ENTERTAINMENT
March 2, 2014 | By Steven Zeitchik
Alfonso Cuaron has won the Oscar for director for his space adventure “Gravity,” becoming the first Latin American director to take the top filmmaking prize. The Mexican director, 52, was the fourth Latin American to be nominated in this Oscar category, following Hector Babenco (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Babel”). The Oscar also offers a personal vindication of sorts for Cuaron, who before “Gravity” had not made a movie since 2006's dystopian thriller “Children of Men” and who waited years on “Gravity” for financing and technological issues to be sorted out. The win follows Cuaron's triumph in the same category at the Directors Guild of America's annual prizes.
ENTERTAINMENT
March 1, 2014 | By Steven Zeitchik
When nominee names are called out at Sunday's Academy Awards, audiences will quickly recognize them--Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew McConaughey, Spike Jonze, to name three favorites. But what to actually call them? In Hollywood, a name is just a name, until it's not. And a nickname is more than a nickname, unless it shouldn't be used all, in which case it's less than a nickname, or something US Weekly editors came up with because they were bored. The act of identifying celebrities is a complex mix of semiotics and subtle Hollywood codes.
ENTERTAINMENT
February 28, 2014 | By John Horn
Anyone who has seen director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki work together might think they spend all of their time arguing like an old married couple, the squabbles punctuated by all manner of Spanish swear words. "They are very intense," said David Heyman, a producer of "Gravity," their Oscar-nominated and most celebrated collaboration. "They are both perfectionists and unrelenting in their pursuit of that perfection. " But like some old married couples, underneath their disagreements rest a deep and abiding trust and respect.
ENTERTAINMENT
February 26, 2014 | By Oliver Gettell
Sandra Bullock is poised to take home an astronomical paycheck for her work on the space epic "Gravity," one that could top $70 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Bullock's deal with Warner Bros. calls for her to make $20 million upfront, says THR , along with 15% of the studio's share of theatrical revenue and a cut from home video, TV and ancillary sources. So far "Gravity" has earned more than $700 million at the worldwide box office, and it's expected to surpass the $750-million mark.
ENTERTAINMENT
February 19, 2014 | By Betsy Sharkey
There has been so much talk of the heights director Alfonso Cuarón achieves with "Gravity's" groundbreaking 3-D effects, I fear the merits of its heart-pounding story and Sandra Bullock's and George Clooney's moving performances are being overlooked. It's worth a mention as "Gravity" fights to the Oscar finish line in the running for best picture, actress, director and seven other categories. So I decided to put the ethereal cosmic odyssey written by Cuarón and son Jonás to the ultimate test: 2-D, 35-inch screen, dogs on the couch.
ENTERTAINMENT
February 13, 2014 | By Susan King
Alfonso Cuaron's stranded-in-space thriller "Gravity" was the big winner Wednesday evening at the 12th Visual Effects Society Awards in Beverly Hills. "Gravity," which stars Sandra Bullock and is nominated for 10 Academy Awards including the picture, director and actress prizes, won six VES Awards. Among the categories it led were visual effects in a visual effects-driven feature motion picture, virtual cinematography in a live action feature motion picture and models in a feature motion picture.