Could Iron Man be the First Great Movie of 2008?

The reviews seem to indicate so. Honestly, I was very underwhelmed by the trailer, but the fact that a superhero movie has a 94% on RT is really something. And considering how weak a year it has been for movies, I can see myself being there on Friday (or maybe a week from Friday...I feel obligated to see Baby Mama). We'll see. It's great to see Robert Downey, Jr. getting this kind of exposure, though.

Blindness Trailer

Hmm...not as bad as I was expecting, but not quite as good as some were hoping. I don't think it was a bad trailer by any means, but I don't think I'm going to remember it vividly in a few months. Doesn't exactly look like Oscar's kind of film, but it has Mierelles and Moore behind it, so anything's possible. I should read this book.

Cannes Contenders Announced!

From IMDb:

Clint Eastwood's Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie, will compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival next month, festival organizers announced today (Wednesday) as they unveiled the titles of 19 movies, selected from 1,792 films submitted from 96 countries, that will vie for the prestigious award. (A 20th film, from France, is due to be announced soon.) Steven Soderbergh's four-hour Che, about Cuban revolutionary hero Che Guevara and made up of two films (The Argentine and Guerrilla), will also contend for the prized trophy. German director Wim Wenders will be coming to the festival with his The Palermo Shooting. U.S. screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is also entered in the competition with his first film as a director, Synecdoche, New York, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. "There are films that are hair-raising because they break new ground," festival president Gilles Jacob told a news conference in Paris. Among U.S. films screening out of competition will be the Steven Spielberg-George Lucas production of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, starring Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem; and the animated DreamWorks comedy Kung-Fu Panda, featuring the voices of Jolie, Jack Black, Lucy Liu and Dustin Hoffman. The festival runs from May 14 to May 25.

Amazing lineup right there.

Hamlet 2 Redband Trailer...

Embedding is disabled. Sorry :-(

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ACSlH9PSo7g

Okay, so...I think it looks totally amazing. However, I'm quite sure the Academy won't agree with me on that. But I'll keep it in the predix for now just because I don't want to sell my soul just yet. Rock me, sexy Jesus!

W. Casting

It seems like every day now, we get a new cast member for Oliver Stone's upcoming W. to be released in 2009. So far, we all know Josh Brolin is playing George W., Elizabeth Banks is playing Laura, Thandie Newton is Condi, Ioan Gruffudd is Tony Blair, James Cromwell is H.W., Ellen Burstyn is Barb, Rob Corddry is Ari Fleischer, and Jeffrey Wright is Colin Powell.

Even if the film doesn't end up being any good, I'm still loving the casting process of this film and it seems like I'm not alone (just check the IMDB boards). So, my question is:

Who do you think should play the other parts? Cheney? Rove? Maybe even Kerry?

Dates for 2009 Set!!

Thanks, as usual, to AwardsDaily for these.

Monday, December 1, 2008: Official Screen Credits forms due
Friday, December 26, 2008: Nominations ballots mailed
Monday, January 12, 2009: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT
Thursday, January 22, 2009: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Wednesday, January 28, 2009: Final ballots mailed
Monday, February 2, 2009: Nominees Luncheon
Saturday, February 7, 2009: Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards presentation
Tuesday, February 17, 2009: Final polls close 5 p.m. PT
Sunday, February 22, 2009: 81st Annual Academy Awards presentation

Yay.

Predix Revamp (For Real)

OMG, I'm actually posting something!

BEST PICTURE
1. Australia (maybe? I truly have no idea)
2. Doubt
3. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
4. The Soloist
5. Revolutionary Road (I'm actually starting to like this)

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Baz Luhrmann - Australia
2. Woody Allen - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3. John Hillcoat - The Road
4. John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
5. Ed Harris - Appaloosa

BEST ACTOR
1. Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
2. Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
3. Viggo Mortensen - The Road
4. Jim Carrey - Yes Man (I like this premise, and he's so overdue for a nod it hurts)
5. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

BEST ACTRESS
1. Meryl Streep - Doubt
2. Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
3. Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
4. Nicole Kidman - Australia
5. Kerry Washington - Mama Black Widow

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Robert Downey, Jr. - The Soloist
2. Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon
3. John Malkovich - Burn After Reading
4. Josh Brolin - Milk
5. Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Road (maybe this year's Abigail Breslin/Saoirse Ronan?)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Viola Davis - Doubt (allegedly, Adams' role in this is brief and not that memorable)
2. Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I'm saying that this will be that one film every year that audiences and critics love, but doesn't do very well come awards time...except in one acting category)
3. Scarlett Johansson - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
4. Renee Zellweger - Appaloosa
5. Catherine Keener - The Soloist

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2. Australia
3. Hamlet 2
4. WALL-E
5. Synecdoche, New York (I'm starting to like this again...kinda)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
1. Doubt
2. The Soloist
3. Revolutionary Road
4. The Road
5. Appaloosa

That's better...

