70th Annual Golden Globe Award Winners

Source: Hollywood Foreign Press

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 13, 2013. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the event. Their opening monologue was quite funny and started off the night well. Stars of the small and big screen gathered and even former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, made an appearance in order to introduce one of the Golden Globe nominated movies, “Lincoln”. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone presented the award for Best Foreign Language Film, but before it was presented they bantered on which of them was the worst actor. The film that won was “Amour”, which hails from Austria and Schwarzenegger was able to present the award to a fellow countryman.

Robert Downey Jr. presented the Cecil B. DeMille award to this year’s recipient, two-time Golden Globe and Academy Award winner, Jodie Foster (“The Accused”, “Silence of the Lambs”). Foster’s career has spanned five decades and her speech was very heart-felt as she spoke about her personal life and professional career. She started off her speech quoting a line from a SNL skit, which was made famous by former SNL star Molly Shannon. Foster ended her speech with, “Here’s to the next 50 years”.

As for the awards in the Motion Pictures category, “Les Miserables”, walked away with the most awards including Best Supporting Actress – Anne Hathaway, Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy – Hugh Jackman, and Best Musical/Comedy. In the category of Motion Picture – Drama, “Argo” nabbed the honor of Best Picture – Drama and Ben Affleck won Best Director. Affleck’s Oscar snub is now even more intriguing since the film won a Critics’ Choice Award and now a Golden Globe and he has won the directing award at both of these award ceremonies. More Critics’ Choices went on to win tonight including, Jennifer Lawrence – Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for “Silveer Linings Playbook”, Jessica Chastain – Best Actress in a Drama for “Zero Dark Thirty”, and Daniel Day-Lewis – Best Actor in a Drama for “Lincoln”. Day-Lewis is also nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, could this be the role that gives him his third Oscar?

In the Television Category, “Homeland”, earned the most awards including Best Actress in a TV Drama – Claire Danes, Best Actor in a TV Drama – Damian Lewis, and Best TV Drama. HBO series, “Girls”, won two awards including Best Actress in a TV Comedy – Lena Dunham, and Best TV Comedy or Musical. In the Miniseries/TV Movie category, “Game Change”, won three awards amongst which was Best Miniseries or TV Movie.

Who else won? Click on the link below to find out the rest of the Golden Globe winners!

18th Annual Critics’ Choice Award Winners

Source: Broadcast Film Critics Association

The 18th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards took place on January 10, 2013. “Silveer Linings Playbook” collected the most awards of the night with four wins. Those awards include Best Acting Ensemble, Best Actress in a Comedy – Jennifer Lawrence, Best Actor in a Comedy – Bradley Cooper, and Best Comedy. Jennifer Lawrence also won Best Actress in an Action Film for her role in “The Hunger Games”. “Skyfall” won three awards including Best Song – “Skyfall”, Best Actor in an Action Film – Daniel Craig, and Best Action Film. Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln”, also won three awards, which includes Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis.

“Argo” nabbed the top honor of the night, which was Best Picture. Ben Affleck won Best Director for “Argo”. This is especially intriguing with the announcement of the Oscar nominations today and Affleck was not given a directing nomination for “Argo” although the film is in the running for Best Picture. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the Golden Globe Awards, which are airing on January 13, 2013. Generally speaking over the years the Critics’ Choice(s) have been pretty good indicators of whom will go on to win a Golden Globe and/or Oscar.

Click on the link below to find out the rest of the Critics’ Choice Award winners!

Winter Movie Season: January 2013

Happy New Year! What better way to celebrate the new year with the first blog post in 2013! Plenty of great movies to see this month in addition to some December 2012 movies still in the theaters. Such as Golden Globe nominated films “Les Miserables”, “Zero Dark Thirty” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained”. Also there is “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, Judd Apatow’s “This is 40”, and Tom Cruise stars as “Jack Reacher” based on the novels by Lee Child.

The month kicks off with the horror thriller “Texas Chainsaw 3D”. Mid-month Mark Wahlberg and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”) star in the crime drama “Broken City”. He’s…back! Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in “The Last Stand”. Schwarzenegger plays a sheriff who has to stop a drug cartel leader with the help of his inexperienced crew members. At the end of the month, Jeremy Renner (“The Avengers”) and Gemma Arterton (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”) play Hansel and Gretel in a dark spin-off of the fairy-tale where the siblings are bounty hunters who track and kill witches. Kind of cross between the TV shows, ABC’s Once Upon a Time and NBC’s Grimm.

