What's New In Blu? (Week of Feb. 9)

“The Running Man” (R)
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura
Directed by Paul Michael Glazer
OK, this 1987 Schwarzenegger flick is packed full of cheesy dialogue (some of it intentional), and certainly wouldn’t fall into the category of an action classic. But it has a likability to it, and some truly wild casting, including musicians Mick Fleetwood and Dweezil Zappa. As an unjustly imprisoned inmate, Arnie’s forced to compete in a highly-rated live “game show,” where the contestants are pursued by hunters out to kill. Loosely based on a short story by Richard Bachman (a pseudonym of Stephen King), some of the action seems fairly dated today, but the casting of an entertaining Richard Dawson (“Family Feud”) as the show’s host (and movie’s villain) was an inspired decision.
Grade: B

Other releases:
“Bronson” (R)
Starring Tom Hardy, Matt King, Amanda Burton, James Lance
Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn

“Couples Retreat” (PG-13)
Starring Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman, Kristen Davis, Jon Favreau
Directed by Peter Billingsley

“I Hate Valentine’s Day” (PG-13)
Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Judah Friedlander, Zoe Kazan
Directed by Nia Vardalos

“The Phantom” (PG)
Starring Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta Jones, James Remar
Directed by Simon Wincer

“A Serious Man” (R)
Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolf
Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

“Serious Moonlight” (R)
Starring Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell, Justin Long
Directed by Cheryl Hines

“The Stepfather” (PG-13)
Starring Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard and Jon Tenney
Directed by Nelson McCormick

“The Time Traveler’s Wife” (PG-13)
Starring Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Arliss Howard, Ron Livingston
Directed by Robert Schwentke

And The Nominees Are

With television ratings always playing a consideration into its annual telecast, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the decision that its field of contenders for Best Picture would expand from five to 10 for the 2010 Academy Awards. This marks the first time since 1943 that so many contenders will vie for the top prize at the award show, set for March 7 on ABC.

Academy President Sid Ganis said last summer when the decision was made that expanding the field would allow Academy voters to recognize great movies that get nominated in other categories, but get squeezed out of the most prestigious category. But don’t think for a second that TV ratings weren’t on the Academy’s mind, as well.

The Oscars have seen relatively meager ratings for a number of years – hitting a record-low in 2008 – that getting more popular films competing for Best Picture seemed an easy decision. After all, “The Dark Knight” was shut out of the race last year, but would have certainly garnered a nomination if 10 candidates were allowed. As a huge box-office hit, its inclusion likely would have led to more viewers.

It’s a situation that the Academy won’t have to worry about this year, as it would appear to be in a similar position as it was heading into the 1998 Oscar telecast. In that one, “Titanic,” directed by James Cameron, had already become the highest-grossing film in history, and received an armful of nominations (14). That translated to record-high ratings (57 million people), with viewers witnessing the film take 11 Oscars home.

This year, “Avatar,” also directed by Cameron, has already surpassed “Titanic” as the highest-grossing movie ever, and received nine Oscar nominations, tying it for the most with “The Hurt Locker.” Ratings should be huge, and could possibly surpass 1998’s numbers, with the expanded field of Best Picture nominees including the hit films, “Up” and “The Blind Side.”

The following is a roundup of some of the major categories and a peek at the prospects for some of the nominees when the awards are announced March 7.

Best Picture
• “A Serious Man”
• “An Education”
• “Avatar”
• “The Blind Side”
• “District 9”
• “The Hurt Locker”
• “Inglourious Basterds”
• “Precious”
• “Up”
• “Up in the Air”
With so many nominees, it would seem possible that a dark horse might be lurking, but “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” are generally considered the top possibilities.

Best Director
• Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
• James Cameron, “Avatar”
• Lee Daniels, “Precious”
• Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”
• Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
Cameron has won in this category before (“Titanic”), but Bigelow has had a lot of film critics and people within the movie industry rooting for her. She could make history here as the first female winner.

