The Hush-Hush News Report 01.04.12: The Girl With The Green-Lit Sequels

Posted by Jeremy Wilson on 01.04.2012

News and thoughts on the ongoing saga of Bane's voice in The Dark Knight Rises, speculation as to who is replacing Judi Dench in Skyfall, the status for the sequels to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, World War Z shaping up as a trilogy, the 10 Worst Films of 2011 and more!





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Welcome to 2012 everyone! I hope you all had a great and safe holiday. I hope you also got the opportunity to watch as many movies as possible (I know I did!). I also hope you got the opportunity to see this before/on New Year's Eve. I love both Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I think it should be a rule that they should each be required to make at least 3 movies a year, with one of them having to star them together (500 Days of Summer is that good). At the very least, they win cutest duet of the year.



The holidays were certainly a bit slow on the news front, but the new year has now kicked into gear and plenty of good stuff is rolling out. Let's take a look, shall we?



Skyfall Starting To Take Shape



POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD
Speculation is running rampant through the internet about the newest upcoming James Bond flick, "Skyfall", thanks to Ralph Fiennes and an anonymous source or two. Poor Fiennes – he actually didn't spill that much, but his brief description has now led to pretty much a full (possible) reveal of his character in the upcoming film.

Fiennes: "I'm allowed to say I'm a government agent."

That was all it took. After that statement, a report from MovieWeb followed up with inside information from a source within EON Productions (deemed "quite reliable") who not only confirmed but elaborated on Fiennes' charcter. According to the site:

"Ralph Fiennes plays a government agent, which we never get a name on, because he is set to play the new M. "Skyfall" centers around M (Judi Dench) where her past forces her to leave as head of MI6, and find a new M. The board of MI6 then turns to a government agent (Ralph Fiennes) to take over. M (Dame Judi) is now forced to train the new head of MI6."

"Skyfall" opens November 9th, 2012 and stars Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Judy Dench, Naomie Harris, Ben Whisaw, Simon Russel Beale, Rhys Ifans, Helen McCrory and Albert Finney.

Needless to say this report is unconfirmed at this time and should still be thought of as speculation. However, it smells legit and makes a lot of sense. Dame Judi Dench can't go on forever and while she's been an excellent M, Fiennes presents a lot of new and exciting possible directions the franchise could go with the character. The fact that M would be a man again, could also lead to a more directly contentious relationship between the two characters – especially in the light of Dench's M leaving and Fiennes and Craig being closer in age – which could add a spark to the franchise. We all love Judi Dench, but this is definitely intriguing to me. With this cast and all the speculation flying around Skyfall, the next James Bond film is looking to be pretty interesting. Built up over a few films, Craig as 007 and Fiennes as M could be entertaining as hell.


Has The Prologue For The Dark Knight Rises Been Tweaked?



There is confusion today as to whether or not the prologue for "The Dark Knight Rises" has been tweaked to clear up Bane's voice. Collider has reported that Warner Bros. has sent out a new audio mix to IMAX theaters to run with the prologue. Their source states:

"A friend of mine who is an IMAX projectionist told me they received a new soundtrack for the Dark Knight Rises prologue. He said it's now a combo soundtrack with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, but the cool thing about this is that they've cleaned up the dialogue. They've gone in and lowered the background noise of the plane and other things, thus making Bane's dialogue clearer and more understandable. He asked some people after they left the movie if they could understand Bane and they all said they had no issue understanding him, and were excited for the movie."

Later, however, representatives from both Warner Bros. and IMAX nixed the report, saying that a new audio mix was not sent out and the sound has not changed. Collider reported the IMAX rep to have said:

"They told me that they have not issued a new mix for The Dark Knight Rises, but some theaters have been sent the digital file that would have been playing on an analogue system. Again, they say this digital delivery does not change the way Bane sounds or any of the background noise."

Please take all that with a grain of salt. We've all be hearing about this issue since the prologue came out and I've been writing about it in this column for a number of weeks. I said it before and I will say it again: Warner Bros. are not going to have this be an issue when The Dark Knight Rises releases in July. Whether they change it now or change it when the film releases, it doesn't matter. In fact, it might behoove them to simply wait and clean it up for the theatrical release, while the furor dies down and people forget (hopefully).

