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Oscar Update: New Predictions after Seeing 'Up In the Air' and 'A Single Man'

25 November 2009 12:35 PM, PST | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

It feels good to know it will only be a matter of weeks before I will have seen all the major Oscar contenders as my prediction charts are starting to be less about buzz and the opinion of others and I can finally add my own personal opinion into each. Of course, I still have films such as Invictus, Nine and Avatar yet to see, but by the end of day on December 10 that will no longer be the case for those three.

I will also have seen Brothers, Broken Embraces and The Princess and the Frog by that time as well.

Unfortunately, Crazy Heart and The Last Station are ducking me as I haven't heard a word about either film here in Seattle, but hope to soon.

As for what I have seen, I finally saw Up In the Air just last night as well as The Young Victoria, »

- Brad Brevet

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Disney Halts ‘20,000 Leagues,’ McG Off The Project

17 November 2009 7:42 AM, PST | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »

Wow, I didn’t see this one coming. According to Variety, Warner Bros. has halted moving forward with their remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. On top of that, McG, who was set to direct, is off the project, and will now concentrate on other things such as the Warner Bros. drama, Dead Spy Running.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea seemed to be moving ahead pretty well, with a tentative shooting start of February, 2010. McG even said not that long ago that they’d already looked at different shooting locations including Japan, France and Canada. The Terminator Salvation director sounded pretty enthusiastic back in August when he talked about such things as how he was planning on contemporizing the story while still maintaining the spirit of adventure from the original 1870 story and 1950’s movie.

 

There’s no real word on why Disney has halted 20,000 Leagues, nor why McG has left the »

- Ross Miller

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McG’s Captain Nemo Gets Lost at Sea

16 November 2009 11:32 PM, PST | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

It’s a good thing that McG has a lot of projects going at once because his planned adaptation/spin-of Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has run aground.  Disney has put the picture on indefinite hold after tentatively scheduled to begin shooting this February.  However, the closest the film ever came to casting the title role was a rumor that Will Smith may sign on, but beyond that no other names were ever connected with the role of Nemo.  This is unfortunate because it would have really been great to stick it to India by casting a non-Indian as the famous anti-hero.  Bill Marsilli’s script would have followed Nemo’s origin and his construction of his warship, The Nautillus.  Hit the jump to find out why this isn’t a tragedy for anyone.

With McG off the project, the Terminator Salvation director will turn his attention to the drama Dead Spy Running, »

- Matt Goldberg

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New Trailer For Leaves Of Grass

16 November 2009 2:52 AM, PST | Screenrush | See recent Screenrush news »

A brand new trailer has been released online for Leaves Of Grass, the pot comedy thriller starring Edward Norton.

The official plot synopsis goes something like this: Norton plays Bill Kincaid, an Ivy League classics professor who returns to rural Oklahoma to bury his dangerously brilliant identical twin brother, only to discover that the brother he believes to have been murdered has lured him home to involve him in a doomed plot against a local drug lord. Before Bill can flee, he's implicated in a murder and his life becomes completely unravelled.

Those savvy among you will have noted the key word in the description is "identical" - yes that's right, Norton will be putting his acting skills to full use by playing dual roles, starring as both brothers. Cue lots of split scenes and classic comedy set-ups.

The film is written and directed by Tim Blake Nelson, who you »

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Movie Poster of the Week: "Up in the Air"

13 November 2009 8:05 AM, PST | The Auteurs | See recent The Auteurs news »

If anyone merits the “big head” poster treatment so expertly parodied by Funny or Die it would be everybody’s favorite movie star George Clooney. Lately, however, Clooney has started to disappear from his own posters: his eyes were obscured by the title in the Syriana poster and his face was out of focus and again covered in lettering for Michael Clayton. The poster for Up in the Air, however, has his most subdued presence of all: a small dark silhouette dwarfed by the movie title in sober Helvetica high up on an airport information board.

