Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand, creatures crawl in search of blood, to terrorize y’alls neighborhood…and website! While the leaves changing colors certainly means that we are at the beginning of Oscar season, the month of October also signifies the month where we get to indulge in the macabre, creepy, and scary. We here at Awards Circuit love a good horror movie/tv show, so why not take the time to celebrate the genre? Each day on the site there will be content dedicated various horror topics from Circuit 3′s on monsters to a countdown of the top 100 Horror films of all time. Don’t worry we’ll still be bringing you all the breaking news, reviews, and commentary you’ve come to expect from the site especially as we wrap up the New York Film Festival and move on into the heart of Oscar season! To whet your appetite, check out a deleted scene from The Exorcist after the jump!
Read more on Coming this October…31 Days of Horror!…
- And the Oscar goes to…Homeland? Wait…what?! Oh, that’s right, I meant the The Emmys — only the second-most substantial entertainment awards ceremony of the year! The Awards Circuit was on hand Sunday to talk Emmys on our first LIVE Blog since the 84th Academy Awards in February. Not only was it an eventful night to come together as a community, but I’m sure for many of you it was a treat to chat live with staff newcomers Terence and Mark Johnson (no relation, though their lighthearted bickering says otherwise!). Were your predictions on strong foundation like Editor-in-Chief Clayton Davis’ or did they crumble to pieces like yours truly once the winners were announced (for such Emmy Chatterboxes, Terence and I sure couldn’t predict Emmy wins if our prognostication lives depended on them). We thank those that joined our LIVE Blog, and look forward to many more now that we’re in the thick of awards season.
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 9/30)…
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 9/30)…
Categories: Circuit Round-Up Tags: anna belickis, Awards Circuit Power Hour, Circuit 3: Michael Douglas, clayton davis, Dancing with the Stars All Stars, Daniel Ashtiany, hitchcock, Joey Magidson, joeys dvd pick of the week, John H. Foote, Joseph Braverman, Life of Pi, Looper, Mark Johnson, Michael Ward, NYFF, Promised Land, Robert Hamer, Scott Feinberg, Terence Johnson, the avengers, The Voice
As you all know, this year, like almost every other awards season, we’ve had a few party-crashers looking to shake up the slow march to the Oscar nominations by coming out a few months early. Sometimes they hit, like “Million Dollar Baby,” “Crazy Heart,” or “Slumdog Millionaire” but plenty of the time they wind up not making a big mark on the race. This awards season has two surprise entrants hoping to be more like Clint Eastwood’s Oscar winner than another in a long line of films that should have waited an extra year. The titles in question for 2012 are “Hitchcock” and “Promised Land.” Both are possibly big contenders, though both could easily wind up shut out in the race. Gun to my head, I think the former has a stronger appeal than the latter, but both are clearly aimed straight at the Academy’s wheelhouse. Both have a lot of potential, but let’s not have a coronation them as Oscar winners just yet. What we should be doing is considering them in a way we’ve only briefly done before. What are the awards prospects for both films? Read more on Battle of the Late Contenders – Hitchcock vs. Promise…
Categories: Article Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, analysis, Anthony Hopkins, Dave Eggers, focus features, Frances McDormand, Gus Van Sant, Hal Holbrook, Helen Mirren, hitchcock, James D'Arcy, John J. McLaughlin, john krasinski, Matt Damon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Oscar hopefuls, Promised Land, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sacha Gervasi, Scarlett Johansson, Toni Collette
 It looks as though the issues that Columbia/Sony has worked out whatever issues were potentially going to come between Marc Webb and directing their sequel to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Webb owes a film to Fox Searchlight, but he’s not going to be held captive, so he’s back behind the cameras to work with Andrew Garfield as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I loved his work on the characters, especially between Garfield and Emma Stone, so I’m very pleased with this. He’s going to have a more action packed script this time around, as Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are re-writing the screenplay that James Vanderbilt penned. As for the other projects that Webb has in the hopper, after the jump you can see what he’s likely to be making with Fox Searchlight after this sequel. Now, to speculate on who the villain Spidey will next be facing might be. Read on below for more on Webb’s future, but definitely let me know who the next bad guy in this franchise should be…
Read more on Marc Webb will officially return to direct ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2′!…
Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Karl Gajdusek (Dead Like Me) bring us ABC’s ambitious new thriller, Last Resort, which had its pilot episode premiere on Thursday night. While there are the usual plot holes and weak dialogue that seems to plague network television nowadays, the pilot delivered enough tension and drama to leave me thinking this could be one to keep an eye on this season.
