The Results for the Academy Idol Top 5!

Joey here, standing in for Clay, and presenting the video that may, or may not, surprise everone:

-Thoughts?

Since the Super Bowl is tomorrow...

Figured I'd throw it out there and ask who you ladies and gents are rooting for in the big game. I myself am a Jet fan, so obviously my team is never going to be in another Super Bowl, but this year I'm going with the Arizona Cardinals and their great offense and decent defense to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers, with their fair offense and overwhelming defense. But that's just me.

-Who do you think will come away with the Lombardi Trophy tomorrow? And also, enjoy Bruce Springsteen's halftime show!

WALL-E Gets Shut Out At The Animation Awards!

Shocking stuff, and here's Variety's take on the matter:

“Kung Fu Panda” kicked considerable butt at the 36th annual Annie Awards on Friday night, shutting out the competition to win every feature-related category the international animation society ASIFA offers — and then some, earning additional kudos for its videogame and “Secrets of the Furious Five” short film tie-ins.
Fifteen-category victory marks a coup for DreamWorks Animation, which hasn’t seen one of its CG features take the Annies’ top prize since 2002 (though they did share the stage with Aardman three years back for stop-motion “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”), especially since the show has correctly forecast the Academy’s taste all but once since the Oscars introduced its feature animation category.
“Kung Fu Panda’s” fellow Oscar nominees, “Wall-E” and “Bolt,” went home empty-handed, but the evening was not without suspense, even as the pattern emerged: In some cases, “Panda” contributors faced off againsts one another in such categories as character animation and production design, and Dustin Hoffman beat co-stars James Hong and and Ian McShane for his voice acting contributions to the animated martial arts comedy.
Favorites emerged in the smallscreen categories as well, with “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II” snagging three awards, “Avatar” taking two and “Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs” earning the org’s home entertainment trophy.
The group spread the love among shorts, favoriting Aardman’s latest Wallace and Gromit short, “A Matter of Loaf and Death,” for its main prize, while celebrating individual contributions associated with Disney-produced “Glago’s Ghost” and DreamWorks’ “Secrets of the Furious Five.”
PRODUCTION
Animated Feature“Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Animated Home Entertainment Production“Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs,” The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Animated Short Subject“Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death,” Aardman Animations Ltd.
Animated Television CommercialUnited Airlines “Heart,” Duck Studios
Animated Television Production “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II,” ShadowMachine
Animated Television Production Produced for Children“Avatar: The Last Airbender,” Nickelodeon
Animated Video Game“Kung Fu Panda,” Activision
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Animated EffectsLi-Ming Lawrence Lee “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Character Animation in a Feature ProductionJames Baxter “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Character Animation in a Television Production or Short FormPierre Perifel “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation
Character Design in an Animated Feature ProductionNico Marlet, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Character Design in an Animated Television Production or Short FormNico Marlet, “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation
Directing in an Animated Feature ProductionJohn Stevenson & Mark Osborne, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Directing in an Animated Television Production or Short FormJoaquim Dos Santos, “Avatar: The Last Airbender: Sozin’s Comet Pt. 3,” Nickelodeon
Music in an Animated Feature ProductionHans Zimmer & John Powell, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Music in an Animated Television Production or Short FormHenry Jackman, Hans Zimmer & John Powell, “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation
Production Design in an Animated Feature ProductionTang Heng, “Kung Fu Panda” – DreamWorks Animation
Production Design in an Animated Television Production or Short FormTang Heng, “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature ProductionJen Yuh Nelson, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production or Short FormChris Williams, “Glago’s Guest,” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature ProductionDustin Hoffman, Voice of Shifu, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production or Short FormAhmed Best, Voice of Jar Jar Binks, “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II,” ShadowMachine
Writing in an Animated Feature ProductionJonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation
Writing in an Animated Television Production or Short FormTom Root, Douglas Goldstein, Hugh Davidson, Mike Fasolo, Seth Green, Dan Milano, Matthew Senreich, Kevin Shinick, Zeb Wells, Breckin Meyer, “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II,” ShadowMachine

-While I doubt this means anything for the Oscars, it still is annoying to see...thoughts?

Trailer for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Matthew McConaughey gets another romantic comedy vehicle:

-I'd completely write this off except that it's directed by Mark Waters, who helmed the excellent Mean Girls, and might be able to breathe some life into this, but time will tell...

Slumdog wins the Scripter...like there was ever any doubt?

Yes, the expected win went down, and here's the LA Times with a quick story on it:

"Slumdog Millionaire" won the USC Libraries 22nd annual Scripter Award on Friday evening.The Scripter honors both the author and the screenwriter of the year's best book-to-film adaptation. This year's award went to Vikas Swarup, the author of "Q&A," and Simon Beaufoy, who adapted Swarup's book for the screen as "Slumdog Millionaire."
The other four finalists were "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Iron Man.""Slumdog," which swept the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards, has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards and is considered a favorite to win the best picture Oscar at the awards ceremony, to be held Feb. 22 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.Michael Chabon ("Wonder Boys") received the Scripter Literary Achievement Award.
The winners were announced at a ceremony at USC's Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library. Jamie Lee Curtis was the host.

-The march continues...

Poster for Crossing Over

-This gets an A for effort, but until the film comes out, I still won't make any claims to it being awards bait or not..

Wal-mart Hates Porno...Kevin Smith style

Is it just me, or is it pretty ridiculous that the chain won't sell Zack and Miri Make a Porno in its stores because of the word Porno, making for an alternate DVD cover release, as Variety notes:

Poor Harvey Weinstein just can't catch a break. The Kevin Smith comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" was supposed to catapult both Smith and the Weinstein Co. into the Judd Apatowian stratosphere; instead, the $24 million production earned just $37 million worldwide. Now hopes of a rich and fruitful afterlife are being threatened by one of the nation's largest DVD sales outlets.
Wal-Mart won't carry the "p" word in its stores and has forced Weinstein to create new DVD covers that say simply, "Zack and Miri." As a result, a raunchy sex comedy about two friends who try to reverse their financial condition by producing a porn movie now sounds like a gentle romance between two retirees, possibly one of Hal Ashby's lesser works only now being released by Criterion.
While the garrulous Smith may be delusional on occasion ("I'm just so shocked that the word 'porno' meant that much to people in terms of, like, they found it insanely offensive and don't want to see it on display," he tells Victoria Ahearn), he nonetheless has a point: "Some Wal-Mart-er could buy it and think: 'Oh, 'Zack and Miri,' looks lovely,' and pop it in and there's ... some pretty graphic stuff."
"Zack and Miri" DVDs, with and without the porno, will go on sale Feb. 2.

-So you can buy the unrated version of SAW, and you can buy Zack and Miri, in which 2 friends make a porno, but you can't buy Zack and Miri Make a Porno? Seems insane and mildly deceptive to me. Kevin Smith has a right to be a little upset over this (as he's written on his message board a bit about it). Only in Wal-Mart's America I guess...

Wolverine Gets His Own Poster

The supposed first of the X-Men: Origins stories, this could be incredibly cool, or a big misfire...

Paul Blart Has A Terrible Secret...

Taking a quick break from the awards focus, here's a priceless video that's been circulating the web. I'll let it speak for itself:

- I really kind of want to see this movie now...

Anyone still hurting from the Springsteen snub...

Lovers of the song "The Wrestler" now have at least a small reason to rejoice. Springsteen's new album came out this week and has The Wrestler as a bonus track. So just because the Academy didn't dig it, it doesn't mean we can't...oh, and the album is awesome too, but it's The Boss, so it's to be expected.

The Case for "Benjamin Button"

Pretty good read from the Carpetbagger (NYtimes).

State of Play gets an all too common poster

There's that damn "faces in a box" style again...blast!

Viola Davis Gets a Post-Nomination Gig!

From Variety:

Oscar nominee Viola Davis has joined psychological thriller "Law Abiding Citizen" alongside Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler.
F. Gary Gray is directing the pic, which began shooting Jan. 21 in Philadelphia, for the Film Department.
It's set for domestic release in 2010 with Overture handling.
Story focuses on a man who, 10 years after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, returns to exact justice from the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case against their killers.
Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney and Regina Hall have also joined the cast.
Film Department co-topper Mark Gill and Butler are producing with Lucas Foster, Alan Siegel and Kurt Wimmer. The Film Department's Neil Sacker, Robert Katz and Michael Goguen exec produce, with Jeff Waxman co-producing.

-Good for her!

Poster for I Love You, Man

Very plain, I know, but at least it doesn't resort to putting each face in individual boxes like every other film seems to...

Trailer for Sugar, the follow-up for the team behind Half Nelson

Yes indeed, the writer/directors of Ryan Gosling's Oscar nominated flick have the trailer out for their new character study, which was well regarded at Sundance last year:

-I loved Half Nelson, and am a huge baseball fan, so this is looking pretty good for me. Seems like Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden are the resident indie royalty at intimate character studies...

Narnia Relocates...

...to the Fox lot, as this article in Variety says:

One month after Disney decided to pull the plug on co-financing the third movie in Walden Media's "Chronicles of Narnia" series, Walden has found a new partner in 20th Century Fox.
Fox, which was entitled to first crack at "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" after Disney dropped out because of the shared Fox Walden marketing and distribution label, has made a commitment to develop the project. The two sides are still working out budget and script issues, but the hope is to shoot the film at the end of summer for a holiday 2010 release through the Fox Walden label.
Fox 2000 will spearhead development and production matters from the Fox front. Topper Elizabeth Gabler had pursued the "Narnia" franchise but was beaten out by Walden. The Century City studio seems to be an ideal fit for the "Narnia" books given that it's been looking for a family-friendly, lit-based franchise for years -- Fox 2000's "Eragon" failed to catch on with audiences and died after one installment.
Fox and Walden will split production and P&A costs for "Dawn Treader," which is projected to go into production at a $140 million budget. That's considerably less than the $215 million or so spent on last year's "Prince Caspian," which was considered something of a box office disappointment as compared with the first "Narnia" pic, 2005's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" ($419 million vs. $745 million worldwide, respectively).
Still, "Caspian," which is considered the least commercially appealing of the seven C.S. Lewis "Narnia" novels, ranked No. 10 in global box office performance last year. "Dawn Treader" is considered to be a more family film-friendly book, and the goal is to get back to the magical aspects present in the first "Narnia" pic but mostly absent from "Prince Caspian."
Ultimately, Fox's commitment to the summer start date is contingent upon Walden's selection of a writer. Richard LaGravanese penned the most recent draft that both Walden and Fox were happy with, but there's a question about his availability because he has been adapting Sara Gruen's bestseller "Water for Elephants" for Fox 2000.
After budget and script concerns are settled, Fox and Walden are expected to greenlight the film. The intention is to move the production away from Mexico, where, ironically, it was going to be shot at the Fox-owned Baja facility called Rosarito used for "Titanic" and "Master and Commander." "Dawn Treader" will instead likely shoot in Australia because of concerns for the drug violence and kidnappings that are taking place near Baja.
Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley are reprising their roles as Caspian, Edmund and Lucy, respectively. New to the production is Will Poulter ("Son of Rambo"), who will portray Eustace Clarence Scrubb. Pic is being directed by Michael Apted, with Mark Johnson and Andrew Adamson producing.

-We'll see if there's any change in quality...time will tell...thoughts?

One Last Poster for "Watchmen"

Can't wait for March to come around, and not just because I'll be turning 22 (the Friday after Watchmen comes out in fact)

Thank Goodness, It Was All A Dream...

