 It’s time to dive, dive in deep…well, at least as deep as you can in May. As I attempted to unveil the newest set of Oscar Predictions, I realized how many promising films are left to be seen in the remaining seven months. As of now, the only real Best Picture contender that has the legs to make it until the end of the year would be Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, and that’s a longshot at best given its genre. You can make arguments for films like The Place Beyond the Pines by Derek Cianfrance and even Mud by Jeff Nichols but those will need a well-placed DVD release with a focused campaign, something I’m not sure the studios are willing to bet on. Cianfrance’s film also has an outside shot for Screenplay and a Supporting Actor mention for Ryan Gosling. If anything, this helps him for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives, if they’re feeling like recognizing him a second time. It feels like eons ago when Gosling was nominated for Ryan Fleck’s Half Nelson (2006) and then later missed other opportunities for Lars and the Real Girl (2007), Blue Valentine (2010), and Drive (2011). Not sure when it will be before he gets back onto the Oscar radar.
Down below, why don’t we start taking a look at the slate by each studio and assess where their money will and should go throughout the season. Read more on Oscar Circuit – The Studio Assessment Part 1…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: 2014 Oscar Predictions, Academy Awards, Alfonso Cuarón, American Hustle, August: Osage County, Before Midnight, Ben Stiller, Blue Jasmine, Bruce Dern, Cameron Diaz, Captain Phillips, Dane DeHaan, David O. Russell, Editor, Ethan Hawke, Foxcatcher, George Clooney, Gravity, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Wells, Julie Delpy, Kill Your Darlings, Kristin Wiig, Leonardo DiCaprio, Man of Steel, Maria Bello, Martin Scorsese, Matthew McConaughey, melissa leo, Michael Fassbender, Mud, Nebraska, Oscar Circuit, Pacific Rim, Paul Greengrass, Penelope Cruz, Peter Jackson, Prisoners, Richard Linklater, Ridley Scott, Ryan Gosling, Sarah Polley, Shirley MacLaine, Sony Pictures Classics, Steve Carell, Steve McQueen, Stories We Tell, The Counselor, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Seventh Son, The Way Way Back, The Wolf of Wall Street, tom hanks, Twelve Years A Slave, Viola Davis, Woody Allen
Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight was acquired by Sony Classics out of the Sundance Film Festival, and now it seems the distribution company has set a May 24th release date for the film. It will open in New York and Los Angeles first, and then expand to wide release shortly after. You can read Joey’s ***½ review for the film here, and have a look at a few more release dates after the jump.
Read more on Sony Classics Sets a Release Date for ‘Before Midnight’ and More…
 We’re kicking off our Park City Dispatch by bringing you an interview with Fred Melamed, one of the stars in Lake Bell’s U.S. Dramatic Competition entry In a World. The film, written and directed by Bell, is about an underachieving vocal coach that is motivated by her father (Melamed), the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voice over star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation. As an accomplished voice actor himself (he’s done tons of work for the Grand Theft Auto series), Fred gets to use his unique experiences in a new way. We spoke with Fred this past Sunday about his Sundance film, his voice over experience, and his work with famed directors Woody Allen and the Coen Brothers. Check out the full audio interview after the jump!
Read more on Park City Dispatch: Interview with ‘In A World’ star Fred Melamed…
After a reel of footage highlighting the best films of her career thus far, the radiant Marion Cotillard graced the stage for a quick conversation before the curtain rose for her latest contribution to French Cinema, Rust and Bone. She humbly admitted that it was “super weird” and almost “schizophrenic” to see footage of herself spliced together because the characters are all her, yet they’re all different people. When asked about the path that led to her success in acting, she confided in a time when she considered leaving the profession to pursue something else, but meeting with Tim Burton and getting a role in Big Fish convinced her to stick with it. And it’s a good thing she did. Since then, she’s secured roles she feels passionate about, in both French and American films, leading her to an Oscar win for Best Actress for La vie en rose (2007), and teaming up with the likes of Michael Mann, Woody Allen, Steven Soderburgh, and Christopher Nolan along the way. After the brief sit-down, director Jacques Audiard took the stage to introduce his cast, including Matthias Schoenaerts, who, as if in character, appropriately cued the feature presentation with an exclamation of, “Open the curtain, show the movie.”
