Ben Affleck's new directorial project

Actor and now legit director Ben Affleck is directing and close to wrapping his third feature, Argo, for producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, who also serve as screenwriters as well. The film tells the story of a CIA operation to save six ambassadors during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis by faking a production for a large-scale science fiction film.
The cast consists of Affleck, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, Kyle Chandler, Clea Duvall, Michael Parks, Tate Donovan, Richard Kind, Rory Cochrane, Adriene Barbeau and Barry Livingston ( of My Three Sons fame )
Oscar nominee Rodrigo Prieto ( Brokeback Mountain ) is handling the cinematography on the film. September 24 2012 is when the movie is set to be released.

My Week With Marilyn trailer

Directed by Simon Curtis and starring Michelle Williams as the iconic bombshell, the films tells the story in the summer of 1956, Colin Clark works as an assistant on the British set of The Prince and the Showgirl, which stars Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe, who is also on honeymoon with her new husband, playwright Arthur Miller. When Miller leaves the country, Clark introduces Monroe to British life and they spend a week together, during which time she escapes from her Hollywood routine and the pressures of work.

The film will see a November 4th release date and also stars Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier, Eddie Redmayne, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, Julie Ormond, Dougray Scott, Dominic Cooper and Derek Jacobi.

Many movie pundits are speculating this could land Williams an Oscar nomination. I reserve the right to go there at this time without even seeing the movie, but critics seem to like her a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if she did land a nod or two for her portrayal.

The Ides Of March synopsis/preview

October 7

Directed by George Clooney ( Good Night and Good Luck )starring Ryan Gosling, Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei, written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, cinematography by Phedon Papamichael ( Sideways ) edited by Oscar winner Stephen Mirrione ( Traffic, Babel, 21 Grams ) and original score by 4 time Oscar nominee Alexander Desplat ( Benjamin Button, The Queen )


Plot: Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) is the Junior Campaign Manager for Mike Morris (George Clooney), Governor of Pennsylvania and a Democratic presidential candidate, competing against Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell). Myers and Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are attempting to enlist Ohio's support for Morris, which would nearly guarantee his nomination.

After a debate, Myers is approached by rival Campaign Manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), who offers him a position in Senator Pullman's campaign. Myers refuses, and asserts that he believes in Morris' political views. Duffy tells Myers that his optimism won't last, and that Myers will eventually be cynical and corrupt like the other candidates.

Myers starts a sexual relationship with Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), an intern for Morris' campaign and daughter of Jack Stearns, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. One day, Myers discovers that Molly is trying to call Morris. She and Morris had an affair six months before, and Molly is pregnant with Morris' baby. Myers helps her raise money for an abortion and drives her to the clinic. While he waits, Morris and Zara call him, and reveal that his encounter with Duffy was leaked to the press and published by Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei), Myers' friend and a reporter for the New York Times.

Myers is fired for betraying their trust. He attempts, unsuccessfully, to win back his job by revealing that Duffy told him that Senator Pullman intended to guarantee his victory by offering Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), whose endorsement will be vital to the eventual nominee, the position of Secretary of State.

Myers offers his services to Duffy, but Duffy doesn't want to hire Myers. He engineered the leak to lure Myers from Morris' campaign. Meanwhile, Molly learns that Myers has been fired and, fearing that he will use her secret to get revenge on Morris, commits suicide. Myers feels guilty about this, as he did intend to expose Morris' affair.

Myers later confronts Morris, and tells Morris that he will expose the affair if Morris doesn't restore his job and fire Zara. Morris relents, and Zara compliments Myers on using his own secrets to his advantage. Myers convinces Morris to offer a better position to Senator Thompson in his administration and secure Thompson's support, increasing his chances of securing the nomination.

Now Senior Campaign Manager, Myers attends a press conference organized by Ida. He suddenly realizes that Duffy was right, and he has betrayed everything he believed in for success and revenge. Disgusted with himself, Myers considers revealing the truth behind his return to Morris' campaign and exposing Morris' secrets.

The movie ends before Myers' decision is revealed. The film has received a good approval rating and will most likely earn some Oscar nominations.

Rated R for pervasive language. 101 minutes.

War Horse trailer

Steven Spielberg directs this story based off Michael Murpuro's book and then popular stage play, that begins in Devon at the outbreak of World War I, Joey, young Albert Narracott's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Joey serves in the British and German armies, and gets caught up in enemy fire; death, disease and fate take him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before being alone in No Man's Land. But Albert cannot forget Joey, and, still not old enough to enlist in the army, he embarks on a dangerous mission to find and bring him back to Devon.

The film stars Jeremy Irvine as Albert with other cast members such as Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Eddie Marsan,Tom Hiddleson, Peter Mullan, David Kross and Benedict Cumberbatch. Richard Curtis ( Pirate Radio, Bridget Jones Diary ) and Lee Hall ( Billy Elliot ) shared the screenwriting duties. The film hits theaters this Christmas day.

Pics of Al Pacino as Phil Spector

Here's couple of set photos of Al Pacino portraying uber music producer Phil Spector, who is doing a long stretch in jail for murdering B list actress Lana Clarkson.
The great playwright David Mamet is directing the project, many who are familiar with such work for his impressive, snappy dialogue in such films as Wag The Dog, Hoffa and of course Glengarry Glen Ross ( a masterwork in screenwriting )
The film also co-stars Helen Mirren as Spectors attorney, Jeffrey Tambor, James Tolkan and Matt Malloy.
The movie is being produced by HBO films ( impressive project after impressive project with that channel ) and will see a air date sometime in 2012.

J. Edgar trailer

Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar, with Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, Stephen Root and Lea Thompson. Screenplay written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black ( Milk )

Looks like a possible Oscar nominee leader. Hits theater's on November 9th, 2011.

Carnage trailer

Roman Polanski's take and adaptation of the popular stage play God Of Carnage originally written by French playwright Yasmine Reza.

This adaptation stars Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet.
The 2010 Broadway play played 452 performances with a cast consisting of Marcia Gay Harden, James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels, and garnering several Tony nominations with Harden winning the Tony for Best Actress.
The film which recently played the Toronto Film Festival, recieved better than average response from critics, with Foster getting most of the best in show accolades, some saying she should have a pretty good chance at a Oscar nod. Waltz also received good word in his role as well.

The film will see a December 16th, 2011 release date.

