For a complete list of 2009 Academy Award nominees, click here.

The bias against superheroes and animated films continues, despite “The Dark Knight” and “Wall-E” reaping major awards this season. “The Dark Knight” was robbed of a Best Picture and Best Director nomination!! It was stolen by “The Reader,” not even “Wall-E,” which some people predicted (and would have been way more deserving). “The Dark Knight” got seven technical awards and one acting award, for Heath Ledger as Supporting Actor, who will no doubt win.

Sally Hawkins was left out for a Best Actress nom for “Happy-Go-Lucky,” despite winning 11 critic’s awards, the most of any actress in this category. Read a full list of every critic’s award and awards show leading up to today here.

On the plus side, Melissa Leo was nominated in the Actress category for “Frozen River,” a tiny little indie film, and Richard Jenkins got a Best Actress nomination for “The Visitor.”

Clint Eastwood didn’t get an Actor nod despite “Gran Torino’”s unexpectedly big box office, and the movie failed to get a screenplay nomination, which was expected. In fac, “Gran Torino” was completely snubbed, with a total of zero nominations.

Kate Winslet scored for “The Reader,” which she won a Golden Globe Supporting Actress award for, but for not Best Actress in “Revolutionary Road,” which she also won at the Globes.

“The Reader” is a Weinstein film, and Harvey really knows how to campaign for this stuff. Despite mixed reviews,  “The Reader” received five nominations. Four of those were in the major categories. This is more than likely due to the weighted ballots that the Academy gives out. If lots of people put “The Reader” at number one, and more people put “The Dark Knight” at a lower spot on their ballot, “The Reader” gets in. That said, it has absolutely no chance of winning Best Picture or Director.

Dev Patel was left out of the Supporting Actor race, despite the 10 total nominations for “Slumdog Millionaire,” but Michael Shannon’s nomination for “Revolutionary Road” is a bit of a surprise.

It’s too bad Rosmarie DeWitt didn’t get noticed for Supporting Actress in “Rachel Getting Married.”

“In Bruges” and “Frozen River” surprise “The Wrestler,” “The Visitor,” and “Rachel Getting Married” by taking their predicted Original Screenplay nominations. Jenny Lumet’s screenplay for “Rachel Getting Married” was tied for the most wins in this category in critic’s awards, with Dustin Lance Black’s “Milk,” which is now by far the favorite to win.

Werner Herzog scored a Documentary nomination this year for “Encounters at the End of the World,” despite his film “Grizzly Man” getting a surprise snub in 2006.

They snubbed The Boss! Bruce Springsteen, who already won the Golden Globe for best song for “The Wrestler,” didn’t even get an Oscar nomination this morning, while “Slumdog Millionaire” got two.

Now eight-time nominee and DP extraordinaire Roger Deakins got a nod for “The Reader,” but the Academy missed out on his sumptuous work in “Revolutionary Road.”

Total nominations for multiple-nominated films:

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 13 nominations
“Slumdog Millionaire” 10 nominations
“The Dark Knight” 8 nominations
“Milk” 8 nominations
“Wall-E” 6 nominations
“Doubt” 5 nominations
“Frost/Nixon” 5 nominations
“The Reader” 5 nominations
“Changeling” 3 nominations
“Revolutionary Road” 3 nominations
“The Duchess” 2 nominations
“Frozen River” 2 nominations
“Iron Man” 2 nominations
“Wanted” 2 nominations
“The Wrestler” 2 nominations

Tags: 2009, 2009 Oscar snubs, academy awards, academy awards snubs, and, complete list, jan. 22, nominations, oscar snubs, oscar surprises, Oscars, who got snubbed

Eric Melin goes it alone in this, the first-ever, one-man review in the history of Scene-Stealers. Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks is reviewed by Eric, who has come under fire lately for not having enough of a female perspective. Find out what all the fuss is about Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” Was it really too explicit for some theaters? Is the movie as dirty as its banned movie posters? Did Eric even notice that there was porno-style sex in the movie? Find out in this Scene-Stealers On-Camera Review of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”

Tags: a, and, banks, elizabeth, jason, katie, kevin, make, mewes, miri, morgan, movie, porno, review, rogen, seth, smith, tords, traci, zack

Last night was the big press event for locally-based theater chain AMC to show off their newest theater experience, which they’ve titled Fork & Screen. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but there’s a lot more to getting it right than you might think. All I can say is that, considering the high price of concession stand food anyway, why would you not want to eat real food for basically the same price and never have to leave your seat?

