APPLEPLECTIC!

The new blog is finally here...

GO THERE NOW!

So what does this mean for The Oscar Tracker? Indeed, the blog shall be no more. I feel like it's time to expand my focus in the entertainment world beyond red carpets and shiny naked gold men (as tempting as it may be...). It has been a very fun few months, and I thank all of my readers for visiting. I hope you will continue to follow my take on the world of film and television at the new blog.

Rest assured I will still put a great deal of focus on the Academy Awards, especially during the so-called "Oscar season," but there's an awful lot going on in between that I'd like to cover, too. Also at the new blog, lots more of my own content and a lot less copying and pasting. I am but one human and cannot compete with the online entertainment news machines that are Dark Horizons, Comingsoon.net, or AICN. My blog will host brand new material that you won't be able to get anywhere else. Sounds pretty tasty, doesn't it?

So hop on over and take a hefty bite out of the new blog. APPLEPLECTIC is the name. Film and TV arts is the game. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I (plan to) enjoy writing it.

Thanks again to my fans, and I hope you'll stop by to see me at the new blog! (Need I plug it any more? One last time: GO THERE NOW!)

~ Adam M. :)

It’s Been Quiet… Too Quiet

I wholeheartedly agree!

But do not fret, my friends. This blog will be back up and kicking extra super soon. Why such a long delay, you ask?

Good question!

The entire site is getting a redesign in both layout and content, a task that is taking much, much longer than I had ever anticipated.

So what can you expect?

Another good question!

The Oscar Tracker as you know it will be limited exclusively to tracking potential Oscar candidates and my personal Oscar predictions. Everything else, including news, updates, rants, ramblings, games, features, lists, reviews, and so much more, will all take place at a new blog with an entirely new name and an entirely new theme.

Yes, Virginia! A new name!

(insert gasps of shock and surprise here)

Maybe, just maybe. This picture could mean something...

I'm shifting my focus from re-posting Oscar-related news from other websites to bringing you 100% fresh and newly-generated content about whatever it is I so darn please (with a very heavy emphasis on film, of course). But nothing will be off limits! I hope to visit the worlds of film, television, theater, music, celebrity, technology, gaming, science, medicine, politics, sports, infomercials, fashion, architecture, cooking, and more! Whatever is on my mind or whatever is center stage in the ever-increasing realm of pop-culture will no doubt be addressed at the new and improved blog...

With a heavy emphasis on film, of course!

So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stay tuned! Hang in there! I'm only one guy taking on some monumental amounts of work here. Add in my "real" life stuff (socializing, resting, and doctors appointments mostly... all of which are way overrated IMHO), and things start to move pretty darn slowly.

I hope to have everything up and operating in the next two weeks. I will also be posting my updated Independence Day Predictions either today or tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, everyone! And (if you're in the US), have a HAPPY JULY 4th!

Shifting Gears

Do you hear that sound?

...

...

...

It's the winds of change...

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...

The Oscar Tracker will be receiving a major makeover in the next few weeks. I've decided to move away from reporting news and instead bring more original writing and content. Why? Because you can find movie news at thousands of sites on the web, but you can only find the thoughts, comments, and ramblings of the one and only Adam M. right here. It has gotten cumbersome and tiresome to keep up with the constant stream of Oscar-related news stories, and I haven't had much time after all that to share my own voice.

So what will these changes entail? I will say that "The Oscar Tracker" will become just one part of the newly re-tooled website and be limited to what can be currently found on the Tracker, Predictions, and Organizations pages. The new main blog where I'll be posting all original content (as well as the much more occasional relevant news item) will have, get this, an entirely new name.

This is a hint of what's to come!

Excited yet? You should be!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!!

A Trailer for Charles Darwin Biopic Creation

Creation has been mostly flying under the radar thus far, though it could easily turn into a major Oscar contender by the end of the year. Oscar loves a biopic, particularly one about such an influential and infamous historical figure. Throw in the period artistry and fancy costumes, some anti-religion overtones and AMPAS will surely pay attention.

This one also has an extra gimmick! Husband and wife Charles and Emma Darwin are portrayed by real-life husband and wife Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly (♥♥♥), both of whom are widely respected and talented performers. Connelly herself is already Oscar-adorned, which only adds to the draw.

I don't feel comfortable making any conclusions from this trailer, though I will say that both Bettany and Connelly are likely to find their names on the list of acting nominees early next year. Art direction and costume design nods also feel very possible.

Creation opens in the UK on September 25th, though a stateside release has yet to be determined.

If We Remade It: A Christmas Tale

Hollywood just loves to borrow films from foreign territories because... well... just imagine all the time and money that can be saved adapting a movie from another movie! Download the script, run it through Babel Fish, fix a couple of culture-specific references, make the names sound a bit more American, change the setting to some city like New York or Reno, and voila! You've got Three Men and a Baby!

Sometimes our "Americanized" adaptations are quite successful, like Martin Scorsese's Best Pic winner The Departed, based on the Cantonese film Internal Affairs. More often than not, we do a so-so job, an example being the 2004 horror flick The Grudge, our take on the Japanese entry Ju-on: The Grudge. And then not so uncommonly, we remind ourselves that mankind indeed evolved from monkeys that ate their own poo, with a real gem like Swept Away, adapted from an Italian film.

They sure can't all be winners...

So let's delve into the world of what if, shall we? What if we took a recent top-notch foreign flick and spun our own American version? How could we do it well? How could we do a giant fail? And so begins the first of hopefully many installments of If We Remade It!

In this first edition, we will re-imagine last year's highly acclaimed French ensemble drama A Christmas Tale, directed by Arnaud Desplechin.
[bxA]
The plot in a nutshell: The entire Vuillard clan reunites over the Christmas holiday after their mother is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and needs a very specific bone marrow donor match. Will any of them be able to help her? In the meantime, the tensions, conflicts, and demons between siblings, spouses, and offspring bubble to the surface.

Here's a rundown of the original cast:



Catherine Deneuve played the bitter and cynical matriarch Junon.

Jean-Paul Roussillon played her warm and caring husband Abel.

Anne Consigny was the grumpy and wistful eldest daughter Elizabeth.

Mathieu Amalric took on the brash alcoholic middle child Henri.

Melvil Poupaud played the sweet and jocular youngest son Ivan.

