Narnia series to continue!

Although Disney wouldn't go ahead with going forward with the rest of the Narnia books after Prince Caspian for financial purposes. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the next installment, and a costly one at that since most of it takes place in a boat/middle of the ocean, is being carried forth by Fox. The expected release is end of 2010 which is great news for fans who were dissappointed when Disney announced they would not produce the film.

Book Pick of the Week!

Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff is sure to be a fun read. This collection of short stories rounds every corner from the unimaginable to the unforgettable and leaves the reader following one character's life as it quickly becomes replaced by another in a continuous, fulfilling and well written collection.

Won't stink as much as people think!

Manure, directed by Michael Polish; starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tea Leoni, and Kyle MacLachlan.

This film is described as a "classic comic adventure from the 1960s." The film follows a young newly realized heiress as she tries to save her family business but is being sabotaged by two men who are looking to further their own interests.

Manure

"Summer" film looks like a delight!

500 Days of Summer, directed by Marc Webb; starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zoey Deschanel
This is a love story with an opposite twist. Where society usually finds the man is the one with the commitment problems, this one finds the young woman to be afraid to be in a relationship. An unconventional exploration of romance in the workplace ensues.

500 Days of Summer

Sundance Daily Pick

Dare, directed by Adam Salky; starring Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, Ashley Springer, Ana Gasteyer, Alan Cumming, and Sandra Bernhard.

Dare is a story of three high school seniors who are total opposites and yet crave the same thing from life.

More Info

BAFTA Nominees

On Feb 8th the British Academy of Film & Television Arts Awards will be held and broadcasted through BBC. Below are just some of the nominees:

Best Film:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire


Director
Changeling-Clint Eastwood
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-David Fincher
Frost/Nixon-Ron Howard
The Reader-Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire-Danny Boyle

Leading Actor
Frank Langella- Frost/Nixon
Dev Patel- Slumdog Millionaire
Sean Penn- Milk
Brad Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler

Leading Actress
Angelina Jolie- Changeling
Kristin Scott Thomas- I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep- Doubt
Kate Winslet- The Reader
Kate Winslet- Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr.-Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson- In Bruges
Philip Seymour Hoffman- Doubt
Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight
Brad Pitt- Burn After Reading

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams- Doubt
Penelope Cruz- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Freida Pinto- Slumdog Millionaire
Tilda Swinton- Burn After Reading
Marisa Tomei- The Wrestler

Cinematography
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Full List of Nominees

Sundance Daily Pick

An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig; starring Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson.

The film follows 16 year old Jenny in the prime of her adolescence and also in the midst of confusion about life. Growing up in 1960s London she finds herself torn between her studies and a new and exciting life with an older man who introduces to a glittering and yet dangerous world.

An Education

First batch of performers announced for Grammy's

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 8th and the first round of performers was announced and include Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, The Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, and Katy Perry. All of the above have received nominations, with Lil Wayne leading with eight!

Gossip Girl spinoff set to air in May!

The new series which is still unnamed is set to make a debut on May 11th. It will follow Lily van der Woodsen, maiden name Lily Rhodes (Serena's mom) on the show, in her teenage years in 80s LA. The project's creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz promise that the project will in no way interfere with the Gossip Girl series and chose LA as the new locale in order to preserve GG's independence as a series.

I think it will be interesting, however Blair Waldorff (Leighton Meester's character) is still my favorite part of the entire show!

The Superbowl is Coming!

Jennifer Hudson was announced as the singer of the National Anthem at the Superbowl this year. This will be her first public performance since the tragic murders that surrounded her family in the past year.

Bruce Springsteen will be the halftime entertainment of the Bowl which is in Tampa, FL this year and will take place on Sunday, Feb 1st.

Watchmen dispute resolved

WB and Fox have put an end to their legal problems for now over Watchmen. The film which was set to debut March 6th was almost delayed due to the dispute between WB and Fox over film rights. In exchange for primary film rights WB has settled to give Fox an upfront cash payment between $5-10 million as well as between 5-8% of world wide revenues. In addition Fox would be involved in any sequels or spinoffs from the film. Not a bad deal for Fox, but I'm sure this will not hurt WB in any way and the film is surely to be bankable for both powerhouses.

Focus On Sundance- Daily Pick!

Lymelife, directed by Derick Martini; starring Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, Emma Roberts. The film follows the progression of events as Scott Bartlett, an ordinary 15 year old boy in 1970s Long Island, finds himself amidst a Lyme disease outbreak. With an over protective mother and and a workaholic, adulterous father, Scott's life soon begins to unravel with a fast falling series of events.

