Happy Golden Globes night, Shockya readers! The winners of the big show will likely be the talk of the town, office or school this week, but if you’re looking for a little something to supplement all the Golden Globes chatter, we’ve got you covered.
Brushing up on your Academy Awards nominees should be priority number one, but the results of the Critics Choice Awards are also must-sees as a few Oscar snubs took home some well-deserved honors. And, of course, there is still life beyond awards season out in Hollywood and some big news surfaced this past week, most notably word that “Jurassic Park IV” is locked for the summer of 2014 and that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is officially on board for “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.”
All the details on those stories and more are coming at you in your weekly Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. Academy Award Nominees: The nominations for the 85th Academy Awards are here and while quite a few nods went to the usual suspects, there’s a number of significant snubs and surprises. “Amour” gets to do a double take, vying both for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture. “Amour” director Michael Hanaeke also earned a Best Directing nod as did Benh Zeitlin for “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” snagging spots from top contenders Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck. As expected, Jessica Chastain is the frontrunner for Best Actress in a Leading Role category with Jennifer Lawrence right behind. It’s nice to see Quvenzhané Wallis of “Beasts” and Naomi Watts of “The Impossible” in the mix, but, odds are, they’ll stay seated and watch Chastain take the Oscar. Christoph Waltz earned the Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination expected to go to his “Django Unchained” co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, while Jacki Weaver of “Silver Linings Playbook” is the nice surprise of the Best Actress in a Supporting role category. The list goes on and goes and, of course, it’s a must-see for any movie lover so head on over to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science website to see the full line-up and then check out who takes home top honors when the ceremony airs on Sunday, February 24th.
2. “Jurassic Park 4” in 2014: The time has finally come! After one too many years of gossip and rumors Universal Pictures made it official – “Jurassic Park IV” will hit theaters on June 13, 2014. The film is currently without a director, but Steven Spielberg is locked to produce. No word on story details just yet either, but, according to THR’s Borys Kit, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” scribes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver did deliver a brand new draft of the script this week. Fingers crossed for more details soon and, now that the film is locked for the summer of 2014, we’ll likely get them!
3. “Argo” Wins Big at Critics Choice Awards: Ben Affleck may have missed out on that Best Director Academy Award nod, but the Broadcast Film Critics Association still thinks he’s the best. Not only did Affleck take home the Best Director win, but “Argo” won Best Picture overall. Daniel Day-Lewis and Jessica Chastain are likely gearing up for a string of wins because their Critics Choice statues for Best Actor and Best Actress will probably be in very good company soon. The critics gave “Django Unchained” some love in the Best Original Screenplay category and went for “Wreck-It Ralph” for Best Animated Feature. Breaking it down my genre, “Skyfall” was named Best Action Movie, “Silver Linings Playbook” Best Comedy and “Looper” Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie. Click here to take a look at the full list of winners.
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt for “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For:” Joseph Gordon-Levitt for “Guardians of the Galaxy?” Not so fast. Looks like Gordon-Levitt opted to ditch Peter Quill because Dimension Films just revealed he’s locked for the lead character of Johnny in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” He’s described as “a cocky gambler who disguises a darker mission to destroy his most foul enemy at his best game.” “A Dame to Kill For” has roots in two of Frank Miller’s classic stories and will also feature some brand new elements like Johnny. In addition to Gordon-Levitt, the roster already boasts franchise vets Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and Jaime King, and newcomers Dennis Haysbert and Jamie Chung, with more casting announcements on the way. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are already busy shooting with “A Dame to Kill For” heading towards an October 4, 2013 release. (via ComingSoon)
5. First Look at “Hunger Games: Catching Fire:” It’s always good fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at the action on the set of highly anticipated film, but let’s be honest; that new “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” Entertainment Weekly cover featuring Katniss and Finnick would have been much more exciting had we not seen the duo in a slew of paparazzi-style pictures first. Perhaps EW read my mind because in addition to loading up that cover, the outlet also shared a number of stills from the sequel and those come with that first look thrill the cover is missing. We’ve got a shot of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss and Peeta looking their best, possibly during the Victory Tour, one of poor Gale (Liam Hemsworth) about to take a beating from the Peacekeepers, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee chatting it up with Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and more. Click here to check out the cover for yourself, here for the first set of stills and here for the second.