My spotlight pick of the month is “Gangster Squad”, which has an all-star cast including Academy Award winner Sean Penn (“Mystic River”), Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone. It’s a crime drama that’s set in the 1940s and 50s where the LAPD fights to keep gangsters off the streets.

Well that’s my January overview, click on the link below to check out the rest of the movies coming out this month and check back next month for more Winter Movie Season movie release dates and my picks of the month! If you’ve seen any of the films from this month…leave some feedback/suggestions in the Comments section on what to see.

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” has a new ‘Strong’ scribe

Danny Strong on a panel at the 2004 Moonlight Rising convention. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Source: Variety.com

Fresh off his Emmy win, Danny Strong (“Game Change”), is set to write the film adaptation of “Mockingjay”, which is the last book in “The Hunger Games” trilogy. The film will be split into two parts. According to Variety.com, the first part is scheduled for release on Nov. 21, 2014, and the second part will open on Nov. 20, 2015.

Frankly, I don’t think it is necessary to split the final book into two films but it seems like this franchise is following the same trend as the Harry Potter and Twilight films.

Thoughts? Share them in the Comments section below!

Want to know more about “The Hunger Games” book trilogy? Click here to read my overview of each book.

Fall Movie Season: September 2012

The Summer Movie Season has flown by but there are still many movies to see this month including some big hits lingering in theaters from the summer. Those movies include “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Total Recall”, and “The Bourne Legacy”.

The month kicks off with the thriller “The Cold Light of Day” starring Henry Cavill (“Immortals”), Bruce Willis (“Die Hard”), and Academy Award nominee Sigourney Weaver (“Avatar”). The expanded release of the comedy “For a Good Time, Call…” makes it way into more theaters with appearances by comedic actors/actresses like Seth Rogan (“Knocked Up”), Justin Long (“Accepted”), and Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) just to name a few.

Mid-month a box office smash returns to theaters but in 3D. Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” in 3D should be an amazing feast for the eyes. Also the reboot of the Comic Book character Judge Dredd makes it way back to the big screen in “Dredd 3D”. The original film was released in 1995 and Sylvester Stallone starred as the title character. It wasn’t a great film, so hopefully the reboot is better.

At the end of the month, Adam Sandler (“Big Daddy”) and many SNL alumni and comedic actors/actresses voice the animated film “Hotel Transylvania”, a resort where monsters go, it could be a hit or big flop. Other voice talents include Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Molly Shannon, and Selena Gomez just to name a few. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in the movie “Looper” as the same character, Joe. Although things become difficult when future and past Joe meet and one has to eliminate the other. Also Academy Award nominee, Anna Kendrick, stars in “Pitch Perfect” which is college A Capella meets Glee.

My spotlight pick of the month is “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” based on the novel by Stephen Chbosky. A coming-of-age story starring Logan Lerman (“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”), Emma Watson from the Harry Potter film franchise, and Ezra Miller.

Well that’s my September overview, click on the link below to check out the rest of the movies coming out this month and check back next month for more Fall Movie Season movie release dates and my picks of the month! If you’ve seen any of the films from this month…leave some feedback/suggestions in the Comments section on what to see.

“Red Dawn” – Trailer

Source: Yahoo! Movies
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Check out the first trailer for the remake of “Red Dawn” starring Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”), Josh Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games”), Adrianne Palicki (“Friday Night Lights”), and Isabel Lucas (“Immortals”). View the full cast list on IMDB.com.

The story centers on a group of teenagers that try to save their town from a foreign invasion.

The film will be released in theaters on November 21, 2012.

“Man of Steel” – Teaser Trailer

Source: Yahoo Movies!
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Check out the teaser trailer for “Man of Steel” the next film in the Superman franchise. Henry Cavill (“The Tudors”) plays the coveted role of Clark Kent/Superman backed by an all-star cast including Academy Award nominees Amy Adams (“The Fighter”), who plays Lois Lane, Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”), who plays Martha Kent, and Academy Award winners Kevin Costner (“Dancing with Wolves”), who plays Jonathan Kent, and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”) who plays Jor-El. Check out the full cast list on IMDB.com. The film is directed by Zack Snyder (“300”, Director) and produced by Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knight trilogy.

Will this new reboot be the “super” comeback that fans of the comics are hoping for?

Thoughts? Comments?

