Random News: Oscars to nominate 10 for Best Picture

Official Press Release:

Beverly Hills, CA (June 24, 2009) — The 82nd Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 7, 2010, will have 10 feature films vying in the Best Picture category, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announced today (June 24) at a press conference in Beverly Hills.

Read the full story here.

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Okay, most of us know that Oscars don't really mean anything, but to those in the industry, it's still a pretty nice thing to be nominated. So on behalf of them, I offer this opinion:

First of all, I'm struggling to see how they'll even be able to find 10 films worthy of a "best picture" nomination. The five up for it last year weren't even all the best ones. But even so, 10 films up for best picture. It's ridiculous. It completely cheapens the whole honor. It will cease to be a big deal for people. The ones who say "It's an honor just to be nominated." Yeah well, you and everybody else in the room. I just think it loses something. Credibility, perhaps.

Random News: Fox seeking Watchmen delay...

First there was this, now there's this:

Watchmen is not going to end 2008 on a high note. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a lawyer for 20th Century Fox has said that the studio will seek an order delaying the release of the film. Ever since Fox first filed its suit, Watchmen fans have been panicked that the film's legal woes would delay its March 6 release. Seriously, Fox, don't you just want some money? A nice chunk of money? Don't kick the Watchmen when they're down.

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Warner Bros. must be hurting right now. Hey, at least they had The Dark Knight, eh?

Random News: Harry Potter franchise ending early?

From Cinematical:

If you thought the delayed release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was too much to bear, what about never ever getting to see how things wrap up on the big screen? In the wake of news that Disney had dumped Narnia, The Independent reports that Harry Potter could be next.

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For Christ' sake.

Listmania: Roger Ebert's best of 2008

Possibly the most respected and trusted movie critics alive has released his best-of list for 2008. They're not in order, which is a shame, but you can read his full blurbs HERE. (in bold are the ones I've seen.. Unfortunately there are a few on there that have yet to be released where I live)
Ballast
The Band's Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W.
WALL-E

Wow. W.? Really? And no Benjamin Button. Well, I suppose with stunning trailers and hype sky-high, there has to be a certain amount of backlash.

DVD: The Dark Knight Exclusives

HERE.

Why aren't they advertised more ahead of time? I mean, I'm glad I didn't go ahead and pre-order this time around , but I have to say, I'm baffled by this trend.

For Your Consideration: Heath Ledger

From /film:
Warner Bros has publicly begun its push with this Variety advertisement for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Academy Award ballots are mailed on December 26th, polls close on January 12th, and the nominations are announced on January 22nd.

He will have to contend with Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt, John Malkovich in Changeling, Ralph Fiennes in Duchess, John Malkovich and Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading and Robert Downey, Jr. in Tropic Thunder. Will the Academy recognize an outstanding performance in a “comic book movie”?

Random News: "Paul" details released!

From /film:

Want some more details about Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s next comedy? Paul will follow the two British geeks, who after visiting Comic-Con, go on a road trip to Area 51 where they encounter a small alien named Paul, who enlists them to help him find his way home. Written by Pegg and Frost, and directed by Greg Mottola (Adventureland, Superbad).

To recap: A sci-fi road trip comedy, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Greg Mottola, an Alien, Comic Con, Area 51?! I don’t know about you guys, but I think this sounds like a winner. Filmmaker Edgar Wright is busy on Scott Pilgrim, which explains why he’s not involved as a director. Mottola is a self professed fan of Nick and Simon’s films so far, and loved the concept. Wright will executive produce. Paul will start shooting in March 2009.

Random News: Baz Luhrmann is being owned by Fox

From /film:

The Guardian is reporting that director Baz Luhrmann agreed, after “intense discussions”, to rewrite the final scenes of the Nicole Kidman/Hugh Jackman romantic adventure epic Australia. Apparently studio executives wanted the film to end on a more positive note (We’re not going to discuss the spoiler in question here). Apparently negative feedback from early test screenings prompted the studio’s concerns over the film finale.

I’m told that Luhrmann has final cut on this film, and that Fox could not have forced Luhrmann to change the ending even if they wanted to. That said, there is a lot of other stuff a studio can threaten to do that could have forced Luhrmann’s hand (not to say Fox did such things…).

It’s impossible to make an opinion based on pure hearsay, and I doubt we’ll ever get the real story behind the changes. Some will blame Fox for stepping in and “ruining Baz’s artistic vision” while others may agree that Baz made the right choice in agreeing to the changes. Either way, I’m sure the alternative ending will be available on DVD.

Man, that sucks. Can't do the film's ending the way you want it to? On the other hand, it doesn't sound like the studio doesn't have any real power over Luhrmann, so why does he have to bend?