Read more on AFI Day 5: Rust and Bone (***)…
Categories: Festivals, Film Reviews Tags: Christopher Nolan, Cinema of France, French Cinema, Jacques Audiard, La Vie En Rose, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Mann, Oscar, Steven Soderburgh, Tim Burton, Woody Allen
 The great and the good films of the eighties were often box office failures, re-discovered within a few years by audiences and critics on video, as home entertainment brought a whole new world to audiences and the movies. Suddenly audiences could watch the films at home, on their TV by renting a video, which became a huge success, and video rental stores popped up all over North America. Within a year of release a film was on video, sometimes longer, and there were holdouts from directors and studios who believed films should be seen on the big screen, though eventually they gave in to the new toy that would help save the business. Suddenly it was possible for a film that initially failed to be found within a year and celebrated for the work of art it was, rather than waiting years, which had been the case for Citizen Kane (1941) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). An example might be Blow Out (1981), celebrated by critics, but audiences stayed away in droves, only to find the film on video, making it something of a cult classic. The new medium would allow audiences of the next generation and beyond to be the best educated film audience in history, simply because of the sheer availability of the films. I remember coming home for the weekend from college, and Dad having been among the first in our area to buy a VCR would stop at the video store and I would rent ten movies. It was like John’s wet dream, movies at my fingertips. Suddenly I could see films I had wanted to see again, films I had not seen, and foreign language work that had not made it to the theaters in my area. It was incredible. Read more on Best of the Decades: 1980s…
Categories: Article Tags: Amadeus, Best of the Decades, Blow Out, Christian Bale, Debra Winger, Diane Keaton, Dustin Hoffman, E.T; The Extraterrestrial, Empire of the Sun, F. Murray Abraham, George Lucas, Hannah and Her Sisters, Henry Thomas, Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, Martin Scorsese, Michael Caine, Miloš Forman, Raging Bull, Reds, Robert DeNiro, Shirley MacLaine, Star Wars, Steven Spielberg, Terms of Endearment, Tom Hulce, Tootsie, Warren Beatty, Woody Allen
Greta Gerwig co-writes and stars in Noah Baumbach’s “Frances Ha”
As Oscar season gets ready to jump into high gear, contenders will rise and fall by the wayside as Telluride wraps up, Venice is underway, and Toronto is about to explode onto the scene.
One young talent I’ve kept a close eye on since early March is Greta Gerwig. The 29-year-old actress has been quietly on the scene for a while and has managed to appear in four films that have been released or are scheduled in 2012. Not to mention, she has a co-writing credit with Noah Baumbach in his upcoming Frances Ha.
Read more on What’s Eating Greta Gerwig?…
Categories: Article, Editor Tags: Arthur, Cinema of the United States, Daryl Wein, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig, Jessica Chastain, Joe Swanberg, Judy Davis, No Strings Attached, Noah Baumbach, Woody Allen
Sean Penn in “This Must Be the Place”
Is there any question left that Sean Penn is the finest actor of his generation? Can there be any further doubt that Penn stands alongside Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, early Al Pacino and early Robert de Niro as one of the screens greatest actors? Read more on Why is Nobody Talking About Sean Penn?…
Categories: Article Tags: Clint Eastwood, Directors Guild of America, Dustin Hoffman, Gus Van Sant, I Am Sam, In the Valley of Elah, Into the Wild, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, mystic river, Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Allen
 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!…
 You can just about count on Woody Allen to always make a comeback, or if not a comeback, then a streak of four or five good movies, before funking out, only to come back with a really good one. Through the course of his rather extraordinary career which has seen him average a film a year since 1970, sometimes two, he seems to have a streak where he makes one masterpiece after another, then makes a series of average to very weak films, leaving us just about to write him off, only to have him roar back with an excellent film that reminds us of the great director-writer he is. He has not enjoyed a period like the late seventies and mid-eighties for quite some time, but still seems able to come back when we think he might be done. Last year I was thrilled to have Allen back with his lovely film Midnight in Paris (2011), a superb time travel comedy-fantasy beautifully written, directed and acted, which landed the film in the Oscar race, earning Allen his third Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Read more on To Rome, With Love (*½)…
Madagascar 3 finally gets a worthy opponent for dominance of the family friendly market, and it could be the biggest one of the year:
Pixar’s Scottish adventure Brave swoops into theaters like the cool highland breeze of…okay, I’ll stop. Starring Kelly MacDonald as a young princess who defies an ancient family custom, Merida takes it upon herself to end the curse it brings to her kingdom. One could argue that Pixar is the most trusted brand in Hollywood today, so it’s almost never a question of if their latest film will be a hit, but to what degree. This is the first film from the studio to star a female heroine, and with that landmark comes the expected (but not meritless) question of how much that will hurt its box office prospects. It is true that animated films, historically, fare worse when they’re perceived as “girl” movies (it’s no coincidence that the two highest-grossing Disney musicals of the nineties were Aladdin and The Lion King). Then again, Merida is portrayed here as a Strong Female Character in the vein of Katniss Everdeen, and let’s not forget that The Hunger Games made a killing at the multiplex just a few months ago. I’m pretty sure this movie is going make a cool $57-62 million before the weekend is out.