Chiara Mastroianni played Sylvia, the ravishing and much-loved wife of Ivan.

Laurent Capelluto took on the discontented artistic cousin Simon.

Emmanuelle Devos played Faunia, Henri's mellow yet perceptive girlfriend.

Hippolyte Girardot was Elizabeth's quiet and passive husband Claude.

Emile Berling played Paull (yes, IMDB says two l's) Elizabeth's mentally labile son.

Okay then. Time to retool this thing!

How We Could Rock It

The Title: Okay, so I was thinking about the literal translation of Un Conte de Noel and also the English title used for the film. That leaves us with a few possibilities:

A Christmas Tale (how creative!)
A Christmas Story (already taken...)
A Tale of Christmas (clumsy, maybe?)
A Story of Christmas (ditto)

None of these options feel especially inspired. I'd also be concerned about confusion between this film and the 1983 holiday "classic" with any of these titles. Then again, from a marketing perspective that might not be a horrible thing. Of course, audiences might leave a bit sour when they discover there is no pink bunny suit involved. Consulting a thesaurus doesn't give us much help either (somehow A Yuletide Saga just doesn't have the same ring to it).

They cut me out of the final draft...

Eh. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

A Christmas Tale

A Film By...

Hmm... which one of our prized auters would best handle this sort of ensemble dramedy and family histrionics? If only Robert Altman were still around and kickin' it (it being anything but the bucket, of course). I thought maybe P.T. Anderson, but this material might be a little too straight forward for his tastes. I'm going to give the gig to Todd Field, who has marvelously portrayed both the loud and subtle sides of relative relations in his two sole highly-acclaimed feature films In the Bedroom and Little Children.

So now we've got:

A Christmas Tale, a film by Todd Field.

The story can pretty much stay the same... nothing much in need of changing there. Just switch the setting stateside to Bismarck, North Dakota, because it's unexpected, cold, snowy, and depressing (or so I hear). All right. Let's cast this bi-otch!


Julie Christie should perfectly portray the cynical, aloof, and smug matriarch Junon. A name change to Juno seems appropriate-- she's queen of all the gods!

Jim Broadbent would be as endearing as ever as her happier husband Abel, now Abraham, meaning father of many. Makes sense, don't it?

Charlize Theron could easily take on the demons and conflicts of daughter Elizabeth. Plus, isn't it about time this gal landed a good role that allowed her to wear make-up? I like the name, so Elizabeth stays, but they'll call her "Ellie" throughout the film just 'cuz.

Robert Downey Jr. is on fire right now, and I could so see him as the socially stunted and frequently inebriated son Henri. Change that French "i" to an American "y" and you've got yourself a name: Henry.

James McAvoy can play the baby son Ivan. Doesn't James look like he was born to play the baby son? Ivan sounds a bit too threatening for my tastes, so I'll soften him up with a vowel shift from "i" to "e." Evan it is!

Ivan's wife Sylvia can go to rising Hollywood icon Anne Hathaway, because I love her and because, like Sylvia, she's absolutely irresistible. I'm going to give her a more alluring and interesting name. Perhaps Selene, the goddess of the moon!

Cousin Simon will be played by Paul Schneider, since the man looks exactly like the introverted artistic type. Simon is such an overshadowed artistic cousin name too, so it stays.

Maggie Gyllenhaal would fit right into the role of the spunky yet not not terribly attractive Faunia, girlfriend-of-the-moment for Henri. I shall call her Flora, which sort of keeps the spirit of the original name.

Jeff Daniels will play Elizabeth's quiet but friendly husband Claude. The man is always a nice addition to any cast. "Claude" is super Frenchy. How about Clark?

Elizabeth's son Paull is a tricky one to cast. Seriously, how many talented and capable 12-14 year-old boys are there floating around Tinseltown? I mean legit actors, not the ones on the Disney Channel or in Gus Van Sant films...


I'm going out on a limb and casting 14 year-old Jacob Kogan, who recently appeared in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot as the young Mr. Spock. His name can be Tristan, meaning sad and tumultuous.

Okay, Harvey Weinstein! Get to work! I don't know about you, but I'd pay to see it in a heartbeat.

Next up, let's make ourselves laugh so hard that we forget to cry...

How We Could Ruin It

The title. Oh goodness, where to begin? That's certainly the question. Ah yes, of course. Question! Because nothing cements a great title like a question mark!

Guess Who's Coming to Christmas Dinner?

The feel-good holiday family event of the year!

Perrrrfect. The title is a question, it's awkwardly long, and it's an obvious rip-off of a classic Hollywood title. (Copyright infringement, schmopyright schminfringement!) Just what the cineplexes ordered!

I'm immediately tapping Brett Ratner to direct, what with his amazing talents already showcased in cinematic masterpieces from Rush Hour to The Family Man to After the Sunset. This guy can sure do it all!

The plot is going to need a MAJOR overhaul. Mental illness? Cancer? Deep-seeded family animosity? Those are certainly no subjects for a Christmas blockbuster! Let's add a little intrigue, shall we?

Here's the rundown: our matriarch is found in bed with the FedEx guy (product integration opportunity!) by her husband. As he confronts her infidelity, the FedEx guy dies of a heart attack! As rumors and speculations abound, the wife is forced to admit that she and Mr. FedEx have been speeding the plow throughout their entire marriage. Aie aie aie! And that means... you guessed it! She believes that her husband may not be the actual father of one of her kids! (le gasp!) So they invite everyone home for Christmas for a big home-grown episode of Maury. And the truth will shock you! It's scandalous enough to draw interest without being too inappropriate to keep moviegoers away. And they will all learn about the importance of love, family, honesty, loyalty, and appreciating all of the wonderful things in life! Lessons and morals will abound!

Let's assemble our family, shall we?


Kathy Bates will surely be able to portray our new Junon's in-your-face spitefulness (don't worry, she'll come to her senses by the film's end!). I shall call her Margaret.

Who's your daddy? Tim Allen, of course! He should perfectly bring out this metaphorically castrated Abel's aww-shucks attitude. Bud sounds like a pitiful enough name for him.

Scarlett Johansson will play the worry-wort daughter Elizabeth because she's such a good actress. So many talents! Two of them to be exact. A cutesy but still sassy name like Sissy should work well.