Best Actress
• Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
• Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
• Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
• Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
• Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”
An Oscar would cap off the best year of Bullock’s career, but she’s got some stiff competition, most notably from Streep (with her truly impressive 16th Oscar nomination).

Best Actor
• Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
• George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
• Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
• Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
• Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
With a career that has spanned four decades, Bridges has been pulling in a lot of awards leading up to the Oscars for his performance as a down-on-his-luck country singer. But, like in the Best Actress category, the competition is strong.

Best Supporting Actress
• Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
• Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
• Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
• Mo’Nique, “Precious”
Portraying a bitter, abusive mother of a pregnant teen in “Precious,” Mo’Nique has been cleaning up at pretty much every award show. This might be the best shot for the drama to pick up an Oscar in a major category.

Best Supporting Actor
• Matt Damon, “Invictus”
• Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
• Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
• Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
• Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”
Like Mo’Nique, Waltz has been getting a lot of awards for his supporting work in the World War II film, making him the odds-on favorite. Anybody else getting the award in this category might serve as the biggest upset of the night.

What's New In Blu? (Week of Feb. 2)

“The Music Man” (G)
Starring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold, Paul Ford
Directed by Morton DaCosta
Although it’s certainly old-fashioned by today’s standards, the big screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical is a thoroughly entertaining affair. Robert Preston (by no means the studio’s top choice – the thought was to go with a more recognizable name) recreates his onstage leading role as Prof. Harold Hill, a smooth-talking con man who arrives with his associate in River City, Iowa, with the intent of swindling the townsfolk out of money. But his plan is complicated when he falls for the town’s librarian. This is clearly Preston’s most memorable film role and Shirley Jones matches him scene for scene here. Look for a small, yet memorable supporting performance from a young Ron Howard.
Grade: A-

“Walk the Line” (PG-13)
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick
Directed by James Mangold
It would be hard to not emerge a bit of a fan of the music of Johnny Cash, after watching this bio-pic about the Man in Black. The movie doesn’t really focus on the later years of his life, instead choosing to center on the beginning of his music career and his dogged determination to win the heart of fellow musical performer June Carter. Director James Mangold does a very good job capturing the music in the film (no doubt assisted in no small part by musician T-Bone Burnett). But it’s the performances of stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon (who won an Oscar for Best Actress) that really distinguishes “Walk the Line” from the run-of-the-mill biography.
Grade: B+

Other releases:
“Amelia” (PG-13)
Starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Joe Anderson
Directed by Mira Nair

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (R)
Starring Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro
Directed by Terry Gilliam

“The House of the Devil” (R)
Starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen and Dee Wallace
Directed by Ti West

“The Last King of Scotland” (R)
Starring Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney and Gillian Anderson
Directed by Kevin Macdonald

“Love Happens” (PG-13)
Starring Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer, John Carroll Lynch and Martin Sheen
Directed by Brandon Camp

“Mystic River” (R)
Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney
Directed by Clint Eastwood

“Ong Bak 2: The Beginning” (R)
Starring Tony Jaa, Sorapong Chatree, Sarunyu Wongkrachang
Directed by Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai

“Zombieland” (R)
Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Winter 2010 Movie Preview (Part II)

Movie releases in February are typically a mixed lot, as big hits rarely emerge from the month. But the quality of this year’s offerings for the month (at least at first glance) appears promising.

FEBRUARY
“From Paris with Love”
Starring John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden
Directed by Pierre Morel
After the critically-panned “Old Dogs” limped into theaters late last year, it’s good to see Travolta back doing something with at least some edge – and sporting a new look, to boot. He’s sans hair in this action pic from the director of “Taken,” playing an aggressive FBI agent on the hunt for terrorists in Paris. “Taken” was a surprise hit last year, and some of the same elements that made that film successful seem to be in place here. (Feb. 5)
Official Web site

“The Wolfman”
Starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving
Directed by Joe Johnston
The 1941 horror classic gets a remake, retaining a similar storyline of a man (Del Toro) reuniting with his estranged father (Hopkins) in England following the disappearance of his brother. A vicious creature is discovered to be behind the deaths of a number of villagers and a Scotland Yard detective (Weaving) arrives to investigate. Despite having its release date moved around several times, Universal has been aggressively marketing the film in recent weeks. (Feb. 12)
Official Web site

