Golden Globes Movie Predictions

Golden Globes Movies Predictions (on TV tonight):

Will Win/Should Win (so, who I think will win vs. who I think should win, based on what I’ve seen, read and heard)

Best Picture (Drama) – Social Network/Inception

Best Picture (Comedy/Musical) – The Kids are All Right/The Kids are All Right

Actor (Drama) – Colin Firth/Colin Firth

Actress (Drama) – Natalie Portman/Natalie Portman

Actor (Comedy/Musical) – Johnny Depp/Johnny Depp

Actress (Comedy/Musical) - Annette Bening/Annette Bening

Supp Actor – Christian Bale/Christian Bale

Supp Actress – Melissa Leo/Helena Bonham Carter

(NOTE: Sorry, but I just think Bonham Carter was excellent, and playing an unattractive, bitchy Boston woman just seems rather easy and Oscar-baitish to me.)

Animated Feature – Toy Story 3/Toy Story 3

Director – David Fincher/Chris Nolan

Screenplay – Social Network/Inception

(NOTE: This could go either way with me, as I think the dialogue in The Social Network was phenomenal, but the scope and originality of writing something like Inception is pure genius.)

Song – Burlesque/I don’t care

Score – The Social Network/Inception

(NOTE: Shouldn’t be close, IMO, but the momentum of Social Network combined with the originality of the NIN lead-man may carry the day.)

Foreign – Biutiful/I Am Love

(NOTE: Haven’t see either. It will contest of Javier Bardem’s performance vs. Tilda Swinton. Based on reviews and promos and clips I’ve seen, have to go with Swinton, for me.)

...

RESULTS:

Well, I did pretty well.  Finally tally was 12/14.  I missed Foreign Film and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.  What do the results tell me?  My thoughts were right, the route is on.  The Social Network will sweep this year just like Hurt Locker and Slumdog before it.  It is a train whose momentum cannot be slowed, especially in the Picture, Writing and Directing categories. 

As for the show itself, I doubt Ricky Gervais will be back to host.  He could be funny.  But most of his zingers were a little too below the belt, and there was a little too much of the awkward "no response" from those in the room.  None of the presenters, winners or guests really commented on it, except in good humor, but he was a little scathing. 

Christian Bale reminds me of Jeremy Renner's character in The Town.  I think he is wound up so tight and ready to blow, and it's just a matter of time.  He appeared rather jovial last night, but I could also see where he'd be a an overly intense pain in the ass.  It's no surprise that Melissa Leo went on and on about how great Mark Wahlberg is, and merely breezed past Bale. 

Paul Giamatti's acceptance speech was great, as was Portman's.  Bale's actual wasn't that bad and he was humorous, but he didn't know when to shut up.  Annette Bening was classy as ever; a very Meryl Streep-like acceptance speech. 

The best presenters were Steve Carrell & Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and whoever he went out there with, Jimmy Fallon and January Jones (Jesus, at the boobs), and Tim Allen and Tom Hanks.  Allen and Hanks were the closest to calling out Ricky Gervais when they referred to him as "mean-spirited." 

By the way, Olivia Wilde takes the prize as the hottest gal of the night.  In a landslide.  My girlfriend commented on her hair not looking good.  I thought it looked fantastic.  Of course, Olivia Wilde could probably shave her head and she'd still look incredible.

Some more The Dark Knight Rises casting news...

The plot thickens.

Last time I posted about the production of the upcoming Batman sequel, I talked about several ladies that were rumored to be "short-listed" for two female roles in the next film - one a love interest and the other a villain. Those women were: Kiera Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Blake Lively and Natalie Portman. Since that report, nothing has really happened... until recently.

Now there is a new "short-list" out there, along with some more specific rumors. The first rumor was that Eva Green (Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale) and Naomi Watts had been cast as the female leads. Naomi Watts as the love interest (most likely, Vicky Vale) and Eva Green as the villain (Talia Al Ghul - daughter of Liam Neeson's character in Batman Begins). This rumor came from Collider. (HT: FirstShowing.net)

Around the same time, Heat Vision came out with a rumor that there are six actresses test screening for TDKR roles in the next couple of weeks, those actresses include Kiera Knightley and Anne Hathaway from the first "short-list," as well as Jessica Biel, Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia, Quantum of Solace), Kate Mara (Shooter, Entourage), and Charlotte Riley (who happens to be a lesser known British actress that is engaged to TDKR actor Tom Hardy). Morever, the Heat Vision article dismisses the Collider report as false rumor, citing scheduling problems with Watts and Green. Moreover, Arterton may be out of the running due to her recent commitment to Hansel and Gretel. (HT: FirstShowing.net)

Meanwhile, Batman-on-Film, which is the preeminent Batman movie news site, commented on the rumors. Batman-on-Film ("BOF") agrees that it appears that the female villain is probably either Talia Al Ghul or Catwoman, though - despite the recent reports from both Collider and Heat Vision that it will probably be Talia - BOF isn't willing to give up quite yet on earlier indications that it would be Catwoman.

