Early Oscar buzz…

Righteous Kill

An Independent production filmed for $60 million, is Aiming for a Summer 2008 release. This Jon Avnet(Fried Green Tomatoes)Directed Crime/Drama is shaping up to be what looks on paper, a strong awards-season contender. Writen by Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man(2)) Righteous kill boasts an ALL STAR(`cept 50 Cent)CAST of Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese(Acting), Donnie Wahlberg, John Leguizamo, 50 Cent, Brian Dennehy, and MORE! After 8 collaborations, Martin Scorsese, and De Niro hadn’t worked together since Casino (1995). I wouldn’t have thought that their next project would have been in front of the camera. Pacino and De Niro are teaming again for the first time since “Heat”, and second time in history as Two Veteran New York City Detectives on the hunt for a poem-writing vigilante who may very-well be one of their own. Could this be a serious hopeful for a golden statue?

The Changeling

Hitting theaters Nov. 7th 2008 this Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River)Mystery/Drama which was Writen by J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, World War Z(Screenplay)), and stars Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and more. Jolie plays a woman whose son is abducted but retrieved; she suspects, however, that the returned child is not hers. The woman must then confront corruption in the LAPD.

“The film is based upon an infamous kidnapping and murder case that occurred in Los Angeles. Gordon Northcott kidnapped, molested, killed and dismembered a number of boys in 1928. He coerced his mother, Louisa Northcott, into killing Walter Collins. She admitted the murder of Walter Collins and was sentenced to life in prison. She was sent to San Quentin.

On In February, 1929, after the trial of 27 days, Northcott was found guilty of killing Lewis Winslow, 12, and his brother, Nelson Winslow, 10, and an unidentified Mexican boy. February, 1929, Judge Freeman sentenced Northcott to be hanged. The sentence was carried out 2 October 1930.

The Los Angeles police was also involved in a scandal as a result of this case. Arthur Hutchens, Jr., who was a runaway from Illinois, claimed he was the missing Walter Collins, so he could get a free trip to California. Los Angeles police considered the case closed and tried to convince Walters mother, Christine Collins that Arthur Hutchens, Jr. was her son. When she refused to believe this was her son, she was placed in an insane asylum. Only after Arthur Hutchens admitted he was not Christine Collins’ son was Christine released.” (From: Wikipedia)

Ron Howard was originally slated to direct before turning the helm over to Eastwood. Howard stayed aboard as a producer alongside Brian Grazer(The DaVinci Code). This movie should be a FAVORITE in the oscar race!

WAMG First Look at Funny Games US

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Funny Games US is a remake of Funny Games originally released in Australia Austria (Thanks to one of our readers who pointed this out) in 1997. This remake is a little different because Michael Haneke who wrote and directed the original, also did the American Remake. The remake will star Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Michael Pitt. Here is the synopsis from IMDB.

Two Disturbed Young Men Take A Husband , Wife And Child Hostage In A Lake House.The Young Men Play Sadistic Games With The Family To See Who Can Survive The Longest.

From looking at pictures and trailer’s from the original film it seems alot like the movie Hostage with Bruce Willis, obviously the original came out in 1997 which is a few years prior to Hostage, but you get where i am going.

Honestly, Michael Pitt creeps me out..he has played some crazy roles. Most notably Justin in Murder By Numbers with Sandra Bullock. He is kinda typecast in a specific role, and this movie wont do much to fix that.

Release Date – February 15th 2008

WAMG First look at Vantage Point

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I have seen the trailer for this movie serveral times, the best coming during American Gangster. It has a star studded cast and looks to be one of the best thriller’s of 2008. Here is the synopsis from wikipedia.

Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox) are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Ashton (William Hurt) at a landmark summit on the global war on terror. When President Ashton is shot moments after his arrival in Salamanca, Spain, chaos ensues and disparate lives collide. In the crowd is Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), an American tourist videotaping the historic event to show his kids when he returns home. Also there is Rex (Sigourney Weaver), an American TV news producer who is reporting on the conference. It’s only as we follow each person’s perspective of the same 15 minutes prior to and immediately after the shooting that the terrifying truth behind the assassination attempt is revealed.

Release Date – February 22nd   

WAMG First look at Jumper..

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Just saw the first trailer for this movie and it looks pretty bad ass. Hayden Christiansen, Samuel L Jackson, and Rachel Bilson star in this movie about “A genetic abnormality allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between ‘Jumpers’ and those who have sworn to kill them.

This is Doug Liman’s follow up to Mr. and Mrs. Smith and is rumored to be a trilogy.

From the looks of the trailer it seems like it will be an action packed movie with some great special effects. What would you do if you could transport to anywhere??

Release Date – February 14th Â