And The Oscar Goes To…

 

(The winners will be updated as they happen)

 

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)

 

Best Original Screenplay

Milk (Dustin Lance Black)

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Slumdog Millionaire (Simon Beaufoy)

 

Best Animated Feature Film

Wall-E

 

Best Animated Short Film

La Maison en Petits Cubes

 

Best Art Direction

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo)

 

Best Costume Design

The Duchess (Michael O’Connor)

 

Best Makeup

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Greg Cannom)

 

Best Cinematography

Slumdog Millionaire (Anthony Dod Mantle)

 

Best Live Action Short Film

Spielzeugland (Toyland)

 

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

 

Best Documentary Feature

Man on Wire

 

Best Documentary – Short Subject

Smile Pinki

 

Best Visual Effects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron)

 

Best Sound Editing

The Dark Knight (Richard King)

 

Best Sound Mixing

Slumdog Millionaire (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty)

 

Best Film Editing

Slumdog Millionaire (Chris Dickens)

 

Best Original Score

Slumdog Millionaire

 

Best Original Song

‘Jai Ho’ (Slumdog Millionaire)

 

Best Foreign Film

Departures (Japan)

 

Best Director

Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

 

Best Actress

Kate Winslet (The Reader)

 

Best Actor

Sean Penn (Milk)

 

Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

2009 Oscar Coverage

As most of you already know, the Academy Awards will be broadcast this Sunday at 8pm EST and despite the fact that this year’s nominees might be the worst I’ve ever seen, I’ll be here to update you on the winners category by category. 

So will Heath Ledger win a posthumous Oscar? Will Mickey Rourke beat Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor? Will Slumdog Millionaire finally be the ‘little movie that could’ that wins Best Picture? Tune in Sunday night and find out.

Three New Posters For ‘Inglourious Basterds’

Empire magazine has released three new posters for ‘The New Film By Quentin Tarantino.’ After seeing the trailer last week and now these posters, I think it’s safe to say I’m freakin’ psyched for this movie.

Head on over to Empire to check out the other two posters.

Jay Roach Not Directing ‘Little Fockers’

Since Hollywood is determined to make every piece of shit that no one wants or needs, it was inevitable that a third film would eventually be made to complete the Focker trilogy. Jay Roach, director for the other two Focker movies (and all three Austin Powers movies), has decided not to stay onboard as a director. He will instead produce the film. Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Owen Wilson are in talks to return, though no decisions have been finalized.

So far, possible directors include: Paul Weitz (In Good Company, About A Boy), David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models), and Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Yes Man). 

Honestly, I think if I had to choose between these three guys, I’d go with David Wain. He’s already proven himself as a successful comedy director. Plus, the movie’s going to be marketed towards the same demographic as Role Models, so why not give this unnecessary movie the best chance it can get? Or better yet, why not just scrap the idea altogether?

Scarlett Johansson To Replace Emily Blunt In ‘Iron Man 2′

Emily Blunt, who was originally cast as Natasha Romanoff (aka The Black Widow) in Iron Man 2, will be stepping down due to a scheduling conflict with a Gulliver’s Travels film. In her stead, Jon Favreau and the people at Marvel have decided to replace her with Scarlett Johansson. My biggest problem with this choice is Scarlett Johansson’s lack of ferocity. I mean, with the exception of The Spirit (and we all know how well that turned out), she’s pretty much only done movies where she plays the attractive love interest. I can’t necessarily picture her playing a particularly dangerous character. I mean, who knows? At this point, the decision’s not even finalized yet, so anything can happen. And maybe she just needs the right opportunity to prove herself.

‘Tales Of The Black Freighter’ Teaser Trailer

Most of you know by now that Tales of the Black Freighter, the comic-within-a-comic from Watchmen, is not being included in the Watchmen film. It is, however, being released on DVD on March 10, just 4 days after the release of Watchmen. Today, a teaser trailer was released for the film and it looks amazing.

Steve Oedekerk To Pen ‘Stretch Armstrong’ Movie

For those of you who grew up in the 90s, I’m sure you remember a little toy called Stretch Armstrong. He was a little blonde man (with a hell of a smile) made of rubber whose limbs could be stretched up to 4 feet. Yeah, that was the kind of thing that made us little kids crap in our pants. Now, Stretch Armstrong is headed to the big screen as part of a series of deals Hasbro has made over the past few years to adapt several of their toys and games into feature films (including Monopoly, Ouija, and Candyland).