Read more on TV Review: Last Resort (***)…
 Despite a mild backlash from a minority of rather high-profile critics, hit period drama Downton Abbey returned to UK television earlier this month for a much anticipated third run. Since its September 2010 debut, the record-breaking show has captivated viewers with its lavish production and soap opera storylines that juxtapose the upstairs-downstairs relationships between a noble family and their myriad servants in early 20th century England.
Oscar-winning writer and series creator Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) has crafted a believable and historically reverent world for a twenty-strong ensemble cast who have faced the likes of the First World War, Spanish influenza, the sinking of the Titanic, and the Dowager Countess’ forked tongue with unrelenting English resistance and a rather twisted magnetism for scandal. It all adds up to a dangerously addictive concoction that has already earned the show 9 Emmys, 2 BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and legions of fans across the globe. After just two episodes, this latest series has already become the most watched television drama in the UK this year.
Read more on TV Review: Downton Abbey (***)…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: British TV, Downton Abbey, Hugh Bonneville, ITV, Julian Fellowes, Maggie Smith, Masterpiece Theatre, Michelle Dockery, Shirley MacLaine, television, tv review
 Every once in a while, a film sneaks up on you and absolutely knocks your socks off. It’s hardly a rare occurrence these days, especially for me, but it’s happened again with ‘End of Watch’, a cop movie that I believe will go down as filmmaker David Ayer’s masterpiece. Now, I should mention that I have a very personal connection to this film. You see, I spent a very brief period as a New York City Police Officer. It turned out not to be a job that I wanted to keep and I resigned from the department, but I actually took the oath and was in the Academy. That gives me a bit of an inside baseball look at a movie of this ilk, and wow did Ayer get it right. Flawlessly made, tremendously acted by his cast, including stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, intense and funny in all the right ways, and emotionally gut wrenching, ‘End of Watch’ is perhaps the best film that I’ve seen in 2012 so far, and a uniquely made one at that. A character study as much as an action flick, there’s not one piece of this movie that I didn’t love. All of the choices pay off and I was literally brought to tears.
Read more on End of Watch (****)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: america ferrera, Anna Kendrick, Cody Horn, David Ayer, David Harbour, End of Watch, Entertainment/Culture, Frank Grillo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Natalie Martinez, Training Day
 Rian Johnson’s newest Looper hits theaters this weekend. I saw it yesterday after the screening of Life of Pi and one word came to mind after walking out, overrated. Definitely entertaining but super long-winded and not so well-executed in a concept that is surely inventive. Time travel stuff is cool but the Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the young Bruce Willis is very distracting, especially when he’s talking. I believe this is the birth of a franchise. Watch out for sequels (if it makes enough money). I’m curious to see what our readers think. Be a critic.
Comment below.