6. Aaron Johnson May Lead “Godzilla:” Aaron Johnson is going bigger and bigger. He first stepped into the spotlight courtesy of “Kick-Ass,” then starred in the A-list heavy crime thriller “Savages,” got a taste of something more on the awards-worthy side with “Anna Karenina” and now could be taking on his very first summer blockbuster, “Godzilla.” As reported by Deadline, Legendary Pictures has honed in on Johnson to lead the Gareth Edwards reboot. Apparently no decision will be made until Frank Darabont submits his rewrites of Max Borenstein’s script, but, at the moment, Johnson is the frontrunner. Johnson’s casting would be a nice boost for the production, but come May 16, 2014, all eyes will be on Edwards as “Godzilla” will be his “Monsters” follow-up, a major transition as he likely has a monumentally higher budget and isn’t taking on every other crew position himself.
7. Christopher Nolan Eyes “Interstellar:” Christopher Nolan could be coming close to cutting the cord and moving on from the Batman franchise. According to Heat Vision, Nolan is just about ready to commit to direct and produce a sci-fi film called “Interstellar.” The script is written by Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, and centers on Kip Thorne’s scientific theories about time travel to alternate dimensions via wormholes. Apparently it hasn’t been easy to get Nolan to sign on the dotted line because these negotiations have been carrying on for months. Should the day finally come, Nolan would be making the film with both Paramount and Warner Bros., the film being set up at the former but Nolan’s Syncopy banner falling under the latter.
8. RIP David R. Ellis: Back in February 2003, I was still in high school and very excited to go on a date to catch “Final Destination 2.” When we walked into the theater the skies were clear enough, but when we came out, not only were the roads covered in snow, but my father was waiting outside the theater to drive me home and follow my date home, as mama and papa Nemiroff deemed the conditions unsafe for teenage driving. As you can imagine, I was embarrassed to the max, but now I look back and laugh, and keep laughing every single time I watch “Final Destination 2” as it’s one of my go-to horror favorites. It came as a deeply upsetting shock when news broke that “Final Destination 2,” “Snakes on a Plane” and “Cellular” director David R. Ellis passed away of an unknown cause while preparing for his upcoming film “Kite” in Johannesburg. As someone with a soft spot for gory and outrageous horror, I’ll undoubtedly continue to enjoy his work, and his two “Final Destination” movies in particular. Our sincerest condolences to his wife and children. (via The Malibu Times)
9. Trailers: “The Call,” “21 and Over,” “42:” Something about the first trailer for “The Call” screams trashy thriller à la “Untraceable,” but that doesn’t mean the scenario isn’t intriguing enough to entice you to drop the cash to see it. The second trailer for “21 and Over” has a very similar vibe. It feels like “Project X” all over again, but who didn’t have a blast watching those kids get obliterated to a stellar, pounding soundtrack? The powerhouse Jay-Z tune closing out the new “42” trailer may be worthy of the “21 and Over” soundtrack, but with roots in Jackie Robinson’s true story, “42” strikes a far more dramatic chord and seemingly boasts quite a bit of heart, baseball action and noteworthy performances.
10. Box Office: Could “Zero Dark Thirty’s” big win at the box office mean a successful awards season, too? We’ll find out soon enough, but until then, Sony gets to enjoy a $24 million haul for the film’s first weekend out on a nationwide scale. “A Haunted House” relished in a surprisingly strong start, coming in at #2 with $18.8 million while “Gangster Squad” kicked things off with a mediocre $5,385 per theater average and $16.7 million weekend one total. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” took a heftier hit than expected, letting “Django Unchained” and “Les Misérables” round out the top five. “Django” lost 44.7% of its weekend two total for another $11.1 million while “Les Mis” took its smallest hit yet, losing just 36.8% for $10 million its third weekend out. (via Box Office Mojo)
