'Inception' Goes IMAX

IMAX has scored another mature film: Chrisopher Nolan's follow-up to the cirtically acclaimed (but not by the Oscars) film "The Dark Knight."  That movie is "Inception," starring Leonardio DiCaprio, and the film has a budget someone could only get by making the second highest grossing film of all time.  This new film is a science fiction film.  You can see the trailer below.  I have to admit that I'm impressed with IMAX.  Though movies like this, "Where The Wild Things Are," and "Avatar" are helping make IMAX a legitimate experience for people who love more then documentaries and 3D family films.

More Inception Info

Polanski's 'Ghost' In Limbo

Due to the recent arrest of Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski ("Chinatown," "The Pianist"), his almost-finished-but-not-quite film "The Ghost" has been put on hold.  From what I understand most of the film is in the can.  Polanski was practically done with the editing with only a few more scenes to go, but most of the postproduction work involving the sound is not.  Sound mixing, editing, and scoring still need to be done.  Of course this could all be done without Polanski's involvement, but chances are he'd rather not have the movie released then have someone else touch it.  Obviously production will not go forward until we know for sure whether or not Polanski will be extradited to the United States.

One things for sure though: If Polanski is extradited and forced to serve a jail sentence then the movie will most likely have to be completed without him.  Sorry, but as much as I'd love Polanski to finish this film there's too much at stake to drop it just because he can't finish it.  The movie is practically done at this point, and too much money has been spent on it to let it stay in limbo.  Ghost writers finish uncompleted book series when authors pass away suddenly, so I have on doubt the movie will be finished.  Who knows, maybe in a pity vote Hollywood would give Polanski a second Best Director Oscar (seeing how many Hollywood stars want him released, this movie could be very important next Oscar season depending on how this situation pans out).

Another thing we have to keep in mind is whether or not this situation will help sell the movie or hurt selling the movie.  On one hand he could go to jail and there could be interest in it because it's his last film.  If he goes free people might not be interested in seeing a movie made by someone who got away with rape.  Such a very, very interesting situation.  The movie stars Pierce Bronson and Ewan McGregor and was set to be released sometime in 2010.

Full 'Princess' Clip

Though I don't like spoiling too much Disney has released a full clip of their highly anticipated "The Princess and the Frog."  Okay, so it's not a great scene, but it sure is great to hand drawn animation again.

Animated Race Gets More 'Fantastic' By The Day

I know I've said it before, but the Best Animated Feature race actually feels like a race this year.  Though people predict that Pixar's "Up" will walk away with the prize (as well as a Best Picture nomination) I can't help but feel that in a year with such strong contenders, Pixar won't be the favorite to win even if their film is the best of the bunch.  They've won this award four times already.  In fact they've won the previous two years.  I think one of these others films is going to walk home with the gold, and our good friend "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" looks to be another contender in this race.

Cloudy With A Chance of Oscars

Well folks, I personally didn't care for "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" much.  You can read my review here, but I thought that the movie - while funny - wasn't something worth remembering.  That said the movie does hold a 86% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes and was a surprise number 1 hit at the box office, so at this point anything is possible.  I'm still not sure if we're getting three nominated films or five (I'm guessing three), but Sony's animated underdog (in the sense that Sony needs this film to succeed...badly) might just squeeze into the nominees at one point.  If we get stuck with three nominees they should be:

• Ponyo
• The Princess and the Frog
• Up

If we get five nominees they should be:

• 9
• Coraline
• Ponyo
• The Princess and the Frog
• Up

I would hate to see 'Cloudy' sneak in on either of those lists (but if we have five, nudging out "9" for a slot would be a lesser offender since that was a movie with lots of style but little substance).

Producers Guild Goes 10

Not to be outdone by the Academy, the Producers Guild of America has announced that they will also expand their Best Picture nominees to 10 films.  Here's their press release:

PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS EXPAND
NOMINATIONS IN BEST PRODUCED MOTION PICTURE CATEGORY
TO INCLUDE TEN FILMS

LOS ANGELES (September 21, 2009) –The Producers Guild of America announced today that the 2010 PGA Awards nominations in the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures Category will be expanded from five to ten films. The 10 nominees will be announced on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. The 21st Annual PGA Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, January 24, 2010.

The PGA board approved the expansion of our Best Produced Picture category nominations to support our colleagues at the Academy, but also because we feel it better represents the unprecedented diversity of films being produced today,” said PGA President Marshall Herskovitz.

“We’re excited to involve even more industry members in this year’s event, as having 10 Best Produced Picture nominees allows us to recognize even more extraordinary films,” said David Friendly and Laurence Mark, co-chairs of the PGA Awards. “The PGA Awards ceremony is the only night of the year that celebrates the meaningful contributions of producers across all mediums.” In 1990, the PGA held the first-ever Golden Laurel Awards, which were renamed the Producers Guild Awards in 2002. Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck took home the award for Best Produced Motion Picture for Driving Miss Daisy, establishing the Guild awards as a bellwether for the Oscars. Last year, the PGA awarded Slumdog Millionaire its Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures.

