David Mamet’s Blackbird will be a present-day conspiracy thriller that dives into the mystery behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. In what sounds like a sequel to Argo, Cate Blanchett has been signed to star as Janet, a Hollywood visual effects artist who also happened to do work for special ops agencies. After her grandfather dies, she apparently uncovers secrets that might solve the puzzle behind the Kennedy assassination. Blackbird is being produced by SBS Productions who will handle worldwide sales for the film.
Read more on David Mamet’s JFK Assassination Thriller ‘Blackbird’ Adds Cate Blanchett…
Directed by: George Clooney
Written by: Screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov based on the book “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History” written by Robert M. Edsel
Cast: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, and Jean Dujardin
Synopsis: The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys – seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 – possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements.
Read more on Awards Profile: The Monuments Men…
The Sizing Up Series continues with a look at the slate of Best Supporting Actress contenders. As always, this is as large a grouping of the hopefuls as possible (excluding some no shot contenders and members of bigger ensembles…or else this could have 50 or more people in the article), categorizing them by their assumed likelihood of a nomination come the big morning. Oftentimes, more than a few of the Best Picture nominees wind up with some form of representation here, and this year I think there will be more than a little correlation, but of course absolutely anything is possible with the Academy. We shall see what happens in the end, but enough talk for the time being. I know what you’re all here for, so let’s go right ahead and take a look at the contenders for Best Supporting Actress and size up the field! Read more on Sizing Up: Best Supporting Actress…
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 The Warner Brothers Awards Site has had their roster listed for a few weeks now. Big contenders like Ben Affleck’s Argo, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, and The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer’s Cloud Atlas have their respective categories listed. Even Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike is pushing a campaign for Matthew McConaughey and the rest of the cast. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a film that our own Mark Johnson has stood by all year-long, has started listing their categories for consideration. Read more on ‘The Hobbit’ submits an Original Song for Oscar Consideration…
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George Clooney’s fourth directorial effort, The Monuments Men,  has added Daniel Craig to its all-star cast that already includes Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban, and Clooney himself. Clooney and long-time partner Grant Heslov are adapting Robert M. Edsel’s book “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.” The story takes place towards the end of Nazi Germany, as Hitler and company try to destroy all the stolen artwork they acquired during their rise, while historians attempt to recover the work before it is too late. Sony and 20th Century Fox hope to release The Monuments Men in late 2013, just in time for Oscar.
Read more on Daniel Craig Joins Clooney’s ‘The Monuments Men’ All-Star Cast…
 I always anticipate a Woody Allen film, but Woody’s return to New York (even if he’s mainly going to be shooting in San Francisco) is an extra reason to be all in for Allen’s 2013 release. He’s got a great cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Emerson, Sally Hawkins, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay and Peter Sarsgaard, and if The Playlist has it right here, there’s a surprisingly current undertone to the plot. You can see the details after the jump, but any film by the Wood man is a film worth seeing in my book. Read on below for more…
Read more on First plot details revealed for Woody Allen’s next film!…
 The headline above is something I’m sure many never even dreamed of happening. But it’s true, Variety is reporting that comedians Andrew Dice Clay and Louis C.K. will be joining the next Woody Allen movie. Set to shoot in San Francisco and New York, the twosome join the already formidable cast Allen has assembled including Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Emerson, Sally Hawkins and Peter Sarsgaard.
Read more on Louis C.K. and Andrew Dice Clay join new Woody Allen film…
Monday, May 14th marked the 43rd birthday of the great, Academy Award-winning actress, Cate Blanchett. Catherine Élise Blanchett was born in Melbourne, Australia, where she studied acting, fine arts, and economics before moving to Sydney, where she graduated in 1992 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
Read more about Cate Blanchett and list your Circuit 3 after the jump…
Read more on Circuit 3: Cate Blanchett…
 It’s that time of the month, so it’s time to talk about the “Oscarettes”. If you missed last month’s edition, here is a little recap of what this segment is all about.
At the start of each month, we will travel back a year at a time and discuss the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actresses of that year. I will recognize who was nominated and who won, and I will share my opinions about them, but I want yours. I want to know who you thought deserved to win and be nominated those particular years.
Last month we discussed the 84th Academy Awards, this month we will look back on the 80th Academy Awards. Read more on Women in Cinema: The ‘Oscarettes’ (2008)…
 Woody Allen will be back in theaters this summer with To Rome WIth Love, but he’s already gearing up for his next movie. Variety is reporting that Sally Hawkins has signed on to Allen’s next film that is set to shoot in San Francisco and New York. Hawkins will be playing a “neurotic who’s more fun and rough around the edges.” Cate Blanchett and Bradley Cooper are also reportedly in talks to join the film.
Read more on Sally Hawkins joins Woody Allen’s next film…
 Natalie Portman has been relatively quiet since winning the Oscar, most notably turning down the lead in Gravity, but it seems she’s back in the game now. Deadline has the details:
Natalie Portman has committed to her first two movie roles since winning the Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan and taking maternity leave. Portman is joining the casts of the Terrence Malick films Knight Of The Cups, and Lawless. Portman will join Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Isabel Lucas in Knight of the Cups, which shoots this summer. She will follow by starring with Ryan Gosling, Bale, Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett in Lawless, the film Malick shoots in the fall. It will be Portman’s first time working with Malick, whose The Tree of Life won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and is nominated for Best Picture and Best Director Oscars.
Read more on Natalie Portman Joins the next two Terrence Malick films!…
Categories: News Tags: casting, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Lawless, Natalie Portman, news, Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life, upcoming projects
 A surprisingly successful action flick, Hanna shows some interesting range for director Joe Wright. The story itself isn’t all that different from any other “man on a mission” type movies, except this time it’s a young girl. That being said, Wright finds a unique way of directing the film and making it a worthwhile endeavor for audiences. Fueled by a real good lead performance by Saorise Ronan and icy supporting turns by Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett as well as a really great score by The Chemical Brothers, there’s more than meets the eye with this movie. Those simply expecting action will get enough of it to be satisfied, but those looking for something more will get a fairy tale of sorts as well.
16 year-old Hanna (Ronan) has been trained all of her life to be a ruthless killer…the perfect assassin. Her father Erik (Bana) is a former government operative now hiding out in the wilderness with her. They’re constantly testing her skills, while all the while she’s constantly yearning to experience more than just violence. When he deems her ready for a mission, he has her literally flick a switch, notifying Marissa (Blanchett) that both are on the move. This sets into motion a game of cat and mouse as Hanna and Erik separately try to evade and murder Marissa while she tries to track them down. Each will end up with different motives for why they need to do what they plan on doing, but suffice to say, things are not exactly black and white for them, especially Hanna. As she forms bonds with the outside world, she begins to question why she’s the way that she is and how exactly this came to be for her. Like I said, nothing too original, but the execution (no pun intended) is where the film shines. Read more on Hanna (***)…
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