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Updated: Video Previews for All Ten of the Animated Short Film Oscar Contenders
18 hours ago
Updated: Thankfully a user has sent in the trailer for Nicolas Schmerkin's Logorama so I now have video previews (and a couple of full versions) of all ten Animated Short Film Oscar Contenders.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the ten animated short films that have advanced in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards and I have compiled video previews for nine of the ten.
The only film I wasn't able to find any video for was Nicolas Schmerkin's Logorama, but I was able to find the image you see just to the right. If anyone is able to find actual video please let me know.
The ten films selected remain out of an original 37 that were submitted after the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting in screenings held »
- Brad Brevet
Investigation Reports 'Tyson' Not Extorted in Oscar Doc Controversy
21 hours ago
I am not a person that seeks out many documentaries. I enjoy watching them whenever I do see them, but I don't hunt them down the way so many others do. So, when the Academy announced the 15 documentaries that made their short list for Oscar nomination consideration I didn't even think twice about dissecting the list as much as I just wanted to put it out there for others to see and evaluate on their own.
To no surprise, the absence of Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, Tyson and most notably Anvil: The Story of Anvil drew the most bewildering looks as the Internet has allowed word on not only fanboy driven fare to gain more attention but documentaries as well. Anvil is most likely the one documentary that most online commenters and film fans were upset at its omission, but it is Tyson that began stirring up the pot. »
- Brad Brevet
Movie Review: Red Cliff (2009)
23 hours ago
Photo: Magnet Releasing In searching for a way to describe John Woo's Red Cliff the best I can come up with is to call it exactly what it is, a beautifully rendered 208 A.D. Chinese epic living in the world of a John Woo blockbuster popcorn feature. However, such a description seems almost contradictory, but nonetheless as accurate as I can get when referring to this equally playful, romantic and violent war story loosely based on the 14th-century Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
I wish I was more familiar with the early work of director John Woo, but other than his highly acclaimed Hard Boiled, I'm afraid my knowledge is limited to his mixed bag of Hollywood features with Face/Off being my favorite of the bunch. However, I guess I'm not entirely at a loss as Woo has commissioned one of his Hard Boiled stars in »
- Brad Brevet
Mini Reviews of 'Invictus' and 'The Lovely Bones' from an Industry Insider
20 November 2009 2:39 AM, PST
Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones
Photo: Paramount Pictures I don't think I have done this more than a couple times, but that's primarily due to the fact I am never convinced of the authenticity of reader reviews, or they just aren't up to par. However, when a recent industry insider shot over some well thought out opinions without any spoilers for Clint Eastwood's Invictus and The Lovely Bones I just couldn't resist.
First for the comments that were sent in followed by some words by myself.
So, after seeing The Lovely Bones and Invictus today, and with Nine only left to see, I still think it's the year for Up In the Air or, depending on how the run goes, perhaps Precious for Best Picture.
Lovely Bones is certainly an interesting piece of cinema, inventive at times and then very creepy at times, but it's one of those »
- Brad Brevet
This Weekend at the Movies: November 20, 2009
20 November 2009 2:39 AM, PST
This weekend the talk is going to be all about The Twilight Saga: New Moon and early reports from Nikki Finke say it has a chance to beat the midnight numbers turned in by The Dark Knight in 2008. Unfortunately, the film didn't hit home with critics as the 49% RottenTomatoes rating the first film earned has fallen to 27% for New Moon. Will audiences feel the same drop?
The Twilight Saga: New Moon I reviewed this one and have said my peace, no sense in adding any more as it now belongs to the audience to make up their mind. However, I will still point you to my review.
This film is rated PG-13 for some violence and action. Click Here For The Gallery Of 83 Pictures My Review / Get More Info
The Blind Side For a safe film that takes absolutely no risks it's actually quite good. You can read my full review right here. »
- Brad Brevet
Movie Review: The Blind Side (2009)
20 November 2009 1:38 AM, PST
Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Photo: Warner Bros. In an attempt at full disclosure, I saw the trailers for The Blind Side and had little hope it could be any good. I walked in expecting yet another sappy melodrama featuring a poor black kid saved by a rich white person story. In reality, that's exactly what this film is, but it's executed on a level where it isn't as dreadful as one would assume, or the trailers would lead you to believe. As a matter of fact, it's actually pretty good.
