Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy

We all know the triumphs and struggles of Roman Polanski, and how one of the latter has remained a thorn in his side to this day -- the sex he had with a 13-year-old girl 31 years ago. The recent documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (which Erik and Christopher both reviewed) covered the years Polanski has spent avoiding jail and both the US and UK, and ended with word that it could have all come to an end, but that the judge wanted the proceedings televised. That was the end of that until now; Polanski wants it all done with.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that the famed filmmaker has filed papers with the Los Angeles Superior Court requesting that the case against him be dismissed. His reasoning, according to THR: "They list a slew of reasons for the case to be dismissed, including that the victim, Samantha Geimer, has made 'numerous' and repeated requests that the case be dismissed and that Mr. Polanski serve no further term of incarceration, a request that must be considered."

I can't help but wonder: Would Polanski really want to come back? Think about it -- the US he remembers isn't the US of today. I can imagine him coming back, seeing that nothing is as he left it all that time ago, and head right back to Europe. But this all also depends on whether they'll consider wiping it all away without Polanski being present. Think he'll risk it and finally hit US shores again?

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Sony Classics, one of the few "indie" distribution labels left standing, did well at last night's 18th Annual Gotham Independant Film Awards, held, appropriately, in New York City. The Hollywood Reporter has details, but here are the basics:

Best feature" "Frozen River"

Best documentary: "Trouble the Water"

Breakthrough actor: Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"

Breakthrough director: Lance Hammer, "Ballast"

Best ensemble performance: TIE between "Synecdoche, New York" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best unreleased film: "Sita Sings the Blues"

The Gothams are the first in the annual onslaught of awards, and obviously they favor the little guys, all the more important in this year of downsizing and merging. The Golden Globe nominations get announced next week, but the interesting thing is that there are few, if any, obvious frontrunners for best picture. David Carr in the Times recently opined that the top dogs include "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Revolutionary Road," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Doubt," "The Reader," and possibly Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino." The Awards Daily site throws in "The Wrestler," "Changeling," "The Dark Knight," and "Rachel Getting Married" into that mix.

Problem is, those of us who've already seen the movies on Carr's list are finding it hard to get enthusiastic about anything besides "Slumdog" and "Milk". (From the Awards Daily list, I'll include "The Wrestler.") Without getting into too much detail, many of the others are exactly the kind of Tasteful, Important Dramas that win Oscars without being all that good. And then there are a few -- *cough* "Gran Torino" *cough* -- that are just plain bad.

The acting categories are looking juicy, at least: Viola Davis in "Doubt" could get the honorary Beatrice Straight award for pocketing a movie in just one scene, and no one's going to deny nominations for Sean Penn in "Milk," Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler," Penelope Cruz in "Vicky," or Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight." But if any of the white elephants that Carr cites get a best directing statue, then Oscar 2008 will be a mere formality. Except for "Slumdog Millionaire" -- that thing, at least, was directed. But then Danny Boyle will have to split the statue with co-director Loveleen Tandan.

And, um, how come no one's talking about "WALL-E"? A brilliant cartoon is still brilliant.

Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Trailers and Clips

For those of you who spend a great deal of time roaming the halls of indie hipster-ville, you may have noticed that the brief window of empty space prior to awards nominations has been filled with a whole bunch of Prop 8 speech. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, since it's an important issue in this country and the very influential "indie community" can help provide a large voice of support against Prop 8. If that's your thing. However, now that awards season is beginning to heat up, Prop 8. is being replaced by "So who got which screener today?", and it's slowly becoming "that thing we got really upset about in November."

Hold on! Funny or Die has come to the rescue with this very funny video called Prop 8 - The Musical, featuring all sorts of comedic talent like Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Craig Robinson, Neil Patrick Harris (who's absolutely hilarious), and many more. Watch as this ensemble cast sings and dances their way through the issue at hand, and maybe you'll learn a bit more about what's at stake here. Enjoy.

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Michael Cieply revealed yesterday in the New York Times that the membership process to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, that group that hands out the Oscars, is mysterious. This shouldn't be a surprise, but the changes in entry rules now mean a nomination is no longer grounds for membership, either. Best actress nominee Ellen Page, it was revealed, is not a member. Weird. Weirder is how a producer didn't make the cut but his equally accomplished partner did. (I'm sure the story will embarrass someone into admitting these and other people, like Seth Rogen who was also named. Don't they want the youth vote rallying behind cooler people and movies?)

The upside of all this is that, increasingly, the membership is starting to look a lot like the world and not simply like Hollywood. (Or maybe it just confirms once again that Hollywood is still the world.) It also might mean the nominated films, technicians, and actors will continue to be less popular and more interesting - not that those two things are mutually exclusive. So it's reasonable to expect more nominees like Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi from "Babel." How much this really changes the game, though, is still anybody's guess. I mean, while Three 6 Mafia are impressive Oscar winners (it's not hard out here for a pimp anymore), Alfonso Cuaron doesn't have one. Just saying.

