Quick Reviews

Bride and Prejudice - 5/10

Constantine - 3/10

Dark Water - 7/10

Elektra - 4/10

Herbie: Fully Loaded - 5/10

Hostage - 6/10

Madagascar - 4/10

March of the Penguins - 7/10

The Pacifier - 3/10

The Upside of Anger - 5/10

Wedding Crashers - 6/10

White Noise - 3/10

Altman Gets a "Companion" Director

Here's some news of the three-week-old variety:

(The picture to the right of Meryl Streep and Lindsay Lohan singing together is one of the first official images from the project.)

Paul Thomas Anderson, maverick boy wonder filmmaker of Magnolia and Boogie Nights, is helping Robert Altman with A Prarie Home Companion. Altman is, of course, 80 years old and is having some difficulties carrying out the duties of a director. Enter PTA as his apprentice. Anderson is said to be listening to everything Altman wants completed for the day and then carrying out the tasks. In exchange, Anderson will be credited as Executive Producer on the project. Now, pretty much everything you'll be seeing will be pure Altman given that it is still Altman's picture and his say will be what goes. Given that Anderson's Boogie Nights is at its core Nashville in the porn world and Magnolia just a variation on Short Cuts, there really isn't anyone better for the job. This news is equal parts exciting and kind of sad. The feeling that this will be Altman's last film looms.

Anderson also has another connection to the project: he's fathering co-star Maya Rudolph's child. Rudolph is pregnant, a fact that was unbeknownst to me. And I typically know everything.

Charlize Theron Perfection

What can I say? The woman would look good wearing a lampshade and a trashbag. I think this is the second best poster of the year behind Walk the Line. The release date has finally been set for December 2, a month and a half after that other Charlize-Frances McDormand movie North Country. Admire Charlize Theron in all her hotness.

'Brokeback' Goes To Venice For a Heath Triple Attack

Brokeback Mountain will be one of the many selections In Competition at this year's Venice Film Festival. Among others include Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm (also starring Heath Ledger), the Gwyneth Paltrow showcase Proof, George Clooney's black and white Good Night. And, Good Luck, the musical Romance and Cigarettes as well as The Constant Gardener. Films playing out of competition include Ledger's remaining fall film Casanova, Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown and the courtroom-meets-exorcism drama The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

The festival also confirmed Brokeback Mountain's running time as 134 minutes, almost exactly what I was expecting.

Academy Awards Schedule For This Year's Oscar Season

I'll leave it up to you to figure out why I put that picture with this article.

From the AMPAS website:

The 78th Annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 5, 2006, and it will start on the hour — 5 p.m. straight up on the West Coast, 8 p.m. on the East.

The traditional red carpet arrivals pre-show that precedes the Oscar telecast will start at 4:30 p.m. on Oscar Sunday 2006.

The telecast will again originate from the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.

Key dates currently scheduled are:

Thursday, December 29, 2005: Nominations ballots mailed.
Saturday, January 21, 2006: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PST.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PST, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Wednesday, February 8, 2006: Final ballots mailed.
Monday, February 13, 2006 Nominees Luncheon
Beverly Hilton Hotel
Saturday, February 18, 2006: Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner
Tuesday, February 28, 2006: Final polls close 5 p.m. PST.
Sunday, March 5, 2006: 78th Annual Academy Awards Presentation

Mark your calendars! Darren's Oscar party will be March 5 @ 6PM like always. Hopefully, my guests will actually arrive on time this year. :-P I'm thinking of a geisha and cowboy theme this year. Not sure why.....

Alias: Premiere Date & New Cast Member

From AP:

"ABC programming chief Stephen McPherson said Tuesday that Jennifer Garner, who is expecting a baby with husband Ben Affleck, will play a pregnant Sydney Bristow in the fifth season of Alias. "We are going to embrace the fact that she's pregnant," McPherson said.

But the show will focus on making the situation realistic and not "campy," he added. "We also don't want to put her in situations where she's endangering herself and the baby."

Garner, 33, and Ben Affleck, 32, her co-star in the 2003 movie Daredevil, wed in June. Their baby is due around Christmas. Alias returns September 29 for its fifth season in a new Thursday night time slot.

While Garner will still "be able to run a fair amount," McPherson acknowledged her exploits would change when Garner is visibly pregnant. To protect the show's sex appeal quotient, an uncast younger agent who is being mentored by Sydney will be added."

