photo credit: THR.com

A few sure things, a few surprises, a few snubs… but overall – not bad.

First off, I am thrilled to see ‘Hugo’ and ‘The Artist’ lead the pack with 11 and 10 nominations, respectively.  Sure, the self-reflective nature of those nominations hint at the Academy really praising itself, but more importantly – the acknowledgement of masterful filmmaking is exactly right. I suspect one of these two will win the Best Picture award.

That goes for the Best Director category as well.

Noticeably present in the Best Picture category is ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.’ Thank you, Oscars, for including this film where the Golden Globes couldn’t. If it were eligible for the Globes, I have no doubt in my mind that it would have won Best Drama. In this race, it might not be strong enough to edge out ‘The Artist’ or ‘Hugo’, but we’ll take the nod.

I am completely floored to see that Tilda Swinton is not nominated. I’m still going with Viola Davis for the win, but Meryl Streep is – and will always be – the elephant in the room of the Best Actress category. And, it’s a shame (wait for it) that Michael Fassbender isn’t nominated for ‘Shame.’ Ryan Gosling is noticeably missing also. But. Finally. Gary Oldman may just be the Jeff Bridges upset of this year for Best Actor.

Melissa McCarthy is every bit deserving of her Oscar nomination.  I’m also glad that the Academy can acknowledge the appeal of a blockbuster for what it is: a movie-going experience. You’ll see that films like ‘Harry Potter’ (though I think this should be a Best Picture nod… whatever), ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ and even ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ are being recognized for their use of special effects.

Like I said, a few sure things, a few surprises, some snubs… but overall – not bad.

Take it all with a grain of salt. The Oscars continue to decrease in value in my honest opinion, if only for the stickler rules that bar a lot of quality films from being celebrated (the “must be reviewed by NYTimes or LATimes to be considered rule is absolute crap. And, yes, I’m still mad about Waiting for Superman). But there’s also the perpetual ass-kissing of A-listers who genuinely don’t deserve to be recognized – and yet they always are. Perhaps the Academy will never shake the stigma of having their noses turned upwards, perhaps they don’t care to. If Billy Crystal coming back to host is any indication, the Oscars will always be for that Sunday evening crowd.

My winners in RED, upsets are BOLD. 

2012 Oscar Nominations.

Best Picture

War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Actress

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Actor

Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Director

Michel Hazanivicus, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Best Original Screenplay

Michel Hazanivicius, The Artist
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Best Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Beau Willimon and Grant Heslov, The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, Moneyball
Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Foreign Feature

Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation

Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Art Direction

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Costume Design

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Documentary Feature

Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Documentary Short Subject

(no opinion on this)

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Film Editing

Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Kevin Tent, The Descendants
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Makeup

Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle, Albert Nobbs
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady

Music (Original Score)

John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John Williams, War Horse

Music (Original Song)

“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett

Sound Editing

Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Sound Mixing

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Everyone….

From Spike Lee, to George Lucas, to Terrance Howard, to…Ne-Yo. 

photo credit: LATimes.com

Much better, Golden Globes.

Usually….it’s the reverse, but this year I’m happier with Globe nominations than I am with the SAGs. Usually, the SAG voters cheer on the underdogs, throwing their support behind films that you may not have heard of, but can trust will be worth the watch – if only to see quality acting.  This year, the SAG Awards seemed to play favorites in some categories (others were perfectly deserving).

So here’s why the Globes win:

1. Oh, there’s young Hollywood. Shailene Woodley, Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jonah Hill are all highlighted for their performances.

2. Oh, THERE IS MICHAEL FASSBENDER. Sadly, still no Gary Oldman. (Again, you don’t need Leo DiCaprio, Academy.)

3. Could it be true? Did Hollywood really take Judd Apatow’s “more comedy recognition” bitch-fit into consideration?

Because ‘Bridesmaids’ is all over the place. Unfortunately, Melissa McCarthy is the one that deserves the nod, not Kristen Wiig.

On the television side, new names like Episodes and New Girl (oh, ok.) have replaced those staples that were ’30 Rock’ and ‘Big Bang Theory’ for comedy, but no one will be surprised if Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin win again. No one.  There are a few sure things: Kate Winslet will win again. Downton Abbey will win again. And if the Emmy’s are any indication here… the odds will work in favor of Julianne Marguiles.

