General News – Page 394 – We Are Movie Geeks

GRAVITY Number One At Box Office For Second Week In A Row

For the second consecutive weekend, the heart-pounding thriller GRAVITY is the No. 1 film in the world with an estimated weekend gross of $72.3 million from 39 markets. Its global total is now a staggering $191.4 million.

This is only a 27% drop from the previous weekend where it broke a number of box office records, including those for the biggest October opening for any film, the largest IMAX opening in October ($11.8 million), and the highest opening weekend ever for stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

The film was directed by Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”).

Other newcomers this weekend were Sony Pictures’ CAPTAIN PHILLIPS starring Tom Hanks and Open Road Films’ MACHETE KILLS.

The Paul Greengrass film came in 2nd place with $26 million, while Robert Rodriguez’s star-studded movie only took in $3.8 million.

Also, PLANES has crossed the $100 million mark overseas.

1. Gravity – Warner Bros. – $44.3M
2. Captain Phillips – Sony – $26.0M
3. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 – Sony – $14.2M
4. Machete Kills – Open Road – $3.8M
5. Runner Runner – 20th Century Fox – $3.7M
6. Prisoners – Warner Bros. – $3.7M
7. Insidious Chapter 2 – FilmDistrict – $2.6M
8. Rush – Universal – $2.4M
9. Don Jon – Relativity Media – $2.3M
10. Baggage Claim – Fox Searchlight – $2.1M
11. Enough Said – Fox Searchlight – $1.9M
12. Pulling Strings – Lionsgate – $1.1M

Next week’s offerings are ESCAPE PLAN (Summit Entertainment), THE FIFTH ESTATE (Disney Pictures) and CARRIE (Screen Gems).

WAMG Takes A Look At FROZEN : Part 1

To promote their new full length animated feature FROZEN, Disney invited members of the press to Disney Animation Studios to check out how the film was made, and show us selected parts of the film before its November 27th release. Also, they made us this pretty cool animated video of our name!

In “Frozen,” fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad)in a race to find Anna’s sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.

Our day started at the incredible Disney Animation Studios, in Burbank, Ca.

While there, we met with directors Chris Buck (TARZAN) and Jennifer Lee (co-writer WRECK-IT RALPH), as well as producer Peter Del Vecho (THE PRINCESS & THE FROG, WINNIE THE POOH) in a small roundtable Q&A to learn just how they created this epic animated feature. We also met some the artists to discuss the design if Arendelle, where FROZEN takes place, got a lesson on how the animators rig each character, the importance of getting the snow just right, and just how they brought these characters to life.

First we went to The Rigging Lab, where we spoke with Frank Hanner, Keith Wilson, and Gregory Smith about bringing life to otherwise immobile digital models.

Frank Hanner explained:

So, without rigging we only have sculpted characters. They’re purely a digital model. They do not move. It’s like it may as well be carved in granite. So, as an illustration of the character comes into the rigging department, we build the skeleton; we attach the muscles and make sure the skin moves properly; and we build a set of controls that the animators can use to push and pull the body around.”

After they explained a bit about what they do, it was our turn to play. We actually got to sit down at their computers and move the character of Olaf around via the skeletal system that they built for him. It was a ton of fun!

Next, we went to The Art Of Arendelle, where we met with Mike Giaimo, Lisa Keene, and Britney Lee about designing the land of Arendelle. They showed us slides from their trip to Norway, and told us how they pulled inspiration from the fjords,which are long canals of sea between high cliffs, as well as the stave churches,which are built upright, and many triangular roofs stacked up. The third thing that really stuck with them was the amount of rosemaling they found while on their trip.

Mike Giaimo stated:

Now, rosemaling means rustic painting in Norwegian, which really translates to basically folk art. And it can be found on anything. It, uh, certainly clothing, embroidery, um, architecturally it can be found on ceilings, walls, columns, wood trim, uh, furniture, um, anything you can imagine, they decorate with, uh, rosemaling.

We then met with Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho to discuss bringing this tale to life, as well as casting the film. You can find our roundtable Q&A in Part 2 of our FROZEN quest, which you can find at the end of the month. (We’ve gotta leave something to the imagination!)

Acting Through Animation was our next stop. Lino DiSalvo, Becky Bresee, and Wayne Unten showed us how they brought the characters to life. This was done by dissecting everything that the character does, and figuring out exactly how they are supposed to move.