AICN has confirmed that younger agent will be played by The Inside's Rachel Nichols (right). Mia Maestro will return for several episodes, the actual amount unknown as of now. Season 5 picks up directly where season 4's cliffhanger left off: with Vaughn's secret revealed, Sloane in jail, and Rambaldi hopefully a thing of the past.

Box Office Predictions: July 29 - July 31

1. Stealth - $24m / $24m / $70m
2. Must Love Dogs - $18m / $18m / $64m
3. Wedding Crashers - $17.5m / $113m / $165m
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - $16m / $148m / $190m
5. Sky High - $7m / $7m / $25m
6. Fantastic Four - $6.5m / $136m / $148m
7. The Bad News Bears - $6.5m / $24m / $36m
8. Hustle and Flow - $6m / $17m / $30m
9. The Island - $6m / $25m / $35m
10. War of the Worlds - $5m / $218m / $230m
11. March of the Penguins - $3.5m / $16m / $30m


in order to save the world, you must be under 35 and your name must start with j

50 Best Performances Thus Far This Decade (00-04)

I voted for list over at OscarWatch.com and the results are finally in.

The 50 Best Performances For the First Half of this Decade.

50. Michelle Yeoh - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
49. Zhang Ziyi - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
48. David Carradine - Kill Bill: Vol. 2
47. Benecio Del Toro - Traffic
46. Paul Giamatti - Sideways
45. Julie Delpy - Before Sunset
44. Shohreh Aghdashloo - House of Sand and Fog
43. Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Vol. 1
42. Ewan McGregor - Moulin Rouge!
41. Laura Linney - You Can Count on Me
40. Gillian Anderson - The House of Mirth
39. Scarlett Johansson - Lost In Translation
38. Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt
37. Peter Sarsgaard - Shattered Glass
36. Oliver Gourmet - The Son
35. Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
34. Naomi Watts - 21 Grams
33. Javier Bardem - Before Night Falls
32. Clive Owen - Closer
31. Jim Carrey - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
30. Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator
29. Miranda Richardson - Spider
28. Sissy Spacek - In the Bedroom
27. Andy Serkis - Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
26. Jamie Foxx - Ray
25. Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
24. Sean Penn - Mystic River
23. Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast
22. Natalie Portman - Closer
21. Nicole Kidman - Birth
20. Nicole Kidman - The Hours
19. Chris Cooper - Adaptation
18. Mark Ruffalo - You Can Count on Me
17. Nicole Kidman - Dogville
16. Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge!
15. Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind
14. Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
13. Isabelle Hupper - The Piano Teacher
12. Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Vol. 2
11. Bill Murray - Lost In Translation
10. Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
9. Charlize Theron - Monster
8. Adrien Brody - The Pianist
7. Ian McKellan - Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
6. Daniel Day Lewis - Gangs of New York
5. Tom Wilkinson - In the Bedroom
4. Bjork - Dancer in the Dark
3. Julianne Moore - Far From Heaven
2. Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive
1. Ellen Burstyn - Requiem For a Dream

WALK THE LINE TRAILER!!!!

Wow. God Damn, Reese and Joaquin look HOT! (Sorry, Ang! No priest costume.) And who knew Joaquin could sound just like Johnny Cash? Sadly, we don't get to hear Reese as June, but the trailer can't give everything away. I'm hoping this is more Coal Miner's Daughter than Ray.

Click here to see (at least) one of next year's Oscar winning performances.

Box Office Predictions: July 22 - 24

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - $29m / $116m / $185m
2. The Island - $27m / $27m / $84m
3. Wedding Crashers - $20m / $74m / $135m
4. The Bad News Bears - $14m / $14m / $55m
5. Fantastic Four - $11m / $122m / $144m
6. The Devil's Rejects - $8m / $8m / $18m
7. War of the Worlds - $8m / $208m / $230m
8. Hustle and Flow - $5m / $5m / $26m
9. Batman Begins - $4m / $190m / $200m
10. Mr & Mrs Smith - $3.5m / $174m / $180m
11. March of the Penguins - $3m / $8m / $30m


maybe i should hook up with jennifer aniston

Warner's Title Trouble

Project description: Truman Capote writes In Cold Blood; all-star cast including Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sigourney Weaver, Daniel Craig and Jeff Daniels
Started Production As: Every Word Is True
Then Changed To: Untitled Douglas McGrath
Now Called: Have You Heard?
Release Date: September 2006


Project description: Fictionalized account of landmark sexual harassment lawsuit; all-star cast of Charlize Theron, Sissy Spacek, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean and Woody Harrelson
Started Production As: Class Action
Then Changed To: Untitled Niki Caro Project
Now Called: North Country
Release Date: October 14, 2005

North Country is better than Have You Heard? I think they didn't want NC to sound too courtroom drama-y.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN POSTER!!!! BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN POSTER!!!! BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN POSTER!!!! BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN POSTER!!!! OTHER STUFF TOO!!!!

