Envious About the King’s Speech? – Julia Roberts is Crowned Queen

Celebrity Directors News Sneak Peek

The ultimate “Pretty woman” now has a new title; “Wicked step mother” or “Queen” even.  Relativity Media has closed a deal with Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts to play the Queen in its upcoming untitled Snow White feature, based on the Brothers Grimm story which will be directed by Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell).  The studio stated Pre-production has begun and principal photography will start in April. The theatrical release date is set for June 2012.

Julia Roberts

Relativity’s Snow White a retelling of one of the most beloved fables of all-time, will eschew the traditional story in favor of a more modern tale full of comedy and adventure. After her evil stepmother kills her father and destroys the kingdom, Snow White bands together with a gang of seven quarrelsome dwarfs to reclaim what is rightly hers. The script was written by Melissa Wallack (Meet Bill) and Jason Keller (Machine Gun Preacher).

The film’s producers are Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter), Bernie Goldmann (300) and Brett Ratner (Rush Hour franchise). The executive producers are Tucker Tooley (The Fighter), Jeff Waxman (Immortals), Tommy Turtle (Immortals), Jamie Marshall (Immortals), Josh Pate (Friday Night Lights) and John Cheng (Horrible Bosses).

Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh commented, “Julia was our first and only choice to play the Queen. She is an icon, and we know that she will make this role her own in a way that no one else could.”

I don’t know about you, but I love me a good fairy tale and can’t wait to see who will be Prince Charming

Snow White

Will the Annie Awards winner be a good predictor of “Best Animation” for the Oscars?

Award Shows Competition Moviewallas Opinion Predictions

Which one is best “Toy Story 3” vs. ‘How to train your dragon” has long been a sometimes heated debate amongst the moviewallas.  With two of the wallas adoring “Toy Story 3” and the other backing the “How to Train Your Dragon” train all the way to the Oscars.  Needless to say, this will be a hard fight to the end since both animations are extremely good.  Methinks this could turn into a replay of the “Big Mac vs. Whopper” debate of Ye Olde time (PS, who won that by the way?).

how to train your dragon

However at the 38th Annual Annie Awards held on Saturday, February 5 at UCLA’s Royce Hall a choice was made and DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” won top honors as the Best Animated Feature. Often a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 25 categories ranging from best feature, production design, character animation and effects animation to storyboarding, video games, writing, music and voice acting.  (A complete list of the 38th Annual Annie Award winners can be viewed at www.annieawards.org.)

I decided to think of some of the merits of each of these terrific submissions to see if there was any way to separate the two:

Categories

Toy Story 3

How to Train your Dragon

Best Story

Winner

Most heart wrenching

Winner

Best rendition of a dragon that acts like a dog or Cat

Winner

Best story arc

Winner

Best ensemble cast EVER

Winner

The one that made me cry the most

Winner

The one that I would watch again and again

Winner

The one that I would watch if Toy Story 3 got worn out

Winner

So there you have it, both animations, both excellent and little to separate them.  Even in trying to rate the two against each other, I found the choice so difficult.  But remember, I loved “Toy Story 3” and sobbed uncontrollably at the end…for me I think what it comes down to was the familiarity and joy I felt seeing Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and the rest of the gang for the third time.  That intertwined with Pixar’s amazing talent to tell the story of a young boy all grown up and leaving home for the first time and the impact it has on all of those you leave behind.  Gosh, I’m tearing up just thinking about what a GREAT story this was as I write.  Whatever your preference, “Toy Story 3” or “How to Train your Dragon” what more could we ask for than two brilliant animations in one year that are both deserving of the title “Best animation”

Toy Story 3


What do Lego and the Oscars Have in Common?

Award Shows Moviewallas News

lego oscars

The Oscars and Lego have Artist Alex Eylar in common.  Once again, Eylar posted images on his Flickr site of the 83rd Academy Awards Best Picture nominees constructed of Lego bricks and miniature figurines. This unique tribute combines his passion for both Lego and Film

Each of the ten nominated films: “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “Black Swan,” “Toy Story 3,” “127 Hours,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “Winter’s Bone,” “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” and “True Grit” have been given the Eylar treatment with a memorable scene recreated in loveable lego pieces

Eylar last made news for his minimalist interpretation of 10 iconic movie posters, such as “Clockwork Orange” “Back to the Future,” and “Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.” Image Kind reported, “His personal renditions of popular and iconic movie posters cut through the noise of over-hyped Hollywood production and tell a story through simplicity.”

lego oscars

Looks like this may be a growing trend given that Eylar isn’t the first person to combine Lego building with a love for film. Eric C. Harshbarger has made a career out of building mosaics and sculptures out of Lego bricks, and many of his projects have a cinematic theme. Lego itself often comes out with movie-themed sets as well.