Breathing patterns of the actors also needed to translate to the characters. Lino DiSalvo explained why it was important to bring Idina Menzel, who plays Elsa, in to witness her singing.

We very, very much approach this film with the sensitivity of what the character’s breath was like. So, having Idina come in to talk about her singing technique, was something that was very important to us, ’cause obviously the Elsa character sings an amazing song. And, her costume that she wore, you could see her breath and her diaphragm and the breathing and all that echoing and that tension stuff.

The last stop of the day was The Character of Snow, where Evan Goldberg, Dale Mayeda, Marlon West, and Andy Selle showed us how they created the spectacular snow effect for the movie.

Disney is known for doing their homework, so it was no surprise when Dale Mayeda told us that they brought in an expert to explain the science of snow to them.

We had a professor that came out from Caltech whose name is Dr. Ken Liebricht. He’s also known as Dr. Snow ’cause he has studied all of this information about how snow — snowflakes actually form from like, a really small ice crystal, and that’s really fascinating. One really interesting tidbit is that basically a snowflake actually forms with, like, an ice crystal that is in the air, and because of humidity and temperature, they start branching and plating. And branching and plating. And that’s basically why snowflakes always looks different. Every snowflake always looks very unique. And so we ended up creating our own snowflake generator to be able to generate snowflakes.

As the day wrapped, we were treated to custom milkshakes next to an Olaf ice sculpture. You can’t top a day better than with a milkshake! Be sure to check out Part 2 of our Frozen experience at the end of the month!

Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” presents “Frozen,” a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

The film is directed by Chris Buck (“Tarzan,” “Surf’s Up”) and Jennifer Lee (screenwriter, “Wreck-It Ralph”), who also wrote the screenplay.

It is produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Winnie the Pooh,” “The Princess and the Frog”).

Features original songs from Tony® winner Robert Lopez (“The Book of Mormon,” “Avenue Q”) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“In Transit,” “Winnie the Pooh”), and an original score by Christophe Beck (“The Muppets,” Oscar®-winning short “Paperman”).

FOR MORE INFO:

“Like” FROZEN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyFrozen

Follow FROZEN on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyAnimation

Visit the official website: http://www.disney.com/frozen

FROZEN opens in theatres everywhere
on November 27

Ho Ho Ho – Check Out The New Posters For TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS

It’s the most wonderful time of the year AND the sassiest season of them all because Madea is coming to spread her own brand of Christmas cheer!

Lionsgate has just released 2 brand new posters for the hilarious holiday comedy, A MADEA CHRISTMAS! Madea is leaving the big city for a surprise visit to a small rural town just in time for the Christmas Jubilee. All may not go according to plan, though, as old relationships are tested and new secrets are revealed.

Madea gets coaxed into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country for Christmas, but the biggest surprise is what they’ll find when they arrive. As the small, rural town prepares for its annual Christmas Jubilee, new secrets are revealed and old relationships are tested while Madea dishes her own brand of Christmas Spirit to all.

TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS is written for the screen, produced and directed by Tyler Perry. Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios Present, A Tyler Perry Studios/Lionsgate Production, A Film by Tyler Perry.

The cast includes Tyler Perry (Madea), Kathy Najimy (Kim), Chad Michael Murray (Tanner), Anna Maria Horsford (Eileen), Tika Sumpter (Lacey), Eric Lively (Connor), JR Lemon (Oliver), Alicia Witt (Amber), Lisa Whelchel (Nancy Porter), and Larry the Cable Guy (Buddy).

Look for TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS in theaters nationwide December 13.

Official Website: http://www.amadeachristmasmovie.com/

Facebook: www.fb.com/amadeachristmas

Twitter: www.twitter.com/madeachristmas
#HoHoHo

New Poster & 2 Clips From DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Check out Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner in a new poster & clips from Focus Features’ upcoming inspirational drama DALLAS BUYERS CLUB – opening in select theatres on Friday, November 1.

In her review from the Toronto International Film Festival, Anna Tatarska wrote:

“Skin-and-bones Matthew McConaughey uses his cowboy swag to tell death off, proving that even in a story about AIDS there’s some space for a little humor.”

Check out the trailer here.