This Henri will be hilarious, stumbling in drunk, falling all over himself. No serious consequences involved of course for Tommy, as played by the multi-talented Matthew McConaughey.

Baby brother Ivan can be played by the baby-faced Paul Walker. This version, named Kyle, is sweet, sexy, and simple. But don't get me wrong, he's not a wuss. He's as strong and manly as a college senior fratboy. Yeah, man!

No amazing ensemble film could be complete without Jessica Alba, because she's "funny" and "pretty," and she can really bring on the tears when she has to. Just splash a little water under the eyes, and voila! She'll play Sylvia, with a new name that's unusual but also cute and spunky: Siv.

Keanu Reeves will step in as serious starving artist Simon (I've run out of "s"s) because this guy sure knows how to make a serious face. We'll name him Manny since it's sort of close to Manet or Monet and that's just so clever!

Horsey-faced Faunia, newly-named Farrah, will be played by Horsey-Face herself, Sarah Jessica Parker. She should easily pull off the necessary giant eye rolls and "ughs" of disgust that come with having a silly drunk boyfriend like silly drunk Tommy!

Gerard Butler can play Elizabeth's husband Claude. Not much reason behind this one other than the female 18-49 demographic tends to get stiff in the nips over him. He'll be named Jasper, also for no real reason other than why not?

The role of son Paull will obviously receive a sex-change and go to the only child actor alive (or so says mainstream Hollywood) Dakota Fanning. None of that mental illness stuff either. Paula is just the straight-shooter, more mature than all of the actual adults. Such creative and clever subtext!

I can see it grossing $200 million in 2 months. Then they can subtitle it and release it back in France for another couple million. It'll play on TBS in a few years on Christmas Eve in a 24-hour loop and draw huge ad revenues too.

There you have it. A Christmas Tale, the American version, two very different pitches.

Now it's your turn. What would you do? Who would appear on your dream roster for a quality adaptation? And who would star in your typical commercial Hollywood train-wreck version?

It's Finally Here! A Trailer for Scorsese's Shutter Island!

OH EM GEE!

I have been waiting SO long for this moment, and boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy does it not disappoint! The trailer for Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island is here at last!

What are you waiting for?!? WATCH IT!!



WOW. Just WOW.

I've been singing this film's Oscar prospects from DAY ONE, and as time has passed, I've only become more sure that it will dominate when nominations are announced next year. It may even outdo Nine! With the release of this trailer, I am saying right here and right now that Shutter Island is a LOCK for a nomination in the following categories:

BEST PICTURE

BEST DIRECTOR - MARTIN SCORSESE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - BEN KINGSLEY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - JACKIE EARLE HALEY

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

FILM EDITING

CINEMATOGRAPHY

ART DIRECTION

SOUND MIXING

ORIGINAL SCORE

That's right. I went there. A lock in all of those categories. Call me crazy if you want to. I read the book, I know what Marty is capable of, and I know what Oscar likes. For this film, the stars are set to perfectly align. Other very likely nominations include:

Best Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Supporting Actor - Max von Sydow

Best Supporting Actress - Emily Mortimer

Costume Design

Makeup

Sound Editing

Visual Effects

Oh yes. You were counting correctly. If every single one of these possibilities come to fruition, Shutter Island will shatter the history books with SEVENTEEN nominations. Now don't get all worked up. It won't happen. The important thing here is that the film has immense possibility and could definitely surpass Titanic and All About Eve's shared record of 14 nods.

Not to mention the film is going to be AMAZING. If they keep the ending from the novel intact, you will literally fall out of your chair or start screaming or something. The final twist is absolutely mind-blowing.

Well that's certainly enough fan-boy enthusiasm for one post. Let me wrap this up by reminding everyone that Shutter Island flies into theaters on October 2nd.

Name the Oscar Winner

Ready....

Steady...

Go!

Adam's Apple Core Review: Up

Film: Up
Directed by: Pete Docter

Single Sentence Summary: Another enchanting tale from Pixar that packs a surprisingly powerful emotional punch, all while providing plenty of belly laughs and never ceasing to dazzle visually.

Five Adjectives: Endearing, hilarious, inventive, beautiful, delightful

Most Memorable Moment: There is a moment of pure magic in the film that completely sideswiped me (making it all the more potent, of course) when our protagonist Carl revisits a certain book from his childhood belonging to his wife.

Biggest Surprise: I saw the 3D version, and it wasn't just a gimmick. Not in the least. The extra dimension aptly provided an exciting and fully-immersing experience.

Biggest Disappointment: The story, while quite clever and charming, occasionally borders a bit too much on the absurd. Now calm down. I realize the film isn't supposed to be realistic in the least. However, I was somewhat confused about where the line should be drawn between realism and fantasy. Portraying fantasy in what is accepted as our own world always runs this risk, and unless the fantasy is clearly delineated and defined, the result can feel far-fetched instead of fascinating. Up requires you to unquestioningly take several leaps of faith all while accepting its characters as regular people in our regular world. Yes, it's inventive, but it's still a bit of a stretch.

Best Performance: Carl Fredricksen, as voiced by Edward Asner, is remarkably touching and effortlessly steers the movie into poignant territory. Watching his transformation from a bitter, stuffy senior to a man enlightened by the joys in his past and present life is an adventure of its own.

Worst Performance: Boy scout and Carl's partner-through-paradise Russell is occasionally tiresome in his wide-eyed innocence and unchecked enthusiasm. Jordan Nagai voices the character well enough, though his contributions too can be slightly grating. Overall, the character design falls a little flat and feels mostly uninspired.

Hidden Gem: A swift montage summarizing the life of Carl and his wife proves the most elegant and beautiful passage in the film. There is little dialogue, and yet, along the same vein as last year's masterwork WALL-E, the result is pure poetry.

The Best: That exotic bird. There's something absolutely side-splitting about a 10-foot rainbow-feathered animal with crazy meth eyes that squawks and struts around like it's total boss. Not to mention the design of the creature is absolutely gorgeous.

The Worst: Compared to the heights of Pixar's oeuvre, Up isn't quite as penetrative. Certain parts of the movie, particularly those involving the back-story and development of the character Russell, feel a bit obvious and overused. The main thrust of the film, of course, is massively effective, but a slight shortage of the typical Pixar majestic subtlety leaves some to be desired.

