Tag Archives: Academy Award

Horror Anthology ‘The ABCs Of Death’ To Get A Sequel

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samplesale juhgb Horror Anthology The ABCs Of Death To Get A Sequel

There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, but there are going to be two movies about “The ABCs of Death.” A sequel to the creepy anthology is on the way, and filmmakers are promising a leaner and meaner set of horrors. You remember how this works: each director creates a short based on a theme related to a letter of the alphabet, and of course, death. Alex de la Iglesia (“The Last Circus”), Rodney Ascher (“Room 237″), and Academy Award-nominated animator Bill Plympton have already signed on to direct, plus there will be another competition to find the 26th filmmaker. The sequel is planned for a 2014 release, so you have plenty of time to break out your camera and get to work.

We’re Officially Getting a ‘Gremlins’ Reboot
We brought you news earlier in the year about a potential reboot of Joe Dante‘s horror classic “Gremlins,” and it looks like midnight is approaching faster than we thought. Warner Bros. is moving ahead with their remake of the 1984 film about a boy who receives an adorable, exotic pet for Christmas, but quickly finds out that the breed transforms into a destructive creature if not fed and cared for strictly by the rules. “Dark Shadows” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” writer Seth Grahame-Smith will be co-producing the project, and the studio is currently searching for a director. Does this remake stand a chance for success, or will it become a total CG monstrosity?

‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ Will Become a Robert Rodriguez TV Series
The vampires of Robert Rodriguez’s From “Dusk till Dawn” will live on in a television adaptation. The director is getting his own TV network, El Ray, and his 1996 cult flick—starring and written by Quentin Tarantino— is one of two shows ready for the small-screen treatment. We’d love to see Salma Hayek perform her sexy snake dance again or George Clooney, Tarantino, and Juliette Lewis destroying vamps once more, but the chances of that happening are less than zero. The good news is that Rodriguez is still involved and will surely give the fans what they want: sex, gore, and action. Are you excited to see what the filmmaker can get away with on network TV?

“Saw II” Director to Enter the World of Devil-Worshiping Cult
“Saw II,” “Repo! the Genetic Opera,” and “The Devil’s Carnival” filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman will be directing the horror-thriller “Sacrilege.” When a family reunites with their kidnapped and brainwashed son after three years apart, their lives are turned upside down when they realize the boy’s time with a devil-worshiping cult has created a monster. No cast has been announced yet. Bousman called the script one of the most “intense and macabre” he’s ever read, which is a big deal considering this is the same guy who directed three “Saw” movies.

Daniel Day-Lewis Channels Another President, Barack Obama

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Daniel Day Lewis Channels Another President, Barack Obama

Over the weekend, the White House Correspondents Dinner took place in Washington, D.C., and as is the tradition, it tends to be one of the more light-hearted events in the nation’s capitol. Even the Presidents gets loose and cracks a few jokes.

Two of the evening’s special guests were the men behind “Lincoln,” Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis, and it just so happened that President Obama had seen a behind-the-scenes featurette on the Academy Award-winning director’s next film, starring Day-Lewis.

Check out the segment after the jump!

As you can see, Daniel Day-Lewis has once again disappeared into the role of a president of the United States. His channeling of Barack Obama is uncanny, and frankly, we have a hard time telling the difference between the two.

That’s obviously Tracy Morgan as Vice President Joe Biden, but man, Day-Lewis is untouchable. That’s one really good Obama impression.

What’s Next For The Best Male Performance Nominees?

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Whats Next For The Best Male Performance Nominees?

Our look at the future of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards nominees continues with a glimpse into the future for the Best Male Performance category. These five leading men have a ton coming up, so here’s our handy roundup.

VOTE FOR BEST MALE PERFORMANCE NOW!

Click past the jump to see what Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Channing Tatum, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Jamie Foxx have coming up for them.

And remember to tune into the 2013 MTV Movie Awards on April 14 at 9 p.m. ET.

Ben Affleck
Now that he’s Academy Award-winning director Ben Affleck, the “Argo” helmer will spend 2013 acting in “Runner, Runner,” a gambling-centric crime thriller that co-stars Justin Timberlake and Gemma Arterton, and prepping his next directorial effort, “Live by Night,” based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. He will not, however, be directing “Star Wars” — though he was a top contender — or starring in “Focus” with Kristen Stewart, which he had to drop out of to work on “Live by Night.”

