Oscar bait ? We Need To Talk About Kevin filming now

We Need To Talk About Kevin is an adaptation from the novel by Lionel Shriver, about a mother who is attempting to come to terms with the aftermath to why her son went on a murder rampage at his school. Tilda Swinton plays Eva Khatchadourion, the mother of Kevin. The film also stars John C. Reilly as Eva's estranged husband Franklin and Ezra Miller as Kevin.
The film is currently filming in New York and Connecticut and is written and directed by Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, who won the 2000 BAFTA award for most promising newcomer for Ratcatcher.
The film will be released sometime next year.

The Iceman ( Richard Kuklinski )

Director Ariel Vroman ( Danika, Rx ) is in pre-production for his new film called The Iceman that is due for a 2011 release. The script is being adapted from the Anthony Bruno novel about the notorious hit man Richard " The Iceman " Kuklinski. The sociopathic murderer who killed more than 200 people, for freelance, hits for the Gambino crime family or at times when someone just pissed him off. A killer who earned his nickname from his penchant for stashing the bodies of his victims in freezers.
As of now it has been announced that Oscar nominated actor Michael Shannon will portray the man who lived a double life. One that was seen as a well mannered family man and another who would kill someone as easy as like you would have your morning coffee.
I like Shannon as an actor just fine, but not for this part. I think as you can witness with the photo above, that I think the perfect choice for the role would be James Gandolfini. He's closer in age and resembles Kuklinski more. But... we'll just have to see how it turns out.
Any true crime follower will probably find this film something to look out for. Kuklinski was a true sociopath in every sense of the word. But not a dummy. His killing spree lasted 30 years. Watching his interviews in prison were enough to raise the hair on your neck him admitting so many horrid acts on people like it was nothing. It will be interesting how the writers and director will tackle the subject matter and what slant they put on it.

Rent this: The Best Years Of Our Lives

If you want to see a movie that is an all out classic, that has aged like fine wine and simply hasn't dated itself even after a whopping 64 years, then go out check this gem of a film out. It was directed by William Wyler and it stars Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russell as the principle characters.
The movie was the first of many throughout the years about veterans surviving their war experience and feeling alienated and having difficulty adjusting back to the normality's of civilian life. Three WWII veterans ( March, Andrews and Russell ) return back to their small home town of Boone City, Iowa, having nothing in common but their war experience.
The film went on to garner seven Oscar nominations and winning them all for Picture, Actor ( March ) Supporting Actor ( Russell ) Director ( Wyler ) Editing, Score, and Screenplay.
If one didn't know the history of the film, Harold Russell was a real life G.I. amputee and was casted by Wyler with no acting experience whatsoever, so what you see in the character he plays is the real deal, and for a man with never being in front of a movie camera before, he does a fine and genuine performance.
Not just an old movie, but a classic that deserves to be in the top 50 of all time.

172 min.

Marc Forster's next project

Director Marc Forster ( Monster's Ball, Stranger Than Fiction, Finding Neverland ) next film behind the camera will be a biopic called Machine Gun Preacher based from the book Another Man's War by Sam Childers. Gerard Butler has been cast as Childers, along with Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon being added as well.
It's a pretty extraordinary tale that has Oscar bait all over it. The film will chronicle Chidlers life from his adult years of being a drug dealing alcoholic motorcycle gang member to his conversion to Christianity, and subsequently dedicating his life to thousands of Sudanese children, who get recruited yearly by the Lord's Resistance Army ( LRA ) to become child soldiers.
Childers and his wife formed Angels in East Africa who have educated 300 of these orphaned children, and rescuing thousands more.
Not sure about the casting of Butler, as of up to now I feel he among his peers is average, but you never know, maybe the screenplay will be strong enough to elevate his game. It's an interesting story nonetheless.

The Killer Inside Me has a trailer

The Killer Inside Me, which caused quite a stir at Sundance this year for it's violent subject matter, is directed by Michael Winterbottom ( A Mighty Heart, Code 46 ) Starring Casey Affleck as split personality small town sheriff Lou Ford, also starring Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Bill Pullman, Ned Beatty, Simon Baker, Elias Koteas and Liam Aiken, based off the book from Jim Thompson and adapted by John Curran ( The Painted Veil )
Most people might not be aware of this but this book has already been adpated into a movie back in 1976 with Stacy Keach as Ford.
It will be very interesting to see how the general public will react to this film. I read the book and personally thought it was pretty riveting. Release date is June 18.