So it would seem that Joaquin Phoenix's recently depressing foray into rap may be less delusional tragedy and more inspired comedy. Entertainment Weekly has the scoop:

Two people close to Joaquin Phoenix tell EW that the actor's recent attempt to reinvent himself as a rapper is not what it appears to be.

Ever since the actor announced he was ditching his career in movies to try to make it as a rap artist, speculation has flown wildly about what, exactly, the two-time Oscar nominee might be thinking. Following his widely panned three-song debut as a rapper at a Las Vegas nightclub on Jan. 16 -- a shambling performance that concluded with the actor falling off the stage -- two competing theories emerged: Either Phoenix is perpetrating an elaborate Andy Kaufman-style hoax (with an assist from his friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck, who's ostensibly shooting a documentary about his career transition), or he's truly lost his marbles. The truth, it seems, is closer to the former. "He said, 'It's a put-on. I'm going to pretend to have a meltdown and change careers, and Casey is going to film it,'" says one source who recently worked with Phoenix.

Though Phoenix's interest in music is sincere (he earned Oscar and Grammy nominations for his turn as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and has directed several music videos), with this supposed career reboot he is evidently trying to both lampoon pompous actors and punk the media that covers them. Whatever his motivation or ultimate endgame, don't expect him to break character anytime soon. "It's an art project for him," says a source. "He's going full out. He probably has told his reps that he's quit acting. Joaquin is very smart. This is very conscious. He has a huge degree of control."

-Well that's a relief. I suspected such a brilliant performer wouldn't let himself sink so low on purpose. What're your thoughts?

John Updike Passes Away

Here's the article in the New York Daily News:

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, who gave prominent voice to the angst of white men and the changes in sexual mores in post war America died Tuesday at 76.
His publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, annouced that Updike, who lived in Beverly Farms, Mass., died of lung cancer.
Updike’s best-selling novels about Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom are often considered the quintessential portrait of the American male in the late 20th century.
In addition to his fiction, Updike wrote literary essays, poetry and art criticism as well as children’s books. For much of his career he turned out a book a year. In addition to the four novels in the Rabbit series (two of which won Pulitzer Prizes), he wrote three novels about a blocked Jewish writer named Bech, starting with "Bech, A Book."
Updike’s first runaway bestseller was the 1968 "Couples," a look at the new, uninhibited sexuality of suburban America. His fiction ranged far beyond the contemporary middle class life of his best known novels though.
He wrote about post-colonial Africa in "The Coup" (1978), the Tristan myth in the 1994 "Brazil" and the failed presidency of his fellow Pennsylvanian James Buchanan in the 1974 play "Buchanan Dying" and the 1992 novel "Memoirs of the Ford Administration."
His last novel to win widespread acclaim was his "prequel" to "Hamlet," the 2000 "Gertrude and Claudius."
John Hoyer Updike was born March 18, 1932 in the northeastern Pennsylvania town of Reading. He spent most of his early years in nearby Shillington. His mother, who had wanted to be a writer herself, encouraged her son to write.
Updike applied to Harvard because he wanted to write for its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon.
He received a full scholarship and, as a senior, was president of the Lampoon, to which he had initially contributed cartoons.
During that academic year in England with his first wife, Mary Pennington, 1954-55, their first daughter was born. While there he also met E.B. and Katharine White, influential figures at The New Yorker, in whose pages he had already published a poem and a short story.
The Whites encouraged him to apply for a staff position, which he received.
On returning to the States, he spent two years in New York, working as a staff writer at The New Yorker. On the birth of a son, in 1957, he decided to forego a steady salary, work on fiction full time and move his family to Massachusetts.
His fictions and reviews have frequently appeared in the magazine over the years.
He settled in Ipswich, which became the model for the town in "Couples."
He lived there until 1974, when he separated from his wife and moved to Boston, where he taught at Boston University. In 1977 he married Martha Ruggles Bernhard.
Two of his novels were turned into movies -- "Rabbit, Run," which starred James Caan, and the 1984 "The Witches of Eastwick," which starred Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Most recently he published a sequel "The Widows of Eastwick."
He received the National Medal of Art from President George H.W. Bush in 1989 and the National Medal for the Humanities from President George W. Bush in 2003.
Very few writers have received both these awards.

-Rest in Peace...

Oscar Talk on Charlie Rose

Fellow Duke law graduate, Charlie Rose, speaks with A.O. Scott and David Denby about the 81st Oscar nominations.

Producers Announced for The Reader

There will actually be 4 producers, a slight change of pace, as this story in Variety tells us:

The Academy announced Tuesday that Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris are nominated producers for best-pic contender "The Reader" -- the first time in a decade that the org has acknowledged that many producers on one film.
When the noms were announced last Thursday, the org had "TBD" in place of a list of the film's producers.
Decision marks the first test of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' new ruling on producer eligibility.
A decade ago, the org declared that a maximum of three producers would be eligible, meaning such contenders as "The Lord of the Rings" films had to winnow their list down.
But after protests over the exclusion of producers from 2006's "Little Miss Sunshine," the Acad decided that three is the max except in "a rare and extraordinary circumstance."
In a statement, the Academy said, "In the end, the committee determined that the circumstances of 'The Reader' -- in which the two original producers (Minghella and Pollack) both died partway through the process -- met its definition of 'rare and extraordinary' and that all four submitted individuals should be named as nominees."
Gigliotti said she thought "it was a fair decision, and I supported Redmond's credit from the get-go. This film certainly qualified under the extraordinary rule, given the deaths of its two original producers."
The Acad implemented its three-producers-or-fewer rule following the best picture win of 1998's "Shakespeare in Love," when a platoon of producers, including Gigliotti, marched onto the stage.
In 2005, Bob Yari sued his fellow producers when his name was omitted from the list of "Crash" producers; that case was later dismissed.
In 2006, two of "Little Miss Sunshine's" three producers were omitted from the Academy's list of best picture nominees.
This year, when the Acad listed "The Reader's" producers as TBD, many speculated that the film's onetime producer Scott Rudin was making a bid to be reinstated. Rudin had his name removed from the movie's credits following a nasty battle with the film's backer, Harvey Weinstein, over the release date.
The Academy Awards will be held Feb. 22 at Hollywood's Kodak Theater.

-Glad that's settled, now onto the business of it losing to Slumdog...

Plan "C" for The A-Team?

C as in Carnahan, Joe...new director of The A-Team, as The Hollywood Reporter details:

Fox's big-screen version of "A-Team" looks to be finally coming together. Joe Carnahan is in negotiations to helm the action movie with Ridley and Tony Scott's shingle Scott Free coming on board as producers. Stephen J. Cannell, who co-created the show, is also producing.The trek to bring "A-Team" to the big screen has been a long one, with various actors, directors and writers landing on it before springing off of it. John Singleton was last attached, but ultimately left after casting issues stalled the project.Carnahan, meanwhile, has been facing challenges with his passion projects that were to have been follow-ups to his kinetic movies "Smokin' Aces" and "Narc." "White Jazz" was muted when it encountered casting and financing issues. "Bunny Lake Is Missing" disappeared when star Reese Witherspoon hopped away. Fox is betting this is the right combination, setting a June 11, 2010, release date for the feature, which is written by Skip Woods. Carnahan seems like an ideal candidate for "A-Team," which told the adventures of a group of US Army Special Forces who are on the run for a crime they didn't commit. The team included Hannibal, the leader whose favorite line was "I love it when plan comes together; Face, a ladies man; Howling Mad Murdock, an unstable pilot; and B.A. Baracus, the surly muscle (B.A. stands for "Bad Attitude").The 1980s series became a pop cultural phenomenon, with the theme song played by high school bands across the continent, made a star out of Mr. T, who played Baracus, and unleashed a slew of catchphrases onto the public.Carnahan's gritty and grounded action style would be well-complemented by the Scotts. Tony Scott practically invented MTV-style shooting with his slick movies, ranging from "Top Gun" to "Man on Fire," while Ridley Scott's oeuvre, with such titles as "Gladiator," "Black Hawk Down" and "Body of Lies," is equally muscular.

-Carnahan is an interesting director, so this has become a curiousity to me...thoughts?

There's No Lack of Choice on DVD This Week

Yes my friends, this week we have a rich assortment of films for just about any mood. A few of the flicks here are really good, but luckily none of them are as abysmally bad as some of the releases in weeks past. Before that though, we must name the PICK OF THE WEEK. It's been referred to as a "return to form" for its director (making it between his 5th or 6th it seems). It's:

Vicky Christina Barcelona

This romantic comedy/drama from Woody Allen is his best since Match Point, and perhaps better than that. It may be light on plot, but it's heavy on charm. It has some of his most beautiful visuals ever, and strong performances across the board from Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, and Oscar nominee Penelope Cruz. It's very good entertainment, and well worth picking up if you're a Woody fan, a fan of any of the cast, Barcelona, or just good film in general.

-Another film of good quality out on DVD this week is the criminally underseen The Lucky Ones. Directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist), it's technically an Iraq film, which contributed to its pitiful box office, but it's more about people coming home and forming an unlikely bond on a road trip. It's a film that blurs the lines between comedy and drama rather well. It's not a masterpiece, but it's pretty good nonetheless and well worth your time.

-Also out are two cop films that take place on opposite coasts, but share one thing in common...terrible endings. Lakeview Terrance has Sam Jackson as a racist cop trying to kick out the interracial couple next door, and Pride and Glory deals with NYPD corruption and betrayals in a family of cops. Both films are above average for the first 90% of their running times, but both suffer greatly with their awful climaxes. If you can put up with a bit of disappointment at the end, both are worth checking out.

-On the side of less quality we have RocknRolla, Guy Ritchie's best crime film in a while, but that's damning with faint praise, the F grade worthy comedy College, Rainn Wilson's generic underdog flick The Rocker, and the "inspirational" film Fireproof, which only inspired me to attempt and forget the movie ever existed.

-My Vintage pick this week is in recognition for Danny Boyle's Oscar nod for Slumdog Millionaire. It's his previous film Sunshine. It's actually an apt pick because like certain other films mentioned here, it has an issue with its ending that keeps it from being a masterpiece, but even so, it still is an incredible sci-fi film based more in reality than most. It even works in a bit of a science vs god aspect, but it overall is just a smart and thrilling piece of cinema.

-What will you guys and girls be watching this week?

Spielberg's installment of Tintin gets a cast!

Yes, part one of the planned trilogy (with part two being directed by Peter Jackson) has some cast details, curtosy of Variety:

Steven Spielberg has set his cast for "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," the first installment in the 3-D motion-capture trilogy that Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment are co-financing.
"Billy Elliot" thesp Jamie Bell will star as the titular character, an intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure. Daniel Craig will co-star as the nefarious Red Rackham.
Film, which has been cloaked in secrecy during pre-production, has begun principal production in Los Angeles. It is set for release in 2011.
Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have already boarded the project. Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook will round out the cast.
Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy are producing the film, which is based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, also known by his pen name, Herge. Nick Rodwell, Stephane Sperry and Ken Kamins exec produce.
Paramount will release domestically, in all English-speaking territories and in Asia, excluding India. Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. will distribute in continental Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and the rest of the world.
Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish wrote the screenplay.
Jackson is attached to direct the second feature in the series.

-Seems cool enough, but time will tell...thoughts?

