Is Noah Darren Aronofsky's Darkest Film?

Darren Aronofsky's films are known for their dark undertone, and psychologically tortured protagonists. In Pi and Black Swan, he followed characters who fell down a rabbit hole of paranoia, driven completely by their obsession for perfection. In Requiem For A Dream, he followed 4 characters who become submissive to their very powerful drug addictions, while he explored innate loneliness at the hands of masochism in The Wrestler.

Mr. Aronofsky's adaptation of the famous bible story of Noah and the Arc, is no different. Those hoping for a version like we heard in Sunday School are going to be very disappointed. Much like Nina Sayers, Randy "The Ram" Robinson and Sara Goldfarb, Noah is a man plagued and haunted by delusions, which drive him to nearly tearing his entire family apart. It may just be his darkest film yet.

Darren Aronofsky's Oscar Chances & Noah's Biblical Accuracy

There's been a lot of talk and controversy surrounding Aronofsky's adaptation of Noah's Arc and whether it's faithful to the story we all learned in bible school as kids.

The studio has released a video testimonial from many of those who have seen the film, with religious backgrounds. Take a look, and decide for yourself below as you watch the featurette.

Noah opens everywhere in today.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer

The first real trailer for Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past is here (I say, first real trailer because a teaser appeared on the web a few months ago), and it's chock full of action, explosions, and stoic cutaway shots.

The film stars some actors from the most recent addition to the X-Men franchise (Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence) and some from the old series (Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, Patrick Stewart) in a story stemming from the acclaimed comic book of the same name. The film will blend the past and present incarnations of the characters (for example, Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender will play Magneto, while James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart will play Charles Xavier/Professor X).

Jennifer Lawrence & David O.Russell's Next Collaboration... The Miracle Mop?

It seems like Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell are set to become the next Burton & Depp or Scorsese & DiCaprio-esque duo in terms of collaboration. In what will be their 3rd film together (after Silver Lining's Playbook and last winter's American Hustle), O.Russell could potentially take over for Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumlo as the director and screenwriter of a film based centered on the creator of the Miracle Mop. O.Russell has admitted he would write the screenplay for Lawrence specifically.

Sofia Coppola's "The Little Mermaid"?

Variety reports that "Lost in Translation" and "The Bling Ring" director is in negotiations to direct the upcoming adaptation of the famous story.

Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes and.... Taylor Swift?

When did we ever think there was going to be a film in which 3 time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep and Grammy winner Taylor Swift would star in a film together? Those of you that did, were right

That's right, Swift and Streep will co-star alongside Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges (who also serves as the film's producer), Katie Holmes and True Blood alum Alexander Skarsgård in the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Giver". Brenton Thwaites (who plays Prince Phillip in the upcoming Maleficent) also stars as the protagonist named Jonas.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the premise, the plot focuses on a utopian society in which humans are free of conflict, racism and sickness. However, as the plot thickens, it's made clear that the society is more dystopian, and less utopian.

The film is distributed by The Weinstein Company, and will be released on August 15. Until then, we have this trailer filled with lots of cuts to famous people to enjoy.

Maleficent's Wings (EDITED: Now Includes Complete Trailer)

The untold story of Disney's greatest villain is drawing closer and closer (the film lands May 30th, just in time for Summer). While there's still time to kill, however, Disney is doing an excellent job at keeping us intrigued just what happened before Princess Aurora pricked her finger on the spinning wheel.

In this latest trailer, we learn that Maleficent had wings once, just like the other fairies. Unfortunately for her (and everyone else; could this be what drove her to become evil?), they were stolen from her. 

Take a look at the new teaser below.

*** I posted this yesterday before Disney released the full trailer. It has been modified with the new, complete trailer *** This is presumably the final trailer before the film's release

Worst Oscar Winners: The Case of the Leading Men Who Won for the Wrong Roles

After a little bit of a hiatus, I'm back! The past week has been something of a roller coaster (for more than one reason). I wanted to take the time to just soak in the post-Oscar time; as anyone who keeps up with the Academy Awards knows, it's a lot of posting, all the time, which doesn't sound tiring but when you're the one doing it, trust me, it can be. 

Today also marks the start of my Spring Break, so I wanted to get something worthwhile out just in case I don't post for a few more days. I haven't been home really at all this semester, so I have a lot of people I need to catch up with, which doesn't leave me a whole lot of time to write or cover much (who am I kidding, I'm sure I'll find some time to post over break, I'm not that popular). 

So while I enjoy a school free week (and hopefully you are too, unless you had your Spring Break last week) enjoy my penultimate post in the Worst Oscar Winners series: with Best Actor in A Leading Role. Next month, the final category will be Best Supporting Actor. 

Enjoy! 

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as "Johnny" in the sequel to 2005's Sin City. 

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Sin City has been a longtime coming. Directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller (who also co-wrote the screenplay) are back with vets Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, and a bunch of new faces: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Juno Temple, and Lady Gaga to name a few.

