Act of Valor, a film that opened last weekend and earned nearly $25 million, was commissioned by the Navy's Special Warfare Command to drum up recruits for its elite SEALs program. But it's by no means the first movie made with the military's cooperation.
On its opening weekend, the Navy SEAL's movie Act of Valor grossed over $20 million at the box office. The military movie is believed to be the first to feature active duty military personnel as actors in the film.
Writer Nick Flynn was working in a homeless shelter in his 20s when his father — an alcoholic and self-proclaimed writer who left when Flynn was a baby — showed up as a client. His story is now a movie called Being Flynn, starring Paul Dano and Robert De Niro.
On Monday night, the Iranian film A Separation won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It marks the Islamic Republic's first Academy Award, and earned a rare stamp of approval from the Iranian government, which called it a success over Israel. The Israeli film Footnote was also nominated in the category. Audie Cornish talks to The Washington Post's Thomas Erdbrink in Tehran about the reaction in Iran.
Host Michel Martin dishes on the wins, losses, and fashion faux pas of Sunday night's Academy Awards. She checks in with Wesley Morris, film critic for The Boston Globe, and Sheila Marikar, entertainment reporter and producer for ABCNews.Com.
The Artist became the first silent film to triumph at Hollywood's highest honors since the original Oscar ceremony 83 years ago. The film's lead actor Jean Dujardin also took home an Academy award for best actor while Michel Hazanavicius, the film's director, also won.