Personally, I’m thrilled to see Idris Elba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Fassbender getting recognition for their respective efforts this year. I’ve lobbied for their talent, and they deserve the accolades (and bigger roles!). I’m NOT happy about the Gary Oldman snub, nor do I think George Clooney should be nominated for best director.  Also surprised to see Nick Nolte and Armei Hammer left off the list.

The category WAY too close to call: Best Actress, Drama. 

But Glenn Close turned into a man, so she will probably win.

And several others could go any which way. But, I’ll try to guess the winners, and in the coming weeks leading up to the big night I’ll explain why these titles each deserve to be nominated (or not).

NOTE: I’ve omitted Best Foreign… though it’ll probably go to Angelina Jolie, Best Original Song, and Best Score – because I have yet to critically watch/listen to all of those nominated.

PINK IS MY WINNER. RED IS  MY UPSET.

MOTION PICTURE

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
‘War Horse’
‘The Ides of March’
‘The Help’
‘Moneyball’
‘Hugo’

BEST PICTURE, COMEDY
‘The Artist’
’50/50′
‘Bridesmaids’
‘My Week With Marilyn’
‘Midnight in Paris’

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
George Clooney in ‘The Descendants’
Brad Pitt in ‘Moneyball’
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘J.Edgar’
Ryan Gosling in ‘The Ides of March’
Michael Fassbender in ‘Shame’

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Viola Davis in ‘The Help’
Meryl Streep in ‘The Iron Lady’
Tilda Swinton in ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’
Rooney Mara in ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’
Glenn Close in ‘Albert Nobbs’

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Jean Dujardin in ‘The Artist’
Brendan Gleeson in ‘The Guard’
Owen Wilson in ‘Midnight in Paris’
Joseph Gorden-Levitt in ’50/50′
Ryan Gosling in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Michelle Williams, ‘My Week With Marilyn’
Jodie Foster, ‘Carnage’
Kristen Wiig, ‘Bridesmaids’
Charlize Theron, ‘Young Adult’
Kate Winslet, ‘Carnage’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks, ‘Drive’
Christopher Plummer, ‘Beginners’
Kenneth Branagh, ‘My Week With Marilyn’
Jonah Hill, ‘Moneyball’
Viggo Mortensen, ‘A Dangerous Method’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, ‘The Artist’
Octavia Spencer, ‘The Help’
Jessica Chastain, ‘The Help’
Janet McTeer, ‘Albert Nobbs’
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants’

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, ‘Hugo’
George Clooney, ‘The Ides of March’
Michel Hazanavicius, ‘The Artist’
Alexander Payne, ‘The Descendants’
Woody Allen, ‘Midnight in Paris’

BEST SCREENPLAY
‘Midnight in Paris’
‘The Ides of March’
‘The Artist’
‘The Descendants’
‘Moneyball’

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
‘Rango’
‘The Adventures of Tintin’
‘Puss in Boots’
‘Arthur Christmas’
‘Cars 2′

TELEVISION

BEST TV SERIES, DRAMA
American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

BEST COMEDY SERIES
New Girl
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Laura Linney, The Big C

BEST TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Mildred Pierce
Too Big Too Fail
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Hour

BEST ACTOR, TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES 
William Hurt, Too Big Too Fail
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, Appropriate Adult

SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES 
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, To Big To Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

photo credit: sheknows.com

SAG nominations are out this morning, and my first reaction: Not surprised. There are quite a few repeats (especially on the TV side. I mean, honestly!), and quite a few veterans carrying every category.

The biggest surprise: BRIDESMAIDS! I agree. This ensemble was top notch, and it’s nice to see the film getting a little bit of attention – even if it is just a pat on the back from fellow actors. Noticeably missing – names like Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, and Gary Oldman. And quite honestly, I’d sub any one of their performances for Leo DiCaprio’s nomination.