“Valentine’s Day”
Starring Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift
Directed by Garry Marshall
An all-star cast assembles for a comedy looking at relationships and love for a group of people in Los Angeles. With such a gigantic cast fighting for screen time, it’ll be interesting to see how director Marshall (“Pretty Woman”) can juggle the multiple story arcs. This would seem to be this year’s “He Just Not That Into You,” which also featured a relatively young and attractive cast dealing with love. (Feb. 12)
Official Web site

“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”
Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman
Directed by Chris Columbus
Based on the popular book by Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson” involves a teenager (Lerman) finding out that the gods of Mount Olympus truly exist and are now a very real part of his life. They battle over Zeus’ missing lightning bolt, while Percy looks to find his missing mother. Columbus has generated big hits from youth-oriented material before (the first two “Harry Potter” movies, “Home Alone”), so this potential film franchise might be in trustworthy hands. (Feb. 12)
Official Web site

“Shutter Island”
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Max Van Sydow
Directed by Martin Scorsese
This thriller was bumped from its fall release date, presumably because of the lack of availability of DiCaprio to do publicity for it. It would be hard to imagine the studio feels they have a bomb on their hand. It can’t be with these stars and a director who is among the most consistently good in Hollywood. DiCaprio (in his fourth film with Scorsese) and Ruffalo are federal marshals who visit a mental institution to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of the residents. (Feb. 19)
Official Web site

“Cop Out”
Starring Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak, Guillermo Diaz and Seann William Scott
Directed by Kevin Smith
For the first time in his career, Smith is directing a script that he didn’t write. This is the tried and true (some would say tired) buddy cop genre at work here, with Willis and Morgan (“30 Rock”) as the mismatched partners on the beat. Based on his background, it would stand to reason that Smith won’t be making the standard issue cop movie. Still, the trailer isn’t an instant confidence booster. (Feb. 26)
Official Web site

What's New in Blu? (Week of Jan. 26)

Here’s a look at some of the Blu-ray releases coming for the week of Jan. 26.
“Atonement” (R)
Starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romala Garai, Saoirse Ronan and Vanessa Redgrave
Directed by Joe Wright

“Fame” (R)
Starring Irene Cara, Eddie Barth, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean, Paul McCrane, Barry Miller, Gene Anthony Ray
Directed by Alan Parker

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” (PG)
Directed by Kenny Ortega

“Paris, Texas” (R)
Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Natassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, Hunter Carson
Directed by Wim Wenders

“Pride and Prejudice” (PG)
Starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfayden, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Judi Dench
Directed by Joe Wright

“Saw VI” (R)
Starring Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Betsy Russell
Directed by Kevin Greutert

“Soul Power” (PG-13)
Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte

“Surrogates” (PG-13)
Starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames
Directed by Jonathan Mostow

“Whip It” (PG-13)
Starring Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern
Directed by Drew Barrymore

What's New in Blu? (Week of Jan. 19)

Here’s a look at some of the Blu-ray releases coming for the week of Jan. 19.

“Magnolia” (R)
Starring Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards, Melora Walters
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Assembling yet another great ensemble cast, many of whom are familiar from “Boogie Nights,” Paul Thomas Anderson has weaved a tapestry of stories about a very busy and very stressful day in the life of a group of Los Angeles residents. There’s some levity to be found in the movie here and there, but many of the stories take on a darker edge, with some great acting on display. There’s a reason why Anderson attracts so many standout actors to his material, as he writes some great dialogue. This marks Cruise’s best performance, having garnered an Oscar nomination as the slick and smug Frank T.J. Mackey.
Grade: A-

