Slumdog Millionaire

In this groundbreaking rags-to-riches fantasy, 18-year-old orphan Jamal Malik stuns the audience of India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"-style game show by answering every question correctly. The show has to take a break from shooting before it reaches the final 20-million-rupee question, and in the meantime, Jamal finds himself under arrest. How could an unschooled street rat know so much without cheating? The police demand to know, but the answer to that question is neither simple nor multiple-choice.

The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...

Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto
Directed by: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
Produced by: Paul Smith (XVI), Tessa Ross, Francois Ivernel

Oscar Nominations (*winner)

Best Editing *
Best Picture *
Best Cinematography *
Best Sound Editing
Best Adapted Screenplay *
Best Director - Danny Boyle *
Best Sound Mixing *
Best Original Song
Best Original Song *
Best Original Score *

The Reader (2008)

In postwar Germany, a man named Michael has been haunted for years by the memory of a beautiful woman named Hanna, with whom he had a love affair as a teenager. Much older than Micheal, Hanna mysteriously moved away without saying goodbye, leaving Michael guilt-stricken and confused. Now, years later, Michael finds Hanna again at a war crimes trial, and learns some important missing pieces to her story that help him to better understand both her and himself.

When he falls ill on his way home from school, 15 year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. The two begin an unexpected and passionate affair only for Hanna to suddenly and inexplicably disappear. Eight years later, Michael, now a young law student observing Nazi war trials, meets his former lover again, under very different circumstances. Hanna is on trial for a hideous crime, and as she refuses to defend herself, Michael gradually realizes his boyhood love may be guarding a secret she considers to be more shameful than murder.

Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Karoline Herfurth, Hannah Herzsprung, David Kross
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
Produced by: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Jason Blum

Oscar Nominations (*winner)

Best Director - Stephen Daldry
Best Picture
Best Cinematography
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress - Kate Winslet *

Milk (2008)

In 1977, a brash and indomitable camera shop owner named Harvey Milk made history. After two previous failed attempts, Milk finally became elected as a San Francisco city supervisor, making him the first openly gay man to hold public office in the United States. This biographical film, starring Oscar winner Sean Penn, looks deeply into the later life of the self-styled "Mayor of Castro Street," including his election and his assassination the following year.

His life changed history. His courage changed lives. In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Milk charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk's life. While living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, Milk and his lover Scott Smith relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. With his beloved Castro neighborhood and beautiful city empowering him, Milk surprises Scott and himself by becoming an outspoken agent for change. With vitalizing support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones, Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk's actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White. But as White and Milk's political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge. Milk's platform was and is one of hope--a hero's legacy that resonates in the here and now.

Starring: Sean Penn, Allison Pill, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Produced by: Michael London, Bruna Papandrea, William Horberg

Oscar Nominations ( * Winner)

Best Editing
Best Original Score
Best Picture Best Director - Gus Van Sant
Best Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin
Best Actor - Sean Penn *
Best Original Screenplay *
Best Costume Design

Frost/Nixon (2008)

In 1974, Richard Nixon made history by resigning the office of the Presidency, evading trial and conviction for crimes committed while in office. Three years later, charismatic British talk show host David Frost convinced Nixon to do a televised interview. This film dramatizes the conflict between two famous egos: a disgraced President hoping to stage a comeback by outfoxing a journalistic lightweight, and an ambitious celebrity hoping to make his mark by giving Nixon the trial he never had.

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation's greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who'd built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity -- ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth. Frost/Nixon not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed... all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.

Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones, Matthew MacFadyen
Directed by: Ron Howard
Produced by: Peter Morgan, Karen Kehela-Sherwood, David Bernardi

Oscar Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Actor - Frank Langella
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Director - Ron Howard
Best Editing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

"I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be.

Benjamin Button, born in New Orleans in 1918, is no ordinary infant. A doctor declares his body to be aged like that of a man in his eighties, and no one expects him to live too long. Despite predictions, Benjamin survives, seeming in fact to grow younger and stronger. During his childhood he befriends young Daisy, who is unafraid of the "old man." He lives on to attend school, fight in a war, and baffle everyone he meets. As his body grows gradually younger, his heart learns the timeless nature of love.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Jason Flemyng, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond
Directed by: David Fincher
Produced by: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Cean Chaffin

Oscar Nominations: (*winner)

Best Visual Effects *
Best Art Direction *
Best Actor - Brad Pitt
Best Original Score
Best Director - David Fincher
Best Supporting Actress - Taraji Henson
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Costume Design
Best Picture
Best Sound Mixing
Best Makeup *
Best Cinematography
Best Editing