So, it appears that there is still speculation on who the female characters will be, and who will be playing them. But given all the recent rumblings and the fact that TDKR is supposed to beging shooting late Spring/early Summer 2011, things should be heating up. No word in either of those articles on Rachel Weisz, Blake Lively or Natalie Portman, although Portman recently announced she was pregnant - which may have taken her off the list. But none of these three actresses are short on work right now, so they may be out based on their schedules. (Personally, I was really rooting for Rachel Weisz...dern.)

Also on the TDKR casting front, BOF has stated that they've been told by a credible source that Tom Hardy WILL NOT be playing Hugo Strange, as rumored a few weeks ago. BOF could not confirm who Hardy WOULD be portraying, but said it would definitely NOT be Hugo Strange (which is a relief to me). BOF did say that we should find out soon who Hardy will play.

Hugo Strange

The Kings Speech

I saw the Kings Speech over the weekend. It was a very solid movie. The performances were phenomenal all the way around. I think Colin Firth often gets overlooked, and he was great in this movie. So far, its the best lead acting performance I've seen from an actor this year (yet to see James Franco in 127 Hours or Jeff Bridges in True Grit). Jesse Eisenberg's robotic turn as Zuckerberg pales in comparison to Firth's performance.

However, the true scene stealer of this movie was Helena Bonham Carter. She was absolutely pitch-perfect as Queen Liz. It was her ability to capture balance that was so dead-on. She was proud, but not too proud. She understood her part as Royalty, yet also understood and sympathized with the common man. She was polite, but sill somewhat standoffish. And most importantly, she wore the pants in her marriage with King George, but was able to play the part of the wife so well that George and others had no idea. Finally, she was stern and firm with her husband, but was also consoling, loving, understanding, and supportive of him. It was an amazing balance, I thought. Every scene where she and Firth interacted was touching.

There were also some other great supporting performances, including Geoffrey Rush (who is getting some Oscar consideration as Supporting Actor) as King George's friend, confidant, and speech therapist; Guy Pearce as George's older brother David; and the guy who plays wormtail in the Harry Potter movies as Winston Churchill.

This was a feel-good period piece that, in the end, was an acting vehicle. But all the performances were so good that it was enjoyable throughout. There was the brilliant British style from the 1930s that was very prominent - it was a very British movie. And the movie was a good length for its pacing - at 1 hour, 50 min. The ending of the movie was spectacular and moving. All in all, this was a very solid movie that should play well with almost any audience.

The Kids Are All Wrong...

...just kidding.  To be fair, this (The Kids Are All Right) was not a bad movie - I just did not really like it.  This movie, to me, really has nothing to do with the "kids" or the fact that their mothers are lesbians.  You could insert a male for the part of Annette Bening and I fail to see how it would really be any different.  Which is as it should be, because - after all - does it matter if the parents are lesbian?  No.  I just really didn't get it.  The premise was a married couple who find themselves late in their marriage with children going through the bumps in the road of their teenage years.  The twist is that the kids are the result of a sperm donor and the teens are curious about their biological father.  Everything else sort-of get muddled and confusing and eye-raising. 

My first complaint is that I did not find the relationship between Jules and Paul believable at all.  And it had nothing to do with the fact that she was supposed to be lesbian.  The whole thing, and his "falling for her" stuff... just rang hollow with me.  Next, I didn't understand him.  At first he seems very cool and relaxed and whatever, then he seems to be disrespectful of the mother's wishes regarding the kids and all of a sudden wants to be a family man.  This was also not believable, in my opinion.  He was just really messed up.  And it bothered me that there was so little understanding or explanation of that.  Finally, I was disappointed in how the kids had little involvement.  This was more about mid-life crises and marriages, than anything to do with kids.  I guess this may be more the preconceived notions I had regarding the title of the movie.  But I wasn't a huge fan.

Things I liked:  The acting was great.  Moore and Bening were both rock solid.  And I liked their relationship.  The complimentary nature of their "roles" and personalities was easy to relate to.  I also liked the whole Southern California "vibe" throughout the movie.  Mark Ruffalo's character confused the hell out of me.  Not sure if this was the acting or not, but generally I thought he was pretty good.  And I also thought the ending was pretty good as well. 

But all in all, it disappointed.  There wasn't anything that separated this movie from "average" to me.  Outside of the acting, it was merely a confusing and not-completely-believable story of a married couple in a mid-life crisis.  Maybe I just don't get it and it wasn't made for me.  But I found it very "meh."

Black. Swan.

