SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

ACTOR:
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Robert Duvall - Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours

ACTRESS:
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Hilary Swank - Conviction

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Christian Bale - The Fighter
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

ENSEMBLE CAST:
Black Swan - Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder

The Fighter - Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee, Mark Wahlberg

The Kids Are All Right - Annette Bening, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska

The King's Speech - Anthony Andrews, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush, Timothy Spall

The Social Network - Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Justin Timberlake

ENSEMBLE STUNTS:
Green Zone
Inception
Robin Hood

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Ernest Borgnine

In case you missed it this weekend, here is a clip of Jesse Eisenberg and Mark Zuckerberg meeting for the first time EVER.

For those of you that do not know, Zuckerberg never endorsed the book or movie so it is interesting to see these two meet.

Thanks to On Location News for the pics

Captain America is featured on the March issue of Empire Magazine and the story also has some new details via director Joe Johnson:

"I've always loved Raiders and the tone that it had, it was period but didn't feel like it was made in the period. It felt like a modern-day film about the period, which is what we're doing on Captain America. It will not feel like a war movie. It's funny where it needs to be and emotional where it needs to be and serious and full of action."

At a recent tribute for Christopher Nolan in Santa Barbara, CA, Nolan briefly spoke about The Dark Knight Rises and confirmed that they are only about 12 weeks away from beginning production and said they actually begin in May!

We will be counting down the days until we can start getting some details from the set.

Nolan did not confirm whether Anne Hathaway would be seen in as "Catwoman".

Thanks to ComingSoon for the heads up!

Here is a sneak peek of the first two minutes of the new animated movie Rio starring the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, Rodrigo Santoro, George Lopez and Jake T. Austin.

Sounds like a fun cast of voices! Enjoy!

SOUL SURFER is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through the love of her family, her sheer determination and unwavering faith. The film features an all-star cast, including AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid.

Directed by Sean McNamara, the screenplay was by McNamara, Deborah Schwartz. Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk. SOUL SURFER is based on the book by Bethany Hamilton, Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh. The screen story by Sean McNamara, Deborah Schwartz, Douglas Schwartz, Michael Berk, Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson and Brad Gann.

Soul Surfer opens everywhere, April 8th

So earlier today the Thor script was posted on the message boards of Comic Book Movie and then was immediately removed by request of Paramount.

It is out there floating around and we do not have a copy but here is a list of few cameo appearances/mentions that apparently appear in the script:

- Hawkeye’s cameo is confirmed (at least in the script)
- Ant Man is referenced as Dr. Pym
- There is a mention to “a pioneer in gamma radiation.” Of course Bruce Banner, aka Hulk.

After Tom Hardy signed on to play Bane in The Dark Knight Returns, the push to find Honest Abe to play a Vampire Hunter was one of Fox's goals. Today they made their choice:

Benjamin Walker has signed on to star in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Fox’s adaptation of the period vampire novel from Seth Graham-Smith. Timur Bekmambetov is helming the movie, his first since his 2008 hit Wanted, and tells of Lincoln fighting the forces of the undead during the Civil War.

Source: THR

Judi Dench confirmed last night at an awards show that she will return for Bond 23 and reprise her role as M.

Wish we had more details but that is all we have for now.

UPDATE: Here is the story from MI6

Asked whether she was going to be back as M, Dame Judi responded "Yes" and kept tight lipped with a glint in her eye. Further pressed for details she said, "Nothing... my lips are sealed. I can't tell you anything at all!"

"Of course, I'm looking forward hugely to working with Daniel [Craig] again and with Sam [Mendes] who I've only ever worked with in the theatre. So that'll be all good fun to do! I'm so glad it's coming back, it's wonderful."

Here are several new promo pics for Battle: Los Angeles and apparently our first look at the aliens in the movie.

Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for the pics and we also have a new promo poster added below.

(Click to Enlarge)

After the rumors yesterday that Christian Bale might get the lead role as Roland in Dark Tower, Deadline is now reporting that Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) has been offered the role and apparently is the front runner.

Apparently fans want Viggo Mortensen and some are upset because Bardem has a Spanish accent. I am not sure what the accent really has to do with anything, but he is indeed a great actor.

What do you all think? Should Bardem play Roland?

Just over 21 years ago, Disney revitalized animation with the release of The Little Mermaid. The film heralded a resurgence of both animation and the musical genre. A strong argument could be made that the musical craze many attribute to High School Musical, also a Disney production, can trace its roots to a rebellious red-head, a crab and a flounder. Mermaid also paved the way for the creative powerhouse that would become Pixar. Perhaps most importantly to little girls of a generation, it created the phenomenon known as “The Disney Princesses.”

In all, Mermaid launched a new dynasty, with gorgeous animation and superb music. Nearly 21 years to the day, Disney released what they announced would be the final Princess movie: Tangled. The box office disappointment of the Princess and the Frog, snubbed by some as too girly, seemed to signal the end of the two-decade reign of Disney royalty. Having heard the complaints, the studio’s take on the Rapunzel story was retooled, introducing a much more prominent male figure, more action, and a new name.