“Smokin’ Aces” (R)
Starring Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds
Directed by Joe Carnahan
After having displayed some true talent with the gritty cop drama, “Narc,” wrter-director Joe Carnahan takes a little bit of a step backwards with the loud, violent and over-the-top action flick, “Smokin’ Aces.” Granted, the majority of the chaos in the film was likely scripted, as a group of assassins converge on a Lake Tahoe hotel, attempting to collect on a $1 million contract put out on a mob informant (Piven). Three’s some fun to be had here, as the action moves swiftly, but most of the characters in the film feel just like that – characters, not real people.
Grade: C+

Other releases:
“Che” (R)
Starring Benicio Del Toro, Benjamin Bratt, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Franka Potente
Directed by Stephen Soderbergh

“Gamer” (R)
Starring Gerard Butler, Amber Valetta, Michael C. Hall, Logan Lerman and Kyra Sedgwick
Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

“The Invention of Lying” (PG-13)
Starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe and Tina Fey
Directed by Ricky Gervais and Matt Robinson

“Pandorum” (R)
Starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Eddie Rouse
Directed by Christian Alvart

“Weeds: Season Five”
Starring Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould and Kevin Nealon

“Whiteout” (R)
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short and Tom Skerritt
Directed by Dominic Sena

What's New in Blu? (Week of Jan. 12)

As movie studios are seeing an increase in consumers of Blu-ray, the available titles on the format should continue to grow considerably in 2010. But as for reasonable prices on said available titles ... well, that’s a discussion for another time. At any rate, here’s a look at some of the releases that have rolled out the week of Jan. 12.

"Moon" (R)
Starring Sam Rockwell, Dominique McElligott, Rosie Shaw, Benedict Wong and Kevin Spacey
Directed by Duncan Jones
This sci-fi film has drawn comparisons to Stanley Kubrick’s classic “2001.” But while “Moon” doesn’t reach those heights, it is a quite effective psychological drama on the effects of isolation in outer space. Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell in a great, versatile performance) works for a large corporation, mining an energy source on the surface of the moon. Working with just a computer named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to keep him company, Sam’s becoming a little stir crazy as his three-year contract is coming to an end. Then, after crashing his lunar rover, things get strange for Sam. To say more would spoil some of the interesting plot developments of this impressive debut from co-writer and director Duncan Jones (son of rock star David Bowie). This is one of those small budget films worth seeking out.
Grade: B+

“Cliffhanger” (R)
Starring Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall
Directed by Renny Harlin
A pair of mountain climbers (Stallone and Rooker) are forced at gunpoint by thieves to use their skills to find suitcases filled with $100 million lost in the Colorado Rockies. Director Renny Harlin has experience with this kind of film (“Die Hard 2: Die Harder”), so the action sequences are well-executed and exciting to watch. And the actors, particularly Stallone, were put through their paces in filming the action. But the script is certainly intellectually lacking for stretches, with little suspense in the eventual outcome. Still, as far as Stallone action films, you could certainly do worse.
Grade: B

Other releases:
“8 1/2” (NR)
Starring Marcello Mastrioanni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée
Directed by Federico Fellini

“The Burning Plain” (R)
Starring Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence, Joaquim de Almeida, John Corbett
Directed by Guillermo Arriaga

“Fame” (PG)
Starring Thomas Dekker, Kay Panabaker, Kristy Flores, Paul Iacono, Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mullally
Directed by Kevin Tancharoen

“Halloween II” (R)
Starring Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, Chase Vanek, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Malcolm McDowell
Directed by Rob Zombie

“The Hurt Locker” (R)
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, Brian Geraghty, David Morse, Christian Camargo, Evangeline Lilly
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

“I Can Do Bad All By Myself” (R)
Starring Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Brian White, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, Pastor Marvin Winans and Tyler Perry
Directed by Tyler Perry

“In the Loop” (NR)
Starring Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini
Directed by Armando Iannucci

“Last Action Hero” (PG-13)
Starring Arnold Schwartzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Charles Dance, Tom Noonan, Austin O'Brien, Art Carney
Directed by John McTiernan

“Post Grad” (PG-13)
Starring Alexis Bledel, Zach Gilford, Michael Keaton, Jane Lynch, Carol Burnett, Rodrigo Santoro
Directed by Vicky Jenson