 Read the Press Release:
Beverly Hills, CA – Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Tom Hanks will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.
Hanks, who is a governor of the Academy, won consecutive Oscars® in 1993 and 1994 for his lead performances in “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.” He was also nominated for his leading roles in “Big,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Cast Away.” Hanks can currently be seen in the Best Picture-nominated “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” His other film credits include “Larry Crowne,” “Toy Story 3,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Terminal,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Road to Perdition,” “Apollo 13″ and “A League of Their Own.”
Read more on Tom Hanks to Present at 84th Academy Awards®…
 Makeup is a wonderful thing. I put it on every morning and I am transformed into a better looking version of myself and a happier and hotter Anna. In cinema it’s used to transform an actor into a character, to display wounds and massive injuries or just to make an actor look damn good in the role they are playing.
I actually hate this category because most of the time the films that deserve the nomination don’t receive it, and the winner is usually predictable. The winners the past few years include, The Wolfman, Benjamin Button, La Vie en Rose, and Star Trek. It’s like the most elaborate makeup is the winner and after sometime it gets a little boring. So, Harry Potter pretty much doesn’t stand a chance.
Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Makeup…
 This week, not only does the best film of 2011 hit DVD/Blu-Ray (in my humble opinion, at least), but it’s joined by over a dozen other flicks for what has to be one of the biggest columns to date, at least going by quantity. The quality is a bit light, with the recommendation worthy movies being top-heavy, but the prime choice this week is so good you wouldn’t hear me complaining even if every other release today was subpar. Anyone who has even a cursory knowledge of the films I loved last year should know what my PICK OF THE WEEK is going to be, but for those in the dark, I’ll hint by saying it’s one of the many snubbed Best Picture contenders. Guessed by now? Well, whether you have or not, it’s time for the reveal. It’s:
Drive
The best thing I saw last year, this art house action film is about as unique as it gets. Ryan Gosling gave one of his very best performances (bested only by Blue Valenting and Half Nelson in my eyes) as The Driver, a man who lives to be behind the wheel and lives by a very strict code. No one did a better directing job in 2011 than Nicolas Winding Refn, and the ensemble cast is tremendous. I always knew Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan were going to be ignored for their work here, but seeing Albert Brooks not get honored for being the best villain of the year was a bit sad. From the visuals to the shot selection to the editing to the music, everything is top notch. This is an instant classic in my eyes and not being recognized (save for one tech nod) by the Academy doesn’t change that one bit. Now that it’s available to own, treat yourself to another viewing of Drive. You’ll be overjoyed that you did!
Read more on Joey’s DVD Picks of the Week (1/31/2012)…
 Actor Vincent D’Onofrio has always been a thespian willing to take a risk. His performances are always very different and usually distinctly so. Going by that, it makes perfect sense for his directorial debut to be about as unique as it gets. Sadly, while D’Onofrio often turns in a compelling and quality performance, his film ‘Don’t Go in the Woods’ is about as bad as it gets. A musical/horror hybrid without any level of coherence, you spend just shy of 90 minutes listening to pointless music, interspersed with poorly shot and acted melodrama and the occasional bland murder. It’s all done in such an amateurish and inept way that you can’t help but feel sorry for D’Onofrio. He’s trying to make a slasher flick mixed with a demo for a young band, but it’s a toxic combination. His direction is random and without any thought it seems, and the script he contributed the story too is about as bizarre and flawed as it gets. This is the type of production that you’d expect from a mediocre student film. Granted, this is clearly not meant to be for everyone and is the definition of an experimental movie, but it’s still a poor piece of cinema and I have to report it as such. I take no joy in pouring salt on the wound of a tiny film made with good intentions by a talented actor, but the end result is so bad I can’t do anything but report on what I see. This is likely going to be one of the worst films of 2012.
Read more on Don’t Go in the Woods (*½)…
Judging what celebrities wear is fun! Now, I’ve made it clear I’m not above judging those who can afford to look good, so here is a list of the stars I’ve chosen as the Worst Dressed at The Screen Actors Guild Awards!
Shailene Woodley in L'Wren Scott.
Read more on Screen Actors Guild Awards: Worst Dressed…
 Read the Press Release:
LOS ANGELES – Screenwriter-director Tate Taylor has been named recipient of the Writers Guild of America, West’s 2012 Paul Selvin Award for his adapted screenplay for the civil rights-era drama The Help.
The Guild’s Selvin Award recognizes written work which embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties. Filmmaker Taylor will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards West Coast ceremony on Sunday, February 19, at the Hollywood Palladium.
Read more on Tate Taylor to Receive 2012 WGAW Paul Selvin Award…
 Read the Press Release:
Beverly Hills, CA – Jennifer Lopez will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.
Lopez, who serves as a judge on “American Idol,” will be seen next in the feature “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and recently completed work on “Parker” and “Ice Age: Continental Drift.” Her other film credits include “The Back-Up Plan,” “El Cantante,” “Monster-in-Law,” “Maid in Manhattan,” “Enough,” “The Wedding Planner,” ”Out of Sight” and “Selena.”