Whatever changes were made, the final result works. I thoroughly enjoyed Princess and the Frog, but Tangled was a delight that reminded me of those extraordinary films from the early 90s.

The tale begins with an old woman witnessing a drop of pure sunlight fall to earth, blossoming into a glorious glowing flower. She finds that if she sings to it, it restores her youth and beauty. Seeking to secure her eternal youth, she hides the flower under a camouflaged basket. Years later, the queen of a nearby kingdom falls deathly ill as the birth of her daughter approaches. The soldiers scour the countryside, seeking a cure for their queen. They find the flower, to the horror of the woman who had hidden it. They uproot it, taking it back with them. It is turned into a broth and heals the queen when she drinks it. She gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Rapunzel, with sun-kissed golden locks. The old woman enters the royal nursery, and finds that if she sings over the child, her hair glows and the healing power of the flower are released. The woman, named Gothel, attempts to cut off a lock of the hair to keep and hopefully hold on to her youth. To her dismay, when cut, the hair becomes brown, and loses its magical properties. She seizes the infant, and flees the castle as the King and Queen watch helplessly as their daughter disappears. Gothel locks the girl away in a tall tower, raises her as her own, and uses the child’s power to stay young and beautiful. Heartbroken at their loss, the king and queen release floating lanterns into the night sky, every year on Rapunzel’s birthday, hoping for their daughter’s safe return.

Immediately, the Disney treatment of the old tale resonated with me. All too often, Disney’s take is diluted and modified to the point the story is unrecognizable and insipid. In this case, the changes deepen the story. The extraordinary length of Rapunzel’s hair is not just a detail but an intrinsically key part of the plot. Gothel, superbly portrayed by the incomparable Donna Murphy, is a terrifying villainess without the aid of magic to demonstrate her evil intentions. She’s manipulative and wicked in a real, familiar, and chilling way. Gothel is the kind of demon we can all too often see in the real world, and the writers and Murphy deserve props for crafting a villain of this depth and caliber. As she alternates from saccharine sweetness and aggression, Gothel could arguably be the most compelling heavy in the Disney pantheon.

Rapunzel, a sassy and well-realized heroine voiced by Mandy Moore, lives in her tower prison, covering the walls in vibrant murals. We are treated to a clever montage of the acrobatic feats the young girl can perform with her prodigious locks. We are also introduced to her only friend, a silent but entirely amusing chameleon named Pascal. Rapunzel is a heroine in the classic sense: she has strong character, charm, wit, and a yearning for more. Her murals are a two-dimensional substitute for a world she desperately longs to see, however her “mother” uses guilt and her faux concern for her “daughter” to keep her trapped in the tower.

This status quo would remain intact were it not for the exploits of our hero, the roguish, rakish Flynn Rider. Our introduction to the handsome thief comes as he and his two massive, muttonheaded associates stage a daring heist in a heavily guarded citadel. Rider absconds with a jeweled tiara, that observant audience members will recognize as belonging to the missing princess. In short order, his henchmen attempt to betray him, but he deftly escapes from their and the pursuing soldiers’ clutches. Unbeknownst to Rider, the horse of the captain of the guard, a large, proud white stallion named Maximus, breaks free from his master and chases after the thief with the resolve, and more than a few of the mannerisms of a bloodhound.

Once the stage is set, our heroes and villains introduced, Tangled kicks into high gear. The journey introduces us and the unlikely couple to a disreputable pub filled with a gallery of outlandish characters who look like the thugs they are but deliver mirth and humor by the truckload.

As in Mermaid, Alan Menken penned the music. The soundtrack is filled with winning songs performed wonderfully by the cast. The single greatest surprise was the duet I See The Light. Zachary Levi, best known as the title character of the delightful and underrated Chuck, voices Flynn, imbuing him with all the humor and heart I expect of Levi. However, he sings with Moore in what is destined to be an instant Disney classic ballad. His voice is pure and strong and lovely, a perfect counterpart to Moore’s dulcet pipes.

I saw this movie in 3D, and I would easily recommend it over the 2D version. As the charming I See the Light plays out, Rapunzel and Flynn are seated in a gondola, while 50,000 glowing, floating paper lanterns drift through the night sky. The effect is nothing short of breathtaking. Including the extraordinary imagery of Avatar, I have seen nothing as movingly beautiful on the screen. That scene alone is worth the price of admission and should not be missed. It is a gloriously poignant and gorgeous bit of movie magic.

Visually, Tangled is an achievement on every front. The plot never drags, but carries us along with a perfect rhythm of fast-paced action and slower more intimate moments. All of the performances are top notch, even from the silent, sidekick critters. I will admit that the pivotal moment at the climax utterly surprised me. I had no inkling what was coming and it was artfully done. I can say that no Disney animated film has surprised me in this fashion.

Tangled does what classic Disney should do: it delights children and adults through its visuals and its music. Tangled sweetens the pot with one of the strongest stories to emerge from the House of Mouse. This was the first computer generated animated princess movie they have done, and, if they are to be believed, it is the last. Tangled cost approximately $260 million to make, earning it the spot of most expensive animated feature ever. As of this writing, Disney had earned almost $500 million in worldwide box office. The success of the film might cause the powers that be to reconsider their stance. The snub by the Academy for this year’s Oscars is, in my opinion, unforgivable, but at least I See the Light earned a nomination.

