Erik Davis
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'Up in the Air' Named Best Film of the Year by NBR
Filed under: Awards, Newsstand, Oscar Watch
For the past two years in a row, the National Board of Review (aka NBR) and the Academy Awards have each honored the same film as their top pick of the year. Will that streak now continue with Jason Reitman's Up in the Air? Paramount couldn't have picked a better release date for Up in the Air because 24 hours after the film was named best of the year by NBR, it will arrive in theaters in limited release. Aside from taking top honors, Reitman's film about a corporate downsizer who can't seem to connect with anything (or anyone) also won Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner) and Best Supporting Actress (Anna Kendrick). Other big winners include Clint Eastwood for Best Director (Invictus), Morgan Freeman for Best Actor (Invictus), Carey Mulligan for Best Actress (An Education) and Woody Harrelson for Best Supporting Actor (The Messenger). The Cove, which is a film we've been heavily championing all year long, won for Best Documentary, while Pixar's Up took home Best Animated Feature. The biggest and most talked-about surprise so far is that top awards contender Precious was nowhere to be found, and wasn't even listed among the year's top ten list, though as a fan of both films it was nice to see District 9 and Moon make the top ten independent films list (along with a special mention for Moon director Duncan Jones in NBR's Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut).
Check out all the winners after the jump.
Watch: Will Arnett, David Cross and Spike Jonze Sell Energy Drinks
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Trailers and Clips
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Back in June, David Cross announced that he had written and shot a pilot for a Channel 4 UK television show called The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, and that it starred Cross' Arrested Development mate Will Arnett and Spike Jonze (who hasn't really acted in anything since the film Three Kings). The show follows a lame temp (Cross) who bluffs his way into a giant job promotion that sends him to the UK to sell energy drinks. Only problem is he has to sell several thousand drinks before his maniac boss (Arnett) visits him in a week.
When Cross spoke about the project earlier this summer, he said the pilot would air sometime in December. Well, it aired on November 27th, the first unbelievably hilarious scene is now on YouTube (watch it after the jump) and you can watch the entire pilot over on the Channel 4 website. I don't think the series was picked up yet, and if it hasn't then I see no reason why they shouldn't order up a whole boatload of episodes. This thing is bloody brilliant.
We embedded the pilot's NSFW, foul-mouthed opening after the jump. Is there a petition I can sign to get this sucker on the air, like, STAT?
The Rachel Bilson Sex Scene You Won't Want to Watch
Filed under: Trailers and Clips
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When it comes to topless scenes, director McG just can't seem to catch a break. First he had to cut out the gratuitous Moon Bloodgood topless scene from Terminator Salvation in order to maintain the film's PG-13 rating (it's now featured on the DVD, but I heard there's nothing bloody good about it), and now he's forced to use a body double for Rachel Bilson when the actress refuses to drop her clothes for a sex scene with Adam Scott in the romantic drama Hearts of Palm.
Never heard of it? Well then, why don't you let the good folks from Funny or Die clue you in on this under-the-radar gem that features what has to be the world's most ... um, "interesting" body double in place of a nekked Bilson. There's not much else to add except that we hope Adam Scott was handsomely rewarded for this because one can't help but feel pain and heartache for the dude throughout.
Watch the video after the jump, though be warned that it features foul language and is sexually explicit.
Everything You Need to Know About Peter Berg's 'Battleship'
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Newsstand
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When it comes to films based on board games, folks are immediately inclined to make fun of the idea and trash the project -- which is why Universal decided to get out in front of the negative buzz by sending a group of movie writers down to San Diego to meet with Battleship director Peter Berg prior to production to find out exactly what the man (and studio) have planned when it comes to this particular board game adaptation (which is the first of many in the pipeline). So ... what, are we looking at a film set in 1987 about two 10-year-old kids trying to sink the other dude's Battleship before mom calls them inside for dinner? Not quite. Here's the quickie version:
- Battleship will follow a small fleet of American and international (ie: Japanese) ships (5 in total) that for some reason get separated from the rest of the Navy and must take on an opposing fleet of alien ships that have arrived on earth in order to build some sort of "bridge" that will help their alien race in some way.
- These aliens are called The Regents (which has nothing to do with the High School exam ... we think), and they're not here to destroy earth or humankind -- they're just here to use the planet to help save their own species. However, they will defend themselves if provoked, and, well, what else are we to use our giant massive Naval ships for?