Valkyrie Release Date Delayed AGAIN

Thanks to Everything Oscar for the info.

Turns out that my prediction for the bomb of 2008 is even more accurate.

R.I.P Charlton Heston

I meant to post this earlier, but Blogger was down. Nonetheless, my condolences to the family and friends of the legendary, Oscar-winning Charlton Heston. And, though I couldn't disagree with his politics more, I respect him for voicing his not-so-Hollywood-friendly opinions.

By the end of 2008, will anyone in Hollywood still be alive? It's all so tragic...

Remember Last Oscar Season...

When Helen Mirren was everyone's favorite actress?

Guess what? It happened to me again.

Predix Revamp

BEST PICTURE
1. Tunnel Rats
2. Prom Night
3. Saw V
4. Meet the Spartans
5. The Love Guru

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Uwe Boll - Tunnel Rats
2. David Hackl - Saw V
3. Nelson McCormick - Prom Night
4. Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer - Meet the Spartans (will the Academy be willing to honor dual directors two years in a row?)
5. Tom Putnam - The Hottie and the Nottie (but don't count out David Schwimmer. You know how Oscar loves their actors turned directors)

BEST ACTOR
1. Mike Myers - The Love Guru (overdue much?)
2. Drake Bell - Superhero Movie
3. Eddie Murphy - Meet Dave (the Norbit snub helps him out)
4. Larry the Cable Guy - Witless Protection
5. Kal Penn - Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay

BEST ACTRESS
1. Jessica Simpson - Blonde Ambition
2. Paris Hilton - The Hottie and the Nottie
3. Carmen Electra - Meet the Spartans (overdue, but can she top Paris?)
4. Shannyn Sossamon - One Missed Call
5. Tara Reid - Clean Break (could she be the comeback of the year?)

In case you haven't noticed (please tell me you have), this is my excuse for an April Fool's joke. However, I'll be posting one of these very soon. My current predix are bothering me quite a bit.

First Round Predix: Best Original/Adapted Screenplay

Well, here we are. The last part of our first-round predix. Overall, there are about...a million things I want to change. But I won't let myself.

Now, onward...

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona-I'm starting to love this project...

2. Hamlet 2-This one, too...

3. Synecdoche, New York-And yet, this is a great premise. The script reviews have been mixed, though, so I don't know.

4. Australia-I'm warming up to this quite a bit, but dramas have a clear disadvantage in this category.

5. WALL-E-Pixar is overdue for a win, but this category tends to prefer dialogue-heavy comedies.

IN THE RUNNING

6. The Soloist (original or adapted? It says it's based on articles, but the Academy counted Letters from Iwo Jima as original, so...)
7. Burn After Reading
8. Milk
9. Changeling
10. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (anyone else get a bad vibe from this?)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. Doubt-This is a very dialogue-intense play, which will help it greatly in this category.

2. Frost/Nixon-Play adaptations tend to do well in this category, but Doubt is baitier.

3. Body of Lies-Wow, I have little faith in this project anymore. It gets this spot just because it's my BP prediction as of now.

4. The Road-This might be too bleak and sci-fi-oriented for the Academy to embrace, but if it's a success (which it probably will be), I can see it getting nods here and for Best Actor.

5. The Reader-The push here will probably be in Best Actress, but this looks to be another intellegent film, which they love here.

IN THE RUNNING

6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Revolutionary Road
8. Appaloosa
9. Defiance
10. Blindness

Let the Embarrassment Begin!

Without further ado, here are my first predictions for the nominations (and winners in bold) in the Big Eight for our next Academy Awards...

(note: I will predict Benicio only if his films come out in different years...otherwise I think the prospect of vote splitting is way too high)

Best Picture
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Director
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Steven Spielberg, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Gus Van Sant, Milk

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Harrison Ford, Crossing Over
Jamie Foxx, The Soloist
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Viggo Mortensen, The Road

Best Actress
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Julianne Moore, Blindness
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
John Malkovich, Burn After Reading
Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Kathy Bates, Revolutionary Road
Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Viola Davis, Doubt
Carice van Houten, Body of Lies

Best Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading
Hamlet 2
Milk
Synecdoche, New York
WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay
Body of Lies
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road

It's a Tie!

Yet another classic Oscar clip I've been searching tirelessly for. Again, it'll be off YouTube soon, so watch it now.

First Round Predix: Best Supporting Actress

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Viola Davis, Doubt-This category is very kind towards newcomers, and diversity could be the ticket to her success--especially with 2007's all-white winners.

2. Amy Adams, Doubt-The lovely Adams will surely become an Oscar winner someday...I just hope the Academy is smart enough to wait a while. Still, there's no denying that she's a huge threat.

3. Catherine Keener, The Soloist-After very strong performances in Being John Malkovich and Capote, you could kind of say that she's overdue. My guess is that either this or Synecdoche will get her the nod.