Matt Damon sports new look for sci fi flick

Matt Damon is currently sporting a new look for his latest film he is shooting in Vancouver B.C. which will be titled called Elysium.
It's a science fiction thriller written and directed by Neill Blomkamp of District 9 fame.
Damon will be playing a ex con in a world hundreds of years in the future, with the plot being this world in which he inhabits is rumored to be threatend by a colinization of aliens. The film also co-stars Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copely ( the lead in District 9 ) William Fichtner and Alice Braga.
The movie is seeking a March 1, 2013 release date.

Rampart trailer

Rampart is an upcoming drama film scheduled to be released in 2011. It is being directed by Oren Moverman and will star Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown as an officer on the edge. Adapted from the James Ellroy story by Moverman who he reunites again with Harrelson and Ben Foster from The Messenger.The film is a police drama relating to the Rampart scandal of the 1990. It also stars Sigourney Weaver, Ice Cube, Steve Buscemi, Robin Wright, Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon.
Its world premier is at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011 and recieved above average critic reviews with Harrelson's name being lobbied about a possible Oscar nomination.
No official release date has been set, but the rumor is it's seeking sometime in the late fall.

We Bought A Zoo trailer

Based from the Benjamin Mee memoir ( which I read last summer and liked ) and written for the screen as well as in the director's chair by Cameron Crowe ( Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Singles ) and starring Matt Damon as Mee himself, with Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning, Colin Ford, Patrick Fugit, Angus Macfadyen, John Michael Higgins and JB Smoove.

December 21st, 2011

The Ides Of March trailer

Directed by and starring George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright and Max Minghella.
Based off the Beau Wlillimon play and adapted for the screen by Willimon, Clooney and Grant Heslov ( Good Night and Good Luck )

In theaters October 7th.

The Iron Lady trailer

You know Oscar voters will eat this performance by Meryl Streep as the former Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher right up.
I don't have any predictions as to how the movie might be critically and Oscar friendly, but anybody with some type of movie IQ should know this is the kind of role that's very Oscar type bait.
Maybe this will be a winner for her as she hasn't won a Academy Award in a very long time. The film also stars the very steady British actor Jim Broadbent as Thatcher's husband, Dennis.
The film was directed and reunites Streep with her Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd as well.
Hits theaters December 16, 2011.

PTA's new film is underway

Casting news is going on recently on Paul Thomas Anderson's new film called simply The Master and I thought it might be interesting to see how the cast was shaping up. The cast so far filming is Philip Seymour Hoffman as the main protagonist and Joaquin Phoenix as his right hand man. Amy Adams and Laura Dern have also been cast.

The story, based in the 1950's, is about a man ( Seymour Hoffman ) who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls

Contagion trailer

Newest trailer for director Steven Soderbergh's new film Contagion, starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gweneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cottilard, John Hawkes, Bryan Cranston, Elliot Gould, Sanaa Latham. Due in theaters September 9th.

Synopsis: An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Tarantino's new project

Jamie Foxx has joined Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Django Unchained.

The Oscar winner will play the titular character, a freed slave who tries to rescue his long-lost love, Broomhilda, from a plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), with the help of a German bounty hunter, who will be played by Inglourious Basterds' Christoph Waltz. Fellow Tarantino alum Samuel L. Jackson also stars as Candie's slave, Stephen, while Kerry Washington, Foxx's Ray co-star, is in talks to play Broomhilda. Kevin Costner has also been cast as one of the main villains.

Filming will begin this fall for a December 2012 release date.

Cowboys and Aliens trailer

Due out July 29. Directed by John Favreau ( Iron Man ) and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Olivia Wilde, Adam Beach, Keith Carradine, Clancy Brown. Cinematography provided by last year Oscar nominee Matthew Libatique ( Black Swan, Iron Man )



Film synopsis: In 1873 Arizona, a loner named Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens with no memory of his past and a mysterious shackle around his wrist. He enters the town of Absolution where he learns that he is a notorious criminal wanted by many people, including Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), who rules the town with an iron fist. Absolution soon faces an even greater threat when alien spaceships attack the town. While his shackle holds the key to defeating the aliens, Lonergan must ally with Dolarhyde and other former enemies to make a stand against them.

The Killer Elite trailer

Release date: September 23, 2011

Directed by Gary McKendry and starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Dominic Purcell and Ben Mendelsohn. Simon Duggam ( I,Robot, Knowing ) provided the cinematography.

Premise: The film is an adaptation of the Sir Ranulph Fiennes' novel The Featherman and not a remake of the James Caan, Robert Duvall crime film from 1975. The book controversially claimed to have been based on actual events, concerns a series of assassinations of members of the British Special Air Service (SAS) by a hit squad called "The Clinic". The "Feather Men" of the title is a group of vigilante special forces members who take on the hit men to protect members of their regiment.

The film was shot in over 10 different locations in Australia and some locations in Wales, UK.

A Dangerous Method trailer

Directed by David Cronenberg ( Eastern Promises, The Elephant Man ) starring Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel.

Premise: Based off the Christopher Hampton play The Talking Cure, and marking the third collaboration between Cronenberg and Mortensen ( Easrern Promises, A History Of Violence ) the story is set on the eve of the World War I, A Dangerous Method is based on the turbulent relationships between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung ( Fassbender ), his mentor Sigmund Freud ( Mortensen ), and Sabina Spielrein ( Kinghtley ), the troubled but beautiful young woman who comes between them.

The film will make it's debut at the Venice Film Festival and open in the U.S. in December 2011.

Super 8 preview/synopsis

Directed by J.J. Abrams ( Star Trek, Mission Impossible:3 ) and produced by none other than Steven Spielberg himself. The film stars Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Joe Courtney, Zack Mills. Written by Abrams, cinematography by Larry Fong ( Watchman, 300 ) editing by Mary Brandon ( Star Trek ) and Mary Jo Markey ( Mission Impossible: 3 ) original music by Michael Giacchio ( Ratatouille )

Premise: In 1979 the United States Air Force shuts down a portion of Area 51 and ships the material stored at the decommissioned site by rail to an undisclosed but secure location in Ohio.[citation needed] In the fictional town of Lillian, Ohio, a group of teenagers are making a movie with a Super 8 mm film camera when they witness a train crash. They suspect it was not an accident. There are disappearances and unexplained events around town, and the local deputy investigates the cause of the events leading to the discovery of something inhuman.

The film so far has received a 82% approval rating from over 160 reviews.

Rated PG-13 112 minutes.

Oscar chances ? Most likely not... it's a summer popcorn film and may get attention from something like the MTV Movie Awards, but by no means does that not mean it's not a good and entertaining film because it is.