The complaints I have regarding it:

-I don't like Anne and Michelle's names being listed as large as Heath and Jake's. I think Jake and Heath's names should be up top and then maybe Anne & Michelle's near the bottom. And why just Anne and Michelle? Well, I know why. Duh. But still. Hello Linda Cardellini! Hello Anna Faris! Hello Randy Quaid! (And that' something I never thought I'd type.) I think they should have billed the supporting actors on the poster the way they bill them at the bottom in the credits: alphabetically.

-Complaint #2 - I don't have it yet. But I will very soon. The props of working at a movie theatre. There's a blank spot on my wall where The Aviator poster was when I had it up during my Oscar party. There's been nothing there for awhile. In the back of my head, I always knew what was going there. *wink wink*

What I Love About it:

-Everything. Including that Jake appears to be looking at Heath's ass. And that they appear to be wearing eyeliner.

I could type a lot more about this. Some will look at this poster and probably won't care that much, but for us BBM fanboys and fangirls, it's damn near perfection.

Now, imagine my response when the trailer comes. Judging by the poster coming this early, I don't think it's too far off. God, I'm so excited.



And in other news:

-Entertainment Tonight will debut the Walk the Line trailer Thursday night. This, of course, means only portions of the trailer and Mary Hart will talk the whole way through the excerpts they show. But whatever.

-A behind the scenes Extra clip of Aeon Flux featuring a backflipping Charlize Theron. Right here. Just for you.

-Here's the first look at Nicole in Fur.



Oh, and what the hey. Here it is again:

Darren Takes a Personality Profile In a 'Must Love Dogs' Tie-In

Must Love Dogs opens July 29th. It stars the luminous Diane Lane as a woman looking for a man online. I took the personality test at PerfectMatch.com, which appears in the film. Here's what I found out about myself:

"You are cautious about love, and life in general. You need to know quite a bit about a person before you invest in them. Even intense attraction won't make you jump in before you've gotten to know the person pretty well. You want time to test character and to get more than superficial background information. You want a person at the center of your life, as your life is not all about success or intense preoccupation with hobbies that would take up most of your spare time. On the other hand, while you are not the type to roam, you need a partner who has the same appetite for varied experiences (including your sexual life together) that you do."

"You are not the spontaneous, carefree sort. You are a planner and you have strong opinions about how things should be done. But unlike many other people who have a strong sense of how the world should run, you are a realist about how much of the time you actually need to get your way about it. Your genius is that you are willing to be extremely reasonable about how to discuss and accomplish your goals in a relationship. You are likely to be seen as a very orderly, pleasant, secure person because you have a firmly held set of ideas. However, you tend to be low key about how or whether they get accepted or activated. You are tractable, but it may bother you if you are with another S with opposing values. On the other hand, you might like someone more passionate than you to bring drama and intensity to your life as long as they weren't unreasonable."

'Just Like Heaven' Trailer

From director Mark Waters (Mean Girls and Freaky Friday) comes this cute comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. Reese is a ghost. Mark loves her. Finally, something to look forward to that won't make me think but I might actually enjoy. Yip yip.


Go here.

Emmy Noms

Boo to no Gilmore Girls.

I would also like to add a "boo" to those pissed about Desperate Housewives being entered as a comedy. It's a dark comedy/satire. Duh. Some places on the internet seem to think that in order for a show to win Best Comedy it must be the funniest. That is just plain silly. That's like saying the Best Drama must contain the most explosions, tears and intensity. Come on.

Personal congratulations to...

-the housewives
-Jessica Walter
-Jennifer Garner
-Sandra Oh
-Charlize Theron
-Jason Bateman

Here are the nominees.