Black Swan - This was an interesting movie.  I couldn't help but think, especially with the ending, that this was so much like Aronofsky's last movie, The Wrestler, which I also loved.  It is about the personal demands, physically and emotionally, of an obscure, competitive and extreme form of art.  I swear Natalie Portman's character reminded me of many of the girls I went to law school with.  And Mila Kunis's character reminded me of some of the other law school girls that the Natalie Portman type HATED.  But back to the movie... like in The Wrestler, we got to see a behind-the-scenes look at the every-day life of the elite in a world that many of us know nothing about.  Where The Wrestler takes the point-of-view of how the personal demands of that lifestyle affect the health of relationships, this movie takes a look at how those demands affect one's psychological health.  Though many of my friends may think a movie about ballet would jeopardize their masculinity, this movie - as expected - transcends the world of ballet.  Not only that, but it is a thriller that challenges the audience on what is real and what is not.  It reminded me of the last act in Fight Club in that regard. 

The performances were spot on.  Portman changed herself physically for this role, and it paid off.  She was frustratingly good as little miss perfect.  She is not as sympathetic as Rourke's character in The Wrestler, but with a mother like that - the girl never really had a chance.  There was a lot of talk prior to this movie of the sex, but that was overhyped in my opinion.  The most sensual scene in the movie was not the one involving Mila Kunis, or anyone else but the title character, for that matter.  So, that aspect of the movie shouldn't be on the mind going in.  But everyone from Portman, to Kunis, to Cassel (a very underrated actor, IMO) and Hershey were great.  

I loved the grainy and dark camera work.  It reminded me of The Wrestler, and also of many Michael Mann movies.  You were on edge the entire time, meaning the audience struggled to ever get comfortable.  I applaud this movie, though it still isn't quite as good as Inception.  But, it was on my mind for much longer than The Social Network.  I recommend seeing this movie, especially coming from someone who is a Personality Type One like myself.  You just may learn something.

How to Train Your Dragon - I also saw this little movie on Netflix last weekend.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  I've seen a lot of kids movie lately, and I've been impressed with how well they resonated with adult audiences.  This is another in that category.  I also highly recommend it, as it is right there with Toy Story 3.

Movie Review: Tron Legacy

Okay, so I saw Tron Legacy last night.  Despite being a big movie fan, I've actually never seen the original Tron.  Admittedly, I should have seen it.  Not that you have to, but it would have probably helped with some of the lingo and back-story.  But this movie was made knowing the biggest segment of its audience wasn't born when the original was released.  So, they had some flashbacks and narrative to explain the back story.  It sufficed. 

Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun.  This movie was more about the experience rather than the story - sort-of like Avatar.  So, you can forgive some of the plot-holes, unexplained "givens," the random "isn't that convenient" moments, or inexplicable devices akin to the age-old "deus ex machina." This movie is, in effect, one big "deus ex machina."  That's essentially what it's about. You have to somewhat expect or surmise that going in.  So, knowing that, you can merely accept the unexplained and enjoy the ride.  I had no problem with it. 

About that "experience," it was awesome.  It didn't quite integrate the viewer into the "world" like Avatar did, but it was pretty darn close.  Where in Avatar the viewer was submerged into a natural, sublime, and virgin utopia called Pandora, which glowed with effervescence, The Grid was more like a dark, violent and spartan world pulsating with electronic, yet subtle, neon trimming.  "Perfection" is a key theme to the story - and this world, like Pandora, was stylishly perfect.  Being lifted from the sticky theatre floor into this efficient and shining world would be undeniably therapeutic to a viewer suffering from OCD. 

Not only was the setting breathtaking, but so was the music.  I loved the electronic soundscapes, which was supported with some retro-80's synthesizers in parts.  We actually got some more epic music in the first trailer, and so there were parts where I felt like it could have been louder and bigger.  But the music was definitely pitch-perfect to the world that Disney created, even if my personal preference would have been to have had even more.

The acting was solid.  Garret Hedlund did what he could with a character that had little depth due to the fact that he had to spend so much time reacting to the characters around him, as opposed to developing his own arc.  Jeff Bridges was vintage Jeff Bridges.  As he successfully does in almost every movie, he managed to effortlessly infuse his character with his real-life, laid back, dude-like personality.  The scene-stealer, however, was Olivia Wilde.  By the end of the movie, I did not really care what happened to anyone as much as I cared for what happened to her.  Granted, her character was written to have a child-like devotion and innocence that would make any audience fawn over her well-being.  But she did a fantastic job of carrying it out.  Everything from her movements, expressions, voice inflections, and flawless beauty succeeded in making the audience fall even more in love with the character.  If you come away disappointed in anything about this movie, it won't be Olivia Wilde.  Not only that, but she's incredibly hot.  The same could also be said for the character Gem, played effortlessly by Beau Garrett, who was also a magnet for the audience's eyes in every scene she was in. 