I will also tell you there wasn't a single woman I met that wasn't looking forward to this movie. Any conversation I had with a female about movies inevitably led to the question, "What do you think about The Blind Side?" Even those that would poke fun at the trailer were still excited to see it. »
- Brad Brevet
Box-Office Oracle: Nov. 20 - Nov. 22, 2009
19 November 2009 3:00 PM, PST
#1 movie predicted correctly: 3 Weeks in a Row 1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon Brad and I had one of our rare movie disagreements over this title, and it's most likely because I read the book while he stopped after Twilight. I thought it was a solid adaptation, he didn't dig it. It's okay, we're still pals.
As for the box office call here, I'm going above almost everyone I've seen predictions from, but it's an extremely tricky film to project. Before I break it down, please note that the late Thursday night screenings will count towards this number.
Now then, sequels almost always do 30 to 40 percent better as awareness spreads once the movie hits home video. But this isn't a normal sequel, because part of the audience is growing up... and out of Twilight. Add in that this could be the most front-loaded movie in box office history, as teen girls »
- Laremy Legel
Trailer for Pattinson's Next, 'Remember Me'
19 November 2009 12:10 PM, PST
Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin in Remember Me
Photo: Summit Entertainment Summit has released the trailer for Remember Me, their next Robert Pattinson film following up on this weekend's release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and it might not be too bad once you get beyond the fact it looks like a typical "bad boy meets good girl" scenario.
In the film Pattinson stars as Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan). Tyler didn't think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart.
The film also stars Chris Cooper as de Ravin's father and is directed by Hollywoodland helmer Allen Coulter. »
- Brad Brevet
Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
19 November 2009 7:42 AM, PST
Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Photo: Summit Entertainment Assuming the audience has nothing better to do, The Twilight Saga: New Moon struggles to tell its tiny tale over the course of two hours and ten minutes as a world inhabited by vampires, werewolves and who knows what else is pushed to the side in an effort to watch as a girl is prepared to throw her life away following her vampire lover's departure. To think they could get this film this wrong after the halfhearted first installment is something of an achievement.
Kristen Stewart returns as Bella as she pines for her golden-eye, ice cold vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Unfortunately the Cullen clan has to leave town as their immortal aging process has become something of an alarm to the small town folk of Forks, Washington and Edward won't be sticking around. »
- Brad Brevet
Academy Announces 2010 Oscar Feature Documentary Short List
18 November 2009 4:54 PM, PST
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the 15 films in the Documentary Feature category that will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: The Beaches of Agnes, Agnes Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris) Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films) The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society) Every Little Step, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment) Facing Ali, Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.) Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films) Garbage Dreams, Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.) Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC) The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications) Mugabe and the White African, »
- Brad Brevet
Dallas Howard's 'Loss of a Teardrop' Poster Debuts
18 November 2009 4:22 PM, PST
Paladin just sent over the poster art for The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, a long-forgotten Tennessee Williams screenplay starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Fisher Willow, the disliked 1920s Memphis debutante daughter of a plantation owner with a distaste for narrow-minded people and a penchant for shocking and insulting those around her.
After returning from studies overseas, Fisher falls in love with Jimmy (Chris Evans), the down-and-out son of an alcoholic father (David Strathairn) and an insane mother who works at a store on her family's plantation. She tries to pass him off as an upper-class suitor to appease the spinster aunt (Ann-Margret) who controls her family's fortune, but when she loses a diamond, it places their tenuous relationship in further jeopardy.
