Tag Archives: awards

Lawrence O’Donnell Picks Five Movies You Must See To Prepare For The 2012 Presidential Race

So Mitt Romney has been nominated as the Republican party’s presidential candidate. To quote Robert Redford’s  money line from The Candidate , “What do we do now?”  Even if you plan to watch his extremely fit, catfish-wrangling running mate Paul Ryan speak tonight and Mr. Bain Capital himself on Thursday, there’s a big holiday weekend to wade through before President Obama and the Democrats stage their own dog-and-donkey show beginning Sept. 4 in Charlotte, NC. In other words, it’s a good time to watch some good movies, and, given that the 2012 presidential smackdown is about to go into overdrive, Movieline asked one of the sharpest political analysts we know,  Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s The Last Word   and an Emmy-winning former producer and writer for The West Wing , to pick five essential movies for our readers to watch in preparation for the 2012 race. His choices are after the break. Now do your homework.  1.   The Candidate (1972):  If you watch only one movie about American politics, it must be The Candidate . The movie is 40 years old but remains flawlessly up to date and tells you everything you need to know about how campaigns really work. 2.   The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979):    Alan Alda wrote and starred in this 1979 movie that shows the reality of life for a senator and includes a performance by Meryl Streep at the beginning of her brilliant career. 3. Wag the Dog (1997):  Barry Levinson’s brilliant and funny imagining of the collision of politics, sex scandals and war includes hysterical and thoroughly real performances by Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Denis Leary. 4.   Election (1999):   Election wants to show how bitter, nasty and cynical politics can be — so, of course, it is about the election of a high-school class president. Reese Witherspoon’s stunning 1999 performance led to much bigger offers for her. 5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939):    Frank Capra’s film is the first important entry in American political film history.  Jimmy Stewart’s performance is indelible and this is the only movie ever shot in the US Senate. Follow Lawrence O’Donnell on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter. 

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Lawrence O’Donnell Picks Five Movies You Must See To Prepare For The 2012 Presidential Race

Watch The Depressing ‘Avengers’ Alternate Opening And Deleted Scene, Feel Captain America’s Pain

Those of you who were hoping for a slightly darker, more emo Avengers instead of the big, fun, dumb superhero spectacle Joss Whedon delivered to overwhelming enthusiasm are in luck — that’s exactly what a newly unveiled deleted Captain America scene and alternate opening sequence provide. Feel Steve Rogers’ existential PAIN as he walks the streets of modern New York City, doomed to a rudderless time-jumping existence filled with dead friends and free wifi! Such is life, Steve. Welcome to the 21st century. I mean, life is so hard for Cappy even a Stan Lee cameo can’t wake him out of his ennui. At least it’s not as much of a downer as Cobie Smulders’ bitchfest of a post-op report. This could’ve opened the movie — in flashback no less, the most overused device of them all — so let’s all thank Whedon for lightening the mood. Can’t wait to see what else awaits in the 30+ minutes of deleted footage when Avengers hits home video. [ Playlist , Yahoo ]

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Watch The Depressing ‘Avengers’ Alternate Opening And Deleted Scene, Feel Captain America’s Pain

Chinese Zodiac Teaser: Watch Jackie Chan Extreme-Luge In A Freaking Rollerblade Suit

Jackie Chan is back for one last hurrah in Chinese Zodiac , an action adventure starring the martial arts legend in a story about saving ancient Chinese artifacts and stuff. More importantly, Chinese Zodiac (AKA CZ12 ) is what future audiences will come to know as “The Jackie Chan Roller Blade Suit Movie” thanks to scenes like those in the film’s teaser in which the 58-year-old hurtles headfirst down highways and through glass windows and zooms through high speed chases with motorcycles and men with guns while wearing a suit outfitted with roller blade wheels. It looks like Jackie Chan mutated with a seal and a Wheeler from Return to Oz . In other words: WATCH THIS TEASER NOW. Chinese Zodiac is a sequel to Chan’s Armour of God II: Operation Condor , which was a sequel to 1986’s Armour of God – only this time around, it seems Chan’s Asian Hawk has upgraded to roller blade technology. The transportation of the future! Earlier this year, Chan announced that the big budget actioner would be his last action picture before he retires from more physical roles in order to concentrate on being the Asian Robert De Niro. Chinese Zodiac , meanwhile, hits Hong Kong theaters this December and also features a cameo by Kenny G. [ Twitch ]