- The aliens will be a mix of human actors and CGI. Berg compared them to Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.
- The Regents aren't all that superior to us either, as Berg noted that the fight will be a fair one. The story will be more strategic, like the game, in that it will focus on each party (human and alien) using their skills to locate and destroy the other before they themselves are destroyed.
- And yes, someone will say "You sunk my Battleship!" at some point during the film.
Celebs Return to Their Most Iconic Roles for Photo Shoot
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To celebrate their 20th birthday, Empire Magazine invited a whole ton of actors and actresses to ever-so-briefly reprise their most iconic roles for a pretty cool photo shoot. Curious to see what Arnold Schwarzenegger would look like now if he donned those famous black sunglasses and threw on his best badass pose for a photo in front of a motorcycle? Or what about wanting to see Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster reunited for the first time since the Oscar-winning Silence of the Lambs?
Other cool photo ops include Mel Gibson wearing face paint in honor of Braveheart, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost looking back at Shaun of the Dead, Christian Bale returning to his American Psycho days, Ben Stiller showing us all that Zoolander totally deserves a sequel, Gerard Butler giving us his best 300 roar, Laurence Fishburne calling back Morpheus and more. It's a pretty cool idea, even if Tom Cruise's most iconic role is certainly not Minority Report (20 bucks says Empire couldn't get him to wear that Top Gun jacket). Check out some of the images below and the rest over at Empire.
Site of the Day: My Life is Twilight
Filed under: Fandom
Just when you thought it was safe to welcome that delirious Twi-hard family member back into your life comes a new website that's just ... well, all kinds of hilarious. It's called My Life is Twilight, and it consists of a bunch of little notes from fans who want you to know that their life is all about Twilight. I'm sensing an MTV True Life episode in 3 ... 2 ... 1...
But seriously now ... no wait, how can we really be serious about this? I know, they're young kids obsessing over a harmless entertainment property -- which, I imagine, is better than doing hard drugs or killing squirrels or whatever it is bad kids do these days. However, some of these little notes are just ... yeah. Here's a sample from the site:
"Today, as in every day, when I reread all of the Twilight books, I will cry, and when my boyfriend walks in the room I will intentionally start a fight with him & yell at him for "not being Edward Cullen". He knows now not to come in the room while I'm reading."
"Last year, my friend and I were out dancing. It was the middle of winter, so when her boyfriend came in from outside, he was freezing cold. Snatching his hand in hers, she proceeded to place it on my face, proclaiming "He feels just like Edward."
"Today I realized that ever since I read Twilight I highlight the word "twilight" in every other book I read just to give myself satisfaction that it MUST be a good book!"
"I work with juveniles that have just been arrested. Even though I know these kids have just committed a crime, I smile a little wider and act a little nicer when I talk with one named Edward."
Read the rest over here, and tell me if this is completely normal behavior or if there really is some sort of weird epidemic at play here.
'Mystery Team' Hits New York on Friday - Watch Their New Short!
Filed under: Comedy, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
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While it's sadly not going to take home any Oscars and probably won't nudge its way onto too many best-of-the-decade lists, one of my favorite comedies of 2009 has been slowly making its way across the country and is finally set to debut in New York this Friday, December 4th. I first saw Mystery Team (starring the crazy cats of DERRICK Comedy) at a packed midnight screening during the Sundance Film Festival (where I described it as " Encyclopedia Brown meets Napoleon Dynamite with a pinch of Ace Ventura"), and the place was just rolling. Ever since then it's been one of the films I've been championing throughout the year, if only because I know there are people out there (and fans of comedy in general) who would totally love every second of this thing.
This Thursday I'm going to be hosting a pretty cool DERRICK Comedy event at the New York Film Academy, and I look forward to sharing DERRICK's story with a couple hundred students (I also hope to share video of the event with you once it's over). Then, on Friday, Mystery Team opens in NY at the Quad Cinemas downtown and the dudes from DERRICK Comedy will be appearing live at every evening performance for intros and post-screening Q&As. Additionally, if you show up twice and bring your ticket stub, you earn a chance to have your name on the Mystery Team DVD.
Finally, while their film has been spreading like a virus across the States, DERRICK has kept busy filming more comedy sketches. They're definitely NSFW (not safe for work), feature foul language and sexual innuendos. I've posted their latest -- hot off the presses -- after the jump. Check it out.
