New on DVD & Blu-ray: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug', 'August: Osage County', 'Grudge Match'

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - The saga continues as the dwarves and Bilbo Baggins continue through their journey to reclaim the lost dwarf mountain. Along the way, they come across the elves and familiar faces to Lord of the Rings fans. New characters are introduces and the stakes get higher for the dwarves while Bilbo is being tempted by the power of the ring. The film stars Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, William Kircher, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, Peter Hambleton, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and Evangeline Lilly. 

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August: Osage County - The Oscar-nominated movie, based on the successful play of the same name is finally on DVD and Blu-ray. Never was there a family reunion (if you can call it that since they're all there for their father's funeral) that was as filled with drama and long-kept family secrets like this one. The star-studded cast brings their A-game and delivers great performances that includes a tension-filled dinner scene that is the highlight of the film. The movie stars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julianne Nicholson, and Dermot Mulroney. 

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Grudge Match - Two boxers and ultimate rivals are about to go head to head with each other after a career of facing off against one another. Only problem is, one of them bails on the match after finding out what happened between his girlfriend and said rival. Twenty years later, both boxers have moved on, or so it seems, until an agent suggests a rematch, pitting them against each other one more time. The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal, and Kevin Hart.

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Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - After the death of his neighbor, Jesse starts to experience a bout of strange happenings. Curious and afraid, he investigates what's happening to him, only to discover that he's been marked for possession by a demon. The film stars Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, and Gabrielle Walsh. 

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A Touch of Sin - Jia Zhangke's film follows the story of four different people, all unrelated and from different provinces, in contemporary China. The story is based on shocking true events and begs the question: what drives someone to violence? The film stars Jian Wu, Luo Lanshan, Meng Li, and Zhao Tao. 

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Best Night Ever - About to get married, Claire grabs her friends and her sister and jets off to Las Vegas for one hell of a bachelorette party, only to get stuck in a situation where things quickly begin to spiral out of control. The film stars Desiree Hall, Samantha Colburn, Eddie Ritchard, and Crista Flanagan. 

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Black Coffee - Robert's life isn't exactly going according to plan. His father fires him from the family business and things seem to being to crap, until he meets Morgan. But just as things start to get heated between them, both of their exes show up and try to get Robert and Morgan back, which makes things a little complicated. The film stars Gabrielle Dennis, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Erica Hubbard, Lamman Rucker, and Christian Keyes. 

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Holy Ghost People - After her sister disappears mysteriously in the Appalachian Mountains, Charlotte enlists the help of an alcoholic ex-marine in order to find her. This psychological thriller unfolds as the characters discover things about themselves and what's really behind Charlotte's sister's disappearance. The film stars Emma Greenwell, Joe Egender, and Brendan McCarthy. 

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Box Office: 'Lone Survivor' Melts Down 'Frozen' as 'Hercules' Flops

1. Lone Survivor- $38.5M/$38.8M
In its third week of release, after an Oscar-qualifying run late last month, Lone Survivor has powered into first place with $38.5M. Hailed in ads as the best war film since Saving Private Ryan, has snagged the second-highest January debut ever, and can lay claim to 2014's first genuine hit.  While this is a nice bounce back for director Peter Berg, this is familiar territory for star Mark Wahlberg, who has been one of the most consistently bankable stars over the last few years. The only real exception was Broken City, which opened around this same time in 2013 and tanked with only $19M for its entire run. It's also a solid return for Taylor Kitsch, who took a crushing hit with duds John Carter, Savages, and Berg's Battleship.  War films of had it rough of late, especially those focusing on the Middle Eastern conflict, but Lone Survivor won over audiences and earned an 'A+' Cinemascore, suggesting this could be sticking around through the desolate January month.
2. Frozen- $15M/$317.6M
At $317M Frozen has now surpassed the original domestic run of 1994's The Lion King, so it's in very good company.
3. The Wolf of Wall Street- $9M/$78.5M
4. The Legend of Hercules- $8.6M
Perhaps it's time for studios to rethink casting Twilight hunks as action heroes? Taylor Lautner failed miserably (at least domestically) with Abduction, and now Kellan Lutz has managed to defeat Hercules in a way his 'Twelve Labors' couldn't. Nobody expected much from The Legend of Hercules, which inexplicably cost $70M but looks worse than an episode of Spartacus, and so it's a wonder that it was ever greenlit in the first place. Lutz isn't a star by any measure, and poor Renny Harlin is still smarting from Cutthroat Island twenty years ago. It currently stands at an embarrassing 2% on Rotten Tomatoes, and only managed a 'B-' Cinemascore so those who saw it weren't really into it. It's always a risky gamble when two similar movies come out within months of one another (see Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down), and audiences may have decided to wait until Dwayne Johnson's Hercules movie comes out.
5. American Hustle- $8.6M/$101.5M
6. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- $8M/$242.2M
7. August: Osage County- $7.3M/$7.8M
Weinstein is banking on awards buzz for Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts to power August: Osage County as it expands into wider release. The star-studded adaptation of Tracy Letts' hit play got off to a solid start with a sizable $8K per site average, and if those Oscar nominations come next week it should do decent business.
8. Saving Mr. Banks- $6.5M/$68.9M
9. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones- $6.3M/$28.4M
Tumbling 65% after a mediocre debut, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is well on its way to being the lowest-grossing of the franchise.
10. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues- $6.1M/$118.5M

