Pixar Aims Big For Wall•E

First Warner Bros. announced their intention to have "The Dark Knight" taken seriously at the Oscars. Now it appears that Pixar is gunning for a Best Picture nomination for their critically acclaimed animated film "Wall•E." And before anyone says anything I want to say this: Yes, I know this is a long shot. No animated film has been nominated for Best Picture since "Beauty & The Beast" in 1991 (which lost to silence of the lambs), and by now people are feeling it won't happen again. Not only does the Best Animated Feature award exist, but how many Best Picture worthy animated films have to pass by before there's another nomination. If the Academy hasn't nominated "The Lion King," "Toy Story," "Chicken Run," "Shrek," "The Iron Giant," "Finding Nemo," "Spirited Away," "Ratatouille," and many others, then why would they vote for this film? Well, it's a long shot, but I think this has a better chance at a nomination for a few reasons:

1. "Wall•E" is topical. Not only is it funny and charming, but it speaks about the dangers of our environment. Not only that, unlike the well intentioned (but flawed) "An Inconvieniant Truth," people actually took "Wall•E" to heart. That's huge.
2. This movie made a lot of money over time. It wasn't a one weekend success either, this movie stayed in the top ten for months, and it's still making money in theaters. Once the DVD and BluRay hits stands it's only going to make more money. And with the recent choice to have Bill Condon (of "Dreamgirls" fame) directing the show, and a revamped advertising stradegy to make the Oscars more like the Super Bowl, having a second powerfhouse nominated for Best Picture would insure more eyeballs come Oscar night.
3. Aside from Best Animated Feature this film is likely to get nominated for several other awards. I'd say sound, music, song, and screenplay nominations are in the cards. Once a film racks up multiple nominations a Best Picture nomination seems more in the cards.
4. More and more of the Best Picture potentials have been falling flat or getting delayed to next year. "Changelling" and "Appaloosa" are likely to get some nods here and there, but reviews are too conflicted for them to go all the way. Then we have movies like "The Road," "The Soloist," and "The Reader" being pushed back to 2009 or in fear of being so. This leaves the Best Picture slots more and more open, and it will work in "Wall•E's" favor.
5. It's simply that good.

Like I said, it's ultimately a longshot, and even I'm in the group that says a Best Picture nomination won't happen. That said...it can't hurt Pixar to try. Stars seem to be very much in line this to happen.

Pray For Hudson

I can't even imagine how Jennifer Hudson is feeling these days. The newspapers and bloggers are all busy reporting that Hudson's mother, sister, and nephew have all been murdered, but one has to wonder how Hudson herself is doing. This is not like most celebrity tragedies. Oh don't get me wrong: A tragedy is a tragedy. But Hudson is almost a friend to most of us. We saw her on "American Idol." We got to know her and her family. We all know she didn't deserve her Oscar for "Dreamgirls," but we all smiled big grins when we saw her win anyway. Because, hey, that was our Jennifer up there, looking all pretty and happy as could be. I don't know her personally, but in a way it feels like I do, and therefore I'm much more saddened by this news then I would be for most other celebrities. She's in my prayers and hopefully she's in yours too.

Nostalgia Critic Pays Tribute To Struzan

I was going to be writing an article on how movie posters are a dying art form, but for now I'd like to direct you to a Drew Struzan tribute video that The Nostalgia Critic did. This video, more then any written words, can explain why hand painted posters are more visually stunning then photoshopped posters. Maybe if videos like this circulate enough the art of posters could come back. In fact, if the Academy wants to bring the art of posters back they should create a new award: Best Poster. Probably not going to happen, but I can dream right?

Is "Dark Knight" Out of Reach To Elders?

Though the box office run of "The Dark Knight" is coming to a close (and not going to be topping "Titanic's" record) the praise for the movie keeps coming. Now that Oscar potentials such as "Appaloosa," "W," and other films have crashed in the critical department, the likely-hood of a Best Picture nomination seems more likely. However the argument has now come up that the movie won't get nominated because the academy voters are too old to "get it." Some people actually think that the academy voters and the general public live on two different planets. There's some merrit to this (and if you've ever looked at the history of the People's Choice Awards you'll know what I mean). Case in point, the Reel Geezers...