The film is based on the graphic novel of the same name, and will include 2 original stories created exclusively for the film. It will be released this summer, on August 22.

Watch the highly stylized teaser trailer below.

Grace of Monaco Gets a Real Trailer

After that first strange trailer, the shift in release date, being dropped from the Weinstein's release schedule, and being given another release date (premiering at this year's Cannes Film Festival), it seems like things are finally on track for the Grace Kelly biopic. However, I'm not sure if that's all good news for the Oscar hopeful.

To be frank, the trailer is wrought in melodrama, almost the dreadful Diana-esque level. The costumes are gorgeous, and the scenery is very pretty but there isn't much in respect to how the film will ultimately play out in terms of quality.

Kidman has been nominated for 3 Oscars (winning one for her portrayal of Virginia Wolf in The Hours), but she's hardly an Academy favorite. She's known for pushing the boundaries of her career with her eclectic choices (often Academy unfriendly), but this seems relatively uninspired, and more Oscar baity. Though, director Oliver Dehan's last biopic (La Vie En Rose) won Marion Cotillard an Oscar for her amazing portrayal of Edith Piaf.

Though maybe I'm being judgmental, I fear this will follow last year's Cannes Film Festival opener The Great Gatsby in being style over substance. Though Gatsby did just take home 2 Oscars... will this film follow in its footsteps? Will we see Kidman follow in Cotillard's footsteps? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Watch the trailer below.

Cameron Diaz and Quvenzhané Wallis Bring Us "Annie"

Remember cute little Quvenzhané Wallis? The girl who was in the same Oscar category as Emmanuelle Riva, Jennifer Lawrence and Noami Watts? Well, she's back. After becoming the youngest Best Actress nominee in history, Wallis is back with her first post-Academy Award role (I don't count her "blink and you'll miss it cameo" in 12 Years A Slave). That's right, she's Annie!

The film also stars Cameron Diaz as the evil Miss Hannigan (inspired casting, to say the least), with Jamie Foxx and Rose Byrne also starring. You've got to say that's a pretty great line up right there.

So why does the trailer seem so... strange? They've changed the story a bit to accommodate a 21st Century retelling. And though I enjoy Cameron Diaz as much as anyone else, her performance (judging from the trailer) here seems to be, lame, to say the least. Wallis seems fine, but I just don't know how this is going to turn out. No doubt it will be successful, but will it be good?

This is only a trailer, which isn't always indicative of how great a movie is/isn't (remember the awful Magic Mike trailer and how good the movie turned out?). And Will Gluck (director of the great Easy A) is in the director's chair, so that's a plus... right?

Anyway, the film lands December 19th, which is prime time for Golden Globes recognition (though that's often the only type of awards it'll be attracting, unless the Razzies go for it).

You can watch the trailer below.

Well, That's A Wrap!

Truly, this is my favorite picture from last night... I can't take my eyes off of her, she's divine. One of the best, most deserving, and most Oscar winners we've had in awhile. 

It seems like we've been following the 2013 awards season forever, hasn't it? Though last year was one of the best years in film we've had in awhile, this Oscar season seemed much longer than the others. What was shaping up to be a competitive year settled into a somewhat predictable horse race. On some levels, I'm okay with it, and on others, not so much.

Academy Award Winners

Full list of winners (and commentary) below.

12 Years A Slave is Triumphant at the Independent Spirit Awards

Yesterday's Independent Spirit Awards proved successful for Best Picture frontrunner 12 Years A Slave. The film won 5 awards, including Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Director, and Picture. Though it had an easier time here due to the absence of American Hustle and Gravity, will it find similar success at tonight's Academy Awards?

Take a look at the full list of winners below. And don't forget to check out the updated Oscar index to see who stands with the most awards before tonight's ceremony!

If I Had A Ballot: My Academy Award Nominees (Acting)

It's always disappointing during Oscar season to root for a contender all year, only to find they've been ignored, in favor of a flashier, less impressive contender. It happens every single year... 2011's Best Actress snub of Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia and Charlize Theron in Young Adult still stings a little too much... Alas, that's the fun in creating your own ballot; you get to include your favorite performances, maybe some that didn't make it in the real awards race.

Admittedly, I started this back in December and have revised it at least 5 times (too many performances to choose from!) It's been a very good year despite some of Oscar's less inspired choices, which tended to be drawn from the Best Picture nominees only (with some exceptions, but still should not have ultimately been in their respective lineups) or from Oscar's own favorite pool (Streep? Did she really need another nomination in the year of Adele Exarchopoulos?)

In any event, while the Academy tends to select their favorites, I consider a wider pool of nominees from films the Academy think they're too good to watch, though we do tend to overlap in some cases (in such a rich year, it's hard to ignore the truly great performances). 

So, without further adieu, I give you my Acting Ballot!!