Trailer for the Sundance flick "Bronson"

This had some great buzz, and here is the trailer:

-Well, it's certainly different...

Mickey Rourke to actually wrestle...really good or really bad idea?

Yes, Rourke is supposedly going to be performing at World Wrestling Entertainment's (ah, the good old days when it was simply the WWF) Wrestlemainia event. I put this to you, our faithful readers...thumbs up or thumbs down on this idea? And furthermore, will this news hurt his chances at an Oscar? Discuss!

Neil LaBute Gets Happy?

Apparently his biting work like In The Company of Men and The Shape of Things are relics of the past, as this story in Variety expounds:

Helmer Neil LaBute has inked a two-picture deal with Screen Gems. The first project will reteam the director with his "Nurse Betty" star Chris Rock for a remake of 2007 British comedy "Death at a Funeral."
LaBute, who most recently directed the Samuel L. Jackson starrer "Lakeview Terrace" for the genre label, has also signed on to helm the romantic comedy "Here Comes the Sun" for Screen Gems.
The American-set "Death at a Funeral," which was penned by Rock and Aeysha Carr, revolves around a dysfunctional family that gathers for the patriarch's funeral. Tensions rise and old conflicts are uncovered.
Sidney Kimmel is producing the film alongside former Sidney Kimmel Entertainment production topper William Horberg. Rock, Share Stallings and Laurence Malkin will also serve as producers. Jim Tauber is exec producing.
Nina Coleman wrote "Here Comes the Sun," whose plot details are being kept under wraps. Brad Epstein ("Dan in Real Life") is producing via his Panther Films shingle.
LaBute's film directing credits include "In the Company of Men." He also is an accomplished playwright, and his "Reasons to Be Pretty" will premiere on Broadway in March, marking the first Broadway debut of a LaBute play.

-Death at a Funeral is a rather funny english black comedy, and I'm a bit curious to see what Chris Rock does with it...

Academy Idol: Top 5 (Oscar Nominations Week)

Who will be eliminated next? Predict the Bottom Two.

Poster for The Informers

Downloading Nancy Trailer

Rough stuff, but could have some memorable performances in it:

-Maria Bello FYC?

More Tales of the Economy Affecting Movies

From Variety, including a potentially annoying bit about Marvel lowballing Mickey Rourke with their offer for him to play the villain in Iron Man 2:

Last fall, studios were bullish with plans to put 40 or more films in production to fill 2010 and 2011 slates.
The majors might still meet that goal, but it hardly feels like a bull market so far.
Studios are proceeding cautiously as they wait for the SAG dispute to play itself out. And they are using economic hard times to slash talent salaries to the point where, even when the business is back, it won’t nearly be the same as it used to be. They are working through the volume of pre-strike films they put into production in early 2008 and are still in need of product for 2010 and especially 2011.
"Studios are telling us, we need movies, but they want us to proceed with projects without spending money, and without actually pulling the trigger and making commitments," said one studio-based producer with projects in limbo. "Producers have been wedged into this netherworld where it’s like hurry up and wait."
An unanticipated aspect of the preparations to line studio slates is the bruising negotiations now associated with every picture, as studios seize on talent salaries and gross participation as items in the budget that are not fixed costs, and where they finally have some leverage.
"Box office has been strong, but many of us feel that studios are using the strike and the economy as an excuse to get into long-desired conversations about gross and final cut," one agent said. "Talent and their unions opened a Pandora’s box, and it feels (as if) there is a new world order out there. You hope the business will get back to normal, but we fear this may be the norm."
Unless you’re Will Smith, Johnny Depp or a handful of others, nobody is earning their quote right now, said dealmakers. Stories of tough negotiations are widespread: Disney asked Nicolas Cage to cut his price on the next "National Treasure" sequel, and that same studio cut loose a third "Chronicles of Narnia" film.
Then there is comeback kid Mickey Rourke, who is poised to follow his Golden Globe-winning performance in "The Wrestler" with an offer to play the main villain in "Iron Man 2" — but at a lowball opening offer of $250,000 from Marvel; Marvel’s tactics have already prompted Samuel L. Jackson to swear off playing Nick Fury because of a similarly low offer.
And the stars of "Twilight," Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, who are still in talks, will likely cash low-seven-figure upfront paychecks for sequel "New Moon." They likely won’t, however, be allowed to sink their fangs into first-dollar gross as they hoped. That film’s financier, Summit, hasn’t yet paid first-dollar gross and sells off its foreign territories. One possible compromise is bonuses pegged to box office performance.
Dealmakers said studios that once bought projects that could be bait for movie stars now prefer high concepts that don’t require big stars and directors with their big paychecks. The perfect example is "Twilight," which became a big hit despite the lack of bankable stars.
"There is no such thing as a quote anymore," said one agency chief. "You tell them your client’s quote; they smile and say, ‘Here is the offer.’ Even when you agree on a deal, it’s harder to get the trigger pulled, with more signoffs than in the past."
In every segment of the film community, the current feeling of paralysis brings with it a high level of anxiety. Studio executives, under orders from above, are driving the hardest deals in memory and eviscerating the backend deals of stars and directors (who are also being challenged on final cut). Writers have been cut to a fraction of the quotes they received before the WGA strike.
Those execs, in turn, don’t just worry about strong slates. They are as concerned with margins, and they fret over the possibility that the economic downturn will force New York and other locations to reconsider government-mandated discounts to shoot films there. State budgets, after all, are being cut to austerity levels.
Agents, who urged clients to be patient until studios ramped back up their production machines, now have to go back and explain why those clients are getting haircuts on every deal. Already, several veterans have moved to other agencies; that list includes thesps Anthony Hopkins, William Hurt, Kurt Russell, Jessica Lange and Antonio Banderas; directors such as David O. Russell; and writers including Jose Rivera.
Lit agents who last year attributed lowball writer offers to studio bitterness over the 100-day writers strike now feel that discounts are permanent. Writers who once got $500,000 for a script and a set of revisions now receive $300,000 for a draft, with no guarantee they’ll be asked back for a second pass. The spec script, pitch and book markets have been sluggish.
Even a spirited bidding battle like last week’s auction for Isaac Asimov’s "Foundation" trilogy resulted in only a mid-six-figure upfront against low seven figures. That property would have drawn a sure-fire seven-figure upfront payday a few years ago considering that directors Roland Emmerich and Alex Proyas were attached to bids.
Producers are feeling just as antsy, as they struggle to pull pictures together for the studios that fund their first-look deals, afraid their pacts will be the next to get cut.
"Business models and budgets are changing, and agencies have had to face the fact that studios are no longer doing the deals they once were willing to make with artists," one studio production chief said.
That is not to say that all the news is gloomy as Hollywood digs back in.
Movies are still being put together, sometimes collegially. Fox, for example, sewed up deals with Steve Carell, Tina Fey and director Shawn Levy to team on "Date Night," a comedy made possible when WB deferred to the wishes of Carell (who berthed his film production company at the studio). Lingering bitterness with Fox over "Watchmen" didn’t drive WB to be spiteful.
Disney’s snub hasn’t ended Walden Media’s quest to mount a third "Narnia" installment. Fox has first crack at the series, but every other major studio is waiting for a shot at co-financing the movie if Fox doesn’t.
The film will also be at least $50 million cheaper than the $200 million "Prince Caspian," even factoring in a move to Australia from Baja to avoid being in the crosshairs of the drug-related violence that has beset Mexico.
Studios are also pointing to the Jim Carrey deal on the Warner Bros. comedy "Yes Man" as evidence that risk-sharing deals can pay off.
Many were skeptical when Carrey gave up his usual upfront salary to become an equity investor in the film and deferred his backend salary until breakeven. Despite the severe weather that hampered the opening weekend gross of "Yes Man," Carrey got paid his upfront salary within the film’s first week by WB brass grateful for the aggressive way he promoted it.
He had the incentive to hustle, because the better the film did, the more he earns. "Yes Man" is expected to gross $200 million worldwide. By forgoing his usual salary that brought a $75 million comedy down to $53 million, Carrey become a 33% investor.
His gross position on the backend is applied to the usual pot of DVD revenues that stars access. Studios will be pressing big stars to make similar deals that trigger compensation after studios recoup their negative costs — a trend that has been building in the past several years.

-The Rourke news is the most annoying to me, but this whole thing is a bit depressing...

All About Steve Trailer

Sandra Bullock does comedy again:

-And now, a resounding...meh

Liveblogging the SAG Winners

I'll be LIVE Blogging, updating the winners on this post. It will be edited through the night. Enjoy and refresh your page!

Best Ensemble - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor - Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress - Meryl Streep, Doubt

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Actor (TV Movie or Mini-Series) - Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Best Actress (TV Movie or Mini-Series) - Laura Linney, John Adams

Best Ensemble (Drama Series) - Mad Men

Best Actress (Drama Series) - Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters

Best Actor (Drama Series) - Hugh Laurie, House

Best Supporting Actress - Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Ensemble (Comedy Series) - 30 Rock (man, a little one-sided this season, isn't it?)

Best Actor (Comedy Series) - Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Actress (Comedy Series) - Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Lifetime Achievement Award - James Earl Jones

3/5 for me.

4/5 for the site.

Here are my personal predictions:

Best Ensemble - Milk

Best Actor - Frank Langella

Best Actress - Meryl Streep

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Actress - Kate Winslet

Official Oscar Poster!

No.

Yes.

Source.

Slumdog Wins PGA

According to Sasha Stone of Awards Daily, by way of David Carr, Slumdog won the PGA for best picture.

Here are some other winners:

Wall-E, animated
Man on Wire - doc
John Adams - miniseries
30 Rock - comedy
Mad Men - drama, TV

Full list to come soon.

Even David Fincher is Hurt by the Economy

Well, his next movie more than anything else, as The Hollywood Reporter states:

This is how tight industry purse strings have become: You can deliver a $100 million-plus critical success that secures a baker's dozen Oscar nominations, and your next green light is still no sure thing.So it is with Oscar-nominated director David Fincher and "Torso," a project Paramount has had on its docket since January 2006 that has drawn interest from stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. But even with the success of Fincher's recent "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the studio allowed the rights option on "Torso's" underlying graphic novel to lapse, leaving the project in limbo. The "Torso" graphic novel was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Andreyko. It's a crime thriller that tells the true story of Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness' time after his Al Capone days.The comic was first optioned by "Spawn" creator Todd McFarlane, who had Bendis and Andreyko pen their own script at Dimension. Later, producer Don Murphy came on board and went to producer Bill Mechanic and his Pandemonium shingle, which brought in Fincher, who made "Fight Club" when Mechanic was head of Fox. In early 2006, they took the package to Paramount, which hired Ehren Kruger to adapt it.Last month, Paramount's ability to extend the rights option as part of the original deal expired, which would have then required the studio to purchase the rights outright to retain them -- a price the studio apparently was unwilling to shell out. While the studio still owns Kruger's screenplay, it is in discussions potentially to strike a new option agreement with the comic's writers, to whom the rights reverted. (Fincher and the producers remain attached.)Given the Ness story line's basis in reality, one could argue that a public-domain version of it could be developed using similar material. But in the age of the industry-shaking legal tussle between Warner Bros. and Fox over "Watchmen," it's unlikely that Paramount would take that type of risk.One source indicated that Fincher has been keen on making the project and expressed confusion as to why Paramount would dither. But given the projects and personnel that the belt-tightening Brad Grey-run studio shed last year, it's not surprising that it would balk at committing to another big-budget production at year's end.Fincher's reputation as aperfection-driven director often has ruffled studio feathers, and he's not one to roll cameras for eight-digit budgets. ("Button" rang up a $150 million-$175 million tab.) Just the same, Paramount is unlikely to let the project slip through its fingers. In addition to "Button," it also made "Zodiac" with Fincher. But if it did, any number of studios likely would jump at the chance to get in the Fincher business."It's a weird and odd situation," Bendis said. "We heard it was greenlit one day, then the next we heard it wasn't. Hopefully, it'll have a happy ending."