Matthew McConaughey stars in director Jean-Marc Vallée’s DALLAS BUYERS CLUB as real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose free-wheeling life was overturned in 1985 when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live. These were the early days of the AIDS epidemic, and the U.S. was divided over how to combat the virus. Ron, now shunned and ostracized by many of his old friends, and bereft of government-approved effective medicines, decided to take matters in his own hands, tracking down alternative treatments from all over the world by means both legal and illegal.

Bypassing the establishment, the entrepreneurial Woodroof joined forces with an unlikely band of renegades and outcasts – who he once would have shunned – and established a hugely successful “buyers’ club.” Their shared struggle for dignity and acceptance is a uniquely American story of the transformative power of resilience.

Official Website: http://www.dallasbuyersclub.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DallasBuyersClub
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FocusFeatures #DallasBuyersClub

Photos Credit: Anne Marie Fox / Focus Features

THE SUMMIT – The Review

One in four climbers who successfully summits K2, will die on descent. These overwhelming odds are the basis for director Nick Ryan’s THE SUMMIT – an incredible story of courage and heroism.

Commonly known as Savage Mountain, K2 is an extension of the northwestern Himalayan Mountain range, and is located in the remote region between Pakistan and China, though most mountaineers won’t risk climbing the more hazardous side of China. It has rightfully earned the title of the second most murderous mountain.

With any high risk sport comes the love of the challenge and in August 2008, 22 climbers from several international expeditions converged on High Camp of K2, the last stop before the summit. 48 hours later, eleven had been killed. When a climber falls or wanders off the trail, the unwritten code of the sport is to leave them for dead. Survival depends on self-preservation at all costs.

THE SUMMIT plays like a mystery about one extraordinary man, Ger McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. His team leader left him behind while his best friend on the mountain, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, searched to find him and rescued several others.

It is Ger’s final moments that have been called into question by the last climber who spoke to him alive.

The film shows his heart-breaking dilemma where he stumbled onto a disastrous scene: three climbers tangled up in ropes and running out of time. Had Ger McDonnell stuck to the climbers’ code, he might still be alive.

In a century of assaults on K2, only about 300 people have ever seen the view from the second highest peak on the planet. More than a quarter of those who made it didn’t live long enough to tell the tale. They were simply killed by trying to get down. THE SUMMIT is about the very nature of modern adventure and one that remains up for debate.

The film utilizes interviews, archival footage from 2008, recreations and aerial footage of K2. The recreations were filmed in the Jungfrau region in Switzerland, beneath the north face of the Eiger, a mountain in the Bernese Alps also in Switzerland. What’s most impressive is the actual footage from the climb – leaving the viewer with a firsthand feel of how it must have felt for these climbers.

Director of photography Robbie Ryan’s (Wuthering Heights, Ginger and Rosa) effectively puts on the screen the massiveness of the mountain by keeping the audience continually in the moment with his compelling footage.

Going light on mountaineering history, writer Mark Monroe’s heartfelt screenplay shows the human side of these individuals’ and Ger’s stories from that fateful expedition of 2008.

While THE SUMMIT portrays tragic events, it is also a staggering story about survival.

The documentary will provoke questions, but it will give you answers as well. A very engaging film.

4 out of 5 stars

Opens in St. Louis Today at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – The Review

Last year saw a major motion picture that exemplified the best of a sub-genre of the “based on true events” film, it was based on a true event that was very recent. The finale of ZERO DARK THIRTY occurred less than five years ago. And even though we were aware of the outcome, ZERO was as riveting as any fictional thriller (much like last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner ARGO, which did have over thirty years of distance). This year brings another such film, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Although it dominated the headlines just four years ago, director Paul Greengrass and his crew have delivered a taut, tension filled docudrama that places us right in the thick of the life-or-death struggle for survival. Sure, we know the story, but there was much more going down that the cable news outlets could only hint at.

Greengrass has structured this modern nautical tale almost as a three act play. The first act is basically a lead-in for the main action. The opening scenes show the title character (Tom Hanks) going through the routine rituals of his job. He goes over his itinerary via his laptop, then packs his clothing for the big flight. His wife Andrea (Catherine Keener), dressed in her work medical scrubs, accompanies him on the drive to the airport. After a flight across the globe, Richard Phillips would take command as captain of the massive cargo vessel, the Maersk Alabama as it sailed around the horn of Africa to deliver much need food and drinking water to draught ravished Mombasa, Kenya. Not far from there is war-torn Somolia. Guerillas recruit several men from a destitute village for a hijacking mission. One villager named Muse (Barkhad Abdi) will lead three other men as part of a pirate crew that preys on vessels in the shipping lanes. In the second act, Muse and his crew break off from the lead ship (and the other small skiff boat) and pursue the Alabama. Despite the best efforts of Phillips and his unarmed crew, Muse and his heavily armed trio board and demand money. For the final act, the pirates escape the ship in a fiberglass lifeboat with Phillips as their prisoner. Muse plans to return to Somolia where they will radio the Maersk company and demand several million dollars in ransom for the captain. But first the four pirates must get past the full forces of the United States Navy as the USS Bainbridge, the USS Boxer, and the USS Halyburton, along with a team of elite Navy Seals, surround them.