Regardless, Tangled is a wonderful film, and audiences of all ages will not be disappointed. If you can see it in 3D, do so. This is do-not-miss entertainment.

Grade: A

Known as the "World's Greatest Rally Car," #6 Raoul ÇaRoule was born in Alsace, France. A restless soul, Raoul joined the famous 'Cirque du Voiture' French circus where he learned Gymkhana – a graceful, drift-filled motorsport that taught him pinpoint timing and an unparalleled ability to navigate tricky courses with ease. He's the first car to ever win nine consecutive rallies. Raoul is confident he can use his rally experience to pull ahead of his fellow World Grand Prix racers during the three courses' touchy dirt sections, especially with his fans in the stands waving banners that read: "ÇaRoule Ca-Rules!"

Naomi Watts has joined the cast of Warner Bros.' "J. Edgar," opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Ed Westwick, Damon Herriman, Armie Hammer, Ken Howard and Josh Lucas.

Watts will portray Helen Gandy, the longtime personal secretary to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Gandy began working for Hoover in 1918 and continued in that role until he passed away in 1972.

Clint Eastwood is directing from a script by Dustin Lance Black ("Milk").

Hoover was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation in 1924 and was named head of the FBI when it was founded 11 years later.

Producers are Brian Grazer and Ron Howard through Imagine Entertainment along with Eastwood and producing Rob Lorenz through their Warner-based Malpaso banner.

Watts was last seen as Valerie Plame Wilson in "Fair Game" and will be seen next in "Dream House."

Source: Variety

Roaring to life through WBA and Studio4°C’s use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, “ThunderCats” characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.

The new “ThunderCats” will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost – takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.

“ThunderCats” is executive produced by Sam Register (“Teen Titans,” “Ben 10,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”). Michael Jelenic (“Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “Wonder Woman”) and Ethan Spaulding (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) are the producers.

Official Release Date: March 23, 2012

Synopsis (via book): A 16-year-old heroine Katniss Everdeen must participate in a fight-to-the-death annual event called the Hunger Games. The battles are televised, and pit youths from each of the Capitol’s 12 Districts against each other.

PICTURE:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

DIRECTOR:
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David Fincher - The Social Network
Tom Hooper - The King's Speech
Joel & Ethan Coen - True Grit
David O. Russell - The Fighter

ACTOR:
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours

ACTRESS:
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Christian Bale - The Fighter
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Mike Leigh - Another Year
Scott Silver & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson - The Fighter
Christopher Nolan - Inception
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg - The Kids Are All Right
David Seidler - The King's Speech

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy - 127 Hours
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network
Michael Arndt - Toy Story 3
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - True Grit
Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini - Winter's Bone

ANIMATED FEATURE:
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law (Algeria)

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Matthew Libatique - Black Swan
Wally Pfister - Inception
Danny Cohen - The King's Speech
Jeff Cronenweth - The Social Network
Roger Deakins - True Grit

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

ANIMATED SHORT:
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, a Journey Diary

LIVE-ACTION SHORT:
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

VISUAL EFFECTS:
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

ART DIRECTION:
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

COSTUME DESIGN:
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

MAKEUP:
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

FILM EDITING:
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

SOUND MIXING:
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

SOUND EDITING:
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

ORIGINAL SCORE:
John Powell - How to Train Your Dragon
Hans Zimmer - Inception
Alexandre Desplat - The King's Speech
A.R. Rahman - 127 Hours
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network

ORIGINAL SONG:
"Coming Home" from Country Strong
"I See the Light" from Tangled
"If I Rise" from 127 Hours
"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3

I know, I know – everyone has an opinion on Oscar nominations today. If you can't beat them, join them.

Here's the difference with my Oscar reaction post. Most of the opinions today are critics who make a living seeing movies and get to see them for free. I watch and sometimes write a review because I love movies. And I paid to see them.

Picture

127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Winter’s Bone
Seen all of them and believe 9 of the 10 nominees are truly wonderful films and make an impressive list.
The 1 out of the 10 that I didn't like is “The Fighter”. I know most people loved it but it felt like two hours of Jerry Springer to me. I found the Greek chorus of sisters particularly like nails on a blackboard. There is always one film where I seem to disagree with the masses. I was that gal who could not stand “Slumdog Millionaire”.
My top three films are “The Social Network”, “Inception” and “True Grit”, in no particular order. Any of these three grabs the big prize, fine by me. And “A King's Speech” win is equally okay. Most Oscar predictors think “The Social Network”. Personally, with how the Best Picture weighting works, I'm thinking “A King's Speech” is going to sneak in there and grab the statue.
My happiest moment this morning was “Winter's Bone” snagging that tenth spot. I was not a fan of “The Town”, largely rumored to be likely for the tenth spot. “Winter's Bone” is far more deserving; it's unique, moody and a kick in the gut.
Oh, and anyone who skipped “127 Hours” because of worries of squeamishness. The whole thing was completely overblown. The actual 'escape' is quick and not hard to watch. Catch this film.