Lymelife

Sundance begins its 10 day Fest!

Sundance 2009 may not be as glitzy as years past but the films do not seem to be lacking in any way. Along with many short films & documentaries, many full length feature films will also be making their premieres starting tomorrow, Friday, January 16th across many cinema venues in the Park City area. So whether you happen to be there or just can't wait for these films to get released, we'll go through daily on what ones seem to be promising a theater release outside of Utah.

Tomorrow's Pick is Helen, directed by Sandra Nettlebeck; starring Ashley Judd, Goran Visnjic, Lauren Lee Smith, Alexia Fast, Alberta Watson, and David Hewlett. The film focuses on a woman who has a seemingly perfect life but begins a spiraling battle with Bipolar disorder. When she has to be hospitalized because of the debilitating spin her depressions lead her to, she begins a different journey towards understanding something she cannot control. Click below for more information on the picture.

Helen

A different look at the Globes big winner

As a big fan of the movie Slumdog Millionaire it surprised me to come across the name of the film with the words "poverty porn" next to its title, in a Times Online article that was a review from one of their critics. The critic continues to try to bring down the film for the mere purpose of saying that it tries to make an entertaining picture out of the suffering of a Third World Country inhabitants and mainly children.

I normally keep my posts lighthearted, however here I cannot help but argue that I felt that Danny Boyle, the director, and the producers of the film did not have the thought of lightning the situation in any way. It is quite possible to make good film, great art, and really move people while portraying truly sad and desperate times and images. Often these are the greatest of pictures. Yes, there are moments of comic relief in the movie but the underlying "good feeling" quality that the critic seems to be judging is that of hope. That is where I believe that she is wrong. Ultimately the reason why I left the theater feeling happy after watching a film with some very graphic and disturbing murder and torture scenes was because the key qualities that the main characters in the film possessed were love and hope.

I can see how its classification in the comedy genre in Britain could be off putting to her as a critic, however the cynicism in the rest of the review was quite unsettling and it seemed to try to paint a murky picture of what the film was actually about.

In all Slumdog has done incredibly well with Critics Awards, and at the Globes, and I'm sure it will also fare well at the Academy Awards. Below is the link to the article posted on the Times website. Although I do not agree with the review, it does spark discussion which is always a great thing!

Times Review

Vanessa Hudgens being considered for New Moon?

The Queen of the teen scene from Disney's High School Musical might be shifting gears into an edgier role as Leah Clearwater, a female werewolf/girl, in the Twilight sequel New Moon. All in all if she joins the cast it will only make this an even more hyped film and mean more money for the franchise.

Inaugural Concert Celebration on HBO

Tune into HBO at 7PM on Sunday for the Inaugural Celebration where Bono, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Beyonce, Usher, Josh Groban, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, and many more will perform!

The sure to be star studded event won't be like most of the concerts with the popular artists. They are expected to perform covers and historically appropriate songs, for the momentus occasion.

Congrats to the Golden Globe Winners!

The Golden Globes were a pleasure to watch last night, and the winners also were spectacular. Below are some of my favorites in the results:

Best Actor in a Motion Picture: Mickey Rourke The Wrestler
Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Kate Winslet Revolutionary Road
Best Actor in a Comedy: Colin Farrell In Bruges
Best Actress in a Comedy: Sally Hawkins Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger The Dark Knight
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Kate Winslet The Reader
Best Director: Danny Boyle Slumdog Millionaire
Best Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: The Wrestler Bruce Springsteen
Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Film: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir

Steven Spielberg also gave a great speech as he received his achievement award for directing, producing, and just being awesome!

Flight of the Conchords Back on the 18th

Season two of the quirky comedy about this New Zealand band will premier on HBO Sunday, January 18 at 10 pm. The first season was hilarrrrious, and the 10 episode second time around sounds promising as well. All I can say is no one can serenade a lady properly like Jemaine and Bret!

A family affair!

Okayy so I don't normally linger on celebrity relationships but this one was too much when I found out. Co-stars Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter who play Dexter and his police officer sister on the show Dexter eloped on New Year's Eve and are now husband and wife! Apparently the clever couple have been dating for over a year and have kept it under wraps. I hope they're happy and all but now it makes it just a little bit creepy to watch them be all brother and sister on the show....even if it isn't biological. Either way if you don't watch the show, you should because it's amazing! Catch up on the first 2 seasons of this Showtime series on DVD until the third one is released too, you'll be glad you did.

