Other Oscar Nomination Predictions
I did predict a few little while ago, but much has changed in the interim and I feel it necessary to update my prediction season for the nominees, something I will do again in early February just before the nominations are announced.
The primary change is the fall of Nine, previously considered a shoe-in for most categories, which looks likely to win absolutely nothing outside of a possible couple of technicals. Add to that the rising popularity of Inglourious Basterds and the seemingly-unstoppable attention being given to The Hurt Locker, plus the apparently disastrous The Lovely Bones, and some things have to change.
Below then are my predictions for the top few categories, with some explanation as to why and, bold as it may be, my predictions for the likely winners in each category.
Sam’s Top Ten of the Year
You can listen to us discussing these films at length on the podcast on the show, but please do check out the list below for perpetuity. Sam’s list is annotated and included below, Tom’s is not annotated and its right here. This just means you will have to check out the podcast to hear Tom’s viewpoints. So check out Sam’s choices after the jump, along with a few choice thoughts and honourable mentions. Enjoy!
Tom’s Top Ten Movies of 2009
So here’s Tommy’s list of the top ten films of 2009. No annotations, so you’ll just have to listen to the podcast to hear his thoughts. For just the list, jump in. Continue reading →
MOD Summer Round-Up #1 (April to June)
Being in the UK, deciding what actually constitutes summer in our increasingly muddled weather environment is pretty darn difficult. Should we start with May? Well, if summer is the period of the year in which things were sunny and bright and lovely, then May, June and July are all out for us UK folks. Our summer never really arrived, overshadowed as it was by the constant humidity and rain. Instead of going with weather calculations, our summer will start in May, or the end of April to be precise, when the blockbuster season kicked-off in multiplexes, and plexes, across the land. Begin post-jump… Continue reading →
US Box-Office: Museum Wins War Against Terminator
So, it seems these Terminators from the future and all that aren’t quite as tough as they would have you believe. Indeed, Terminator Salvation was taught a pretty tough lesson over the weekend as Ben Stiller and friends trounced McG’s franchise effort.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian essentially managed to get all the kids and families into its hollow web of fun to rack up $53.5m over the weekend, an unbelievable result when considering it was up against Terminator Salvation.
The Christian Bale-starring, McG-helmed fourth instalment took $43m, meaning Night at the Museum topped it by $10m, enough in 1984 to make the original Terminator and have significant change. That’s a meaningless fact but, still, that’s quite a big defeat for Terminator given its $200m budget and very high business expectations.
Star Trek managed to stay close to top spot with $21.9m, just pipping Angels & Demons in fourth with $21.4m. They were followed up in fifth by Dance Flick, the horrible-looking Wayans-run spoof, which made a horrifying $11.1m.
The top ten is rounded out by X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Obsessed, Monsters vs Aliens and 17 Again.
News Morsels
Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment is to team with Sony on an adaptation of the life of John Keller, a former marine reponsible for saving 244 of his neighbours in the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans. I feel tears and Oscars around the corner.
Steven Soderbergh is interviewed, fascinatingly, on Suicide Girls. With The Girlfriend Experience, Sasha Grey does the same with The AV Club.
Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford has signed up to star in the remake of Footloose, replacing the long-attached Zac Efron.
Zach Braff has signed on to direct, rewrite and star in Swingles, from a spec script by Duncan Birmingham. I liked Garden State first time, less second.
President Barack Obama has delivered his verdict on Star Trek.
The great Peter Yates film, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, starring Robert Mitchum, has been released through Criterion. It’s reviewed by RoS here.
Wolverine Takes Bite of UK Box-Office Too
X-Men Origins: Wolverine followed its super-sized bow in the US with a chunky haul in the UK too, taking £6.6m during its first five days on release. It meant Miley Cyrus and her Hannah Montana: The Movie had to settle for second, despite the youngster’s publicity wave throughout the week trying to promote the film.
Hannah Montana took a solid £2.03m to finish in second, over double the take of previous number one State of Play, taking £0.98m to just nip in ahead of Matthew McConaughey and his Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
Zac Efron clung onto fifth with 17 Again, followed up by Monsters vs Aliens, Fast & Furious, I Love You, Man, In The Loop and The Uninvited to round out the top ten.
The only disappointment of the week was the £123,309 taken by Is Anybody There?, the new film from Sir Michael Caine.
It’s likely Wolverine’s time at the top will be obliterated in the coming week with the release of Star Trek but, after a very troubled route to cinemas, this one really did some solid business, as can be shown from the ridiculous number of further X-Men projects now being flung into development.
Star Trek Reviews from Surprise Premiere Positive
The surprise premiere of the new Star Trek movie in Austin, Texas has set the internet abuzz with Cinematical rounding up some of the opinions thus far entered on the picture.
Quint from Aint it Cool News said he felt Abrams had “pulled it off”, noting that the film “isn’t just a successful reboot, but a genuinely fun and exciting science fiction action adventure”.
Neil Miller on Film School Rejects is less direct in his praise for the film, but notes that although the “commitment to character and story” from the original is not quite adhered to…
“… I can assure you that when you get that first gorgeous shot of the USS Enterprise or you are thrust into the midst of a wild space battle, you won’t mind one bit.”
Miller’s cohort Cole Abaius is similarly in love with the film, concluding his review with the following statement:
“Overall, it’s an exciting flick that is shot beautifully – featuring a cast that carries all the weight necessarily to create some enduring figures to root for. A near-perfect Summer tentpole blockbuster.”
Also weighing in was Twitch’s Rodney Perkins who called the film “a very entertaining and reverential take on the Star Trek mythos”. He goes on to state that ‘JJ Abrams’ new work is as good as (and arguably better than) most of the Star Trek movies that preceded it”.
So it seems the fans love the new Star Trek, although we may need to wait a little while for people to watch outside of the influence of adrenaline and excitement to get fully balanced reviews. On the basis of this however, and I would trust Miller especially on a general basis, Star Trek is sounding better by the minute.
Who Will Be The Green Lantern?
I don’t know too much about the Green Lantern as a character, but I know that the casting rumours at present are giving me no confidence or interest in jumping onto another comic book franchise.
The most recent name thrown out has been Chris Pine, the man about the burst onto the map by playing a young Kirk in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. This has been disputed but his name being bandied around does indicate a desire from the studio to cast someone young and spunky in the role. Elizabeth Rappe on Splash Page notes the screenplay calls for someone at 27 years old, something neither Chris Pine or Anton Yelchin can pull off. Rappe has also listed a few possible other candidates for the role, including David Boreanez.
Her others are much stronger however. Jon Hamm would be significantly older but I would argue this is an actor that changing that age, which doesn’t seem to be integral the the story, would be a worthwhile move for. Nathan Fillion would be even better, bringing a titanic-level of charm to the role, slightly similar to Downey Jr in Iron Man, and a man who has already played superhero and regular heroes in the past. Then she notes Jamie Bamber and Tahmoh Penikett, both veteran of Battlestar Galactica and both deserving of a chance to jump into the quality action movie world.
I am definitely going to need to see a decent lead actor in the role to even remotely peak some interest in the project. I will have nothing more on this with Pine or Yelchin as I honestly can’t see either of them saving anyone or being super-powered.
The Movie Overdose 
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