Actress
Annette Bening The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman Black Swan
Michelle Williams Blue Valentine

A very good year for the women.
Any one follows the Oscars knows this is a two women race, Bening v Portman. For what it's worth, I'd cast a vote for Bening because her role asked for a wider ranging performance. Portman was terrific but acting crazy is easier than what was asked of Bening. It's possible Bening may sneak a win here although Portman is the flashier role in the more watched film. Plus, Portman had some fancy special effects that upped the scary of her portrayal. Bening is a Hollywood insider, which should count for something in the voting. At least I hope so.
I'm very excited for the recognition of Jennifer Lawrence. She was revelatory, poignant and plain old tough in “Winter's Bone”. If you missed it, “Winter's Bone” is out on DVD, rent it.
Much will be made of Julianne Moore's snub for her role in “Kids”. As I've said to many people, it isn't too hard to act smitten with Mark Ruffalo. Ok, I joke. She was great in the role and deserves to be on the list.

Actor
Javier Bardem Biutiful
Jeff Bridges True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg The Social Network
Colin Firth The King’s Speech
James Franco 127 Hours
For my money, Colin Firth is a shoe-in. He lost last year and followed up his performance in “A Single Man” with an even more impressive turn as stammering royalty.
Bardem grabbed that fifth slot. I guess Julia Robert telling the world that you should get nominated works?
I loved Franco in “127” but it's Firth's year (much like it was Bridges' a year ago).

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld True Grit
Jacki Weaver Animal Kingdom
Melissa Leo is the frontrunner. As I've stated, I abhorred “The Fighter” and everything about it. With that said, I love Leo in “Frozen River” and in the HBO tv series “Treme”. So, her winner an Oscar, even for a role I didn't like, is okay by me.
Glad to see a nod for Hailee Steinfeld. She displayed grit and deserves the recognition. I just wish she was 16 instead of 14 so she could play Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming “Hunger Games” movie.
For my money, the best performance of the bunch is Helena Bonham Carter's Elizabeth, the stalwart wife who became queen with backbone and class.

Supporting Actor
Christian Bale The Fighter
John Hawkes Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner The Town
Mark Ruffalo The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush The King’s Speech
What I said about Melissa Leo above, goes for Christian Bale here. His performance was overwrought in my book. Yet, again he has such an impressive body of work with no previous nominations to his name, I am fine with his win.
I loved Renner in “The Hurt Locker”. His performance in that film elicited a very visceral reaction from me. But, I thought his character in “The Town” was predictable and uninteresting. I don't know why he's on this list.
As much as I loved “Winter's Bone”, I barely remember what John Hawkes looks like. I do not understand his nomination here.
Sam Rockwell was skipped over again. He deserved a nomination for “Moon” and brings a unique energy to all his roles. Rockwell is the new Bale.
Can say that skipping Andrew Garfield for his role in “The Social Network” is ridiculous. Garfield was the heart of that movie and drove the narrative.

Director
Darren Aronofsky Black Swan
Joel and Ethan Coen True Grit
David Fincher The Social Network
Tom Hooper The King’s Speech
David O'Russell The Fighter
After a woman won this category a year ago (Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”), the Academy returns to typical form with an all male line-up. The only female contender was Lisa Cholodenko for “Kids”.
My pick for Director was Christopher Nolan. He makes visually stunning and striking films with a sure and steady hand, great performances and creativity. This would have been a nice recognition for the brilliance of “Inception” since it won't be winning Best Picture. BUT HE WASN'T EVEN NOMINATED. The Academy bias against sci-fi films has not diminished, clearly.

Anyway, the Oscar probably will go to Fincher here.

Original Screenplay
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg The Kids Are All Right
Mike Leigh Another Year
Chris Nolan Inception
David Seidler The King’s Speech
Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson) The Fighter
David Seidler is the frontrunner for capturing a critical piece of history wrapped into a personal struggle. It's a fine piece of storytelling. In the unlikely event Seidler doesn't win, I would like to see Nolan grab a statue (see Director above).

Adapted Screenplay
Michael Arndt Toy Story 3
Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle 127 Hours
Joel and Ethan Coen True Grit
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini Winter's Bone
Aaron Sorkin The Social Network
I'll be absolutely shocked if Sorkin doesn't win.

Animated Feature
Toy Story 3
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
“Toy Story 3” is a lock.
I am a teeny bit surprised that “Tangled” failed to received the third slot. It's made a ton of money and Hollywood likes that. Instead the third slot went to “The Illusionist”, the French animated feature by the same person who made “Triplets of Belleville”. I've seen “Triplets” and think it is grand; haven't seen “The Illusionist” yet so don't know. The Academy clearly went for the artsy pick here. Or, figured one nomination for Disney (TS3) was enough?


I won't go through the rest of the categories. Mostly because I am no expert about Songs or Costumes and all the rest. And also because I don't want to bore you.
Thanks for sticking it out with me. Enjoy the Oscar telecast. I'm looking forward to Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts, are you?