...these are two members of the academy who are old, worn, and represent a good portion of the academy. These two have shared their thoughts of this film on YouTube...



...though don't take this video as a sure sign that the old folks won't vote for "The Dark Knight." Keep in mind one of these geezers wrote for the original Adam West "Batman" show, so seeing an updated film likely felt like stomping on his legecy. As for the woman...well, I don't want to sound sexist, but older women tend to not like violent films anyway. Therefor I think this isn't a good representation of the average voter. Right now we don't know what's going to happen. All of our predictions could turn out to be wrong, and for all we know "Wall-E" could still sneak up behind us. What I want to remind people is this: Nothing is certain. "The Dark Knight" may be slowing down, but once the BluRay is released it will be back in the spotlight (or so I assume, seeing as how it's likely going to break some BluRay records).

Plus with the film being re-released in January in IMAX theaters it will be harder to ignore. Then there's the fact that movies like "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," and "Revolutionary Road" could be bombs. I want them to be good, but a good trailer does not garentee a good movie. Right now the only other film that looks like a sure nomination that we've seen is "Rachael Getting Married," which was a film that had little Oscar attention outside of Anne Hathaway, and now the movie is being called Johnathan Demme's big comeback. So just chill everyone: It isn't over till it's over.

Nerd Pays Tribute To Wood

For those of you who visit Cinemassacre there's a good chance you're going to that site to watch the online show "Angry Video Game Nerd." Created and starring James Rolf, AVGN is the ultimate show for fans of retro gaming. And I'm not talking about Playstation, Nintendo 64, or Dreamcast, I'm talking about classic Nintendo, Genesis, and Super Nintendo. This is what Cinemassacre is mostly known for, though other movies are posted on the site too. These range from video reviews, convention videos, and even original movies. Right now Rolf is in the middle of his Godzilla-Thon (with seven movies left to review including the Matthew Broadrick movie), but he decided to take a detour and do a two part "Ed Wood-A-Thon." At this point you must be wondering what this has to do with Oscars. This is a valid question, seeing as how Ed Wood is condiered the worst director of all time. That said...


...if you need a connection it's that Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" film won two Oscars, including a Best Supporting Actor for Martin Landau. That said though, I really just want to point you to this tribute of a man who might have made terrible movies, but he loved making them anyway. Wood is a director I respect in that regard, and it also shows that bad movies can be entertaining in their own right. So, yeah, I guess this really isn't Oscar stuff, but sometimes it's good to take a break from all the serious stuff going on out there. Besides, the only thing sadder then Wood's films is the current presidential debates.

Ed Wood-A-Thon (Part 1) | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Cases For And Against Nomination Part 2

I had so much fun listing the pros and cons of films getting Oscar nominations last time I've decided to do this a second time. The following five films are on the above list of potential Best Picture nominees starting at number six, so lets just jump right into things:

Number 6


The Dark Knight


Cases For Nomination

• A great movie.
• Critically acclaimed.
• Highest grossing film of the year.
  
• Second highest grossing film of all time (the Academy respects money).
• Audiences connect with the subject matter.
• Heath Ledger is giving this film major legs.

Cases Against Nomination

• It's a superhero movie.
• It's a sequel.
• May end up being TOO successful for it's own good!

Final Verdict: I think this one is in. The movie is too big - both financially and critically - to be ignored.


Number 7

The Soloist


Cases For Nomination

• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!
• Joe Wright directed last years Best Picture nominee "Atonement."
• Jamie Foxx gets Academy love.
• Robert Downey Jr's. comeback year could turn into love for this film.

Cases Against Nomination

• Though "Atonement" received seven Oscar nominations, Wright was not nominated for Best Director.
• Downey Jr. could gain more attention for "Tropic Thunder."

Final Verdict: This looks like a sure bet, but the hype just hasn't been there. We'll have to see on this one.


Number 8


Australia


Cases For Nomination

• Big epic production.
• Nicole Kidman can draw attention for mediocre projects (see "The Hours").
• Hugh Jackman has been picking up lots of box office draw.

