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The West Coast is just waking up, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has already finished announcing their nominations for this year’s Oscars. It’s the first year since 1943 that there are 10 nominations for Best Picture, and it’s refreshing to see some films that might usually get overlooked receive some much-deserved kudos.
Most of the list is nothing surprising though, as the usual suspects that have been picking up noms and wins throughout the awards season are the ones filling out the categories for the Academy Awards. Leading the pack are James Cameron’s Avatar and Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, with 9 nominations apiece. There are still a few surprises here and there, though, so be sure to check out the full list of nominees after the jump.
Here are your nominees…
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Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air continues the talented director’s trend of smart, sharply-executed, and slyly sweet films. It delivers a splendidly rounded cast of characters and a genuinely moving tale while managing to remain topical in the best of ways. Reitman’s policy of “let the film play, and the humor will come” works brilliantly, and turns out to work just as well for the entire range of emotions the movie engenders. It’s this demonstration of restraint, and the ability to execute it without losing any sense of artistic adventurousness, that makes the movie one of the year’s best.
Up in the Air excels in peppering itself with little details and subtle flourishes, fortifying the expression of its biggest and most poignant ideas through a chain of miniscule movements that quietly reveal themselves with lingering effect. The film is exceptionally good at sticking to the telling of an honest story, avoiding the pitfalls of faux grandiosity by letting the truth of the characters power the story. This is what makes it so effective a movie about the present. Read»
Some of Hollywood’s brightest are lining up some really interesting projects this week. We’ve got two doses of sci-fi goodness plus the next Alexander Payne movie attaching big names in today’s Casting Bites.
Bradley Cooper continues his hot streak, signing on to star in the Neil Burger-directed thriller Dark Fields. Based on the book by Alan Glynn,
Usually, we like to preface our trailer posts with a little bit about the movie, a synopsis or maybe a few interesting tidbits about the cast and crew, some sort of hook to get you interested in seeing the movie. All you need to know about Up In The Air is that it’s written and directed by Jason Reitman, the director of Thank You For Smoking and Juno, and that it stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, and J.K. Simmons. With such a talented group behind the movie, that should be more than enough. If it isn’t, just watch the trailer below.
Aw geez, I can’t help myself – here goes: I think Up In The Air is going to be one of the special ones, a movie that comes along every few years that quietly blows people away. These movies, they’re never too showy about it; they just sort of appear and surprise audiences with a truly engaging story. We’ve seen a teaser for this already, and now Apple has released the full theatrical trailer. It seems to reveal more of what we here at c,vt have long suspected: that this film – one that Reitman has said could be his most personal ever – is going to amaze.
I’m not saying this because it’s a particularly bold or original statement. There’s been a lot of positive buzz coming out of festivals and I know I’m not the first to proclaim this thought. I’ve just got a good feeling about this one. I’m excited, and I hope you are too. Catch the trailer after the jump. Read»
A second trailer has been released for Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the more I see of this movie, the more it’s looking to be every bit as charming and whimsical as the director’s best work.
I think I spent the majority of the first trailer absorbing the very particular look that Anderson brought to the film. It was definitely jarring at first, but since then (and after seeing the very excellent featurette that Apple has here), I’ve warmed up a lot to the Rushmore director’s distinctive approach here. The stop-motion animation’s got a curtness to it that I wasn’t sure worked, but after further viewing, I find it gives the characters more personality in spite of the choppiness. Anyway, the second trailer has only reassured that notion, and now I’m more excited than ever to see what Anderson’s cooked up this time.
You can watch the trailer in HD over at Apple, or catch it after the jump. Read»
Wes Anderson’s animated film gets a spunky trailer. Read»
Two high-res images of the animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book have hit the nets. Read»
Check out the first still image from Wes Anderson’s animated Fantastic Mr. Fox. Read»
News regarding a potential franchise for George Clooney, a couple of awesome trailers, Eminem’s cameo in Funny People, and more! Read»
Trailers, project updates, and more goodies. See what you missed this week! Read»
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