Almost all of young female Hollywood (Shailene Woodley, Elizabeth Olsen?) was left off the ballot, but look closely and you’ll see Armei Hammer stepping out of that “Social Network” shadow, and – whoa! – JONAH HILL, in for male, supporting. Didn’t see that one coming.

On the television side… it’s really anyone’s game with all those repeats! The newcomers: ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘Suits’ both get the nod.

So, in bold and pink – My selections for SAG Awards. In red, italicized… the close calls that could end up winning. Let’s see if I can top last year’s 97% accuracy!

MOTION PICTURE

Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture

Bridesmaids

The Artist

The Descendants


The Help

Midnight in Paris

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role


George Clooney, The Descendants


Demian Bichir, A Better Life

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Jean Dujardin, The Artist


Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role


Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role


Nick Nolte, Warrior

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn


Armie Hammer, J. Edgar

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role


Octavia Spencer, The Help


Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids (would love for her to win this! )


Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseries


Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood

Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail

Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys


Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce

James Woods, Too Big to Fail

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseries


Diane Lane, Cinema Verite

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey


Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult

Betty White, The Lost Valentine

Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Drama Series


Patrick J. Adams, Suits

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights


Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series


Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law


Glenn Close, Damages


Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Julianna Margules, The Good Wife

Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Comedy Series


Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (again)

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Steve Carell, The Office

Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series


Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie


Tina Fey, 30 Rock (again)


Sofia Vergara, Modern Family


Betty White, Hot In Cleveland

Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series


Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Dexter

Game of Thrones


The Good Wife

Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Comedy Series


30 Rock (again)

The Big Bang Theory 


Glee

Modern Family

The Office

Matt Shapiro does it again.

P.S. – I’ve seen way too many effin movies.

photo credit: collider.com

The Holidays always bring me back here… to this happy place. 

Because when the weather changes and the snow falls, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than a movie theater. Seriously, keep your island getaways – I embrace the cold weather and what it means for movie watching. And what it means for awards season.

We’re full swing into the most wonderful time of the year – and it starts with the Gotham Awards, and goes all the way to the Oscars, with a few telling stops along the way. Independent Spirit, BAFTA and SAG, of course the Globes… but also the smaller ceremonies that turn our attention to the screen gems that are directors, producers, and actors.

photo credit: onlinemovieshut.com

Like now – the buzz surrounding films like ‘The Artist’ (Best Picture?) and performances like Michelle Williams’ in ‘My Week with Marilyn’… it’s contagious. I really think that this year, the industry is paying close attention to directors. Take David Fincher (Oscars repeat this year? Or perhaps Jason Reitman will be back for ‘Young Adult’) and Alexander Payne (‘Descendants’ earns him a third LA Film Critics win) for their careful decisions with popular entities. For Fincher, he’s guiding the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo franchise to American audiences. For Payne, he’s reminded us that George Clooney is still a decent actor when put in the right movie. They’ll probably be competing against Awards veterans like Steven Spielberg (‘War Horse’), Martin Scorsese (‘Hugo’) and Stephen Daldry (‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’).

photo credit: collider.com

The season is also known for rolling out the red carpet to the Hollywood I love… the earnest, humble Hollywood. Like young Hollywood – Shailene Woodley, Eddie Redmayne, Rooney Mara, Elizabeth Olsen and  other relatively unknown actors have already come out swinging in top films.  Then there are the underdogs: they’ve been with us for a while, and have always had more talent than Hollywood acknowledges. I’m referring to (pretty much the entire cast of) The Help – specifically Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Emma Stone. Gary Oldman could get his first nomination for ‘Tinker, Taylor’, and Charlize Theron has been relatively quiet on the awards circuit since her ‘Monster’ win, but now she’s front and center with ‘Young Adult.’ It could happen.

photo credit: movieline.com

There are the old hats – Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in ‘Extremely Loud’, Meryl Streep in ‘Iron Lady,’ Matt Damon in ‘We Bought a Zoo’ (I know, but don’t be surprised when it happens). The usuals George Clooney, Leo DiCaprio (‘J. Edgar’), and Brad Pitt (‘Money Ball’)  might all be up for Best Actor here and there. But then there are the newcomers.  Michael Fassbender, has been choosing all the right roles lately, and ‘Shame’ might be the one to get him a nod. Michael Shannon in ‘Take Shelter,’ Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ’50/50′ and Jean Dujardin in ‘The Artist’ could be those new names this year.  Dare I say, Ryan Gosling could wind up being nominated for ‘Ides’? Tom Hardy or Joel Eggerton for ‘Warrior’? A girl can dream.