Final Thoughts: While it does not go quite so far as to match the emotional or poetic impact of WALL-E or Ratatouille, Up is yet another dazzling, entertaining, and even downright hilarious addition to the Pixar family.

GRADES

Direction: A-
Script & Story: B
Acting: B+
Sights & Sounds: A

FINAL GRADE: B+

Tracker Updates! - Supporting Actor & Actress

The pages for the Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress Oscar races have finally been uploaded to the Tracker in their fully re-imagined forms! Hooray! The rest of the major categories have also been given updates and retools. Hooray again!

Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island should prove a strong contender at this year's Oscars.

Head on over to the Tracker and see all of the candidates turning up the heat in the following Oscar races:

Best Picture
Lead Actor
Lead Actress
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress

Coming up next: Directors and Screenplays, and then somehow, all of those "technical" categories. Stay tuned!

Eastwood's Mandela Biopic Gets a Name Change?

The Human Factor is now called Invictus?!?

In Contention says so...

You know what I say?

I say LAME!

Of course, the always reliable Kris Tapley has a full explanation.

While in prison, Nelson Madela reportedly drew inspiration and strength from a poem called "Invictus" by English poet W.E. Henley, citing the poem's final two lines:

"It matters not how straight the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."

How touching. But still. "Invictus" sounds more like a movie about a priest suspected of molesting his student. Or maybe about a vagina that eats people.

The Invictus Factor will find its way into theaters just in time for Oscar consideration this December.

Best Performances of the 2008-2009 TV Season

With the start of June, television season has come to a close. While the summer will offer a handful (more like a fingerful) of worthy TV experiences, the majority of shows won't return to the tube until the fall.

Thankfully, the newly-completed TV season gave a us whole lot to crow about. And so, taking a page from my buddy Dame James from Rants of a Diva, I now bring you my picks for the best performances of the 2008-2009 television season (which, by the way, includes the 2008 summer season).

Being one person, I can only watch so many shows without needing to disrupt the space-time continuum. That said, just because a particular show did not make the cut does not mean I failed to consider it. There were many, many strong performances this season, and so popular picks like Pushing Daisies, Ugly Betty, and Gossip Girl are perhaps noticeably absent from my list. Not because I didn't weigh their contributions, but because the following twenty performances outdid anything I saw from those shows.

And now, without further ado, let us begin the countdown:


20. Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives

Even when the show does not afford her the best material, Marcia Cross rarely falters in her intricate portrayal of this fascinating woman. Bree's compulsions and quirks, her refusal to part with her flawless facade, truly make for satirical bliss.

19. Steve Carell, The Office

While the show can be too self-aware for its own good, Steve Carell seldom breaks stride. Even in his most ludicrous moments, Michael remains (mostly) likable and believable thanks Carell's rock-solid dedication in his interpretation.

18. Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters

The Walker clan sure is a crazy bunch, but it is Rachel Griffiths as sister Sarah who repeatedly brings the show back down to Earth. She is almost elegant in her performance, never allowing her character to cross into soapy territory.

17. Jimmy Smits, Dexter

He took some warming up to, but Jimmy Smits proved a wonderful foil for the "darkly dreaming" Dexter. Firmly dedicated from the start, Smits gave Miguel a powerful bite with a razor sharp edge, all beneath the cloak of a soft and affable persona.

16. Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

He's consistently hilarious and delivers many of the show's best lines. Even if his repartee felt a little repetitive this season, Baldwin's blunt comedic technique remains a riot. He's also uniquely compatible with each and every one his cast mates.

15. Eva Longoria-Parker, Desperate Housewives

She's typically been the weakest link on Wisteria Lane, but this season, Eva showed us a brand new side of Gabrielle. Ironic indeed that the show's veritable eye-candy would do her best work as frumpy and run-down as the next housewife.

14. Jon Hamm, Mad Men

The strength of Mad Men's second season lay with its leading ladies, but Jon Hamm still proved a powerful presence as advertising wiz Don Draper. As Don's tangle of lies began to unravel, Hamm beautifully embodied the restrained chaos of the early 1960s.

13. Anna Paquin, True Blood

Mind-reader and vamp-lover (a.k.a. fang-banger) Sookie Stackhouse is absolutely delectable thanks to the fiery Anna Paquin. She provides a delightfully cautious yet naively eager vessel through the show's muddied waters of morality.

12. Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens

Drew Barrymore gave the performance of her career as "Little" Edith Bouvier Beale. Her impersonation of Little Edie was spot-on, and she offered a fascinating look into a very strange soul with both her bigger outbursts and subtle gestures.

11. Glenn Close, Damages

Glenn Close turns a dizzying intellectual thrill ride into a captivating character study as the formidable Patty Hewes. She always keeps you guessing, and you can't look away. Her quietest moments feel like a geyser waiting to erupt. And when it does: incredible.

10. Hugh Laurie, House

Dr. House remains among the most intriguing television characters of all time, thanks in no small part to Hugh Laurie's immense commitment to the role. House is somehow simultaneously frustrating, endearing, repulsive, sympathetic, absurd, and relatable, while Laurie's portrayal is never short of exhilarating. Not to mention he is absolutely hilarious. The hallucination storyline at the end of this season brought House to his breaking point and gave Hugh the means to cement his status as one of the best actors currently on TV.

9. Alison Pill, In Treatment

HBO's In Treatment proved an incredible opportunity for several actors this season, and Pill wasted no time showing us what she's got. The young actress offered one of the most devastating and honest performances in recent memory as April, a college student stricken with cancer. Each week, she brought us to tears as her defenses and insecurities were slowly stripped away by her disease and by her own self-reflections. Watching Pill's April succumb to the hopeless tug of mortality was an absolutely fascinating and humbling experience.

8. Michael C. Hall, Dexter

As Dexter Morgan, Michael C. Hall gives us a perspective unlike any other, that of a murderous sociopath, and still manages to build an engaging, relatable, and, dare I say, quite charming character. Sure Dexter lives by a more humane code of conduct than the average serial killer, but the constant struggle between the need to survive and his dark thirst for blood conveys something entirely uncategorizable. Dexter also provides poignant commentary on the subtlest aspects of the human condition, since he himself is in want of so many of them.