Bradley Cooper
In short: A lot of Jennifer Lawrence movies. Well, “two” would be more precise. Cooper will star along his “Silver Linings Playbook” cast mate in “Serena” and the next project from David O. Russell. Aside from spending some quality time with JLaw, Cooper will be heading out west for the final installment in the “Hangover” trilogy (in theaters in May) and “Jane Got a Gun,” a Western starring Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton.

Channing Tatum
You mean besides taking over the world? Tatum will be helping save it in “White House Down,” where he’ll play a riff on John McClane by protecting President Jamie Foxx, and in “Jupiter Ascending,” the next sci-fi epic from the Wachowkis that co-stars fellow Movie Awards nominee Mila Kunis. We’ll also get a look at Tatum’s more serious side in “Foxcatcher,” a bizarre true life story from “Moneyball” director Bennett Miller.

Daniel Day-Lewis
Only one man knows the answer to that question: Daniel Day-Lewis. Just assume that an Academy Award will be involved.

Jamie Foxx
He’s doing what many an actor does actor collecting an Academy Award nomination, playing a super villain in a comic book movie. As Electro, Foxx will go toe-to-wall-crawling-toe with returning Spidey, Andrew Garfield, in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”

Will Jennifer Lawrence get her silver lining in the form of a Golden Popcorn? Which beefcake will sizzle in our brand-new Best Shirtless Performance category? It’s up to you to decide the winners of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards! Vote now, and tune in Sunday, April 14, at 9 p.m. ET, as star Rebel Wilson takes the stage at the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California.

‘Fargo’ TV Series Gets 10 Episodes On FX

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Fargo TV Series Gets 10 Episodes On FX

FX##Q##s “Fargo” TV series is now a reality. The network announced during its 2013 Upfront that it has ordered a 10-episode limited series based on the Coen brothers movie.

Joel and Ethan Coen are already on board with the project and will be executive producing it. “The Unusuals##Q##” Noah Hawley is writing the series, while Warren Littlefield is executive producing as well. “Fargo” will premiere on FX in spring 2014.

“For years, people have tried to adapt this Academy Award-winning gem into a TV series with no success,” FX##Q##s John Landgraf said during the announcement. “I have always loved Fargo and I was skeptical about this as a series, but Noah Hawley’s script made me a believer. This script is so good and so true to the tone of the original movie.”

Don’t expect Frances McDormand, William H. Macy or any of the other stars of the 1996 film to return in this new project. It will feature a new cast of characters, but will reportedly stick to the same tone as the original. This is just the first of what FX hopes will be a whole slew of miniseries and limited series that will be airing on the network now that it##Q##s sent its comedy shows off onto a new sister channel called FXX.

Are you excited that the “Fargo” TV series is actually happening? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Riff Raff Wants To Battle James Franco For His Rapper Identity

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By Maurice Bobb

No one would accuse the flamboyant rapper RiFF RAFF of copying another rapper’s style. But apparently, the golden rule about originality doesn’t go both ways. In the recently released movie, “Spring Breakers,” actor James Franco plays a character, Alien, who looks eerily similar to the Mad Decent signee and now the rapper wants his identity back.

Imitation is often the sincerest form of flattery, but Franco scoffed at the idea that his character was based on Raff, instead claiming to draw inspiration for the character from Floridian rapper Dangeruss, a move that likely prompted the Houston-bred spitter to go off script in a recent “Rappers Review Movies” interview with Next Movie.

“Where my lawyer at? James Franco bought the Riff Raff Halloween costume and he decided to glue it to his body,” Raff said before offering up a quick and disjointed review of the Harmony Korine-directed flick. “Man, it’s like people crazy and then people shooting and stuff and then, I pull up in the car, I mean James Franco pull up in the car, and then Gucci Mane—not in the movie enough—he pull up in the tangerine Lambo, but it’s supposed to be more Lambos cause I’m supposed to pull up beside him and then the movie ends and I don’t know what else happened cause I’m waiting for part two still.”