The Beaver preview/synopsis

Now playing

Directed by Jodie Foster ( Little Man Tate, Home For The Holidays ) starring Mel Gibson, Foster, Jennifer Lawrence, Anton Yelchin. Written by first time screenwriter Kyle Killen, cinematography by Hagen Bogdanski ( The Lives Of Others ), editing by Lynzee Klingman ( Ali, City Of Angels ) and original score by Marcelo Zarvas ( The Good Shephard, Hollywoodland )

Premise: The Beaver follows a depressed CEO of a toy company (Gibson) who dons a beaver handpuppet to communicate better with his wife (Foster) and his two sons (Yelchin, Riley Thomas Stewart) in a quest to repair his damaged life.

Rated PG-13 for thematic elelments, some language and sexualty. 91 min.

Oscar chances: If Gibson wasn't so reviled by a lot of the American public and many of those being film critics he'd be a shoe in for a best actor Oscar nomination. It's clearly his best performance to date. Foster may garner a supporting actress nod as well as the screenplay. The early release date always hurts a films Oscar chances. Not my rules but it hurts more than it helps. Gibson is very moving in the role regardless how you feel about his personal antics off camera. Very much worth seeing.

Director Wes Anderson's new project

Wes Anderson ( The Royal Tennenbaums ) is right in the middle of filming his new project Moonrise Kingdom. Here’s the synopsis:

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, Moonrise Kingdom follows a young boy and girl falling in love. When they are moved to run away together, various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down – which might not be such a bad thing. Bruce Willis plays the town sheriff; two-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton is cast as a camp leader; Academy Award nominee Bill Murray and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents; the cast also includes Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman. The young boy and girl are played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward and what Wes Anderson film would it be if Owen Wilson wasn't cast.
Indian Paintbrush, which executive-produced and co-financed Mr. Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Darjeeling Limited, which were both produced by Scott Rudin, is presenting the American Empirical Pictures production which is produced by Anderson, Rudin, Indian Paintbrush’s Steven Rales, and American Empirical’s Jeremy Dawson.
The film is seeking a 2012 release date.

This Must Be The Place trailer

Starring Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Jud Hirsch, Kerry Condon, Harry Dean Stanton.
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino ( El divo )

Premise: Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is a wealthy former rock star, now bored and jaded in his retirement in Dublin. He travels to New York to reconcile with his estranged father during his final hours, only to arrive too late. After learning the true extent of his father's humiliation in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS Officer Aloise Lange, Cheyenne begins a journey across America to track down Lange, who is now hiding out in the US. The film releases sometime in 2011.

Tree Of Life trailer

Directed by Terrence Malick ( Badlands, Days Of Heaven, The Thin Red Line )

Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday and will release wide May 27th.

Premise: "The Tree of Life" is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

The Conspirator preview/synopsis

In theaters now

Directed by Robert Redford ( Quiz Show, A River Runs Through It, Ordinary People ) Starring James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Stephen Root, Toby Kebell, James Badge Dale, Jim True-Frost. Written by Gregory Bernstein ( Trial & Error ) Cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel ( Valkyrie, Three Kings ) Editing by Oscar nominee Craig McKay ( Silence Of The Lambs, Reds ) Original music by Mark Isham ( Quiz Show, Nell )

Premise: In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Wright) owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth (Toby Kebbell) and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her own son, John (Johnny Simmons). As the nation turns against her, Surratt is forced to rely on Aiken to uncover the truth and save her life. Aiken is at first very reluctant to take the case and believes his client is guilty. However, he uncovers evidence of her innocence and conducts a spirited defense. However, in the end Mary Surratt is found guilty and hanged.

Rated PG-13 for some violent content. 123 min.

Oscar chances? Possibly a long shot, though I was impressed with several performances ( McAvoy and Wright most notably ) but the film hasn't bowled over the critics and there is little praise scuttlebutt regarding the movie.

30 Minutes or Less trailer

August 12, 2011

Directed by Ruben Fleischer ( Zombieland ) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, Fred Ward, Dilshod Vadsaria, Bianaca Kajich,

Premise: After hiring an assassin to murder his father for his insurance money, meaty antagonist Dwayne and moronic partner in crime Travis kidnap a pizza delivery driver and force him to rob a bank with a bomb vest attached to his chest with a 9-hour timer in order to pay for the job to be done.

One Day trailer

July 8, 2011

Starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Romala Garai, Jodie Whittaker and Rafe Spall. Directed by Lone Scherfig ( An Education, Italian For Beginners )

Premise: The story revisits the lives of Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess), who first meet as they graduate from the University of Edinburgh, on 15 July, St. Swithin's Day across twenty years.

Di Caprio to play Gatsby ?

What project has Leonardo Di Caprio have his eyes on after his recent take on the Clint Eastwood film J.Edgar which just finished wrapping... it looks like it will be in the remake of The Great Gatsby. So far others attached to the F. Scott Fitzgerald iconic novel, are Carey Mulligan ( as Daisy ) Toby Maguire, Isla Fisher, Hayley Atwell and rumor is that the producers are seeking Ben Affleck for a part in the film.

Baz Lurhman ( Moulin Rouge, Australia ) is directing the project, and has co-written the scrip with Craig Pearce ( Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge ) Costume designer and 3 time Oscar nomiee ( and one time winner ) Catherine Martin has been chosen to run costume design.

Pitt to team up with director Marc Forster

Hollyweird scuttlebutt has reports that Brad Pitt will team with Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland director Marc Forster, to star in an adaptation from Max Brooks 2006 novel Wolrd War Z.

In the film, Pitt will play a journalist documenting the aftermath of a bloody zombie-human war that took place a decade earlier. It's a bit of a departure from Max Brooks' hit book, which Pitt optioned three years ago; in the novel, the main character is an investigator for the UN trying to find out the history and back story to the dilemma. At this time Pitt is starring in Cogan's Trade ( more on this later )

The film is looking for a 2014 release date and won't get shooting for a year or two.

Sally Field to play Mary Todd Lincoln

In case you didn't know this by now, Steven Spielberg has cast two time Oscar winner Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln opposite another two time Oscar winner, Daniel Day-Lewis portraying the 16th President of the United States. The film will be based off the popular Doris Kearns Goodwin novel, Team Of Rivals: The Genius Of Abraham Lincoln. Oscar nominee Tony Kushner ( Munich ) is adapting the screenplay.

Filming will begin in the fall of 2011. The movie at this point is simply going to be titled Lincoln, but at this juncture, that could easily be changed. Most of Spielberg's regular crew will handle to production on the film.

