R.I.P. Paul Newman 1925-2008

To one of the best that has lived; a great actor, a great husband and father, an awesome driver ( as a senior citizen even ! ) and a man of charitable soul. He will be missed. So go out and and rent one of your favorite Paul Newman movies in tribute.

New changes in Oscar categories as of 9-13

John Malkovich and Brad Pitt have worked their way in the Supporting Actor category, Frances McDormand in the Supporting Actress category, Burn After Reading for Best Picture and Joel and Ethen Coen for Direction.

Picture:

Burn After Reading
In Bruges
The Dark Knight
The Visitor
Traitor
Out- Vicky Crisitna Barcelona

Actor:
No changes

Actress:
No changes

Supporting Actor:
Robert Downey Jr.- Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson- In Bruges
Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight
John Malkovich- Burn After Reading
Brad Pitt- Burn After Reading
Out- Joseph Gordon-Levitt- Stop-Loss, Guy Pearce- Traitor

Best Supporting Actress:
Joan Allen- Bonneville
Penelope Cruz- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Hope Davis- Charlie Bartlett
Frances McDormand- Burn After Reading
Amy Poehler- Baby Mama
Out- Rebecca Hall- Vicky Cristina Barcelona



Director:
Ethen and Joel Coen- Burn After Reading
Tom McCarthy- The Visitor
Martin McDonough- In Bruges
Christopher Nolan- The Dark Knight
Ben Stiller- Tropic Thunder
Out- Woody Allen- Vicky Crisitna Barcelona

Blindness- preview/synopsis

Blindness- Sept. 26th

" In a world gone blind, what would you do if you were the only person who could see ? "

Directed by Fernando Meirelles ( City Of God, The Constant Gardener ) and Starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, Sandra Oh, Maury Chaykin, Alice Braga. Written and adapted by Don McKellar, Cinematography by Oscar nominee Cesar Charlone ( City Of God ) Editing by Daniel Rezede ( Dark Water ) and original music by Marco Antonio Guimoraes.

Blindness, an adaptation of the popular 1995 novel by Jose Sarmango, tells the story of a city that is suddenly hit with an epidemic of causing it's inhabitant's to go blind, which in turn, turns the city into degradation and chaos.
Julianne Moore plays " the woman ", the protaganist and the only person in the city that isn't affected by the epidemic.
The first humans infected by the blindness are quarantined into a deserted hospital and from there things become crazy, as people of strength and criminals alike begin to prey on their weaker human counterpart's, committing horrible acts, and also hording the food from the weak as well.
The woman who is not afflicted by the " white blindness " stays loyal to her husband " the doctor " ( yes, as like The Road we do not know the names of these people ) and goes with him to the quarantine, where she keeps her sight a secret to herself.
She then takes several strangers who have banded together with herself and her husband and attempt to make their way out of the quarantine into the city, which has turned into complete disorder and a broken down society.
Their only goal is to find someplace safe and make a path out of there and away from the chaos, while their path is not immune from extreme danger, they will need to test their spirit and strength to survive.

Rated R for violence, sexual assaults, language and nudity.

Oscar buzz ? Certainly for Julianne Moore. Possible for nods in Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography.

Defiance preview/synopsis

Defiance- Dec. 12th

Directed by Edward Zwick ( Glory, Blood Diamond ) and starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Tomas Arona, George MacKay. Written By Zwick and Clayton Froham, Cinematography by Oscar nominated Eduardo Serra ( Wings Of The Dove, Unbreakable ) Edited by Steve Rosenblum ( Braveheart, Blood Diamond ) and Music by Oscar winner James Newton Howard ( Michael Clayton, Prince Of Tides )

Defiance, a true story set during WWII, based on the Bielski brothers, and their partisan, and their battle against the Nazi's in German occupied Balarus.
The Bielski brothers were farmer's in their hometown of Navahrudak which was in Soviet control at the beginning of WWII, but then became a ghetto after the German invasion. The Bielski brothers escaped into the Belarussion forest after their parents were killed by the German's. Together with 13 other people from their same ghetto, they formed a partisan combat group, that after time began to grow as they recruited soviets as well to help fight off the German's.
Led by the eldest Bielski, Tuvia ( Craig ), a Polish Army veteran, he recruits more emissaries from the same ghetto to bolster the combat group living in the Naliboki forest, where after some time, they have made it their home, where the partisans lived in underground dugouts and structure's were made that included a kitchen, a mill, bath house, medical clinic, they had tailor's that patched up old garments, shoe maker's that repaired old shoes, a metal shop, carpenter's, hat and belt makers, and much more that was amazing considering their situation. When it was over, the orginization was over a thousand strong, which grew into two units.
The Bielski orginization stood strong against the German invasion and killed 381 enemy fighters and wounded hundred's more. By the time 1944 came around, when the Soviet counter offensive began in Belarus, the area became liberated, the " kalinin" unit of Bielski partisans numbering 1,230, emerged from the forest and marched in to now Balarus free again.

Movie is about overcoming terrible odds and fighting your way out of a almost impossible situation.

Rated R for violence and language.

This is a movie I have followed for some time and I'm highly awaiting it.

Oscar buzz- As of this time for many categories, but if I had to truly bet, I would think Picture, Supporting Actor ( Schreiber ) Director, Cinematography and Screenplay.

Body Of Lies preview/synopsis

Body Of Lies- Oct. 10th
" Trust no one, decieve everyone "

Directed by Ridley ( When will I get my Oscar ! ) Scott, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Russell Crowe, Carice Van Houten, Mark Strong and Golshifiteh Farahani. Written by Oscar winner William Monahan ( The Departed ) Cinematography by Alexander Witt ( American Gangster ) Editing by two time Oscar winner Pietro Scalia ( Black Hawk Down, Memoirs Of A Geisha ) and music by Mark Streitenfeld.

Ridley Scott, directs an adapation of the David Ignatius novel of the same title, about a former journalist, Roger Ferris ( Di Caprio ) that was injured in Iraq, who later is hired by the CIA, as an operative, and sent to Jordan by his manipulating boss Ed Hoffman ( Crowe ) to track a high ranking terrorist, all the while forming an uneasy sort of alliance with lead of Jordan's covert operation's ( Strong ).

Rated R for Strong Violence, including torture and language throughout.

Oscar buzz is for many catergories, but most likely for picture, director, actor and supporting actor. Only one review as of now but that was positive in saying it's action packed and tension filled with good performances from both Di Caprio and Crowe.