Some people criticized the reverse-aging affects applied to Bridges in his portrayal of the villain Clu, but it didn't bother me.  Sure, at times, if you were looking for it, it appeared stiff and animated.  But for the most part, it was solid.  It didn't take away from the overall effects and never appeared too fabricated. 

I guess the biggest gripe would be the story.  I was there to SEE Tron and the world of the Grid, and some action in between.  I was not there to be moved or enchanted by story-telling.  So, I didn't come away disappointed in that regard.  But I will admit that the story was not as strong or complete as Avatar, which was also admittedly weak (in relation to other Oscar-calibre narratives and the high quality that went into the presentation of the film).  There were times in which the story may have gotten in the way of the real reason we were there - to "see" and "experience" this world.  But I think it is hard to balance a great story with the complications and machinations that go into presenting a world like Tron.  It is rare that a producer/director/studio is able to bring a story up to the same level of its vaunted effects.  Spielberg was able to do it in the 80's and 90's and Christopher Nolan is doing it now, but they will probably admit that it is very difficult.  I think those guys are effective because they build the effects around the story, as opposed to the other way around.  But knowing the difficulty of creating a fantastic story in this type of genre, I had no problem forgiving this aspect. 

Other critiques: I wish they had done a little more with the actual "Tron" character.  He was pretty much relegated to less than window-dressing.  I also thought that Michael Sheen's character was a little TOO much of a homage or nod back to the David Bowie "Ziggy Stardust" days.  A little over the top.  We also didn't have an idea about how "programs" actually LIVED in The Grid.  I wanted to know more about the world.  It was as if we were thrown in and then instantly looking for the first train out.  It's was like a layover on a plane trip.  Sure, the characters definitely wanted out for whatever reason, but I think the audience should have been treated to a little more of what's there.  The physics and implications of it were all way over my head, but I did want to know a little bit more about the make-up of the programs, whether the ISO's could be "real boys" (a la Pinnochio), and how they would exist in the "real world," if they could at all.  This may have been explained in the original Tron or maybe I just missed it in this movie.  Given my inability to compute some of the lingo, etc., I won't fault the movie for my inability to understand it.  But that was just some stuff that, as a casual movie-goer, I was curious about.  

They are already working on a sequel to Tron Legacy.  So, some of these questions or concerns may later be addressed.  But all in all, I really enjoyed it.  And I look forward to seeing in on Blu-ray to try to pick up on some of the story that I missed.  I highly recommend seeing this in the theatre, if for any other reason than to experience the visuals and the music on the big screen (in addition to Olivia Wilde).  

PS - As for the 3D.  This was a better 3D experience than most of the converted stuff, as much of it was "shot" in 3D.  I'm careful about criticizing 3D because I don't know if sometimes it is simply my weak eyes.  But last night I kept feeling like things could be out-of-focus.  It was as if the right-hand lens was making things slightly more blurry than the left.  I think that sometimes we sacrifice color and sharpness for the 3D effect.  Anyway, I just don't know how much 3D actually added to this movie, given I worried with the glasses a few times to try to get it perfect.  Again, it could just be me.  And I didn't have this problem with Avatar. But I find that sometimes 2D can be more crisp and clear than 3D, and this was no exception.  Just something I thought I'd throw out there. 

2010 Movies: Awards and Top 10 Lists

Below are two things from Metacritic.com.  Keep in mind that, even though there are a number of movies that haven't been released to the general public, the critics have seen everything that will be released for the award season of 2010.  So though you may be asking, "Tron's not up there because it was only released this weekend, right?"  Don't worry, the critics and award groups have already taken it into consideration.

First, there is the rankings of how the movies of 2010 are doing in terms of the various awards that have been nominated or presented.  Each movie is given three points for winning, two points for finishing second, and one point for being nominated.  Most of the awards and noms so far are from the various critics circles (most of them in certain cities) as well other groups like the Golden Globes or the Screen Actors.  It is sort of a snapshot of the years best movies, through the eyes of the Oscar watchers.  Granted, most of these are from the critics, who can band together and be somewhat repititious.  More will develop as various industry guilds begin to consider nominations.  Remember, the Academy is not made up necessarily of critics.  There are more movie people - actors, movie makers, etc. - involved with the Oscars.  So, it is not set in stone, but it gives you an idea of the movies to look out for as the award season nears.

Second, there are the rankings of the films based on individual critics Top Ten lists.  This aggregation is not limited to which ones were nominated, but rather how individual critics ranked each movie in their Top Ten.  Therefore, it is a little more accurate than merely the awards list above.  A movie gets three points for being #1, two points for being #2, and one point for being #3 - #10 or otherwise appearing on an unranked list.  The number in green is the movies Metacritic rating, to the extent one has been given, which is based on an aggregation of all of the critical reviews of the film.