To see a full set of the ten nominations in lego go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoyvinmayvin/

 

 

 

 

 

Sundance Online Shorts – Best of the Current Crop

Film Festivals Opinion Sundance YouTube

As posted a couple of days ago, selected Sundance 2011 shorts are available to view for free via The Screening Room Youtube Channel.  Part of me wishes that Sundance and YouTube would repeat last year’s experiment in which a small selection of full length movies were made available to rent online for a very reasonable $3.99.  Alas, as reported by the NYTimes, the experiment was a financial failure yielding only $10,709.16 in revenue for YouTube.  Not exactly earth shattering numbers by any measure.  Perhaps making the movies available on devices such as Apple TV or Roku players would have been more successful.  After all, who wants to watch a full length movie hunched over a computer desk on a cramped laptop screen whilst a 50-inch flatscreen lies dormant in the living room?  I digress… back to this year’s shorts.

“Skateistan:To Live and Skate Kabul” is my personal pick of those currently offered, and while it’s nine minute length does not permit a deeper exploration of some of the underlying issues concerning the lives of those featured, the material is nonetheless engaging.  It takes talent to produce a documentary short as effective as this. There is a compelling narrative here as well as some effective camera work and judicious editing. Director Orlando von Einsiedel receives my applause for his efforts.

What do YOU think think?



Oscar Nominations Tomorrow Morning – Am I the Only Excited One?

Award Shows Celebrity Opinion Predictions

The Oscar nominations are announced tomorrow morning – is anyone as excited as I am?  I am not sure why I am so excited, I mean it’s not like I am waiting to find out if I get nominated or anything but I am really excited.  I can’t even imagine how I would feel if I had a dog in the race?  If I was in any jeopardy of getting a statuette, a gold-plated britannium on a black metal base which is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader’s sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes, would I be even more excited than I am now; a mere watcher of films?

oscar statue

If I was Colin Firth (c’mon I am British!) what would I be thinking tonight?  Would I be nursing my cup of cocoa reassuring myself that it doesn’t matter what happens tomorrow because “I know I did a great job?” or “I don’t need another statue to prove I’m a great actor – I just loved playing a stuttering monarch that no one ever talks about”

What if I was Annette Bening – Surely the fact that I played “same sex marriage” and made it look damn convincing vs. that little whippersnapper who just had to learn to dance is worth a nod?  C’mon guys you’ve looked me over so many times, everyone knows I am a GREAT actress!

And if I’m David Fincher, I mean I have a great body of work behind me already and I made a film about a networking website look like an exciting week in Ibiza – that takes a lot of talent

I am Christian Bale now – marveling at my ability to pull off the great Dicky Eklund.  I had to train just as hard as Natalie Portman and I’ve been around longer, wait, statues make great things to throw at people, no?  By the way, I wonder if Amy Adams or Melissa Leo will be nominated – wouldn’t it be great of we all got one.

Finally, what if I’m Toy Story 3 – I mean I totally deserve best film – just because I am rendered in code and not celluloid, should that be held against me?

Anyway, six hours to go, so I will just have to wait like the rest of them.  My own hopes for nominations in one form or another are – “The Social Network”, “Kings Speech”, “Toy Story 3”, “Blue Valentine”, “127 Hours”, “The Kids are All Right”, “True Grit” and of course, “The Fighter”.  Good luck all my faves of 2010!

Which Dictator’s book inspires Sacha Baron Cohen’s Next Comedy?

Celebrity News Sneak Peek

Anyone missing Borat yet?  What about Bruno or even Ali G? Well Good news for all you Sacha Baron Cohen fans out there because Paramount Pictures announced today that his new comedy “THE DICTATOR” will be released worldwide on May 11,2012 with Larry Charles director of both “Borat” and “Bruno” directing again

The film tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. It is inspired by the best selling novel “Zabibah and The King” by Saddam Hussein.

Sacha Baron Cohen

Baron Cohen is in impressive company with the production of this film with Scott Rudin, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel joining the project which marks the first collaboration for Rudin (“The Social Network,” “True Grit”) and Baron Cohen, while Berg, Schaffer and Mandel(Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) join him as screenwriters on the movie.

Under Baron Cohen’s Four By Two  Films, the movie marks the third time that Baron Cohen and Charles, who previously worked together on “Borat” as well as “Bruno”. Dan Mazer (“Borat” “Bruno”), Ant Hines (“Borat” “Bruno”) and Peter Baynham (“Borat”) will serve Together as executive producers, reuniting this Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe winning “Borat” team. Todd Schulman (“Borat” “Bruno”) is co-producing.