In June 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that they will have 10 feature films vying in the Best Picture category at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Key dates for theatrical motion pictures competing in the 21st Annual PGA Awards include.

November 6, 2009:    Deadline for Receipt of NOTICE OF CREDITS and PRODUCER ELIGIBILITY Forms for Theatrical Motion Pictures

December 7, 2009:     Polls Open for Theatrical Motion Picture and Long-Form Television Nominations

January 4, 2010:        Polls Close for Theatrical Motion Picture and Long-Form Television Nominations

January 5, 2010:        Producers Guild Awards Nominees Are Announced; Final Polls Open

January 22, 2010:      Final Polls Close

January 24, 2010:      Producers Guild Awards

About the Producers Guild of America

The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The PGA has over 4,000 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members health benefits, enforcing workplace labor laws, the creation of fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts. The PGA hosts important industry events including the annual PGA Awards and the Produced By Conference. Visit www.producersguild.org for more information.

RIP Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze lost his battle with cancer yesterday and died at the young age of 57.  He wasn't always my favorite actor in the world, but he made a few good films that I would be lying if I claimed I didn't watch them once every few years (*cough*Dirty Dancing*cough*).  I know it's probably customary to post clips of him dancing with Jennifer Grey from his most famous movie, but I think it's more fitting to watch this scene instead:

New Trailer For "The Princess and the Frog"

Before I go to bed I present the second trailer for Disney's much anticipated return to traditional animation "The Princess and the Frog":

The "Julie & Julia" Project Delayed

So yeah, that Oscar feature that was going to be done via "Julie & Julia" style is going to have to be delayed by about a week. Sorry, but there are other projects I'm dealing with right now that are providing to be more lucrative (financially), so for now the project is delayed. Not by much, but I didn't want to be a liar to everyone who visited my blog today hoping to see that feature.

"Alice In Wonderland" Johnny Depp Trailer

I keep hearing how Disney plans to release multiple trailers for Tim Burton's upcoming "Alice In Wonderland" movie. Trailers starring Alan Rickman, Helen Boham Carter, and all those other famous people that are starring in the film. So far all the focus has been on Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter. While I get the fact that Depp is famous and a big box office draw, focusing the ad campaign on him still strikes me as odd seeing that The Mad Hatter very much a supporting character, and too much Depp in the ads could prove fatal once the public realizes just how little of the film he's in.

"The Lovely Bones" Trailer

I know it was released a month ago, but every time I watch this thing I keep thinking the same thing: Peter Jackson is a great director and I get excited about every project he's involved with. As someone who poured over the novel in less then a couple of days this movie is especially anticipated by me, and from the looks of things it's going to be big.

More "Ponyo" Trailers

We've got an additional two trailers for Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo." One bragging about the voice talent and the other one actually selling the film on it's own merits. And while it may be premature to say this, I think "Ponyo" may actually be a hit. It seems like Disney is finally getting behind this movie. With Miyazaki visiting the states, the 800 screen release, and for the first time Disney has made more then one trailer for a Miayazaki film and they don't totally suck. Who knows, but I think this is the perfect oportunity for the world to discover Miyzaki. Here's hoping they do.

Are The Oscars Stone Cold Deaf? #1: 1968

Welcome to a new feature on this blog called "Are The Oscars Stone Cold Deaf?" This is a feature that is dedicated to one of the most highly publicized awards in the Oscar season that is (for some reason) still underrated. This may have more to do with the fact that the Best Song category is the reason we still have dance numbers in the Oscar telecast (and people hate those dance numbers), but it doesn't change the fact that there are many great songs that get nominated for Best Song that never win. Sometimes the winners are either of lesser quality, not nearly as good, or so inferior to a fellow nominee that you just have wonder if the Oscars are just stone cold deaf. For our first installment we're going to look at the year 1968 (where the winner was not a total loss). Here's what won:

"Born Free" by Matt Monro (from "Born Free")

Not too bad. It has a nice (if unspectacular) sound to it. But chances are if you are a movie and music buff then you haven't heard that song. Nope, if your of the more casual type chances are you've heard this classic tune:

"What's It All About? (Alfie)" by Cher (from "Alfie")

Which is the song that should have won in the first place. In the second case the song had a more memorable memory, great vocals, and considering what the movie "Alfie" was all about made the song that much more poetic when the film ended and you had to reflect on the film with the words of this song. A good second choice (if not similarly unspectacular) would be this song from "Georgy Girl:"

"Georgy Girl" by The Seekers (from "Georgy Girl")

Yeah it's not as deep, but it sure was a lot of fun.