Tom Hanks adds Richard Phillips to his already impressive roster of screen roles. I had been a bit concerned in the opening scenes that he was hitting the New England accent a bit too hard (or “haaard”). Then I realized that this showed that he was relaxed and comfortable as he discusses the kids with his missus. The man who boards the freighter is markedly different. Captain Phillips is all business as he readies the ship for its fateful journey. He never berates the crew, but does keep them at a distance. He’s not there to be a buddy. The crew’s respect for him as they head to sea is evident. When disaster strikes, Hanks shows us a man struggling to hold his fear in check. He’s trying to say the right things to the hijackers, while his mind races, trying to plan a strategy that will avoid any bloodshed. After he’s taken hostage Hanks eyes dart from one captor to the next, trying to read their moods and predict their actions all while staving off dark despair. But Hanks saves his finest work for the film’s final moments where we see the full emotional toll of this ordeal. It’s some of his finest film work that will surely reward him with yet another acting nomination. Hanks shows us the hero from the headline, but more importantly he gives us the flesh and blood, very real human being.

Some of Hanks best work owes to the relatively untrained, unknown actors playing the Somali pirates. Particularly the remarkable Abdi as their leader. On his home turf, we see him prevail against the more boisterous bullies that jockey for a role in the high sea captures. The skinny (perhaps malnourished) short young man chooses words (and his crew) carefully. Like Phillips, he too must make quick decisions and stay strong for his men. Fluent in English, Muse derides Phillips, taunting him with the nickname “Irish” before he screams his demands into the radio mike. When they’re cast adrift, Abdi hints at Muse’s despair as he stubbornly refuses all of the Navy offers. He never loses control like his second in command, the hulking, wild-eyed Bilal played by Barkhad Abdirahman, who seems to delight in roughing up their hostage (perhaps he chewed too many Khat leaves). His cohorts played by Faysal Ahmed and Mayhat M. Ali can barely restrain his hairtrigger temper. There’s also great supporting work from the actors playing the Alabama’s crew (including film vet Chris Mulkey) and Keener as Phillips’s anchor back in the states.

Greengrass attacks the subject with great energy, and his usual steadicam, on the fly approach. The bouncing camera feels a bit too jarring during the opening land-based scenes, but proves to be a great asset in conveying the tension and disorientation during the hijacking, And the danger. Like the captured crew, we never know when a gun barrel will appear as we sneak along the deck. And there’s the mood of impending danger. Greengrass even does a bit of a Hitchcock homage’ as Hanks peers through his binoculars and sees Abdi staring right back at him (ala’ REAR WINDOW). For the third act Greengrass cuts expertly between the miliary precision of the US naval forces and the increasing desperation on the lifeboat. But this is no open-air canoe (like another Hitchcock classic LIFEBOAT). This vessel is almost an above-the-water submarine with very small windows. In the interior scenes we can almost smell the sweat and breathe the stale air in this big fiberglass coffin. Although this story dominated headlines for many days, the film still has a sense of urgency and discovery. The news reports just hinted at the drama. Greengrass along with his extraordinary cast and crew have truly made history come alive. The riveting CAPTAIN PHILLIPS will have you on the edge of your seat as you experience one of the finest films of the year.

4.5 Out of 5

MACHETE KILLS – The Review

Review by Dana Jung

With his Charles Bronsonesque stone face, steely glare, and intimidating screen presence, Danny Trejo has carved out a Hollywood career with over 250 film and TV credits. After decades of playing bikers, hit men, and other assorted heavies, Trejo has finally made it—thanks in part to friend and director Robert Rodriguez—as an action star. Introduced as a secondary character in Rodriguez’ SPY KIDS films, Trejo’s Machete starred in his own trailer in the Tarantino/Rodriguez ode to ‘70s exploitation GRINDHOUSE before headlining his own full-length film in 2010. Now Machete has returned in MACHETE KILLS to once again bring order out of chaos or vice versa as the mood strikes him, and the result is a cinematic blast—easily Rodriguez’ best film outing since GRINDHOUSE.