Edward Norton to recieve award in Seattle

The Seattle International Film Festival is in full swing and the fest has announced that Edward Norton will receive the 2010 Golden Space Needle Award on June 4th for outstanding achievement in acting. In his honor, there will be a screening of his latest film Leaves Of Grass, where Norton and director Tim Blake Nelson will attend. There will also be a on stage interview with the actor discussing his career and showing various clips highlighting his diverse work.

Will Michael Douglas make the Academy's short List ?

Solitary Man has not been released yet in my city, it seems as of now, that only movie critics have screened the film. It would be nice if the studio expanded it for the rest of us to see, as word of mouth is that this is one of the best Michael Douglas performances in many years. A top 5 in a career.
There is no doubt it's a little independent film, granted with a solid supporting cast, but it looks like many will not see it in a movie theater. I guess it just probably comes down to if this good performance can carry the rest of the year and then some of the other performances by the rest that people have predicted do not live up to their hype.

My " so far-best of " of 2010

142 days into 2010, this is personally the films and performances I have think have shined thus far...

Film

Greenberg
Green Zone
The Ghost Writer
Kick-Ass
Shutter Island

Actor

Pierce Brosnan- The Ghost Writer
Matt Damon- The Green Zone
Leonardo DiCaprio- Shutter Island
Mel Gibson- Edge Of Darkness
Ben Stiller- Greenberg

Actress

Amy Adams- Leap Year
Cate Blanchett- Robin Hood
Greta Gerwig- Greenberg
Chloe Moretz- Kick-Ass
Amanda Seyfried- Dear John

Supporting Actor

Nicholas Cage- Kick-Ass
Greg Kinnier- Green Zone
Ben Kingsley- Shutter Island
Ewan McGregor- The Ghost Writer
Michael Shannon- The Runaways

Supporting Actress

Helena Bonham Carter- Alice In Wonderland
Kim Cattral- The Ghost Writer
Dakota Fanning- The Runaways
Jennifer Jason Leigh- Greenberg
Amy Ryan- Green Zone

Director

Noah Baumbach- Greenberg
Martin Campbell- Edge Of Darkness
Paul Greengrass- Green Zone
Roman Polanski- The Ghost Writer
Martin Scorsese- Shutter Island

Technically ? Robin Hood, Shutter Island and The Ghost Writer are impressive in respect to that category.

Could Jim Sturgess be an Oscar dark horse ?

Here is one of the first pics I have seen of Jim Sturgess in Peter Weir's upcoming The Way Back. The word is that Jim has the most lines in the film, more than co-stars Ed Harris, Saorise Ronan and Colin Farrell, most likely earning him the leading man moniker.
I was thinking, if this movie goes over well with critics which I have a feeling it will, could Sturgess be a dark horse Oscar nominee for Best Actor ? I know he's not a household name, a friend of mine didn't even know who he was, but he has been good to impressive in most of the stuff he has been in previously. I mean, Jeremy Renner wasn't a household name either by the time The Hurt Locker came out either and look what happened to him. Oscar nomination.
I'm relegating him still a very much dark horse at him getting a nod. But like with any year, it will depend on if he will get any precursor attention. If he holds his own in what is said to be a powerful performance by Harris, and he carries the film on his back, then his chances will improve a lot. It will also help if the movie is a critical and theatrical smash. Regardless, I'm looking forward to this movie.

2011 Killer Elite version is NOT a remake

I know there is some confusion ( based from some message boards I have seen ) as to whether the The Killer Elite movie that is being filmed now is a remake of the 1975 Sam Peckinpah directed movie that starred James Caan, Robert Duvall, Burt Young and Bo Hopkins. It's not.

This version that is filming now, that stars Clive Owen, Jason Statham, Robert DeNiro and Dominic Purcell is based off the Ranulf Fiennes novel about " The Committee " otherwise known as The Feathermen, who are a vigilante group dedicated to solving crimes the police cannot.
The Peckinpah version was based from the novel by Robert Rostand called Monkey In The Middle.

Overview: Love and Other Drugs

Love and Other Drugs ( out November 24 ) is adapted from a book called Hard Sell: The Evolution Of A Viagra Salesman written by former Pfizer Pharmaceutical rep Jamie Reidy, adapted by Charles Randolph ( The Interpreter, The Life Of David Gale )
Jake Gyllenhall plays Reidy and Anne Hathaway as the woman stricken with Parkinson's that he falls for.
The book tell you things about the American pharmaceutical industry you'd probably rather not know about.