Follow me on twitter at mary3s, cheers!

James Cameron briefly spoke about the Avatar sequels in an interview with EW confirming that he is currently writing both, that both are planned to be shot together, do post production together but be released one year a part.

He confirmed that the plan is to have both films be released most likely for 2014 and 2015.

He also once again confirmed that FOX is taking a big chunk of the profits to donate to environmental causes.

Full Story: Greenwala

“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” attempts to capture the zeitgeist of Wall Street's financial meltdown. Sadly for this film, there have been too many newspaper and magazine articles, in-depth interviews and incisive documentaries since the federal bail-out of Wall Street in 2007. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film's content on the meltdown seems dated and at least a year too late on the scene. “Wall Street 2” seems like a caricature of the situation, rehashing and turning the whole thing into a strange family melodrama.

It's sort of interesting to compare “Wall Street 2” to “The Social Network”. Both cover hot news straight out of the headlines with one dramatizing a young man caught up in corporate takeovers and financial duplicity (Wall Street) and the other capturing the beginnings of the online social explosion (Social Network). Both also tie personal relationships to the events to unwrap the story. “Wall Street 2” comes off almost silly with ridiculous, overwrought characters buying and trading and lying and cheating; “The Social Network” utilizes insightful and intense dialogue and nicely formed characters to draw us into Mark Zuckerberg's (Jesse Eisenberg) takeover of the online personal connection world.

Wall Street 2 centers around a young trader (Shia LaBeouf) who is scrambling around trying to make money, avenge his mentor, get a green energy company funded, propose to his girlfriend, save his mother from financial ruin, waste a million plus dollars and get into his soon-to-be father-in-law's good graces. Such a busy guy.

The aforementioned father-in-law is Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas), seven years after his release from federal prison for time served for insider trading (see Wall Street 1, an insightful and, at the time, unique exposure of Wall Street corruption). The script does not fulfill the requirement of drawing the viewer into the horror and destruction caused by the rampant insider trading and the lies and double dealing. Instead, it focuses on whether or not Gordon Gecko will get his daughter (Carey Mulligan) to talk with him.

Huge Spoiler:
Gecko cheats and steals his way back into a position of wealth, power and influence. And as the viewer, it plays on the screen that we are expected to be sort of happy for him. Why is it bad for the snarling guy (Josh Brolin as Bretton James) to lie, cheat, and steal but somehow heroic for Gecko to get back on top doing the exact same things? It's completely unclear and inconsistent.

LaBeouf seems way in over his head in this role. He lacks the gravitas to make us believe he is a savvy and clever wunderkind trader. Douglas does a good job of reprising his role as Gecko; he's sneaky and snaky and smooth, definitely the best part of the film. Mulligan has nothing of any import to do. Bretton James is a one-note character and it's clear Brolin takes the easy way of making a mean guy face and not much else.

By the way, there is a reunion from “Wall Street 1” of Gordon Gecko and Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen). Much like the rest of this movie, it plays silly and is unnecessary.

“Wall Street 2” is available on DVD. Unless you are a Michael Douglas fan, skip it.

Rating – 4 out of 10
Leave a Comment with your thoughts, thanks!

Here is the full set of promo pics that have been released for the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Most of them we have already posted, but I think there are a couple of new ones.

Enjoy!

Thanks to our friends at SlashFilm for posting this better look at Spider-Man on set.

Of course this is most likely just stunt suit and maybe not what the final suit will look like, but you can clearly see the web shooters again.

Here is a short interview that Elijah Wood just conducted with MTV about his return to New Zealand and having Frodo be a part of the movies. For those that do not know, Frodo is not in the original The Hobbit book.

Well with all the buzz around he casting announcements for Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises many are already wondering whether this will be the last installment of the movie featuring Christian Bale as Batman and Christopher Nolan directing.

Nolan has said for quite awhile now that there are only 3 parts to his Batman story so most have assumed that this third part would be the end of this Batman franchise.

Well in a recent interview with Empire about his current movie The Fighter, Bale said he would actually be open to doing a fourth Batman if Nolan had another story.

So maybe there is still a slight chance for a fourth Batman?? Hopefully The Dark Knight succeeds in the box office and Nolan will see the potential money a fourth movie would make and decide to make another one.

Ok maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself, but it is never to early to hope right?

Here is his quote:

"All I know is the likelihood that this will be the last one," says the star. "Well, I wouldn't say definitely. If Chris goes, 'Hey, I've got another story I think could be interesting,' then yeah, great, I'd go do that. I always assumed it would be three, but I could be wrong. I don't know if there's something wrong with me, but I don't feel any pressure."

Source: FirstShowing via Apple

Shooting of Sir Peter Jackson's Hobbit films will begin in Wellington next month and a possible start date is one that fans would love – St Valentine's Day.

Wellywood insiders have told The Dominion Post February 14 is when cameras will start rolling on the two films. However, Sir Ian McKellen – who is reprising his Lord of the Rings role as Gandalf – said via his website: "I am happy to say I start filming in Wellington on February 21, 2011."

Film publicist Melissa Booth confirmed filming would start next month but said the exact date had yet to be set.