The conclusion from both of these rankings are that The Social Network is absolutely kicking ass with the critics and early awards.  Meanwhile, the three "next best" are Inception, Black Swan, and Winter's Bone, in no particular order.  Though The King's Speech isn't doing as hot on Top Ten lists, they have shown up for the critics' awards and other awards, thus far. 

If I had to make an early Oscar prediction on the ten movies to be nominated for Best Picture, it would go like this (in order of likelihood of nomination):

1. The Social Network

2. Inception

3. Winter's Bone

4. The King's Speech

5. Black Swan

Those are easy, here are my next four:

6. Toy Story 3

7. 127 Hours

8. The Fighter

9. The Kids are All Right

The next one is tricky, as I think you've essentially got a dog fight between True Grit and The Town.  Though The Town isn't prominent on the lists above, I think Affleck & Co. will get a lot of support through people in the industry, and it was a solidly acted movie.  The Fighter and The Kids Are All Right are close to being in this fight, but I think they have so many nominated and acclaimed acting performances in each to lift them into one of the 10 slots.  Based on what I've seen so far, though, I think the Coen Bros. will get the last spot with True Grit.

10. True Grit

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. 

Oscar Season Heats Up: 10 Movies to Watch (UPDATED)

UPDATE:  This list is pretty much obsolete based on the information I compiled above.  So, consider it a "dead thread."

....
When I say "watch" I really mean "look out for."  I've read a good bit this year about movies that are poised for Oscar.  I read a lot of blogs that discuss the top movies, as well articles and reviews on which movies have the most buzz or best ratings.  There are also Top 10 lists that are starting to be published by the critics and the various circles.  Based on what I've heard so far, these are my Top 10 movies to be on the lookout for this Oscar season (in order of how I rank them in terms of Oscar "buzz"):

1. The Social Network
2. The Kings Speech
3. Inception
4. Toy Story 3
5. Winters Bone
6. The Fighter
7. Black Swan
8. The Kids Are All Right
9. True Grit
10. 127 Hours

Others to watch for: The Town, Shutter Island, Another Year, Blue Valentine, Rabbit Hole

Trailer Time!

Here are some great previews for movies I am looking forward to in 2011.  London Boulevard didn't get great reviews, but I enjoy the genre.  Tree of Life, Water for Elephants, and The Beaver are three of the most highly-anticipated movies for next year.  I'm a sucker for Evangeline Lilly, hence the Read Steel trailer in which she appears for only a fraction of a second.  Then there's Thor, for the Marvel fans. 

Fratlock's 2010 Movie List

More movies to add to the old Top Ten list. 

Get Him to the Greek - This was okay.  I actually didn't enjoy the spin-off as much as I did the original "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."  It has some funny parts to it, but was not on my list of top funny films I've seen in recent years.  I think Russell Brand's character is great as a supporting role for loads of laughs, but for an entire movie it starts to run a little thin.  Rose Byrne's turn as Brand's ex was the highlight. 

Centurion - This was another of those stylized period action flicks in the wake of 300.  Some people liked it better than 300 because it wasn't quite as stylized.  I actually think that with these stylized movies, you either go hard or go home.  So in enjoyed 300 better.  But this one had its moments.  I think in the end I wanted to see Fassbender's character kick a little more ass, instead of being on the run most of the movie.  But the shots were exquisite, and Dominic West dominated the segments he was in.  Not much character development or plot, but it was better than I was anticipating. 

Shrek Forever After - I enjoy the Shrek movies for what they are - a creative and clever way to put pop culture into the fairy tales we all remember from when we were tykes.  It makes for good laughs.  Unfortunately, they begin to run out of ideas as the franchise continues.  But if you are a fan of the franchise, you will probably enjoy this movie.  The villain is great, as they've been in all the movies. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - This is an uber-stylized take on another popular graphic novel series.  It's a lot of fun, especially at the outset, as it is a take on the Japanimation/Nintendo style.  The Universal intro may have been the coolest thing to me.  All the young people in the movie were fantastic, especially in the supporting roles.  Great, hilarious performances.  I liked Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but her character may not have had quite enough "cuteness" for me.  She reminded me of a perfect Lisbeth Salander from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  And Michael Cera may have been a bit too Michael Cera for me.  It did tend to drag a bit at the end.  But all in all it was a fun, clever, and innovative movie.  Good for something different. 

The List - I've made some adjustments to the list.  This is one of those things that happens as you think back on what you've seen over the year and start to see how movies compare.  Not only that, but you think more about which ones are more memorable and have more of a lasting impact, if at all.  Robin Hood and Iron Man 2 I've dropped a little, with their ratings.  As much as I wanted Iron Man 2 to be good, even after I saw it, it just wasn't.  Same with Robin Hood, after seeing it a second time, even though it was better to me that Iron Man 2 and I enjoyed it.