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Chinese Zodiac Teaser: Watch Jackie Chan Extreme-Luge In A Freaking Rollerblade Suit

Young Money’s VMA Noms Make Lil Wayne Feel ‘Undone’

‘It’s a whole lot of unfinished business,’ Weezy tells MTV News of YMCMB’s eight MTV Video Music Awards nominations. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Rahman Dukes Lil Wayne Photo: MTV News

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Young Money’s VMA Noms Make Lil Wayne Feel ‘Undone’

New International Django Unchained Trailer Es Muy Excelente! Foxx and Waltz Kill Muchos Hombres

For those movie buffs counting the days until the Dec. 25 release of Django Unchained , here’s an early Christmas plum: A Spanish-language trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s slavery retribution fantasy. Set two years before the Civil War, Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as the title character and Christoph Waltz as the bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. After Schultz acquires Django in order to bag a particularly brutal pair of siblings, The Brittle Brothers, they team up to take down the South’s Most Wanted and to search for Django’s enslaved wife Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington. Their journey eventually takes them to Candyland, a plantation ownd by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), where slaves are forced to battle each other for sport.  If I was a betting man, I’d say a bloody climax ensues. UPDATE:  Sony pulled the aforementioned trailer earlier today. We apologize for the inconvenience.  If you simply must see a preview of this film, check out this earlier clip.   Watch It on YouTube. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

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New International Django Unchained Trailer Es Muy Excelente! Foxx and Waltz Kill Muchos Hombres

Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep Heads To Theaters; Sesame Street’s Jerry Nelson Dead At 78: Biz Break

Also in Friday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, the New York Film Festival has unveiled plans for an inaugural Midnight sidebar and Transmedia program. Peter Strickland’s latest thriller is headed for U.S. theaters after screenings in Toronto and New York tests. Kodak announces departure from key photo biz areas and The Dark Knight Rises passes an international box office milestone. Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep Heading to U.S. Theaters Sony Pictures Classics has picked up U.S. rights to Redford’s feature which stars Shia LeBeouf, Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, Brendan Gleeson, Terence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, and Susan Sarandon. A thriller centered on a former Weather Underground activist who goes on the run from a journalist who has discovered his identity. It will screen at the upcoming Venice and Toronto film festivals. New York Film Festival to Host Midnight Movies and Convergence Program Thrillers will have a section to call home for the first time at the 50th New York Film Festival. The premieres of three films will take place at the festival which opens with Ang Lee’s Life of Pi September 28th. Barry Levinson’s The Bay , Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio and Outrage Beyond by Takeshi Kitano will screen in the festival which continues through October 14th. Additionally, Transmedia will get a two-day focus during the festival September 29 – 30. The event will host panels, workshops and “immersive experiences” designed to be an “intimate gathering for creators, designers, thinkers and fans.” For details on both events, visit The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s website . Peter Strickland’s Thriller Berberian Sound Studio Heads to U.S. Theaters The film stars Toby Jones, Cosimo Fusco and Antonio Mancino about a sound engineer’s work at an Italian horror studio that becomes a case of life imitating art. The feature will screen at the upcoming Toronto and New York film festivals. ” Berberian Sound Studio is a dazzling cinematic tour-de-force that brings to mind Hitchcock,Argento and De Palma featuring a brilliant performance by Toby Jones,” said IFC/Sundance Selects president Jonathan Sehring about the film which genre label IFC Midnight will release at a later date. Around the ‘net… Sesame Street Puppeteer Jerry Nelson Dead at 78 He voiced Count von Count as well as many other beloved Sesame Street characters including Snuffleupagus, Sherlock Hemlock, Camilla the Chicken and Kermit’s nephew Robin. He also worked on several Muppet movies, Deadline reports . Kodak Set to Quit Camera Film and Photo Paper Business The announcement means an end to it making films for still cameras, photo papers, souvenir photo products at theme parks, scanners and picture print-out kiosks at stores. It would leave the business focused on printers, cinema film stock and chemicals, BBC reports . The Dark Knight Rises Passes $500M Overseas Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy finale has grossed $501.1 million overseas, making its worldwide total (when combined with almost $414 million in North America) to $915 million, Screen Daily reports .