And people, please stop telling others to "clean out their ears" and "that's how the character is supposed to sound." STOP IT. Seriously.


Sony Going Ahead With Dragon Tattoo Sequels



Even with the relatively soft box office for David Fincher's $90 million adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (it's made roughly $60 million domestically), Sony appears to be plowing ahead with getting the second and third films in the "Millennium" trilogy into production. A Sony rep told Entertainment Weekly: "[Dragon Tattoo] continues to do strong business and nothing has changed with respect to development of the next book." That next book, "The Girl Who Played With Fire", is already being targeted for a late-2013 release date by Sony and – as I wrote a few weeks ago – Fincher, while not committed yet, is seriously considering staying on to direct the next two films, perhaps even shooting them back-to-back. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara are both contracted for the next two films and screenwriter Steven Zaillian is already working on the script for the second film. Sony has always stressed that all three films would be released barring some unforeseen catastrophic box office result for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," which is not occurring despite the perception of the film's commercial success.

While you could make the argument that the recently released version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been something of a minor disappointment, the fact is that the film had a number of challenges to overcome. First, releasing it in the midst of the holiday movie rush was a huge mistake. While I do not profess to be as smart as the people at Sony (who get paid to be smart about this kind of stuff), I never understood why they released in right before Christmas. This is NOT a Christmas/holiday feel-good movie along the lines of other films released such as War Horse, Tintin, We Bought A Zoo and didn't have the PG-13 mass appeal of action blockbusters like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. This is dark and depressing stuff, the kind of film you would want to see by yourself instead of taking the family along.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, Fincher's film is a hard 'R'; name me the other film in general release with an R-rated film with multiple brutal rape scenes. I'm not saying the film should have been cut or edited to get to a PG-13. I'm saying why not release the film a few weeks prior to the holidays, when there was less competition and more wiggle room to get good word-of-mouth going. Sony obviously wanted the film in contention for Oscar season, but it seemingly also wasn't ready to be released before the beginning of December.

I don't actually think the film has been a failure or flop. Has it had a softer-than-expected release? Yes...at least intially. However, it's holding up fairly well and audiences and critics seem to love it (Great scores from Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and CinemaScore). It would have taken a much, much worse release to scrub the final two films, especially since this is a franchise with a large built-in fanbase and this is a film that will do well in theaters and on DVD as time goes on.

Read my review for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo here


World War Z Times 3



According to The Los Angeles Times, Brad Pitt says Paramount and director Marc Forster both view the science fiction zombie film as the start of a trilogy, a franchise that would, according to the paper, "have the grounded, gun-metal realism of, say, Damon's Jason Bourne series tethered to the unsettling end-times vibe of AMC's "The Walking Dead." It is also being compared with this past summer's "Contagion" with it's geo-political angle and desire to deliver social messages through the terror of a zombie apocalypse. "World War Z" see Brad Pitt as an United Nations worker racing around the globe trying to stop a zombie pandemic. The film is tentatively scheduled to release on December 21st, 2012.

Bourne meets The Walking Dead by way of Contagion? Sign me up for that, because that sounds pretty awesome (even if a bit reminiscent of 28 Days/Weeks Later). It's weird – I've been hearing about this movie seemingly forever and I've never really gravitated to it. That description is pretty decent though and Paramount – coming of a banner year as the highest grossing studio of 2011 – is going to do everything in their power to make everyone care. This film is a major test for Hollywood – it is the most expensive zombie movie ever made – and may be a watershed film to see how far the industry is willing to go in mining "genre fiction" to big budget spectacles. While it's not on my "Top 5 To See" in 2012, I'm definitely intrigued to see if Forster and Pitt can pull this off.


French Trailer for Upside Down Arrives Promising Another Upside Down Kiss For Kirsten Dunst





The French trailer for "Upside Down" starring Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst has come out and it's a doozy. The film is a science fiction romance that tells the tale of two people living separate worlds that lie on top of each other with their own gravitational pull (see the trailer for a better sense of what I'm talking about). Characters played by Sturgess and Dunst inexplicably fall in love with each other, although their love – and any communication whatsoever – is prohibited as no one can cross over into the other world. There is no concrete release date yet, but it is expected to be released sometime in 2012.