4. Scarlett Johansson, Vicky Christina Barselona-Woody Allen will not rest until she becomes a superstar, and this sounds like a classic pretty-young-thing Allen role. The only problem is that so many people hate her (for some reason).

5. Renee Zellweger, Appaloosa-I'd like to see her make a mini-comeback, but this film could go either way for me.

IN THE RUNNING

6. Kathy Bates, Revolutionary Road-I love her and she's got tons of buzz, but I've heard her character's role in the novel is very small. That didn't hurt Ruby Dee, but I remain skeptical.

7. Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-Lead or supporting? Either way, Cate could easily get a nomination somewhere this year just because she's Cate, but I have my doubts about this film. But, dare I say, she may get a nomination for her allegedly incredible work as the villain in Indy 4. Well...no she couldn't, but I can dream.

8. Amy Ryan, Changeling-I'm still mad she didn't win the Oscar (though Swinton is a good alternative), and I would love to see her win or at least get a nomination, but you know my feeling about the film. Why am I predicting Jolie, again?

9. Samantha Morton, Synecdoche, New York-The Academy seems to like her, and she is a very good actress, but she has a lot of competition against her own co-stars.

10. Tilda Swinton, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button/Burn After Reading-I think both of these films will be only a modest success, and even if they're huge, that could cause some vote-splitting. But who knows?

Marisa Tomei's Oscar Win

I've been searching for this video FOREVER. This is perhaps the most surprising win in Oscar history. Watch it fast, though, because YouTube takes these videos off very quickly.

First Round Predix: Best Supporting Actor

First off: I really wish I could let myself change my BP and Director predix. I have such little confidence in them it's frightening. But I have a pledge to myself.

And now...Best Supporting Actor

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Robert Downey, Jr., The Soloist-A terrific actor in a project I get more confident in by the day.

2. Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon-I was, personally, very disappointed that he got such little recognition for his excellent performance in The Queen, and this could be a way to compensate for his snub (though they may not consider it necessary to do so).

3. Josh Brolin, Milk-2007's breakthrough star (well...one of them) could easily pick up an Oscar nod for this very baity role. If I weren't a bit torn about the project, I would be predicting him for #1.

4. John Malkovich, Burn After Reading-I can't stand him, but with this and Changeling, I think there's a good chance he'll be nominated somewhere this year.

5. David Wenham, Australia-Probably not, but I think 2008 will be a year of newcomers. He's been in big-budget fantasies like LOTR and 300, but he's certainly not a known name. Maybe this will do the trick?

IN THE RUNNING

6. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight-There's no denying that he looks great in the trailer, but all of this buzz so soon after his tragic death seems exploitative. In the end, I think that the Academy will just stick to normal and not honor a performance in a superhero movie. I'd love to see it happen, but I doubt it will.

7. Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Trial of the Chicago 7-This project sounds like an Oscar favorite, but I kind of don't think it will end up being a success. That said, if Doubt doesn't work out, I can see Hoffman getting nominated for this (but I do think that Doubt will be a hit, so there's no need to predict him here...right?).

8. Russell Crowe, Body of Lies-I'm getting very apprehensive about this project (which sucks for me because it's my current BP prediction), and Crowe does better in Lead Actor anyways.

9. Antonio Banderas, The Other Man-I think this project will be laughably bad, so that's that for Banderas.

10. Benjamin Bratt, Guerrilla-If this, indeed, does get made and is well-received, I believe Benicio will get the sole acting nomination.

Paul Scofield: Rest in Peace

Academy Award-winning actor, Paul Scofield, famous for his roles in A Man for All Seasons, Quiz Show, and The Crucible (the first for which he won his Oscar) died yesterday at the age of 86. I just watched The Crucible, where he played Danforth, for the first time just yesterday, so this is a bit of a shock for me. I was quite saddened to read this and I am positive his brilliant work will be remembered and continue to impress. My condolences to his family and friends.

Anthony Minghella Rest In Peace

"Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella, who turned such literary works as "The English Patient," "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain" into acclaimed movies, died Tuesday of a hemorrhage following surgery. He was 54."

This is truly unexpected. I was fortunate enough to see Minghella present Eastern Promises at the London Film Festival last year. He will be missed as will his talent. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

Capote v. Infamous: Part Four

You know, when I first posted "Capote v. Infamous: Part One" months ago...I never ever thought that there would be three more cases. Here we go:

In 2008, this year, Gus Van Sant brings us Milk, the story of Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official. The film stars Sean Penn as Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White, his assassin. Written by Dustin Lance Black, many have high hopes for this feature.

In 2009, Brian Singer will bring us The Mayor of Castro Street, the story of Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official. The film is written by Christopher McQuarrie, the writer of The Usual Suspects and this year's Valkyrie.

It's exhausting, isn't it?