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Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep Heads To Theaters; Sesame Street’s Jerry Nelson Dead At 78: Biz Break

Actor Vivek Shah Arrested In Harvey Weinstein Extortion Plot: Where You’ve Seen Him Before (VIDEO)

Aspiring actors are a dime a dozen in L.A., but few would go as far as attempting to extort one of Hollywood’s most powerful movie moguls for their big payday. (One would hope… but we all know a few kooky actors, don’t we?) Not so for Vivek Shah of suburban Illinois by way of West Hollywood, who was arrested this week for allegedly threatening Harvey Weinstein and his family if the superproducer didn’t pay him millions. The Smoking Gun has the affidavit naming Shah, a 25-year-old bit actor seen on a 2012 episode of “Bones” and in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (per his IMDb page), as the alleged extortionist who contacted Weinstein and four other high profile figures threatening their safety and that of their families. Although Weinstein is named only as “A Connecticut resident and co-founder of a film studio,” Deadline’s Nikki Finke confirmed Weinstein was the targeted victim. Above: Shah (right) posing with actor Donald Faison and Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh at the Anti-Defamation League Entertainment Industry Awards Dinner at The Beverly Hilton hotel on October 11, 2011. It’s an exhaustive document detailing the authorities’ investigation of Shah, who bought prepaid phone cards and debit cards, used multiple false identities, and set up foreign bank accounts apparently to receive the extortion moneys in locations all over the familiar turf of L.A. actors — the West Hollywood Rite-Aid! The Gelson’s on Santa Monica! — in what the affidavit refers to as “The Scheme.” Most concerning is the bit at the end, which reveals that authorities who had been tailing Shah discovered that he was “scheduled for training in handgun shooting” at a local gun range after his return to the Los Angeles area earlier this month. Shah was arrested outside of Chicago and charged with “two counts of interference with commerce by threats, and two counts of transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce” and could face as many as 20 years in prison. [ The Smoking Gun , Deadline ]

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Actor Vivek Shah Arrested In Harvey Weinstein Extortion Plot: Where You’ve Seen Him Before (VIDEO)

Frankenweenie To Open London Film Festival; Tony Scott Memorial Set For This Weekend: Biz Break

Also in Thursday morning’s round up of news briefs, Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock scores a CNN show. For the first time, the Venice Film Festival will screen some of its films via the internet alongside their premieres. And a boxing pic is in the works for a Red Riding Hood actor. London Film Festival to Open with Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie The 56th BFI London Film Festival will open October 10th with Burton’s latest. The European premiere of Frankenweenie , taking place at the Odeon Leicester Square, will screen at 30 screens across the U.K. The festival will also host The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition from October 17 – 21. Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Producer Allison Abbate and Executive Producer Don Hahn are expected to attend the festival. Around the ‘net… Tony Scott Memoria to Take Place this Weekend A private memorial for the British-born filmmaker who died from an apparent suicide last weekend will take place this weekend. A statement from the director’s spokesperson said: “Tony Scott will be honoured at a private, family-only ceremony this weekend in Los Angeles. The family will announce plans after Labor Day for a gathering to celebrate the life and work of Mr Scott. Details will be forthcoming once they are formalized,” The Guardian reports . Super Size Me Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock Joins CNN Spurlock’s Inside Man series will debut in April 2013 on the network. Along with Anthony Bourdain’s new CNN series, Spurlock’s show will take the viewer to “fascinating corners of American society,” and is expected to air Sunday evenings, Deadline reports . Venice to Screen ‘Horizons’ Films to Stream Worldwide 500 “seats” will be available to viewers via the internet to view the films in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section. Each film in the section, which features 10 features and 13 shorts from new and young filmmakers will be available to the limited audience for $5.25 per film and available for 24 hours starting at 9pm Italian time on the day of the film’s screening, Deadline reports . Red Riding Hood Actor Eyes Boxer Pic Shiloh Fernandez will portray the five-time world champion Johnny Tapia in biopic Johnny about the five-time world champion boxer. Eddie Alcazar is directing the indie, written by Bettina Gilois, THR reports .