-Be nice if they can right this and get it back on track, but who knows....

Something to do on the next Friday the 13th...

Pun intended?

Sundance Gives Out Some Awards!

Perhaps we now know which films to look out for in the future, according to Variety:

“Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire,” director Lee Daniels’ unflinching look at the parental abuse and self-redemption of a teenage girl in 1980s Harlem, was the big winner at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, taking both the grand jury prize and the audience award in the U.S. dramatic competition.
On the World Cinema side, Sebastian Silva’s Chilean feature “The Maid” (La Nana), a comedy-drama about class conflict within a household, took the grand jury prize, while Lone Scherfig’s British entry “An Education,” a spirited account of a 16-year-old girl’s accelerated maturation in early ’60s London, speared the audience award.
Sundance always places equal emphasis on its documentary categories, and the grand jury prize winner in the U.S. competition was Ondi Timoner’s “We Live in Public,” a revelatory look at Internet pioneer Josh Harris centered on his bizarre millennial art project in New York City. World Cinema docu grand jury prize was given to Kim Longinotto’s “Rough Aunties” from the U.K., which focuses on a group of women who look after abused and neglected children in South Africa.
Audience award for an American documentary was voted to Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” a trenchant expose of upsetting developments in waters devoted to dolphins in Japan. World Cinema docu audience choice was Havana Marking’s “Afghan Star” from Afghanistan and the U.K., which looks at four contestants on an “American Idol”-style musical TV show in a country where participation in such a program, especially for women, is a life-threatening proposition. Marking also won the directing award for an international documentary.
Copping the directing award for an American dramatic film was Cary Joji Fukunaga for “Sin nombre,” which follows Central American immigrants as they make their way through Mexico. Adriano Goldman was singled out for an excellence in cinematography award for the same film by the jury. World Cinema cinematography honors went to John De Borman for “An Education.”
World Cinema directing nod was made to Oliver Hirschbiegel for his study of Irish conflict, “Five Minutes of Heaven,” for which Guy Hibbert was singled out for the screenwriting award.
Directing award for U.S. documentaries was bestowed on Natalia Almada for “El General,” about her controversial great-grandfather, President Plutarco Elias Calles of Mexico.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, given to the writer of an American dramatic feature, went to Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi for “Paper Heart,” the story of the disbelieving Yi’s search for the true nature of love.
Documentary cinematography awards were extended, on the American side, to Bob Richman for “The September Issue,” R.J. Cutler’s account of the preparation of the 2007 issue of Vogue magazine, and, for an international docu, to director-lenser John Maringouin for “Big River Man,” about a Slovenian man’s endurance swim of the Amazon.
Editing awards for documentaries went, for a U.S. title, to Karen Schmeer for “Sergio,” about the Brazilian United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who was killed in Iraq, and, for a World Cinema entry, to Janus Billeskov Jansen and Thomas Papapetros for “Burma VJ,” about Burmese journalists who covertly shot and sent out footage of the 2007 protests.
The American competition jurors awarded three special jury prizes: for spirit of independence to Lynn Shelton’s “Humpday,” about two straight guys who decide to appear in a porn video together; for acting to Mo’Nique for her performance as the abusive mother in “Push”; and on the documentary side to director Jeff Stilson’s “Good Hair,” in which Chris Rock sizes up black hairstyles.
Three special jury prizes were also voted in the World Cinema competition: one for originality to Benoit Delepine and Gustave de Kervern’s French film “Louise-Michel,” about female factory workers who hire a hit man to kill the executve who ordered the plant’s closing; an acting prize to Catalina Saavedra for “The Maid,” and one to Ngawang Choephel’s “Tibet in Song,” about Tibetans’ effort to preserve their culture through music.
Presented on Saturday night at the Racquet Club, the awards were determined by four juries. U.S. dramatic competition jurors were Virginia Madsen, Scott McGehee, Maud Nadler, Mike White and Boaz Yakin, wile U.S. documentaries were judged by Patrick Creadon, Carl Deal, Andrea Meditch, Sam Pollard and Marina Zenovich.
World Cinema dramatic competition jurors were Colin Brown, Christine Jeffs and Vibeke Windelov, while serving on the docu side were Gillian Armstrong, Thom Powers and Hubert Sauper.
Jury prize for U.S. short went to Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Short Term 12.” International jury prize for shorts was won by Jonas Odell’s “Lies.”
Honorable mentions for shorts were given to Chema Garcia Ibarra’s “The attack of the robots from Nebula-5,” Brady Corbet’s “Protect You + Me,” PES’s “Western Spaghetti,” Julius Avery’s “Jerrycan,” Sam Taylor-Wood’s “Love You More,” Max Winston’s “I Live in the Woods,” Nadejda Koseva’s “Omelette” and Jason Eisener’s “Treevenge.”
Max Mayer’s U.S. dramatic competition entry “Adam” won the annual Alfred P. Sloan Prize, a $20,000 award for a film focusing on science or technology as a theme.
The previously announced 2009 Sundance Institute/NHK Intl. Filmmakers Awards, given to one filmmaker apiece from the United States, Japan, Europe and Latin American, were given at the ceremony to Diego Lerman, “Ciencias Morales” (Moral Sciences) from Argentina; David Riker, “The Girl,” from the U.S.; Qurata Kenji, “Speed Girl,” from Japan, and Lucile Hadzihalilovic, “Evolution,” from France.
Jane Lynch hosted the awards ceremony. Joseph Gordon-Levitt announced the U.S. audience awards, while Benjamin Bratt did the honors for the World Cinema favorites.
2009 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners:
GRAND JURY PRIZE: U.S. DOCUMENTARY We Live in Public, directed by Ondi Timoner
GRAND JURY PRIZE: U.S. DRAMATICPush: Based on the novel by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels and written by Damien Paul
WORLD CINEMA JURY PRIZE: DOCUMENTARY Rough Aunties, directed by Kim
Longinotto
WORLD CINEMA JURY PRIZE: DRAMATICThe Maid (La Nana), directed by Sebastián Silva
AUDIENCE AWARD presented by Honda: U.S. DOCUMENTARYThe Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos
AUDIENCE AWARD presented by Honda: U.S. DRAMATIC Push: Based on the novel by
Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels and written by Damien Paul
THE WORLD CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD: DOCUMENTARYAfghan Star, directed by Havana Marking
THE WORLD CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD: DRAMATIC An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby
DIRECTING AWARD: U.S. DOCUMENTARYEl General director Natalia Almada
DIRECTING AWARD: U.S. DRAMATIC Sin Nombre, written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
THE WORLD CINEMA DIRECTING AWARD: DOCUMENTARYAfghan Star, directed by Havana Marking
WORLD CINEMA DIRECTING AWARD: DRAMATIC Five Minutes of Heaven, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert
WALDO SALT SCREENWRITING AWARDNicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi for Paper Heart
WORLD CINEMA SCREENWRITING AWARDFive Minutes of Heaven, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert
U.S. DOCUMENTARY EDITING AWARDSergio. Directed by Greg Barker and edited by Karen Schmeer
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY EDITING AWARD Burma VJ. Directed by Anders Østergaard and edited by Janus Billeskov Jansen and Thomas Papapetros
EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: U.S. DOCUMENTARYThe September Issue, Cinematographer: Bob Richman
EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: U.S. DRAMATIC Sin Nombre, Cinematographer: Adriano Goldman.
WORLD CINEMA CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: DOCUMENTARY Big River Man, Cinematographer: John Maringouin
WORLD CINEMA CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: DRAMATIC An Education, Cinematographer: John De Borman.
A WORLD CINEMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ORIGINALITYLouise-Michel, directed by Benoit Delépine and Gustave de Kervern
A WORLD CINEMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: DOCUMENTARYTibet in Song directed by Ngawang Choephel
A WORLD CINEMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ACTINGCatalina Saavedra, The Maid (La Nana). Chile
A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: U.S. DOCUMENTARYGood Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson
A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton
A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ACTING Mo'Nique, Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire
2009 JURY PRIZE IN U.S. SHORT FILMMAKING Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel
Cretton
INTERNATIONAL JURY PRIZE IN INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMMAKING Lies,
directed by Jonas Odel
HONORABLE MENTIONS IN SHORT FILMMAKING The Attack of the
Robots from Nebula-5, directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra; Protect You + Me, directed by Brady Corbet; Western Spaghetti, directed by PES; Jerrycan, directed by Julius Avery; Love You More, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, I Live in the Woods, directed by Max Winston, Omelette, directed by Nadejda Koseva; and Treevenge, directed by Jason Eisener.
Alfred P. Sloan PrizeAdam, directed by Max Mayer
Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers AwardsDiego Lerman, Ciencias Morales (Moral Sciences) from Argentina; David Riker, The Girl, from the United States; Qurata Kenji, Speed Girl from Japan; and Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Evolution from France

-Make a note of these, as I'm sure we'll hear more about them in the coming months. Do any of these films grab your interest?

John August Gets Some New Gigs

The Hollywood Reporter has the, well...report:

John August, who just two weeks ago lamented on his screenwriting blog that his long-gestating "Shazam!" project at Warners hit a roadblock, suddenly has plenty of irons in the fire.August has booked a pair of gigs that will see him working with top-flight directors: He's set to write "Frankenweenie" for Tim Burton and Disney after first tackling the comic book adaptation "Preacher" for Sam Mendes and Columbia. "Frankenweenie" is based on a comedic horror short that Burton made in 1984 while a film school student. The story tells of a man who brings his dog back to life after it is killed by a car.While the original "Frankenweenie" was a live-action project, the new one will be made using stop-motion animation and be in 3-D. Like the original, the feature version is to be shot in black & white. Burton is producing, and many of the animation artists and crew from the director's "Corpse Bride" will be involved, with the studio aiming for a 2011 release. Allison Abbate will produce with Burton as she did on "Corpse Bride." Don Hahn will exec produce. "Preacher" is based on the popular 1990s DC/Vertigo series created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. It tells the story of a down-and-out Texas preacher, given immense powers, who teams up with a former girlfriend and a hard-drinking Irish vampire and sets out on a journey across America to find God -- who apparently had abandoned his duties in heaven -- and hold him accountable for his negligence.Neal Moritz is producing through his Original Films banner along with Kickstart Prods.' Jason Netter."Frankenweenie" will mark UTA-repped August's fifth collaboration with Burton. The two worked on "Big Fish," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Corpse Bride" and have "Dark Shadows," set up at Warners with Johnny Depp attached to star, in the wings. "Shazam," meanwhile, remains in development at Warners and is looking for writers

-I'm a big fan of "Big Fish" and his directorial effort "The Nines", so an August project has potential to me...

Academy Idol: Top 6 Results Show

Thoughts? Comment.

"Is That You, Sherlock"

Sarah Lyall offers a look at Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. From the article (and the image above), it looks like Ritchie is taking a somewhat different approach to the character of Sherlock Holmes. It's way too early to call, but given the pedigree, this might be a contender in 2009. Thoughts?

