Kick-Ass gets another new Poster, as does The Secret of Kells

Thoughts?

The International Cinemaphile Society gives out their awards!

Here's the ICS winners:

PICTURE
01. A Serious Man
02. The White Ribbon
03. Fantastic Mr. Fox
04. Inglourious Basterds
05. Tokyo Sonata
06. 35 Shots of Rum
07. The Hurt Locker
08. District 9
09. Bright Star
10. Up In The Air

DIRECTOR
Ethan & Joel Coen – A Serious Man
runner-up: Michael Haneke – The White Ribbon

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
01. The White Ribbon
02. Tokyo Sonata
03. 35 Shots of Rum
04. Summer Hours
05. Broken Embraces
06. Still Walking
07. Lorna’s Silence
08. The Beaches of Agnès
09. Ponyo
10. O’Horten
11. The Headless Woman

ACTOR
Colin Firth – A Single Man
runner- up: Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man

ACTRESS
Tilda Swinton – Julia
runner-up: Abbie Cornish – Bright Star

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
runner-up: Peter Capaldi – In the Loop

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air
runners-up: Mo’Nique – Precious, and Penélope Cruz – Broken Embraces

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
A Serious Man – Ethan & Joel Coen
runner-up: Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
runner-up: In the Loop – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The White Ribbon – Christian Berger
runner-up: Inglourious Basterds – Robert Richardson

EDITING
The Hurt Locker – Chris Innis & Bob Murawski
runner-up: Broken Embraces – José Salcedo

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Nelson Lowry
runner-up: A Serious Man – Jess Gonchor

ORIGINAL SCORE
A Single Man – Abel Korzeniowski
runner-up: Fantastic Mr. Fox – Alexandre Desplat

ENSEMBLE
In the Loop
runner-up: The White Ribbon

ANIMATED FILM
Fantastic Mr. Fox
runner-up: Ponyo

DOCUMENTARY
The Beaches of Agnès
runner-up: Anvil! The Story of Anvil

-They certainly mixed it up...thoughts?

Best Supporting Actor gets the Oscar Circuit treatment!

Yes, the latest installment of the Oscar Circuit series of articles goes into the Best Supporting Actor race. It can be found here, and of course, keep your eye out for the rest of the categories to show up in the coming days. Also, be sure to look over any of the older articles in the series that you may have missed by checking out the archives. They can be found here, and house all of the articles in question.
-Enjoy!

Doug Liman teams up with Geoffrey Fletcher on a film about Attica...

...as per this article in The Hollywood Reporter:

Director Doug Liman and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher are teaming to re-create the 1971 Attica state prison uprising.

The four-day confrontation between prisoners and guards -- described as a riot by some, a rebellion by others -- inspired Al Pacino's famous chant of "Attica! Attica!" in "Dog Day Afternoon."

Liman also will produce "Attica" with David Bartis under their Hypnotic banner along with Elliot Abbott ("Awakenings," "A League of Their Own"), who is financing the development. Longtime Liman collaborator Avrum Ludwig also will produce.

Liman brings a personal connection to the project, as his father, the late Arthur Liman, served as chief counsel to the New York State Special Commission on Attica Prison and co-authored the commission's report chastising then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and prison authorities for their role in the incident, during which 32 inmates and 10 hostages were killed, 39 of them during an assault by state police.

In a recent blog posting, Liman described visiting the prison with Fletcher, an Oscar nominee for his "Precious" screenplay.

"The tour was astounding," Liman wrote. "We followed the steps the prisoners took as they overwhelmed the guards; saw the radiators they ripped off the walls and the gates they smashed open with them. We left with so many stories, and names and contacts of people who were there to continue our research."

Liman, who directed "The Bourne Identity," appears to be moving into more political projects. His next film, "Fair Game," which will be released this year, stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts as Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson.

Liman, Bartis and Abbott are all repped by CAA, which is handling domestic rights on the film.

In addition to his Oscar nom, Fletcher -- repped by CAA and IPG -- has also earned BAFTA and WGA nominations.

