"Julie & Julia" Trailer

Well we've gotten our first look at the upcoming Nora Ephron film...and strickly speaking it doesn't look like much. Certainly not the Oscar bait many of of us (myself included) thought it would be. But it's got Meryl Streep in it. Will she get her mandatory Oscar nomination anyway? I guess we'll see.

'Soloist' Fails To Inspire

Well, the much delayed Joe Wright film "The Soloist" has finally been released to theaters with a big thud. It's opened at number 5 at the box office and the reviews haven't been much kinder. This was originally supposed to be released last year for Oscar consideration, but the studio decided to push it back to this year.

Looks like we know why now.

The only thing that has been resonated with people are the lead performances of both Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Right now though it's too early to see whether only won can get nominated (much less both). If I were to bet money though I'd bet on Downey, Jr. getting the nomination. Right now he's Hollywood's golden actor, the guy who does great work and makes a difficult job look easy. If one of these men are getting the nomination it is. But gee, only 61% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes? If that doesn't make you pause with anxioty then I don't know what will.

No Ladies: Zac Efron Is NOT Winning An Oscar!

So I saw "17 Again" last week. I'll be posting my full review of it on The Movie Wizard.com tomorrow (if not the following day), but I just want to mention something to all my girlfriends who were holding their breath on my opinion of this film; yes, I liked this movie. And yes, Zac Efron was very good in this film. But girls, he's NOT getting an Oscar for this movie! In fact, it's laughable to think he'd even get nominated for this film. I know that Tom Hanks got an Oscar nomination for "Big," a movie that shares a similar story with this film. But not only was that movie directed by Penny Marshall with a complexity you don't normally find in crowd-pleaser films, it starred Tom Hanks. Tom is such a likable and talented actor that even in his bad movies he can squeez out a good performance ("The Ladykillers" anyone?). Zac Efron, despite being cute and likable, is NOT Tom Hanks!

If anything his performance in "17 Again" is much like Matthew Broodricks performance in "Ferris Buelure's Day Off": Cute, sweet, and most likely the highlight of his career. "17 Again" IS better then most movies like this are! Truth be told I'll probably be buying the BluRay when it comes out because it's a movie that is so easy to like that I'll end up watching it several more times down the road. But Oscar worthy? I think you girls need to educate yourself on what a real young actor can do. If you want to see kids and teens in award nominated roles check out Justin Henry in "Kramer vs. Kramer," "Haley Joel Osment in "The Sixth Sense," Leonardo DiCaprio in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?," and Anna Paquin in "The Piano" (this role actually took home the gold). But if Efron gets a nomination it will only be because it was a slow year.

Harry Going Home With Oscars?

I know that, technically, Harry Potter has not been a big hit at the Oscars. It has never been nominated in any of the big categories. It has been nominated for three of the five films but has yet to win (not even for John Williams now classic score). It hasn't shown any promise of ever touching Best Picture. But is it naive to think that maybe -just MAYBE - "Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince" will get close to that top category?! I have no idea if the movie is Oscar worthy, but after watching the new trailer three times...man, I'm sold. I'm more excited about this movie then I ever was before. It just screams epic. As the series gets closer to the end the movies (despite the PG-rating for this one) will likely stop being kids films and be more for adults then anyone else. That's how the books worked and that's how the movies will likely work. I didn't think I'd say this, but keep an eye out on this one. With a lack of movies coming out this one could be a contender. Let me stress the "could be" part one more time.

I've Been Waiting For This: 'Ponyo' Gets Dated

As mentioned above, this is the announcement I've been waiting for:

Walt Disney Pictures has announced the U.S. release date of Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale THE LITTLE MERMAID. Fans of the animation master will only have to wait until Aug. 14th to see what is already a hit in Japan.

The story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) and her quest to become human. The voice cast includes Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White and Frankie Jonas as Sosuke, a young boy who befriends Ponyo.

Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are producing the English-language dub with Steve Alpert. Exec producers are Miyazaki and John Lasseter, who also exec produced the English dubs of Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY and HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

The English screenplay was written by Melissa Mathison.