Read more on Community Reactions: Rian Johnson’s “Looper”…
 Perhaps no film has moved farther up in the Oscar race than David O. Russell’s adaptation of ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’. What was once considered an also-ran in Harvey Weinstein’s slate of awards contenders, it’s now arguably his best bet at a third Best Picture win in a row. Despite a debut Trailer that didn’t set the world on fire, the Toronto Film Festival fell in love with it, crowning it with the prestigious Audience Award, and now we have a new Trailer to share with you. It’s more concerned with its quirkiness than the relationship between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, though it’s not complete abandoned either. Both are apparently nomination worthy (with Lawrence apparently a threat to win), and after the jump you can see for yourself. I’m really looking forward to this one, so its November release can’t come soon enough. Take a gander below…
Read more on New Trailer for ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’…
 A film that captures real life the way J.A. Bayona captures it in his newest film The Impossible is a rare occurrence in filmmaking. Not only does he pay respect to the countless victims that were lost in the devastating tragedy, he makes artistic choices and liberties only the most seasoned directors can take. Starring Academy Award Nominee Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, the film tells the TRUE story about a family vacationing in Thailand when one of the worst natural disasters of our time separates them. Read more on The Impossible (***½)…
Categories: Editor, Film Reviews Tags: Cinema of the United Kingdom, Editor, Editor Film Review, Editor Review, Entertainment/Culture, Ewan McGregor, Fernando Velasquez, film reviews, J.A. Bayona, Juan Antonio Bayona, naomi watts, Oscar hopeful, Sergio G. Sánchez, Spanish films, The Impossible, TOM HOLLAND, Watts
 New York Film Festival: There are a lot of positive and admirable things about Ang Lee’s latest Life of Pi. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda captures the most uproarious and glorious shots captured this year thus far. The 3D effects are some of the best ever seen and feel absolutely necessary in a film so heavy-handed with religious tones. What Mychael Danna achieves in Lee’s film has just placed him in the forefront of great film composers working today. He continues to impress with his musical range, envelopes the film’s message and thematic narrative in somber and beautiful melodic notes. On Visual Effects alone, Life of Pi will likely land a nomination for Best Picture. What Lee invents with the ocean and the integration of the tiger and the other animals is spectacular. He allows the mood of the film and the imagery to marry each other in a ceremonial experience that stands next to Sci-Fi epics like Avatar (2009) and Hugo (2011). Read more on Life of Pi (***)…
Categories: Editor, Film Reviews Tags: ang lee, Apocalypto, Claudio Miranda, david magee, Editor Film Review, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi, Mychael Danna, New York Film Festival, the New York Film Festival
It’s time to visit the week that was via our Around the Circuit piece, where we look back at articles that we feel are worth your time covering the Oscar race, new releases, or really just anything film related.
Link(s) of the week:
Kris Tapley, Guy Lodge, and Gregory Ellwood at In Contention go from A(mour) to Z(ero Dark Thirty) to discuss the chances for each film in the Best Picture race, listing the pros and cons for each Oscar hopeful.
Read more on Around the Circuit: September 22 – 28…
 Well, it’s looking like we can officially take ‘To The Wonder’ off of our 2012 Oscar predictions, not that the Early Reviews didn’t already suggest that. Terrence Malick’s film has gone without a buyer for a surprisingly long time, but that’s changed today as Magnolia Pictures has stepped in to pick up the movie for release. They’re said to be planning a multi-platform distribution model, which would fit in with most of the work they put out. They’re also going to wait until next year to do this, so dreams of 2 Malick films in 2 years are dead for now, unless his next projects are moving quickly too. We’ll see about that, but after the jump I’ll get into what this means. Suffice to say, it’s not going to be another ‘The Tree of Life’ for the filmmaker. Read on below for more…
Read more on ‘To The Wonder’ has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures!…
 Here we are, back again at the New York Film Festival. I missed a little bit of time due to a dental issue that needed taken care of, but I’m back now with a look at one of the most intriguing movies that’s playing at the fest. Among the other titles that have recently screened, we have ‘Caesar Must Die’, ‘Celluloid Man’, ‘Lines of Wellington’, ‘Memories Look at Me’, and ‘Night Across the Street’, but I’m going to be focusing on and talking about ‘Room 237′. It’s a documentary focused on the many different interpretations that people have about Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘The Shining’. I was looking forward to this movie more than anything not named ‘Flight’, ‘Frances Ha’, or ‘Life of Pi’, so suffice to say I sat down yesterday pretty excited to experience this doc. What did I think? Well, let’s find out…
Read more on NYFF: Taking a look inside ‘Room 237′…
 Stars in Shorts is a film/television special (courtesy of Shorts HD) featuring a collection of seven shorts that famous (or should be famous) stars…well, you know…star in. If I haven’t reiterated that four-letter word enough yet, I hope you’ll catch my drift by the end of the review. The good news about the inconsistent, if at times alarming wonderful, Stars in Shorts is that nearly every actor diverges from the roles one might normally see them play on the big or small screen, especially those of Hollywood British Royalty. I reckon that the people who are interested in watching this special will be more invested in the performances from big-name celebrities — who ironically are given the chance to show more range as an actor in a far shorter space of time — than the actual short stories they are meant to uphold. Film director/screenwriter/playwright Neil Labute pens three of the shorts, and proves that when he is not exclusively sitting in the director’s chair, he could be a major writing force in Hollywood. His writing style strikes a unique chord by never really defining its tone: there are elements of drama and black comedy in his works, and I find this purgatorial realm he’s living in utterly fascinating. Neil Labute is the true star in this slice of celebrity potpourri.