Share them in the Comments section below!

“Pitch Perfect” – Trailer

Video Source: Yahoo! Movies
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Academy Award Nominee, Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”), stars in “Pitch Perfect”, which sort of looks like Glee set in college but done in a capella style.

Here’s a synopsis from IMDB.com:
A comedy set in the middle of a war between rival a cappella groups and centered on a rebellious girl who joins one of the groups as an escape from her unhappy life at school.

The cast also includes Brittany Snow (“Hairspray”) and Rebel Wilson (“Bridesmaids”) and is directed by Tony Award nominee, Jason Moore, for his direction of Best Musical, Avenue Q (2004). “Pitch Perfect” will be released in theaters on October 5, 2012.

Summer Movie Season: June 2012

The Summer Movie Season is underway! The month of the May kicks off the Summer Movie Season and some of the hits from May are still in theaters. Those movies include “The Avengers” and “Men in Black 3”. This month has a lot of potential hits with stories that include dwarfs, aliens, vampires, and strippers?

The month kicks off with the re-telling of the classic story of Snow White with a twist in “Snow White and the Huntsman” starring Kristen Stewart (“Twilight”), Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”), and Academy Award winner Charlize Theron (“Monster”) as the evil queen. Visually the film has great special effects and the story twist was intriguing. Charlize Theron was quite the wicked evil queen.

Dreamworks’ “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” returns with its latest installment in the franchise but this time they take a detour to the circus, literally. An all-star cast star in the sci-fi thriller “Prometheus”, where a group of scientists follow a clue that uncovers the origin of mankind on Earth but they end up in a battle to save the human race.

Mid-month, Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”), pulls triple duty in directing, choreographing, and producing the stage to screen adaptation of “Rock of Ages”. The all-star cast include Academy Award Winner, Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”), Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”), Russell Brand (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige, and Tom Cruise. Toward the end of the month, based on the best-selling novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer” is brought to the screen directed by Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”). Also Academy Award winning director Steven Soderberg (“Traffic”) directs “Magic Mike” starring Channing Tatum (“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”), Alex Pettyfer (“I Am Number Four”), Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Matt Bomer (“White Collar”), and Matthew McConaughey (“The Lincoln Lawyer”). The story focuses on an experienced stripper (Tatum) who acts as a mentor to a young up and coming stripper (Pettyfer).

My spotlight pick of the month is Disney/Pixar’s film “Brave”. A story of a princess trying to change her fate and bring an end to a beastly curse. It looks likes a fun and visually stunning film.

Well that’s my June overview, click on the link below to check out the rest of the movies coming out this month and check back next month for the start of the Summer Movie Season and my picks of the month! If you’ve seen any of the films from this month…leave some feedback/suggestions in the Comments section on what to see.

Spring Movie Season: April 2012

Before the Summer Movie Season kicks off, there is still some time to catch some Spring movies. So what can you expect from April? Some comedic films and suspense thrillers hit theaters this month as well as an epic movie blockbuster returns but this time in 3D. Opening the month is James Cameron’s “Titanic in 3D”, will it sink or swim to higher box office numbers? The American Pie crew return for “American Reunion”. It could be a hit or a big flop.

“The Cabin in the Woods” co-written by Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire
Slayer”) and stars Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”). In what was suppose to be a simple getaway amongst friends takes an unexpected turn. Guy Pearce (“Memento”) and Maggie Grace (“Lost”) star in “Lockout”, a sci-fi thriller where a man has to save the president’s daughter in exchange for his freedom. Moe, Larry, and Curly make their way from the small screen to the big screen in “The Three Stooges” movie. Looking for a Spring date movie? Perhaps check out “The Lucky One” starring Zac Efron (“17 Again”) and Taylor Schilling (“Dark Matter”) based on the Nicholas Sparks book of the same name.

My spotlight picks of the month are “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope“ and “The Five-Year Engagement”. From the director of “Supersize Me”, Morgan Spurlock, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is a documentary centering around the famed Comics convention. Jason Segal (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and Emily Blunt (“The Young Victoria”) star in “The Five-Year Engagent”, which looks like its going to be funny but yet sweet. Segal also co-wrote the screenplay.

Well that’s my April overview, click on the link below to check out the rest of the movies coming out this month and check back next month for the start of the Summer Movie Season and my picks of the month! If you’ve seen any of the films from this month…leave some feedback/suggestions in the Comments section on what to see.