Jamie Reidy is to pharmaceutical business what Jerry Maguire was to sports and Frank Abangale was to bank fraud. He's the guy that's been there, done that and came away with all the industry insider stories. It reveals questionable practices from drug reps, nurses and even physicians and exposes the industry that touches nearly everyone in America.
Reidy touches on his ups and downs of slogging his way through the drug selling trenches that is our local doctor offices.
I had read quite some time ago, that the rumor from the set was this is Hathaway's most personal ( and best ) work to date so far in her early career.
People, critics and Oscar pundits will definitely have their eyes and ears open for this film.
The film is directed by Ed Zwick ( Defiance, The Last Samurai ) and is also starring Judy Greer, Hank Azaria, Oiver Platt, Jill Clayburgh, George Segal and Gabriel Macht.

The Mechanic remake

The Mechanic original movie from 1972, that was directed by Michael Winner ( The Big Sleep ) and starring Charles Bronson, Jan Michael Vincent and Keenan Wynn, about a hit man and his young protege, is still a cult favorite of mine. Well... as I have scribbled on this site many times before, here is yet another film I like getting a remake; this time with Jason Statham in the Bronson role, Ben Foster ( an actor who I respect ) playing the JMV character with Donald Sutherland playing the role Wynn did previously.
This may be one remake I go see because I like Foster and Sutherland but I know it's will ask a lot to match the original. Out December 15th.

DeNiro has 4 films up for 2010

These projects seem to be a little better than the previous movies he has made the last few years. But as he always seems to have, there are no shortage of projects for the actor on his itinerary list.

Films that are in the can as I write this are Stone, with Ed Norton and Milla Jovovich ( which took a brutal test screening by audiences ) Machete, which I have written about earlier and then December 22 we'll see him as Jack again in Meet The Parents 3 ( pictured ) Now he is filming another version of The Killer Elite with Clive Owen and Jason Statham that will be released this year as well.
On the horizon, he some some pretty interesting projects he is attached to be in. One possibly with he longtime cohort and buddy director Martin Scorsese in he adaptation of the book I Heard You Paint Houses, then Lombardi, a self explanatory biopic of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, and another film that is now currently in pre-production called This Must Be The Place with Sean Penn and Frances McDormund set for release in 2011. Personally I hope he does the Scorsese project. One more for the road before they both get too old.

Men In Black III

For fans of the Men In Black franchise, you will be glad to hear the news that there has been a greenlight for a third movie reuniting Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, this time in 3D. Barry Sonnenfeld who directed the first two films, will be back in the directors chair with Etan Cohen ( Tropic Thunder, Idiocracy ) writing the script. Josh Brolin and Sacha Baron Cohen have been added to the cast as well. Look for a May 25 2012 release date.

Kurt Russell has been pretty quiet...

Hasn't been very active since his Death Proof gig, but he has been added to the cast of the movie Waco, also starring Adrien Brody and Sharon Stone. The film is about the 1993 standoff between the U.S. Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosions and cult leader and whack job David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Of Davidians. Nobody has been cast as Koresh yet. This will be a very interesting cast decision.

Not as leery about Love Ranch as I initially have been

A few years ago when I heard there was going to be a return of Joe Pesci starring in a new movie again, I got pretty excited as I feel he's good when given good material to work with. Well... that film is called Love Ranch, which will see Pesci cast alongside Oscar winner Helen Mirren and directed by her husband Taylor Hackford ( Ray, Proof Life ) and it has been complete now for two years.
Usually that is not a good sign when a movie is delayed a release that long. This made me leery over time about my initial anticipation for it. I began to think that it must suck and they can't even find a distributor, as there hasn't even been a trailer for the film. Nothing.
Now I can let out a somewhat sigh of relief after I found out the reason for it's delay is because the film has been in litigation for almost two years. It has finally been let out of it's litigation for release and will open in a limited fashion in June and if it shows potential promise then it will expand to more theaters.

