The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Trailer: Jessica Chastain's 3rd Oscar Nomination?

Jessica Chastain is one of the busiest actresses working today. Look no further than her filmography from 2011 alone to prove that fact; "The Help", "Take Shelter", "Tree of Life" "The Debt" and "Coriolanus" all starred Chastain that year. A two-time Oscar nominated, and Golden Globe winning actress, 2014 stands to be another great year for her, as she's starring in some more high-profile films. Not only does she have a role in Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar", but there's buzz surrounding her performance in J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year".

But it's her performance in the acclaimed romance "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" that has won her the best raves of her already well received career. Handled by the Weinstein Company, the film finally has a trailer. (Watch below)

Meryl's Birthday! 5 Favorite Roles

There's not much to say about Meryl Streep that hasn't been said already... she is the Mariah Carey of the film industry, with a record breaking 18 Academy Award Nominations and 3 trophies (2 Leading Actress wins and 1 Supporting Actress win), it's easy to say she is the best actress working today. She has also been nominated for 28 Golden Globes, won 2 Emmys 2 BAFTA's and even 5 Grammy nominations. Not to mention, she is one of the rare actresses over the age of 40 that continues to land challenging roles (unlike her counterpart Glenn Close).

The last time you saw Streep, she was earning her 18th Oscar nomination for "August: Osage County" (not her best, but she gets nominated for everything it seems), and the next time you'll see her will be later this year in Tommy Lee Jones' "The Homesman", the film adaptation of the popular book "The Giver" (alongside Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift) and the film adaptation of the popular musical "Into the Woods" (alongside Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and Chris Pine).

Today, Streep turns 65. In honor of the legendary queen of the film awards, lets count down her 5 best performances:

Reese Witherspoon's Comeback?

I for one, used to be a fan of Reese Witherspoon. In her early years, Witherspoon delivered a string of great performances ("Election, Freeway), and her breakout work in "Legally Blonde" turned the film into a phenomenon (I for one believe it was work worthy of an Oscar nomination, but you know how the Academy is with comedy). After solidifying herself as one of Hollywood's most bankable leading ladies ("Sweet Home Alabama", "Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde") she took home the Oscar for Best Actress and a dozen other awards for her portrayal of country music singer June Carter-Cash in "Walk the Line". And then... nothing.

Since her Oscar win, Witherspoon's work has not only grown less enthusiastic, but her project choices have become less inspired. She had a small supporting role in last year's "Mud" alongside Matthew McConaughey, but it was McConaughey that won the raves, while Witherspoon was a forgotten element of the film.

Partnered with that embarrassing DUI arrest, it's safe to say that she's in need of a career resurgence/renaissance, which might just be this year.

Into The Woods Receives "Conservative" Changes

"Into the Woods" is one of the more curious films to land this year. For one thing, its source material is the heavily acclaimed musical by Stephen Soundheim. Not to mention that director Rob Marshall ("Chicago") is directing, with a cast including Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine and James Corden.

"Big Eyes" Rumors; Tim Burton Could Rake in Several Oscar Nominations

Tim Burton hasn't had a great film in several years; his last 2 outings were tepidly received at best. "Alice in Wonderland" broke box office records and started a brief fascination with 3-D films, however, the film was critically lampooned. His follow up, "Dark Shadows" was neither embraced by critics or audiences, so it's safe to say that the director of classics like "Edward Scissorhands" and "Big Fish" is in need of another great project.

It seems like that great project might just be his most recent picture, "Big Eyes" starring 5-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams and 2-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.

Looking Back at 2008: Top 10 List

When I think back on 2008, all I can think about is Heath Ledger's Joker riding through the streets of Gotham City, basking in all of the chaos he caused/was causing. Much like Miley Cyrus will be remembered for her antics in 2013, 2008 was arguably the year of Ledger. Unfortunately, he left us too soon to continue delivering the awe-inspiring performances like the one he gave us in Christopher Nolan's masterpiece "The Dark Knight", but what a note to go out on, an achievement capped with an incredibly rare posthumous Academy Award win.

Though there were many other incredible achievements in film that year, despite the fact Oscar gave us one of the weakest years in nominee/winner history; Robert Downey Jr. gave us a comeback for the history books in "Iron Man", while Anne Hathaway finally shed her "Princess Diaries" image for good, and became a true star.

