Watch Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke in the First trailer for "Regression"

The first tease of Emma Watson and Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke's thriller "Regression" has arrived! Though the details of the plot are still unknown, the film seems to center around a creepy police investigation, with Watson's character directly in the center of the events.

The film's director/writer, Alejandro Amenábar, has worked with creepy thrillers before this; his film "The Others" starring Nicole Kidman is indicative that he has a flair when it comes to tension and horror.

Take a look at the teaser below. The film is scheduled for release on August 28th.

Halfway Mark: Worthy Oscar Contenders from the first Half of the Year

Today officially marks the halfway point of 2014, if you can believe it. I don't know about the rest of you but I feel as if this year has been a blur, and I can say that about a lot of the movies that have come and gone through the last few months.

There has been only one movie from this year, thus far, that's challenged anything on my top 10 list from last year (a truly banner year in film unlike one we've had in awhile). That being said, there are truly some memorable performances, and even details about those films that were standouts, even if the overall product wasn't as great as its little pieces.

So read on, to see a few worthy contenders I feel deserve to remain in the conversation come awards season time.

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.

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.

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.

Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke Team Up for 'Regression'

After working with A-list directors Sofia Coppola and Darren Aronofsky, the blossoming starlet has added a project directed by Oscar winner Alejandro Amenábar. 

Ever since the Harry Potter series wrapped up, Emma Watson has been a busy bee in terms of work. After critically acclaimed performances in tiny indies (Perks of Being A Wallflower, The Bling Ring), Watson seems to be moving onto the bigger projects.

Next month, she'll be playing a supporting role in Darren Aronofsky's epic, "Noah" and according to IMDB she's playing the lead in Harry Potter director David Yates' film entitled "Your Voice in My Head", a film about author Emma Forrest's struggles with bipolar disorder. And of course, there's still that rumored adaptation of Beauty and the Beast directed by Guillermo Del Torro in which Watson is supposedly playing Belle.

But today, it was announced that the actress would be starring alongside Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke (Before Midnight, The Purge) in a film entitled "Regression".

I'm back! (Sorta) & Academy Award Ballots Go Out

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I recently just got in to Orlando, FL where I'm staying for the next week. After being trapped in a car for 2 days disconnected from any sort of internet, it's nice to be back.

Oscar ballots went out today, which means voting has begun! Yes, we're in that weird purgatory where we pretty much know how things are going to turn out but we're all still holding out for some surprises/goodwill for our favorites. There's still time for some surprises (as we learned last year, most notably in the Directing category...), and in a year filled with such amazing films, I ask the Academy to consider some things:

Trailer for Darren Aronofsky's, "Noah" starring Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Anthony Hopkins

Darren Aronofsky is one of the most exciting auteurs of our time. He built indie cred with his most harrowing adaption of "Requiem For A Dream" starring Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly. He also re-ignited Mickey Rourke's career with his critically acclaimed film, "The Wrestler" but it was his last film, "Black Swan" starring Natalie Portman (who won an Oscar for her performance) that won Aronofsky an attention from a wider audience. The film grossed $329,398,046 on a budget of just $13 million. To say it was a success was an understatement, and Aronofsky was rewarded with an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

So how does one follow up with an incredible success like Black Swan? At first, Aronofsky was attached to direct the latest Wolverine film starring Hugh Jackman. However, he eventually passed up on the opportunity, and decided instead to helm, "Noah", his epic retelling of the famous bible story.

Revisiting Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring: A Case for Emma Watson in Best Supporting Actress

Emma Watson as Nicki Moore in Sofia Coppola's, "The Bling Ring" (screencap taken by me)

Emma Watson's career in Hollywood has been one that every aspiring young actress dreams of. Discovered at the age of 9, she was cast in the explosively popular and successful Harry Potter series as best friend Hermione Granger. However, things proved a bit of a rough start after the end of her work in the Potter films. Though Watson's acting was solid throughout the series, people wondered: Where would these kids end up after the series closed out? Leading man Daniel Radcliffe seemed to have the best chances out of the three young actors, and people just expected Emma Watson to become like so many leading ladies of huge franchises before her (Carrie Fisher from Star Wars comes to mind): pop out a few supporting roles in high profile films, and then fade into obscurity.