Tom Hanks goes back behind the camera

Larry Crowne is the film that Tom Hanks is wearing two hats this time, starring and directing in a script he co-wrote with Nia Vardalos which is now currently filming in Los Angeles. Co-starring with him will be his Charlie Wilson's War castmate Julia Roberts, along with Vardalos, Bryan Cranston, Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Pam Grier, Jon Seda, Wilmer Valderrama, George Takei, Rob Riggle, Dale Dye and his TV series cohort from his Bosom Buddies days Peter Scolari.
The film is about a man in his early 50's who decides to go back to college and reinvent himself. Oscar winning cinematographer Philippe Rousselot ( A River Runs Through It, Big Fish ) is lensing the movie. It's getting a 2011 release date.

Speaking of Paul Giamatti...

Also along with Barney's Version, he will be seen in something totally new and different from him, in a action movie based on the siege of Rochester Castle by King John upon his signing of the Magna Carta in the year 1215. The film was shot entirely in Wales by director Jonathan English ( Minotaur ) Brian Cox, James Purefoy, Kate Mera and Jason Flemyng co-star.

Barney's Version trailer

This movie doesn't have a lot of buzz surrounding it, but I read the book ( by Mordecai Richler ) and just checked it out again from the library, and it reads like a screenplay. That's how I felt when I read it originally.
It's stars Paul Giamatti as Barney and Dustin Hoffman as his eccentric father. Also cast in the film is Rosumund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachel Lefevre, Scott Speedman, Bruce Greenwood, Maury Chaykin, Mark Addy, Saul Rubinek and Dustin's son Jake Hoffman. Richard J. Lewis, who has directed over 30 CSI episodes helmed the film.
If this film garners any word of mouth and favorable praise, I could see Oscar nominations for Giamatti, Hoffman and adapted screenplay. But at the same time, it could be one of those movies that gets missed in a too limited release. I hope not, because I think people will like it.

The American trailer

From Focus Features and out September 1st, with script written by Rowan Joffee ( 28 Weeks later )adapted fron the novel A Very Private American by Martin Booth, the film stars George Clooney as an assassin that is hiding out in Italy to peform one last hit before he quits for good. The film is directed by Anton Corbijn, who made the very underrated 2007 film Control.

Another Three Musketeer's film ?

Do they have to do one every decade ?

Looks like Warner Brothers have tapped Doug Liman to direct his version of The Three Musketeers, in 3-D no less ( is every film going 3-D now ? )
I personally don't see the reason in rehashing one of the most overdone books in movie history.
Here is how many films have been made through the years...

1933
1935
1948- Directed by George Sidney and Starring Gene Kelly, Van Heflin, Gig Young, Robert Coote, Vincent Price, Lana Turner, Angela Lansbury and June Allyson.
1953
1966
1973- Directed by Richard Lesster and starring Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Christopher Lee, Faye Dunaway and Charlton Heston.
1987- Animated series.
1993- Directed by Stephen Herek and starring Keifer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, Chris O' Donnell, Rebecca DeMornay, Tim Curry, Gabriel Anwar.

I guess I'm just a stickler for original screenplays and material. I mean really ? Are people really starving for another Musketeers movie ? I know I'm not.

Scorsese's Hugo Cabret begins filming in June

Whenever a Martin Scorsese project is announced, it becomes popular fodder among critics and film fans alike, and millions will begin to follow the news on the film.
His most recent; The Invention Of Hugo Cabret will be no different. The film will begin shooting in England in June.
Much of the cast has been assembled with Chloe Moretz ( Kick-Ass ) Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and Asa Butterfield as Hugo.
Scorsese has assembled another impressive group of filmmakers to work on this project with him. Reuniting with Oscar winner's cinematographer icon Robert Richardson and longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker, he'll also be re-teaming with award winning production designer Dante Ferretti. With this impressive group, also on board is a former collaborator of the filmmaker's, screenwriter and Oscar nominee John Logan, who worked on The Aviator with Scorsese.
The film will receive a December 11, 2011.

Another " please God no " remake

Rumor that some Hollywood whack jobs think it would be a good idea to remake Judge Dredd. First, that flick isn't even 20 years old yet ( taking their cue from the new Elm's Street remake ? ) and second, the original wasn't even that good. It had a pretty hokey plot. Just another long line of these things I won't be seeing. Watch there be someone who is slightly offended because they liked the original.

Just in case you haven't seen these yet...

Machete Trailer

The Adjustment Bureau

First time director, screenwriter Greg Nolfi ( Timeline, The Sentinel ) directs Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Terrence Stamp, Anthony Mackie, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Michael Kelly in this adapted version based from a Philip K. Dick short story. Sees the light of day on Sept. 17th.