-Sounds like a project with lots of potential...thoughts?

A new Trailer for Toy Story 3!

Take a gander:

-Honestly, I can't wait...thoughts?

It's a bit of a down week for DVD...

...but that's not to say that there's nothing to be found, just that the quality options are rather limited. On that front, my choice for the PICK OF THE WEEK is a real powerful, if hard to watch, flick. It's:
Hunger
This rough drama gets the Criterion treatment right out of the gate, and it's a great movie that's well worth watching, especially for Michael Fassbender's searing performance. He gives his all, and it shows. Check it out if you think you can handle it.
-Also out getting a recommendation from me is the indie comedy Splinterheads. It's pretty silly, but it's wittier than I expected, so while it won't set the world on fire, it's a solid choice for something to watch that won't give you any heartburn, as my grandfather likes to say.
-The rest of the releases this week are flawed, at best. Tops here are the blaxploitation parody Black Dynamite, which most people liked more than I did, but I contend is more a good idea than a good movie. There's also the biopic Coco Before Chanel, which suffers from, frankly, being boring. We have Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair, which never engaged me like it should have, and at the bottom of the pile is the steaming turn known as Law Abiding Citizen. It's an insult to anyone's intelligence, and I recommend steering clear of this and finding a more competent film to watch.
-My Vintage pick is, in honor of the release of Shutter Island, a couple of movies by director Martin Scorsese that are underrated and fit in with his impending release. They are Bringing Out the Dead and Cape Fear. Really, any Scorsese film works, though if you have the time, throw in a Hitchcock flick to prepare yourself for Friday's new release.
-What will you be watching on DVD this week?

The Oscar Circuit takes a look at Best Actor, along with some new Historical Circuit reviews on the Main Page!

Yes, we turn our attention here to a big category for the latest Oscar Circuit article, the Best Actor race. It can be found here, and as always, keep looking out for more articles in the coming days, as we hit all the categories.
We also continue to expand on our Historical Circuit database, so check out the latest reviews here and let us know how it's going.
-Thoughts on the latest Oscar Circuit and Historical Circuit updates?

Check out our interview with Louie Psihoyos, the director of The Cove!

Listen to the interview here, and let us know what you think!

Behold this group photo from the 2010 Oscar Nominees Luncheon

Quite the collection of talent...

Today's Trailers: Leaves of Grass, Centurion, Killers, and The Exploding Girl

First up we have the anticipated film 'Leaves of Grass', which features Edward Norton in a duel role as identical twins:

Next up we have Michael Fassbender starring in the latest film by Neil Marshall, a roman epic called 'Centurion':

Following that we have the 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' knockoff, this one called simply 'Killers':

Finally, we have the film 'The Exploding Girl', which is said to have an excellent performance by Zoe Kazan in her first real meaty role:

-Thoughts?

Kathryn Bigelow chooses her next project!

Well, it's a pilot for an HBO show, surprisingly (though, as the article states, it's becoming a trend lately). Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:

HBO has snagged the hottest film director at the moment, Oscar nominee for "The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow.

Bigelow has come on board to direct "The Miraculous Year," a drama pilot by top feature writer John Logan.

Logan created and wrote "The Miraculous Year," an examination of a New York family as seen through the lens of a charismatic, self-destructive Broadway composer.

Logan, who is executive producing with Bigelow and Lydia Pilcher, has a theater background. He started off as a playwright before his first screenplay, "Any Given Sunday," got the attention of Oliver Stone.

"Miraculous Year" has been given a pilot order, with filming eyed to begin in May-June.

Bigelow has rarely ventured to television. Her resume includes directing three episodes of NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street," including the two-part sixth-season finale, and an episode of ABC's underrated "Karen Sisco."

"Miraculous Year," a light family drama with a flamboyant character at the center, marks Bigelow's first pilot and also a major departure for the director known mostly for gritty fare such as "Strange Days" or "K-19: The Widowmaker."