Book Pick of the Week!

College Girl by Patricia Weitz is just that...a book a bout a college girl, however it seems to be alot more as well. This work of fiction dwells in the mind of a young woman who is on her own for the first time and experiencing an entire new world. The book is written gut-wretchengly honest and almost makes you feel uncomfortable at the level the emotions are being portrayed, so gentlemen beware, this may be another Twilight for you...unless you're looking to get in touch with your feminine side!

Ghostbusters sequel in the works?

So this might be pure hearsay but the Chicago Tribune is reporting that in an interview Sigourney Weaver said that a Ghostbusters sequel is set to happen with Bill Murray coming back and all! O boyyy, that's exciting for me, because lets face it who else are you go gonna call?? haha. It would really be hard to bring back the excitment and specialness of the first one as with any sequel that is after many years. Weaver says the success of it would depend on the new generation cast in the film as well as the creation of an incredible script. Whoever does this project better tread carefully! The classic will always be wonderful, but the sequel might not fare so well.

Scrubs is back tonight....and has changed some lettering!

The networks have switched it up on us and tonight officially at 9pm Scrubs will premiere on ABC and have an eighteen episode run on the network. If you are not a fanatic of the show, in the past it has run on NBC but with hesitations from the network to go forward with another season ABC grabbed the series into its programming. Yeay for the viewers who would have been left disappointed with an anticlimactic series ending, had the show not been saved.

National Society of Film Critics Awards

The National Society of Film Critics announced the winners of their coveted awards! Just days before the Golden Globes, the time is ticking until the big awards are announced...

Best picture
Waltz With Bashir
Best director
Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky
Best actor
Sean Penn for Milk
Best actress
Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky
Best supporting actor
Eddie Marsan for Happy-Go-Lucky
Best supporting actress
Hanna Schygulla for The Edge of Heaven

SENE Film, Music and Arts Festival

SENE (Southeast New England) is debuting this year in Providence, RI. The Festival, which incorporates film screenings, visual art entries, and live music, will occur April 2-5, 2009. More information can be found on their website as well as additions being made more frequently as the Festival comes closer.

A look Ahead!

It's officially 2009! That means a new year, new beginnings, and new shows & films to be excited for! To ring in the new year I looked ahead and put together a list of some already announced films that are being released to be excited for. Some may not live up to their hype but others are very worth getting excited for even if they are not being released until July!

1. Hotel for Dogs...Jan 23rd...Emma Roberts, Lisa Kudrow, Don Cheadle...I don't think this movie is resistable! Two kids begin to take in stray dogs in a vacant house....things begin to get out of control.
2. Confessions of A Shopaholic...Feb 13th...Isla Fisher, Joan Cusack, John Goodman...Having read the book, I am very excited for the movie because mostly of all the great clothes that are in the movie. For those who do not get excited by things like Balenciaga and Dior, this lighthearted comedy is sure to please anyway.
3. Two Lovers...Feb 13th...Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw...A romantic drama about a man who must chose between staying with what is safe versus the new and exciting.
   
4. Watchmen...Mar 6th...Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup...This comicbook movie is alot more...more like a graphic novel...one that was said to be one of the best novels written this century. It definately is thought provoking, a 1985 with superheros. Well the film examines what happens when some of the heroes become the villains.
5. The Ugly Truth...Apr 3rd...Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines...When a morning show producer needs help with her love life, her male co-worker tells her he'll tell her all the tricks to land the right guy...until they begin falling for each other.
   
6. The Soloist...Apr 24th...Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener...The story of a homeless Julliard trained musician who meets a LA reporter trying to tink of his next piece.
7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine...May 1st...Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Liev Shreiber...This one doesn't need much explanation; HJ is the Wolverine, and a good time.
8. The Brothers Bloom...May 29th...Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo...A con men story, with an eccentric lady= action and laughs!
9. The Year One...June 19th...Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde...Hunters and gatherers anyone? A very strange comedy.
10. Public Enemies...July 1st...Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum...Feds try to take down notorious gangsters in the 193os.
11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...July 17th...Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint...The 6th book in the series!
12. Julie & Julia...Aug 7th...Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Chris Messina...The book was superb, and with the two leading actresses the film is just as promising. The story surrounds a woman turning 30 who looks to change her life by blogging her way through famed French chef's Julia Child's cookbook in one year. The next 365 days of her life and all the rest are less than ordinary, plus it is all based on a true story.

So there you have it, some movies to look forward to, and thats only until August! Get excited!