Fair Game

Fair Game clip. Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Bruce McGill, Noah Emmerich and Michael Kelly. Directed by Doug Liman ( Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Swingers ) No actual release date has been set but is scheduled for 2010.

Rent this: Last Of The Mochicans

Released in 1992, this film has not aged one bit. In fact it seems to get better as the years go by. I wouldn't claim that it's a classic, but it is a very good movie in that classic sensibility.
Many people are already familiar with James Fenimore Cooper's original novel, so there really isn't any need to go through a big synopsis about the film only to say, it's an entertaining piece of period drama, well casted with Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeline Stowe, Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig, Jodhi May, Steve Waddington, Peter Postlethwaite, Colm Meany, Dylan Baker and Maurice Roeves.
The film in terms of technical aspects are very impressive. From Robert Guerra's art direction with North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains substituting for 1757 upstate New York and the cinematography capturing those landscapes and range by DP Dante Spinotti are nothing short of beautiful. How it didn't recieve an Oscar nomination for cinematography is pretty mind blowing. The film did win it's only Oscar nomiantion for Best Sound, but the lack of Oscar nominations should not sway a viewer in revisitng this film. It has a little bit of everything; period, action, drama, impressive dialogue and even romance with a job well done regarding authenticy in costume design by Oscar winner Elisa Zamparelli. Very good film.

The Denzel/Tony Scott pairing

On November 12, another Tony Scott ( brother of Ridley if you didn't know ) and Denzel Washington film will be released called Unstoppable. This seems sort of strange to me. It's their 5th movie together. Aside from Crimson Tide most haven't been all that great. But this pairing is starting to look like a muse/actor type relationship, as is for example the DiCaprio/Scorsese ( once DeNiro ) or say Tim Burton/Johnny Depp pairings.
While some of the Washington/Scott films have been not very good to even being panned, it just goes to show you, that if even if a film isn't received well, it will not stop an actor and a director to keep working on projects together.
I for one personally wish Tony Scott would go back to his old, or say more personal stories, like True Romance, Crimson Tide and Spy Game.
He also has adopted this new way of filming and editing in the choppy, fast hand held manner that gets old fast. I wish he would abandon that style as well, because he has done some great work in the past.

Mike Myers Keith Moon project still in production

Several years ago when I found out that Mike Myers intended on making a biopic about legendary Who drummer Keith Moon and his intention was to star as the late skinsman, known for his penchant for smashing his drums, I just couldn't see it.
By the time this movie is supposed to be released, which is slated for 2012, Myers will be 49 years old. Moon was 32 when he passed away in 1978. Basic math tells you that's almost a 20 year age difference.
If they are going to do a movie about Keith Moon, more than likely the story would cover his entire life, which ended fairly young still. Casting Meyers as Moon is not a good choice, as he just can't pass for an 18 year old Moon, 24 or even 32 year for that matter. At least be authentic if they are going through with this, which it looks like they are, with the project's status saying it's still in production.
I think Jason Schwartzman would be a better choice to portray Moonie, as he looks more like him, can play the drums and is closer in age. Just makes sense.
Myers obviously knows the Moon biography and is a fan of The Who, so why doesn't he help write the script and direct it. He's just too old now to play the drummer. I wouldn't buy it for a second.

Happy 74th to Albert Finney !

Great character actor these days ( still ) and great leading man in his prime.
Oscar nominations for Erin Brockovich ( 2000 ) Under The Volcano ( 1984 ) The Dresser ( 1983 ) Murder On The Orient Express ( 1974 ) Tom Jones ( 1963 )

Other fine works include Before The Devil Knows You're Dead ( 2007 ) Big Fish ( 2003 ) Miller's Crossing ( 1990 ) Shoot The Moon ( 1982 ) Gumshoe ( 1970 )

So what is this movie Machete all about ?

This summer Robert Rodriguez will be bringing the film Machete to theaters. If anyone caught his last double feature movie he did with Quentin Tarantinio Grindhouse, you'd remember the fake Machete trailer that went with that movie. Well Rodriguez decided to do a full length feature film out of it with career character actor Danny Trejo starring in his first leading role as Machete.

Machete is on a revenge bent who used to be a Mexican Federal, who has been double crossed as a patsy and wants revenge on those that betrayed and tried to kill him. Remember..these films are tongue in cheek, not to be taken seriously, as was Grindhouse and Death Proof, these are homage films to the B movies of the 1970's drive-in films.

