(The annual “Will Win/Should Win” of the Awards Circuit has been our most popular yet most challenging series where each writer let’s their final thoughts be known on the Oscar categories. Each writer will reveal their choices everyday leading up to the Oscar ceremony. Think you can do better? Let your final thoughts be known in the comment section or by joining our Oscar Pool. -CD)
Read more on Oscar 2013 Will Win/Should Win Selections (Young)…
Categories: Article Tags: Amour, ang lee, Anna Karenina, Anna Young, Anne Hathaway, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Brave, Chris Terrio, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Django Unchained, Emmanuelle Riva, End of Watch, Holy Motors, Inglourious Basterds, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, John Goodman, John Hawkes, Joss Whedon, kathryn bigelow, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Logan Lerman, Mark Boal, Moonrise Kingdom, oscar predictions, Oscar snubs, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin Tarantino, Robert DeNiro, Samantha Barks, Samuel L. Jackson, Searching for Sugarman, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Stephen Chbosky, Steven Speilberg, The Academy Awards, the avengers, the dark knight rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Impossible, The Sessions, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Win/Should Win, Wreck-It Ralph, Zero Dark Thirty
You can add Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo to the growing list of presenters on Oscar night. The Avengers was the highest grossing film of the year, and four out of the five actors are former Oscar nominees, so it is a nice addition to a growing lineup that includes Mark Wahlberg (and Ted), Meryl Streep, Jean Dujardin, Octavia Spencer, and Christopher Plummer. I’m curious why Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson were not invited, but maybe they just weren’t available? See the official release after the jump.
Read more on ‘The Avengers’ Cast to Present on Oscar® Show…
 Well this certainly came out of left field, but what a welcome surprise! Deadline has broken the news that Emily VanCamp, the lead of ABC’s fantastic show Revenge, is currently in talks to star alongside Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. VanCamp is rumored to be playing Sharon Carter, a former SHIELD agent who in the comic books was a sister/niece to Peggy Carter, Cap’s first love.
Read more on ‘Revenge’ star Emily Van Camp to join ‘Captain America: The WInter Soldier’…
 There’s been no film more divisive or more igniting in terms of strong Oscar speculation then Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. After months of shooting, word of a last minute edit (some believe editing is still going on currently), the film has finally hit cinematic eyes and the “final” product is both bold and misguided. Django Unchained is big and full of Tarantino life and color that we’ve come to love about him. On sheer production value, it’s his finest film endeavor to date. Set designs are simply gorgeous, Robert Richardson captures some beautiful shots, and Sharen Davis proves once again, she’s one of the most awe-inspiring designers working today. Tarantino does go a bit “out there” in his choices of dialogue along with the developing and rising structure of the story. Where Tarantino succeeds is in digging some terrific performances out of his principal cast, even if his film is at times lunky, problematic, and a bit messy.
Read more on Django Unchained (***)…
Categories: Editor, Film Reviews Tags: Broomhilda, Calvin Candie, Christoph Waltz, Cinema of the United States, David Carradine, Django, Django Unchained, don johnson, Editor, Editor Film Review, Entertainment/Culture, Film, film reviews, Hans Landa, Holly Hunter, Inglourious Basterds, jamie foxx, Jane Campion, John Legend, Jonah Hill, Kerry Washington, Kill Bill Vol, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Richardson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharen Davis, the Academy Award, Who Did That to You?
 A representative for the Weinstein Company has just confirmed that Christoph Waltz’s role in Django Unchained will be campaigned as a Supporting role for the rest of the awards season. Waltz, who plays Dr. King Schultz ,will now compete against co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who just won the National Board of Review’s award for Supporting Actor and Academy Award nominee, Samuel L. Jackson. Waltz was named one of the runner-ups in the recent New York Film Critics Circle. just earlier this week.
Read more on Weinstein Company Confirms Christoph Waltz back in SUPPORTING for ‘Django Unchained’…
Categories: Editor, News Tags: Arts, Christoph Waltz, Cinema of the United States, Django, Django Unchained, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Human Interest, King, Leonardo DiCaprio, representative, runner, Samuel L. Jackson, the National Board of Review's award, The Princeton Review Inc., The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC
 With two (really one) contender left to be unveiled, this is the most exciting awards race I’ve covered in all my years of Oscar prognosticating. Every category is competitive and with races like this, anything can happen. Along with updating the official Oscar Predictions, I’ve updated the major precursors such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
As New York gets ready to lift on Monday, which I’ve attempted to take a stab at, the National Board of Review and Los Angeles Film Critics will start the chain reaction of the awards season. Before anyone knows the winners, I’m seeing this as a three-horse race between Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, and Ben Affleck’s Argo, more particularly the first two films. Currently I’m foreseeing Hooper’s film to lead the way on Oscar nomination morning with 13 nominations, assuming lead Hugh Jackman and standout Eddie Redmayne can plow through some of the veterans in their categories.