At the request of some of my readers I've decided to post my top 10 from 2008. So let's take a trip back in time, shall we?

Michael Keaton & Birdman Seem to be Likely Oscar Contenders in First "Birdman" Trailer

The buzzy "Birdman" finally has a trailer. Presumed to be one of the major Oscar players later in the season (specifically in Best Actor for Keaton), it certainly looks like a wild ride.

Watch the trailer below.

Happy (Belated) Birthday Natalie Portman! 5 Quintessential Performances

Yes, it's that time of the year again: screen goddess Natalie Portman has turned another year older; 33 years old. Can you believe she's been working since she was just 12 years old?

In honor of my favorite actresses birthday (it was 2 days ago, but I've been busy busy busy), I've decided to rank her 5 best performances.

Nat's next scheduled film is the yet to be titled musical-drama Terrance Malick project (co-starring Ryan Gosling, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Christian Bale and Val Kilmer) which is set to be out later this year (though that will most likely change, knowing Malick) and the heavily troubled "Jane Got A Gun" out early next year.

FIRST LOOK-- Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke in "Regression"

After getting some of the best reviews of her career (take this piece written by Vanity Fair's always excellent Katey Rich) for her work in Darren Aronofsky's "Noah", Emma Watson is already busy on her next project, the thriller "Regression" co-starring Ethan Hawke.

Below is the first image from the film, officially released the other day.

The Fault In Our Stars: A Flawed Showcase for Shailene Woodley

I've been trying to make up my mind about  the film adaptation to John Green's widely popular novel "The Fault in Our Stars" ever since I saw it Thursday night. Critics are raving (82% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences ate it up ($65 mill worldwide opening weekend), but I've been divided on it since I left the theater. I went in a virgin, for the most part. I knew the film's plot, however, I did not know any of the quotes, character names or ending; the army of white girls surrounding me and my friend knew the story inside and out while we knew close to nothing.

What I did know, however, was that I wasn't going to love the film. The trailer had me rolling my eyes at least 7 times (John Green's writing/representation of teenagers has always had me rolling my eyes; I know no one like the characters he writes). While this wasn't a black and white representation of adolescence romance that had been done to death, it seemed utterly pretentious. And though full of emotion, that's pretty much what I got by the end of the film. However, what saves the film from slipping into complete, and utterly reprehensible territory is the charisma of Shailene Woodley, and her remarkably mature performance.

Thoughts on Angelina Jolie's "Maleficent"

When I first heard that there was a film about "Maleficent" in the works, starring Angelina Jolie, I have to admit I freaked out a bit. Maleficent has always been my favorite Disney villainess, and is arguably the most iconic. However, what really thrilled me was that early reports said the film would be Maleficent's "Wicked", i.e. tell her side of the story. That's what really got me going; Wicked (the book or the musical, either or) is one of the best retellings of a classic tale, offering depth and a new side to a character (The Wicked Witch of the West) we had all been told to hate for so long, and the fact that Sleeping Beauty's queen of evil was going to get that treatment was thrilling me.

Unfortunately, as much as early trailers excited me, I could see where Maleficent was headed... in the same canon as recent Disney CGI crap fests such as "Alice in Wonderland" or "OZ the Great and Powerful". While both were fun and silly, family targeted films, they didn't offer anything beyond their shiny, sleek appearances. However, the reason why Maleficent fails so much more than those films, however, is because of how much promise it squandered in favor of following OZ and Alice, not mention, it wastes Angelina Jolie's obvious talent.

Lupita Nyong'o Joins the Cast of Star Wars Episode VII

Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o will be joining the cast of "Star Wars Episode VII", according to major media outlets. The film has already nabbed stars Adam Driver (HBO's Girls) and Oscar Isaac ("Inside Llewyn Davis"), Andy Serkis, and Oscar nominee Max Von Sydow in addition to past Star Wars stars Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill.

Early Oscar Predictions

With this year's Cannes Film Festival finished, we have (un)officially began the 2014 Oscar season... which makes my brain hurt because it doesn't even seem like that long ago that I was watching Lupit Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence duke it out for Best Supporting Actress. But as it does every year, Oscar season seems to start just as it ends.