Month: November 2010

New RABBIT HOLE Poster & Clips

Thanks to Craig Kennedy over at Living In Cinema for the heads-up on this beautiful new poster for John Cameron Mitchell’s RABBIT HOLE. It’s as complex as the film is. Earlier on Tuesday, the film received 4 nominations for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Nods went to John Cameron Mitchell for Best Director, David Lindsay-Abaire for Best Screenplay, and Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart for Best Female and Male Lead. Read our review from 2010 SLIFF here.

RABBIT HOLE will be in select theaters on December 17, 2010. Visit the film’s official site HERE and on Facebook HERE.

Casting Call For Lead Role In Upcoming WELCOME TO PEOPLE Movie Starring Chris Pine & Elizabeth Banks

Hey fellow Los Angelinos, WAMG has just received some casting news from Dreamworks Studios and we’re sending it your way.

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS LOOKING FOR YOUNG MALE ACTOR (AGE 11-13)

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 30, 2010) – DreamWorks Studios has launched a casting search to fill a lead role in its upcoming movie “Welcome to People,” it was announced today by DreamWorks Studios.

Actors interested in the role are invited to attend an open casting call on Saturday, December 4, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.  No acting experience is necessary for interested actors, nor are they required to prepare anything for the audition.
 
Role to be cast is ‘Josh’: Male, 11-13 years old, Caucasian, athletic, independent, and confident.  Interested actors should be able to memorize lots of dialogue.  Film will be rated PG-13 and actors should be comfortable with dialogue reflecting that rating.
 
Details on the open call audition are as follows:
 
Saturday, December 4, 2010
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Denise Chamian Casting
Sunset Gower Studios
1438 N. Gower St.
Building 35, Suite 270
Hollywood, CA  90028
(323) 315-9445
(Street Parking Only)
 
Welcome to People is a drama about a young businessman (CHRIS PINE) who returns home after his estranged father’s sudden death, only to uncover a devastating family secret, which sends him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Film is the feature film directorial debut of Alex Kurtzman (TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK) with a script written by Kurtzman, Roberto Orci (TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK) and Jody Lambert (OF ALL THE THINGS). In addition to Chris Pine (STAR TREK), Elizabeth Banks (THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN) has also joined the cast. Film is scheduled to begin production in January in Los Angeles.
 
About DreamWorks Studios
 
DreamWorks Studios (www.dreamworksstudios.com) is a motion picture company led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The new company is a continuation of DreamWorks Studios which was formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen.  The company expects to put into production 5 to 6 films per year that will be distributed by The Walt Disney Studios.
 
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios

12 “Behind-the-Scenes” Featurettes From BLACK SWAN

Fox Searchlight has released 12 Behind-the-Scenes clips of Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN. The film saw four nominations at this morning’s Film Independent Spirit Awards announcement. In these various featurettes, the director, producer, actors and crew talk about the new thriller.

Director Darren Aronofsky

 

Producer Scott Franklin

 

Writer Mark Heyman

Actress Natalie Portman

Actress Mila Kunis

Actress Barbara Hershey

Actress Winona Ryder

Actor Vincent Cassel

Production Designer Thérése DePrez

Natalie Portman’s trainer Mary Helen Bowers

Choreographer Benjamin Millepied

Costume Designer Amy Westcott

BLACK SWAN will be in theaters December 3, 2010.. The film is rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use

Photo by Fox Searchlight

10 Live Action Shorts Stay Alive in 2010 Oscar® Race

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards®. Seventy-six pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

  • “Ana’s Playground,” Eric D. Howell, director (StoryForge, LLC)
  • “The Confession,” Tanel Toom, director (National Film and Television School)
  • “The Crush,” Michael Creagh, director (Purdy Pictures)
  • “God of Love,” Luke Matheny, director (Luke Matheny)
  • “Na Wewe,” Ivan Goldschmidt, director-producer (CUT!)
  • “Seeds of the Fall,” Patrik Eklund, director, and Mathias Fjellstrom, producer (Direktorn & Fabrikorn)
  • “Shoe,” Nick Kelly, director, and Seamus Byrne, producer (Zanita Films)
  • “The Six Dollar Fifty Man,” Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, directors (Sticky Pictures Ltd.)
  • “Sma Barn, Stora Ord (Little Children, Big Words),” Lisa James Larsson, director and Andreas Emanuelsson, producer (Bob Film Sweden AB)
  • “Wish 143,” Ian Barnes, director, and Samantha Waite, producer (Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures)

The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting in screenings held in New York and Los Angeles.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in January 2011.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Source: Oscars.org

10 Animated Shorts Move Ahead in 2010 Oscar Race

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards®. Thirty-three pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

  • “The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger,” Bill Plympton, director (Bill Plympton Studio)
  • “Coyote Falls,” Matthew O’Callaghan, director and Sam Register, executive producer (Warner Bros. Animation Inc.)
  • “Day & Night,” Teddy Newton, director (Pixar Animation Studios)
  • “The Gruffalo,” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang, directors (Magic Light Pictures)
  • “Let’s Pollute,” Geefwee Boedoe, story-design-animation (Geefwee Boedoe)
  • “The Lost Thing,” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann, directors (Passion Pictures Australia)
  • “Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary),” Bastien Dubois, director (Sacrebleu Productions)
  • “Sensology,” Michel Gagne, director-producer (GAGNE International LLC)
  • “The Silence beneath the Bark,” Joanna Lurie, director (Lardux Films)
  • “Urs,” Moritz Mayerhofer, director (Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg)

The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting in screenings held in New York and Los Angeles.  