Read more on Weekend Openings (June 22-24)…
 Full disclosure: I’ve yet to see a Woody Allen film that I haven’t liked. That being said, I can recognize when a movie of his isn’t exactly his finest hour. That’s the case with ‘To Rome With Love’, an effort that will rank among his less highly regarded flicks. I still found it enjoyable and funny, but he’s done better work than this, and even I recognized it. It really comes down to a lot of odd decisions on Allen’s part. The choices are each individually not deal breakers on their own, but put together it might pose an issue for those who aren’t die-hard fans of the Wood Man like I am. A far cry from ‘Midnight in Paris’ (which I rank among his 10 best), I might actually put ‘To Rome With Love’ in his bottom 10, but again…the worst Woody Allen movie is still above average to me. This is an often charming romantic comedy, but it does have enough faults that I can’t completely recommend it to you. I think it’s worth seeing, but check your expectations at the door somewhat. I’ve waffled on the star ranking for this review in the week or so since I’ve seen it (I’m embargoed until opening day, as you can see), but I think 2 and a half makes sense. Honestly, add a half star if you always love Allen (like me, even if I’m not amazingly high on this one) and subtract a half star if you’re not a fan of his. Also, for more on the film, check out my coverage of the film’s New York Press Conference here.
Read more on To Rome With Love (**½)…
 Alongside the likes of Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, and a host of other news outlets, I was lucky enough to be invited earlier this week to represent The Awards Circuit and cover the New York based Press Conference for ‘To Rome With Love’, the new Woody Allen film. Sitting next to my friend and colleague Jessie Heyman of Moviefone, we had the opportunity to be a part of the question and answer session. Representing the film was Woody Allen himself (and don’t think this wasn’t a big deal to a lifelong fan like myself), along with cast members Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Greta Gerwig, Alessandra Mastronardi, and Ellen Page (Jesse Eisenberg was originally scheduled as well, but he couldn’t make it as he was currently shooting a film in England). What follows is a short write-up of the event but first I’ll share a quick story from the afternoon. After the press conference was over, I was milling about in the hotel lobby after the cast left and the press was bid farewell to, when Woody himself walked out into the little area with fruit and beverages. He wasn’t immediately ushered anywhere, and seemed to be real excited to see someone. That person turned out to be actress Kay Ballard, and I got to witness a side of Allen that not everyone sees. He was warm and friendly, everything the stories have always suggested he’s not. It was a real nice moment. Anyway, I know you all want to know the juicy tidbits, so I’ll get on with that now. Check out the best moments from the press conference below!
Read more on ‘To Rome With Love’ Press Conference!…
 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…
 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…
 While Woody Allen’s had somewhat of a creative second coming while shooting in Europe for the better part of the last decade or so, but fans of his work (like me) always keep the hope alive that he’ll make at least one more film in New York. While it seems like that’s coming true to a small degree, as Allen’s next flick is going to be shot here in the U.S., mostly in San Francisco, but also in the Big Apple as well. Variety has the story and you can read it after the jump, but I know I’m not the only one excited here. Take a gander below…
Read more on Woody Allen is returning to America!…
 Today we have for you the much anticipated trailer for Woody Allen’s latest film, this one entitled ‘To Rome With Love’. I know I’m always down for one of his flicks, and this one looks like no exception. It may not turn out to be the awards player that ‘Midnight in Paris’ was, but it looks like a good time at the movies, if nothing else. You can see the trailer below, after the jump…
Read more on Trailer for Woody Allen’s ‘To Rome With Love’…
 Once known as ‘Bop Decameron’ early on in its production, and up until now ‘Nero Fiddled’, Woody Allen’s 2012 release now has a third title that it’s going by, and unsurprisingly it’s a far more generic title. The Hollywood Reporter has the news on what it’s now going to be called…
Woody Allen’s newest movie has a new title and a release date.