The rapper born Jody Christian then went on an incoherent tirade about the public not knowing who the real RiFF RAFF is due to Franco’s portrayal in the film, running through his purple diamond codeine necklace charm and sneakers as signature insignia for identifying the real RiFF RAFF.

Then, unprompted, the Neon Icon MC then issued a challenge to the Academy Award-nominated thespian to see who should win the role for the movie’s sequel, should there be one. “I challenge James Franco,” Raff said. “We gotta play a one on one game of basketball, we have to have a freestyle battle and have a race, 100 yards, no shoes on. And at MGM Grand, a boxing match, Don King promoting. Winner takes all. He can have all this ice if he wins and he can have my name. Story ain’t done yet.”

Do you agree that James Franco##Q##s Alien character in Spring Breakers was based on RiFF RAFF?

Exclusive ‘Lincoln’ Featurette: Turning The Monument Into A Man

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One of the true pleasures of going to the movie theater this awards season was seeing an honestly unique portrait of Abraham Lincoln put onto the screen. It was nearly impossible not to respect the amount of care and thought Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis put into their painting of a man on the cusp of history in “Lincoln.”

That##Q##s why MTV Movies Blog is proud to debut this exclusive clip from the Blu-ray and DVD of “Lincoln,” which hit shelves today. From a featurette on the disc, the look behind the scenes explores what Spielberg and Day-Lewis wanted to achieve with their focus biography of the 16th president of the United States.

What interested Day-Lewis so much about the role that would eventually win him another Academy Award (and MTV Movie Awards nomination) was the dichotomy between Lincoln##Q##s public and private life. Spielberg, in working with screenwriter Tony Kushner, needed to find a moment in the president##Q##s political career where those two intersected, and he found that with the passing of the 13th amendment.

“Lincoln” hits Blu-ray and DVD today (3/26).

Hugh Jackman Put The Danger Back Into The Easter Bunny For ‘Rise Of The Guardians’

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For the animated film “Rise of the Guardians,” the creators and star Hugh Jackman had a unique challenge on their hands. How do you take the most cuddly of all mythological holiday creatures, the Easter Bunny, and turn him into something believably tough? The answer ended up being “Let Jackman be Jackman.”

In an exclusive clip from the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of “Rise of the Guardians,” the recent Academy Award nominee explains how he wanted to bring a bit of himself to the Easter Bunny, keeping his manly edge and the rarely heard Australian accent.

“Rise of the Guardians” hits Blu-ray and DVD on March 12.

Oscars 2013 Wrap-Up: 7 Missed Opportunities

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By Drew Taylor

By and large, Sunday’s Oscar telecast was amiable, inoffensive entertainment and not, like last year, a flaming heap of twisted WTF. Seth McFarlane proved to be a toothy, totally game host, and there were enough oddball surprises both in terms of the winners (say what, two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz?) and what appeared on stage (First Lady Michelle Obama, you looked lovely).

Still, like every telecast, it felt like there were a few missed opportunities that could have been exploited for maximum entertainment value.

A Rodriguez Performance
When the creators of “Searching for Sugar Man,” the winner of the Best Documentary Feature award, said that its subject, the unfairly marginalized soul singer Rodriguez, wasn’t interested in being the center of attention, it was easy to understand. In the documentary, which is totally ace by the way, he comes off as an almost painfully shy performer, wary of any kind of spotlight (both literal or metaphoric). But here’s the thing: as McFarlane made clear in the opening monologue, this was the first “themed” Oscar awards show and the theme was “movies and music” — so why not have a performance by Rodriguez? It would be a great way of illuminating why the documentary (and the man) was so special, and give the ceremony some much needed musical diversity. Also, he’s going on tour this spring. Who loves high-operating synergy more than an awards show?