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Frankenweenie To Open London Film Festival; Tony Scott Memorial Set For This Weekend: Biz Break

GALLERY: 9 Ridiculously Cute Photos Of Sam Claflin, Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s New Finnick

It’s official: Sam Claflin , British newcomer and co-star of recent blockbusters Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Snow White and the Huntsman , has been cast as former Games winner Finnick Odair in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire . It’s a sizable role and a fan favorite, as readers of Suzanne Collins’ novels can attest — so what better way is there to get acquainted with your future Finnick than with a few adorable, worship-worthy photos? [ GALLERY: 9 Ridiculously Cute Photos Of Sam Claflin, Your New Finnick Odair ] Ever since landing the role of the young love-struck Philip in the last Pirates of the Caribbean flick (he’s the one who fell for the mermaid), Claflin’s been setting up his breakthrough potential stateside; his turn as the moony-eyed Prince in SWATH pitted him against Chris Hemsworth for Kristen Stewart’s affections, and while the Finnick role in the Hunger Games saga isn’t a central character, it’s a notable character that offers Claflin the chance to play more than just a pretty romantic figure. As a District 4 career Tribute who became something of a sex symbol after his Hunger Games victory, the flirty Finnick is known for using his charm and beauty to his advantage although there are much deeper layers roiling beneath the surface. Scroll down for the official Lionsgate press release and jump to this gallery of ridiculously cute Claflin pics to get better acquainted with your new Finnick. Click above for pics. Press release: Santa Monica, CA, August 22, 2012- Lionsgate® and the filmmakers of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE are pleased to announce that Sam Claflin has been cast in the role of Finnick in the much anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ worldwide smash hit novel Catching Fire. Charismatic and clever, Finnick was a District 4 Hunger Games victor when he was fourteen. After breaking out in his role as the romantic lead in last year’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, Claflin starred in the box office smash SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN playing Prince William alongside Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth. He recently finished filming THE QUIET ONESopposite Jarred Harris, and MARY & MARTHA, in which he co-stars with Hilary Swank. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has sold more than 50 million books in print and digital in the U.S. alone. Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE on November 22, 2013. Ongoing casting news and information for the film can be found at: www.CatchingFireCasting.com The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hits theaters November 22, 2013. Approve of Claflin as Finnick, Mockingjays?

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GALLERY: 9 Ridiculously Cute Photos Of Sam Claflin, Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s New Finnick

Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt’s 4-Year-Old Daughter Scores Maleficent Movie Debut

Nepotism strikes again (but that’s okay): Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt ‘s 4-year-old daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt has scored her first movie role. The tot will play a young version of Princess Aurora, later played as a teenager by 14-year-old Elle Fanning, in Disney’s live-action Maleficent , which stars Jolie as the famous evil witch of Sleeping Beauty lore and is in production gearing towards a 2014 release. According to The Sun , it was mama Jolie’s idea: “Ange thought it would be a fun experience for her and Viv to share, and Viv is a natural.” [ The Sun via The Insider ]

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Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt’s 4-Year-Old Daughter Scores Maleficent Movie Debut