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'Gravity' Leads 2014 BAFTA Nominations

The awards season rolls along, and before the Academy Awards, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have revealed the 2014 BAFTA nominations, and there were a couple of decisions that may have future implications. Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity leads the field with eleven nominations, with American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave with ten apiece. Not surprisingly, Brit favorite Philomena did well with five nominations, and of course Judi Dench turned up in the Best Actress category. Surprises? Robert Redford and Matthew McConaughey totally missing out for Best Actor, and Meryl Streep not getting in for Best Actress in August: Osage County.

The full list of nominees are below.

BEST FILM
12 YEARS A SLAVE Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman
PHILOMENA Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman, Jonás Cuarón
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Justin Chadwick, Anant Singh, David M. Thompson, William Nicholson
PHILOMENA Stephen Frears, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward, Jeff Pope
RUSH Ron Howard, Andrew Eaton, Peter Morgan
SAVING MR. BANKS John Lee Hancock, Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer, Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
THE SELFISH GIANT: Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
COLIN CARBERRY (Writer), GLENN PATTERSON (Writer) Good Vibrations
KELLY MARCEL (Writer) Saving Mr. Banks
KIERAN EVANS (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor
PAUL WRIGHT (Director/Writer), POLLY STOKES (Producer) For Those in Peril
SCOTT GRAHAM (Director/Writer) Shell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval
THE GREAT BEAUTY Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
METRO MANILA Sean Ellis, Mathilde Charpentier
WADJDA Haifaa Al-Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

DOCUMENTARY
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer
THE ARMSTRONG LIE Alex Gibney
BLACKFISH Gabriela Cowperthwaite
TIM’S VERMEER Teller, Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS Alex Gibney

ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME 2 Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
FROZEN Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Dan Scanlon

DIRECTOR
12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE David O. Russell
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Paul Greengrass
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Martin Scorsese

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN HUSTLE Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
BLUE JASMINE Woody Allen
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
NEBRASKA Bob Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 YEARS A SLAVE John Ridley
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Richard LaGravenese
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Billy Ray
PHILOMENA Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Terence Winter

LEADING ACTOR
BRUCE DERN Nebraska
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR 12 Years a Slave
CHRISTIAN BALE American Hustle
LEONARDO DICAPRIO The Wolf of Wall Street
TOM HANKS Captain Phillips

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS American Hustle
CATE BLANCHETT Blue Jasmine
EMMA THOMPSON Saving Mr. Banks
JUDI DENCH Philomena
SANDRA BULLOCK Gravity

SUPPORTING ACTOR
BARKHAD ABDI Captain Phillips
BRADLEY COOPER American Hustle
DANIEL BRÜHL Rush
MATT DAMON Behind the Candelabra
MICHAEL FASSBENDER 12 Years a Slave

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
JENNIFER LAWRENCE American Hustle
JULIA ROBERTS August: Osage County
LUPITA NYONG’O 12 Years a Slave
OPRAH WINFREY The Butler
SALLY HAWKINS Blue Jasmine