Read more on Stars in Shorts (***)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Benjamin Grayson, Colin Firth, Friend Request Pending, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, judi dench, Julia Stiles, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Lily Tomlin, Neil LaBute, Not Your Time, Penny Ryder, Philip Jackson, Prodigal, Rupert Friend, Sarah Paulson, Sexting, Shorts HD, Shorts HD Channel, Stars in Shorts, Stars in Shorts Review, Steve, The Procession, Tom Mison, Wes Bentley
 One of the biggest question marks in terms of the prospective quality of ‘Django Unchained’ in my eyes is the seemingly sprawling and undisciplined shooting schedule. Combined with Quentin Tarantino having to edit this film without his long time editor who passed away. This could wind up being a non-issue, but it’s something to think about as the movie is scheduled to come out at Christmas. A clue as to what the film is going to be like could come in November though, as it’s possibly going to be screening at the Rome Film Festival. After the jump I’ll tell you what some of the other movies are that could play, but this obviously would be the big one. Read on below for more…
Read more on Will ‘Django Unchained’ debut at the Rome Film Festival?…
 When the announcements of the lineups for the New York, Telluride, Toronto, and Venice Film Festivals all excluded ‘Hitchcock’ we were led to believe that the film was a solid 2013 release. Of course, we now know that the movie is coming out this year, and it’s grabbed a slot at the AFI Fest as well. The world premiere will be on November 1st, a full 3 weeks before it hits theaters on the 23rd, prime territory for an Oscar hopeful like this. After the jump I’ll talk a bit about how AFI is shaping up, but stay tuned as we cover the festival just like we did with Los Angeles and Toronto and are currently doing with New York. Read on below for more…
Read more on ‘Hitchcock’ will be the opening film of AFI Fest!…
Michael Kirk Douglas turned 68 on Tuesday, September 25th, 2012. Born in 1944 to legendary actor Kirk Douglas and his wife, Diana Hill, Michael would grow up to follow in his father’s footsteps as an actor, as well as being a producer of film and television. Douglas studied acting at The American Place Theatre in New York City, and began starring in films in the late 60s. His first large role, however, came on the TV series The Streets of San Francisco, which ran from 1972 to 1976, where he was mentored by co-star and veteran actor Karl Malden. Douglas would receive three Emmy nominations for his performance on the series.