While the earlier MACHETE film suffered from perhaps taking itself too seriously and tried too hard to emulate an exploitation vibe, it nevertheless attracted some heavyweight talent—Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, and Lindsay Lohan to name a few. This time around, Rodriguez left the screenplay chores to Kyle Ward, and the result is superior to the first installment in every way. Gone are the family dramatics and political satire that left long stretches of the first film without Machete, sometimes bringing an already plot-heavy story to a slow crawl. It becomes clear from the first frame that the intent of MACHETE KILLS is F-U-N, and the movie is overflowing with in-jokes, audacious action sequences, and outrageous characters. Rodriguez has once again collected an incredibly talented cast to populate his throwback to the raw action films of yesteryear. Amber Heard, Antonio Banderas, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Alexa Vega, Charlie Sheen, Walton Goggins (of TVs JUSTIFIED), and even Lady Gaga all give great performances; even those playing minor characters are given enough screen time to make the parts memorable with just the right amount of over-the-top bravura. And the women—particularly Heard, Vergara, and Rodriguez—are all sexy playing strong empowered women without having to resort to exploitive stereotypes. But the real acting aces here are Demian Bichir (currently on TVs THE BRIDGE) and Mel Gibson. These two wonderfully seasoned performers give the film just the right amount of gravitas in portraying two substantially different villains. Both actors excel at shading their characters with areas of gray, so even within the confines of the crazy plot they manage to keep us laughing while being repulsed at their actions.

Ward’s script keeps things moving briskly with a more-focused plot, piling on one incredible set piece after another. Machete finds new uses for a variety of bladed weapons, and also discovers a novel use for helicopters. The body count may be high, but you just have to love any film that references both STAR WARS and STAR TREK, plus Mexican wrestling heroes and James Bond, almost all within the same scene. There are plenty of surprise character cameos to go along with the one-liners and homages, but you won’t find any spoilers here. Because such a gleefully giddy movie like MACHETE KILLS needs to be experienced fresh, like a good robust salsa. And after you’ve seen it, be sure and tell all your friends to see it so they can witness your love of moviemaking from a bygone era, an era of hot gun-toting women, severed limbs, and four-letter words. Because remember: “Machete don’t text.”

4 of 5 Stars

ROMEO AND JULIET – The Review

So much updating of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been done over the years that some of the subtleties that made the story such a classic may have gotten lost in the shuffle (the first film version in 1936 starred 34-year-old Norma Shearer and 43-year-old Leslie Howard as the 15-years old doomed lovers!). That is why the newest take from Italian director Carlo Carlei is such a pleasure. He seems to have a great, classical, purist understanding of the material, and though ROMEO AND JULIET is pared down, Carlei has the skill to make his version as cinematic as possible while respecting the source. The plot is well known, loaded with tragedy that could always have been so easily averted. It takes place in 16^th century renaissance Italy. Romeo Montague (Douglas Booth) and Juliet Capulet (Hailee Steinfeld) fall in love, despite the fact that their families are bitter enemies. Their heavy romance is threatened by the discord, which is especially promoted by Juliet’s arrogant cousin Tybalt (Ed Westwick) and Romeo’s faithful friend Mercutio (Christian Cooke). This story is so familiar and the dialog critic-proof, so what’s left to judge are the new film’s performances and its visual delivery.

I must admit that I was surprised by how good this version was and how much I enjoyed it. Far from the 1996 MTV-friendly account from Baz Luhrmann, this new ROMEO AND JULIET is distinctly set in the period of the story and is much more of a traditional telling. It lacks anything in the way of distracting flair and style but that’s not to say Carlei’s direction isn’t vivid. This isn’t a filmed play. His camera constantly moves about the large sets dynamically, the action sequences are full of energy but never too choppy, and he draws good performances from his excellent young cast. Even the balcony scene, which every student knows and probably thinks is trite, is made fresh in Carlei ‘s capable hands. He does a great job of drawing us into the romance while also steeling ourselves for the tragedy we all know is coming. Yet, even amidst the spectacle of the visuals, the story is not upstaged and the script by Julianne Fellows is true to Shakespeare’s work. Some sections of the play were removed to get the tale down to the right duration and pacing for a movie, but Shakespeare’s poetic language has not been tampered with. Purists will no doubt find fault with what was left out, but I found the length about perfect and Fellows editing of dialogue just enough to keep it succinct (just under two hours), yet it retains the artistry of the playwright’s words.