You don't see too many science fiction-romance movies with heavy effects budgets (roughly $60 million) coming out into theaters. I really like what Dunst is doing with her career at the moment, as she is taking roles in films a bit outside the mainstream (think Melancholia) in coming back from a rough couple years before 2011. The upside down effect is interesting and perhaps less risky than one might think due to the successs of Inception. However, it still remains a risk – it's a story that may not appeal to regular science fiction fanboys and that label and the effects could keep romance fans away. However, for a film that wasn't even on my radar a week ago, this trailer has done the job in getting my attention. We'll have to wait to see if it's any good, or if it's another version of The Time Traveler's Wife.


Sword Master Bob Anderson Passes Away

"The sword is the ultimate weapon. It's not so threatening shooting at someone at 20 or 30 paces away or while hiding behind things. When you get into a sword fight, you're standing toe-to-toe with someone who's trying to kill you and you're looking him in the eye — now that's thrilling." ~ Bob Anderson



Bob Anderson, best known as an Olympic fencing coach, as well as being a sword master and fight choreographer on some of Hollywood's biggest films and franchises, passed away on New Year's Day at the age of 89. Anderson is best known as the man who wielded Darth Vader's lightsaber during the famous duels in both "Star Wars" films "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". He also worked on numerous other Hollywood productions including "The Princess Bride," "The Mask of Zorro," "Highlander," "The Phantom," "Pirates of the Caribbean," several James Bond films and many more. He started his long and storied career in Hollywood after competing in the 1952 Olympics Games with the British fencing team, teaching Errol Flynn in "The Master of Ballantrae."

Peter Jackson wrote of Anderson: "It is a rare, even within the film industry, that you get to work with a legend which was why I was thrilled when Bob Anderson agreed to come on board The Lord of the Rings as our sword-master," Jackson wrote. "In fact, it took a while for it to sink in that I was going to get to work with the same man who had helped create some of cinema's greatest fight sequences – from Star Wars to The Princess Bride. Bob was a brilliant swordsman and a gifted teacher; I will remember him as a wonderfully patient man, possessed of a terrific sense of humour. It was a privilege to have known him."

I think I can speak on behalf of myself and everyone here at 411mania.com, and extend our condolences to Anderson's family and friends.

I Am Not Left-Handed The Princess Bride at MOVIECLIPS.com

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The Hush-Hush Editorial Section: Worst Movies of 2011

2011 is so last year. 2012 is all the rage now. But before we move on, it's always good to take a look back at the year that was and encapsulate the best and worst in arbitrary lists. Yay! This week, the 10 Worst Films of 2011. The caveat, as always, is that these are films I HAVE SEEN, so I'm sorry if you think I'm missing something. Make sure to let me know in the comments and I'll check it out. I am assured by 411's very own Chad Webb that Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 is one of the worse, but alas, I couldn't find a theater in a 200-mile vicinity showing it. And I'm not driving that far for Ayn Rand (Please, leave your libertarian hate mail for someone who cares). Now, on with the worst:

10. Larry Crowne review
The year's most boring, tepid movie, while also containing the year's biggest misuse of talented movie stars. It's not horrible, but it is frustratingly boring.

9. Transformers: Dark of the Moon review
Hey, this is a step up! Congrats to Michael Bay for making a better movie than Revenge of the Fallen. That doesn't mean it's any good. Somehow though, he found a worse actress to play the love interest with the stiletto-wearing wooden supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replacing Megan Fox.

8. The Hangover Part II review
It's really funny; for several months, I felt like I was on an island by myself. I knew other people hated The Hangover Part II, but it seemed like the fanboys and supporters had won out and the film was "decent enough". It's not and six months later it's making all these "Worst of" lists. I won't say I was ahead of the curve, but I didn't need six months and a general consensus to emerge to tell me this film blew. Just because you have roman numerals in your movie title doesn't make it any classier. Biggest "paycheck" movie of the year; yes it made money, but nobody involved cared to be there. In the slightest.

7. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night review
Brandon Routh is totally miscast here in this "horror-comedy" where there is very little of horror or comedy. Bad even by B-movie standards.

6. Zookeeper
I hate cutesy animal movies like this and pairing it with Kevin James and going through Happy Madison is the wrong way to go. On a side-note: they've started airing reruns of The King of Queens on TV Land late at night. Almost a decade later, that show and its star are still not funny.

5. Cowboys & Aliens review
Much like with my review for The Hangover Part II, I got plenty of hate for my review of Jon Favreau's science fiction-western action flick. It sucked then and I still hold that opinion. Science fiction and western fans deserve a HELL of a lot better than this bloated nonsense. So much wasted potential here and could easily be labelled as the biggest disappointment of 2011.

4. Abduction
Taylor Lautner.

3. Jack and Jill / Just Go With It
Remember when Adam Sandler cared? Yeah, me neither. Both films starring him were awful, although Jack and Jill is the worse-looking of the two on the outside. But trust me, after having seen them, they both are that bad. 2011 was good in one regard for Sandler though. He continues to show an enormous ability to get A-list Hollywood types (and friends) into his crappy movies. What was Al Pacino thinking?

2. Sucker Punch
The most infuriating movie of the year. I can't recall being angrier at any film I've seen than I was in the hour after I finished watching Zach Snyder's fanboy abomination. It's sexist. It's pretentious. It's hypocritical. It doesn't contain any action or characters of any weight and consequence. It lacks any bit of comprehension for the fundamentals of storytelling. How pathetic is it that Snyder, in his attempts to make a film about the contradictions inherent in fanboy culture, failed so spectacularly and actually ended up falling into the very thing he was trying to go against. He's a terrible filmmaker and it perplexes me to this day why so many people believe him to be something he's not. It also scares me that he is in charge of bringing Superman back to glory on the big screen.

Having said all of that, I will always hold a special place in my heart for Sucker Punch because it was the review I wrote for this film that landed me here at 411mania. Here is a part of what I wrote about it and one this movie bothers me as much as it does:

"The general consensus of this movie's defenders seems to be the following: "Hot chicks with big guns and sharp swords, fighting dragons, orcs, the undead and samurai monsters in skimpy outfits! What's not to like!" This saddens me to no end. Film is a subjective art/entertainment and we all have different tastes and ways of "seeing" movies. I get that, but I also think we as a society can agree on a few principles and measurements of what is "good" and what is "crap." All of what is in that "positive" description for Sucker Punch, I could have told you going into it. It says nothing about the movie other than to condense it down into a digestible sentence to better entice 12-to-30-year-old men to see it. I am one of those and not strictly against "hot chicks with big guns and sharp swords, fighting dragons, orcs, the undead and samurai monsters in skimpy outfits." I am against them in this movie.

And now, the #1 Worst Movie of 2011 is…

1. Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star review
There was never any doubt as to what the worst movie of 2011 was going to be. It was as if I had temporarily slipped through the space-time continuum and been presented with a film that was – in its essence – perfect. Perfectly bad. I am an optimist. I go into each and every film I see with hope and I do my best to find the good in them all. This film broke me. There is not one redeeming thing in this entire mess. Not the lovely Chrsitina Ricci, who sullies herself and tarnishes her career with this picture. Not Kevin Nealon, who I always find funny. Not even Nash Bridges or his gloriously ridiculous hair. Nick Swardson...I hate you for what you've done here. Months later, whenever I have a quiet moment to myself and I close my eyes, I can still see the horror, burned into my retinas. The horror...the horror.




2011 LVP (Least Valuable Performer):
1. Adam Sandler – it was a runaway this year as Sandler and his Happy Madison production company were involved in 4 of the Bottom 10! Good luck trying to top that in 2012, Adam.
2. Nick Swardson – Has he ever been funny? Did you not just watch that trailer?
3. Emily Browning – followed Sucker Punch up with the art-house bore Sleeping Beauty. Deserves better...I think.
4. Taylor Lautner – How Breaking Dawn: Part 1 didn't make it here is beyond me. It's not good in any way...but have no fear, Lautner's other stinker Abduction helped land him here.
5. Tom Hanks – Larry Crowne was your big return to directing? AND you starred in it with Julia Roberts? AND it still sucked? What the hell, man...you couldn't have made that any better? Seriously?