ORIGINAL MUSIC
12 YEARS A SLAVE Hans Zimmer
THE BOOK THIEF John Williams
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Henry Jackman
GRAVITY Steven Price
SAVING MR. BANKS Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
12 YEARS A SLAVE Sean Bobbitt
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Barry Ackroyd
GRAVITY Emmanuel Lubezki
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA Phedon Papamichael

EDITING
12 YEARS A SLAVE Joe Walker
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Christopher Rouse
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger
RUSH Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN
12 YEARS A SLAVE Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
AMERICAN HUSTLE Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Howard Cummings
GRAVITY Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

COSTUME DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Michael Wilkinson
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Ellen Mirojnick
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Michael O’Connor
SAVING MR. BANKS Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR
AMERICAN HUSTLE Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin
THE BUTLER Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal
THE GREAT GATSBY Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater

SOUND
ALL IS LOST Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney
GRAVITY Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff
RUSH Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
GRAVITY Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3 Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick
PACIFIC RIM Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyett

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

BRITISH SHORT FILM
ISLAND QUEEN Ben Mallaby, Nat Luurtsema
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES Megan Rubens, Michael Pearce, Selina Lim
ORBIT EVER AFTER Chee-Lan Chan, Jamie Stone, Len Rowles
ROOM 8 James W. Griffiths, Sophie Venner
SEA VIEW Anna Duffield, Jane Linfoot

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
DANE DEHAAN
GEORGE MACKAY
LUPITA NYONG’O
WILL POULTER
LÉA SEYDOUX

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Review: 'August: Osage County' Starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts

 NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Middleburg Film Festival.

One has to give it up to John Wells. The creator of ER and The West Wing long ago figured out that the best way to make his job easier was to simply put together the finest ensemble possible, drop the camera in a room somewhere, and let his actors work. It paid off with his feature debut Company Men, and he didn't change a darn thing for his follow-up. But the nails-on-a-chalkboard August: Osage County could use a more creative hand to help break it free from Tracy Letts' award-winning play into a version better suited for the big screen.

A rundown of the cast would lead one to believe NOTHING could possibly screw something like this up: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Misty Upham, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Abigail Breslin; all of whom are great and bring the requisite amount of piss 'n vinegar to the tale of the bitter Weston clan. Yet despite terrific performances, August: Osage County is basically a two-hour bitch fest with so many ugly reveals it strains the limits of credibility.

The Oklahoma-based Weston family have been estranged for years; splintered off into various locations where they can presumably loathe one another from afar. The film opens with the head looney in the bin, cancer-stricken drug-addled Violet Weston (Streep), all stringy-haired and maniacal like the Joker, harassing her poet husband Beverly (Shepard, tremendous in a tiny part) as he introduces their new Native American housemaid (Upham). When Beverly vanishes shortly thereafter, the Weston clan comes swooping in from all corners, each bringing a bushel of really ugly secrets and personal problems.

The film mostly follows the troubled Weston women, in particular Violet's three daughters. The oldest one Barbara (Roberts) is trying to hide her separation from husband Bill (McGregor), while their daughter (Breslin) flirts with rebelliousness. Barbara's younger sister Ivy (Nicholson) stayed close to home and is now resentful for it; while the youngest Weston girl Karen (Lewis) arrives from Florida with a sketchy new fiancé (Dermot Mulroney) whose riches can't hide his wandering eye. And really, that's just the tip of an iceberg that's threatening to sink the entire family as they're crammed under one roof in sweltering Oklahoma summer heat (the gauge reads 108 degrees) and allowed to stew in their own juices. Throw in Violet's boisterous sister Mattie Fae (Martindale) and her quarreling with even-keeled husband Charles (Cooper) over their awkward son "Little" Charles (Cumberbatch) and there's barely a moment when something venomous isn't spewing out of someone's mouth.

Dysfunctional families are something we all can relate to, and often find some measure of humor in, but there is so much pure hatred in the Weston family that it's tough to buy into them even talking on the telephone, much less showing up during a tragedy.  In one particularly toxic dinner scene, Violet cuts loose on everyone under her roof, spewing an endless stream of "truths" so painful the festivities erupt into a battle royale Vince McMahon would approve of. And yet it's just the first of many virulent showdowns, each revealing something more awful than the one before to the point where you just become numb to it.