Producers Guild of America Predictions

Simply put,

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

Alternate: The Dark Knight

Spoiler: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Great Buck Howard has a Poster as well...

This is my movie of the day I guess...

The Writer of "The Departed" is now a Director too!

Yes indeed, and read on for the Variety story:

Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell are set to star in "London Boulevard," a crime drama that marks the directing debut of "The Departed" scribe William Monahan. Monahan adapted the Ken Bruen novel.
Graham King is producing under his GK Films banner with Monahan and Quentin Curtis. The film will shoot this summer in and around London.
Farrell will play a South London criminal who, after release from prison, tries to give up the gangster life by becoming a handyman for a reclusive young actress.
Farrell, who just won a Golden Globe for "In Bruges," next appears in the ensemble of the Spitfire Pictures-financed drama "The Way Back," which Peter Weir directs in March.
Knightley next stars in "Last Night" for Miramax and is attached to play Zelda Fitzgerald in the John Curran-directed "The Beautiful and the Damned" for the Film Department.

-Farrell scored major points with me for In Bruges, aand I'm a Knightley fan, so this is something to keep an eye on...thoughts?

The Great Buck Howard gets a full length Trailer

-Father and son Hanks, plus Malkovich? Good enough for me

Another Interesting Film From Sundance Gets Purchased

It's "Moon", the Sam Rockwell Sci-Fi flick that I for one am very interested in. Variety has the story:

Sony Pictures Classics will handle the domestic theatrical release of sci-fi thriller "Moon."
Pic, which has its first public screening at the Sundance Film Festival tonight, had been prebought last year by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group.
"Moon" features the voice of Kevin Spacey and stars Sam Rockwell as an astronaut who is assigned to a three-year mission to mine energy source Helium 3 on the moon.
Pic is the feature directorial debut of British commercials helmer Duncan Jones. Script was penned Nathan Parker from a story by Jones. Jones' partner at Liberty Films, Stuart Fenegan, as well as Xingu Films' Trudie Styler produced. Music is by Clint Mansell ("Pi," ""Requiem for a Dream")
"I have always hoped for the opportunity to work with Sony Pictures Classics on the distribution of our film, even before arriving at Sundance," Jones said in a statement. "Having their involvement is a huge point of pride for all of us and an incredible opportunity for 'Moon.' "
SPC is set to release the film in June.

-Looking forward to June (and not just because I'll be graduating college) very much...

UP gets a new Poster

Something to look forward to now that the nominations are out and the anger has subsided (hopefully)

Variety Chimes in on the Big Omissions

Yes, even they seem a little pissed, at the very least puzzled:

As in any year, the omissions were almost as interesting as the contenders, and this year there's a stellar list of no-shows, including Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus -- and Batman himself.
Though Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight" scored an impressive eight bids, it was left out of the best pic race -- virtually guaranteeing that the fanboys will be igniting the Internet with their laments.
Though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences voters have nominated popcorn-blockbuster films in the past, such as "E.T.," "Titanic" and "Gladiator," some felt "Dark Knight" had an uphill struggle to become one of the anointed five. It's a comicbook pic, and it's a sequel in a franchise where the five earlier editions were not nominated.
But the film had a gravitas, dealing with the abuse of power and terrorism in a manner that touched upon audience fears and concerns. The serious themes were complemented by razzle-dazzle filmmaking and performances, which led the film's supporters to believe that it could score with Oscar in the way the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy did. Nolan's recognition by the DGA supported that theory.
The eight noms show widespread admiration for "The Dark Knight," but only PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants know whether it came in sixth -- or lower -- for best pic.
Springsteen's title tune for "The Wrestler" won a Golden Globe this month, and Cyrus was co-writer of "I Thought I Lost You" from "Bolt."
Though Holocaust-WWII films have a reputation as being irresistible fodder for the Academy, "The Reader" was the only one to score, with also-ran status afforded to the year-end group of "Adam Resurrected," "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," "Defiance," "Good" and "Valkyrie."
And the waning genre of Iraq-themed pics were shut out, including "Body of Lies" and "Stop-Loss."
There is always a discrepancy between the year's biggest hits and the Academy voting. But this year, there was less of a divide than usual. Of the year's top 10 grossing films worldwide, four of them drew noms. The top grossers in order, with Oscar contenders in italics: "Dark Knight," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Kung Fu Panda," "Hancock," "Iron Man," "Mamma Mia!" "Quantum of Solace," "Wall-E," "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."
This year, there were also films that never gained traction with awards voters, including "The Yellow Handkerchief," "Australia," "Appaloosa," "Cadillac Records," "Che," "Elegy," "I've Loved You So Long," "Last Chance Harvey," "Nothing But the Truth," "The Secret Life of Bees," "Seven Pounds," "Synecdoche, New York" and "W."

-Cool article, kind of a checklist of pissed off people and films...

La Streep...

Dope.

It Could Be Worse...

Indeed, many people are unhappy, but remember, a potentially tricky film to Oscar voters like Milk could have been done injustices to as well. All in all, we have plenty to be puzzled or even mad about, but it can always be worse...

Intrigue.

I hate to go back to the BIG story of the day. But, when was the last time a film received a nomination from the PGA, DGA, WGA, Cinematographers guild and Oscar nominations for cinematography and editing, but failed to get a best picture nomination? (BTW, This isn't a trick question).

Here we go again...

Am I the only one truly happy with this year’s nominees? Holly Holocaustic Drama, Batman! Let’s see…

Best Supporting Actor

While breakthrough performer Dev Patel was subtle and convincing in the gripping Slumdog Millionaire, he wasn’t close to be one of the best supporting actors of the year (especially considering he is his film’s lead). Josh Brolin did more with less by humanizing Milk’s antagonist Dan White and alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr. (kudos to our editor Clayton Davis for championing this performance before anyone else during the summer) and shocking (but very deserving) nominee Michael Shannon; they delivered the best supporting performances of the year by a male actor. Still, the Oscar is Heath Ledger’s.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Penelope Cruz and Viola Davis were easy bets and so was Marisa Tomei. The genuine, deserving “surprise” in this category is Taraji P. Henson (who in my opinion, gave the best performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Watch out for Adams (my pick) or Cruz to take home the prize although the very capable Henson shouldn’t be counted out.

Best Actor

Brad Pitt should be happy to be nominated along respected vets Frank Langella and Richard Jenkins but this is a battle between Sean Penn in Milk and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. The safest choice is definitely Penn (who has the most Oscar-friendly role) but comeback kid Rourke seems ready to put on a good fight.

Best Actress

Kate Winslet’s neurotic housewife in Revolutionary Road was thankfully overlooked by the Academy in favor of her deep and touching performance in The Reader. As Hanna Schmitz, Winslet delivered the most complex performance of the year and I have no doubt she will be finally recognized as the best actress of the year (unless the Academy goes for the always reliable Meryl Streep). And speaking of Meryl, teenagers and young adults in the world rejoice; Anne Hathaway is now an Oscar nominee.

Best Director

Christopher Nolan is not quite ready for his close-up as the Academy opted to left The Dark Knight out of this (and every major) category. Instead, Stephen Daldry was chosen as the fifth nominee alongside Gus Van Sant, David Fincher, Danny Boyle and Ron Howard. Bet on Boyle if you are wise but don’t count out Fincher.

Best Picture

Right after the Golden Globe nominations were announced and way before the British Academy placed the Stephen Daldry drama in the spotlight, I claimed that The Reader appealed to the Academy’s key demographic and it was likely to become a Best Picture contender over unbaity films like The Dark Knight or Wall-E. It didn’t hurt that The Reader was produced by the late Sidney Pollack and Anthony Minghella (rest in peace).

Now, is The Reader a better film than The Dark Knight (the contender that probably never was)? In my opinion, The Reader is a superior film. While The Dark Knight goes deeper than most comic book adaptations, The Reader (which is also one of those exceptions to the rule where the film is better than the book) reaches a moving complexity that the source material from Batman can’t just provide. In The Reader, the characters have well-defined pathos and motivations and while The Dark Knight humanizes the cape crusader and all his adversaries, the Christopher Nolan moneymaker only succeeds on adapting Gotham to a realistic, contemporary scenario but it never completely absorbs you like Stephen Daldry’s emotional film (although that’s just personal opinion). In any case, The Reader should be happy to be nominated (can it hope for more? Let’s wait for the BAFTA results) and the same can be said about the very powerful Frost/Nixon.

This is a duel between Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire and if you follow the trend, the atypical Slumdog is probably ahead of the classy Fincher film, at least right now.

Why so Negative?

To balance out the negativity, what are some of the highs about this year's nominees? Sure, there are some let downs, but there are some positives. I'll throw out a few: (1) In Bruges and Wall-e got some love for best original screenplay, (2) Taraji Henson with the best supporting actress nomination, and (3) Richard Jenkins with the Best Actor nomination. What are some of the positive nominations for this year's Oscars?

What's the biggest snub of the morning?

Is it leaving The Dark Knight out of Best Picture? Is it WALL-E not making the cut? Winslet's work in Revolutionary Road not being recognized? Nolan being shut out? No love for Springsteen? What got your goat about the nominations?

-Discuss!

The 81st Oscar Nominations!

What would Oscar morning be without surprises?

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year
“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction
“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Achievement in cinematography
“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in costume design
“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky
Achievement in directing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best documentary short subject
“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Achievement in film editing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens
Best foreign language film of the year
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel
Achievement in makeup
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam
Best motion picture of the year
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer
Best animated short film
“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
“Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
“This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Best live action short film
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank
Achievement in sound editing
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
“Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman
Achievement in sound mixing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
Achievement in visual effects
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
Adapted screenplay
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Original screenplay
“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

-No Nolan for Director, no Dark Knight for Picture, no Springsteen for Song it seems...definitely not what everyone was predicting...thoughts?

Full list to come shortly...

...but for now, just...wow

The List...

Best Picture

Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Actress supporting

Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Actor, Supporting

Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Phil Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Director

David Fincher, Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Original Screenplay

Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McMcDonough, In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Andrew Stanton, Wall-E

Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth, Frost/Nixon
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
David Hare, The Reader
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Foreign Language

Baader Meinhoff
The Class
Departures
Revanche
Waltz with Bashir

Animated

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Dark Knight Snubbed.

Best picture nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin

Frost/Nixon
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner

Milk
Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire
Christian Colson

Seconds Away...

....so very excited!

It's Officially Nomination Morning!

Just a few more hours to go...

-As soon as the announcement is made, I'll be here to cover it, so stay tuned!

The Razzie Nominations!