photo credit: guim.co.uk

I’m especially proud of the focus on female directors this season. We all know about Angelina Jolie directing ‘Blood and Honey’ and Madonna directing ‘W.E.’ opening next year, but there’s also Vera Farmiga (‘Higher Ground’), Phyllida Lloyd (‘Iron Lady’),  Lynne Ramsay (‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’) and Dee Rees (‘Pariah’) whose movies could wind up with a few nominations.  Thanks to Kathryn Bigelow, the Best Picture category shouldn’t be foreign to us.

And it goes on and on.

So, here’s a toast to the season bright. Awards Season. The celebration of good work, great contributions to society, and inspiration through creative art… that’s what makes this my favorite time of year.  The experience of film comes alive in a way that you can’t ignore.

But then again, why would you want to?

The good movie folks over at Entertainment Weekly compiled a nice list of movies coming out this holiday Season. Though they’re  looking forward to ALL of these, I’m not. I’ll pick and choose.

The Descendants (Nov. 16)

Happy Feet Two (Nov. 18)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 (Nov. 18)

A Dangerous Method (Nov. 23)

Hugo (Nov. 23)

My Week With Marilyn (Nov. 23)

Shame (Dec. 2)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Dec. 9)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Dec. 9)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Dec. 16)

Carnage (Dec. 16)

Albert Nobbs (Dec. 21)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Dec. 21)

In the Land of Blood and Honey (Dec. 23)

We Bought a Zoo (Dec. 23)

War Horse (Dec. 25)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Dec. 25)

The Iron Lady (Dec. 30)

Red Tails (Jan 20)

Underworld Awakening (Jan. 20)

Look em up, it’ll keep you occupied for a while.

Why Martin Scorsese is the Baddest Visionary Alive. (click it if you agree).

(Nope, I’m not done yet.)

Even the President goes on vacation, right?

Well we’re back, and just in time because September has always been one of our favorite movie months!  Seriously, look back at the fall posts from the past two years and you’ll see some of the most colorful reviews and movie guides.  By the time September rolls around, we’ve had just about all we can take of superheros, world-ending blockbusters, raunchy comedies and animated creatures with annoying voices.

Thankfully, September brings a change of temperature in both weather and movies.

The O-Line

Contagion – September 9.

photo credit: fusedfilm.com

Matt Damon,  Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Lawrence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard,  Gwyneth Paltrow…. and an infectious disease?  I’m sold.

Warrior – September 9.

photo credit: fanpop.com

Word is that Warrior is the Fighter of 2011. Starring Tom Hardy (who, after Inception, can do no wrong in my eyes) in a mixed martial arts competition film with Joel Edgerton as his brother. Nick Nolte looks for the awards opp in playing the alcoholic father whose strained relationship with his boys parallels the athletic theme.

Drive – Sept 16.

photo credit: roadandtrack.com

OK, so I’m not saying Ryan Gosling might have another Oscar worthy flick with this one, but I am interested in seeing how he fares going the Jake Gyllenhaal/Bradley Cooper route.  By that I mean-  romance, comedy, high-speed action… what can’t he do? Gosling is really determined to shake the Notebook ties with roles in a multitude of genres.

Moneyball – Sept 23.

photo credit: okmagazine.com

Brad Pitt, Robin Wright and Jonah Hill star in this sports flick, but it’s the Aaron Sorkin tag that really grabs our attention. Wondering if this screenplay will be a follow up success to The Social Network.

Machine Gun Preacher – September 23.

photo credit: collider.com

I’ll see any movie that takes you to Africa, based on a true story. Gerard Butler stars in this heavy drama about a former drug-dealing biker who finds God and becomes a crusader for Sudanese child soldiers.

Killer Elite – September 23.

photo credit: blogspot.com

Jason Statham, Robert DeNiro, AND Clive Owen?  I don’t care what it’s about.