What I find most interesting, is what must be the difficult process that Spielberg faces casting the supporting cast... the so called " team of rivals " . Definitely a project worth keeping your eyes on. Oscar bait is an understatement on this film.

Everything Must Go trailer

Premise: The movie is based off a Raymond Carver short story where you have alcoholic Nick Halsey (Ferrell) relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.

The film also stars Rebecca Hall, Laura Dern, Stephen Root and Michael Pena.

Happy birthday to Al Pacino

Legendary actor Al Pacino turns 71 today. He is a 8 time Oscar nominee, with one win for his turn in Scent Of A Woman. His other Oscar nominations were for performances in The Godfather, Serpico, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, And Justice For All, Dick Tracy and Glengarry Glen Ross. He also has won two Golden Globes, one most recently for his portrayal of Jack Kevorkian in You Don't Know Jack and also in Angels In America. Other GG nods that weren't Oscar nominated are Bobby Deerfield, Author, Author, Scarface and Sea Of Love.

Later this year he can be seen co-starring with Channing Tatum in crime drama The Son Of No One.

Warrior trailer

Directed by Gavin O' Connor ( Miracle, Pride and Glory ) starring Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, William Mapother, Jennifer Morrison, Kurt Angle, Frank Grillo and some cameos by several other real life MMA fighters. Film is out September 9th of this year.

A former boxer (Nolte), whose alcoholism tore apart his family, welcomes back his youngest son (Hardy) and trains him to compete in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the son on a collision course with his older brother (Edgerton).

Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore reunite

Hot after his two Oscar nominations and a win to boot for Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore will reunite for a second time after their turn together in The Coen brothers dark comedy The Big Lebowski. This time for Russian director Sergey Bodrov ( The Rise Of Ghengis Khan ) called Seventh Son.

Seventh Son is about the seventh son of a seventh son who learns how to exorcise ghosts, contain witches, and bind boggarts in the 1700s.

Jerermy Renner is the new Jason Bourne ?

Two time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner ( The Hurt Locker, The Town ) has been offered and seems to be close to taking the role as Jason Bourne in the 4th in the series, The Bourne Legacy. Renner would take the role over that Matt Damon has made famous between 2002 to 2007. Damon has backed out on Legacy due to loyalty to director Paul Greengrass, who has decided not to direct the fourth film.

Oliver Stone begins to cast his new film

Last December I added an entry on the blog that director Oliver Stone is going to film an adaptation of Don Winslow's novel The Savages. Now we are seeing casting coming to fruition that is yet another all star cast which is usual for Stone films. It appears that Emile Hirsch, Uma Thurman and John Travolta have been added to a cast that has already included Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch and Blake Lively. Here is a brief synopsis of the premise...

Premise: Ben and Chon are two Americans running a lucrative marijuana operation out of ritzy Laguna Beach, California. Their business is buzzing along nicely until members of the Mexican Baja Cartel decide they want a piece of the action. Ben, a charitable, environmentally conscious Berkeley grad, doesn’t want any trouble. Former Navy Seal Chon prefers peace as well but not if it means giving up primo weed. When Ben and Chon resist the Mexicans’ demands, the cartel kidnaps “O” (short for Ophelia), the boys’ close confidante and frequent bedroom playmate. Ben and Chon conjure clever schemes to outwit their adversaries and win back O, using everything from improvised explosive devices to Letterman and Leno masks. Edgar nominee and Shamus winner Winslow, who first evoked the violent world of the Mexican drug cartels in the best-selling narco-thriller Power of the Dog (2005), dispenses short chapters that drive his plot breathlessly forward. He also serves up plenty of savage wit. After Ben dons a Gerald Ford disguise for one of the pair’s heists, he smacks his head against the car door, quipping, “I’m a method hijacker.” Riddled with bullets and splattered with blood, Savages is not for the squeamish, but it’s a must for Winslow fans

Box office top 10 of the week

The animated film Rio topped the box office this weekend ranking in 26.8 million dollars at the gates making it gain a total of 81.3 million dollars thus far. Here is the rest of the cut...

Madea's Big Happy Family- 25.8M
Water For Elephants- 17.5M
Hop- 12.5M
Scream 4- 7.15M
African Cats- 6.4M
Soul Surfer- 5.6M
Insidious- 5.38M
Hanna- 5.28M
Source Code- 5.06M

Short Water For Elephants review

Thought I'd just shae a little retort I made on my site about Water For Elephants. Must admit ( like most of the time ) it didn't live up to the book ( but I did like Rosie ! )...

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Short Water For Elephants review

I didn't dislike the film, but it didn't live up to the book by far. I really liked the novel. I connected with it. There were many scenes that felt disjointed and didn't flow in the movie version. And I felt they could have did more with the elder Jacob played by Hal Holbrook too. I will admit the production values on the film were top notch, especially production design and cinemastography by Jack Fisk and Rodrigo Prieto respectively.

I didn't like the idea of combining a few charatcers from the book into one in the movie. I don't see the need for that. It weakens the original story, because some of those other character's were interesting as their own entity.

I thought the acting was decent to good. I never thought I would say this, but I think Robert Pattinson performed more convincingly than his Oscar winning co-stars Reece Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. I thought Reece did a good job, just nothing to brag about. And even though I really admire the talents of Waltz, a few times I had a flashback that he was doing his Oscar winning charatcer in Inglourious Bastards, Hans Landa. I sincerely hope that he doesn't get type cast as that kind of character, because I felt the same way that he sort of channeled Landa in The Green Hornet as well. He's a better actor than just playing the villian over and over.

Overall...I didn't hate the flick, but it didn't live up to the book in my opinion, which happens more times than not with adaptations. I give it a C+.

More on Stephen Daldry's Extremely Loud...

There has been more casting added to director Stephen Daldry's ( The Reader, The Hours ) new film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, an adaptation from the 2005 Jonathan Safran Foer's novel. Eric Roth of Forrest Gump and Benjamin Button fame ( just to name a couple ) adapted the script. The film is seeking a 2012 release date.

The story has a main narrator by a nine year old child, Oskar Schell, an intellectually curious and sensitive child of Manhattan progressives. He is vegan, musical (he plays the tambourine), a pacifist, academically inclined, and above all, earnest. Two additional narrators, Oskar's paternal grandparents, tell the story of their childhood, courtship, marriage, and separation before the birth of Oskar's father; much of their story is presented as a series of letters addressed to Oskar or his father.

Tom Hanks ( pictured ) and Sandra Bullock have been casted first for more than 6 months, though the casting got even a little more impressive with long time veteran Max Von Sydow joining the cast, plus other acting luminaries such as James Gandolfini, John Goodman, Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright. The part of young Oscar will be portrayed by Thomas Horn.