The film hits theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 30. A slightly larger look at the poster as well as an additional image from the film can be found here. »
- Brad Brevet
Award Season Briefs: Oscar Goes MTV Vma Route and Globes Nominate Five Animated Films
18 November 2009 12:22 PM, PST
I really liked last year's Oscars. I liked the way the awards were presented and just the overall feel of the show. So, when I hear the Oscar show producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman have brought in Hamish Hamilton to direct the 82nd Academy Awards I get a little wary. Why? Because this is the guy behind multiple editions of the "MTV Video Music Awards," the "MTV Europe Music Awards" and Victoria's Secret fashion shows. These are shows with expectations and audiences so vastly different there is no need for comparison.
What does this mean for the show? Truthfully I have no idea, but I see it as a bad sign that Hollywood's most prestigious show is going to slowly go the way of the increasingly popular 15-year-old fan obsessed culture. Of course, I sound like an old fogey right now, but there are just some things that should remain the same. »
- Brad Brevet
Latest MPAA Ratings: Bulletin No: 2096
18 November 2009 11:30 AM, PST
Here are the new MPAA ratings from Bulletin No: 2096.
Betty Anne Waters Rated R For language and some violent images. Creation Rated PG-13 For some intense thematic material. Release Date: January 22, 2010 The Dolphin - Story Of A Dreamer Rated PG For some mild scary action and brief rude humor. Dread Rated R For strong bloody violence, disturbing sadistic content, graphic sexuality, nudity and language. Fix Rated R For drug content, pervasive language and brief nudity. Flipped Rated PG For language and some thematic material. Get Low Rated PG-13 For some thematic material and brief violent content. Release Date: Tba 2010 Good Intentions Rated PG-13 For sexual content, language and brief partial nudity. Happy Tears Rated R For language, drug use, and some sexual content including brief nudity. Man Maid Rated R For some sexual references and language. Twelve Rated R For strong drug content, alcohol abuse, language, sexual material, brief nudity »
- Brad Brevet
I'm almost Afraid of the Comments this French 'Avatar' Poster Will Receive
18 November 2009 11:16 AM, PST
Coming Soon debuted the French poster for James Cameron's Avatar, which is featured at the bottom of this post and I won't be surprised if it gets a rough reception from readers.
I've started to realize where this film is going to find its largest group of detractors, people expecting James Cameron's Aliens or Terminator 2 films. Instead, Avatar looks like it is gearing up for a family-friendly appeal. I recently opened the door to the possibility of the film getting a PG-rating, which many people were none too happy about and then just yesterday I received the following email from a reader named 'Az': I have news that Avatar will most likely be rated PG due to the fact that McDonald's will be having tie-in toys for the movies' release. McDonald's always has toys based on movies rated PG or below. If Burger King had the tie-in toys it »
- Brad Brevet
Besson, Reno, Portman, Oldman: 'The Professional' 15 Years Later
18 November 2009 2:23 AM, PST
Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in The Professional
Photo: Columbia Pictures Is Luc Besson an overrated filmmaker? I think he's a fine director but reviewing his resume he's usually a pretty average writer and his movies are kind of hit-or-miss. But every once in while he sneaks in an effort that surprises you, makes you take a step back and think, Whoa, where'd that come from? My most recent such reaction came while watching his last directorial effort, Angel-a, a sweet and moving love story dropped into a hotzone trifecta of mediocrity including The Fifth Element, The Messenger and Arthur and the Invisibles. To that point, outside of Angel-a he hasn't made a substantial contribution to the medium since Leon - The Professional, a contribution certainly worth celebrating, and will be done so over the next ten paragraphs.
I didn't see The Professional in the movie theater. I watched it on VHS. »
- Andre Rivas
'The Road' Will Hit 31 Markets on November 25
17 November 2009 5:14 PM, PST
I am posting this only because there seems to be some misinformation running around as to how many markets John Hillcoat's The Road will be hitting on November 25 as it finally makes its long-awaited theatrical debut.
Recent rumors stated its wide release was whittled down to theaters in only New York and Los Angeles so I did a quick check and it appears it's going to be hitting 31 markets on November 25. Weinstein has also confirmed an additional roll out, but haven't confirmed markets. So I can't tell you where the film will go from here.