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in January 2011.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Source: Oscars.org

First Look: FRANKIE AND ALICE Trailer

A first trailer for Halle Berry’s FRANKIE AND ALICE has arrived thanks to Blackvoices.com. Have a look.

Synopsis:

FRANKIE & ALICE is a moving psychological drama based on the harrowing true story of Frankie Murdoch (Halle Berry), a woman suffering with multiple personality disorder in early 1970s Los Angeles. Directed by Geoffrey Sax, and shot by Newton Thomas Sigel (Valkyrie, X-Men, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, The Usual Suspects), the film also stars Stellan Skarsgård (upcoming The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Phylicia Rashad (For Colored Girls) and Chandra Wilson (“Grey’s Anatomy”).

FRANKIE AND ALICE opens exclusively in Los Angeles on December 10, 2010 and nationwide February 2011.

Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov

2011 Spirit Awards Nominations

Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning (November 30, 2010) at The London West Hollywood Hotel. The Gotham Awards gave their top prize to Debra Granik’s Ozark noir “Winter’s Bone” last night, and today the film leads the Spirit Award pack with seven nominations. Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right” saw five nominations, and “Black Swan,” “Greenberg” and “Rabbit Hole” grabbed four each. One thing to note: There are six best actress nominees this year, as there are usually only five in each category.

Here’s the list of nominees:

BEST FEATURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone

11302010_kidsareallright2.jpg

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener, Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz, Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Everything Strange and New
Get Low
Night Catches Us
The Last Exorcism
Tiny Furniture

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diane Bell, Obselidia
Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler, Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini, Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener, Monogamy

11302010_daddylonglegs1.jpg

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Daddy Longlegs
Lbs.
Lovers of Hate
Obselidia
The Exploding Girl

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD
Ronald Bronstein, Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole
James Franco, 127 Hours
John C. Reilly, Cyrus
Ben Stiller, Greenberg

Joel McHale will serve as host for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The 26th edition of the awards will be held at the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony will air exclusively on IFC in primetime on February 26 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Source: IFC.com

Colin Firth Talks About His Role THE KING’S SPEECH

Watch as Colin Firth talks about the role of King George VI in THE KING’S SPEECH, what he learned from I, CLAUDIUS actor Derek Jacobi on stammering, the film’s Oscar buzz and his bromance with “workaholic” Geoffrey Rush in this lengthy interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric. As usual, I’m looking forward to Firth’s next role and film, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, from director Tomas Alfredson (LET THE RIGHT ONE IN).

From The Weinstein Company and director Tom Hooper, (THE DAMNED UNITED and HBO’s miniseries “John Adams” and “Elizabeth,”) THE KING’S SPEECH is in select theaters now.

Visit the film’s new official website HERE and on Facebook HERE. It’s filled with photos, videos, and info about the cast and filmmakers. On a side note, George VI became king over 70 years ago on 11th of December 1936 once his brother Edward VIII abdicated.

Source: CBS News

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Theme Songs That Share The Movie Title

Ok boys and girls… this week’s top ten is a fun one…

One thing that we miss, here at Movie Geeks, are theme songs with the same name as the movie. Sure, they might be a bit cheesy… but they are also FUN! Plus, you remember them!!! We could tell you all about it, but we’d rather show you… So, in honor of cheesy theme songs we bring you…

TOP TEN TUESDAY: THEME SONGS THAT SHARE THE MOVIE TITLE

10. JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH


 

09. VIVA LAS VEGAS


 

08. SHAFT


07. BLUE VELVET


Sorry, had to include this…

06. CAN’T BUY ME LOVE


05. GOLDFINGER


04. FOOTLOOSE


03. MAN ON THE MOON


02. GHOSTBUSTERS



Here is an extra little treat!

01. WEIRD SCIENCE


What do you guys think? What are some of your favorite? Let’s start a fun discussion! (And trust us, there were a ton that we didn’t get to include!)

Win Passes To THE WARRIOR’S WAY

We are giving away passes to an advanced screening of THE WARRIORS WAY. The screening will be on December 2nd at AMC CREVE COEUR 12, 7pm.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE WARRIOR?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

SYNOPSIS:

“The Warrior’s Way,” a visually-stunning modern martial arts western starring Korean actor Dong-gun Jang who plays an Asian warrior assassin forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands. Rounding out the ensemble cast are Kate Bosworth (“Superman Returns”), Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush (“Shine”), Danny Huston (“The Kingdom”), and Tony Cox (“The Hustle”). The fantasy action film was written and directed by newcomer Sngmoo Lee, and is being produced by Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings”), Jooick Lee (“Seven Swords”) and Michael Peyser (“Hackers”)