50/50 – September 30.

photo credit: daemonsmovies.com

Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in this lighthearted flick about Rogen’s real-life buddy who was diagnosed with cancer in his 20s.  The Oscars rumors have already surfaced, but I’m more interested in whether Rogen can tone it down a notch for the Gordon-Levitt angst humor we love so much (think Brick, 500 Days of Summer).  Now that’s the stuff Oscars are made of.

The Ides of March – October 7.

photo credit: collider.com

George Clooney and Ryan Gosling in the same movie? About Politics? With Clooney as the writer AND director? Yea, gotta see this.

The Three Musketeers – October 21.

photo credit: daemonsmovies.com

A swashbuckling Orlando Bloom…sounds familiar.  It’ll be hard no to think of Pirates of the Caribbean, but this is another reinvention of the beloved Musketeers story,  including Mila Jovovich and Logan Lerman (a new favorite), so it might be worth the watch.

Johnny English Returns – October 28.

photo credit: daemonsmovies.com

Rowan Atkinson is a comedic legend to those of us who grew up with the shenanigans of Mr. Bean, but Johnny English is returning when several people don’t remember the first time he was here.  It probably won’t be the best movie of the fall, but it’ll be a great  laugh for the kids…and me.

Anonymous – October 28.

photo credit: Daemonsmovies.com

A period piece questioning whether or not Shakespeare really wrote his stuff.  I wasn’t an English major, but any film about British Lit has my seal of approval.  Starring a few members of the exclusive club that is British theatre royalty (aka most of the cast of Harry Potter) – Rhys Ifans,  David Thewlis, and Vanessa Redgrave.

There are plenty other releases this Fall, but these are the ones likely to bring home the bacon.  Any more you think we should consider adding? Let us know!

Otherwise we’ll be watching football…

Money to Blow.

Forbes Magazine recently released their annual list of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. None of these names come as a surprise, but the movies that pay them so well aren’t always good. Doesn’t that count for something? NO. Matter o’ fact, very few of these films fared well with audiences….but the actors get paid regardless. Clearly that’s all that matters when it comes to making your Hollywood millions.

 1. Leo DiCaprio $77M

photo credit: tqn.com

Thanks to: Inception and Shutter Island. Ok, so these ARE good movies. These two broke the billion mark (combined) at the international box office, and put Leonardo DiCaprio back where he belongs- on the Oscar ballot. But of course they did, with top notch actors and superstar directors like Scorsese and Chris Nolan, other films didn’t stand a chance.

2. Johnny Depp $50M

photo credit: sheknows.com

Thanks to: Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist (except not really) and as of this year, Pirates of the Caribbean.  With the addition of that last one, Depp might reclaim his title of highest paid actor, taking it back from Leo. He’s held the top spot several times in the past, including last year.

3. Adam Sandler $40M

photo credit: collider.com

Thanks to:  Grown Ups and Just Go With It.  Really? Ok. Just a tad surprising. I mean,  I love Adam Sandler, but one wouldn’t expect top five paycheck status from those movies. It must be the production credits… Then again, Jennifer Aniston and Katherine Heigl get paid the big bucks for being typecast as unfortunate (sub: bitchy) spinsters-in-training, and  Sandler is kind of their nice-guy, comedic equivalent.

4. Will Smith $36M

photo credit: theinnerdoor.wordpress.com

Thanks to: Men In Black 3.  Smith is the ultimate H’wood playa… not only does he have roles and films written specifically for him, this movie’s not even out yet and already Big Willie has locked his spot in the top 5. Certainly he’ll be right back on this list next year, after the movie opens.

5. Tom Hanks $35M

photo credit: cinemovie.tv

Thanks to: Larry Crowne, and his next release, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Tom Hanks is definitely one of the most respected veteran actors in Hollywood, but it’s his versatility that really pays off – he wrote, directed and starred in Larry Crowne.  Oh, and voicing Woody in Toy Story all those years probably amount to something. Probably…

Rounding out the top ten…

Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Tim Allen and Tom Cruise.  For meeting the parents too many times, iron-manning over again, fighting, telling another toy story and…. simply still being Tom Cruise, respectively.