Below is the list I was given directly from Weinstein. Atlanta Austin Baltimore Boston Chicago Dallas-Ft. Worth Denver Detroit Erie Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami-Ft. Lauderdale Minneapolis-St. Paul New York Oklahoma City Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne Palm Springs Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland, Or Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto San Antonio San Diego San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Santa Barbara-San Marcos-San Luis Obispo Seattle-Tacoma St. »
- Brad Brevet
If Nolan Doesn't Direct 'Batman 3' Who Would You Like to See Take Over?
17 November 2009 4:14 PM, PST
Batman On Film posted a short story last week saying "there's some scuttlebutt that in early 2010, Warner Bros. and Chris Nolan will finalize the plan for Batman 3." While many sites are running with the story and saying there will be an announcement of sorts, Batman On Film clearly states whether there will be an announcement or not remains to be seen, but the question of Nolan's involvement as director remains in the air.
I guess one would have to assume WB and Nolan would be smart to get things sorted out by at least June of 2010 so interviews for Nolan's new film Inception won't be bogged down with conversation asking about the next Batman feature, or at least kept to a minimum.
Will Nolan be back? My gut tells me yes he will be, but I could also see how the death of Heath Ledger and perhaps the expectation The »
- Brad Brevet
Upgrade Your Warner DVDs to Blu-ray for as Low as $7.95
17 November 2009 11:02 AM, PST
Warner Home Video just announced a new program where you can upgrade several of your DVD titles to Blu-ray for as low as $7.95, and right now the price doesn't go any higher than $9.95. This is a similar program to the Red2Blu offer they made allowing customers to upgrade their HD DVD titles to Blu-ray, a program I actually took advantage of and loved it as a result.
The process to upgrade is simple. Consumers select the titles they want to upgrade on DVD2Blu.com, mail in their standard DVDs with pre-paid postage and a short time later receive copies of the same film on Blu-ray Disc. Consumers who place orders over $25 will receive free shipping. For a complete list of titles visit DVD2Blu.com, but I have included the most recent list of titles and prices directly below. 10,000 B.C. ($9.95) Rush Hour 3 ($9.95) Full Metal Jacket ($9.95) Pan's »
- Brad Brevet
Townsend, Stevenson and Asano Set as 'Thor's Warriors Three
17 November 2009 2:15 AM, PST
Before looking it up I had no idea what it meant to be members of the Warriors Three in Marvel's Thor and I wouldn't even report this casting announcement if this film didn't continue to stack its cast with names making it look like Paramount and director Kenneth Branagh are making a serious effort to ensure this new Marvel installation lives up to the success of Iron Man.
The latest news comes from Variety reporting Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone), Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned) and Tadanobu Asano (Mongol) will star as the previously mentioned Warriors Three, gods of Asgard who fight alongside Thor. Stevenson will take on the role of Volstagg the Valiant; Asano as Hogun the Grim; and Townsend will play Fandral the Dashing.
This announcement also debunks the possibility of An Education co-star Dominic Cooper as a potential Fandral.
The trio join the already impressive cast »
- Brad Brevet
This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: November 17, 2009
17 November 2009 2:12 AM, PST
DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed
I don't know if any of you took my advice on the 50% off Criterion sale at Barnes and Noble I mentioned two weeks ago, but you have one more week and I have already taken advantage of it by getting Battle of Algiers, the Fanny and Alexander box set and upgraded my single-disc version of Seven Samurai with the three-disc edition. I basically paid about $70 for the whole thing with my Barnes and Noble Membership card and it's about $160 worth of DVDs so that's a good deal in my book. Take advantage of it and use this coupon to save an extra $5.
Now, for this week's DVDs.
Gone With the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collection) I just reviewed the Blu-ray edition of this and was incredibly impressed. What's even more impressive is Amazon is charging only $45.49 for both the »
- Brad Brevet
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