5 to 10 (What A Way To Make A Living)

Today the Academy made a startling announcement: the number of films eligeble for Best Picture will be bumped up form 5 to 10. There will still be 5 nominees in all the other categories, but 10 films will now be up for Best Picture, the first time since 1943. No doubt this is in response to "The Dark Knight" and "Wall-E" just barely not making the top five last year. The Academy received a lot of flack for that and deservingly so. Chances are they are doing this to hopefully get the publics latest critical darling, "Up," into the Best Picture race. This still might not happen as Academy voters could still vote for more 'Oscar friendly' films that are of lesser quality. Movies like "The Soloist" may not be great films, but since that movie is more in line with the Academies tastes we could be looking at more mediocrity getting nominated.

If that happens you can be sure the Academy will get Hell from the public. But before we jump all over the cons lets look at some of the pros:

1. Movies like "Up," "Watchmen," and even "Star Trek" have decent shots at getting into the Best Picture race. There's no telling whether they will or not, but they have a shot.


2. The Best Director award may be forced to stand seperate from the Picture category. Seriously, I know the director is important, but just because you made one of the best films of the year does NOT mean you are a great director! "The Queen" was one of my favorite films of 2006, and even I wouldn't say Stephen Frears direction was anything special.


3. Foreign films, animated films, and even documentaries have a better shot at getting Academy recognition that is normally overlooked in favor of more "dramatic" fare.


4. Now with 10 nominees, studios have more freedom to spread out their Oscar over the year.

I'll talk about the cons in another post, but for now I feel this is great news. I can't wait to see how this plays out next year when it's time to announce the nominees.

"Ponyo" Trailer

Disney has finally graced us with the trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's latest film:

While it certainly is better then the Japanese one, I'm a little disapointed that they have so little faith in this film that they have to make it look like a second rate action film. Oh well. August 4th. Mark your calanders.

Poster For "Ponyo"

As we get nearer and nearer to the American release of Hayao Miyazaki's next masterpiece (which is bound to be a let down for fans of "Princess Mononoke"), Disney has graced us with a poster...

...which looks very nice. I like how they push the voice talent (though putting them in alphabetical order wielded some funny placements this time around). The MPAA has also given it a rating: G. So parents, make sure to take your kids to this. You can thank me later.

"Watchmen" Off The Predix (Mostly)

Well folks, we gave it a long shot, but I think it's time to admit that Zach Snyder's superhero epic "Watchmen" isn't going to go very far in the Oscar race, no matter how light the competition is. People just didn't pick up on it. Critics didn't like it. It did good but not great at the box office. Really, the only thing that can save it now are milestone BluRay sales, and I know THAT'S not going to happen! Now the thing is "Watchmen" was a great movie. The reason I think it never caught on was that people just didn't get what they were watching. Most everyone went to see an ultra-violent superhero movie and got something very different. I think it's fair to say that years down the road we'll be viewing "Watchmen" more highly then we are now, but for now I think it's time to close the book of it on the Oscar race. It was a good effort, but it's time to move on.

Untitled Michael Moore Documentary

Well, Michael Moore has officially released his first teaser trailer for his upcoming "documentary" on the Wall Street scandal. I will save you all some money and let you know what it's going to be about: Rich greedy Republicans robbed poor people, the Bush Administration helped, only a poor Democratic president like Barack Obama can save us. This is more or less what the film will be, I fully expect the fact sheets to be the size of dictionaries shortly after the film opens. That said I have to admit that this teaser was actually pretty cleaver and funny. I still think the "documentary" is going to be a pile of doggie doo, but because Moore's involved you can bet it will be an Oscar contender in the Documentary race.

"Creation" Trailer

Oh boy, creationists are going to crucify this film. Really, they are. This film is likely going to be the most controversial big budget film of the year. Making a movie about Charles Darwin (played by Paul Bettany) was always going to garner boos and cheers before we even saw a single frame of it. Well, now we DO have a frame to see, as well as several scenes! And, as Christian who doesn't totally buy into the whole Big Bang Theory, I have to say that "Creation" looks...very, very interesting. The conflict of a man who is making big discovers but at the cost of his personal relationship with his family is the great marks of any good movie. The fact that it's about the guy who thought of evolution is besides the point.

Chances are you will read article after article on this movie, but remember: We can't pass judgment on the film until we actually see it. Who knows; from what I see this movie isn't going out of it's way to bunk religion as it is trying to tell a good story. Once the movie is released we'll know for sure, until then though let's look forward to seeing the film. As for it's Oscar potential I will say this: Never count out Jennifer Connelly in the Best Supporting Actress category.

"Shutter Island" Trailer

Scorsese seems to have rejuvinated himself now that he no longer has to worry about winning an Oscar. "Shutter Island" looks to be a horror film, that much is certain. Unlike teenage slasher films you can bet this film will actually be scary. Really, truly scary. I don't know if Marty is going to have a shot at the gold with this film, but maybe Leonardo DiCaprio and/or Michelle Williams will finally walk away with the gold. Both actors look totally engrossed in their roles, and if they are as authentic in the movie as they are in the trailer...well, then expect voters to respond.