7. Nelsan Ellis, True Blood

In portraying sassy line-cook Lafayette, Nelsan Ellis forges a character that embodies both the sting and soul of the south: deeply passionate about the goodness in life, cynical about the rest. He allows for the seamless transition of the vampire struggle into our own reality, as a man indefinable by most standards, courageously standing tall against a world full of prejudice. And all while being a complete joy to watch! He speaks and moves with a certain rhythm that enlivens every scene that he's in, bursting with warmth and humor.

6. Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Christina Hendricks is consistently tantalizing as red-headed bombshell Joan Holloway, affording us a full-on glimpse at an attractive woman struggling through an extremely chauvinist society. Her constant balancing act between maintaining her feminine allure and a sense of dignity provides some of the most compelling social commentary on the show. Watching her steadily lose control of both her personal and professional lives this season was absolutely gripping, all without feeling the slightest bit insincere (except when intentional).

5. Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Tina Fey has become an iconic part of pop culture thanks to her spot-on impersonation of Alaskan governor and Vice Presidential (soon to be Presidential?) hopeful Sarah Palin. But it is her masterful work on 30 Rock that puts her near the top of this list. As Liz Lemon, Fey personifies the basest of human insecurities to great comedic success. Her character's quirks and flaws, which often feel (at least to this avid watcher) a little too close to home, make her uniquely lovable. She has an unrivaled knack at making us laugh at these imperfections in both herself and ourselves. Television hasn't had a gal like Tina since, perhaps, Mary Tyler Moore, and I do hope that this Mary isn't going anywhere soon.



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4. Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment

Psychotherapist Paul Weston, as portrayed by Gabriel Byrne, is one of the most delicately constructed and complex characters on TV. Byrne is captivating as he unravels the anxieties of his patients during each session, but it is the insights he offers into his own character that make this a performance for the ages. He is somehow able to convey Paul's personal struggles during each episode, often without saying a word about them. With his body language, his subtle expressions, his pensive glances, he weaves his character's saga, even when the focus is on a patient. And then he is mesmerizing and frequently heart-breaking as he confronts the demons of his past while in therapy himself with Gina.

3. Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

It is difficult to describe Dianne Wiest as Gina, the therapist's therapist on In Treatment, but I have nothing to offer short of praise. Her character remains mostly an enigma, with only bits and pieces of her story picked up along the way, but this only contributes to her fascinating appeal. There is something in the way she carries herself that gives Wiest such a commanding aura. Her portrayal is intricate, marked by beautifully subtle gestures and unexpectedly graceful intonations that are both refreshing and spellbinding. It feels like even the slightest of her movements are purposeful and important. Gina's quiet dexterity makes her louder moments painfully arresting, providing truly powerful moments.



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2. Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men

It is a wonder that Elizabeth Moss as working-girl Peggy Olson proved the most successfully perceptive performer in a show (and a world) so dominated by men. Moss perfectly portrayed both the rewards and consequences of the sacrifices made by women looking to succeed in the 60s. She courageously held fast to a strong-willed façade even while a vortex of troubles bore down upon her, sucking her back into the societal preconceptions. It was devastating to watch her endure the pains of life as the world cast its supercilious glare. Rarely did Peggy break stride, and Moss never did, brilliantly illuminating the cracks in her defenses while never completely busting through in any obvious or showy way.



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1. Hope Davis, In Treatment

As the emotionally truncated Mia, Hope Davis gave a painstakingly honest portrait of human neurosis, and the best performance of the year, on HBO's In Treatment. Mia is exceedingly difficult to classify. Every week, she embodied an enthralling amalgam of emotions while effortlessly invoking these same feelings in us. Watching her insecurities bubble to the surface paired with her frequently outrageous and unexpected behavior provided an experience unlike any other. Should I laugh? Should I cry? Should I run screaming? I found myself asking these very questions as Mia unfurled the layers of her identity, revealing a devastating, disturbing, delectable, and, above all else, fully-realized human being.

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That's all for now! In case you were starting to feel the doldrums of the television season taking over, keep in mind that HBO's True Blood begins on June 14th, and Mad Men is slated to begin sometime this August. Happy June, everybody!

Name the Oscar Winner

Take a gander at this one:



And now take a guess.

Another Poster for Ponyo

Also known as "J.D. bait"...



I suppose this one is in Spanish? It still looks absolutley adorable!

Why do we care, you ask? Ponyo is the latest film by Japanese mastermind Hayao Miyazaki, who was also responsible for such animated triumphs as Princess Mononoke, the Oscar-nominated Howl's Moving Castle, and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away.

So will Ponyo bring Miyazaki his third Oscar nomination? It's indeed very possible, particularly if Disney's upcoming The Princess and the Frog fails to impress.

Ponyo takes a dive into US theaters in limited release on August 14th.

(Now it's time to wait and see if I'll catch a J.D...)

Woody and Buzz Are Back!! - The Teaser Trailer for TOY STORY 3

You heard it right! Hot on the heels of Pixar's US theatrical release of Up comes a sneaky peeky at their next film, Toy Story 3.



Oh the wonderful memories this little video brings back! It's so nice to hear all of those voices again! All of the actors from the first two installments will be featured once again including Tom Hanks as "Woody" the cowboy, Tim Allen as "Buzz Lightyear," Joan Cusack (♥♥♥) voicing "Jessie" the cowgirl, Don Rickles as "Mr. Potato Head," Wallace Shawn playing "Rex" the dinosaur, and the always dependable John Ratzenberger lending his talents once again to "Hamm" the piggybank.

The obvious question on everyone's mind is: will it live up to the quality of the first two films? Since it's Pixar we're talking about here, I'm betting that yes, it will live up to and perhaps even surpass the magnificence of the original two.

Toy Story 3 bounces into theaters here in the US on June 18, 2010.

Thanks to ComingSoon.net for the initial embed and the tip!

Memorial Day Precitions - The Technicals

Part two of my Memorial Day Predictions have been added to the site! You can see them, along with my new predictions in the major categories, in the Predictions section of the site!

That's right! Check them out at the Predictions page!

And don't go anywhere, because more pages will be added to The Tracker shortly!

NEAT! - Some Concept Art from Avatar

MarketSaw has been furiously tracking down any smidgen of material out there to give us some idea of what's going on with James Cameron's highly, highly anticipated Avatar, and they have finally unearthed some real gold. Here are two official (!) concept art images, one showing some sort of "power suit" and the other a "futuristic helicopter."