All hail the worst of the worst:

Worst Picture
“Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans”
“The Happening”
“The Hottie & the Nottie”
“In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale”
“The Love Guru”
Worst Actor
Larry the Cable Guy, “Witless Protection”
Eddie Murphy, “Meet Dave”
Mike Myers, “The Love Guru”
Al Pacino, “88 Minutes” and “Righteous Kill”
Mark Wahlberg, “The Happening” and “Max Payne”
Worst Actress
Jessica Alba, “The Eye” and “The Love Guru”
The cast of “The Women” (Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Meg Ryan)
Cameron Diaz, “What Happens in Vegas”
Paris Hilton, “The Hottie & the Nottie”
Kate Hudson, “Fool’s Gold” and “My Best Friend’s Girl”
Worst Supporting Actress
Carmen Electra, “Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans”
Paris Hilton, “Repo: The Genetic Opera”
Kim Kardashian, “Disaster Movie”
Jenny McCarthy, “Witless Protection”
Leelee Sobieski, “88 Minutes” and “In the Name of the King”
Worst Supporting Actor
Uwe Boll as himself, “Uwe Boll’s Postal”
Pierce Brosnan, “Mamma Mia!”
Ben Kingsley, “The Love Guru,” “War, Inc.” and “The Wackness”
Burt Reynolds, “Deal ” and “In the Name of the King”
Verne Troyer, “The Love Guru” and “Uwe Boll’s Postal”
Worst Screen Couple
Uwe Boll and any actor, camera or screenplay
Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, “What Happens In Vegas”
Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore, “The Hottie & the Nottie”
Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy, “Witless Protection”
Eddie Murphy and Eddie Murphy, “Meet Dave”
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel (combined category for 2008)
“The Day the Earth Blowed Up Real Good”
“Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans”
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
“Speed Racer”
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
Worst Director
Uwe Boll, “1968: Tunnel Rats,” “In the Name of the King” and “Postal"
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, “Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans"
Tom Putnam, “The Hottie & the Nottie"
Marco Schnabel, “The Love Guru”
M. Night Shyamalan, “The Happening”
Worst Screenplay
“Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans,” both written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
“The Happening,” written by M. Night Shyamalan
“The Hottie & the Nottie,” written By Heidi Ferrer
“In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” screenplay by Doug Taylor
“The Love Guru,” written by Mike Myers and Graham Gordy
Worst Career Achievement
Uwe Boll (Germany’s answer to Ed Wood)
-Aside from the mention of Kingsley's work in The Wackness, which I felt was real good, this list is spot on...thoughts?

This Time Tomorrow...

We will finally know the nominees. Take this opportunity to have one final open discussion about who should get nominated, who shouldn't, what out of nowhere nomination might we see, what film will get the most nods, predictions in each category, etc. There's no limit, so go wild! At 5:30 in the morning Hollywood time (so 8:30 for those of us who, like me, live in New York or on the east coast) the suspense will be all over. Have at it!

Could "Fanboys" Actually Be Coming Out?

If everything is to be believed, then yes, we're only a month away from finally seeing this flick, which looks like a bit of a love letter to all that we loved about Star Wars (the original trilogy, at least). Fingers crossed it comes out, and here's a mildly new trailer to boot:

-Let's hope it doesn't get delayed again...

Roland Emmerich's "2012" Gets Delayed

No, not to the year 2012, but from July to November, as Variety tells us:

Sony is pushing back the release of Roland Emmerich's actioner "2012" from July 10 to Nov. 13, the same date the studio used to launch the previous two James Bond pics.
Sony prexy of worldwide distribution Rory Bruer said the studio has a very strong summer slate -- including tentpole "Angels and Demons" (May 15) and Denzel Washington-John Travolta actioner "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (June 12) -- and it made sense to move "2012" to November.
Also, Sony has international distribution rights to McG's "Terminator: Salvation," which opens day-and-date on May 22. Warners is releasing domestically.
Sony said "2012" would have been ready in time for July 10.
In its new date, the Emmerich pic goes up against Warner Bros.' Robert Downey Jr. topliner "Sherlock Holmes," which likewise opens Nov. 13, along with 20th Century Fox family film "Tooth Fairy."
On Nov. 20, four titles enter the market, including Sony's family toon "Planet 51" and "Twilight" sequel "New Moon."
The decision to take "2012" out of July -- prime summer B.O. real estate -- will prompt other studios to review their release calendars and see if moving something to the July 10 slot makes sense.

-A lot of "2012" news as of late from me, I know, but it fascinates me in a strange way. I love almost anything John Cusack is involved in, and Emmerich's early stuff was very entertaining, but this marriage has me weary...guess in a worst case scenario, Sony saved us from suffering through this for a few extra months...

A Wide Assortment on DVD This Week

Indeed, while for the most part people will be glued to their televisions today watching Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States, there are also a large bunch of films out for home viewing today. None are real wonderful, but there's something for everyone. Since there was no standout, I chose as my PICK OF THE WEEK the most interesting of the bunch. It's:

Repo! The Genetic Opera

A horror rock opera from the director of 3/5ths of the SAW franchise, it's kind of a mess, but it's a wild mess that is never boring, and it could in fact become the new midnight movie, ala The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It already has a cult following, so pick it up and see if it's for you or not.

-Also out this week we have, for starters, the animated flick Igor, which has John Cusack lending his voice as an "Igor" wanting to be a mad scientist all his own. It's average, but it's harmless and contains a chuckle or two. There's the sci fi tale City of Ember, which was ok, but a little disappointing, despite a nice performance from Bill Murray as a corrupt mayor of an underground city. We have Max Payne, perhaps the best adaptation of a video game yet, but that's damning with faint praise, to say the least. There's also The Express, which is a standard issue sports movie, the spiritual film Henry Pool is Here, which I honestly wish wasn't here, the average William H. Macy film about making a film called The Deal, and finally SAW V. Easily the weakest in the franchise, it still serves its purpose, and if you're a fan of the series it'll do the trick, if not, you obviously have no interest in it, so there.

-My Vintage pick is perhaps the most underappreciated of all Woody Allen's movies. It's Anything Else, which essentially is a mish mash of better films like Annie Hall and Manhattan with a younger cast and the Wood man in a supporting role. It's not perfect, but I laugh a lot everytime I see it, so it gets a thumbs up from me.

-What films will you be watching on dvd once the Inauguration is over?

Oh Dear...

For those of you who were curious just how well Joaquin Phoenix's rapping career is panning out, here's a fan video from a recent performance he gave in Las Vegas. It works out about as well as you'd expect:

-Somebody please tell me this isn't real. Please tell me that isn't an actor I respect and admire making a total 

ass of himself onstage (it is). And please tell me that's not Casey Affleck, another actor I respect and admire, 

documenting the travesty like it's the coolest thing ever (it's not). Please tell me it's all going to turn out that 

this is just a sad, sad practical joke. 

This is a sad moment for film enthusiasts. But maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion. What's your take?

The Duo Behind "American Splendor" Have a New Project

No, it's not The Nanny Diaries 2, but an interesting sounding comedy, as Variety details here:

Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly are set to star in "The Extra Man," a comedy that will begin production in February in New York.
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini ("American Splendor") will direct.
The film is based on a novel by Jonathan Ames; Pulcini and Springer Berman wrote the script with the author. The duo last directed "The Nanny Diaries."
Kline plays a failed playwright who works as an escort for rich widows on the Upper East Side. He develops a mentor-student relationship with a troubled aspiring playwright (Dano).
Likely Story's Anthony Bregman and Stephanie Davis of 3 Arts will produce. Stefanie Azpiazu, Ames, Pulcini and Springer Berman will be executive producers and Rebecca Rivo will be co-producer.
"This is a film for our times, these hilarious characters living on the edge of enormous wealth, scrapping for small pieces of the pie," Bregman said. "I suspect a lot of people will be able to identify nowadays."
CAA and Anonymous Content brokered the production financing deal for Likely Story ("Synedoche, New York") and 3 Arts, and will rep the film's North American distribution rights.

-I like the cast more than anything else...we'll see how it turns out

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump...or is it Benjamin Button?

Couldn't resist posting this giggle-worthy video:

-Kind of sums up one of my issues with the film, though in a more clever way than I...

The Online Film Critics Society Reward WALL-E!

Here's the full winners list for the OFCS:

PICTURE: WALL•E

DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan (-) The Dark Knight

ACTOR: Mickey Rourke (-) The Wrestler

ACTRESS: Michelle Williams (-) Wendy and Lucy

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger (-) The Dark Knight

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Marisa Tomei (-) The Wrestler

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: WALL•E (-) Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Let the Right One In (-) John Ajvide Lindqvist

DOCUMENTARY: Man On Wire

ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL•E

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Let the Right One In (Sweden)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Dark Knight (-) Wally Pfister

ORIGINAL SCORE: The Dark Knight (-) James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer

EDITING: Slumdog Millionaire (-) Chris Dickens

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: Lina Leandersson (-) Let the Right One In

BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER: Tomas Alfredson (-) Let the Right One In

-Overall, very good winners, in my opinion...thoughts?

A Jim Carey Indy at Sundance

Kudos to Awardsdaily and the Carpetbagger for links 1 and 2, respectively. I'm excited that Carrey might be doing some real work these days. He's a talented dude, and hopefully this is a step in the right (wrong?) direction.

More about the movie.

Coming to a theater near you...President Obama

No, not a biopic...yet, but the inauguration and surrounding events. It will be shown on the big screen in a few places, as this article in The Hollywood Reporter explains:

President-elect Barack Obama is on his way to the big screen, thanks to a deal between MSNBC and Screenvision that will put the news channel's inaugural coverage in 27 theaters around the country.Free tickets are being handed out via MSNBC.com to see the inauguration and parade from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET at the 27 theaters run by 11 exhibitor partners in 21 markets. Midday Tuesday isn't necessarily a big movie time, so it helps to fill the theater -- and boost popcorn and soda sales -- at a time when it's not usually busy.That means that Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews and other MSNBC and NBC personalities will play the big movie screen in addition to the usual MSNBC cable and satellite stream. MSNBC won't be in high-definition until the second quarter, but both the channel and Screenvision say the quality will still be high."It'll look great," MSNBC president Phil Griffin said. "We're thrilled about it."Screenvision was approached by MSNBC last year about carrying the coverage in some of the same theaters that take Screenvision's preroll video, executive vp exhibitor relations Darryl Schaffer said. Since August 2007, Screenvision has had an alternative programming division that has exhibited New York Mets baseball games, operas and other events live via movie theaters. Schaffer said that Screenvision had the capability to do as many as 200 locations, though MSNBC was looking for a smaller event than that.For MSNBC, it's a chance to continue the momentum that vaulted it into the fastest-growing channel in all of cable in 2008. That's the strategy, and Griffin said Monday afternoon to expect more in 2009 to build MSNBC's brand."We want to reach people we've never reached before," Griffin said. "We're going to do numerous things like that to get our name out there. Ubiquity is the name of the game in 2009."Registration for the event is now open at http://www.msnbcevents.com/.

-Pretty cool, to me at least, and something rather different...

One of last year's Sundance flicks gets a release date!

It's called The Mysteries of Pittsburg, and Variety has the story:

A year after its Sundance preem, Peace Arch announced they've nabbed North American rights to the coming-of-ager "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," based on Michael Chabon's ("Wonder Boys") first tome. The distrib will release it in the spring.
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball") pic stars Jon Foster, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari, Peter Sarsgaard, and Nick Nolte. Michael London, Thor Benander, and Jason Ajax Mercer produced.
Set in 1980s Pittsburgh, story follows a teen's transformative summer with his mobster father, sometime girlfriend, a beautiful debutante and her thug boyfriend.
"Although set in the early '80s 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh' is as relevant and timeless today as it was when Michael Chabon first wrote it years ago," said London.
The film was co-financed by Axon Films, Sherezade Films and Visitor Pictures. CAA brokered the deal with Peace Arch Home Entertainment

-I'll see it...how bout you?

Academy Idol: Top 7 Results

Surprised? Comment. Vent. Whatever you'd like.

Sundance has its first big buy!

