The Academy Award–nominated film Persepolis is back, this time in English!

Well, it's not actually back yet, but it will be in a few weeks. On April 11, an English-language version of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis will hit the big screen. So, if you missed it the first time because you don't like subtitles, you have no excuse not to see it this time around. (Of course, if you missed it the first time around because you were just too lazy or busy and you would rather have seen it in French with subtitles, you're out of luck. But you still get to see it, so, really, you're still better off.)

I'm not a big fan of dubbed movies, but this seems like it will work. First, given that it's animated, the voices won't be out of sync with the actors lips — which is really the worst thing about dubbing.

Second, some of the original cast recorded the English version as well as the French. Catherine Deneuve is the mother in both versions, and her real-life daughter, Chiara Mastroianni, is the adolescent and adult version of Marjane in both versions. So you still get to hear the loveliness that is Catherine Deneuve, even if you missed the original. … continue reading

I think I want Capone over at Ain't It Cool News to be my new BFF, because he keeps interviewing the coolest women! A few weeks ago it was Loretta Devine. This week, it's Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi.

Scribegrrrl blogged about Persepolis in December but, if you missed it, you should go back and read about this fascinating movie, which I'm chagrined to admit I still have not seen. (But I just decided I'm going to remedy that this week!) Also, if you have not seen it, you should definitely take a moment to watch the Persepolis trailer.

Frankly, I don't know how I've waited this long to see the movie. It looks so incredibly good!

But enough about me. What's actually interesting is to read what Marjane Satrapi has to say about the original graphic novel, the movie and her life. Here are some highlights. (And keep in mind, as Capone noted, “if her English isn't grammatically correct, remember that she is fairly fluent in probably a half-dozen languages.”) … continue reading

The nominees for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. The big question, though, is whether the Oscars broadcast will happen at all. It's slated for Feb. 24, which is, like, 5 minutes from now in writers' strike years. And the stakes are very high. As Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly puts it, "If putting the kibosh on the Globes put the hurt on NBC and made the world pay attention to the strike, imagine what stopping the 80th Annual Academy Awards would do?"

I hope they find a way for the show to go on. Meanwhile, here are the Best Picture nominees:

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

That's right, Juno! Woo hoo! I still haven't seen Atonement. I liked Michael Clayton well enough, but not more than Juno. And I won't be seeing those last two very male-oriented films. So, yay, Juno!

Several other AfterEllen.com favorites nabbed some nods. Here are the actress categories: … continue reading

Over the weekend, the National Society of Film Critics announced its 2007 honorees. Here are some of the winners:

• Best picture: There Will Be Blood
• Best director: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Best actress: Julie Christie, Away From Her
• Best supporting actress: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
• Best actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• Best supporting actor: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Best foreign-language film: Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days
• Best nonfiction film: No End in Sight
• Best screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

These aren't exactly blockbusters. (Not a peep from Sweeney Todd, and no awards for Old Men either.) In fact, I've seen exactly one of these films: Away From Her. I'm glad Christie won for her mesmerizing performance.

And even though I'm not sure about I'm Not There, I do want to see Blanchett as Dylan: … continue reading

The nominations for the 35th annual Annie Awards were announced this morning. Never heard of the Annie Awards? They recognize the year's best animation in several categories, from film and TV to video games and commercials.

This year's Best Animated Feature nominees include fairly obvious choices ilke Bee Movie, Ratatouille and The Simpsons Movie. But I'm more interested in a little gem called Persepolis.

Persepolis is based on the graphic novels (essentially a memoir in two parts) by Marjane Satrapi, who grew up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Satrapi now lives and works in France, and Persepolis features the voices of two French national treasures, Catherine Deneuve and her daughter Chiara Mastroianni. If you're not already fascinated, take a look at this stunning trailer: … continue reading