More Bond Songs/More Bonds
When Shirley Bassey came out and brought the house down with a roaring rendition of “Goldfinger,” it was a clear highlight of the entire show. Ditto when Adele belted her recent, stellar theme song contribution to “Skyfall.” The question was: why weren’t there more songs? There could have very easily been additional performances by some of Bond’s best theme song crooners (Carly Simon? Tina Turner? Maybe someone could figure out where A-Ha is?), as well as a lengthier tribute to the music from the series, especially considering the series’ 50th anniversary last year and the recent passing of Bond composer Marvin Hamlish. Also, early reports describing the ceremony suggested that the producers were working on assembling all of the Bonds on stage at one time. How hard could it really have been? George Lazenby is doing god-knows-what and Pierce Brosnan’s last big project was a based-on-a-Stephen-King-novel miniseries for basic cable. If you had given me Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Rolodex and fifteen minutes, I could have put this segment together. But if they couldn’t get all the Bonds on stage together…

Where Was Thor?
… They certainly couldn’t get all of the stars of “The Avengers” together. What makes this even more baffling (just where was Chris Hemsworth? Does being incredibly handsome seriously up that much time?) is that all of these actors are in a constant state of promoting one of these movies (“Iron Man 3″ hits this summer and “Thor 2″ drops this fall). Assembling the Avengers for a glittery awards show isn’t that big of a kick when you don’t assemble all of the Avengers. Other questions that arose during this halfhearted pre-”Avengers 2″ reunion: Also — is Samuel L. Jackson’s clandestine bureaucrat Nick Fury really one of the Avengers? And has Robert Downey Jr.’s “charmingly smarmy” shtick finally tipped into the toxic realm of “insufferably smug?”

Travolta Correctly Pronouncing “Les Miserables”
I imagine the conversation went something like this… Producer: “John Travolta! They’ve asked you to announce something on the Oscars. It’s certainly going to be seen by a whole lot more people than ever watched ‘Savages.’ It’ll be great!” Travolta: “Okay. What do I have to do?” Producer: “All you have to do is pronounce the name of the big Hollywood musical that was nominated for a whole bunch of awards.” Travolta: “Great! What’s the musical?” Producer: “Les Miserables.” Travolta: “Errrr…” Seriously. How hard is it?

No Live, Running New York Times Commentary
One of the more thrillingly strange bits of online marginalia was an ongoing live debate between tweedy New York Times film critic A.O. Scott and pugnacious Times reporter David Carr. The gravel-voiced Carr and Scott often spar in a series of ludicrously entertaining videos on the Times website, but this was a live discussion between the two that lasted for the entire ceremony. In short: it was an embarrassment of riches, but one that too many people missed because they were focusing on, you know, the actual show. A really bizarre solution would have been to have a tiny box in the bottom of the screen that would have showcased these two white guys bickering. Now that would have been cutting edge!

A Funny Sound Effect Added To Jennifer Lawrence’s Fall
When Jennifer Lawrence tripped on her way up to accept her Oscar for Best Actress (right before that shining knight Hugh Jackman tried to help her), some sharp-eyed sound person in the booth should have added a funny whoop or possibly a whoopee cushion noise. This was something that was learned from “Futurama,” wherein news footage of penguins slipping on an oil spill had “sound effects added to lessen tragedy.” Just a thought.

More Musicals In The Musical Montage (Like Some Before 2002)
The movie musicals montage was pretty thrilling, mainly because it seems that Catherine Zeta-Jones seems to be aging backwards, “Benjamin Button“-style, but it was also really confusing — were these movie musicals that had won Oscars? Because Catherine performed and so did Jennifer Hudson, but then the entire cast of “Les Miserables” was trotted out (including the bellowing Russell Crowe, who looked genuinely unhappy to be out of the house), which, at least from the Oscar-winning musical perspective, was a titanic jag of hubristic chicken counting. (This was before Anne Hathaway picked up her win for Best Supporting Actress and birthed a thousand cloyingly inspirational Facebook statuses.) Because, if there really were no “rules” to this montage, they should have been able to scrape together some performers or movies that screened before the year of our lord 2002.

Oscars: The Seven Youngest Academy Award Nominees Ever

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Oscars: The Seven Youngest Academy Award Nominees Ever

By Beckett Mufson

If Quvenzhané Wallis wins at this year’s Oscars, she will be the youngest Academy Award winner ever. If she doesn’t win, she will still be among the elite dramatic forces of small children who are good at pretending to be other small children, which is a respectable accomplishment. Each of these starlets earned a permanent place in the day care of cinema history, and are the standard that child actors everywhere are measured against.

Here they are the best of the youngest and the youngest of the best the Academy has ever seen.