I guess if I had to find fault with the film, I’d say the volume of Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski’s lush score at times threatened to drown out the dialog, but it’s such terrific music, I can understand why it was mixed that way. Also, Hailee Steinfeld seemed to mumble through a couple of her lines, but on balance she’s fine and at 17, I’m glad they cast an actress close to the actual age of the character (interesting that Lily Collins was originally cast in the role but dropped out at the last minute – she’s 7 years older – and much sexier – than Miss Steinfeld). Better is 19-year old Douglas Booth who’s distractingly pretty-boy but delivers his lines with just the right amount of passion. The two leads seem to smooch an awful lot, but that’s probably something the teenage female target audience will eat up. Unsurprisingly, it’s Paul Giamatti who steals the film as the Friar Lawrence, whose desire to help the young lovers sets the tragedy in motion. ROMEO AND JULIET is a classy interpretation recommended for those serious about The Bard as well as young moviegoers new to the story and I hope it connects with all audiences.

4 1/2 of 5 Stars

ROMEO AND JULIET opens in St. Louis October 11th at (among other places) Landmark’s Tivoli Theater and Plaza Frontenac Theater

Second Trailer Arrives For George Clooney’s THE MONUMENTS MEN

A-listers and Oscar winners star in this second trailer for THE MONUMENTS MEN.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, THE MONUMENTS MEN is an action drama focusing 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.

A vast improvement over the original teaser trailer. Will the film be among the Best Picture nominees in the upcoming Oscar race? We’ll find out when the nominations are announced on Thursday, January 16, 2014.

However this year’s Award Season pans out, THE MONUMENTS MEN, along with it’s star-studded cast, is akin to the old-Hollywood WWII movies THE DIRTY DOZEN, GUNS OF NAVARONE, and THE LONGEST DAY – all of which were big commercial successes and Academy Award winners.

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.

From director George Clooney, the film stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett.

The screenplay is by George Clooney & Grant Heslov, based on the book by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney.

Clooney’s crew on THE MONUMENTS MEN includes director of photography Phedon Papamichael, ASC, Oscar®-nominated production designer Jim Bissell , Academy Award®-winning editor Stephen Mirrione , A.C.E., costume designer Louise Frogley , and five-time Oscar® nominated composer Alexandre Desplat. Barbara A. Hall is executive producer.

Look for THE MONUMENTS MEN in theaters December 18, 2013.

http://www.monumentsmenmovie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MonumentsMenMovie

https://twitter.com/MonumentsMovie

Oscars 2013 Documentary Short Subject Category Narrowed To 8 Films – Videos

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 86th Academy Awards has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 40 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers for tabulation.

Here are the eight films with their production companies:

“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall,” Prison Terminal LLC –

A moving cinema verité documentary that breaks through the walls of one of America’s oldest maximum security prisons to tell the story of the final months in the life of a terminally ill prisoner and the hospice volunteers, they themselves prisoners, who care for him.

The film draws from footage shot over a six-month period behind the walls of the Iowa State Penitentiary and provides a fascinating and often poignant account of how the hospice experience can profoundly touch even the forsaken lives of the incarcerated.

“CaveDigger,” Karoffilms

“Facing Fear,” Jason Cohen Productions, LLC

“Jujitsu-ing Reality,” Sobini Films

“Karama Has No Walls,” Hot Spot Films

“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” Reed Entertainment

“Recollections,” notrac productions

“SLOMO,” Big Young Films and Runaway Films

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Want more on The Academy and their various events?

Visit them here:

www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

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FROZEN opens in theatres everywhere on November 27

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“CaveDigger,” Karoffilms

“Facing Fear,” Jason Cohen Productions, LLC

“Jujitsu-ing Reality,” Sobini Films

“Karama Has No Walls,” Hot Spot Films

“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” Reed Entertainment

“Recollections,” notrac productions

“SLOMO,” Big Young Films and Runaway Films

Share this:

FROZEN opens in theatres everywhere
on November 27