As you can read above Disney has dropped the overlong "Ponyo On A Cliff" title for the shorter "Ponyo." Maybe that will help and maybe it won't. It's hard to tell at this point. But good news is good news: "Ponyo" is coming to America!

Time To Start Predicting Once Again

Hey everyone, I'm back! I took some time off this blog to set up my own personal business, as well as to take a break from Oscar blogging. The months of February and March tend to be slow ones for the site, as people tend to move on from the Oscar scene (and Oscar news is scarce to begin with), so I figured this would be a good time to take a break myself. There are a few news items I'm going to be playing catch-up on tonight, but starting tomorrow it should be business as usual.

Efron Cuts Loose (From 'Footloose')

The Wrap reports that teen star idol horny magnet Zac Efron has pulled out of Paramounts remake of "Footloose," the film that made Kevin Bacon a star. Apparently Efron decided he didn't want to do another musical at the moment, and he used a rewrite in the script as his way of getting out. I find this be unfortunate for both him and Paramount. Him because, honestly, he's not an actor, so he should accept the good work he can get now. For Paramount because they were far into pre-production, and I'm sure this is just going to screw them up. Guess we'll just have to see how this effects the movie in the long run. In the meantime, let's take a look at the classic that started it all:

Pixar's 'Up' Opens Cannes

In what will surely be considered a big step for "Up" for animated films everywhere, Pixar's newest film "Up" is going to be opening the important Cannes Film Festival. John Lasseter is obviously thrilled. As he said so perfectly, "This is a huge step for animation, and further supports our belief that a great animated film is simply a great film." This is actually the first Disney, Pixar, and animated film to open the prestige festival. Here's hoping it wows the audience and judges alike.

New 'Princess' Pics At AICN

I really wish I wasn't doing this, but Ain't It Cool News managed to get some early images of many of the characters in Disney's upcoming "The Princess and the Frog." You can view them here.

Amy Adams Brings 'Sunshine' To Our Lives

Most of you most likely didn't see Amy Adams new movie, "Sunshine Cleaning," which opened on Friday. I don't blame anyone for this though because it was released in a limited run, and will hopefully open wider as the weeks go on. Now that Fox Searchlight has had a big Oscar winner in "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox's first Best Picture Oscar in...well, almost since they started giving out the award), you can bet that Fox will be campaigning for this film for the next Oscars. I'm unsure of it's shots at the top prize yet, but I do know that Amy Adams will likely get an Oscar nomination for her role in this film. Here are some of the reviews Adams has been getting:

Amy Adams in the best performance of the young year.

Richard Roeper

Amy Adams impeccable from beginning to end, and her cheerful moxie is proving to be a valuable commodity in film after film, partly because it's deceptive.

Robert Davis, Paste Magazine

A delightful dramedy propelled by the winsome performances of Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Alan Arkin.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, bring a steadfast sense of truth to the story of two sisters trying to jump-start their stuck lives and grow up.

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Truly lovely performances by Adams and Blunt pierce the thoroughly artificial climate.

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

As you can see not only has Adams been getting a great deal of praise, but her co-star Emily Blunt has been sharing some of the praise (poor Alan Arkin has been largely ignored so far). Since the Academy loved Adams enough to nominate her for "Doubt" I wouldn't be at all surprised to see her name pop up in Best Actress again this year. Emily Blunt is looking like a solid bet as well. I'm only going to comit to those two at the moment though, as the year is still early enough that better movies could shove this one off the Best Picture list.

Limited Run For Disney's New Princess?

One of my most eagerly anticipated movies is Disney's return to 2D animation "The Princess and the Frog." Early on it was reported that the movie would be released this summer. But thanks to some protests about the main characters race, name, and occupation the film had to be retooled and will now open for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Or will it?

According to "The Disney Blog" Disney may actually be flirting with changing the date once again. See, last year Disney thought they had a smash hit with "Bolt"...

...which, despite getting solid reviews, Miley Cyrus, and an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film, the movie didn't exactly make a lot of money at the box office (though the 3D showings had more legs then the 2D showing). While there were a ton of reasons why this could have happened, the thing Disney singled out was competition from "Twilight"...