Read more on Jennifer Lopez to Present at the 84th Academy Awards®…
 And the Nominees Are:
Bullhead – Belgium
Footnote – Israel
In Darkness – Poland
Monsieur Lazhar – Canada
A Separation – Iran
If I were king for a day…well, a lot of things would happen, but one of them would be to get rid of this damn category and force Academy members to venture out of the U.S. and Britain once in a while! Kidding aside, this is what I would call one of the “ghetto” categories. It’s a way for the Academy to begrudgingly recognize a certain type of film without going through the messy business of actually acknowledging it for one of the major awards (see also: Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature). Further grinding down any vestige of internationality from their competition are the trends of who historically wins in this category. Culturally-specific films that highlight intricate and/or contrasting perspectives of the world rarely win or even get nominated, while compromised films from other countries that fit more comfortably within Hollywood’s myopic sense of “universal” values emerge victorious nearly every year. Not that this means the Foreign Language Film winners are always of inferior quality, necessarily, but it is a depressing exception to the general trend that I observed in my Sizing Up articles.
Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Foreign Language Film…
 Over in Sundance, the festival awards have been given out, and the primary beneficiary is ‘The Surrogate’, which could be headed to some real Oscar consideration later this year. Also getting a nice boost is the very popular sci-fi tinged romantic comedy ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’. Anyway, here’s the full list of award winners, for your reading pleasure:
Read more on Here are the Award Winners from the Sundance Film Festival!…
 Incredibly bleak but undeniably powerful, ‘The Grey’ is a tough picture to sit through, but a rewarding one, especially in terms of Liam Neeson’s terrific lead performance. There was talk a few months ago of giving the film a quick qualifying run in December to have Neeson eligible for Oscar consideration (and the plan now is to re-release the movie in October to remind voters of his performance), and while it was too crowded a year for him, this time around…who knows? Neeson does some excellent work here, giving you a character hanging on to life by a thread. Without his acting, this might have been too bleak a film to sit through, though plenty of credit goes to Joe Carnahan for making as consistently dark a movie as this one palatable in a way. The flick is exciting but methodical, the characters are well fleshed out, and the philosophical agenda is somehow a perfect companion to the battle for survival in the snow. This has a lot in common with the work of Ernest Hemingway, and considering that the previews make this out to be the movie where Liam Neeson punches wolves, that’s some high praise. Strong acting all around and a firm directorial hand anchor the film, but it’s Neeson that puts things over the top. He’s combining his recent action hero outings with something deeper, and the result is a real winner.
Read more on The Grey (***½)…
Judging what celebrities wear is fun! Now, I’ve made it clear I’m not above judging those who can afford to look good, so here is a list of the stars I’ve chosen as the Best Dressed at The Screen Actors Guild Awards!
Jessica Chastain in Calvin Klein Collection.
Read more on Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Dressed…
 Here are the winners:
Best Performance by a Cast Ensemble – “The Help”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Jean Dujardin for “The Artist”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Viola Davis for “The Help”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Christopher Plummer for “Beginners”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Octavia Spencer for “The Help”
Best Performance by a Cast in a Comedy Series – “Modern Family”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin for “30 Rock”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Betty White for “Hot in Cleveland”
Best Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series – “Boardwalk Empire”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series – Steve Buscemi for “Boardwalk Empire”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series – Jessica Lange for “American Horror Story”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Mini-Series – Paul Giamatti for “Too Big to Fail”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Mini-Series – Kate Winslet for “Mildred Pierce”
Read more on ‘The Help’ Leads with 3 SAG Wins…
Come join us for the Screen Actors Guild Awards LIVE Blogging tonight and make sure to include your predictions. Check out the predictions also. It begins at 7:45pm sharp. See you there!
Read more on SAG Awards Live Blog Starts @ 7:45pm…
Read more on SAG Awards Live Blog Starts @ 7:45pm…
 Tonight, the Screen Actors Guild will present their winners for the very best in film and television. The SAG awards have presented themselves as the most telling precursor of them all. Last year, they matched up with Oscar 100% in their choices. This year will be even more telling as the race seems wide open in several categories. How will the most popular branch fair tomorrow night?
Read more on Screen Actors Guild Predictions…
 And the Nominees Are:
Ludovic Bource – “The Artist”
Oscar Scene: “Bang!” (in the home theater)
John Williams – “The Adventures of Tintin”
Oscar Scene: Tintin and the big chase through the town square.
Howard Shore – “Hugo”
Oscar Scene: Georges Méliès’ movie
Alberto Iglesias – “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Oscar Scene: Opening Credits
John Williams – “War Horse”
Oscar Scene: Joey running through the war.
Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Original Score…
Categories: Editor, Oscar Circuit Tags: Best Original Score, howard shore, Hugo, John Williams, Oscars, oscars 2012, The Adventures Of Tintin, the artist, tinker tailor soldier spy, war horse
 If you still weren’t willing to call the Oscar for “The Artist,” you should now. Not sure if this will necessarily translate to an automatic Directing win for the French director but the film is signed, sealed, and delivered for Oscar gold. Here’s the press release:
Read more on Michel Hazanavicius wins DGA Award!…
Categories: News, Precursors Tags: Alexander Payne, Best Director, David Fincher, DGA, Directors Guild of America, Hugo, Martin Scorsese, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, news, Precursors, the artist, The Descendants, the girl with the dragon tattoo, Woody Allen
 The Nominees Are:
Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Alexander Payne – “The Descendants”
David Fincher – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Prediction: Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist”
Alternate: Martin Scorsese for “Hugo”
Read more on Directors Guild of America Predictions…
Categories: News Tags: Alexander Payne, David Fincher, Directors Guild of America, Hugo, Martin Scorsese, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, news, Precursors, the artist, The Descendants, the girl with the dragon tattoo, Woody Allen
 A well intentioned film with little going in its favor, ‘Big Miracle’ wastes its potentially interesting subject matter on a plot and characters that go nowhere, and slowly. A true story more fit for a documentary than a romantic comedy, the tale of a group of people trying to save some trapped whales in Alaska keeps opting to focus on the humans when they have nothing at all interesting to say or do. It’s never offensively bad, but everyone just seems to be going through the motions, and especially in the case of leads Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, you simply expect more out of them. Director Ken Kwapis has always been a thoroughly mediocre filmmaker, and this continues the trend, only now with a slight downward spiral. The script keeps jamming new and pointless characters into a story that couldn’t be calling for an ensemble less while shoehorning in a romance that just doesn’t work. Characters do things for no reason at all except that the film just randomly decides that they should. The flick is a mess. It’s got its heart in the right place, but the execution is just way off. For that main reason and plenty of others, it’s not coming anywhere close to a recommendation from me.
Read more on Big Miracle (**)…
Whoa, where did I go? Well, duty called for the last few weeks, and in my stead Joseph graciously stepped in for me to inform you all of January’s openings. For this week I’ll be able to “drink to the foam” as they say and preview the new releases for the last week of January to distract us from, ahem, some news that hit last Tuesday. Gadzooks, one of them might even be good:
Liam Neeson vs. the elements. A winning combination if ever I’ve heard one. Successfully reinventing himself as a kickass action star with Taken and capitalizing on that with mixed results in Unknown, Neeson’s struggle to survive the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash looks to continue that formula. And why not? With so many blank-faced, talentless hunks headlining action pictures (but more on that in a minute), isn’t it nice to see audiences clamor for a cerebral, seasoned actor in these roles? Even better is that this film has been praised by critics as an almost unbearably intense survival thriller with surprising philosophical rigor. Its low-key marketing and extreme subject matter won’t make it a bonafide hit, but its star should propel it to the top of the box office with $13-18 million. Read more on Weekend Openings (January 27-29)…
 Read the Press Release:Los Angeles, CA – Friday, January 27, 2012 – Drafthouse Films announces that Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award-nominee BULLHEAD will open Friday, February 17 in New York, Los Angeles and Austin in the following theaters and will expand to new markets following its initial limited release.
New York – AMC Empire & Angelika
Los Angeles – Laemmle Santa Monica, Laemmle NoHo, Laemmle Playhouse & The Cinefamily
Austin – Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar & Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek
Read more on Academy Award Nominated ‘Bullhead’ opens February 17th…
 Sasha Stone of Awards Daily wrote this very passionate piece about racism and the Oscars. I never share opinion pieces with readers but I was very taken by the truth that was said in the piece. Here’s an excerpt and please give it a quick read:
Read more on Isolation of the Issues…
 Picking the Top 5 Contestants to Watch from San Diego, Aspen, and Houston.
Welcome everyone to week two of the American Idol auditions. This week was the largest set of episodes strung together over a three day period. Some east coast fans missed parts of the telecast from the San Diego auditions, as the football game of the Giants versus The 49ers pushed into overtime, and so FOX decided to air a repeat episode on Tuesday. So yes, we had three consecutive nights of American Idol this week, four if you count Sunday’s show. Some may see this as overkill, but as a fan of the show who has fully embraced the new judges, I could not be more thrilled. It’s funny, I’d never thought I’d say this but I prefer Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez any day of the week over Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. Tyler and Jennifer actually care about the contestants and look like they are having a blast doing their jobs. Simon always seemed incredibly bored and let his snarky quips draw more attention to the show than the talent from the contestants. Paula, while nurturing as a judge, failed to communicate a proper critique since she seemed so loopy and easily distracted by Simon’s antics. In fact, what I love about the new judges as a whole is how small their egos are. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez have established careers, and yet they always seem down to earth, as if every meal before the auditions is humble pie. These singing competition shows need to be about the talent first and foremost. Seasons Seven through Eight seemed to have forgotten that, but Seasons Ten and Eleven are right on track with this agenda. Read more on American Idol Auditions: Week 2 Wrap Up…
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