Melancholia trailer

If you haven't come across it yet, here's the trailer from the latest film by controversial director Lars Von Trier, Melancholia.

The premise of the film begins with the destruction of Earth and then jumps back in time. The story will be about two sisters, Justine and Claire (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg), who are becoming increasingly more distant from each other. There will be a wedding during the first part of the film between Justine and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård). Soon after the wedding Justine becomes melancholic, which makes her stay calm when Earth is threatened by a collision with another planet that has recently emerged from behind the sun, while Claire, on the other hand, becomes fearful of what is to come. Trier has said that he considers all of his previous films to end happily, and that this will be the first with an unhappy ending.

The film will see a May 26 release and also stars Stellen Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland and Brady Corbet.

R.I.P. to the great Sidney Lumet

A little late on this news... but given props out to one of the best directors in the last 50 years. Sidney Lumet directed into his 80's. He died from lymphoma on April 9th. Here's a quick list of some of the great films his directed and got 18 Oscar nominations for the actors in his films....

1957- 12 Angry Men
1962- Long Days Journey Into Night
1964- The Pawnbroker
1969- The Appointment
1971- The Anderson Tapes
1973- Serpico
1974- Murder On The Orient Express
1975- Dog Day Afternoon
1976- Network
1981- Prince Of The City
1982- The Verdict
1986- The Morning After
1988- Running On Empty
1989- Family Business
1990- Q & A
1999- Gloria
2007- Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Cannes screenings announced for this year

Here's the list of what looks like to be some interesting films/filmmakers that look to have some strong potential. This Must Be The Place with Sean Penn and Terrence Malick's long over due The Tree Of Life come to attention first and foremost.


Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
In Competition:

The Skin That I Inhabit – Pedro Almodovar
L’Apollonide – Betrand Bonello
Foot Note – Joseph Cedar
Paterre – Alain Cavalier
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia – Nuri Bilge Ceylan
The Kid With The Bike – The Dardenne Brothers
Le Havre – Aki Kaurismaki
Hanezu no Tsuki – Naomi Kawase
Sleeping Beauty – Julia Leigh
Tree of LIfe – Terrence Malick
La Source de Femmes – Radu Mihaileanu
Polisse – Maïwenn Le Besco
Harakiri – Takashi Miike
We Have A Pope – Nanni Moretti
Melancholia – Lars von Trier
Michael – Markus Schleinzer
This Must Be The Place – Paolo Sorrentino
Drive – Nicholas Winding Refn
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lynne Ramsay

Un Certain Regard:

Restless – Gus Van Sant
Martha Marcy May Marlene – Sean Durkin
The Hunter – Bazur Bakuradze
Halt auf freier Strecke – Andreas Dresen
Skoonheid – Oliver Hermanus
Hors Satan – Bruno Dumont
Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro – Robert Guédiguian
The Days He Arrives – Hong Sang-Soo
Bonsai – Christian Jimenez
Tatsumi – Erik Khoo
En maintenant, on va ou? – Nadine Labaki
Ariang – Kim Ki Duk
Loverboy- Cătălin Mitulescu,
Toomelah – Ivan Sen
Yellow Sea – Na Hong-Jin,
Miss Bala – Gerardo Naranjo,
L’exercice de l’Etat – Pierre Schoeller,
Oslo, August 31st Joachim Trier
Travailler fatigue – Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra
Out of Competition:

The Beaver – Jodie Foster
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Rob Marshall
La Conquete – Xavier Durringer
Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom Of Doom – Jennifer Yuh
Special Screenings:

Labrador – Frederikke Aspock
Le maître des forges de l’enfer – Rithy Panh
Un documentaire sur Michel Petrucciani – Michael Radford
Tous au Larzac – Christian Rouaud
Midnight Screenings

Wu Xia – Peter Chan Ho-sun
Dias de gracia – Everardo Gout

Catherine Zeta-Jones joins Rock Of Ages

Zeta-Jones has been added to the already impressive cast of the popular Broadway musical, the New Line production, which is scheduled to begin shooting May 19 in Miami, is also set to star newcomer Diego Gonzalez Boneta along with Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Paul Giamatti and Julianne Hough. We all know she has already proven her singing ability from winning the best supporting actress Oscar for her turn in the musical Chicago.
Ages tells the story, replete with hair-band music, of a small-town girl (Hough) who comes to Hollywood for the 1980s music scene and is nearly destroyed by it. Although she falls for a budding musician named Drew (Boneta), she also catches the eye of Stacee Jaxx (Cruise), an arrogant rocker at the height of his career, ends up as a stripper in a club run by Blige but also finds true love at the end.

Director Gus Van Sant's Restless to hit Cannes

Renowned indie director Gus Van Sant (Milk, Good Will Hunting ) will be premiering his film next month at the Cannes film festival on May 12. The film stars Henry Hopper ( the late Dennis Hopper's son ) and Mia Wasikowska.

The story of a terminally ill teenage girl ( Wasikowska ) who falls for a boy ( Hopper ) who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.

The film will go wide nationally in September. I'm looking forward to seeing it. It's a original and quirky premise and it's nice to see independent film still getting it's shot compared to all the remakes and reboots flooding Hollywood studios. Van Sant shot the film in Portland, Oregon on a modest 8 million dollar budget.

X-Men First Class trailer

June 3



Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt and Jason Flemyng.

The film is a prequel to the first three movies,[ set during the early 1960s, with John F. Kennedy as president of the United States. X-Men: First Class parallels the history of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Civil Rights Movement. The villains of the film will be the Hellfire Club. The plot is as follows:

"Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men."

Happy birthday to Jessica Lange

6 time Academy award and one time winning actress Jessica Lange turns 62 today. She can next be seen in the western The Big Valley sometime later this year.

Water For Elephants preview/synopsis

April 22

Directed by Francis Lawrence ( I am Legend ) starring Robert Pattinson, Reece Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook and Paul Schneider. Written by Oscar nominee Richard LaGravensese ( The Fisher King ) cinematography by Oscar nominee Rodrigo Prieto ( Brokeback Mountain ) editing by Alan Edward Bell ( 500 Days Of Summer ) original music by multiple Oscar nominee James Newton Howard ( The Dark Knight, Defiance )

Premise: Film adaptation based off the book by Sarah Gruen that was on the New York Times best seller list for 12 weeks... story centers on a young man, Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and for Jacob (Holbrook), now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.