Allen’s follow-up to Midnight in Paris, the filmmaker’s highest-grossing movie, will hit theaters June 22 with the title To Rome With Love, Sony Pictures Classics announced.
Read more on Woody Allen’s upcoming film gets another title change?…
 For the better part of the past decade, it’s been very interesting to follow Woody Allen as he shoots his films all around Europe, as opposed to just in New York like he did for the majority of his career. To be fair, I love his NYC set flicks, but since he’s moved across the pond he’s made in my eyes two of his dozen best movies (Match Point and Midnight in Paris, with Vicky Cristina Barcelona not far behind). According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s selected the next location for his continued excursions abroad. Here are the details:
Read more on Woody Allen to shoot his next film in Copenhagen?…
 Best Director, much like Best Picture seems pretty much locked up now that we are exactly one day away from The Academy Awards. Throughout the week, the staff here at The Awards Circuit put together our Will Win/Should Win list, if you followed all of our articles you would have noticed that we were all in agreement that Michel Hazanavicius will be the Director walking away with the Academy Award.
And the nominees are…
• The Artist- Michel Hazanavicius
• The Descendants -Alexander Payne
• Hugo- Martin Scorsese
• Midnight in Paris- Woody Allen
• The Tree of Life- Terrence Malick
Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Director…
 It’s Friday. Oscars are on Sunday. I’ve rattled my brain for hours, days, weeks. It hurts. I can’t. I am fully ready to be wrong in many categories. I also chickened out in several categories.
I wanted to put Max Von Sydow instead of Christopher Plummer. Not happening. Can I get some type of credit if it happens? No? I thought so. I wanted to place “The Artist” winning Original Screenplay over Woody Allen and “Midnight in Paris.” Terrible. I’m usually good at taking the big stabs. I chose Amy Adams when everyone said it was Rachel Weisz. I acknowledged I was wrong but I still went for it. It happens. But I have called great things like “The Hurt Locker” in May or Alan Arkin over Eddie Murphy and when I was in high school and had no idea what I was talking about I said Marcia Gay Harden for “Pollock.” Maybe it’ll be a safe year, maybe it’ll be a complete mind-trip, but at least it’ll be over. And then we can start this painful process again on Monday morning with the Year-In-Advance predictions.
You can check out each category through the Oscar Prediction pages with commentary for each category and my Who Will Win/Should Win. If you read the Davis Awards 2011, then you know my dream nominations and winners. Collectively, they are after the jump.
Read more on Editor’s Final Oscar Predictions…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit Tags: Alexander Payne, AMPAS, Beginners, best picture, Christopher Plummer, Editor, Emmanuel Lubezski, Hugo, jean dujardin, Jim Rash, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, Nat Faxon, Octavia Spencer, oscar predictions, Oscars, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the artist, The Descendants, The Help, The Muppets, The Tree of Life, Viola Davis, Woody Allen
 And the Nominees Are:
“The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius
Oscar scene: The opening establishment of the times in Hollywood
“Bridesmaids” – Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig
Oscar scene: The dueling speeches
“Margin Call” – J.C. Chandor
Oscar scene: Jeremy Irons explains how they will survive the crisis
“Midnight in Paris” – Woody Allen
Oscar scene: Corey Stoll’s monologue on death
“A Separation” – Asghar Farhadi
Oscar scene: The opening scene
Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Original Screenplay…
 If you still weren’t willing to call the Oscar for “The Artist,” you should now. Not sure if this will necessarily translate to an automatic Directing win for the French director but the film is signed, sealed, and delivered for Oscar gold. Here’s the press release:
Read more on Michel Hazanavicius wins DGA Award!…
Categories: News, Precursors Tags: Alexander Payne, Best Director, David Fincher, DGA, Directors Guild of America, Hugo, Martin Scorsese, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, news, Precursors, the artist, The Descendants, the girl with the dragon tattoo, Woody Allen
 The Nominees Are:
Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Alexander Payne – “The Descendants”
David Fincher – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Prediction: Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist”
Alternate: Martin Scorsese for “Hugo”
Read more on Directors Guild of America Predictions…
Categories: News Tags: Alexander Payne, David Fincher, Directors Guild of America, Hugo, Martin Scorsese, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, news, Precursors, the artist, The Descendants, the girl with the dragon tattoo, Woody Allen
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