Random News: Joaquin Phoenix is done for reals.

From Yahoo:

LOS ANGELES – The writing on Joaquin Phoenix's fists said it all.

The words "Good Bye" were penned on the actor's knuckles at a premiere Saturday night for his latest film, "Two Lovers," and Phoenix confirmed a surprise announcement he made last week: He's giving up movies.

"I think it's just moving on. It's rediscovering something else," said Phoenix, 34, said in an interview with Associated Press Television News before Saturday's American Film Institute festival, which also premiered "Che," starring Benicio Del Toro.

"Two Lovers" is his last film, he said. His publicist had disclosed Friday that the actor intended to focus on music.
Phoenix first mentioned his decision to "Extra" early last week at a fundraiser in San Francisco. He abruptly ended that interview after the reporter wondered whether he was joking about giving up acting for music.

Phoenix learned to play guitar and did his own singing to play country legend Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," which earned him an Academy Award nomination. His publicist also said Phoenix has been directing music videos in recent years.

"It's like greener pastures, you know what I mean?" Phoenix said Saturday. "And so, I'm just going to try and like, I'll just be doing the other thing. ... Hopefully, I will emotionally impact you with that, as well."

Random Notes: Kevin Smith on Judd Apatow

"I'm thankful for that guy. Nevermind the fact that he brought us Seth Rogen, which I'm really thankful for, but he did shatter that glass ceiling and made my job much easier in terms of, like, trying to get the next one made." -- Kevin Smith on Judd Apatow

Continue HERE.

Random News: Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle sign on for the Avengers

Marvel Entertainment has just announced that Robert Downey Jr and Don Cheadle have signed on for both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau will also executive produce The Avengers. As previously reported, Cheadle will be replacing Terrence Howard as Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes.

The announcement also comes with the first look at a plot synopsis tease: ” “In a movie event, The Avengers will bring together the super hero team of Marvel Comics characters for the first time ever, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they’ve ever faced.” Who could that be? With Hulk on the listed team line-up, does that mean that the big green guy is out as a possibility?

Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7th 2010, and The Avengers hits theaters on July 15th 2011. Check out the full press release here.

Random News: Weinsteins to move ALL releases to 2009

From Cinematical:

If they got some sort of financial bonus for every year they kept an unreleased movie on the shelves, I could understand it -- but this is getting a little ridiculous. According to a rather interesting L.A. Times piece, the Weinsteins are taking all their movies (save for Zack and Miri, The Reader, and perhaps the inevitably brilliant Extreme Movie) and bumping them back to next year. That includes some oft-delayed titles like Killshot and Fanboys, as well as higher-profile stuff like Crossing Over (with Harrison Ford and Sean Penn) and Shanghai (with John Cusack). Ah yes, and the highly-anticipated adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Cormac McCarthy novel The Road.

Despite the fact that The Weinstein Co. is losing employees by the fistful, Harvey W. insists that the reasons for the delays are legit: Killshot he wants to hold for Mickey Rourke's The Wrestler; Fanboys is waiting for a Comcast promotion in January; Crossing Over deserves to enter a non-crowded marketplace; and Shanghai isn't even finished yet. Regarding The Road ... hmph, it never came up.

God, this is disappointing. The Road was one of my most anticipated films of this year. I hadn't seen ANYTHING for it, and I was still really excited. This is such a shame.

Random News: Don Cheadle to replace Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2.

From /film:

Marvel Studios has hired Don Cheadle to replace Terrence Howard in the upcoming Iron Man sequel. Cheadle will play Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark’s best friend and future War Machine. Director Jon Favreau has made numerous hints that War Machine may play a part in the second film. The Hollywood Reporter’s sources claim it was a conflict due to financial differences. Earlier this year, it was widely speculated that Marvel was trying to low ball Favreau with an offer not much higher than his initial payday for the first film. It is not unusual for salaries to double for a sequel, especially when the first film outperformed to the level that Iron Man had. But from what I’ve heard, Marvel believes the superhero characters themselves are the real stars, and some have said that the company is being thrifty in their negotiations for their future projects.

DVD: Eight Iron Man DVD Exclusives

From Slash Film

Man, I really got screwed over here. Every one of those looks amazing, and I HAD to go and pre-order my copy weeks ago, when I could've waited instead to get one of these awesome deals. That just goes to show, kids, you never win by pre-ordering.

Listmania: Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time

Found Here

My Count: 155/500

I need to see more movies.

Random News: Kenneth Branagh to direct Thor

From Cinematical:

See, kids? Superhero movies are classy now! According to Variety, the man of many parts, Kenneth Branagh, is set to direct Thor for Marvel Studios. I am pretty confident no one saw this choice coming -- there has been nary a whisper on the project since Matthew Vaughn left, and I really thought he'd probably swing back to it after Kick-Ass.