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This Week In Awards


This week we have nominations from the Producers Guild of America (which have beeen one of the stronger Oscar indicators in past years, as well as awards from the Online Film Critics Society.

Producers Guild of America Nominations (PGA):

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ARTIST
Producer: Thomas Langmann
BRIDESMAIDS
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
THE DESCENDANTS
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
THE HELP
Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green
HUGO
Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese
THE IDES OF MARCH
Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
MONEYBALL
Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
WAR HORSE
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
CARS 2
Producer: Denise Ream
KUNG FU PANDA 2
Producer: Melissa Cobb
PUSS IN BOOTS
Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
RANGO
Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski

The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television:

"Cinema Verite" (HBO)
Producers: Zanne Devine, Karyn McCarthy
"Downton Abbey" (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame
"The Kennedys" (ReelzChannel)
Producers: Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow
"Mildred Pierce" (HBO)
Producers: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon
"Too Big To Fail" (HBO)
Producers: Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein

*The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.

In December 2011, the Producers Guild of America announced the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture, Television Series and Non-Fiction Television Nominations; the following list includes complete producer credits.

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
Producers: Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
Producer: Philip Gefter
PROJECT NIM
Producer: Simon Chinn
SENNA
Producer: James Gay-Rees
THE UNION
Producers: Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

"30 Rock" (NBC)
Producers: Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Jeff Richmond, John Riggi, Don Scardino
"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
Producers: Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro, Faye Oshima, Bill Prady
"Glee" (FOX)
Producers: Ian Brennan, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Kenneth Silverstein
"Modern Family" (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O'Shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
"Parks and Recreation" (NBC)
Producers: Greg Daniels, Dan Goor, Howard Klein, Amy Poehler, Morgan Sackett, Michael Schur

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

"Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)
Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter
"Dexter" (Showtime)
Producers: Sara Colleton, John Goldwyn, Chip Johannessen, Robert Lloyd Lewis
"Game of Thrones" (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Frank Doelger, Mark Huffam, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss
"The Good Wife" (CBS)
Producers: Brooke Kennedy, Michelle King, Robert King, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker
"Mad Men" (AMC)
Producers: Jonathan Abrahams, Scott Hornbacher, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Blake McCormick, Dwayne Shattuck, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:

"The Colbert Report" (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (Syndicated)
Producers: Mary Connelly, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Geiger Schrift, Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner, Kevin A. Leman II, Jonathan Norman, Derek Westervelt
"Real Time with Bill Maher" (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin
"Saturday Night Live" (NBC)
Producers: Ken Aymong, Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney
"The 64th Annual Tony Awards" (CBS)
Producers: Ricky Kirshner, Glenn Weiss

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:

"The Amazing Race" (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo
"American Idol" (FOX)
Producers: Charles Boyd, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Simon Fuller, Patrick Lynn, Nigel Lythgoe, Megan Michaels, Ken Warwick
"Dancing with the Stars" (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur, Rob Wade
"Project Runway" (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Colleen Sands
"Top Chef" (Bravo)
Producers: Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Murphy, Nan Strait

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

"30 for 30" (ESPN)
Producers: John Dahl, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons
"American Masters" (PBS)
Producers: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks
"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (Travel Channel)
Producers: Christopher Collins, Julie Lei, Lydia Tenaglia, Tom Vitale
"Deadliest Catch" (Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Ethan Prochnik, Bill Pruitt, Matt Renner
"Undercover Boss" (CBS)
Producers: Chris Carlson, Susan Hoenig, Eli Holzman, Sandi Johnson, Stephen Lambert, Allison Schermerhorn

**Below are new categories for the 2012 Producers Guild Awards; three television categories and one web category. As such, these programs were not vetted for producer eligibility this year but winners in these categories will be announced at the official ceremony on January 21st:

News Programs:

"Anderson Cooper 360" (CNN)
"BBC World News America" (BBC)
"NBC News with Brian Williams" (NBC)
"The Rachel Maddow Show" (MSNBC)
"60 Minutes" (CBS)

Sports Programs: (*There was a tie, which is why there are six nominees.)