1. Inception - 9.75/10
2. The Town - 9/10
3. The Social Network - 9/10
4. Shutter Island - 8.5/10
5. Kick Ass - 7.75/10
6. Winter's Bone - 7.75/10
7. Robin Hood - 7.5/10
8. Hot Tub Time Machine - 7/10
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - 6.75
10. Iron Man 2 - 6.5/10
...
Centurion - 6/10
Shrek Forever After - 5.5/10
Get Him to the Greek - 5.5/10
Clash of the Titans - 4.5/10
Alice in Wonderland - 3.5/10

I am going to see Tron tonight.  I will update this list to include it.

The Oscars are being hosted by...

...Anne Hathaway and James Franco. They are obviously trying to go "younger" and bring in a younger audience for ratings purposes. Not bad choices, though I'm wondering if it will appear too scripted and less improvised. These are polished actors. The comedians are usually good at coming across as less scripted and less formal than actors. It will be tough to beat Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin from last year. They were great. But I like both of these "kids," so it should be entertaining.

Netflix problem solved...

I thought there was some problem with Netflix over the past several weeks. There were several titles that I put in my queue, and I kept seeing expected Netflix release dates that were about a month later than the advertised DVD/Blu-ray release dates on TV and other websites. So...who was right? Were Netflix's release dates off? Or was there something I was missing...?

I did a little Googling and figured out that earlier this year studios started cracking down on Netflix rentals. In fact, the studios were blaming Netflix for losses in DVD/Blu-ray sales over the past couple of years. Warner Bros. was one of the first to start cracking down, by entering into an agreement with Netflix in which the studio's titles would not be available on Netflix until 4 weeks after the DVD/Blu-rays were made available for sale in stores and online. This explains why Inception, which is getting released on DVD/Blu-ray in stores December 7, is not available on Netflix until "January 2011."

This is interesting, and I'm surprised I didn't hear about it before. I don't think this is the case with every title released, but maybe with the titles that have the best chance of generating DVD sales.

I noticed that Knight & Day was given the same treatment, and that The Pacific is only available on Netflix in DVD (as opposed to Blu-ray). It's a pretty smart plan from the point of view of the studios, but this probably has some movie fans angry.

A couple of new trailers...

The first is a look at the upcoming Danny McBride (Kenny Powers) comedy Your Highness. It's from the director of Pineapple Express, although Danny McBride wrote the screenplay. I've been hearing about this for a while, and they filmed it in Northern Ireland using a lot of the same sets, props and equipment as HBO's Game of Thrones. Anyway, it has a stellar cast and I'm a huge McBride fan, so I'll be seeing this one. I like the mix of comedy and action. Also, Natalie Portman looks incredible in this movie. I'm starting to have second thoughts about saying she could not pull of Catwoman.

This is a red band trailer, meaning it is unrated and contains mature content. It has some foul language and partial nudity (essentially Portman's bare bottom). So, use caution when viewing.
Enjoy.

More Your Highness Videos

The next one is Ryan Reynolds' Green Latern. I don't know much about this DC comics character. He was sort-of a fringe character to Superman and Batman. But it looks interesting. Blake Lively looks great, so that's a plus. I didn't get an overwhelming "must see" vibe after watching this, but it looks like something I may catch in the theatre.

Latest 'The Dark Knight Rises' Casting News

AintItCoolNews.com highlighted a Deadline report that Christopher Nolan is casting two female roles for the upcoming Batman movie:  one is a love interest for Wayne/Batman and the other is a villian.  The report also identifies six actresses that Nolan will be meeting with about the roles:  Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Kiera Knightley, and Blake Lively.  For the record, Deadline is who broke the Tom Hardy news, and that appeared to be correct.

More after the jump, including photos, character speculation, and my opinion on which actresses should play which character...

SO YOU'RE SAYIN...

... THERE'S A CHANCE !!!!!

Everyone knows I've been a huge fan of Ms. Weisz for quite a while. One of the best actresses out there right now. Now, if only Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman split up, I'd really be sittin' pretty.

Oscar 2010 News

Hugh Jackman won't be hosting, which is good.  I did not have a huge problem with Jackman's turn at host of couple of years ago, but once is enough.  He was a little too ... there's no real PC way to put it ... light on his feet?  I just thought all the singing and dancing was a little over the top.  Now, Baldwin and Martin were spectacular last year.  I'd have no problem bringing those guys back or bringing on a new pair who would be similar.  (HT: FirstShowing.net)

This is a movie...