I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE!!!

Prepare to be BLOWN AWAY by Avatar when it lands in beautiful 3D form here in the US on December 18th.

Trailer Alert! - The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Looks cheesier than a poorly staged family photo. But Pippa Lee herself, played by the questionably talented Robin Wright Penn, does seem to have something to offer here. Maybe Alan Arkin too. (Blake Lively, on the other hand, appears to be drawn from the Big Book o' Type-Casting.)

Or not. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in early February to a generally underwhelming reception. Alissa Simon from Variety took a set of hedge clippers to it:

Cardboard characters and severe problems of tone fatally flaw the awkward satirical relationship drama "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee." Fourth feature from helmer-writer Rebecca Miller... feels as schizophrenic as its eponymous heroine.

...Indeed, she never sustains any tone at all. The dialogue teeters from flat comedy to wince-worthy whimsy, with detours through blithe and earnest. Visual style, too, is all over the place.

...Period music does a better job of evoking the era than the laughable costumes, hair and makeup.

Okay, so maybe this one is out of the running for Oscar statuettes. But perhaps Penn could pick up a Globe nod if they are somehow able to sell the film as a comedy? Maybe Keanu Reeves will induce an inappropriately placed chuckle or two. He tends to be good at that.

The Private Lives of Pippy Longstocking Pippa Lee does not currently have a stateside release, though it will begin screening in the UK on July 10th.

Brand New Predictions!

I've finally managed to get my Memorial Day Predictions up on the site for all of the major categories. And only a day late!

So be sure to check them out in the Predictions section of the site!







Predictions for the remaining categories will hopefully be up sometime tomorrow.

And also coming soon: fully updated and uploaded pages at the Tracker for the categories of Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress!

Hope you all had a Happy Memorial Day!

Ian McKellen Wants to Know Something...

WHERE THE F@%K IS MY BIRTHDAY CAKE?!?!?

* * * * * * *


Someone's not getting invited to my party...

* * * * * * *

May all of Gandalf the Gay Gray's wishes come true on this very special day.

Happy 70th Birthday, Ian McKellen!

* * * * * * * *

Adam's Apple Core Review: The Young Victoria

Film: The Young Victoria
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée

Single Sentence Summary: A beautiful yet dreadfully sloppy portrait of the burgeoning Queen Victoria hampered by a severe lack of focus and only somewhat redeemed by Emily Blunt's mostly delightful interpretation of the title character.

Five Adjectives: Decadent, flat, messy, derivative, inane

Most Memorable Moment: If you would believe it, I can't think of a single moment in this film that rose above the persistent mundane complacency. If I were to pick something though, I'd have to go with a certain carriage ride taken by Victoria and her husband Prince Albert that unexpectedly gets cut short with a bang. I'll give no more details than that, other than to say it manages to, even if entirely manipulated, inject a sense of urgency and excitement into this mostly flaccid affair.

Biggest Surprise: Even the overwhelming mediocrity came as no surprise (the film had been in post-production and then shelved for eons), so I have little to say here, and any surprise I did encounter was more of a surprising disappointment. Were I to fish for some form of positive concession, I would say that despite an overall middling presentation, the film does maintain a solid artistic presence that is at times almost breathtaking.

Biggest Disappointment: The story feels uninvolved and rather superfluous. We are shown some of the outward effects of Victoria's rise to power but are given little insight into the young Queen's personal upheaval. What's more, the conflicts actually depicted in the film are banal at best. Scenes of mostly exposition allude to more pressing problems of the time (indeed, there were many!), but they are consistently passed over for trivial and cursory palatial matters.

Best Performance: No performance in this film was entirely praiseworthy, though it is without question that Emily Blunt as the young Queen herself prevents this ship from completely sinking. While the script affords her little space to explore her personage, she manages to bring a delightful sense of charm and enjoyment to the role. She is not entirely successful in her portrayal, giggling in excess and occasionally overstating her presence, but she is able to transcend the cardboard cutout design of the character.

Worst Performance: Miranda Richardson offers a bromidic and very disappointing interpretation of Victoria's mother the Duchess of Kent. She remains on the sidelines for the majority of the film, scarcely speaking or providing emotional context of any sort, though even in her few moments at stage center, Richardson is lifeless and awkwardly restrained.

Hidden Gem: Amongst the prevailing poor choices in direction, there are a few interesting and even exciting shot designs that hint at a unique artistic perspective never fully explored. For instance, one shot rapidly racks focus along a row of champagne glasses at the edge of a long table, taking us from one end to the other at delightfully dizzying speed. Another shot depicts a weightless Victoria floating across the ballroom floor in a hallucinatory daze to meet her love Prince Albert on the other side. Because these moments are seldom and clash with the more standard renderings of the rest of the film, the result feels more inconsistent than inspiring. It's as if halfway through shooting, director Vallée decided to start experimenting.

The Best: If anything in this film is done right, it is among the physical production values: that is, the costume design, hair and makeup, and art direction. Not once does the environment feel anachronistic or modern in any way, providing an experience that is at least transportive. The set designs are often awe-inspiring, and the costumes especially are exquisite. Oscar attention later this year for these artistic merits seems entirely possible.

The Worst: The script, penned by Oscar-winning (!) screenwriter Julian Fellowes, is truly a poor excuse for storytelling. There is virtually no character development, the plot is paper thin, any conflict feels frivolous and tiresome, the dialogue is prosaic and sickeningly clichéd, and the story feels terribly misguided without any clear sense of direction or purpose. There isn't a single trace here of the subtle brilliance or wonderously clever construction seen in Fellowes' Academy-approved work for Gosford Park. Indeed, the text for this film is what one might expect from a machine or computer program built to generate a script from a given set of conditions. You've got historical biopic contrivances a-plenty without any sort of humanistic touch. The result feels lifeless, uninteresting, and sadly, irrelevant.

Final Thoughts: It is clear that The Young Victoria was built with prestige and award recognition in mind, and with a much stronger foundation, these aspirations could have been achieved. Both the cast and crew are obviously talented, but their accomplishments are diluted thanks to the wiry thin story at the film's core. This is what you get when you try to make an Oscar-worthy movie with a Razzie-worthy script: dazzling superficiality. It's a real shame too. Queen Victoria is one of history's most interesting figures and definitely has a story to tell. This, however, is not it.

