 This is the type of news that more likely than not is based only somewhat in fact (charitably), but word has recently been going around that the folks behind the James Bond franchise have been talking to Christopher Nolan about him taking over from Sam Mendes to direct the 24th Bond flick. The intriguing thing is, Nolan apparently is listening and has some level of interest. More likely than not, this won’t wind up happening, but can you imagine if it did? Skyfall was a Bond film that definitely had more than a bit of The Dark Knight influencing it, so imagine a movie that was full on of that ilk and by the helmer of that franchise himself? It could turn out to be rather epic. After the jump you can find out a bit more, but for now at least this is just a really cool rumor.
Read more on Is Christopher Nolan Considering James Bond?…
“I don’t think that there’s anything worse than being ordinary.”
In spite of the white picket fences, manicured lawns, and two car garages, plaguing the heart of the American Dream is the underlying pestilence of an ordinary existence. In accordance with the old adage of “art imitating life,” contemporary American life has been and continues to be a favorite subject of satire, criticism, and reflection in film. The “picture-perfect” fallacy of the suburban lifestyle consistently fairs well (or not) in big-screen representations as a particularly potent point of fascination for both filmmakers and audiences alike. Ranging from coming-of-age stories like The Graduate (1967) and American Graffiti (1973) to unflinching satires like Fight Club (1999) and American Psycho (2000), the discussion of modern American values plants seeds of dissent between social norms and expectations and personal desires and outlooks. Two films that draw uncanny parallels to one another as musings on the disconnect between the image of American suburbia and its flawed human representatives are Sam Mendes‘ acclaimed American Beauty (1999) and Ang Lee’s lesser-known, though still appreciated, The Ice Storm (1997). Though not nearly on the same scale of resonance and cultural or cinematic impact, the obvious similarities between the two films make them rivaling meditations on American Suburbia ripe for comparison. Read more on Masters of Suburbia: How ‘American Beauty’ Weathers ‘The Ice Storm’…
Exactly two hours before I began writing up this article, the Producers Guild of America had just announced its complete list of nominees. In the “Theatrical Motion Picture” category, one film appeared that virtually no pundit had thought to anticipate: Sam Mendes’ British-produced Skyfall. But after recently crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide, not to mention its widespread critical acclaim and seven BFCA nominations, does this really comes as that much of a surprise? Oh yes, I forgot…Skyfall is a “genre” film, which means its “Best Picture” chances would usually be at the bottom of the barrel when stacked against baitier competitors that seem destined for Oscar® upon announcement. However, it has two things going for it that critically-beloved moneymakers like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises do not: a late release closer to the pivotal Oscar® date and, most importantly, a huge chunk of support behind it in the form of the Academy’s hefty British voting bloc, who are no doubt beyond astounded by its record-breaking success, and not just for the James Bond franchise either.
Skyfall is currently the 14th highest grossing movie of all-time and the United Kingdom’s top movie earner in history, barely surpassing James Cameron’s Avatar. Not including the Harry Potter movie franchise, Skyfall is also the most successful British film (Eon Productions) ever released. With these figures and the aforementioned accolades and overall success, it may be time to not just realistically consider Skyfall for “Best Picture,” but also come to the realization that we’ve been underestimating the influential power of the Academy’s British voting bloc throughout this entire race. In addition to Skyfall, I’ll now turn your attention towards award hopefuls who have been under-the-radar all season long like Judi Dench as “M” in Skyfall, Maggie Smith in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and even John Madden’s British ensemble dramedy itself. I strongly believe these four British category contenders will receive their major boost from the crucial British voting bloc in the form of Academy Award™ nominations come the morning of January 10th. After the jump, you will see the ‘Skyfall’ category contenders in this first of a two-part article series…
Read more on Are We Underestimating the British Voting Bloc? (‘Skyfall’ Edition)…
Categories: Article Tags: Ann Dowd, Best Supporting Actress, BFCA, British films, Jacki Weaver, Javier Bardem, judi dench, Kelly Reilly, nicole kidman, oscar predictions 2013, oscars 2013, PGA nominations, Precursors, SAG, Sam Mendes, Samantha Barks
 At 5:00pm eastern time today, Greg P. Russell, the 15-time Academy Award nominated Sound Mixer will be LIVE on the air with us talking about his work on Sam Mendes’ Skyfall.
The veteran Sound Mixer will be talking to us about a variety of things as well as taking any of your questions via our chatroom or you can call into the show.
Join us today for on our next episode of The Awards Circuit Power Hour! See you at 5:00 PM Eastern time!!!!