Box Office Predictions: July 15 - 17

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - $55m / $55m / $185m
2. Wedding Crashers - $32m / $32m / $110m
3. Fantastic Four - $24m / $104m / $150m
4. War of the Worlds - $16.5m / $194m / $240m
5. Batman Begins - $6.5m / $184m / $202m
6. Mr & Mrs Smith - $5m / $168m / $180m
7. Dark Water - $4.5m / $19m / $26m
8. Herbie: Fully Loaded - $4m / $56m / $64m
9. Bewitched - $3m / $57m / $62m
10. Madagascar - $2.5m / $184m / $190m


from scooby doo to this, i'm such a winner!

Two Lists I Made Recently...

I voted in 2 polls. Here's what I voted on and for:

Best Films of 1995 - 1999:

1. American Beauty
2. Fargo
3. Magnolia
4. Out of Sight
5. Boogie Nights
6. The Talented Mr. Ripley
7. Election
8. Gattaca
9. The Truman Show
10. The Ice Storm

Best Performances of 2000 - 2004

1. Charlize Theron - Monster
2. Ben Kingsley - House of Sand and Fog
3. Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Vol. 1
4. Gene Hackman - The Royal Tenenbaums
5. Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Tom Wilkinson - In the Bedroom
7. Naomi Watts - Mulholland Dr
8. Scarlett Johansson - Lost In Translation
9. Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt
10. Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge!
11. Renee Zellweger - Nurse Betty
12. Benecio Del Toro - 21 Grams
13. Gwyneth Paltrow - The Royal Tenenbaums
14. Laura Linney - You Can Count on Me
15. John Cameron Mitchell - Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Any thoughts?

First Look: Lohan Down on the "Prarie"

Inevitably, this will be my most anticipated film of 2006. This means that for two years in a row my most anticipated film will be from an Oscar-nominated director with liberal cast members in a red state(s) set story. Here's some pics of Lindsay Lohan on the set of A Prarie Home Companion.

Clooney In, Clooney Out

No, it's not some dirty fantasy. Syriana has been unofficially bumped to 2006. Unofficially? Yup. Unofficially. Rumors have been circulating the past couple of weeks regarding this film, which isn't even on Warner Bros. website's list of upcoming films. It was due on September 16 after being bumped from this summer's schedule. With almost 2 months to go, there was no trailer or poster and very little buzz. Reports have emerged from test screenings that the movie is a slight mess but showcasing some very fine acting from stars George Clooney, Matt Damon and Amanda Peet.

If you need a fix of Clooney, you'll still get a nice present this fall. His sophomore directorial effort, Good Night. And, Good Luck., has been pencilled in for a limited release on October 7. From Warner Independent Pictures, the black and white film stars David Strathairn, Robert Downey Jr, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels and Clooney. ComingSoon's synopsis:

Good Night. And, Good Luck. takes place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950’s America. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff - headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom - defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on and their tenacity will prove historic and monumental.

Good stuff. Can't wait.

Brokeback Mountain: What's it all about?

Focus Features has updated their website with a lengthy synopsis of my most anticipated film of this year - and possibly ever. For those of you who are too lazy to read the short (keyword) story or think that it's nothing more than a gay cowboy movie, here's what Focus has to say:

Directed by: Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" "Sense and Sensibility")
Screenplay by: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
Based on the short story by Annie Proulx
Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams and Randy Quaid

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ang Lee comes an epic American love story, based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx and adapted for the screen by the team of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men -- a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy -- who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys, and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Early one morning in Signal, Wyoming, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) meet while lining up employment with local rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid). The world which Ennis and Jack have been born into is at once changing rapidly and yet scarcely evolving. Both young men seem certain of their set places in the heartland - obtaining steady work, marrying, and raising a family - and yet hunger for something beyond what they can articulate. When Aguirre dispatches them to work as sheepherders up on the majestic Brokeback Mountain, they gravitate towards camaraderie and then a deeper intimacy. At summer's end, the two must come down from Brokeback and part ways. Remaining in Wyoming, Ennis weds his sweetheart Alma (Michelle Williams), with whom he will have two daughters as he ekes out a living. Jack, in Texas, catches the eye of rodeo queen Lureen Newsome (Anne Hathaway). Their courtship and marriage result in a son, as well as jobs in her father's business. Four years pass. One day, Alma brings Ennis a postcard from Jack, who is en route to visit Wyoming. Ennis waits expectantly for his friend, and when Jack at last arrives, in just one moment it is clear that the passage of time has only strengthened the men's attachment. In the years that follow, Ennis and Jack struggle to keep their secret bond alive. They meet up several times annually. Even when they are apart, they face the eternal questions of fidelity, commitment, and trust. Ultimately, the one constant in their lives is a force of nature - love.