GRADES

Direction: C-
Script & Story: F
Acting: C
Sights & Sounds: B+

FINAL GRADE: D+

A Message from Kristin Scott Thomas

What's that you say? You mean you didn't remember my birthday?



Look how sad that makes me feel.

If you were my child, I would probably kill you.



And here I was ready to starve to death all alone in a cave for you.

Oh well.



At least I know I'm still better than you.

* * * * * * * * * *

That you are, Kristin Scott Thomas. That you are.

Happy Birthday!

(We are so not worthy!)

Cannes 2009 - The Winners!

• Palme d'Or (Best Picture)
  The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke (WHO CALLED IT!?!)
  

• Grand Prix (Runner-up)
  A Prophet, directed by Jacques Audiard

• Prix Exceptional du Jury (Special Jury Prize)
  Alain Resnais, director of Wild Grass

• Prix de la Mise en Scène (Best Director)
  Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay

• Prix du Scenario (Best Screenplay)
  Feng Mei for Spring Fever, directed by Lou Ye

• Camera d'Or (Best First Feature)
  Samson and Delilah, directed by Warwick Thornton

• Camera d'Or Special Mention
  Ajami, directed by Scandar Copti & Yaron Shani
  

• Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) - A TIE!
  Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold
  Thirst, directed by Park Chan-wook
  

• Prix d’interpretation feminine (Best Actress)
  Charlotte Gainsbourg for Antichrist, directed by Lars von Trier

• Prix d’interpretation masculine (Best Actor)
  Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino

• Palme d’Or (Best Short Film)
  “Arena,” directed by João Salaviza

The Palme d'Or Winner, Which Will It Be? It Truly Is a Mystery!

What ever is it going to be?


Hands and arms in the roots of a tree?


The young Fannie Brawne reading Keats poetry?


Penélope Cruz as she sips her tea?


A look at the soul as it tries to flee?


Or Salomé... wait, who is she?


A girl whose trials none did foresee?


A stranger's kindness offered for free?


Nazi hunters filled with liquor and glee?


A road about which none can agree?


A man with a gun beside his knee?


Two guys named Eric on a jumping spree?


A killer who smells just a little fishy?


A mob man imprisoned by decree?


The sea-side sexual exploits of three?


A concert inspired by LSD?


A vampire, this one not so sparkly?


A lighthearted view of Israel's history?


A man along a trail of blood, bullets, and debris?


The illegitimate love child of Mussolini?


Or, a town that needs some serious therapy?

On the 23rd day in April, you see, I chose Enter the Void in a guess made blindly.

And now that the fest has screened all twenty, I predict a White Ribbon so dark and gloomy.

So the questions remains: which will it be?

Tomorrow will come, and we'll certainly see!

Name the Oscar Winner

I've got another juicy granny-smith apple up for grabs. Just guess correctly which Oscar-winning film this shot is nabbed from:



Guess today, and help keep the doctor away!

If You Haven't Noticed...

In case you missed it, THE TRACKER has received a huge face-lift and slowly (ever, ever so slowly... must... force... self... to... do... actual... work... ugh), new categories are being uploaded.

FOR NOW, you can view all potential candidates in the 2009 Oscar races for:

BEST PICTURE

BEST ACTOR

BEST ACTRESS

I'm working on getting the rest of the major categories updated and uploaded ASAP, and after Cannes is over, all of the categories will be receiving major updates. I'll also release a whole new batch of PREDICTIONS. Wa-hoo!!

STAY TUNED!

The Cannes Consensus: Inglourious Basterds

File this one under "d" for disappointing. Quentin Tarantino's revisionist history Nazi-hunter WWII action epic Inglourious Basterds premiered on the Croisette today to a chorus of ho-hums. Reviews are admittedly mixed, though the cries of foul vastly outperform any songs of praise.

The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt is mostly enenthused.

The film is by no means terrible -- its running time of two hours and 32 minutes races by -- but those things we think of as being Tarantino-esque, the long stretches of wickedly funny dialogue, the humor in the violence and outsized characters strutting across the screen, are largely missing.

He is also surprised that "for a war movie there is very little action." A Tarantino action movie without much action or Tarantino? Sounds pretty dull to me.

Todd McCarthy of Variety is quite a bit more optimistic in his assessment:

Quentin Tarantino's long-gestating war saga invests a long-simmering revenge plot with reworkings of innumerable genre conventions, but only fully finds its tonal footing about halfway through, after which it's off to the races. By turns surprising, nutty, windy, audacious and a bit caught up in its own cleverness, the picture is a completely distinctive piece of American pop art with a strong Euro flavor that's new for the director.

For McCarthy, the film was "[n]ever less than enjoyable" and became even "more than that in the second half." He describes a film that "soars on its flights of fancy and deliberate anachronisms" and loses its footing only "when Tarantino gets too carried away with over-elaborated dialogue scenes."

McCarthy also praises the film for its audacious approach in reimagining the events of the second World War:

While World War II has probably inspired as much fiction as any other single topic in film history, "Inglourious Basterds" is one of the few to have brazenly altered history to such an extent. Because he carefully sets up the approach at the outset, as well as through his sense of style, Tarantino gets away with it.

The BBC's Emma Jones gives hesitant approval of Tarantino's "eye-catching" piece that marks a "glorious, silly, blood-spattered return" for the filmmaker. She resigns that the film "becomes positively camp-operatic in parts" and contains unnecessary "flab" that could have been trimmed, though in her eyes, "as long as you can suspend disbelief and offense, [Tarantino] remains the king of trashy cinema."

Is that a good thing? I'm really not sure. Regardless, Jones emphasizes that in the end, Inglourious Basterds "still can't touch Pulp Fiction."

Peter Bradshaw of the UK Guardian is not shy to express any sort of negative opinion as he describes the premiere of Tarantino's latest: "the full catastrophe of his new film arrived like some colossal armour-plated turkey from hell." He further details his disdain for the movie:

Quentin Tarantino's cod-WW2 shlocker about a Jewish-American revenge squad intent on killing Nazis in German-occupied France is awful. It is achtung-achtung-ach-mein-Gott atrocious. It isn't funny; it isn't exciting; it isn't a realistic war movie, yet neither is it an entertaining genre spoof or a clever counterfactual wartime yarn. It isn't emotionally involving or deliciously ironic or a brilliant tissue of trash-pop references. Nothing like that.