Read more on Oscar Circuit – Music vs. History…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: Amy Adams, ang lee, Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Ben Lewin, Bradley Cooper, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Day-Lewis, David Ayer, David O. Russell, Dennis Quaid, Denzel Washington, Dwight Henry, Eddie Redmayne, Editor, Emmanuelle Riva, Entertainment/Culture, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, John Goodman, judi dench, kathryn bigelow, Keira Knightley, Leonardo DiCaprio, Les Miserables, Maggie Smith, Marion Cotillard, Mark Boal, Michael Haneke, Michael Pena, naomi watts, Oscar Circuit, oscar predictions 2013, Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin Tarantino, Robert DeNiro, Sally Field, Samantha Barks, Samuel L. Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Tony Kushner, Zero Dark Thirty
They seem to all cite Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson. No sign of Leo. Even praise for Don Johnson. Many saying it’s fantastic. My interest has just shot up through the roof. I’ll find out Wednesday. Read some down below:
Read more on Early Twitter Reactions from ‘Django Unchained’ Screening…
Categories: Editor, News Tags: Anne Thompson, Christoph Waltz, Cinema of the United States, Django, Django Unchained, don johnson, Entertainment/Culture, Eric Appel, Film, Human Interest, Inglourious Basterds, Jeff Goldsmith, Julie Seureau, King, Ku Klux Klan, Lou Lumenick, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L. Jackson, Spaghetti Westerns, The King, Unchained
 As the awards season is underway, multiple scenarios are playing out in my mind suggesting what can occur for the remainder of the year. Films like The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Zero Dark Thirty are still sight unseen with Django Unchained and Promised Land about to get their first set of eyes. Last week Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables debuted a full-length trailer featuring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, and Amanda Seyfried all showing some singing skills. Supporting Actress frontrunner Anne Hathaway was shown singing “I Dreamed a Dream” for the third time in the Universal Pictures marketing, which leads me to my point of the Oscar Circuit.
The trailer for Les Miserables didn’t do the film any favors. The clunky production design, unnecessary wide-angles, and even the live singing on set didn’t seem as great as I’d thought it’d be. In this latest round of Oscar Predictions, I’ve decided to back from Tom Hooper’s film a little bit. Where momentum and prestige is on the side of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Ben Affleck’s Argo, big stage musicals transferred to film aren’t always safe bets. What makes this notion of the film failing to impress even more compelling is Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master. If Anne Hathaway were to fall out of the Supporting Actress race, who could win the award in her absence? There are arguably three slots taken in Supporting Actress with Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln), and Helen Hunt (The Sessions). If it’s between those three for the win, Adams will be on her fourth nomination with the other two ladies having Oscars already. Field herself would be 3 for 3 for Oscar nominations, something hard to envision happening. Hunt has had a hard time post-Oscar win and isn’t as beloved as her competitors. This could all work out for the young Amy Adams. Read more on Oscar Circuit – “Master” of Networking?…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins, Beatrice Straight, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Day-Lewis, David O. Russell, Denzel Washington, Eddie Redmayne, Editor, Elia Kazan, Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Entertainment/Culture, Faye Dunaway, golden globes, Hal Holbrook, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren, Hugh Jackman, Human Interest, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, John Hawkes, Karl Malden, kathryn bigelow, Keira Knightley, Kim Hunter, Lead Actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Michael Haneke, naomi watts, Network, Nicholas Jarecki, Oscar, Oscar Circuit, oscar predictions 2013, Oscars, Paul Thomas Anderson, Peter Finch, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Russell Crowe, Sacha Gervasi, Sally Field (Lincoln), Samuel L. Jackson, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, Supporting Actress, The Hobbit, The Master, the Oscar, Tom Hooper, Vivien Leigh, William H. Macy
Usually I’ve focus on more “talky” types of screenplays, from ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ and ‘Margot at the Wedding’ years back, to ‘Funny People’, ‘The Social Network’, and ‘The Beaver’ more recently, not to mention of course last week’s piece on ‘This is 40′. Well, this time around I’m tackling a horse of a different color in Quentin Tarantino’s hybrid action film ‘Django Unchained‘. His script is very cinematic, down to him actually writing how he wants the scenes to play out, including the references you’re supposed to get, including one he expects you only to get on a second viewing. I think it’s actually better than what people were expecting, though certain aspects of it (hint, Leonardo DiCaprio, hint) aren’t quite what they may seem. This is pretty vintage Tarantino, if potentially a little more old-fashioned than usual for him. Certain similarities to ‘Inglourious Basterds’ will be noticed, but overall QT is doing less revisionist history and more just a bloody good revenge thriller set in the American South during the time of slavery.