Despite efforts to make the film in the late 90s with Danny DeVito and then later, Jackie Chan, the film is now getting a fresh start with no one attached save Ace Ventura/Thumb Wars scribe, Steve Oedekerk. Based on Oedekerk’s more recent efforts, Evan Almighty and Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, I think I can safely say this film, unlike the toy on which it is based, will not make me crap my pants out of sheer excitment, however I won’t rule out vomiting.

The Watchmen 8-Bit Video Game Is Awesome

Technically, this isn’t movie news, but since it is Watchmen-related (and also really awesome), I felt it necessary to share it. On the UK website for Watchmen, they’ve released a short video arcade -style game reminiscent of the 1980s. You can play as either Night Owl or Silk Spectre, however, it’s the original Night Owl and Silk Spectre from the Minute Men. How awesome is that? Anyway, my only complaint is the duration of the game. It’s really only 3 parts of the same level. I wish there was more to it, but with less than a month to go, I think this can satisfy anyone’s Watchmen needs at least for a little while.

‘Inglourious Basterds’ Teaser Trailer

I guess the teaser trailer was released a day earlier than we expected. It looks like this film is going to be the least stylized of Tarantino’s films, which, I kind of like. Sure, I’m a huge fan of his previous work, however I think a change of pace will be good for him and give him an opportunity to try some new things. 

I love the cameos in the trailer: B.J. Novak (The Office), Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks), and even Eli Roth wasn’t that annoying. I think that putting so many recognizable actors into little roles like that will make the film more enjoyable to watch as well as give them the opportunity to expand on their acting range. As much as I hate Tarantino as a person, I have to say this trailer looks amazing.

Sneak Peak At ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Teaser

Yeah, this is really just a teaser for the teaser trailer. Whatever. At least we get to see some footage. I must say based on what little we get to see here, I think the film looks amazing. It looks like Tarantino is stepping out of his comfort zone to create something new and different, at least for him, and that sounds so refreshing.

Pride and Prejudice…and Zombies?

If there’s anything that could make Jane Austen any more appealing, it’s the living dead. At least, that’s what author Seth Grahame-Smith thinks.

From the Sunday Times:

‘It quickly became obvious that Jane [Austen] had laid down the blueprint for a zombie novel,” said Grahame-Smith, a television comedy writer. “Why else in the original should a regiment arrive on Lizzie Bennet’s doorstep when they should have been off fighting Napoleon? It was to protect the family from an invasion of brain-eaters, obviously.’

He also mentioned that about 85% of the novel is from the original text. How can a book like this be possible? Well, it just so happens that Austen’s work is so far out of copyright that anyone can pretty much do anything they want with it and that’s exactly what seems to be happening. What’s even more surprising is that movie studios are already fighting for the rights to this novel which won’t even be released until April. You read that right. Studios are fighting for the rights. It also appears that several other horror mash-ups are in the works including Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, though not necessarily involving zombies. 

Generally, I’m thrilled with this idea. I think that anything with zombies is worth my time, plus revamping these classic pieces of literature may be a great way to get a new audience interested in them. I mean, after reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, chances are I’ll be interested in reading Austen’s original work.

I can see this being really awesome or really shitty. Either way, I’m excited to learn more about the future of these projects.

New ‘Crank 2′ Poster: ‘Not Dead Yet’

So a new poster for the next Jason Statham piece of grabage that nobody wanted, Crank 2, has been released. This time, it’s sporting the Monty Python-esque tagline: ‘He was dead…but he got better.’ All the poster needs now is a shrubbery. One that looks nice and is not too expensive.

The History Of Poop In The Movies

There’s really not a whole lot to report today, however Kevin Kelly over at Slashfilm posted an article today all about poop* in the movies. He chronicles everything from the inane (Weird Science) to the Oscar worthy (Slumdog Millionaire) and everything in between including the first appearance of toilets in television.

For maximum enjoyment of the article, read it while actually going #2 (if you have a laptop, that is).

*I never thought I’d get to use the word “poop” in this blog before. Now, that’s exciting.

‘Inglourious Basterds’ Trailer To Be Released This Week

Despite that fact that I think Quentin Tarantino has become a pompous, self-loving little prick, I’ve been anxiously awaiting his next film, Inglourious Basterds. I’ve heard nothing, but amazing things about it.

Anyway, this week the first teaser trailer for the film is supposedly going to be released on Entertainment Tonight on Thursday evening, according to French site Allocine.fr. Also, the trailer is rumored to be attached to the new Friday the 13th remake which is being released this Friday (the 13th, go figure). 