...that I won't be seeing.  Nothing screams "ONE STAR!" or "TWO THUMBS DOWN" quite like this cast.  The sad thing is that I really like Bruce Willis.  But, typically, any movie synopsis that includes the word "heist" and doesn't also feature the words Soderberg or Nolan is going to be a bad movie. 

Fratlock's 2010 Movie List: Social Network and Winter's Bone

Despite not getting to see anything at the Savannah Film Festival, I did manage to get to see a couple of good movies in the past couple of weeks. 

The Social Network - Obviously, this movie is about the founding of Facebook.  It was written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) and directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Benjamin Button).  This was a fantastic movie.  Many critics put it at the top of their list for 2010.  I will not go that far, but it was a very good movie.  The writing is superb, though the dialogue can be challenging, to say the least.  Sorkin did this sort of thing with the West Wing, too.  It is very smart, very fast, full of subject-specific lingo and jargon, and very deadpan and dry.  This made it clever, realistic and challenging, but it was also rewarding if you can "get it" and keep up.  The young actors were fantastic, though my favorite characters may have been the supporting roles of Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) and the Winklevoss twins.  What's cool is that the Winklevoss's are played by one guy, using split-screen and super-imposition.  For instance, another actor's body is used for a lot of the scenes, and the main actor's face is super-imposed onto the head.  Pretty cool.  Anyway, this movie gives us a glimpse of social life at Harvard, the insecurities of being a brilliant student, and the competitiveness of the dot-com generation and the world in which it resides.  Thought I enjoyed the bit of the movie that took place at Harvard the most, it thrives throughout.  Very rich, very clever movie.  And this is saying a lot when, upon first hearing about this idea of a movie, I thought it would be extremely boring.  But, good movie all-around.  Fincher does not miss much, and neither does Sorkin. 

Winter's Bone - This is one of those movies that was a low budget, cult festival hit that received very enthusiastic reviews.  So, I got it on Netflix.  Jennifer Lawrence, who plays the main character Ree Dolly, is getting rave reviews and there is a lot of Best Actress talk surrounding her performance.  The movie is about a young, redneck (I know that's not PC, but it's true) gal whose mother is practically an invalid and essentially leaves it to her to raise her two younger siblings by herself.  Her father, and most of her family and those in her social community, appear to be meth "cookers."  It is a way a life.  They all live in ramshackled cabins in the woods where the yards are littered with trash and debris.  This isn't unlike much of what I saw in small-town South Georgia where I grew up, except this story takes place in rural Missouri.  But over the years her father has been in and out of jail for drug issues, and he has been recently arrested again.  Though she has not seen him in a while, she finds out from the sheriff that after getting bonded out of jail, he has gone missing.  The clincher is that he put up his family's home, where Ree lives and takes care of her mother and siblings, for the bond.  So, if he does not make his appearance, she loses the house.  Thus, she has to go on a journey to find her father and she runs into lots of trouble along the way.  A star is born in Jennifer Lawrence.  She is tough, beautiful, and extremely natural at playing this very raw and desperate character.  Amazing performance by this gal (she will next be in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men quasi-reboot).  The movie could be a little slow and hard to understand, and it was gloomy, but it was gripping.  And despite the dark and gritty plot-elements and characters, the cinematography was fantastic.  Highly recommended movie, if you are looking for some good performances and a gut-wrenching story. 

Below is my movie ratings and rankings list for those released in 2010, which I have seen thus far.  I keep this running list and add movies to it as I see them and review them.  As you can see, I thought Inception was the best movie I've seen this year.  Moreover, it may be the best movie I have seen in a long time.

1. Inception - 9.75/10
2. The Town - 9/10
3. The Social Network - 9/10
4. Shutter Island - 8.5/10
5. Robin Hood - 8/10
6. Kick Ass - 7.75/10
7. Winter's Bone - 7.75/10
8. Iron Man 2 - 7.5/10
9. Hot Tub Time Machine - 7/10
10. Clash of the Titans - 5/10
...
Alice in Wonderland - 3.5/10

Savannah Film Festival...

...sucks.

I'm a movie person.  So one of the perks of living in Savannah is that I can catch the Savannah Film Festival each year in late October/early November.  They always screen some highly anticipated movies that you can screen weeks or months before the general public.  I've always been able to get tickets to pretty much anything I wanted to see about a week before the festival.  Granted, the festival likes to sell packaged passes (at least $200 per, but you get admission to every screening) and they reserve seats for VIPs associated with SCAD (who puts on the Fest) and the films.  But typically, you can get tickets to the movies if you go to purchase them about a week before they screen. 

Last year, I got to see Up in the Air about two months before it was released.  I bought the tickets to that one about a week ahead of time.  It was the Director's Choice, which meant we did not know what we were going to see before we got there and the credits started to roll, but we were all pleasantly surprised.  The year before, I got to see Happy Go Lucky, another good  movie.