The films' stars would soon be arriving in Wellington to launch the production. "It will be for a significant number of the actors. I don't have a date yet, but I am hoping it will be in a couple of weeks' time."

Full Story: Stuff

Well, I as I posted yesterday, I am pretty excited to see Tom Hardy play the role of Bane in Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises and trust Christopher Nolan's vision.

Many fans are still upset with Bane being a part of the movie, but one thing that we know is official is, fans want to know more about Tom Hardy as Bane.

In about 24 hours, Yahoo is reporting that the search "Tom Hardy Bane" skyrocketed an astonishing 17,662%!!

Of course with any stat sometimes they can be misleading. Yes, it proves people were really curious to find out who Hardy is and why him, but since no one really expected Hardy to play Bane, there were probably very few searches for "Tom Hardy Bane" and it would account for such a large jump.

For those curious about Bane, he did indeed appear in a previous Batman movie as Poison Ivy's henchmen but that role totally did not do his character from the comic books justice. Bane was a smart villain and also had the muscles to eventually defeat Batman and break his back. I really wonder if Nolan will take the story this route, but it was one of my favorite story lines written for the Batman comic book series.

Some of the curiosity around Bane is how will Hardy appear as an 8 foot Hulk like villain. Of course Hardy has time to bulk up but maybe we might get some CGI. I hope not but who knows?

So 24 hours later are you more or less excited about Hardy playing Bane?

If you are still disappointed and can not picture Hardy as Bane, as his character in Inception says: "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling."

Well here is a bit of interesting news to go along with the rest of the super hero news from this week.

Apparently Marvel has hired Mark Bailey to write the script for The Black Panther.

It is an interesting choice because Bailey has no big screen fictional writing experience.

It seems like we are full promo swing for X-Men: First Class, first a few cast promo pics, then the first promo poster and now a couple of individual promo pics of the two main characters in action.

Check them out!

I am sure a trailer is right around the corner!

Aron Ralston. If you don't know the name you've been living under a rock for 5 years. The pun of course is intended as that's exactly what he did, for 127 hours he was stuck in a canyon with a boulder crushing his right arm. Danny Boyle's latest masterpiece tells the story to an astonishing level of accuracy; I read that only a scene where James Franco's Ralston shows some hitch-hikers a drop into a pool beneath the rocks is not accurate to the event of the 6 days surrounding this astonishing tale.
The story is a tough one to pull off on screen, a man who is unable to move, alone for nearly the entire movie. It doesn't feel like stellar material for the big screen, but thankfully the tale was given two aces who pushed the story into gripping drama.
Firstly, Danny Boyle at the helm was an inspired choice; fresh from his Oscar winning turn in Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle is enjoying a spell of creative freedom with which he can demonstrate his previously under-appreciated skills. Bizarre and masterful shots from inside water bottles, on top of video cameras & water-filling-canyon-hallucinations are some examples of cinematography & direction thrown in to add life to the motionless situation with brilliant effect and to keep the audience on their toes. It definetely added weight to certain scenarios; visibly seeing his water bottle running low in such a way was brilliant.
However understanding the character was the one thing that mattered, and the way Boyle brought Ralston's story to life was key. The script oozes screenwriting quality, focusing on the relationships firstly between Ralston and the two hitch-hikers and moving flawlessly into a relationship told through Ralston's eyes on his family and love life. The entire movie is layered with flashbacks, hallucinations and imaginations of his life, flipping in and adding understanding to flesh out Ralston's personality and character whilst he isn't even interacting with anyone. It should be nigh on impossible to bring out such development to a character who is on his own for 80% of the screen-time. But throughout Ralston's book and his openness on his time in the canyon, mixed with Boyle's direct focus on the main character, the movie is created in an unusual-biography type of story. It just so happens that this man is trapped in a 'Saw' style trap...
Introducing the additional scene with the pool and the death-defying drop that Ralston shows the two hitch-hikers was perhaps necessary to help Boyle bring out what sort of character he is. It also gives the audience more appreciation for a man who takes no cell phone, tracking beacon with him and also tells no one where he is; he's a rogue, he's confident and he really is a person who we, as an audience, feel would normally be fine in such a location. We're made to feel sympathetic for the unluckiness rather than apathetic for thinking Ralston as foolish.
All this work by the director is good, but the movie also needs one other key ingredient, which he finds in James Franco; there's no denying he's come a long way from his Spiderman days. He oozes quality, bringing across Ralston's bright personality and then layering a performance of a genius of his craft as the fear, paranoia and acceptance of death begin to hit him. A brilliant scene where Ralston is interviewing himself in front of the camera for being such an idiot had the potential of looking like the Gollum scene in 'The Two Towers' but is delivered in a way that makes it more spooky and sad than bizarre, and all the while gives you a few laughs as Ralston makes light of the situation he finds himself in.
Then comes the all important moment, the moment that the audience knows is coming long before Ralston does. Subtle hints thrown in from the first second; the just out of reach Swiss Army Knife, the spare bottle of water left on the car seat. You know the moment is coming and it adds spice to the equation, and because of this Boyle teases you early on when Ralston plunges the knife into his arm; everyone in the theatre thinking "already?!"
But no, Boyle is just playing with you, and even when you feel its arrival coming, it still takes you by surprise; And boy is it visceral and graphic, a moment when Ralston tears through a nerve without a doubt the most butt-clenching moment.
I do say don't be put off seeing 127 Hours because of this scene, you must see it for one of the most remarkable stories of survival ever seen on film; Jigsaw himself would be proud.
As I look back at my review, my spell check doesn't like the word Ralston and I notice that my writing looks like one big spelling mistake. And it highlights that this move really is all about one man, Aron Ralston. As a story it's brilliant, as a true story, it's magical. You will leave the theatre on a high, because despite all the gloom in the world on a daily basis, here is one story of a man who really did something amazing because he still wanted to be in it.
So in some respects this isn't just a movie, it's a wake up call.