...and it's an ensemble cop drama by the director of Training Day, which as a random aside, filmed partly in Coney Island, minutes from my homefront. The story broke in Variety, and here it is:

Senator Distribution nabbed North American rights to Antoine Fuqua's cop drama "Brooklyn's Finest" on Saturday night, 24 hours after its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.Sources close to the deal said Senator paid under $5 million, but made an eight-figure P&A commitment. Senator says it will release the film in the fourth quarter for awards consideration.Pic's cast includes Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, and Don Cheadle as cops battling their own ethical and moral dilemmas."We went into aggressive pursuit right after Friday's screening," said Senator president Mark Urman.Stressing that the film is a work in progress, Urman said talks continued the next day with Fuqua, focusing on delivery issues. The music is still temporary and there are discussions about reworking the ending."It strikes me that the ending will be different," said Urman. "But Antoine must be happy with it."Urman touted the film's award potential, noting that Hawke received an Oscar nomination for Fuqua's previous cop drama, "Training Day.""Being from Brooklyn, this film is important to me," said Urman. He wouldn't comment on the purchase price, except to say it was a "strong, muscular figure."Deal was brokered by CAA and William Morris with Urman and Senator CEO Marco Weber.

-Work in progess is a phrase that scares me, but I'm very interested to see where this film goes...what about all of you?

Trailer for 500 Days of Summer

This is a film I've been looking forward to for a while, and finally, a trailer arrives:

-I dig the old school trailer narration and repeating of the title, but it tells me nothing about the film...guess I'll hope for the best and prep for mediocrity

Picking the mind of someone in the same age group as an Oscar voter

Yes, my 75 year old grandfather (who had been in the movie industry for 36 years until his recent retirement, and once actually tried to join the Academy, with no luck obviously) sees all the movies I see and keeps his own running list of the best of the year. I figured this is of some interest since the average Academy voter is in and around his age and might have similar tastes. So here are his top 10 of the year:

1. The Wrestler

2. Gran Torino

3. Slumdog Millionaire

4. Milk

5. Zack and Miri Make a Porno

6. The Dark Knight

7. Iron Man

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

9. Changeling

10. Swing Vote

(Honorable mention: Revolutionary Road, Stop Loss, Pineapple Express, In Bruges, and The House Bunny, for some reason...)

-Of the likely nominees in the major categories, he'd vote for Slumdog for bes pic, but would prefer The Wrestler or Gran Torino, is torn between Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn for actor, but leans towards Penn, Kate Winslet is his best actress pic for Revolutionary Road, sees no way Heath Ledger doesn't win, and actually would cast his vote for Marisa Tomei for supporting actress. Directing would go to Clint Eastwood for Changeling (a surprise pick that might be a sign of how other contempories feel), and for screenplay, he'd pick In Bruges for Original, and for the Adapted one would be The Dark Knight.

-Also of note, he didn't care much for WALL-E, which if he's in the majority with older voters, could lock it out of Best Pic.

-Overall, he's obviously a fan of Eastwood's flicks, which could mean that there could be a potential spoiler, but on the other hand, he enjoyed things like The Wrester and The Dark Knight over Doubt and Frost/Nixon, so perhaps he's more open than the average voter. We shall see, but I figured it would be interesting to pick his brain for a moment.

-What does everyone think of my grandfather's thoughts on the Oscars?

Now Both Affleck Brothers are Directors!

Yes, Casy has a documentary he's shooting, about the singing career of a certain "former" actor no less, as The Hollywood Reporter states:

Casey Affleck will track the musical career of Joaquin Phoenix behind the lens of a camera.Affleck is directing a documentary feature on Phoenix, his friend and fellow actor who last spring decided to swap the thespian business for a musical one.Phoenix is embarking on a new path as a rapper, with an album to be produced by Sean Combs. He is scheduled to make his first public performance Friday at a Las Vegas club, which will officially kick off Affleck's shoot. Affleck, repped by Endeavor and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, is known for his work in front of the camera with such movies as "Gone Baby Gone" and the "Ocean's Eleven" series. He directed a series of shorts for Sundance Channel in the late 1990s.

-I'll see it, what about you?

Planet 51 Trailer

-I'm almost scared to admit that I found the "Alien" dog funny...

A Zombie Comedy with a cool cast?

Seems like it, according to Variety:

Emma Stone is in final negotiations to star alongside Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg in the horror/comedy "Zombieland" for Columbia Pictures.
Ruben Fleischer will direct the pic, which centers on a band of survivors who team to fight the living dead in the post-apocalyptic Southwest after a zombie plague ravages America. Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese penned the screenplay.
Gavin Palone is producing the film, which begins shooting in Atlanta in February.
Project marks the third comedy in which Stone will star for the studio following "Superbad" and "The House Bunny." She recently wrapped the independent feature "Paper Man" and can soon be seen alongside Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner in the Warner Bros. romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."

-Count me in, in a big way...

Roland Emmerich gets more work!

He seems to be on a roll, for better or worse, as Variety states the following:

Columbia won an auction late Thursday for screen rights to "Foundation," Isaac Asimov's ground breaking science fiction trilogy. The film will be developed as a directing vehicle for Roland Emmerich.
Emmerich and his Centropolis partner Michael Wimer will produce the film. The deal was mid six-figures against low seven figures.
Originally published as a series of eight short stories in Astounding Magazine beginning in 1942, "Foundation" is a complex saga about humans who are scattered on planets throughout the galaxy, living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.
A psycho-historian who can scientifically read the future sees an imminent empire collapse, and sets to work preparing to save the knowledge of mankind.
The emergence of Sony and Emmerich at the controls of "Foundation" is a surprise development, and one that owes at least a bit to the animosity between Warner Bros. and Fox over "Watchmen."
The property, originally developed by Fox and producer Vince Gerardis, found its way to New Line, and then to Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne as the first major project announcement after the former heads of New Line formed Unique Pictures at WB.
Gerardis, whose Created By formerly repped the Asimov estate and who is producing an adaptation of Asimov's "The End of Eternity" at New Regency, was attached as producer. And Fox would have had to be compensated for its development costs. That became a problem for WB, and the studio allowed its option to lapse, expecting to quietly make a new deal with a clear chain of rights that would have left Fox and Gerardis on the outside.
It turned into a spirited auction. WB bid for Unique and director Alex Proyas, Fox bid for Gerardis. Emmerich and Sony were the surprise entrants. Turns out that Wimer had been tracking the availability of the rights since he was Emmerich's agent at CAA, and Columbia Pictures president Matt Tolmach pounced. Emmerich and Wimer just completed "2012" at Sony.
CAA and Trident Media's Dan Strone brokered the deal on behalf of the Asimov estate.

-Great, more stuff for him to make big, loud, and dumb...

The Film Music Noms

Take a listen (so to speak):

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music by Alexandre Desplat

The Dark Knight, music by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, music by John Williams

Standard Operating Procedure, music by Danny Elfman
Wall*E, music by Thomas Newman

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

Alexandre Desplat

Danny Elfman

James Newton Howard

Thomas Newman

John Powell
BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

Paul Cantelon, The Other Boleyn Girl and W

Andrew Lockington, Journey to the Center of the Earth and City of Ember

Nico Mulhy, The Reader

Max Richter, Waltz with Bashir

Atli Örvarsson, Babylon A.D. and Vantage Point
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, music by James Horner

Che, music by Alberto Iglesias

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music by Alexandre Desplat

Defiance, music by James Newton Howard

Milk, music by Danny Elfman
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis, music by Philippe Rombi

Burn After Reading, music by Carter Burwell

Fool’s Gold, music by George Fenton

Leatherheads, music by Randy Newman

Tropic Thunder, music by Theodore Shapiro
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM

The Dark Knight, music by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer

Hancock, music by John Powell

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, music by John Williams

Speed Racer, music by Michael Giacchino

Wanted, music by Danny Elfman
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, music by Harry Gregson-Williams

City of Ember, music by Andrew Lockington

Hellboy II: The Golden Army, music by Danny Elfman

Inkheart, music by Javier Navarrete

The Spiderwick Chronicles, music by James Horner
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM

The Happening, music by James Newton Howard

Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In), music by Johan Söderqvist

Mirrors, music by Javier Navarrete

Twilight, music by Carter Burwell

Valkyrie, music by John Ottman
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt, music by John Powell

Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff), music by Joe Hisaishi

Horton Hears a Who!, music by John Powell

Wall*E, music by Thomas Newman

Waltz with Bashir, music by Max Richter
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, music by The Cinematic Orchestra

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father, music by Kurt Kuenne

Night, music by Cezary Skubiszewski

Standard Operating Procedure, music by Danny Elfman

Tabarly, music by Yann Tiersen
FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

Cloverfield: “Roar Overture,” music by Michael Giacchino

The Happening: “Be With You,” music by James Newton Howard

Valkyrie: “They’ll Remember You,” music by John Ottman and Lior Rosner

Wall*E: “Define Dancing,” music by Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel

Wanted: “Success Montage,” music by Danny Elfman)

-Some cool music here...thoughts?

Favorite movies of '08

The lack of a computer and the beginning of school can really stymie blogging productivity. Yet, I'm still here, and wanted to share my favorite movies of the year like the rest of the staff. Be sure to check out the rest.

(no order)

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Let the Right One In
  
• Gomorra
  
• Il Divo
  
• The Wrestler
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
  
• Milk
  
• In Bruges
  
• Slumdog Millionaire
  
• Man on Wire
  
• Wall-E
  
• Heartbeat Detector
  
• Zack and Miri make a Porno
  

Phillip Seymour Hoffman becomes a Director!

Yes, he's landed a directing gig, and you can read all about it in this Variety article:

Philip Seymour Hoffman has reeled in his directorial debut, signing on to helm Overture Films' "Jack Goes Boating," an adaptation of Bob Glaudini's Off Broadway play in which he'll also star.
Amy Ryan ("Gone Baby Gone") will co-star opposite Hoffman, while John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega will reprise their roles from the stage production.
Play's described as an unconventional romantic comedy about two misfits in New York City, laced with cooking classes, swimming lessons and illegal drugs.
Production bowed at Hoffman and Ortiz's LAByrinth Theater Co. in Gotham in 2007.
Adaptation is the first to come out of a production deal Overture inked with Hoffman's shingle, Cooper's Town, last summer. In 2006 Cooper's Town produced "Capote," the company's first pic.
"Phil is such a unique talent, and this opportunity to work his creative mojo not just in front of the camera but also from the director's chair is just irresistible for us," said Overture chief operating officer Danny Rosett.
Cooper's Town, run by Hoffman and Emily Ziff, will produce the romantic comedy along with indie producer Beth O'Neil plus Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf's Big Beach, which is co-financing the project. Hoffman and Ortiz serve as exec producers.
Overture Films will distrib the film domestically. Pic is skedded to start lensing in New York City on Feb. 9.
Hoffman can currently be seen in "Doubt" and voices the toon "Mary and Max," which opened the Sundance Film Festival.
Overture has "Last Chance Harvey" in theaters. It will next release the Big Beach comedy "Sunshine Cleaning," starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, in March.

-This could be pretty cool...thoughts?

Vikings vs Aliens!

Well, actually it's called Outlander, but my title sounds better...

-Wow...crazy as all hell, it'll probably be terrible (and has been on the shelf, further making that clear), but I think I need to see it...

We WILL Get To Watch the Watchmen!