Also starring in the movie are Jeff Fahey, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin and a small cameo from Lindsay Lohan ( Yes she made it through her whopping 3 day shoot )

Machete will be in theaters September 3rd.

Cinematographer's work in 2010

Many Oscar winning/nominated DP's have films coming out this year. Here's some of those... * denotes being of legendary status at this point in time

Barry Ackroyd- Green Zone, The Special Relationship. ( Oscar nod for The Hurt Locker )
Russell Boyd- The Way Back- ( Master and Commander, Tin Cup, Gallipoli )
Russell Carpenter- Earthbound ( Titanic, True Lies, The Negotiator )
* Roger Deakins- True Grit ( The Reader, Kundun, Fargo, Shawskank Redemption )
Benoit Delhomme- Shanghai ( 1408, The Proposition, The Merchant Of Venice,
Christopher Doyle- Ondine ( Paranoid Park, Rabbit-Proof Fence, 2046 )
Stuart Dryburgh- The Tempest ( The Painted Veil, The Portrait Of A Lady, The Piano )
Bruno Delbonnel- Faust ( The Half Blood Prince, Amelie )
Pawel Edelman- The Ghost Writer (The Pianist, All The Kings Men, Ray )
Robert Elswit- The Town ( There Will Be Blood, Good Night Night and Good Luck, Syriana )
Mauro Fiore- The A-Team ( Avatar, The Kingdom, Tears Of The Sun )
Stephen Goldblatt- Percy Jackson and The Olympians ( Charlie Wilson's War, Closer, The Prince Of Tides )
* Janusz Kaminski- How Do You Know ? ( Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Amistad )
Edward Lachman- Howl, Life During Wartime ( I'm Not There, Far From Heaven, Erin Brockovich )
Andrew Lesnie- The Last Airbender ( LOTR, I Am Legend, Babe )
Matthew Libatique- Iron Man 2 ( Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain, Gothika )
* Emmanuel Lubezki- The Tree Of Life ( Children Of Men, The New World )
Anthony Dod Mantle- 127 Hours, The Eagle And The Ninth ( Slumdog Millionaire, The Last King Of Scotland, Dogville )
* John Mathieson- Robin Hood/ Brighton Rock ( K-Pax, August Rush, Gladiator )
* Chris Menges- London Boulevard ( The Reader, The Boxer, The Mission )
Claudio Mirnada- Margaret ( Benjamin Button )
Donald McAlpine- Main Street ( Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Moulin Rouge, Clear and Present Danger )
Phedon Papamichael- Knight and Day ( Walk The Line, 3:10 To Yuma, Sideways )
Wally Pfister- Inception ( The Dark Knight, The Italian Job, Batman Begins )
Seamus McGarvey- Chorus: Skid Row Stories- ( Atonement )
Roger Pratt- Dorian Gray ( Troy, The End Of A Affair, 12 Monkey's )
Rodrigo Prieto- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ( Babel, Brokeback Mountain, 21 Grams )
Dick Pope- It's A Wonderful Afterlife ( Happy Go Lucky, The Illusionist, Secrets and Lies )
Martin Ruhe- The American ( Harry Brown, Control, Jane Lloyd )
John Seale- The Prince Of Persia ( Cold Mountain, The Perfect Storm, The English Patient )
John Schwartzmen- The Green Hornet ( Seabiscuit, Pearl Harbor, The Rock )
Dante Spinotti- The Chronicle's Of Narnia new sequel ( Public Enemies, Heat, Nell )
* John Toll- The Adjustment Bureau ( The Last Samurai, Braveheart, Legends Of The Fall )
Eduardo Serra- The Deathly Hallows Part I&II ( Defiance, Blood Diamond, The Girl With The Pearl Earring )
* Robert Richardson- Shutter Island ( Inglourious Basterds, The Aviator, Snow Falling On Cedars, Platoon, JFK )
* Vilmos Zsigmond- You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger ( Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, The Black Dahlia )

What's new with Angelina Jolie ?

Well... pretty much most people know Jolie will have the movie Salt out this July 23 but at this time she is now filming The Tourist, in France and Italy along side Johnny Depp and also starring Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton and Rufus Sewell, in a script written by Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie ( The Usual Suspects ) that's being directed by German filmmaker Florian Henekel von Donnersmark, who won the BAFTA for Best Non American film with 2006's The Lives Of Others.
The film will be released sometime next year.