"Monday Night Football" (ESPN)
"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (HBO)
"Sports Center" (ESPN)
"30 for 30" (ESPN)
"2010 FIFA World Cup" (ABC / ESPN / ESPN2)
"U.S. Open Tennis Championship" (CBS / ESPN2 / Tennis Channel)

Children's Programs:

"Dora the Explorer" (Nickelodeon)
"iCarly" (Nickelodeon)
"Phineas and Ferb" (Disney Channel)
"Sesame Street" (PBS)
"SpongeBob Squarepants" (Nickelodeon)

Web Series:

"Ask a Ninja" (blip.tv)
"The Guild" (WatchTheGuild.com)
"Parks and Recreation Presents: ‘April & Andy's Road Trip'" (NBC.com)
"30 Rock Presents Jack Donaghy, Executive Superhero" (NBC.com)
"Web Therapy" (LStudio.com)


Online Film Critics Society (OFCS):

Best Picture:
 "The Tree of Life"


Best Director:
 Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Best Lead Actor:
 Michael Fassbender, "Shame"
Best Lead Actress:
 Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Best Supporting Actor:
 Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Best Supporting Actress:
 Jessica Chastain, "The Tree of Life"
Best Original Screenplay:
 "Midnight in Paris"
Best Adapted Screenplay:
 "Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy"
Best Editing:
 "The Tree of Life"
Best Cinematography:
 "The Tree of Life"
Best Animated Feature:
 "Rango"
Best Film Not in the English Language: 
"A Separation"
Best Documentary:
 "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

Special Awards:

To Jessica Chastain, the breakout performer of the year

To Martin Scorsese in honor of his work and dedication to the pursuit of film preservation

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From Baron Skinny (Guest):
I can't wait for Prometheus but Kingdom Of Heaven was a dog of a film. Orlando Bloom put in the most tepid performance in the history of everything, culminating in his feebly delivered Gladiator-lite speech.

I'm a huge LOTR fan...but yeah even I can't really defend Orlando Bloom too much. He's great as an elf and as I said before, I liked the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven, but I can definitely see the criticism lobbied at Bloom.

From Toddo (Guest):
Okay, I really thought that was Charlie Hunnam in the poster for Baytown Disco... The guy in the Hawaiian Punch shirt... who is that? Prometheus looks awesome. And call me crazy, but I can't wait for Underworld. It'll be nice to have some Vamps that don't sparkle...

That is not Charlie Hunnam (although you are right, there is a definite resemblance), but is in fact, Travis Fimmel. Fimmel's biggest claim to fame (to this point) appears to be the 2003 TV version of Tarzan. Also, I

From Aprince66 (Guest):
I was thinking the exact thing. (Charlie Hunnam on the Baytown Disco poster).
Totally digging on Prometheus, and the trailers not giving me much is building my interest.

I'm all in on Prometheus now, where I'm not sure I would have said that even a month or two ago. 2012 is a huge year for some major sci-fi/fantasy films...it's pretty remarkable.

From Murr Hurr (Guest):
I hated Kingdom of Heaven until I saw the director's cut and then it became one of my favorite movies of all time. Say what you want about Orlando Bloom in that movie, but you couldn't ask for a better cast or a better director to bring it all together.

I won't go as far to call it one of my favorite films, but I definitely think there is a marked improvement between the so-so theatrical version and the director's cut. Unfortunately, I still don't think that film has gotten a fair shake because of that first version which most people saw.

From The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest):
Can't Rickman do an Imperio Curse on members of The Academy so he can at least get nominated?

Nope, not going to happen. I absolutely love Alan Rickman and love his work as Severus Snape. But if Ian freakin' McKellan can't get a supporting nod for LOTR, Rickman isn't going to be able to swing one for Harry Potter. Plus, outside of Return of the King, the Academy doesn't go for "genre" fiction (aka Fantasy/Science Fiction). While I definitely believe Rickman deserves recognition for the role, I just don't think he's going to get it from the Academy.