...which was fighting for teens money just as much as "Bolt" was, and it ultimately won (having the advantage of a best selling book on its side). Disney was hoping to avoid that fate this time around with their return to 2D, but wouldn't you know it: That new Sherlock Holmes movie was bumped up in it's release date, and now shares the same week as "The Princess and the Frog." Well, Disney obviously doesn't want competition from ANOTHER big budget release (especially since this one might actually be good), so they are considering changing the release pattern. Though they haven't commited to changing the date again, they ARE considering releasing the movie as a limited release film first and slowly expanding it as the weeks go by.

This would be a pretty daring move on their part, as this is a release stradegy normally saved for low budget films and Oscar contenders. Seeing that Disney hasn't made a "must see" film in years though, this sort of "word-of-mouth" advertising may be just what they need to get people excited about this film. Nothing is confirmed yet, but I think this is an interesting way to sell the movie. What do you guys think?

No Love For 'Slumdog' Actors?

In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (the one with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen on the cover), Nina Makhija from Philadelphia wrote a letter asking why a movie that had so many nominations and wins failed to recognize any of the actors in the film. She wonders where Dev Patel was for Best Supporting Actor (Editor's Note: I think he was the lead not supporting role) or Frieda Pinto for Best Supporting Actress (Editor's Note: This one's supporting). Now EW writer Dave Karger did give her a partial answer and said that, yes, there have been movies that won Best Picture and did not receive any acting nominations. Even movies that won a truckload of Oscars. Aside from that though the discussion sort of ends there for him. So, for your reading pleasure, I give you the eleven films that won Best Picture that didn't get any acting nods:

• Wings (1927-1928) - 2 Wins (SWEEP)
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1929-1930) - 2 Wins (2 Unclaimed Nominations)
• Grand Hotel (1931-1932) - 1 Win (SWEEP)
• An American In Paris (1951) - 6 Wins (2 Unclaimed Nominations)
• The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) - 2 Wins (3 Unclaimed Nominations)
• Around The World In 80 Days (1956) - 5 Wins (3 Unclaimed Nominations)
• GiGi (1958) - 9 Wins (SWEEP)
• The Last Emperor (1987) - 9 Wins (SWEEP)
• Braveheart (1995) - 5 Wins (5 Unclaimed Nominations)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 11 Wins (SWEEP)
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - 8 Wins (2 Unclaimed Nominations)

So there you have it. You may notice that most of these movies aren't nearly as enjoyable to watch as some of the movies with acting nominations, which just goes to show that good acting can really help a movie sometimes.

Watching Oscar Potential For "Watchmen"

Before we begin folks I want to say that yes, this is a long shot. The chance of "Watchmen" getting Oscar nominations outside of the technical categories seems like a bit of a stretch at this point. It may even be too early to call that, seeing that the critics mostly disliked the film. But then, didn't the critics dislike "The Reader" as well? Oh yeah, forgot, it's that whole holocaust/sex thing. Buy hey, it's a new year, and considering this is the year the Writers Strike really effects then that gives "Watchmen" a bit of an advantage. "The Dark Knight" snub could either enforce the snub or work to the films advantage of a nomination. The Academy's reputation for being out of touch with the public still stings, so this film could get nominated on principle alone. But it's not just this years nominations I feel "Watchmen" has a decent shot at a nomination: It's really good.

Masterful even. This is a movie that has the same scope of "Gladiator" but with all the heart and brains that film was missing. Plus it's promising to be a huge blockbuster, it has great acting, some of the top critics are calling it a masterpiece...really folks, it might have a shot. That said I'm not going to jump all over the bandwagon just yet. It IS early in the year, and during the first four months of the year any movie can be great so long as it doesn't outright suck. Still, I feel somewhere inside that "Watchmen" is something to watch. "The Dark Knight" came so close to the top prize, and so people will be holding this film over the Academy's head all year round. A nomination will likely be in the cards. A win is another thing all together.

Potter 6

A nice new trailer for the year long delayed sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise. Will the people boycotting the film due to it's delay be able to resist? Not after seeing this:

For Fans of American Idol

For those who are fans of "American Idol," here's a little something to enjoy for those who've ever disagreed with Simon before...