Bigelow recently became the first woman to ever win a DGA Award. She has picked up more than a dozen major directing prizes for her work on "Hurt Locker." In addition to being a frontrunner for the directing Oscar next month, Bigelow is also part of the Iraq war drama's producing team that won the PGA Award and is up for a best picture Oscar.

Logan previously collaborated with HBO on the Orson Welles telepic "RKO 281," which he wrote.

He has earned two original screenplay Oscar nominations, for "The Aviator" and "Gladiator."

His writing credits also include "The Last Samurai," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and a second collaboration with director Martin Scorsese following "The Aviator," the upcoming "The Invention of Hugo Cabret."

"Miraculous Year" is the latest in a string of series projects with marquee feature auspices HBO has put in the development in the past several months.

The list includes "Luck," a horse racing drama pilot directed by Michael Mann, an aid-workers drama project starring Maria Bello, written by Simon Beaufoy and produced by Bello, Beaufoy and Russell Crowe; a crime drama produced by David Fincher and Charlize Theron; and a groupie comedy starring Zooey Deschanel.

Additionally, Scorsese directed the pilot of HBO's upcoming drama series "Boardwalk Empire," which he executive produces.

-Thoughts?

Academy Idol 3: Top 4 (Musical Scores Week)

We're down to four. Who will go home next? Who will be in that finale?

The Oscar Circuit goes to the Documentary race today, along with new Historical Circuit reviews!

Indeed, The Awards Circuit has plenty of new stuff for everyone. First up we have a new Oscar Circuit article, this one on the Best Documentary Feature race. It can be found here, so check it out and brace yourself for more!
We also have some new Historical Circuit reviews for you to read. They're here, so take a gander and keep recommending more titles for us to tackle in the future.
Finally, ACCA 2009 voting closes this week, so this is your last chance to get those votes in. Be sure to go here and vote in order to make your voice heard!
-Thoughts on the Oscar Circuit article, Historical Circuit reviews, and ACCA?

The ACE Eddie Awards are Tonight...

...and the winners have been announced:

Best Editing, Drama: The Hurt Locker
Best Editing, Comedy: The Hangover
Best Editing, Documentary: The Cove
Best Editing, Animated Feature: Up
Best Editing, Miniseries: Grey Gardens
Best Editing, Drama Series: Dexter
Best Editing, Comedy Series: 30 Rock

-This is a slight advantage for The Hurt Locker at the Oscars, but we shall see what ultimate happens...thoughts?

The Oscar Circuit returns, and the Artistic and Technical categories get New Predictions!

Yes, after a one day break, we return with two new Oscar Circuit pieces. One is on Best Art Direction (found here) and the other is on Best Costume Design (found here), so take a look and let us know what you think!
Also, Clayton has updated his predictions for all of the tech categories that the average Oscar viewer uses as a bathroom break (but not the die hards like us), so go here and be sure to check it out!
-Thoughts on the new Oscar Circuit articles and predictions?

What's the early word on Shutter Island, and will Marty re-team with De Niro on a mafia movie?

Well, the early word on 'Shutter Island' is very strong, with The Hollywood Reporter and Variety being on board with this being another strong work from Martin Scorsese. The reviews should continue to trickle in during the coming days, but for now, check out those two reviews here and here.

As for Scorsese making another film with Robert De Niro, at a press day in Berlin, he let loose a hint about a potential film idea. The whole article can be found here in The Hollywood Reporter, but this is a snippet:

...one reporter from Kurdish TV asked, "When are you going to make your next big Mafioso film, something like 'Goodfellas 2'?"

After initially laughing off the query, Scorsese said he had nothing more to add to the genre before revealing that he and Robert De Niro were talking about "something that has to do with that world. No doubt about it. But it's from the vantage point of older men looking back."

-Sounds interesting to me...thoughts?

Today's Posters: Clash of the Titans, Waking Sleeping Beauty, The Last Song, How to Train Your Dragon, Grown Ups, Defendor, and Repo Men

Thoughts?