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Read more on Awards Circuit Power Hour LIVE Today w/ Greg P. Russell, Sound Mixer for ‘Skyfall’…
 Having never been a fan of the 007 series, never being enthralled with car chases, international espionage, gun play (unless in a western) gadgets, or silly romantic encounters that make little sense to the plot, the films for me were always a chore. Having to see them angered me, because it was one part of the job that felt like a job, and being a film writer has rarely felt like a job. When I learned that Daniel Craig has been cast as the new James Bond in Casino Royale (2008) I went back and watched all the Bond films.
Every…single…one. Read more on Daniel Craig – Best Bond Ever?…
In Sam Mendes’ Skyfall, the 23rd installment in the James Bond franchise and the first since 2008, MI6 - and more notably M (Judi Dench) – is under attack by former operative Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), and it is up to James Bond (Daniel Craig) to once again thwart the evildoer’s plans before they come to fruition.
Read more on Snippet Reviews: ‘Skyfall’ and ‘The Sessions’…
 The staff and I just spoke about the possibility of Greg P. Russell nabbing an Oscar for his work on Sam Mendes’ Skyfall on the latest episode of Power Hour. Below is from Sound Works Collection:
Hear Mr. Russell and the other team members speak about their approach to the Bond franchise. Is this shaping up to a Sound Mixing Oscar? Very well could be.
Read more on Greg P. Russell Profiles the Sound of “Skyfall”…
Capping off Bond Week at the Awards Circuit is the much anticipated release of Skyfall. Spielberg’s grand biopic Lincoln gets a limited head start to its nationwide release next week.
Skyfall
Read more on Weekend Openings: 11/9/2012…
Categories: Weekend Openings Tags: Alicia Vikander, Cecilia Cheung, Daniel Craig, Daniel Day-Lewis, David Strathairn, Entertainment/Culture, Eric Wareheim, James D'Arcy, James Murphy, James Ransone, Jane, Javier Bardem, Jeremy Power, Joshua Close, judi dench, King, Lincoln, Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Arcel, Oscars, physician, Rick Alverson, Sally Field, Sam Mendes, Sean Baker, Selma Blair, Shanghai, Skyfall, Steven Speilberg, Tim Heidecker, U.S. President, winning director
 After stumbling somewhat with ‘Quantum of Solace’, the Daniel Craig era of James Bond films has recovered spectacularly with ‘Skyfall’. Better even than ‘Casino Royale’, I’d actually wager that this could very well be the best Bond film ever. A phenomenally effective mix of old and new, this is exactly what I wanted out of 007. Credit is deserved all around for this success story, but chief among them has to be director Sam Mendes. The Oscar winner, along with his frequent DP Roger Deakins, has brought a beautiful visual style to this Bond flick. Armed with a strong screenplay from returning scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, along with newcomer John Logan, Mendes and company have given Craig an adventure that both points the spy in a number of new potential directions as well as honoring the past in a way that the franchise has never really done before. The end result is riveting, and easily one of the most satisfying films in the canon, along with one of the best films of the year too. ‘Skyfall’ opens on Friday and should be a massive success. It certainly deserves to be. The talk about a Best Picture nomination is a bit premature, but there’s no denying that this is a great movie.
Read more on Skyfall (***½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Ben Wishaw, Berenice Marlohe, Bond Week, Daniel Craig, franchise, James Bond, Javier Bardem, John Logan, judi dench, Naomie Harris, Neal Purvis, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Wade, Rory Kinnear, Sam Mendes, Skyfall
 Bond Week continues here at The Awards Circuit! As you all know, we’re going to be bringing you a whole host of James Bond related pieces between now and the release of ‘Skyfall’ this Friday. Historically, the gig of directing has taken a slightly lower profile. Directors such as Lewis Gilbert, John Glen, Guy Hamilton, Peter Hunt, Roger Spottiswoode, Lee Tamahori, and Terence Young are some prime examples. Of course, there have been slightly more well-known filmmakers like Michael Apted, Martin Campbell, and Marc Forster, plus the upcoming film which was made by Oscar winner Sam Mendes. This suggests a move away from caretaker directors and towards auteurs who might be able to add something to the franchise, so that’s where I’m picking up. I’ve got a list of filmmakers who I think would be fitting for upcoming Bond movies. Some have actually been talked about previously, though someone like Steven Spielberg, who once yearned for the job, is now wishful thinking, and likewise for Quentin Tarantino. I won’t be focusing much on people previously offered the job, such as Paul Haggis and Roger Michell, but I’ve got a dozen original names to throw out at you.