This year, they were screening 127 Hours and Black Swan, both late year releases that are expected to contend for Oscar.  Additionally, there was the highly anticipated Director's Choice, where we don't know ahead of time what they are screening.  I wanted to get on top of it early, so I checked each day starting in September to see when the tickets are going to go on sale, but for some reason, SCAD never mentioned it.  There is little to no news on their Film Festival webpage.  All of a sudden, I check the website on the first Monday in October (the Fest is to start last weekend in October) and discover that tickets went on sale the previous Friday.  Okay.  No big deal.  I'm always able to get tickets a week before the festival starts.  But, to my dismay I discover that EVERYTHING IS SOLD OUT!  127 Hours, Black Swan, AND the Director's Choice.  Unreal. 

Over the next couple of weeks I try eBay and Craigslist, but the only thing I find are $300 passes.  The thing about this is that there is no doubt in my mind that SCAD probably put about 30 general admission tickets on sale to the public...and everything else was VIPs and SCAD "friends and family."  So, of course, the SCADders who had insider info gobbled up the tickets as soon as they went on sale.  They hadn't even started promoting the damned festival on the radio or with posters or with signs or in the paper.  But, sure as sunrise, I pass someone the next day putting up a poster promoting the festival.  I see ads and articles in the  paper about the "upcoming" festival.  But the assholes had sold out of all the screenings.  So, to whom are they directing their advertisements and what are they supposed to go see??? 

Shame on you, SCAD.  This was one of the few things you actually did right.  Until now (besides maybe the revitalization of downtown; that actually turned out well). 

But anyway.  I didn't get to see anything.  Insult to injury??  There was a movie that filmed here in Savannah last year.  Highly anticipated Robert Redford-directed movie that starred James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Justin Long, Alexis Bledel, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, and others.  I even went to watch some of the filming.  "The Conspirator" is about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and is anticipated to be a award-calibre film released to the general public after the new year.  Sure 'nuff, it was the Director's Choice.  And I did not get to see it.  Of course, the radio and the paper was abuzz about how Liam Neeson, Robin Wright, Ian McKellan were all there at the screening.  But too bad SCAD didn't give the "little people" a chance to go see it.  Thanks, SCAD. 

Anyway, enough ranting.  But I showed up for the Savannah Film Festival back when no one gave a rip and tickets were still selling the night of the show.  But now they're too big for all their former, small-time supporters.  Sucks.

The Dark Knight Rises: Female Casting Rumors

It was recently confirmed by Christopher Nolan that The Dark Knight Rises (Batman 3) would be casting a female lead.  However, Ethan Anderton over at FirstShowing.net has heard a rumor involving three different ladies and two female roles.  Charlize Theron (The Burning Plain, among other things) is rumored to be in consideration for one role, while Vera Farminga (The Departed, Up in the Air) and Kacie Thomas (The Burning Plain) are rumored for the other role. 

The role Charlize Theron is rumored as being considered for is Detective Sarah Essen, who apparently has an affair with Jim Gordon in the comics.  This seems a little strange given Gordon's character appears to be happily married with kids and Theron is a good deal younger than Gordon.  Not only that, but wouldn't a Theron-centered affair involving a married Jim Gordon, whose family played such importance at the end of TDK, be a little distracting and plot heavy?  I just don't see it.  If Sarah Essens is indeed a character in TDKR, I doubt she has an affair with Gordon.  She'll probably have a different role than she did in the comics.   

Meanwhile, Farminga and Thomas are being eyed to play Julie Madison, a Gotham socialite who was Wayne's first love, and later fiance, in the comics.  That's about all we know about the character, other than she never knew Wayne was Batman. 

Granted, FirstShowing.net couched this all as pure rumor.  FirstShowing.net is also the movie blog that posted The Riddler was seen as a villian on a casting grid with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's name underneath it.  That was total bull.  So take this news with a grain of salt.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Theron.  Sure, she'd probably make a decent detective, or maybe even a good Selena Kyle (Catwoman), but I think most of her performances are a bit over the top.  I also think it weird that both Theron and the lesser-known Thomas (I can't even find a pic of her that I can post here that IMDB.com won't later disallow) were both in The Burning Plain.  Sounds to me like the rumors may have originated involving an actress from The Burning Plain and it may have eventually expanded to both Theron and Thomas.  I don't know.  But that is pretty coincidental.  I could actually see Farminga playing a love interest for Wayne in a Nolan movie.  She has a little bit of the Maggie Gyllenhaal in her - a different sort of beauty, and a very strong presence.  We shall have to wait and see what unfolds.  Before hearing this news, however, if you had told me there were to be two new female leads in TDKR, I would have been almost positive one of them was Catwoman.