From Midz (Guest):
After watching Finchers Dragon Tattoo how do you feel Mara compared to Rapace? I think they both did a great job, but Rapaces version felt a little darker and stranger, part of it could be having to go through subtitles, and just the way the language sounds. I didn't get the vibe that she cared so much about Michael, as in the American version with the last scene. American version I think she came off well and had one of the strongest female performances this year. Also I don't think she smoked enough, one thing about the orginal version was I though I was going to get lung cancer with how much she was smoking.

Yeah, I do remember more smoking in the Swedish original. As I said in my review, I agree with your general assessment. They definitely changed the nature of the relationship between Salander and Blomkvist. It's not huge, but it is noticeable and does slightly alter this film and the sequels to come. The last shot of the American version, in particular, gives the film a stronger sense of Salander caring for Mikael (and not the other way around, which is more in-line with the book/Swedish version). Fincher's version is more stylized and I thought Mara hit it out of the park, but I do think the Swedish film had a bit more overall mystery and Rapace's performance was great as well – weirder like you said. It's been awhile since I saw the original, so I'd like to re-watch it just to make sure.

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The Hush-Hush Racetrack Oscar Odds

The following are the racetrack odds for this years Academy Awards courtesy of Gold Derby. The odds are the result of voting and analysis by "Experts". I've taken out (for this week at least) votes from the site's editors and users. In addition to the odds is the % chance to win. *Updated as of December 28*

BEST PICTURE

The Artist – 6/5; 45% (last week: same)
The Descendants – 11/2; 16% (last week: 5/1; 17%)
War Horse – 12/1; 8% (last week: same)
The Help – 12/1; 8% (last week: same)
Hugo – 14/1; 7% (last week: same)
Midnight in Paris – 25/1; 4% (last week: same)
Moneyball – 25/1; 4% (last week: same)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – 33/1; 3% (last week: same)
The Tree of Life – 50/1; 2% (last week: 50/1; 2%)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 50/1; 2% (last week: 100/1; 1%)

The Artist has become the heavy favorite as of this moment for Best Picture. Small but steady declines by The Descendants and War Horse have helped solidify the possibility of a black-and-white silent film winning the biggest prize at the Academy Awards. The steep fall of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as it is seen by more people has also paved the way for increased odds to win and solid locks on nominations for The Help and Hugo. I still believe it's a two-horse race between the top 2, however, there is no doubt The Artist is the film to beat.

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) – 11/10; 48%
Alexander Payne (The Descendants) – 3/1; 25%
Martin Scorsese (Hugo) – 12/1; 8%
Steven Spielberg (War Horse) – 14/1; 7%
Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) – 25/1; 4%
David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) – 33/1; 3%
Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) – 50/1; 2%
Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) – 100/1; 1%
Bennett Miller (Moneyball) – 100/1; 1%

One of the single biggest indicators for trying to figure out what film is going to win Best Picture is to watch how Best Director shakes out and who the Directors Guild of America bestows it's Best Director award to in a given year. Only six times since the DGA award's inception has that winner failed to winner the Oscar. Pretty much whoever wins the DGA, they''ll win the Oscar. It is also rare that Best Picture and Best Director split at the Oscars. It has happened, but the odds are relatively low and remains one of the more consistent patterns in forceasting the Oscars. If The Artist can get over the hump and convince Hollywood it is more than a gimmick, it has an excellent chance at sweeping Best Picture and Best Director. Payne will continue to have a good shot, as will Scorsese and Spielberg. However the latter two have already won Best Director (yes, that matters) and Payne's film is seemingly liked and admired more than loved. As of now, it is relative newcomer Michel Hazanavicius' award to lose, even against some of Hollywood's best filmmakers.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney (The Descendants) – 21/20; 49% (last week: 10/9; 47%)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball) – 7/2; 22% (last week: 9/2; 18%)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist) – 4/1; 21% (last week: 3/1; 25%)
Michael Fassbender (Shame) – 25/1; 4% (last week: same)
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) – 33/1; 3% (last week: 50/1; 2%)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) – 100/1; 1% (last week: 50/1; 2%)