Live.

9.5/10

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter: @AdDHarris
Facebook: Adam D.Harris

Adam

Here are two much better cast promo pics for X-Men: First Class. These pics are definitely an upgrade over yesterday's photoshopped promo pic of the cast in their X-men outfits.

Earlier today we posted a short set video of Spider-Man filming in downtown LA. In the clip if you look closely you will see Spidey running down the street and jumping on a truck.

Since, the movie is being filmed in LA, the TMZ team was able to get a little closer look at the filming and in this clip you actually see the stunt Spidey do a flip into the truck. Nothing too major but if you are into the action, then you will like the clip.

Here is a link to the video over at TMZ:

Click Here to View New Set Video for Spider-Man

Last week we got our first looks at Spidey and Cap in their outfits and today we get our first official look at the new X-Men: First Class cast in full outfits.

Apparently, this promo pic was first released by MSN and then was pulled. Not sure why, but maybe it was getting bashed and the studio asked them to pull it? Either way here you go...

From L to R: Magneto, Moira MacTaggert, Emma Frost, Azazel, Hank McCoy, Havok, Angel Salvadore, Mystique and Prof. Charles Xavier.

As Sly continues to keep adding big action stars to the cast, the big questions have been around whether we will see either Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal. Most sources say there is no way both will do the movie and it will be one or the other. Apparently Seagal is out and JCVD is close to signing.

Here is a statement from a close friend of Van Damme and director of Double Impact, Sheldon Lettich:

JC seems to be leaning towards appearing in the sequel, as far as I know. If Steven Seagal is not in the sequel, from what I’ve heard it won’t be because of Sly but because of producer Avi Lerner, who had a few bad experiences with Steven.

Thanks to Cinema Blend for the heads up

Director Michele Gondry's “The Green Hornet” is a good looking, stylized super hero movie. Sadly, it's just plain dumb.

In the last decade, super hero movies have improved immensely. A couple of years back there was even a considerable hue and cry when The Dark Knight failed to be nominated by the Academy for Best Picture. The bar has risen on this genre of film. Having big action, cool special effects, flashy costumes, nice toys and a few laughs simply isn't enough. Audiences expect coherent storytelling or at a minimum the story needs to make sense. The story needs to hold together and drive the action.

The whole movie centers around Britt Reid deciding he wants to be a bad ass dude saving people and have everyone think he's a criminal. And there is a kingpin type who worries he doesn't dress well enough or come off cool enough. And that is it. That's the whole thing. We are supposed to believe Britt's dad paid for that enormous mansion and loads of fancy, collectible cars because he owns a newspaper. No one even reads newspapers anymore much less make any money off of them.

The most ludicrous part is the reason for the big, final action sequence of the film. (Spoilers ahoy) It revolves around the need to upload a sushi-shaped USB flash drive at the newspaper headquarters. This sushi drive has an audio file that will prove the evil DA is, well, evil. It's super critical! So, the Green Hornet and Kato speed around, blow stuff up, destroy a building or two while racing to upload this file. Huh? Kato has outfitted the Hornet's car, the Black Beauty, with every device known to man. It is ludicrous to think that a laptop with a satellite link wouldn't be in that car. Uploading that file should require about 30 seconds of screen time, not drive the action. It's hard to enjoy an extended action sequence, no matter how well executed, when you are convinced the supposed heroes (and the screenplay) are stupid.

To be fair, there are a few nice funny bits in “The Green Hornet”. Seth Rogen as Britt Reid aka The Green Hornet is not your usual super hero type. He does a decent enough job playing a child who aspires to help out people while being a complete arse. Jay Chou as Kato, the sidekick who is the brains, brawn, mechanic, driver and charm, is the best part of the movie. He's charismatic and has a nice screen presence. Let's hope we see more of him soon.

Christoph Waltz, last year's Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor for his stunning turn in Inglorious Basterds, plays the villain Chudnofsky. He embraces the silliness well enough but truly there's not enough there. The most we learn about his character is he doesn't dress well and it stresses him. Not even an Oscar winner can do anything remotely useful or interesting with material that thin. Props though, the best scene is the opener with Waltz and James Franco. Pity they didn't make an entire comedy film of Waltz and Franco vying for kingpinship.

