Short Film Special: "Glory at Sea"

Sources: /Film and Youtube

As a self-declared movie fan, I don't watch nearly as many short films as I should. Generally, the longer the short, the less likely I am to watch it, and the same goes for smaller numbers of views. However, if I hear of a short from a trustworthy source, such as a movie blog (usually /Film), neither of those factors matter much. If /Film posts a video, it's probably worth checking out. That's why I've decided to share the brilliant short Glory At Sea with the readers that I have.

Award Season Roundup: 'The Artist' and 'The Help' Are Looking Mighty Fine

Sources: Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and Screen Actors Guild

In the hubbub of smaller award ceremonies that precede the Academy Awards, the Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA), Producers Guild of America Awards (PGA), and Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) are the best predictors of who will and will not be taking home Oscars come February 26th. In the last eight days, each of these Guilds have dolled out their varying prizes- the most relevant (film-wise) being equivalents to Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress awards. In short, The Artist took home the PGA's Best Film, the DGA's Best Director, and SAG's Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. The Help recieved three awards from SAG: Best Actress went to Viola Davis, Best Supporting Actress went to Octavia Spencer, and the Ensemble Cast Award (SAG's version of Best Picture). Hit the break to see complete lists from each award ceremony.

84th Academy Awards Nominations Released: 'Hugo' Gets Eleven Nods and 'The Artist' Ten

Source: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

This past Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) in Los Angeles, California. The Oscars, hosted yearly at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, are the biggest, though most predictable award ceremony in the movie industry. This year, the Academy decided to change its Best Picture rules once again- instead of the ten nominations that were dolled out in the past two years, the number now varies between five and ten (depending on how many votes a given film receives). There are nine nominees for Best Picture this year, with Hugo and The Artist taking the most nods at eleven and ten, respectively, and War Horse and Moneyball following with six nods each. Hit the break to see the full list of nominations.

American Society of Cinematographers and Directors Guild of America Nominations Released

 

Sources: Directors Guild of America and American Society of Cinematographers

Over the past week the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) revealed their award listings for Best Cinematography and Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film, respectively. As with the Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, and Producers Guild, these awards are solid indicators of what the Oscar nominees (announced January 24th) and eventual recipients will be. Hit the jump to check out the lists.

Rocking Trailer for LCD Soundsystem Concert Doc "Shut Up and Play the Hits" Arrives

Source: Youtube

I'm surprised it has taken this long for LCD Soundsystem to make a prominent entrance into the film world, even if it's after the group has disbanded. LCD Soundsystem's sound, a mix of pop, electronic, and dance punk, is punchy and momentous- qualities that are easily translated visually (on a side note, I based my film school submission off of one of their songs). James Murphy, the leader of the band, called it quits last year, and the group played a massive final show at Madison Square Garden in April 2011. Yesterday, LCD Soundsystem nonchalantly announced via Facebook that directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace will release a documentary based on the performance, Shut Up and Play the Hits, which will debut at Sundance Film Festival in the coming weeks. Hit the jump to view the official synopsis and trailer.

2011 Producers, Screen Actors, and Writers Guilds' Nominations Released

 

Source: /Film (Producers, Screen Actors, Writers)

Three weeks ago the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) nominations were announced, and the 2011 Annual Producers Guild of America Awards'(PGA) and the Writers Guild of America Awards' (WGA) nominations were revealed this past week, respectively. These awards are often the best indicator of what films will be nominated for a given year's Oscars, as there is a lot of member overlap between the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the various guilds. The Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild cover both television and film awards, though only movie-related nominations will be posted here. Nomination lists can be seen after the break.

The Dark Knight Rises Prologue: A Heist and A Terrorist

Last night I was lucky enough to attended an IMAX screening of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises prologue. The prologue (which is just the first six minutes, plus flashes of about a dozen different scenes from the movie) was set to premiere with 70 mm IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol when the film debuts this Friday. However, through an online viral campaign called "Operation Early Bird," a set of theaters was revealed. It turned out that the locations would be hosting screenings. Once the listing of theaters was released, screening passes became available to the public. /Film had been covering the activity thoroughly, and being a Christopher Nolan fan I jumped at this opportunity.

Eerie NSFW Teaser Trailer for Spanish Fright Fest [REC] 3

Source: Shock Til You Drop

The teaser trailer for the Spanish horror prequel [REC] 3: Genesis appeared online today via Shock Til You Drop. The first film in the found footage series, [REC], focused on a TV reporter's experience with a zombie-like virus while trapped in an apartment building. [REC] 2 took the concurrent perspective of a SWAT team sent into the same situation. Both movies were co-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, however Plaza will be doing this one on his own. [REC] 3, which will explain the origins of the virus, takes place at a wedding party gone wildly wrong (or right, for horror fans). Catch the trailer after the jump.