George Clooney was at 66% a month ago, but has seemingly stablized as the frontrunner. Brad Pitt has moved into a strong second position behind his friend and has become the seeming alternative if Clooney falls or the Academy can't pull the trigger on Dujardin. Fassbender seemingly has locked himself up a nomination but it remains to be seen if the Academy can pull the trigger for a performance in an NC-17 film that has divided critics. DiCaprio is out as a serious contender to win (although I still believe he'll receive a nomination). Gary Oldman is getting very strong notices in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (as is the movie itself) and has never been nominated for an Oscar. Just sayin'.

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis (The Help) – 13/8; 38% (last week: 8/5; 39%)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) – 15/8; 35% (last week: 19/10; 34%)
Michele Williams (My Weekend with Marilyn) – 9/2; 18% (last week: 11/2; 16%)
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) – 25/1; 4% (last week: 14/1; 7%)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) – 33/1; 3% (last week: same)
Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) – 100/1: 1% (last week: same)
Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)
Charlize Theron (Young Adult) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)

Viola Davis and Meryl Streep remain close co-favorites and the category appears to be headed down to the wire. The Help will be well represented at this year's Oscars; it remains to be seen how many other nominations The Iron Lady will get to help bloster Streep's chances. Michele Williams has become the clear third choice and Close appears a lock for a nomiation. That leaves a fight for the fifth nomiation between previous Oscar winner Tilda Swinton and a host of Hollywood's young acting elite. I still think Dunst or Mara pips her for a nod, but Swinton is highly respected in the industry and is getting a lot of acclaim for her performance in the controversial We Need to Talk About Kevin.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer (Beginners) – 8/15; 66% (last week: same)
Albert Brooks (Drive) – 11/2; 15% (last week: same)
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn) – 14/1; 7% (last week: same)
Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) – 25/1; 4% (last week: same)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball) – 33/1; 3% (last week: same)
Nick Nolte (Warrior) – 33/1; 3% (last week: 50/1; 2%)
Alan Rickman (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)
Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)
Ben Kingsley (Hugo) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)

Plummer, Brooks and Branagh. Those are about the only three I'd wager money on getting Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor this year. After that, it's a bit of a crapshoot on which actor and film you may prefer. The big riser of the past couple weeks has been Jonah Hill for Moneyball, a fine performance in what I consider an overrated movie. It is certainly not a better performance than those given by Patton Oswalt, Ben Kingsley and Alan Rickman, all of whom are given lower odds. The fact is that the strength of Moneyball has lasted and will help a possible Hill nomination. The drag of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close continues as Max von Sydow continues to slip.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Octavia Spencer (The Help) – 1/1; 50% (last week: 10/11; 52%)
Berenice Bejo (The Artist) – 11/2; 15% (last week: 6/1; 14%)
Shailene Woodley (The Descendents) – 8/1; 11% (last week: same)
Jessica Chastain (The Help) – 9/1; 10% (last week: same)
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) – 16/1; 6% (last week: same)
Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) – 33/1; 3% (last week: same)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) – 50/1; 2% (last week: same)
Judy Greer (The Descendants) – 100/1; 1% (last week: same)
Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) – 100/1; 0% (last week: same)

The power of The Help apparently knows no bounds. Remember all those wins and pushing for Jessica Chastain in The Tree of Life? Yeah, me neither. It didn't take long for the odds of her two main supporting performances to switch around. Chastain's turn in The Help has now leapfrogged her turn in The Tree of Life and stands as the fourth favorite in this week's odds. That is apparently the power of the Golden Globes, which opted for that performance. Oh well.


Trailer of the Week: Haywire




Trailer de la Semana: Lo Imposible (The Impossible)



**Translated text: "On December 26, 2004, a devastating tsunami hit the coast of Southeast Asia.
The lives of thousands of families around the world changed forever.
This is the true story of one of these families."

Funny Video of the Week: The Lion King Rises




That's all for this week. Let me know what you think in the comments section. For now, this is Jeremy Wilson, off the record, on the QT...



...and definitely, "Hush Hush!"