The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the opening of submissions for their new Digital V.I.P. program. Check out the official press release:
LOS ANGELES (August 8, 2012) – The Producers Guild of America announced today the opening of submissions for a new initiative and gala awards event later this year – Digital V.I.P. – to honor nine “Visionaries, Innovators and Producers” who have made significant contributions to the advancement of digital entertainment and storytelling during the past year.
“During the past decade, the Producers Guild has demonstrated a strong commitment to new media that is unique among the major entertainment guilds,” said Shawn Gold and Marc Scarpa, Co-chairs of Digital V.I.P. “In that spirit, we are proud to present our new ‘Digital V.I.P.’ program honoring visionaries, innovators and producers who have made significant contributions to digital entertainment and storytelling.”
Read more on Producers Guild Opens New Digital V.I.P. Program to Honor Visionaries, Innovators…
 Bob Dylan sang that the “times they are a changin” and he could not have been more accurate. The sixties were filled with turmoil on American soil, beginning with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, followed by his assassin’s murder on live television. Four years later the leader of the Civil Rights movement Martin Luther King was gunned down, and just a year later, destined for the US Presidency, Robert Kennedy was murdered after speaking to a crowd in California, ending the hope that seemed possible for America. Angry at the deaths of their leaders, of the men who had inspired them, the youth of the time lashed back in protesting the war in Viet Nam, making clear their mistrust of their leaders, of anyone over thirty.
All forms of art changed in the decade, yet oddly film was the last one to do so. The studios held onto the business with a death grip that finally was eased in 1967 with the success of Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Graduate (1967) two films which spoke to the American youth metaphorically. This would signal a new movement in American film that spilled over into the seventies, the single most exciting decade in movie history, a time when films mattered, when films more than any other time held a mirror up to society. t was a time teeming with creativity. Read more on Best of the Decades: 1960s…
Categories: Article Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Best of the Decades, Dr. Strangelove, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Hud, Lawrence of Arabia, Midnight Cowboy, Peter O’Toole, planet of the apes, Psycho, The Apartment, The Graduate, The Hustler, To Kill a Mockingbird, West Side Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
 Normally I don’t report any retirements too often. Peter O’Toole, Clint Eastwood (allegedly), all are great actors that have had their time in the sun.
Bob Hoskins, the great British actor has announced that he will be retiring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Hoskins, who was nominated for his brilliant performance in Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa (1986), has been a dependable and well-regarded thespian for years. As a younger film-generation critic, he will always be Eddie Valiant, the toon-hating detective that assisted Roger Rabbit in clearing his name.
Hoskins was received several Golden Globe nominations over the years. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) and received a Supporting Actor mention for his role as Vivian Van Damm in Stephen Frears’ Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005). Read more on Bob Hoskins Retires due to Parkinson’s Disease…
 The potential was there within ‘The Campaign’ for one of the better comedic political satires in recent memory. Sadly, despite ample talent on hand, this film is a big misfire and a real disappointment. From stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis to the direction by political junkie and comedy guru Jay Roach to the screenplay by Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell, everything here is just a little bit worse than it should be. In fact, the only part of the film that I actually liked without any reservation was the oddball supporting turn by Dylan McDermott as a slimy campaign manager. This satire of the political machine and modern elections in the post Citizens United world is exactly the sort of thing I normally gravitate to, but the cast and crew are unable to deliver the laughs or sustain any big level of interest. The flick has a manic energy to it at times, and the actors are clearly trying, but this high concept wasn’t developed nearly enough to be a feature film. It might have worked as a Funny or Die short or even series of shorts, but it’s a letdown on the big screen. The movie opens on Friday and I don’t see any reason to recommend it to you all. It’s just not up to snuff, even by the standard of August comedies.
Read more on The Campaign (**)…
 Marvel fans can breath a sigh of relief, Joss Whedon is coming back to the Marvel universe. Slashfilm is reporting that the writer/director has been signed on to perform the same duties for the anticipated sequel to the 3rd highest grossing film of all time, The Avengers. Marvel has also released a statement confirming that Whedon will be involved in helping develop a new live action series for Marvel Television at ABC. Whedon has previously expressed doubts about returning to the franchise citing the amount of work associated with telling someone else’s story, but has signed on for a much more expanded role within the Marvel franchises. Read more on Joss Whedon signed on to write/direct The Avengers 2, develop Marvel TV series!…
 Up until very recently, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ was something of a mystery project. The movie was known to be about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and mark the first film for director Kathryn Bigelow and scribe Mark Boal since they won Oscars for their last flick ‘The Hurt Locker’, but we hadn’t had any actual looks at the thing. A few days ago we got a Teaser Trailer (along with some images from the film, one of which you can see in this post), and now we also have a Teaser Poster to share with you. It can be seen after the jump, and plays up the confidential nature of the project. I like it, but decide for yourself below…
Read more on Teaser Poster for ‘Zero Dark Thirty’!…
 I may well be the only critic out there that thinks Judd Apatow is a perfect 3 for 3 as a filmmaker so far (or at least very few so heavily embrace all 3 of his directorial outings like I do), so it’s hardly a surprise that I’m highly anticipating his next film. ‘This Is 40′ is the sort-of sequel to ‘Knocked Up’ and follows the lives of Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) as they enter into middle age. Today we have the new Trailer for the flick, and I very much like what I see. Co-starring the likes of Albert Brooks, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, John Lithgow, and Megan Fox, this could be a possible Oscar contender if everything breaks right for the movie. Take a gander after the jump and see for yourself. It’s not as funny as the last Trailer, but it looks better overall and suggests a potentially strong emotional arc for the characters. Behold it below…
Read more on New Trailer for Judd Apatow’s ‘This Is 40′!…
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