It was there that he met Marlena, (Witherspoon) the beautiful equestrian star married to August (Waltz), the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant and the only hope for this third-rate traveling show.

Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and some sexual content. 122 min.

Crazy, Stupid, Love trailer

June 29, 2011

Directed by Glen Ficarra and John Requea ( I Love You Philip Morris ) starring Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei and John Carroll Lynch.

Mr. Popper's trailer

June 17, 2011

Directed by Mark Waters ( Mean Girls, The Spiderwick Chronicles ) Starring Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Philip Baker Hall, Dominic Chianese.

Premise: Jim Carrey is Mr. Popper, a driven businessman who is clueless when it comes to the important things in life—until he inherits six penguins. Popper's penguins turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland—and the rest of his life upside-down. Filmed on a refrigerated soundstage with real Gentoo Penguins, "Mr. Popper's Penguins" is a contemporary adaptation of the classic book by Richard Atwater.

Up to date latest approval ratings for new movies

Here is the consensus of the latest overall critical approval ratings for the most recent films as of late. More to come soon...

Rango- 89%, Source Code- 89%, The Lincoln Lawyer- 83%, Hanna- 80%, The Adjustment Bureau- 72%, Paul- 71%, Limitless- 69%.

Hanna preview/synopsis

April 8, 2011

Directed by Joe Wright ( Atonement, The Soloist ) starring Saorise Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng. Written by Scott Lochhead and David Farr, cinematography by Alvin H. Kulcher ( Solitary Man, Proof ) Editing by BAFTA nominee Paul Tothill ( Atonement, Perfect Strangers ) and original music by The Chemical Brothers.


Premise: This action/adventure filnm is about title character Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) a teenage girl with the strength, stamina, and smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland. Her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding several agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative (Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces even more startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some sexual material and language.

Oscar chances ? On this one you may never know, though the genre is one of the least likely to get awards attention. Interesting to see Ronan growing up in front of our eyes. I think she's is going to be a fine adult actress. She's impressed me in her youth with turns in Atonement and The Lovely Bones. This is definitely something different for her. And I never tire of Cate Blanchett either.

Midnight In Paris trailer

Here's a trailer from yet another romantic comedy set in France written and directed by Woody Allen called Midnight in Paris. It stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, Carla Brunbi and Alison Pill. Decent/good cast.

Personally, I haven't really been into the the Woodman's stuff in awhile. The last film I really liked of his was Sweet and Lowdown with Sean Penn and Samantha Morton. But... you do have to see the movie for yourself to make a fair assesment about it. Maybe this one will be different. Thought the trailer really didn't do much for me. But a trailer is a trailer and you can just go by that. The film hits theaters May 20.

Hangover II trailer

I'm sure 80-90% of people who really liked the first film ( which I did as well ) will probably like the sequel. I just have one concern and that's how far they can take the stuff they did in the first film and make it originally funny in the next.
I do feel safe on one prediction for Hangover II though, and that is guarantee that it's going to clean up at the box office and make a ton of cash.

Travolta set to play gangster Gotti

That's right...John Travolta has been tapped to play the " Dapper Don " himself, John Gotti in a flick that will be titled Gotti: Three Generations; that has been written by actor/writer Leo Rossi and will be directed by Nick Cassavetes ( John Q. ) Rumor also is the studio is eyeing James Franco the play Gotti's son John Jr., and the plot of the film with be based on the relationship between father and son.

Happy birthday to Warren Beatty

Actor and old school Lothario Warren Beatty turned 74 today. The man has achieved quite a bit of notoriety in his day...he's a 4 time Oscar nominated actor, a 2 time Oscar nominated director and another 4 time Oscar nominated screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for best director for the phenomenally well done period piece Reds.

He hasn't acted in a film in more than a decade, seemingly to take a back seat to current wife Annette Bening's career, where aptly he seems to be just fine and content with. But if you want to check out some of his best work you can take the opportunity to rent Bonnie and Clyde ( 1967 ) McCabe and Mrs. Miller ( 1971) Shampoo ( 1975 ) Heaven Can Wait ( 1978 ) Reds ( 1981 ) Dick Tracy ( 1990 ) Bugsy ( 1991 ) and a very underrated turn in Bulworth ( 1998 )

Mildred Pierce trailer

Here is just one trailer of the 1945 remake that initially won Joan Crawford the Oscar in Mildred Pierce. It is a 5 part mini-series on HBO debuting this Sunday, starring Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood. Reviews have been good to great so far.

Source Code preview/synopsis

April 1, 2011

Directed by Duncan Jones ( last years Moon & also son of David Bowie ) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Scott Bakula. Wriiten by Ben Richley ( The Watch ) cinematography by Oscar nominee Don Burgess ( Forrest Gump ) edtied by Paul Hirsch ( Mission: Impossible ) Original music by Chris Bacon ( Alpha & Omega )

When decorated airman Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code", a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack, but he eventually falls in love with one of the passengers.

Rated PG-13 for some violence, disturbing images and some language.

Oscar chances ? Most likely not. Release date and genre hurts it's chances, but doesn't mean it won't be a decent flick.

Viggo out of Snow White

Looks like Snow White needs to go on the hunt for another Huntsman—at least for now.

Viggo Mortensen, who has been in protracted negotiations for the part in Universal’s high-flying Snow White and the Huntsman picture, has fallen out of negotiations.

The movie is one of several Snow White projects in active development—and, with star Kristen Stewart and other cast members locked, the one furthest out of the gate.

Commercials helmer Rupert Sanders is making his directorial debut on the Joe Roth-produced pic, which has Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen so far casted.

Negotiations with Mortensen have struggled since the beginning, with insiders claiming the actor asked for $8 million ( really ? ) as well as gross participation. The two sides were so far apart that the dealmaking collapsed at one point, allowing the actor to flirt with playing the villain role in Warner Bros’ new Superman movie.

The project amps up the action quotient from the fairy tale and plays up the relationship between White and the Huntsman. In the new scenario, when she is banished and on the run by the evil queen, the Huntsman takes her under his wing to protect her, and she becomes his protege, learning how to fight and defend herself.

Jodie Foster's The Beaver more complimentary than not

Well...many so called " movie pundit experts " thought because of Mel Gibson's recent ( and even past negative transgressions ) would effect Jodie Foster's movie The Beaver, the first time she has directed in 16 years, would have been been received in a negative light. But so far, most are saying it's a well told tale and that Gibson is good in the role. That's saying a lot, because whether what camp you decide to initially feel about Mel, it must be a halfway decent performance if people that loathe him say he good in the movie. By the way... Anton Yelchin is Jewish.