Justin Henry, 8 years-old, for “Kramer vs. Kramer”
Justin Henry is the leader of this prestigious bunch because of his Best Supporting Actor nod for playing Billy Kramer in “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979). His childlike honesty and earnestness are the heart and soul of the film, earning him his place as the youngest Academy Award nominee of all time.

Quvenzhané Wallis, 9 years-old, for “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis’ portrayal of Hushpuppy in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012) illustrates a vastly different perspective on childhood than the metropolitan family crisis that earned Justin Henry his nomination. Hushpuppy plays with rodents and bugs instead of toys, and tears apart crabs with her bare hands instead of having her dad make her French toast. She’s the beastly Incredible Hulk to Henry’s prim and proper Captain America, but both actors convey the same childlike innocence that brings movies about family to the next level. This innocence, combined with her compelling reaction to some very adult problems, puts her in the top tier of the ferocious competition for Best Actress of 2013.

Jackie Cooper, 9 years-old, for “Skippy”
“Skippy” came out in 1931, so it was among the earliest films to participate in the Academy Awards. Thus when Jackie Cooper was nominated for the Oscar at a mere nine years of age, he didn’t have much competition for the imaginary award of “Youngest Nominee Ever.” That said, his interpretation of Skippy was still spot on, highlighting the highs and lows (mostly lows) of Depression-era class struggles. He held the title of youngest Oscar nominee until 8-year-old Justin Henry swept it away in 1979.

Mary Badham, 10 years-old, for “To Kill a Mockingbird”
The classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” received acclaim on every level in 1960 when it was published, and the 1962 film adaptation starring film legend Gregory Peck followed suit. Mary Badham‘s nomination for Best Supporting Actress was among a whole slew of awards that marked “To Kill a Mockingbird” as one of the most celebrated films of the decade. Badham’s Scout Finch lives the typical life of a tomboy in a small Alabama town (if there is such a thing) until her father, Atticus, defends a black man in court. Badham’s performance stunningly captures a child struggling to deal with race and isolation in pre-Civil Rights Movement America.

Abigail Breslin, 10 years-old, for “Little Miss Sunshine”
“Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) was at the forefront of the mid-2000s indie movie boom that redefined the reinvigorated the field’s mainstream appeal. It had everything the perfect indie movie needs: a soundtrack of pop rock hits, the hand drawn titles that show just how unique and nostalgic the movie is, and a quirky female main character. While the first two aspects have become somewhat cliche pillars of the indie genre, the quirky female is expertly executed by Abigail Breslin. Her desire to win the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant while maintaining her quirky integrity (all the way through the supremely uncomfortable strip tease) is as believable as it is heartwarming (which is a lot).

Tatum O’Neal, 10 years-old, “Paper Moon”
Tatum O’Neal is the youngest person to emerge victorious from the vicious, sometimes disgusting battlefield that is Oscar season. At 10 years old, she played Addie Loggins in “Paper Moon” (1973), the tale of a con man and the girl who may or may not be his daughter. The movie begins on a decidedly depressing note: with Addie’s mom’s death and subsequent funeral. The story quickly picks up as Addie embarks on a heartwarming journey to her aunt’s house, finding happiness where she least expected it: with the con man who may or may not be her dad. Her heartwarming performance made her the youngest winner for Best Supporting Actress and the youngest person to win an Oscar in any category. Unfortunately for Tatum, Quvenzhané Wallis is creeping up her turf, and may snatch that honor out from under her aging feet at Sunday’s award ceremony.

Quinn Cummings, 10 years-old, “The Goodbye Girl”
Last, but not least, Quinn Cummings was nominated for her performance as Lucy McFadden in Neil Simon‘s classic rom-com, “The Goodbye Girl” (1977). Lucy is put in a classic American predicament in this Oscar-heavy film: her single mother is about to helplessly fall in love with some dude (but that dude is the hilarious Richard Dreyfus, so I guess we don’t blame her), and it’s up to her to make sure he’s a decent fellow. Every scene with her and Dreyfus is hilarious, and the end gets you right in the feels. Dreyfus himself puts it perfectly talking to the mom: “Listen, I can’t stand you, but you got a ten year-old in there I’m nuts about.”