Does 'Paranormal Activity' Deserve a Best Picture Nomination?
Filed under: Awards, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Oscar Watch
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The Indie Spirit Awards announced their nominations this morning, honoring a whole bunch of films that were only seen by film critics, artsy intellectuals and/or people who accidentally walked into the wrong theater while on their way to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I kid, of course, because if it wasn't for shows like the Spirit Awards, a number of really great independent films (and performances) would probably go unnoticed. So I command you to check out the list of nominees after the jump and start tracking them down one by one (either in theaters or on DVD). Go! Now!
This year's crop of nominees is definitely stirring the pot a little bit. Surprises include Maria Bello for Best Female Lead in Downloading Nancy, a film that all of about one person (me!) actually enjoyed. 500 Days of Summer also took home a couple nods for Best Feature and Best Male Lead (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and even the viciously panned Gentlemen Broncos walked away with a nod for Best Supporting Male (Jermaine Clement). One of the more interesting (and talked-about) nominations went to Paranormal Activity in the Best First Feature category, alongside other notable indies like A Single Man, Crazy Heart, Easier with Practice and The Messenger.
But does Paranormal Activity really belong there, or is it being honored more because of what it achieved at the box office versus how good it actually is? I've seen some already poking fun at the nomination on Twitter, as if it doesn't deserve to shine the shoes of the other films listed alongside it. But is that just because it doesn't fit the 'Best Picture" mold? Is it because it's become a "fanboy" film?
Exclusive: New Harry Potter Online Game -- Death Eater's Duel!
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Harry Potter, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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Cinematical is happy to be the site that exclusively brings you the next piece of coolness to come out of The Road to Hogwarts Sweepstakes, which is a contest set up to promote the December 8th DVD and Blu-ray release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Essentially, fans can enter for a chance to attend Universal Orlando Resort during the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is that brand new fantastic-looking Harry Potter theme park (see concept images here) set to hit in the spring of 2010. In addition to entering the sweepstakes, folks can also earn extra entries by playing a series of Potter-themed online games where weekly winners earn more Harry Potter prizes.
And that's where we come in, see, because we have the latest Road to Hogwarts Sweepstakes game and it's called Death Eater's Duel. Here's a description: "Lord Voldemort's army of Death Eaters have been reunited with him and their power is growing. Players can recreate the scene of a duel with the Death Eaters in this online Wii remote-controlled game in preparation for dueling against Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Fenrir Greyback. Players must be ready to choose a spell to fire back at the curses the opponents will be aiming at them. This game can also be played with a computer mouse instead of a Wii control."
To play the game, click on the below link, and for more information on The Road to Hogwarts Sweepstakes, head over to their official website. Enjoy!
Click here to play Death Eater's Duel
Chris Weitz to Direct Two-Part 'Breaking Dawn' Finale?
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
As The Twilight Saga: New Moon crosses $200 million, execs over at Summit Entertainment are quietly (or not so quietly) trying to figure out what to do about Breaking Dawn, the final (for now) adaptation in the Twilight movie franchise. According to a piece in Variety, only screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is confirmed to finish out the series, and right now it looks like they're going to go the Harry Potter route and split Breaking Dawn up into two parts. Problem is, none of the actors have deals for a second part, and so like what happened with Harry Potter, there's a very good chance Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner could be looking at upwards of eight figures for their participation.The other big question mark (aside from how you adapt the predominately darker Breaking Dawn into a film that will appeal to the tween and teen set) is who will direct. David Slade is currently helming Eclipse, the third installment in the Twilight franchise, and from the sound of things that's the only segment he'll be directing. Right now it looks like Summit wants Chris Weitz to finish out the series, which is why -- according to Variety -- they haven't yet closed the deal on The Gardener, which is the smaller, more personal film he wanted to direct next. But will Weitz commit to the back-to-back films, which are sure to keep him away from his family for several months?
What's the alternative, though? To bring on a director new to the franchise to helm its big finale? That doesn't make sense, and I'm sure Summit is preparing to empty their wallets on this one in order to line up the correct pieces. Sources claim the studio wants Weitz to finish the job, though they haven't yet made him an official offer. What do you want to see happen?
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
Sundance '10 Announces Non-Competing Film Premieres
'Up in the Air' Named Best Film of the Year by NBR
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The International 'Iron Man 2' Poster Subtracts a Suit
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