What I like about this poster, beyond its symmetrical simplicity, is how it looks up close, when you can see the pixels of the monitor, something that is lost when you see the poster at anything but full size. I do feel the poster is maybe a little too pleased with itself (which is »

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The Men Who Stare At Goats: A Plot in Search of a Movie

12 November 2009 12:04 PM, PST | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »

Grant Heslov's movie The Men Who Stare At Goats is a good premise stuck in a mess of a movie. Based on a stranger-than-fiction book about paranormal research within the U.S. military, it should be a black comedy about the lengths to which our army will go to kill people. Instead, it's a collection of tonally tin-eared, quirky setpieces that strain believability and almost completely ignore the human cost of the Iraq War during which the movie is set. In particular, it pales in comparison to George Clooney's previous Middle Eastern dramedies, the brilliant Three Kings and fitfully brilliant Syriana. The cast of Goats is a mixed bag. George Clooney is terrific playing a character convinced he's always in control, all circumstances to the contrary; Ewan McGregor is a complete zero as Clooney's straight man, a journalist unsure of what to make of all the supernatural stuff Clooney is talking about. »

- Alex Remington

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First Look at George Clooney in Spy Thriller ‘The American’

11 November 2009 4:19 PM, PST | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »

More updates are coming down the pipe from the American Film Market in Santa Monica, with our friends at Collider uncovering a first look at George Clooney in Control director Anton Corbijn's The American. In the film, Clooney will play "an artful assassin with a lengthy track record, constantly on the move and always watching his back.  When an assignment goes wrong and a lover ends up dead, he vows that the next job will be his last.  This final obligation takes him to a picturesque town nestled amongst lush Italian hills, its historical piazzas bursting with life.  But to Jack, every location is a trap and every person a potential threat.  Still, he surprises himself, enjoying confessional conversations over Armagnac with an insightful priest and slipping into an affair with a local beauty.  But by letting his guard down, Jack may be tempting fate.  A dangerous shadow-dweller shows every sign of closing in, and »

- Neil Miller

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The Men Who Stare At Goats Review

5 November 2009 11:14 PM, PST | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »

The Men Who Stare At Goats Directed by: Grant Heslov Written by: Peter Straughan (screenplay), Jon Ronson (book) Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges Since the dawn of modern warfare, people have fantasized about the concept of super soldiers, enhanced human beings that could defend their homeland and give them the edge over their enemies. At this point, we're not just talking about fictional characters like Captain America, either; today's soldiers really are trained to push their body beyond its physical and mental limits, and outfitted with bleeding edge technological advancements. Military interests drive scientific research like few other fields, leading to all kinds of wacky pills and biological experiments. But would it surprise you to learn that U.S. military has delved into even stranger realms in the past, and may still be doing so today? In his 2004 book, The Men Who Stare At Goats, Welsh »

- Sean

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The Men Who Stare At Goats (Review)

4 November 2009 7:47 AM, PST | SoundOnSight | See recent SoundOnSight news »

The Men Who Stare at Goats Directed by Grant Heslov According to Jon Ronson's book The Men Who Stare At Goats, the U.S. government has experimented with various extra-sensory ‘abilities,’ such as remote-viewing and mind control, since the 1950s. These highly classified sub-divisions of the Army were developed in the hopes of creating a different kind of warrior, one who could harness mental abilities to destroy his adversary. Although many of these divisions were kept under wraps, journalist Ronson (known as Bob Wilton in the film) got wind of a low-profile Army project after having met Jim Channon, the former colonel who wrote a manual for the creation of the ‘First Earth Battalion,’ an army unit to based upon New Age principals. The book, which inspired the film, charts the absurd journey that began with this chance encounter. It contains a wild, often questionable, but ultimately fascinating story of introspection and destiny. »

- Myles Dolphin

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Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney: Who'd make the best Frank Sinatra?

28 October 2009 1:00 PM, PDT | EW.com - PopWatch | See recent EW.com - PopWatch news »

Back in May, we heard about the Frank Sinatra biopic that Martin Scorsese will be directing with Universal producing. Now mega-stars Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney are rumored (courtesy of UK newspaper The Guardian) to be in contention for the role of Old Blue Eyes. It's probably important to note here that Clooney's rep, Stan Rosenfeld, told EW, "I wouldn't believe anything I read in British papers" -- which isn't exactly a denial -- while a Universal rep said the studio had no comment. (Reps for DiCaprio and Depp were not immediately available for comment.) Fact or fiction, »

- Archana Ram

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IFC Brings “Cairo” to the U.S.