As much as I’d like to see the trailer, I don’t know that I’d be willing to sit through Friday the 13th. I’ll probably catch it on YouTube or Hulu.

Cate Blanchett As Maid Marian In Ridley Scott’s ‘Nottingham’

The UK’s The Telegraph  reported on Friday that Cate Blanchett will be replacing Sienna Miller as Maid Marian in Sir Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Robin Hood epic, Nottingham apparently because Miller is ‘too slim and youthful for the part.’ Actor Mark Strong told Slashfilm: ‘She is a wonderful actress and it would make it a much classier film if she was in it.’ That may be the most obvious statement ever made. Blanchett, an Academy Award winner who has portrayed both Queen Elizabeth I (twice) as well as Katharine Hepburn, absolutely has class, which sort of makes me wonder why Scott chose such a safe choice. I love Cate Blanchett, however I always seem to have more fun watching her when she’s doing something different (i.e. I’m Not There, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou).

Russell Crowe, on the other hand, will of course be doing something different with this film. For those of you who don’t know, he’s set to play both Robin Hood and his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. That should at least be fun to watch.

No Squid In ‘Watchmen’ WTF?

For those of us who have read the graphic novel, the rumors that the Watchmen film won’t include a giant squid at the end have been at the top of our lists of worries we have about the movie. Well, now there’s good news and bad news. The good news is artist Dave Gibbons has recently answered the big question. The bad news is that he says the movie WILL NOT include the squid, however, he promises that ‘the outcome is exactly the same as the novel.’

What does this mean? Well, it basically means that the original ending, or at least the general outcome will be the same, just without a giant squid. For me, this is sort of a double-edged sword. I love the tone and the overall grimness of the ending of the graphic novel, however it worries me that removing something as iconic as the squid might affect my overall reaction to the film. Watchmen is such an important piece of American literature and I’ve always said that it should never be made into a movie unless it’s done right and while I understand that with any adaptation, certain things need to be cut in order for the material to work in a movie format, it just doesn’t sound right to me that the ending should be changed (sorta).

Of course none of us will really know until March, so I guess all we can do is sit back and hope for the best. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Not Dead

So, I sort of took an unexpected hiatus from the blog for a while. Hopefully I’ll have some more free time to update now. Anyway, some of my good friends over at Modus Gamerandi have some New York Comic Con coverage. You should check out their blog. Not just now, but you know, whenever you have some spare time and whenever you’re not here reading my bullshit. It’s pretty effin’ sweet.

 

This is Andy. He's Cool.

‘World War Z’ Will Be ‘Phenominal’

For those of you who haven’t read Max Brooks’ World War Z, go to your nearest Barnes & Noble right now. Or check it out on Amazon. The novel, written as an oral history, chronicles the experiences of various survivors of the Zombie War from across the globe. It’s considered to be the greatest piece of zombie literature ever written and now, it’s being made into a movie.

The screenplay has been written by Babylon 5 scribe J. Michael Straczynski and the movie will be directed by Quantum of Solace’s Marc Forster. The film is currently being described as a cross between Children of Men and The Bourne Identity (plus zombies), but according to Straczynski, the scale of the film is going to be effin’ huge.

From FirstShowing.net:

‘”Most zombie movies to this point have been small, focusing on a few people in a house. And this has got real scare. You’re in India with hundreds of boats trying to get out of there with a tidal wave of zombies. The scale of what we’re doing here is phenomenal.“‘

Since the book is written as an oral history from multiple points of view, the movie will follow one U.N. representative traveling the globe, putting the book together. As of yet, a lead actor has yet to be announced.

Words can’t really describe how excited I am for this movie. The only thing I hope for is that they don’t rehash the whole running zombies thing. Zombies DON’T run. End of story. Otherwise, I dig the futuristic setting and fast paced style. All I can say right now is that it’s gonna be epic.

‘The Dark Knight’ Says Goodbye To The Big Screen

For those of you hoping to see The Dark Knight in IMAX one last time, you can forget it. Warner Bros. has decided to scrap their plans to rerelease the film in IMAX theaters in January just before the Oscars. Without the rerelease, the film will have earned a grand total of $996.1 million worldwide, falling just below the billion dollar mark. Fortunately for us, the DVD will be coming out just in time for Christmas and will probably come loaded with extras that will probably last you until March, so there’s really not a whole lot to worry about.

Five New ‘Wolverine’ Photos!

Spoiler TV released five new photos from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. They how Logan’s past as a WWII vet as well as his early relationship with Sabertooth. I have to say they look pretty kickass.