Cases Against Nomination

• Will the movie be more style then substance?

Final Verdict: I'm going to say no. At least for now.


Number 9


Doubt


Cases For Nomination

• Acclaimed cast full of Oscar winners and nominees.
• Subject matter reflects a growing concern with the Catholic Church.
• Meryle Strepp is likely to get another Oscar nomination for this film.

Cases Against Nomination

• Subject matter may be too dark for audiences and voters.

Final Verdict: I see this one getting nominated should some of the above films not pan out.


Number 10

Changeling

Cases For Nomination

• Angelina Jolie in a heartbreaking performance.
• A biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!
• Clint is the man.

Cases Against Nomination

• Clint may be getting too much love recently, which could result in a backlash.

Final Verdict: Eh, you're going to have to flip a coin on this one.

See you around for Part 3 in a couple of weeks.

W. Gets Rated

This may be old news, but I think it's worth mentioning anyway. Oliver Stone's George W. Bush film, "W," has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA. Yeah, I'm going to complain about the PG-13 rating again, though it's not for the actual rating of the film itself. See, Oliver Stone is a, shall we say...radical film maker. This is a guy who has won three Oscars, and two of those were for directing. With the exception of "World Trade Center" and a second film I can't think of, all of Stones films have been rated R. This allows him to be extreme, on the edge, and larger-than-life. When he's on a PG-13 level he seems restrained, like he wants to do something unexpected but can't. Though Hollywood is very liberal and currently very much "Obama Land," the people bucking this film seems to be taking a very conservative approuch to this movie.

The approuch being: Don't be offensive. Admit the man has made some mistakes and move on. People who hate Bush don't want to see this anyway. The lack of an R leads me to believe that the film will hold back when it shouldn't, and that could lead to a less interesting film. Rating aside though I truly don't know what to expect anymore. The first trailer advertised a drama. The second trailer made the movie look like a spoof. Then I saw a preview on TV that made the movie look like a comedy. Really, this movie can't get here fast enough so I can move on from thinking about it (because, aside from some acting nominations, I doubt this is going to get much attention at the Oscars).

Eligible Doc Shorts

Because of some crazy rules the Academy has for documentaries, the voters get to decide which films are eligible for nomination and THEN they vote for which ones are to be nominated! So the next time someone complains about how the government voting system is set up, tell them to shut up: It could be much, much worse. Here are the shorts that will be potential nominees:

• “The Conscience of Nhem En”
• “David McCullough: Painting with Words”
• “Downstream”
• “The Final Inch”
• “Smile Pinki”
• “Tongzhi in Love”
• “Viva La Causa”
• “The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306”

As usual I haven't seen any of these films, but the David McCullough film looks very interesting.

Is Rachel Getting Oscar Nominations?

I was lucky enough to catch a showing of "Rachel Getting Married" yesterday. It was a good movie. One of the better ones I've seen in awhile. The thing that stood out in the movie was the acting. If Anne Hathaway hadn't been making good movies before then this would be her career making role. As it stands this is likely to be looked upon from movie fans as Oscar winner Jonathan Demme's big comeback movie. Early reviews are great. People are saying it's his best film since "Silence of the Lambs" (though to some credit, he took a four year hiatus from movies to make some concert films). People say that the movie should receive Oscar nominations outing of Hathaway's potential nomination. I say people are jumping the gun a bit. Don't get me wrong: It's a good movie.

In my review I'll give it a solid three and a half stars. Heck, it may even get bumped to four. The bottom line is though that when you get down to it, when you really digest the film, it's about a screwed up character. Movies about screwed up characters took a beating with "American Beauty," and few have been nominated since ("A Beautiful Mind" comes to mind though). That said I see where people are coming from. This is a very good film that was being undermined before we saw it. Now we've seen it and it's impressed us. "Appaloosa" wowed us in the trailers and then gave us a solid rental. In the long run the Academy tends to vote for movies that they didn't expect much out of but genuinely fell in love with. Nobody expected much from "Little Miss Sunshine," "Juno," "Sideways," "In The Bedroom," "The Full Monty," "Babe," "Good Will Hunting," etc, etc...you get the picture.