Super 8 trailer

June 10, 2011

Directed by JJ Abrams ( Star Trek, Lost ) produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Amanda Michalka.

Set in 1979 Ohio, a group of six young children use a Super 8 camera to make their own zombie movie. One night while filming near a remote stretch of railroad tracks, the children witness a truck collide with an oncoming train leading to a catastrophic derailment. Amidst the fire and destruction, something inhuman emerges.

Movie trailers galore

Larry Crowne

July 1, 2011

Directed by Tom Hanks and co-written by Nia Vardalos, starring Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Taraji P. Henson, Pam Grier, Cedric The Entertainer, Wilmer Valderrama.

After Larry Crowne (Hanks), a middle-aged man, is terminated from his job, he goes back to college, where he unexpectedly forms bonds with his fellow students and a romantic relationship with Mercedes Tainot, a professor (Roberts). Hanks's joint screen-writer, Vardalos, also appears in the film in a yet to be revealed role.

More casted to Rock Of Ages movie

Julianne Hough ( pictured ) has been casted as the lead, Sherry, in Rock Of Ages, Adam Shankman's take on the popular Broadway play, that has already casted Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, with rumors of Russell Brand as Lonnie, Mary J. Blige as Justice and now recently reported, Alec Balwin as Dennis.

Hough can currently be seen in Burlesque and will also star in the Footloose remake coming out in October.

Annette Bening's next gig

Well... everyone was wondering what Annette Bening was going to do after her fine Oscar turn in The Kid's Are Alright and it seems she has signed on to be in director Rob Reiner's next film, along side Morgan Freeman, in a film called The Third Act. The premise is about a writer who moves to a rural area and befirends a mother and her young daughter. Not much to gone on yet obviously, but something to keep your eyes and ears open to in the future.

Charlie Sheen canned from Two and A Half Men

Well...I guess it's really no real shocker to anyone that's not under a rock, but the old Charlie " The Machine " Sheen, has been fired from Two and A Half Men. Just a few years ago he was nominated for an Emmy on that show.

What is he doing ? None of us are perfect but he was given a million and a half a freaking episode on the program. That's doing better than 90% of the world. How could that not humble you ?

I sincerely hope the guy gets better because I think he's talented but more so for him and his family. He is so in the lead in many death pools. Now I wonder if they will replace with another actor ?

Happy Hollywood birthday to Rob Reiner

Director Rob Reiner turns 64 today. Do you remember when that guy put out classic after classic. I mean top notch films really. Right out of the gate with cult classic This Is Spinal Tap. Then onto Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men. Then he kind started just makiing average movies.
Let's hope his new project, The Third Act, starring Morgan Freeman and Annette Bening will be of the same quality as those first several films earlier in his directing career.

Good bet on two Oscar locks for next year

I'm not going to go into a big, long diatribe this early about what might be contenders for next years Oscar contenders, but I will say, if I was in Vegas at a sports book, I'd feel very confident that Glenn Close ( for Albert Nobbs ) and Meryl Streep's ( for her Thatcher Iron Lady role ) percentage's at receiving Academy Award nods respectively will be pretty good.

2011 Razzie winners

Here are what many thought were the worst performances/films of 2010 by way of the Golden Rasberry Awards...


Worst Picture

'The Last Airbender'

Worst Actor

Ashton Kutcher, 'Killers' and 'Valentine's Day'

Worst Actress

The Four Gal Pals, 'Sex and the City 2'

Worst Supporting Actor
Jackson Rathbone, 'The Last Airbender' and 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'

Worst Supporting Actress

Jessica Alba, 'The Killer Inside Me,' 'Little Fockers,' 'Machete' and 'Valentine's Day'

"Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-Use of 3-D"

'The Last Airbender'

Worst Screen Couple / Ensemble

The Entire Cast, 'Sex and the City 2'

Worst Director

'The Last Airbender,' M. Night Shyamalan

Worst Screenplay
'The Last Airbender,' M. Night Shyamalan

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
'Sex and the City 2'

Clooney on the set of his new film ( he's directing )

George Clooney and Ryan Golsing on the Miami set of their new film Ides Of March, based on the play Farragut North that was written by Beau Willimon, loosely based on the 2004 Democratic primary campaign of Howard Dean. The script was awarded the 2005 Dayton Playhouse FutureFest award.

The film is billed as "a classic tale of hubris set against a contemporary landscape — about the lust for power and the costs one will endure to achieve it." It is titled after Farragut North, a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Red Line. Farragut North serves downtown Washington and is located just north of Farragut Square near Connecticut Avenue. Willimon chose the name as the station is located in the center of the lobbyist district.

This will be Clooney's third time in the directing chair. The film also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood and Jeffrey Wright. It will be released sometime next year.

The Conspirator trailer

April 15

Here's the trailer for the Robert Redford's true life Lincoln era assassination drama, The Conspirator, starring Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, Justin Long, Toby Kebbell and Stephen Root.

Plot: In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice-President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt: her own son, John (Johnny Simmons).

Director Barry Levinson to direct OKC film

After helming the acclaimed HBO film You Don't Know Jack about famed euthanasia activist Doctor Jack Kevorkian, director Barry Levinson might be reteaming with Al Pacino or even direct a biopic on rights activist Jack Healey. Now we can add another project to his future slate as Variety reports the Rain Man director will take on another real-life story with O.K.C. - a political thriller focusing on the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. At the time, the event was the most destructive terrorist attack on U.S. soil until the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Story details ahead.
According to Wikipedia, the blast claimed 168 lives, including 19 children under the age of 6, injured more than 680 people, destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a sixteen-block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings. The script for the film comes from writer Clay Wold, who took the story from his own brother, and follows a young legal clerk of bomber Timothy McVeigh's defense team who risks everything to expose a larger conspiracy in pursuit of the truth. This sounds like it could very well return Levinson to his better filmmaking with flicks like Good Morning Vietnam or even Wag the Dog.

Personally, I wouldn't waste a dime on a story about that piece of garbage Timothy McVeigh. But what do you guess people will see it.

My finalized Oscar predicitions

2:16 pm...February 27th... Here we go, love it or leave it, here's my Oscar picks...