22 October 2009 1:05 PM, PDT | IndieWIRE | See recent indieWIRE news »

U.S. rights to writer/director Ruba Nadda’s romantic drama, “Cairo Time” have been picked up by IFC Films, the company said Thursday. The film, starring Oscar-nominee Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig (“Syriana”) screened at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival where it won Best Canadian Feature, and will screen at the inaugural Tribeca Doha Film Festival next week. IFC Films acquired the rights to the film from E1 Entertainment International, the film’s … »

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Clooney reveals weight-gain secrets

17 October 2009 4:42 AM, PDT | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »

George Clooney turned to Renée Zellweger for help in piling on the pounds for a film role. The Daily Express reported the actor found he needed advice when it came to gaining weight for the character of a CIA agent in Syriana. Clooney said: "When I found out I had to pile on the pounds - no way was I going to wear a fat suit, that would have looked so (more) »

- By Rebecca Routledge

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Oscar Watch: George Clooney, The Coen Brothers And More

2 October 2009 3:03 AM, PDT | MTV Movie News | See recent MTV Movie News news »

What movies will be taking home little gold statuettes this awards season? We give you some of our predictions.

By Larry Carroll

George Clooney in "Up in the Air"

Photo: Dale Robinette/ Paramount

As the calendar page turns to October and the last of the summer blockbusters fade into the distance, it is time to cleanse our palate. That's right, folks, awards season is here once again, and this weekend's release of "A Serious Man" indicates that it's time to put away remakes, roman numerals and TV adaptations and instead expect movies that are — gasp! — smart.

Naturally, we here at MTV will be all over the 2009 awards season, right up to our annual coverage backstage at the Oscars. But who will be the next "Slumdog," "Brokeback" or "Little Miss Sunshine"? Below you'll find a list of 10 films we'll be watching closely between now and Oscar night.

"Up in the Air"

Over the last few years, »

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Strong, Purefoy and Church Fly to Mars

30 September 2009 11:28 PM, PDT | Atomic Popcorn | See recent Atomic Popcorn news »

Pixar’s first foray into live-action film (unless you count brief snippets in Wall-e), an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough’s John Carter of Mars by director Andrew Stanton, has gained three fantastic cast members: Mark Strong (Syriana, Kick-Ass), James Purefoy (Resident Evil, Solomon Kane) and Thomas Haden Church (Spiderman 3, Sideways).

Church will play “Tal Hajus, an ambitious and vicious Thark warrior who is biding his time to be a ruler,” while Strong will play “Matai Shang, the ruler of the Thems with godlike status.” Purefoy plays Kantos Kan, a captain of a huge warship called the Xavarian.

This is all Greek to me, but it sounds freaking fantastic. They’re joining the already cast Taylor Kitsch (Wolverine) as John Carter, a Civil War veteran displaced to the landscape of Mars. Filming will begin early next year. All the pieces are in place for this film to be another grand slam from Stanton and Disney. »

- John Cooper

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Fantastic Fest 2009, Day 2 - Hard Revenge Milly, Antichrist, The Men Who Stare At Goats

29 September 2009 9:05 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

Today’s festival titles I doubt could have been any different from one another.  I had a gruesome revenge thriller, goat staring, and something that demands all kinds of adjectives and discussions. Click the jump for Fantastic Fest Day 2, where you can read my reviews for “Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle”, “Antichrist”, and “The Men Who Stare at Goats”. And keep checking back for more coverage of the Austin, TX genre festival.

Hard Revenge Milly / Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle

This was a double-feature of films that appear to be a continuing series of stories about a woman exacting revenge on the people responsible for killing her family, in the most violent of ways.

