). This cinematographer holds the distinction of being the only Oscar winner to win without actually being nominated. In the early years of the Academy Awards, write-in votes were accepted, and he won based on those votes. How bad must the nominees have felt? I wish the Academy would go back to this, because snubs would at least have a chance of pulling a shocker at the winners ceremony.

Previous entries here and here.

Review: Detour (1945)

A low budget, classic film noir.

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Produced by Leon Fromkess
Written by Martin Goldsmith
Starring Tom Neal, Anne Savage, Claudia Drake, and Edmund MacDonald

More Oscar News

Your 2013 Oscar host.

10/1 - Seth MacFarlane is hosting the upcoming ceremony. This could help him squeak through with a Best Original Song or Screenplay nod. I don't have as much faith as Julian Stark does though. Press release.

9/18 - Important Dates for the 85th Oscars are announced, with the nominees being revealed earlier on January 10, 2013 and the winners revealed on February 24, 2013. Press release.

9/14 - Documentary Feature entries have already been submitted. Press release.

9/13 - Don Mischer, who has directed opening ceremonies at the Summer and Winter Olympics and Super Bowl halftime shows (among other things), will be directing the 85th Oscars show. Press release.

9/5 - This year's Honorary Oscars are going to Hal Needham, George Stevens Jr., and D.A. Pennebaker. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award will be awarded to Jeffrey Katzenberg. Press release.

Films I Saw in September

A fascinating little western.

The Best:
1. The Ox-Bow Incident - ****
2. Jackie Brown (x2) - ****
3. Blind Chance - ****
4. Pierrot le Fou - ****
5. Love in the Afternoon (1957) - ****
6. Frenzy - ****
7. Man with a Movie Camera - ****
8. A Separation - ****
9. Tape - ****
10. The Trouble with Harry - ****

More after the cut.