And yet all these movies received Best Picture nominations. What's more, some of them came close to winning the top prize (and if they didn't they picked up some major awards anyway). So for now "Rachel Getting Married" is on my list for potential nominees. And if "Australia" and/or "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons" turn out to be epic disasters...well, then I think this film is in.

"Young@Heart" Not Eligible For Documentary Oscar

The story can be read here. The article is actually about a particular distributor and some of the movies that will be affected in the Best Documentary Feature race, but the big blow to me is that "Young@Heart" will not be eligible for nomination in Best Documentary because it was aired on TV in a foreign country. I can't tell you how much this saddens me. Yeah, it's chances of actually getting nominated and winning were pretty slim. This is a category that has given out the most questionable awards out of any category, and the voters for that category are more into Iraq and global warming movies these days. Still though, this is one charming movie, and it's shame it won't be up for a prize it deserves to be nominated for. You can buy the movie here and/or check out the trailer below:



I'll be back later today as a ton of trailers for Oscar potentials have popped up today.

Paul Newman: R.I.P.

Paul Newman, one of the great actors of our time, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. He will be missed.

Born under unusual circumstances...

The second trailer for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has been released, and we now have a better idea of what this movie is going to be about. It still looks a bit strange, but I'm intrigued. I think cinematography and art direction nominations are in the cards, but I'm not sure what else. Either way the Oscar race just got a whole lot more interesting.

"Valkryie" Trailer Released

So we finally get a look at "Valkryie," Tom Cruises big comeback. I admit that I was skeptical of this movie. Neither Cruise nor director Bryan Singer have been worth talking about recently (movie wise that is), but this project is shaping up to return both men to some of their former glory. But will it be nominated for Oscars? I'm going to go out on a limb and give a very firm no. I'm sorry, but Cruise has been doing little more then destroying his career these past few years. He destroyed it in a few short weeks with the couch incident and the arguement about chemical imbalance, and he's been kicking the corpse ever since. Now, after he's killed and mutilated his corpse for a career he wants to revive it. Well, in Hollywood it can be done (ask Robert Downey Jr.) but it's going to take one hell of an effort.

I think the proper steps were taken when he took that cameo role in "Tropic Thunder" to shake things up, and if this movie is any good he'll have set the path for a full career revival. But I think the Oscars are going to pass this film on principle alone. His next project maybe...but there is one unwritten rule with the Academy: If you screw up in your career, you've got to prove you still want it before they give you an Oscar. And if you don't believe me on this, just go ask Eddie Murphy where his locked in Oscar went after "Norbit" was released.

"W." Trailer Released

After the previous trailer suggested a more down-to-Earth drama, this second trailer of Oliver Stone's "W." looks like some sort of weird action film. I'm not sure what to expect anymore at this point. I guess I'll find out soon enough though: The movie's going to be released BEFORE Junior is kicked out of office!

Cases For and Against Potential Nominees

A new predictions chart has appeared over at Awards Daily.com showing that there are five films that are predicted to be nominated for Best Picture at the end of the year ("The Dark Knight" just missed the boat, appearing at number six). Now I obviously haven't seen all of these films, but let's look at the films and, based on the trailers and posters alone, pick up some of the pros and cons of the material:

Number 1

Frost/Nixon

Cases For Nomination

• Academy Award winner Ron Howard is directing it.



• Frank Langella and Michael Sheen are looking promising.



• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!



• It's about a lousy Republican President. The voters tend to be very liberal and eat this stuff up.



• If John McCain wins election the voters will likely vote this film in just to make a point.

Cases Aginst Nomination

• Ron Howard hasn't directed anything of much critical acclaim in the last few years.



• The subject matter might not be compelling enough to make it great.



• If Barack Obama wins voting for this film could create a backlash for kicking the opposing party while their down

Final Verdict: Unless the movie isn't good I'd say this is a pretty good bet for a nomination.

Number 2

Milk

Cases For Nomination

• Love for Gus Van Sants "Good Will Hunting" could carry over to this film.



• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!



• Sean Penn looks like a scene stealer, which could help seeing as he's in the lead role.



• With bills debating on whether or not gay marriage is to be legalized the subject matter will be difficult to ignore.