Ouch. A thousand times ouch.

Bradshaw is sure to single out the top-billed Brad Pitt in a more than disappointing turn:

Brad Pitt gives the worst performance of his life, with a permanent smirk as if he's had the left side of his jaw injected with cement, and which he must uncomfortably maintain for long scenes on camera without dialogue.

Ouch. A million times ouch.

So does Pete find anything redeeming amongst the heaps of garbage? Sort of. He mentions "some nice-ish performances, particularly from [Michael] Fassbender and [Christoph] Waltz," though he addends this "ish" praise with a reminder that "everything is just so boring."

Inglourious Basterds is officially set to become Quentin's first ever widely panned project. Even if future reviews are slightly more enthusiastic, the film will still be his least critically successful outing to-date. I guess we all have to trip and fall sometime. (What's that you say? shouts Martin Scorsese from afar...)

The Basterds fight their way into US theaters on August 21st. I anticipate equally disappointing box office returns.

Josh Brolin as John Brown?

In an exclusive interview with Josh Brolin, Comingsoon.net has learned that the actor is planning to produce and star in an upcoming historical biopic about American abolitionist John Brown.

For those of you who slept during US History in high school (can I get a what, what!), Brown is most renown for an orchestrated attack against a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, West Virgina just before the start of the Civil War. During said attack (often referred to as "John Brown's Raid"), Brown and his 21 co-conspirators aimed to retrieve enough weapons and artillery to arm a small militia of slaves and lead a revolt against the institution of slavery. Things did not go as planned, however, and Brown and his men were quickly captured, while some were even killed. Brown was convicted of treason and hanged less than two months later.

Brolin was very impressed with the script for the project and is excited for the challenge of playing such an interesting historical figure. He furthers his enthusiasm: "People have been wanting to do it forever and there's a lot of directors who'd love to be involved, so I think now's the time."

Release information and a creative team have yet to be determined, but it sure sounds like a party to me!

Tomorrow...

The Basterds are coming to Cannes!

So which will it be?

Sink

Float

Swim

or Soar?

The Cannes Consensus: Antichrist

¡Ay, caramba! And I don't even speak Spanish! Experimental filmmaker Lars von Trier premiered his graphic and disturbing horror film Antichrist at Cannes a few days ago, and the response has been... well... loud. After the first screening, there were reports of simultaneous cheering, gasping, jeering, clapping, shouting, and booing. (Reminds me of when I went to see The Tigger Movie back in the day...) THAT SAID. The professional opinion has not been nearly as outraged as sensationalist media outlets might have you believe.

Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum is careful not to impart too strong of an opinion either way. She believes the film was made to create controversy, and with this singular goal in mind, it was a rousing success:

The movie looks almost tauntingly great... So it's one good-looking, publicity-grabbing provocation, with an overlay of pseudo-Christian allegory thrown in to deflect a reasonable person's accusations of misogyny... Consider the crowd (including the belligerent European gent who nearly knocked me over shoving to get through the gate) happily, perfunctorily scandalized.

Peter Brunette of The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as "[v]isually gorgeous to a fault and teeming with grandiose if often fascinating ideas that overwhelm the modest story that serves as their vehicle." Despite impressive aesthetics, he pretends that it "may be the least artistically successful film von Trier has ever made" and that perhaps the filmmaker "has finally become unhinged." He furthers his stance that the visual presentation massively trumps a weak storyline:

The film works much better on a purely visual level, if only viewers were able to forget that these are real people being represented in these voluptuous images, abetted by an often superb sound design. From the opening titles, abstract expressionism reigns powerfully and conveys a great deal of intense, if finally unspecifiable, meaning. Unfortunately at some point a story has to be told, no matter how minimalist, and with actual human beings, no matter how symbolically freighted. This is where the film falls apart.

Todd McCarthy of Variety believes von Trier may be "deliberately courting critical abuse" as he "cuts a big fat art-film fart." Gross! I bet that doesn't smell like daisies! McCarthy doubts that the film will have any sort of appeal, and that even "the director's usual fans will find this outing risible, off-putting or both."

The UK Times' Wendy Ide describes a film "packed with arresting and atmospheric images, some of which you’ll wish you could permanently erase from your memory," drawn from "a special circle of hell which exists solely in Lars von Trier’s head." For Ide, the film felt "puritanical" and eventually "ridiculous," particularly in the scenes involving zombified talking animals and "genital trauma." Ouch! I bet that doesn't smell like daisies either! Even so, Ide believes the film has little in terms of shock value:

If the film were not so cold and emotionally uninvolving then the arty torture porn element might be more upsetting. But given how desperate to shock the film is, it’s surprising that long swathes of it are so turgidly dull.

Elizabeth Renzetti from Canada's Globe and Mail attempts to saddle an explanation for Antichrist's gruesome imagery:

[Lars von Trier] seems, however nuttily, to be making some point about women, nature and history - though I'm honestly not sure if I know what it is or if he does either.

I definitely climbed aboard the roflcopter when Renzetti denoted the film's style as "Ingmar Bergman meets Saw." Quite the concept indeed! She also makes sure to emphasize that whatever the film is supposed to do or mean, ultimately "it sure isn't boring."

Antichrist is without question out of the running for the Palme d'Or, as well as any sort of recognition come awards season later this year. That said, I predict it should pack the art house theaters full of film-goers eager to be scandalized. I know that I for one am anxious to experience this disturbing glimpse at hell, even if it means reliving some of the trauma I endured while watching The Tigger Movie back in the day. (1/2 kidding!)

A US release for the film has yet to be determined. It should be interesting to see which distribution company decides to take on the burden. Might we have an NC-17 on our hands? I almost hope so!

MLK Biopic in the Works

Variety is reporting that Dreamworks has acquired the rights to produce a motion picture based on the life of America's most important civil rights champion Martin Luther King, Jr. Steven Spielberg is among those set to produce, but a cast and creative team have yet to be determined.

In other news, 300 Edible Arrangements chocolate fruit bouquets have just been dropped off on Steven Spielberg's doorstep, all signed "You have a dream, and I can make it come true. XOXO, Jamie Foxx."