Read more on Script Review: Django Unchained…
 I still have no idea what to make of ‘Django Unchained’ in terms of its awards potential, but one things for sure…every look I get of Quentin Tarantino’s new film makes me like it more and more. This latest Trailer features more of the cast, gives everyone more moments to shine, and suggests that this could wind up being one of the most purely enjoyable movies of 2012. Whether it can be an Oscar player remains to be seen, but this is looking like a real Christmas/Hanukkah gift to film fans. You can see the Trailer after the jump, but this flick has got me sold. Behold it below…
Read more on Quentin Tarantino has a new ‘Django Unchained’ Trailer to share with us!…
 The recent debut of the Trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ suggested a rather hip and unique take on the Western genre. Certainly, this makes sense, considering the filmmaker, but I won’t lie…I was hoping for something slightly more. Well, this new International Trailer isn’t offering new depth, but it is offering more humor, which is certainly welcome. I’m anticipating a real good time with this flick, and after the jump you can take a look at the new Trailer, complete with some to-date unseen footage (though it’s rather similar to the last look we got of the film) and a glimpse at Samuel L. Jackson. Take a gander below…
Read more on New Trailer for ‘Django Unchained’!…
And so, in what seemed like an impossible dream to just about every comic book geek in the world, the first-ever major superhero crossover film finally opens in America today. There’s really no point in pretending that this won’t absolutely kill at the box office this weekend, it’s just a matter of how high it can soar at this point:
Read more on Weekend Openings (May 4-6)…
Categories: Weekend Openings Tags: Bill Nighy, Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, comic book films, Demi Moore, Dev Patel, fanboyism, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, iron man, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, judi dench, Maggie Smith, Mark Ruffalo, middlebrow art films, Mother's Day, popcorn movies, Rebecca De Mornay, remake, robert downey jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, superhero movie, the avengers, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Thor, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Wilkinson, Weekend Openings
 The first blockbuster of the 2012 summer movie season also happens to just plain old be one of the best films of the year so far. ‘The Avengers’ could have gone wrong in a ton of different ways, but almost inexplicably it’s a massive success. With only a few small flaws to blemish its record, this film is a testament to how much of a coup it was to hire Joss Whedon to write and direct the project. He gets to the core of what this movie should be about. It’s not about explosions and fights, but instead about community, loneliness, and the need for teamwork in the face of long odds. This is not only the best film to come from Marvel’s production company, but it’s easily one of the 5 best superhero films to date (it’s your move, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’). Whedon has taken the best of each previous Marvel film and, with one or two flaws aside, cobbled together pretty much the ideal Avengers film, rife with strong performances, surprisingly effective humor, and more than a touch of heart. It’s like a great comic book come to life, and you’re left just as giddy as a young child first discovering the tales of heroism within those books and diving right in. Between this and co-writing ‘The Cabin in the Woods’, Whedon is the man of the hour in many parts of the film world. ‘The Avengers’ isn’t perfect, but then again, neither are heroes tasked with saving the Earth, and we still love them. I have no doubt that you all will love this film when it opens on Friday.
Read more on The Avengers (***½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Clark Gregg, comic book films, Early Review, franchise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, robert downey jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Stellan Skarsgard, superhero movie, the avengers, Tom Hiddleston
Images Credit: TM & © 2012 Marvel & Subs.
Read the Press Release:
BURBANK, CALIF. (April 23, 2012) — Marvel Studios announced today that Gallery1988 in Hollywood, Calif., will mount a show of art inspired by the Marvel Super Heroes featured in the highly anticipated, summer event movie “Marvel’s The Avengers.” The show, sponsored by Visa Signature, will run through the film’s opening weekend, from May 3 through May 6, 2012.
Read more on Los Angeles Based Gallery1988 Features Art Inspired by “Marvel’s The Avengers”…
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