Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet & Seth Rogan Aim for Oscar in "Jobs" Trailer

It's almost strange to see Michael Fassbender take such a conventional biopic choice given his very eclectic early role choices ("Shame", "Fish Tank" and "12 Years A Slave"). But here's to hoping his performance as Apple creator Steve Jobs is filled with the same fire and energy he's brought to his previous performances.

He's already won raves for his work in "Macbeth", so I think having this role to measure against that one is a good way to lead him into the Oscar race for something, whichever role appeals more to voters (which I feel will be this one).

Other than an almost unrecognizable Kate Winslet (could this bring her back into Oscar's warm graces since her win in 2008 for "The Reader"?), Seth Rogan seems to be making a play for a Jonah Hill Best Supporting Actor play of sorts; voters love it when comedians take on serious roles with some humor still lingering.

The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin is reminiscent of "The Social Network"; almost at a lightning quick pace. How do actors manage to spout off that much in almost seconds?

Time will tell if this is better than the ill-fated "Jobs" starring Ashton Kutcher, or if it's a critical success much like "The Social Network". Take a look at the trailer below.

First Trailer for "Macbeth": Intense, Dark and Beautiful

Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" was a big surprise coming out of the Cannes film festival, being better than previously anticipated. Though stars Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender won acclaim for their performances as the infamous plotting couple, Kurzel's direction and the film as a whole were praised.

Ultimately, I do fear if the film gets any awards attention (it is being distributed by Weinstein after all) it'll center around Fassbender and Cotillard. But after watching the new trailer, I see what a shame that would be, because it looks gorgeously rendered. There are a number of "money shots" to pull from the short teaser, and the overall tone is incredibly morose and intense, in the best way possible. Here's to hoping the film can find some success outside of the performances come awards season.

Watch the trailer below. "Macbeth" is scheduled to be released later this fall.

What does Cannes mean for Oscar?

Rooney Mara won the festival's Best Actress award for her performance in "Carol", coming the second consecutive American actress to win after Julianne Moore last year. 

The Cannes Film Festival is the unofficial start to Oscar season; enough time has passed between the ceremony to begin murmuring about awards contenders, unlike Sundance which finds itself in the thick of awards season. However, success at Cannes rarely spells success with Oscar. Though there are those few that manage to maintain momentum throughout the year (Christoph Waltz from "Inglorious Basterds", Jean Dujardin and the team behind "The Artist") films that are favored by the Cannes jury don't align with Oscar's interests ("Blue is the Warmest Color, Kirsten Dunst in "Melancholia", etc).

However, this year's festival seems like it may be a little different; with so many films in competition, there are several that seem destined for Oscar glory, or at least a shot at it.

Let's take a look at some of the titles we could be seeing again come the end of the year.

Natalie Portman's Directorial Debut to Screen at 2015's Cannes Film Festival

This year's Cannes Film Festival is being headlined by some of the buzziest titles of the year. Not only will Oscar hopefuls "Carol" (Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson), "Macbeth" (Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard), but Academy Award winner Natalie Portman makes her directorial debut with the Hebrew language biopic entitled "A Tale of Love and Darkness". Portman will also star in the film, but is eligible for the festival's prestigious Camera D'Or which is given to new directors.

It's Never too Early to Look Ahead

After playing a witch in last year's "Into the Woods", Meryl is looking to break her own record as a rock star mom in "Ricki and the Flash" 

Last year's Oscar season just barely ended, and it's already time to start looking ahead at the race that's already starting to form for this year. Though none of the actual contenders have actually premiered to the public yet (unless you count the gorgeous costumes from "Cinderella") there's a slew of buzzy titles with huge names that have people talking.

With nothing at the theaters really holding our attention at the moment, it's never too early to look ahead at what's to come.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is the Best X-Men Film Yet

It's been awhile since we've seen the X-Men. No, I don't mean the X-Men we've seen in the tepid, unnecessary Wolverine films these last few years, nor the ones we saw in the inspired reboot/prequel, "X-Men First Class" (directed by "Kick Ass'" Matthew Vaughn). The series' veteran director Bryan Singer (who directed the first 2 films in the series) returns at the helm to inject the series with a shot of adrenaline it hasn't had since his masterful "X-2". Singer blends the very best elements from the old films, and the newer ones with an artful, dark twist that recalls Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. 

Natalie Portman's "Jane Got A Gun FINALLY Has a Release Date

It's been a long time since we've seen Natalie Portman challenge herself as an actress. After delivering the performance of a lifetime in the smash-hit "Black Swan" (and winning an Oscar for Best Actress in the process), Portman took some (much) needed time off after she announced she was pregnant with her first child. The Oscar win inspired interest in projects she had filmed prior to Black Swan's release, but were never put out to the public. Following Black Swan's success, "No Strings Attached", "Thor" "The Other Woman" and "Your Highness" were released all in 2011 right as she began her hiatus.

After giving birth, Portman (contractually) appeared in "Thor 2", while filming her directorial debut (entitled "A Tale of Love and Darkness in which she plays the protagonist's mother as well) and 2 yet-to-be-seen Terrence Malick films. Though she's been a busy bee,  it's been awhile since we've actually seen a compelling Natalie Portman performance.

12 Years A Slave: The Film of the Year

12 Years A Slave is the most acclaimed film of the year. It has scored 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 97 on Metacritic, and so far has the most precursor award nominations of any film released this year. In addition, it has grossed almost $30 million against a $20 million budget, having just expanded into wide release; to say it's the Oscar favorite is an understatement, and it will certainly be facing off against critic favorite/box office behemoth Gravity for much of the awards season.

I was blown away by Gravity, completely and utterly in awe of the technical achievement, and the beautiful performance that Sandra Bullock gave. Up until 12 Years, it was my pick for Best Picture.

A lot of people are turned off at the subject matter: "Another slavery movie?", "Another period film?", "Ugh, typical Oscar movie", "It looks boring" are among the comments I've heard from being asked about the film. Many movies about slavery have never really gotten into the cold hard facts: It was a horrible experience, that was completely life altering in every way imaginable. Never has a film so accurately displayed the horrors of slavery, never has a film grabbed me and forced me to examine what it was showing, and never has a film blown me away quite in the way 12 Years A Slave did. Make no mistake, just because the film is set in the mid 1800s, does not mean the film is any less important. In fact, I'd say that 12 Years A Slave is one of the most important films to ever be made, of any year.