Isn't revenge sweet? There was also a "Family Guy" clip but Fox had it removed. Shame too. I love it when the judges voice themselves. Let's you know that part of their whole personality on the show is just an act.

Snyder On Batman Rumor

When cornered at a "Watchmen" promotional event Zach Snyder, who was rumored to be a back-up director for the sequel to "The Dark Knight" should Chris Nolan passes on the project, had this to say...

So there you have it, it's just a rumor after all. Course I had my suspicions about this news from the beginning. Warner Bros. will be taking their time making the next Batman film. The last time they fast tracked a superhero film they got "Batman & Robin," and God knows they don't want to go THERE again!

"Public Enemies" Trailer

I'm excited. Are you excited? I have to tell you one of the biggest impressions this trailer left me with: Marion Cotillard has a great American accent. I'm impressed. Maybe she really deserve the Best Actress Oscar she won a year ago. Here's hoping Christian Bales little public rant doesn't cost the movie too much.

Jonas Brothers Road To Oscar?

The new Jonas Brothers concert film opened at number 3, making slightly more then $12 million dollars. This was not what Disney was expected. Clearly they'd like us to THINK the Jonas Brothers are more popular then they really are! The movie was outgrossed by "Madea Goes To Jail" (#1) and "Slumdog Millionaire" (#2). While it's doubtful their movie career is going to take off don't count them out of an Oscar just yet. There is at least one original song in this concert that was performed exclusively for this movie. That means they could get an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category should the Academy want tween viewers to tune into the show next year. Will it win? Doubtful, but if an original song is performed by a popular artist I assume it to have a good chance at garnering a nomination regardless of the quality. The Academy has done this before and they'll do it again.

Me To Sony: Give Up On UMD

Some of you may be familiar with Sony's UMD format, but in case you aren't here's the general gist of it: The format, which stands for Universal Media Disk, was supposed to be one of the main selling features for Sony's handheld console the PSP (Playstation Portable), and for the first couple of years studios released movies on UMD day-and-date with the DVD. Problem is the format never really caught on, and soon only Sony themselves were really the only ones still supporting the format. It's been my opinion since I heard of the format that it was a lousy idea. An optical disk format that only worked on a handheld format but cost the same as a DVD which could be used on most optical disk platforms? Why would I bother? Well, apparently Sony still considers UMD to be important to their lineup.

Nevermind that the format was undermined right from the start by portable DVD players, but in the age of BluRay do we really want to watch epic movies like "Braveheart," "The Dark Knight," and "300" on a nine inch screen? My advice to Sony is to just give it up. Right now they have an online rental store for the PSP where people can rent a movie for a few dollars and watch them on the system. Sony should persue that instead and cut their losses with PSP. Will they? Not likely, but it's nice to think so.

Keep Your Day Job

There are three movies that are getting lots of attention this weekend. The first is "The Jonas Brothers 3D Concert" movie thing. The second is the new Tyler Perry film "Madea Goes To Jail." The third is "Slumdog Millionaire" because...well, because it just won eight Oscars, so suddenly people care about it. There is an extra movie that has come out though that isn't being talked about as much, and that is "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." It's supposed to be a prequel of sorts to the critically hated "Street Fighter" movie that came out in 1994 with Ming-Na of "ER" fame starring as everyone's favorite female fighter. Since the first movie was such a bomb I was wondering why any sane studio head would want to make this film. Was the idea of a "reboot" too much to pass up? Either way the movie got made and it stars Kristin Kreuk of "Smallville" fame as the title character.

I haven't seen this movie. Apparently neither did a lot of the public. On opening day it grossed arount $1.7 million. That's $0.2 million less then what "He's Just Not That Into You" made in it's third or forth week in theaters. When we get the weekend numbers I expect it to be even lower on the list. The studios themselves didn't even seem to have any faith in the film as they declined to preview it for film critics. Not that it really mattered as several of them went to see it on opening day. The result: One of the rare 0% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.com. Chances are we're looking at another bomb, more inspiration for the Nostalgia Critic, and I can safely say we won't be talking about this movie come Oscar time.