The most enlightening thing about this peek behind the Academy's curtain is that we now know the process for entry is as arbitrary as the nomination system can be.

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Lists

The end of the year means you'll have no shortage of movie lists to pick through ... but here's one that's just too bouncy to ignore. My old pals at MrSkin.com have (of course) come up with their list of the finest in cinematical skinematical for the year 2008. Now, before you get all huffy and stressed, it should be noted that MrSkin has always taken a rather jovial approach to movie-time nakedness. (Jovial as opposed to sleazy, is what I'm saying.) Plus, c'mon, we all love a good nude scene. Admit it. Love it enough to give MrSkin a whole lot of longtime fans. (Heck, they even played a prominent role in Knocked Up!)

But if you're scared of seeing copious cleavage or perhaps a stray butt-dimple, here's a text-based sampling of what you'll be missing: The stunning Sophie Monk in the amusing Sex & Death 101; the spunky Amy Smart re-defining "jaw-dropping" in Mirrors; plus just a few sexy peeks at Penelope Cruz, Mena Suvari, Amy Adams, and Angelina Jolie. Wanted, indeed. For a whole lot more (and a lot less clothes), check out the piece(s). And hey, there's another twenty for you TV fans. Since when is there nudity on TV? Check out the 20 film girls, in order of where they appear on the list, in the gallery below.

P.S. This is a list of female nakedness. For the other side of the equation, I challenge the women writers (and readers) of Cinematical to kick-start that roster.

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Filed under: RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

You'd think there wouldn't be a ton of stuff to catch you post-Turkey blokes up with, but it's the exact opposite. So here's some stuff(ing) and things to skim over today:

-- Folks are going bonkers today over news in Production Weekly that the much-anticipated (and kinda secretive) Tron sequel has changed its title to TRZ in order to trick young kids into thinking MTV has adapted their now-retired TRL for the big screen. Okay, that's not the real reason ... but do we really need to know the real reason? TRZ? Here's the snippet of plot synopsis they provided: "After being transported into the surreal landscape of a mainframe computer to destroy an intruder, a programmer finds himself allied with the leader of a rebellion against a corrupt cyber-entity." According to Disney, an official title for the Tron sequel is not set yet.

-- George Miller finally went on the record and told a talk show in Sydney that he's officially off Justice League. He's done. That's it. Over. Dark Horizons says Miller thinks the film will be recast when (and if) it happens because "the studios seem to want bigger stars in their superhero movies now." We wonder why?

-- According to Shock, a source tells them Rob Zombie will indeed return to direct Halloween 2, the follow-up to his successful (at the box office) reboot of the franchise, titled Halloween. Additionally, the site claims Halloween 2 will begin shooting as early as this March.

-- Why do all the Nazi flicks come out during the holidays? And how do you sell them?

-- Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law has been arrested for the deaths of the actress/singer's mother, brother and nephew, according to CBS News.

After the jump: First looks at Whip It and Youth in Revolt, more on Chef and a very cool short film contest.

Continue reading Stuff and Things: Some Post-Turkey 'Tron' Sequel Hatin'

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Filed under: Classics, Celebrities and Controversy

It's a thorny dilemma, both legally and morally -- fittingly, the kind of story that, were it turned into a movie, might win a couple Oscars itself. The question is this: Does the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have the legal right to buy back an Oscar winner's statuette if he or she (or his or her heirs) decides to get rid of it? What if the Oscar winner wants to sell it at auction and donate the money to charity? Can the Academy in good conscience demand return of the statuette and deprive the charity of those funds? See? Thorny!

For Academy Award winners since 1950, the legalities are fairly uncomplicated. The minute you win the sucker, you have to sign a contract saying that if you or your heirs ever decide you don't want the trophy anymore, the Academy has the right to buy it back for $10. That's the Academy's way of preventing the devaluation of the statuette. If any old schmo with a few hundred thousand dollars could "win" an Oscar at Jack Nicholson's garage sale, the prize would lose all meaning. As it is, of course, winning an Oscar is the single greatest achievement that a human being can ever hope to accomplish -- and the Academy wants to keep it that way.

The issue that's about to go before a Los Angeles judge and jury is what should happen to the best actress Oscar that Mary Pickford won for 1929's Coquette. (That's Pickford and the troublesome trophy in the picture.) The Academy didn't have the first-dibs rule back then -- but when Pickford won an honorary Oscar in 1976, she signed the agreement, and the Academy says that contract was retroactive to include her earlier trophy, too.

Continue reading Who Owns Mary Pickford's Oscar?

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