If good looking action in a film makes you happy, you probably should catch this film in the theatre. Gondry makes the chase scenes and the blowing things up look good, if a bit chaotic.

If you want a bit of story with your buildings exploding, skip it.

Rating - 3 out of 10

Here are a few promo pics for the highly-anticipated sequel The Hangover 2, which will follow the guys on a crazy adventure to Thailand.

Note: Click to enlarge and see full image

Jerry Seinfeld claims that the difference between “sucks” and “great” is far shorter than anyone cares to admit. In fact, he goes on to say that they are the same thing. However outlandish that claim may seem, “Tron: Legacy 3D” is an argument in support of Mr. Seinfeld’s statement.

Reviewing movies occasionally puts the critic in an odd position. The things we look for, like a good plot, beautiful cinematography, amazing performances, superb direction, are all very important and core components to a great movie. Sometimes, however, a few of these are glaringly absent, but the movie remains highly enjoyable.

The new “TRON” movie, a sequel bowing some 28 years after the original, falls squarely into this category. No knowledge of the original film is required. For modern audiences, the at the time awe inspiring visuals from 1982 would look sad, tired, and often ridiculous. I recall the first time I saw the film, and how blown away I was by the effects, but even the romanticizing of my youth can’t dull the memory of staring blankly at the screen immediately following the climactic battle. In short, withered old pasty evil dude pulls his head back from a cutout oval and this signifies our heroes have won. It makes no more sense now than it did then.

Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn, the genius programmer, and in the opening minutes of the film, we find that he has been missing for nearly 25 years. His son, Sam Flynn, ably portrayed by Garrett Hedlund, grew up sans father, and predictably finds himself sucked into the digital world his father has been trapped in for all this time.

The antagonist of this film is no OPED. In fact, the greatest special effect in the movie is a de-aged Jeff Bridges. CLU, our bad guy, is a computer generated Bridges from 1982. No doubt drawing from the effects toolbox from Avatar, the “performance” never feels false or artificial. However, I often felt creeped out by the whole affair, which I think works to the movie’s credit.

In fact, the visual presentation of the world of the “grid,” exceeded all of my expectations. In 3D, the grid dazzles. In keeping with the original film, the color palette is entirely black, blue, white, and orange. Color cues on the costumes glow, indicating at a glance the baddies versus the good guys, and to the credit of the effects team, the lighting coming off the outfits never miss. If the inside of a sleeve glows, the character’s hands are lit up, as they should be.

One complaint on the art direction: Flynn’s lair is a blatant rip off of the sterile glowing white hotel suite at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It works here, but the constant expectation of a jet black monolith appearing in the room pulled me out of the movie on more than one occasion.

The light-cycle races are every bit as spectacular as the teaser trailers indicated. Knowing a good thing when they saw it, the film’s creators added in a light-car, and a glorious light-plane battle in the final act. In all of this, TRON never disappoints.

The cast is attractive, to the surprise of no one. Hedlund possesses that boy-next-door-if-the-boy-next-door-was-an-underwear-model quality that should secure him a reasonably successful career. “It girl” of the moment, Olivia Wilde, slathers on the wide-eyed-innocent yet bad ass mojo as Quorra, our heroine. The most pleasant surprise comes from British actor Michael Sheen, best known for his frequent turns as British ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Apparently weary of Fleet Street, he channels David Bowie to great affect as the hyper-stylish, over-the-top showman Caster. Let me be clear, TRON is no place for nuance, and Sheen’s Caster is dangerously close to caricature, but in this setting, that’s just fine.

The other element of the film that just flat out works, is the music. Euro Techno sensation Daft Punk, provide the score, in a beautiful presentation of orchestra meets synthesizer. At turns, moody, trippy, and rave-ready, the soundtrack never intrudes, and enhances everything happening on screen. For fans of the band, the two-disc special edition soundtrack probably already graces their iPods.

Where TRON utterly fails is the story. Even attempting to describe it produces headaches. In short, it is some utterly incomprehensible drivel about isomorphic algorithms, misguided pursuits of perfection, and other garbage cobbled together to explain what the hell is going on on screen.

It fails on every level. Literally nothing about the story works. It smacks of some bastardized form of techno-shamanism that never makes sense on the technical or spiritual level. CLU’s master plan is neither plausible nor tension building.

The best policy here is to ignore the plot altogether. It sucks. Out loud.

And yet, so many elements of the film are great. This is the critic’s conundrum. TRON: Legacy 3D is a popcorn flick, and as such, its all about the viewer’s expectations. If you go in expecting a special effects laden spectacle with kickass music, you won’t be disappointed. If you want a coherent and compelling plot with Oscar calibre performances, you will be bitterly disappointed. This is a movie about light-cycles and light-cars and light-jets and lots of action sequences. As such, it succeeds wildly.

So, yes. TRON: Legacy 3D both sucks and is great. It exists solely as a vehicle for stylish, gorgeous eye candy. You may check all higher brain functions at the concession stand. Buy a massive tub of popcorn, a giant soda, and ride the sticker shock of those purchases into the theatre and enjoy a big blue thrill ride. You can think again on the ride home, if you want.

Rating: B