But somehow, this actually seems like the right fit for Branagh, who's taste has often leaned towards the bombastic. After all, scriptwriter Mark Protosevich told the Daily Herald last year that he saw the story of Thor in Biblical terms: "It's going to be like a super hero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of a Old Testament god who becomes a new Testament god." That takes a Shakespearean sort of eye, and while Branagh's directorial resume is middling, his best (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet) suggests he might just be able to deliver on the action and wit Thor calls for. Check out the embedded Much Ado clip after the jump (a bit NSFW) and see if that doesn't feel a bit like a comic book movie.

Recap: Summer Movie Edition

What do you know, there were some really good movies out this summer. Despite the tidal wave of bad ones, here were the ones that went above and beyond and lived to their hype, and then some:

1. The Dark Knight


2. Iron Man


3. Tropic Thunder


4. Hamlet 2


5. Vicky Christina Barcelona


6. Mamma Mia!


7. Kung Fu Panda


8. Surfwise


9. Man on Wire


10. Pineapple Express

Honorable Mention: The Promotion, The Foot Fist Way, Wanted, The Visitor, Jellyfish, Speed Racer

The Ones that got away: Wall-E, Indiana Jones

Random News: Twilight to replace HP on Nov. 21

From Cinematical:

For all you Harry Potter fans who are also devoted to a certain series of teen-vampire romance novels, here's something that should help you deal with Thursday's devastating news about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince being pushed back to next summer. Summit Entertainment announced today that with Harry having vacated the November 21 spot, they're going to fill it with Twilight, bumping it up a full three weeks from its original date of December 12.

While some fans wondered, irrationally, if the Harry Potter move was to get away from Twilight, Summit's CEO says Twilight never had any delusions of being more powerful than the boy wizard at the box office. "With a giant franchise like Harry Potter in the market, we had to stay clear of it," Rob Friedman told Variety -- hence the original date well away from Half-Blood Prince. "Their move created an opportunity to bring the movie to fans three weeks earlier."

Once November 21 opened up, the move was really a no-brainer. As a press release from Summit points out, movie theaters get very crowded around the holidays, and Twilight will be able to open on far more screens on November 21 than it could have on December 12. Now it'll be opening the Friday before Thanksgiving, too, which is nearly always a plus. Its only competition will be Disney's animated Bolt. The only loser here is Entertainment Weekly, whose Fall Movie Preview is now wrong again, before most readers have even seen it. (Or, from another point of view, now that issue is even more of a collector's item.)

What do you say? Are you excited about getting Twilight sooner? To those of you who have been sending Warner Bros. wrathful messages about the Harry Potter move, does this quell your anger somewhat? Will you at least be able to live and function and carry on?

Random Notes: Harry Potter pushed to 2009

From Aint It Cool News..

Wellity wellity wellity.

I read an article in Empire the other day where David Yates, the director, talks about what changes they've made in the script. Basically I was appalled. They talk about The Half Blood Prince as if it's a throwaway novel, and people just really want to get down and dirty to all the action of The Deathly Hallows.

First, I love HBP. It's my very favorite of the Harry Potter series. To butcher the entire focus of the story would be an abomination. To actually say that skipping over the boring backstory of Lord Voldemort is unacceptable.

I'm hoping that this change of date actually means that the test screenings went very very badly. And "suffering the repercussions" of the writers' strike actually means "we fucked up bad on this one."

I'm disappointed in the news, but all this means is that the movie *better* kick some serious ass next Summer. Am I right?

Random News: Iron Man gets a DVD release date

From Cinematical:

The first giganto film of the summer has been given a DVD release date, according to Video Business, and if all goes accordingly it looks like you'll be able to enjoy Iron Man in the comforts of your own living room (legally) on September 30. There's no word on special features yet, however Amazon now allows you to pre-order three different versions, including your standard single-disc ($34.99), a two-disc special edition ($39.99) and a Blu-ray Special Collector's Edition ($39.99). (Note: Those are the list prices and each DVD is cheaper through Amazon.) The article also says to expect Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to hit DVD in October with Kung Fu Panda in November. One imagines (and hopes) Hancock, WALL-E and The Dark Knight will all hit DVD by Christmas as well.

But back to that Iron Man DVD. Those of you attending San Diego Comic Con might want to listen up because Marvel will be hyping up the DVD at their Comic-Con booth by passing out a flash drive containing a sneak peek at the Iron Man DVD. Of course, should we get our hands on one, you'll be the first to know what's on it.

So, who's buying this DVD?