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Geeks can now rejoice. Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over "Watchmen," with the studios scheduled to present a likely settlement to Judge Gary Feess on Friday morning and request that the case be dismissed.Terms of the agreement will not be disclosed, but it is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film's boxoffice. Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it own a piece of the "Watchmen" property going forward. The studios are set to release a joint statement announcing the agreement Friday.A Warners spokesperson would not comment on the settlement. A Fox spokesman said no final deal had been reached.Fox sued Warners in February, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled on Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure the proper rights to "Watchmen" from Fox before shopping the project and eventually setting it up with Warners. Feess' decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation. While Gordon is not a party to the case, Warners is said to be pursuing the producer and his attorneys to reimburse it for the costs of the settlement. During the course of the litigation, Gordon's then-attorney admitted that he negotiated Gordon's 1994 separation from Fox without knowing about a pre-existing 1991 agreement on which Fox has based its lawsuit. The rare showdown between studios became particularly nasty in recent weeks, with Gordon and the film's other producer, Lloyd Levin, lashing out at Fox for making a claim on the film. Fox repeatedly has stated that it asserted its "Watchmen" rights before Warners began production on the film and that it sued only when its assertions were ignored. With the settlement giving Fox a piece of "Watchmen's" revenue, the studio now has a rooting interest in the film's success.

-Finally...

Academy Idol: Top 7 (Major Guilds Week)

My Own Top 30

Following up on Joey's lead, I thought I'd publish my top 30 as well. Feel free to comment, applaud my selections, send me hate mail, etc.

Without further ado:

1.     Synecdoche, New York

2.     Milk

3.     The Dark Knight

4.     WALL-E

5.     In Bruges

6.     The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

7.     Slumdog Millionaire

8.     Let The Right One In

9.     The Wrestler

10. Changeling

11. Frost/Nixon

12. Rachel Getting Married

13. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

14. The Visitor

15. Revolutionary Road

16. The Reader

17. Happy Go Lucky

18. Gran Torino

19. Snow Angels

20. Religulous

21. Burn After Reading

22. Tell No One

23. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

24. Iron Man

25. Role Models

26. Stop-Loss

27. Doubt

28. Appaloosa

29. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

30. Pineapple Express

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Moral debates? Psychological discussions? Parables? Queries? Leave a comment.

The Awards Circuit Community Awards Have Their Nominees!

Check it out here: http://www.awardscircuit.com/Images/acca2008.html, and feel free to make your thoughts and opinions known through comments on this article. You guys voted, now you can interact with others and see why they voted the way they did. Enjoy!

Expanding on my top 10 List...

As you can see on the site here: http://www.awardscircuit.com/topten08.html, we've put up our top 10 films of the year lists. I as always wanted to share my expanded list so everyone could get an idea of how I saw the year in film, be able to comment on the list, and of course, post their own lists. Here's my top 30 films of the year, without any further rambling:

1. The Wrestler
2. The Dark Knight
3. WALL-E
4. Milk
5. The Go-Getter
6. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
8. Slumdog Millionaire
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. The Wackness
11. Iron Man
12. Choke
13. Rachel Getting Married
14. Cloverfield
15. Stop Loss
16. In Bruges
17. Vicky Christina Barcelona
18. Snow Angels
19. Revolutionary Road
20. Charlie Bartlett
21. Funny Games
22. Religulous
23. Pineapple Express
24. Frost/Nixon
25. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
26. My Blueberry Nights
27. Smart People
28. Teeth
29. Definitely, Maybe
30. The Hammer

-Yes, there are some surprising omissions, but it's more that I just liked these films more than the others than any hatred for the omitted ones....now, feel free to respond!

It's Like Something Out of a Movie...

The plane crash here in New York is pretty freaky, but it's good to know everyone is alive. For those unaware, here's the story quickly:

U.S. Airways flight 1549, with 146 passengers aboard, crashed into the Hudson river on Thursday at about 3:30 p.m.
The plane fell into the river near 48th Street and media, police and rescue teams immediately clogged West Side Highway as onlookers crowded the piers to get a look at the wreckage.
The jet, which survived the landing largely intact, sank into the water until only the tail was left above the waterline.
Live coverage from helicopters and ground crews reported as the passengers -- women and children first -- were herded out of the plane and the frigid water onto life rafts. Those who couldn't get into the boats climbed atop the fuselage and the plane's wings to wait for the next crew to come by.
Passing vessels responded to the plane's distress signal and aided the rescue workers, and by 5 p.m., EMTs on the scene and reporters on the airwaves were tentatively declaring that all the passengers had at least made it off the plane alive, though the extent of the injuries sustained in the crash was unknown.
Media scoured the Manhattan and Jersey shorelines for survivors and eyewitnesses to quote, as helicopters from New York 1 and other outlets flew overhead. As the jet floated downstream escorted by police boats, camera crews, reporters, and paramedics moved alongside it, waiting for developments. TV personalities were in the unique position of having each other to interview -- ABC's Robin Roberts, the AP's Barbara Sambriski, and "Inside Edition" producer Bob Read gave quotes about having seen the crash from their office windows.
On its way from LaGuardia to Charlotte, NC, the plane reportedly ran into a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, resulting in an engine fire. The pilot managed to turn the plane around and fly it into the river, likely saving the lives of his passengers and crew -- a total of 151 people

-Wow...

BAFTA Nominations!

Take a gander:

Best Film

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Milk”

“The Reader”“

Slumdog Millionaire”
Best British Film

“Hunger”

“In Bruges”

“Mamma Mia!”

“Man on Wire”

“Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Director

Clint Eastwood, “Changeling”

David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”

Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”

Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Actor

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Best Actress

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr, “Tropic Thunder”

Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”

Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Brad Pitt, “Burn After Reading”
Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, “Doubt”

Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Freida Pinto, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Tilda Swinton, “Burn After Reading”

Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Best Original Screenplay

Joel and Ethan Coen, “Burn After Reading”

J. Michael Straczynski, “Changeling”

Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges”

Philippe Claudel, “I’ve Loved You So Long”

Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”
Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”

David Hare, “The Reader”

Justin Haythe, “Revolutionary Road”

Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Foreign Language Film

“The Baader Meinhof Complex”

“Gomorrah”

“I’ve Loved You So Long”

“Persepolis”

“Waltz With Bashir”
Best Animated Feature

“Persepolis”

“WALL-E”

“Waltz With Bashir”
Best Production Design

“Changeling” (James Murakami; Gary Fettis)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Donald Graham Burt; Victor Zolfo)

“The Dark Knight” (Nathan Crowley; Peter Lando)

“Revolutionary Road” (Kristi Zea; Debra Schutt)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Mark Digby; Michelle Day)
Best Cinematography

“Changeling” (Tom Stern)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Claudio Miranda)

“The Dark Knight” (Wally Pfister)

“The Reader” (Chris Menges; Roger Deakins)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Anthony Dod Mantle)
Best Costume Design

“Changeling” (Deborah Hopper)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Jacqueline West)

“The Dark Knight” (Lindy Hemming)

“The Duchess” (Michael O’Connor)

“Revolutionary Road” (Albert Wolsky)
Best Film Editing

“Changeling” (Joel Cox; Gary D. Roach)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Kirk Baxter; Angus Wall)

“The Dark Knight” (Lee Smith)

“Frost/Nixon” (Mike Hill; Dan Hanley)

“In Bruges” (Jon Gregory)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Chris Dickens)
Best Makeup & Hair

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“The Dark Knight”

“The Duchess”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Milk”
Best Music

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Alexandre Desplat)

“The Dark Knight” (Hans Zimmer; James Newton Howard)

“Mamma Mia!” (Benny Andersson; Bjorn Ulvaeus)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (A.R. Rahman)

“WALL-E” (Thomas Newman)
Best Sound

“Changeling”

“The Dark Knight”

“Quantum of Solace”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

“WALL-E”
Best Visual Effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“The Dark Knight”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crustal Skull”

“Iron Man”

“Quantum of Solace”
Carl Foreman Award (for debut British writers, directors and producers)

Simon Chinn (producer), “Man on Wire”

Judy Craymer (producer), “Mamma Mia!”

Garth Jennings (writer), “Son of Rambow”

Steve McQueen, (writer/director), “Hunger”

Solon Papadopoulos and Roy Boulter (producers), “Of Time and the City”
Orange Rising Star Award

Michael Cera

Noel Clarke

Michael Fassbender

Rebecca Hall

Toby Kebbell

-Overall, nothing too surprising, Slumdog and Button lead the way...thoughts?

Plane Crashes Into Hudson River

Everyone survives! Thank God!

Jim Sheridan vs. The Mob?

Seems as much, according to Variety:

After tackling rough Irish-themed true-life subjects in "In the Name of the Father" and "The Boxer," Jim Sheridan is turning his attention to notorious Boston mobster and FBI informant Whitey Bulger.
Sheridan will direct a script he and partner Nye Heron are penning based on "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob," a book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill.
The film will be produced by CP Prods. partners Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters and Brian Oliver of Arthaus Pictures. Financing comes through a blend of equity and debt raised through CPM Global, an enterprise run by Cerenzie, Peters and David Matsumoto. They hope to begin production later this year.
Bulger rose to prominence in Boston as a feared enforcer and built the Winter Hill Gang into an enterprise that did everything from selling drugs to procuring guns for the Irish Republican Army. His rise was helped by John Connolly, a childhood pal who became an FBI agent. Bulger disappeared 14 years ago, creating a major law enforcement scandal.
"This is a story of a corrupt system and about how an angry guy became the second most wanted man after Bin Laden," Sheridan told Daily Variety. "Black Mass" was first optioned by Miramax for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. After it languished at Miramax, Oliver optioned it in 2006 but then had to sit on it when the Oscar-winning "The Departed" become a definitive Boston Irish mob film.
"Departed" producer Graham King is also delving into Bulger territory, having optioned the life story of John Martorano, a former enforcer for Bulger's gang who killed 20 people and then turned government informant when he learned his bosses were informants (Daily Variety, Dec. 15).
Brett Granstaff will be exec producer of the "Black Mass" pic with CP Prods. prexy Graham Kaye and Chuck Rock. Mark Mallouk is co-executive producer.

-I'm definitely interested...

Ready for More Crank?

Ready or not, here it comes...

News on the upcoming Gore Verbinski projects

Including Bioshock, curtosy of Variety:

Universal has acquired an untitled Michael Gilio script that the studio will develop as a potential directing vehicle for Gore Verbinski.
Gilio titled his script "Black Hole" when it was included on the Black List, an unofficial Hollywood tally of promising unmade scripts. Pic was set up under Verbinski's Blind Wink Prods. banner. Verbinski will produce with Scott Aversano, the former head of Nickelodeon and MTV Films.
The drama focuses on a retired rancher who responds to a phone solicitation swindle that wipes out his savings. "The script taps into the shaken trust the public has toward once-trusted institutions and examines how the people behind these institutions are sometimes themselves as much victims of the same blind trust," said Blind Wink senior veep Jonathan Krauss, who'll be involved in a producing capacity.
Gilio is a Chicago-based actor who previously wrote, directed and starred in "Kwik Stop."
Verbinski is at work with "Pirates of the Caribbean" cohort Johnny Depp on "Rango," the John Logan-scripted animated film that Paramount will release in March 2011. Blind Wink is producing with Graham King and John Carls.
Blind Wink was formed at Universal after Verbinski made a deal with the studio to develop an adaptation of the Take-Two vidgame "Bioshock" to direct.

-Bioshock and this other project could be pretty cool...thoughts?

RIP Ricardo Montalban

Variet has the obituary:

Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's