Read more on Circuit 3: Michael Douglas…
 Justin Timberlake’s transition to acting has been quite a mixed bag with movies ranging from the great (The Social Network, Black Snake Moan) to the decent (Friends with Benefits) to the terrible (In Time). He’s currently on screen with Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams in Trouble with the Curve but for his next project he’ll be moving away from the diamond to the word of food critics in The Last Drop. Timberlake will play a charming alcoholic who works as a restaurant critic for New York Magazine. When he falls for a young woman, he realizes he must overcome his self-destructive addiction in order to have a real chance with her. Read more on Justin Timberlake to play an alcoholic food critic in the romantic comedy ‘The Last Drop’…
 After countless days (and in fact several years) spent sitting on the shelf, ‘Solomon Kane’ is finally hitting theaters this Friday, and go figure…it’s better than you’d expect. To be sure, it’s still flawed and incredibly forgettable, but I’m surprised it took this long to try to get the film to see the light of day. Filmed in 2008 and originally screened at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, we’re only now seeing this fantasy flick, which is hardly a disaster but also isn’t something to run out and see. There’s nothing overtly wrong with the movie, but it’s too long, coasts along without any strong narrative drive, and becomes repetitive about midway through. Writer/director Michael J. Bassett is competent enough on all fronts and star James Purefoy isn’t a bad action hero of sorts, but there isn’t much fun to be had here, which keeps the production from being anything worth remembering. Now that the movie is coming out, the real task will be reminding people that ‘Solomon Kane’ even exists.
Read more on Solomon Kane (**½)…
 I’ve never seen the television show ‘The Inbetweeners’ that ran for a few seasons in the United Kingdom, but this film adaptation of the program suggests that it’s a show I’d enjoy if I ever do get the chance to watch it. The movie hardly revolutionizes the genre, and it’s far from the best comedy of 2012, but it’s highly likable and succeeds where similar films (like ‘The Hangover’) can often fail…you actually like the characters and want to spend time with them. The film is set up in a similar way to how many similar adaptations of shows or even just comedy sequels operate, namely in getting by on the charm of the characters and by transporting them to a new location to see what kind of trouble they can get into there. Director Ben Palmer and writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris are determined to get you to laugh at the quartet of 18 year olds running around, and for the most part they succeed. Fueled by some decently fearless performances by Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, and Joe Thomas, the movie has a definite appeal to it. I’m not in love with the flick, but I have no issues with saying that I enjoyed and was frequently amused by it. I laughed enough to recommend this to anyone who likes a good raunchy comedy.
Read more on The Inbetweeners (***)…
 It’s always great to get to interact with filmmakers and pick their minds about their craft. But rare is it that you have the chance to talk to someone who wrote and directed the screenplay from their own best-selling novel. A day after being blown away by The Perks of Being a Wallflower (my favorite film of the year so far), I had the opportunity to attend a press junket with writer/director Stephen Chboksy to pick his brain about his wonderful novel and film. We also had the added experience of having a group of high school journalists from St. Agnes School here in Houston, which brought an interesting youth perspective to the proceedings. Stephen had some great stories to tell about the cast, why he chose to shoot the film the way he did, and other great insights about how the film can affect all ages. Check out audio of the junket after the jump!
Read more on Roundtable with ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ director Stephen Chbosky…
 Presented in all its creepy glory, without that annoying ET voice over, the first full length trailer for Park Chan-wook’s newest film Stoker arrived online today. The film, scripted by Prison Break star Wentworth Miller, is a thriller about a teen who is mourning the death of her father and must deal with an evil mom and an eccentric uncle who shows up unexpectedly. There are some hints to old horror films (Uncle Charlie) and Nicole Kidman looks like she’s really enjoying tearing into the role as the evil mom. The flick stars Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode is set to arrive in theaters March 1, 2013. Check out the trailer after the jump! Read more on Say hello to your Uncle Charlie…the first “Stoker” trailer has arrived!…
 After the sour taste that the original Wolverine spin off left in our mouths, many speculated that the sequel might not happen. But thanks to the critical and box office success of X-Men: First Class and Hugh Jackman’s massive popularity, we are getting a Wolverine sequel in July 2013. Taking it’s plot from one of the most famous comic book story lines, this new movie will find Wolverine in Japan and follow his adventures there. The first picture of a totally shredded Jackman as Wolverine has arrived online and you can checkout the full size after the jump!
Read more on Hugh Jackman ripped and ready to fight in new ‘Wolverine’ still…
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