The grand opening is this weekend and these first three photos are from the AMC site. Here is a link to all the events, including a free live rock show by The Dead Girls and Pompous Jack on Saturday night. And here is a videoblog from Spiral16’s Whitney Mathews featuring a guest appearance by me!

The Alamo Drafthouse is a great Texas theater chain that’s already doing this restaurant/movie concept (and a boatload of special events and cult movies), but AMC has tweaked it a little bit for the Kansas City market, and I like the changes. Maybe the programming will get more niche as the concept grows to include midnight movies, live send-ups, sing-alongs, etc. It would be cool for KC to support something like that, but you never know…

Here’s the deal: Fork & Screen is one whole wing of the AMC Olathe Studio 30. Eight screens are for Fork & Screen theaters, which offer seat-side service from a waiter/waitress, who delivers you a full dinner menu and beer or mixed drinks. You order before the movie, it arrives soon thereafter, you eat on a table in front of you, and get your bill before its over. The ticket price is exactly the same as a regular theater. You must be 18 or over, or accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Cinema Suites comprise the other three theaters, and they cost a little more. The screens are still huge, but the theater only seats 32, and you can reserve a specific seat (unlike Southwest Airlines) by paying beforehand. You get reclining chairs, a swivel table in your lap, and eight feet to stretch out in.

I saw “RocknRolla” in a Fork & Screen theater and all I can say is I wish the movie would have been as good as the experience. There is a bar inside the wing called MacGuffins (named after the infamous object that everyone desires in a movie, usually something that has no value other than what’s placed on it by all the film’s characters) that any ticketholder 18 and over (or accompanied by a parent or guardian) can visit before and after the movie. Besides having a full menu of food and drinks, the space itself is pretty swank. The prices aren’t really any pricier than any normal bar either. I particularly liked the displays of macguffins on the corrider in from famous movies like “Pulp Fiction” (the glowing briefcase) and “The Maltese Falcon.” Ironically, “RocknRolla” had a b-i-i-i-g macguffin: a painting that drives the entire plot (and we never get to see), and it still sucked.

The big tweak, the biggest difference in the service that I noticed from the Alamo Drafthouse to Fork & Screen was how quickly your food came out. Since each server has a digital touchscreen, the moment your order comes out of your mouth, the kitchen gets it and starts making it. My mushroom & swiss burger was out in 10 minutes; no kidding. Now if F&S could just start booking live event/movie combos and really thinking of creative ways to use the space, that’d be amazing. People should be able to rent an F&S theater out for a night (like we are tonight at the Screenland) to show whatever they want. That would be really cool.

If I’m paying 12 bucks for a combo popcorn meal anyway, I might as well have a real dinner, y’know? This is especially perfect for me because I often go to screenings straight from work and rarely have time for dinner. Popcorn does not a dinner make, unless you happen to like that sick feeling you get after devouring a medium corn all by yourself.

Kudos to AMC for trying something different and taking a big gamble on people like me who enjoy an entire night out at the movies. It was also really cool for them to have so many free screenings this week so all the locals could see what they are all so proud of. What did you all think? I know we gave away lots of passes for last night on the site …

photo by Ramsey Mohsen

Tags: &, 30, amc, and, cinema, fork, ks, macguffins, olathe, screen, studio, suites

Director Kevin Smith’s new comedy “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks opens Fri. Oct. 31 in theaters everywhere, and we want to give a poster autographed by all the stars of the movie to you!

Fill out the form below, and we will pick one winner at random on Monday Nov. 10 and send it in the mail!

The poster is signed by:
Kevin Smith
Seth Rogen
Elizabeth Banks
Jason Mewes
Craig Robinson
Traci Lords
Katie Morgan

All entries must be received by Sunday, Nov. 9. Open to residents of the U.S. 18+. Good luck!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Tags: a, and, autographed, banks, contest, elizabeth, free, giveaway, jason, katie, kevin, lords, make, mewes, miri, morgan, porno, poster, rogen, seth, smith, traci, zack