Picture- The King's Speech
Actor- Colin Firth
Actress- Annette Bening
Supporting Actor-Christian Bale
Supporting Actress- Hailee Stienfeld
Director- Tom Hooper- TKS
Adapted screenplay- Aaron Sorkin- TSN
Original screenplay- David Seidler- TKS
Cinematography- Roger Deakins- TG ( Finally gets his gold statue-he's been nominted 9 times already ! The best in the biz )
Editing- The Social Network ( though wouldn't be surprised if TKS won-because most of the time the best picture winner wins editing as well )
Documentary- Inside Job ( can't believe my favorite movie of the year, The Tillman Story, didn't even get nominated- criminal ! )
Art direction- Inception ( wouldn't be surprised if TKS gets this one too )
Score- TKS ( Alexander Desplat's score truly sets the mood for each scene )
Song- Toy Story 3 ( how could that lose ? )
Costume design- Alice In Wonderland
Foreign language- Biutiful ( though I think the better film is In A Better World )
Makeup- The Wolfman ( Rick Baker is a makeup genuis and how could it lose to those other two ? )
Visual effects-Inception ( the biggest slam dunk of the ceremony )
Sound mixing- Inception
Sound editing- Inception
Animated short film- Night and Day ( my heart says The Gruffalo )
Live action short- Na Wewe

Independent Spirit Award winners

Here are the winners from last nights ceremony ( and the coldest.windiest of all time too ) Natalie Portman was wearing a parka by the end of the night.

Best Picture: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Actor: James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Supporting Actress: Dale Dickey, Winters Bone
Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Best Screenplay: The Kids Are All Right
Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Foreign Film: The King’s Speech
Best First Feature: Get Low
Best First Screenplay: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Truer Than Fiction Award: Marwencol, Jeff Malmberg
Someone to Watch Award: Mike Ott, Littlerock
Producers Award: Anish Savjani, Meek’s Cutoff
Robert Altman Award (ensemble): Please Give
Cassavetes Award: Daddy Longlegs

I guess you could say there were some surprises. I think John Hawkes and Dale Dickey winning in supporting roles caught some people off guard. Black Swan took 4 wins, which means that film dominated the ceremony, with DP Mathrew Libatique also winning for his fine lensing. Happy to see some recognition go Darren Aronofsky's way. He's a talented filmmaker. Amazing that film was made for a paltry 10 million and has grossed over 100. The film was slow to get going because lack of funds, but we know how the people that financed that film are feeling today. They made a 90 million profit !

Hall Pass Trailer

Out this weekend. May take a chance on it if I'm bored before the Oscar's. At the same time, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was slightly Owen Wilson'd out. But... you have to see it for yourself to make an honest assessment and sometimes a flick you didn't think would float your boat, ends up totally changing your mind. Ya just never know.

Bad Teacher trailer

June 24 2011

Directed by Jake Kasdan ( Walk Hard ) and starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch and John Michael Higgins.

Usually this isn't the type of comedy I go for...but I think given the right kind of material, Diaz has comedic chops, as everyone should remember from There's Something About Mary. So, I feel more positive about this than I usually would with crude humor genre comedies. Obviously I could be way off, because you can never gauge a flick from it's trailer, but if anything, I was feeling something naturally funny eminating from Cameron. And I thought Walk Hard showed good promise from the young filmmaker Kasdan ( good roots; son of director Lawrence )

The Adjustment Bureau premise/synopsis

March 4

Screenwriter Goerge Tolfi ( Oceans Twelve, The Sentinal ) makes his directorial debut starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slaterry, Terence Stamp, Shoherah Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly. Cinematography by Oscar winner John Toll ( Braveheart )Editing by Jay Robinowitz and score by multiple Oscar nominee Thomas Newman ( American Beauty, Road To Perdition )

The story is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story "Adjustment Team", and features a smooth-talking congressman whose political future is thrown in doubt by uncontrollable events and the arrival of a mysterious woman in his life.

Matt Damon plays David Norris, a former Fordham University basketball player and charismatic United States Congressman who seems destined for national political stardom. He meets a beautiful modern dancer named Elise Sallas, played by Emily Blunt, only to find that strange circumstances keep them from becoming romantically involved. Norris discovers forces are at work to separate them, and he peels the layers to find out why. The action takes place in various places in Manhattan.

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and violent images. 124 min.

Oscar chances ? Not likely, but you never know. Toll is a well respected cinematographer.

Liberace film pushed backed till next year

Originally set to shoot this summer, Steven Sodebergh’s Liberace biopic starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon has been pushed back to summer 2011. Filming was delayed when Soderbergh decided to go forward with the world-spanning thriller Contagion instead (which will also star Damon as well as Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard to name a few in the all-star cast).
Now, according to the Las Vegas Sun [via The Playlist], filming has been slightly delayed, but Damon says he’s still on board to play Liberace’s lover Scott Thorson and Douglas is still set to play Liberace. In the meantime, after Soderbergh finishes filming Contagion, he will fast track his take in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., then start work on Liberace.

Hesher trailer

April 2011

After the tragic loss of his mother, T.J. (Devin Brochu) and his pill popping father (Rainn Wilson) are forced to live with T.J.'s elderly grandmother (Piper Laurie). A young man with a troubled past named Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) assumes the role as both mentor and tormentor, leading T.J into troubles he could never have imagined. A young grocery clerk named Nicole (Natalie Portman) steps in to protect T.J., and becomes the object of T.J.'s fantasies, while Hesher moves into Grandma's home. Although uninvited, he is somehow accepted.

New pic of Meryl as Margret Thatcher

Here's a new photo of Meryl Streep, in one of the most anticipated roles for 2011, as Margaret Thatcher in the new film, The Iron Lady. Uncanny resemblence actually. Really looking forward to this project.

Scorsese back to Silence

It looks like legendary director Martin Scorsese's next project will be 'Silence', his pet project he has been wanting to adapt for years.

The Good Fellas/Taxi Driver/The Departed filmmaker was recently reattached to work on 'The Wolf of Wall Street' - which follows the rise and fall of stock broker Jordan Belfort and is set to star Leonardo DiCaprio - but his publicist has confirmed that he will take on 'Silence' first. This makes sense, as he has been publicly giving props to to the novel for a long time and dreaming to make a movie out of it.

The drama focuses on two 17th century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and preach about Christianity.

'Silence' has been in development since 2006 and was due to star Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garcia Bernal, though it is unclear as yet whether they are still involved in the project because of projects they are tied to as of now..

Age of Innocence and Gangs Of New York writer Jay Cocks is adapting the script from Shusaku Endo's original book.

Though it will be the director's next project, start dates are not yet known but he first needs to complete postproduction on his Paris-set fable 'Hugo Cabret'.

Work on 'The Wolf of Wall Street' - which had previously set to be directed by Ridley Scott - is scheduled to begin in June 2012. Good news to hear for both projects !