• If voters vote down legalizing gay marriage the voters will give this film a synpathy vote.

Cases Against Nomination

• Though the trailer looks promising the movie could be a one man show (AKA: "Capote").



• The gay facter could be offputting.

Final Verdict: I think this ones in.

Number 3

The Curious Case of Benjaman Button

Cases For Nomination

• Brad Pitt attracts a lot of Academy attention



• David Fincher has been racking up critical hit after critical hit, and he's sure to be honored somewhere along the line.



• The trailer looks so very intriguing.

Cases Against Nomination

• The book isn't as popular with the general audience



• Brad Pitt tends to get more acclaim in supporting roles then leading roles.



• The secrecy surrounding this movie could hurt it in the long run.



• May be too weird for the voters taste.

Final Verdict: I personally don't see this film getting nominated unless the reviews are really, really good.

Number 4

Slumdog Millionaire

Cases For Nomination

• Raves reviews coming from Sundance



• Would fill the "uplifting comedy" criteria.



• Witty screenplay could get a big push from the writers.



• Audience discovery could make this a surprise hit at the box office.

Cases Against Nomination

• Raves could cool down.



• Audiences might not connect to film, and thus not see it.

Final Verdict: This is one of those cases where we really won't know until it's released. On paper it sounds like a sure hit, but you never know.

Number 5

Revolutionary Road

Cases For Nomination

• Kate and Lwo reunite for the first time since "Titanic."



• Subject of marriage that traps freedom ressonates more today then ever before.



• Sam Mendes first major hit since "American Beauty?"

Cases Against Nomination

• Reuion has gotten relatively little attention.



• Sam Mendes isn't an Academy favorite.



• "American Beauty" has held up poorly.



• Movies about lovely marriages are a dime a dozen since "American Beauty" was released.



• Audience anticipation for this movie is lower then the rest of the potential nominees.

Final Verdict: I'm not convinced this is going to get nominated. It might, but I would not put any stock in it happening.

Hey this was fun. How about we do this in a few days with the next potential five?

"Appaloosa" Is Out

Ed Harris's directorial return "Appaloosa" is out on two fronts: It's out in theaters and out of the Oscar race. The movie has received a limited release this weekend. This is likely because word-of-mouth helps movies like this more then major opening weekends. That said, the word-of-mouth for this film is fairly average. Lot of people and critics saying it's a "good but not great" effort. Some have even gone on record to say they hated the movie, and Renée Zellweger seems to be getting the lions share of the critisim. This is why I always tell people not to judge a movie before you see it, and why I don't put potential nominees on the sidebar until I see the movie. When all you've got is a trailer and a few screenshots anything, and I mean anything, can look like Oscar material.

And trust me folks, I was one of the people who was thinking this would be a contender come Oscar time. Critically acclaimed cast, a return to directing for an Academy Award nominated actor, lots of cool screenshots that promise something epic, and let's face it: Westerns have been making a comeback. This weekend it all came crashing down. No, I'm not saying the movie is bad. It's probably decent. But decent just isn't good enough to get nominated these days. There may be a costume or set decoration nomination in the cards for this film, but any chances for nominations in the top categories died thanks to it's lukewarm reception.

Seperated At Birth?

They say that everyone has a double out there. I think I may have found Frances McDormand's double though:



What do you think? Am I on to something or am I just seeing things?

Bushes Team In Film

I'm still not sure if the movie is going to be any good, but looking at the cast I'm (cautiously) optimistic.

"Frost/Nixon" Poster Reveled

The poster for Ron Howard's anticipated bio-pic "Frost/Nixon" has been released. Notice how the pressure is on Langella. This is looking better by the day.

"Speed Racer" Is Out

This is just a friendly reminder that one of the years more overlooked films (and big budget acid trip) "Speed Racer" was released on DVD a couple of days ago. This is a movie that has potential effects and sound nominations in the cards (as well as a wild card Best Animated Feature nod). You can buy the DVD or BluRay below. Oh, and though this may be stating the obvious, the BluRay disk is the second best way to view this thing (the first being the IMAX showing, but that's not much of an option anymore).