There’s not much to this.  A woman is roaming a futuristic, post-apocalyptic landscape initially in search of the men who cut her up, and killed her husband and child.  She’s armed with a retracting, »

- Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub

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Pre-order The 'New Moon' Score

29 September 2009 6:44 PM, PDT | twilightersanonymous.com | See recent TwilightersAnonymous news »

We have some great news for all of you wondering when you can get your hands on the Twilight Saga New Moon score! Now that we have an official date and list for the soundtrack it only seems fitting that we finally get word on the score. According to Amazon.com the score for New Moon will be released on November 24th. The New Moon score will be composed by Alexandre Desplat who also has the song New Moon The Meadow on the New Moon soundtrack. You can preorder the score at Amazon right now for 14.99 here.Alexandre Desplat is a French composer who has scored more than 100 films and TV shows since 1985. Hes best known for his Golden Globenominated score to Girl with a Pearl Earring as well as contemplative soundtracks to Hostage Syriana The Painted Veil and The Queen which earned his first Oscar nomination. You can check out Alexandres official website here. »

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Lionsgate acquires worldwide rights to Stephen Gaghan's film

25 September 2009 3:33 AM, PDT | BusinessofCinema | See recent BusinessofCinema news »

Lionsgate has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the latest film by Academy Award-winning writer and director Stephen Gaghan. This is Gaghan's first film since Oscar-winning Syriana. Gaghan will direct and produce the film, a character-driven action thriller that he is co-writing with Shannon Burke. Allyn Stewart and Kipp Nelson are executive producers. Lionsgate president of motion picture production Alli Shearmur said, "We are very excited to be in business with Stephen Gaghan, a master storyteller who has raised the bar for character-driven suspense ... »

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A 'Highlander' Remake For The 'Fast & Furious' Director And 'The Wrestler' Director Finds His Next Project In Today's Dailies

22 September 2009 4:00 PM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

-- Darren Aronofsky may be busy with "Black Swan" -- which sounds a lot like "Fight Club" with ballerinas to me -- but he's going to need something more grounded as a follow-up to 2008's Oscar-nominated "The Wrestler." And here it is. The filmmaker has partnered with Time Inc. Studios and Xyz Films to direct/produce an "indie heist thriller" based on the 2006 robbery of the Securitas Depot in Tonbridge, England, in which thieves made off with roughly $85 million. (Variety)

-- Columbia Pictures has picked up the rights to Lucy Prebble's stage play "Enron," which chronicles the high-profile fall of the Texas energy concern. Prebble will adapt her script for film and Laura Ziskin will produce, though no additional cast or crew players have yet been revealed. (Variety)

-- Racehorse Secretariat wasn't the last to win the illustrious Triple Crown -- awarded for finishing first at the Belmont Stakes, »

- Adam Rosenberg

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Lionsgate Buys Stephen Gaghan’s Action Crime Thriller

22 September 2009 12:30 PM, PDT | Slash Film | See recent Slash Film news »

Stephen Gaghan made a splash with his Oscar-winning screenplay for Traffic, then made a notable directorial effort with 2005 with the ambitious political oil drama Syriana. Despite a few deals in development, he's been quiet in the few years since. Now Lionsgate is getting behind his next directorial project, which Gaghan is also co-writing. Variety reports that the studio has bought "an untitled action-thriller" that Gaghan is co-writing with Shannon Burke. The logline sounds more standard than I'd expect, but I suppose you could also write really dull, one-note loglines for Traffic and Syriana as well. This film's protagonist "is an elite deep cover operative whose attempt to take down a global organization costs him everything. He resurfaces as a beat cop in Brooklyn, only to discover that the bad guys he was fighting are also operating in his new backyard." This could be contrived, goofy crime stuff, or ... »

- Russ Fischer

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Gaghan Film Goes Under Cover at Lionsgate

22 September 2009 11:55 AM, PDT | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »

By Amy Kaufman

Lionsgate has acquired the rights to the latest film by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, the studio announced Tuesday. 

 

The film -- an action thriller about a deep-cover operative who loses everything and disappears into Brooklyn to start over -- will be both directed and produced by the "Traffic" screenwriter and "Syriana" director. The script is being co-written by Gaghan and Shannon Burke and the project is being executive produced by Allyn Stewart and Kipp Nelson.

 

“We are very excited to be in bus... »

- Amy Kaufman

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2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

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