A little about John Landis Burke and Hare

It has been quite some time ( that's being an understatement ) where director John Landis ( Animal House, Trading Places ) has had a big hit, and now he is returning to the director's chair with the UK based black comedy Burke and Hare, starring Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Tom Wilkinson, Isla Fisher, Jenny Ugutter, Hugh Bonneville and Stephen Merchant.
The film is about two 19th century grave robbers who find a lucrative business providing cadavers for an Edinburgh medical school. No release date has been set as of yet.

A Documentary in 2010 to look out for

It's titled 40 Years Of Silence: An Indonesian Tragedy, and is 10 years in the making with over 400 hours of footage, that chronicles the long term multi- generational effects the mass killings in Indonesia in 1965 and 1966 have had, where approximately half a million to a million suspected communists were killed in 6 months. It follows four families that had family members that were killed or " disappeared " by soldiers and even neighbors in the mass killings in Bali and Java.

Robin Hood Preview/Synopsis

Robin Hood May 14

Directed by Ridley Scott ( Alien, Black Hawk Down Gladiator ) Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, William Hurt, Danny Huston, Max Von Sydow, Eileen Atkins, Matthew Macfadyen, Oscar Isaac, Mark Addy, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes. Written by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland ( L.A. Confidential ) Cinematography by Oscar winner John Mathieson ( Gladiator, Phantom Of The Opera ) Editing by Oscar winner Pietro Scalia ( Black Hawk Down, JFK ) Original Score by Oscar nominee Marc Streidenfeld ( Hannibal, The Last Samurai )

As director Ridley Scott has explained, he is going at it from a different angle as previous RH films. In this take, set in 13th century that chronicles the life of the expert archer, who previously has lived life interested in self preservation from his service in King Richard's army against the French.
Upon Richard's death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from corruption from a crippling taxation by a cruel sheriff, meeting and falling for a spirited widow Marion ( Blanchett ) a women who is skeptical of the archer's motivations.
Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and to help a lost village, Robin assembles a band of lethal mercenaries who match his own appetite for life. Together they will prey on the indulgent upper class to correct the injustices of the sheriff.

Rated PG-13 For intense sequences of warfare violence and some sexual content. 140 min.

Oscar chances? Strong possibilities in the tech catergories like cinematography and art direction.

Jonah Hex trailer

Jonah Hex is taken from the DC comics character that saw a steady run in 1977. Jonah is a scarred drifter and sometime bounty hunter that has cheated death. He can track and kill anything. And is out for revenge for the man responsible for his scarring.
The film adaptation stars Josh Brolin as Hex also starring John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Shannon, Michael Fassbender and Will Arnett. Jimmy Hayward ( Finding Nemo ) directs. Due June 18.

Secretariat trailer

About the legendary colt that was the first horse to win the Triple Crown ( and by a whopping 37 lengths in the Belmont Classic ) in 25 years in 1973.
Starring Diane Lane as owner Penny Chenery, John Malkovich as legendary trainer Lucien Laurin, also starring James Cromwell, Dylan Walsh, Scott Glenn, Kevin Connolly and Dylan Baker. Out this October.

Bye, Bye Georgy Girl; R.I.P Lynn Redgrave

A super talent from stage and screen, her talents will be missed. Finally lost her battle with breast cancer. Last appearance was on Ugly Betty just last year.
Two time Oscar nominee for Georgy Girl ( 1967 ) and Gods and Monsters ( 1995 )
Other notable roles were in The Happy Hooker, The Big Bus, Shine, Spider, Kinsey, The White Countess, The Jane Austen Book Club.

Iron Man 2 Preview/Synopsis

Iron Man 2 May 7

Directed by John Favreau ( Iron Man, Zathura ) Starring Robert Downey Jr, Gweneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Shandling. Wtitten by actor Justin Thoroux ( Tropic Thunder ) Cinematography by Matthew Libatique ( The Fountain, Inside Man ) Edited by Dan Lebental ( From Hell, Very Bad Things ) Original Score by Oscar nominee John Debney ( Passion The Christ )

This is one movie you don't need a in depth synopsis because the back story is pretty much the same as the first film, this time out though Tony Stark has been vilified because of some controversial actions on his part and must get back in the good graces with the public and his fans.
There are new villains and characters in the sequel, mainly coming from Rourke's Whiplash and Johansson as Black Widow.

Rated PG-13 For sequences of intense sci-fi action violence and some language. 124 min.

Oscar chances ? Very good possiblity in sound and visual effects categories.