Read more on Bond Week: 12 Possible Future Directors…
Categories: Article Tags: Bond Week, Christopher Nolan, Dan Bradley, Danny Boyle, David Ayer, directors, Duncan Jones, James Bond, James Bond films, Joe Cornish, Joe Wright, kathryn bigelow, Marc Forster, Martin Campbell, paul haggis, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Michell, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, Todd Field, Tom Ford, Tom Hooper, upcoming projects
 Since Daniel Craig took on the iconic role of the world’s most famous spy back in 2006 there have been some notable ups and downs. Casino Royale, to my mind at least, is one of the best Bond films of all time. Just as with Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye, it introduced us to a completely new interpretation of the character, and with a healthy nod to the immortal traditions of the past, updated the franchise for a new decade and a whole new generation of fans. In it Craig had managed to sculpt the most brooding and rough-around-the-edges Bond yet. Following this came Quantum of Solace, which despite being a pretty decent action blockbuster, gets repeatedly slated because it ventured too far from the traditional Bond mould. Director Marc Forster seemed to draw more inspiration from the fast cuts and man-on-the-run pacing of the Bourne saga, than he did from the sophistication and tradition of 007. Read more on Skyfall (***½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Berenice Marlohe, Bond girl, Bond Week, Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, film review, James Bond, James Bond films, Javier Bardem, judi dench, Naomie Harris, Quantum of Solace, Ralph Fiennes, Roger Deakins, Sam Mendes, Skyfall
Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) will deliver the latest Bond flick, Skyfall, to us this November 9th. I don’t know about you, but I am anxiously awaiting the third film in the Daniel Craig/Bond era. Along with Craig, the 23rd Bond film will star Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Helen McCrory, Ola Rapace and Tonia Sotiropoulou.
Check out the poster after the jump…
Read more on ‘Skyfall’ Gets a New Domestic Poster…
 As described in the superb nd telling book, The Men Who Would Be King the excellent story of Dreamworks and the inner power struggles, the studio brought American Beauty (1999) to the festival with little or no hope for the film. It seemed destined for a straight to DVD release, despite the casting of Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. Only Steven Spielberg believed in the film and admired what director Sam Mendes had created, and to appease Spielberg it was agreed to screen the film in Toronto. The truth might have been that they had no clue how to market the film.
Minutes after the first press screening, the film was the hottest movie of the festival, and there was no more discussion about a straight to DVD release. You could feel the buzz growing as the film unfolded, and by the end, in the hallways of the theaters, everyone who had been in the screening was talking Beauty. I mean everyone. Read more on TIFF Golden Moments Part 3…
Categories: Article Tags: Allison Janney, American film directors, Annette Bening, Chris Cooper, Denzel Washington, Directors Guild of America, Dreamworks, Entertainment/Culture, Fight Club, Films, Kevin Spacey, Mena Suvari, Oscar, Sam Mendes, Shakespeare in Love, Steven Spielberg, The Academy Awards, The Cider House Rules, The Hurricane, Toronto International Film Festival, Wes Bentley
 Many of us have been looking for a big film to begin eagerly anticipating now that ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is over and done with. Personally, now I’ve got it with the latest James Bond flick ‘Skyfall’. Today we have a new Full Trailer for the movie, and it’s pretty sweet (complete with a few Batman vibes, actually). It’s everything you’d like to see 007 doing, and then some. You can take a look at the Trailer after the jump, and get set to have a new adventure with Bond on November 9th, courtesy of director Sam Mendes (and of course with Daniel Craig still in the lead). Take a gander and enjoy…for me November can’t come soon enough. Behold it below.
Read more on Full Trailer for ‘Skyfall’…
 When it was announced that the character of Q would be returning to the James Bond franchise, I don’t think anyone especially minded (certainly not myself). Things were a bit more split though when Ben Wishaw was cast as the character. Personally, I never had an issue, but making the character so young didn’t sit well with some. Well, today you can see your first glance of Wishaw as Q, with the full image after the jump. I think he looks just fine, but time will tell I suppose. Check him out (with 007 in the background) below…
Read more on Here’s our first look at the new Q in ‘Skyfall’!…
 There’s some cautious optimism out there for Sam Raimi’s ‘Oz The Great and Powerful’. It’d be an easier sell for most if not for the bad taste that ‘Alice in Wonderland’ left in the mouthes of many, but here we are nonetheless today with the debut of the first trailer for the flick in my inbox from Disney. I looked it over, and overall I think it looks visually stimulating and an interesting vehicle for James Franco, but I need to see more of the story before I can get excited for it. Either way, after the jump you can see the trailer and decide for yourself. It likely won’t be boring, that’s for sure. Take a gander at it below…
Read more on Trailer Debut for ‘Oz The Great and Powerful’!…
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