Watch Natalie Portman’s ballet training in BLACK SWAN

Celebrity News

Who hasn’t managed to catch “Black Swan” yet (or the moviewallas review of it)?  No judgments I promise, but, if you have been sitting on the fence about watching this film, maybe the attached video will convince you to either go watch it or preload it into your Netflix queue.

Even though this film didn’t make my 2010 Top Ten list (note it did make both fellow wallas lists),  I did really enjoy this movie. Much of the enjoyment becuase Natalie Portman was mesmerizing to watch as Nina Sayars – the swan herself. The attached video from Fox Searchlight Pictures shows the young ballerina in training and believe me, Portman is totally deserved of that title.

With Aronofsky’s brilliant direction and a great supporting cast and of course the incredible dancing by  both Portman and Mila Kunis, watching this film won’t be a waste of time.  That and i think Portman may be one of the strongest contenders (along with Annette Benning) for the “Best Actress” Oscar next week.

Warner Bros. movie apps. Is this the future of movie distribution?

Moviewallas Opinion Reviews

Warner Bros today announced a couple of iPhone/iPad apps featuring two of my personal favorite movies in recent years.  The Dark Knight and Inception.  The apps purport to offer a more comprehensive movie experience than is possible on other platforms such as DVD or Blu-ray, including interactive games, exclusive soundtracks, trivia and other related content.

Each app relates to one movie and is available as a free download, although many of the features (including the full length movie) need to be unlocked through a $9.99 purchase.  I tested the Dark Knight app this evening and went through some of the freebies.  The experience was mixed with some interesting and reasonably immersive elements, including a fun trivia game with clips from the movie.  The app is not without a few glitches including reports of jittery streaming, although I did not experience this personally.

It’s frustrating to have purchased the Dark Knight on physical media and have to shell out another ten bucks to get the most out of the app.  A slightly lower price point might be more palatable, or at least a way of providing a discount to those who purchased the movie on DVD/Blu-ray.  I would also prefer not to have a single app per movie – my iPhone is already cluttered up with icons.

This isn’t going to work with every movie.  There’s a certain fanboy-ishness about this, as Warner seems to have tacitly acknowledged with the selection of the initial two movies, The Dark Knight and Inception. Furthermore, the appeal may not be universal given that this kind of thing lends itself more to the type of movie fan who just can’t get enough of a movie.  For example, I don’t see the King’s Speech having the same appeal as an app.

So, is this the way of the future?  Well, it’s hard to say.  While I applaud the effort of the studios in giving us yet another way to consume digital content, a lot of what is here could be done with a Blu-ray disc.  It would also be nice to be able to transfer a purchased movie to another device e.g. my computer or AppleTV to watch on the big screen.  In short, the argument needs to be much more compelling before I give up my current preference of DVD/Blu-ray/Digital Copy combo packs.

It’s an interesting experiment.  Expect to see more innovations as the studios look into different distribution models as well as opportunities to increase revenue potential from movie releases.

Fancy One of These Wagers for the Academy Awards?

Award Shows News Predictions

Not to be outdone by the categories of awards themselves, a betting company in the UK is creating their own inventive assembliges to incentivize anyone who wishes to gamble this year.  At Bodog.com (supposedly the world’s largest betting brand) instead of voting for the usual “Best Film”, “Best Director”, “Actor” or “Actress”, one can place a wager on the following:

  • How many of the big 3 award winners (Director, Actor, Actress) will visibly cry when receiving their award?
    • None: 4/7
    • 1: 3/2
    • 2: 5/1
    • All 3: 20/1
  • Oscars Specials – How many times will the word Thanks or Thank You be used in the acceptance speech of the Big 3 Awards (Director, Actor, Actress)?
    • Over/Under 20: 10/11
  • What will be the Predominant Color of Natalie Portman’s Dress at the Awards Ceremony?
    • Black 3/1
    • White 3/1
    • Blue 4/1
    • Cream/Beige 9/2
    • Pink 9/2
    • Red 5/1
  • Will Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds attend the Oscars together? Yes 6/1
  • Will any Oscar recipients fall on their way to the stage? Yes 15/1
  • Will Geoffrey Rush be wearing a hat? Yes 6/4

Dice

Now you may be asking yourself “why”? Well, apparently there is a feeling that the Oscars look even more predictable than normal this year (Colin Firth is 1/50 to win Best Actor!) so the categories were put togteher to help the long evening be a little more entertaining.  Perhaps our own moviewalla listeners could come up with a few inventive categories of our own???

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/