Aww. Excited yet?

Mid Summer Oscar Predictions

I still don't think the Steven Spielberg Munich movie is going to make it out this year. I've also left off Untitled Niki Caro Project as it opens in three months and there's not even any stills let alone a trailer. And for fuck sake it doesn't have an official title. So here you go:

Best Picture:
A History of Violence
In Her Shoes
Jarhead
Match Point
Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Director:
David Cronenberg - A History of Violence
Sam Mendes - Jarhead
Woody Allen - Match Point
Rob Marshall - Memoirs of a Geisha
Tommy Lee Jones - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Best Actor:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Tommy Lee Jones - The Three Burials...
Viggo Mortensen - A History of Violence
Bill Murray - Broken Flowers
Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line

Best Actress:
Joan Allen - The Upside of Anger
Juliette Binoche - Bee Season
Cameron Diaz - In Her Shoes
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
Ziyi Zhang - Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Supp. Actor:
Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain
Ed Harris - A History of Violence
Barry Pepper - The Three Burials...
Peter Sarsgaard - Jarhead

Best Supp. Actress:
Maria Bello - A History of Violence
Scarlett Johansson - Match Point
Gong Li - Memoirs of a Geisha
Shirley MacLaine - In Her Shoes
Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line

Best Original Screenplay:
Broken Flowers - Crash - Elizabethtown - Match Point - Walk the Line

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Brokeback Mountain - A History of Violence - In Her Shoes - Jarhead - Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Costume Design:
Brothers Grimm - Chronicles of Narnia - King Kong - Memoirs of a Geisha - The New World

Best Art Direction:
Brothers Grimm - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Cinderella Man - King Kong - Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Cinematography:
Brokeback Mountain - Jarhead - King Kong - Memoirs of a Geisha - The New World

Best Editing:
Batman Begins - Cinderella Man - Jarhead - Memoirs of a Geisha - The New World

Best Sound:
Batman Begins - King Kong - The New World - Star Wars: Ep. 3 - War of the Worlds

Best Sound Editing:
King Kong - Star Wars: Ep. 3 - War of the Worlds

Best Score:
Cinderella Man - In Her Shoes - King Kong - Memoirs of a Geisha - The New World

Best Makeup:
The Brothers Grimm - Chronicles of Narnia - King Kong

Best Animated Feature:
Chicken Little - The Corpse Bride - Wallace and Gromit

Best Original Song: (just random guesses)
Brokeback Mountain - Brokeback Mountain - Chronicles of Narnia - Elizabethtown - In Her Shoes

Box Office Predictions: July 8 - 10

1. Fantastic Four - $44m / $44m / $115m
2. War of the Worlds - $35m / $172m / $250m
3. Dark Water - $18m / $18m / $55m
4. Batman Begins - $9m / $171m / $195m
5. Mr & Mrs Smith - $6m / $157m / $172m
6. Herbie: Fully Loaded - $5.5m / $47.5m / $58m
7. Bewitched - $5m / $50m / $58m
8. Madagascar - $3.5m / $178.5m / $185m
9. Rebound - $2.5m / $11m / $15m
10. Star Wars: Ep. 3 - $2.5m / $371m / $378m


well, at least this place is better than that house of sand and fog

Jones and Madsen Join the "Prarie"

Tommy Lee Jones and Virginia Madsen are the latest cast additions to Robert Altman's A Prarie Home Companion, which just began filming last week in Minnesota. Prarie is based on Garrison Keillor's award-winning, widely syndicated show. In the reality bending plotline, the show is shut down after 30 years as an ensemble of performers, musicians and crew prepare for a final live broadcast where tensions run high and truths will be revealed. Jones is playing a "shadowy character" from the Texas conglom that has purchased the station while Madsen will play "a dangerous woman." The actors join a cast that includes Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Lily Tomlin, Maya Rudolph, Lyle Lovett, Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly. Jones earned two awards at Cannes for his upcoming The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada while Madsen will next be seen opposite Harrison Ford and Paul Bettany in The Wrong Element.

New Posters: Put on 'her shoes' then 'walk the line' to 'elizabethtown'

Here's two posters and one standee which is better than the theatrical poster. Enjoy.