With so much talent involved of course there are small moments that hit just the right notes, during those rare times when people stop screaming and start talking. That's when the actors are given enough room to provide nuance and tone to their words, whether they be words of support or disdain. But Letts, who adapted the screenplay himself, has delivered a hammer of a script that perceives nearly every scene as a nail even when subtlety would be more appropriate. Wells doesn't do much to stray beyond Letts' original vision, which probably works better split up into acts on a stage than it does in a movie where there's no time to catch a breath.  Streep has likely earned herself another Oscar nomination for her snarling, acidic turn as Violet, donning a big ugly wig and cutting loose in a way we haven't seen since The Devil Wears Prada. Actually, Violet would probably chew Miranda Priestly up and spit her out. Roberts is also very good as Barbara, who has grown cold, embittered, and begins to recognize how like her mother she really is. In the underrated category Julianne Nicholson will likely be overlooked because she's not a big enough name, but she's great at capturing the angst most neglected middle children contend with. And old reliable Chris Cooper does what he always does, taking a small role and delivering a stirring moment of emotional truth that cuts through the bullcrap. On the other hand Cumberbatch is woefully miscast as the cowardly "Little" Charles, although it could be because we're so used to seeing him play stronger characters.

As cherished a work as August: Osage County is on the stage, it can't simply be made into a movie without significant tweaking. Whether Wells failed to realize that or was unable to change it really doesn't matter because in the end this film was designed to be an actors' showcase first and foremost.

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Is a 'Sin City' TV Series in the Works?

By the time Sin City: A Dame to Kill For opens in a few months it will have been nine years between films, with a couple of delays thrown in for good measure. Despite Sin City performing well, Robert Rodriguez's busy schedule doesn't bode well for the chances of a third movie any time soon, but perhaps the serialized nature of Frank Miller's comic would work better on the small screen, anyway? Bob and Harvey Weinstein seem to think so, and in an interview with The New York Times, talked about bringing Sin City to TV...

Bob Weinstein, interviewed separately from his brother, said he was developing original projects that would be in tune with his horror- and action-oriented Dimension brand, along with several shows based on movies he has overseen for the company. He is preparing a pilot based on the “Scream” films for MTV, for instance, and developing a proposed 10-part series with Frank Darabont, based on Dimension’s film version of Stephen King’s “The Mist.”

 

Mr. Weinstein said he was also hoping to quickly follow the August release of the film “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, with a “Sin City” television series from Mr. Miller and Mr. Rodriguez.

 

Weinstein also mentioned Silver Linings Playbook and August: Osage County as more recent films that could work well as TV shows. Sin City would probably turn out the best of these since it's basically tailor made for episodic television, but I'm quite intrigued by seeing what could be done with The Mist, a film I absolutely love. Keeping a close eye on this story.

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Middleburg Review: 'August: Osage County' Starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts

One has to give it up to John Wells. The creator of ER and The West Wing long ago figured out that the best way to make his job easier was to simply put together the finest ensemble possible, drop the camera in a room somewhere, and let his actors work. It paid off with his feature debut Company Men, and he didn't change a darn thing for his follow-up. But the nails-on-a-chalkboard August: Osage County could use a more creative hand to help break it free from Tracy Letts' award-winning play into a version better suited for the big screen.

A rundown of the cast would lead one to believe NOTHING could possibly screw something like this up: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Misty Upham, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Abigail Breslin; all of whom are great and bring the requisite amount of piss 'n vinegar to the tale of the bitter Weston clan. Yet despite terrific performances, August: Osage County is basically a two-hour bitch fest with so many ugly reveals it strains the limits of credibility.

The Oklahoma-based Weston family have been estranged for years; splintered off into various locations where they can presumably loathe one another from afar. The film opens with the head looney in the bin, cancer-stricken drug-addled Violet Weston (Streep), all stringy-haired and maniacal like the Joker, harassing her poet husband Beverly (Shepard, tremendous in a tiny part) as he introduces their new Native American housemaid (Upham). When Beverly vanishes shortly thereafter, the Weston clan comes swooping in from all corners, each bringing a bushel of really ugly secrets and personal problems.

The film mostly follows the troubled Weston women, in particular Violet's three daughters. The oldest one Barbara (Roberts) is trying to hide her separation from husband Bill (McGregor), while their daughter (Breslin) flirts with rebelliousness. Barbara's younger sister Ivy (Nicholson) stayed close to home and is now resentful for it; while the youngest Weston girl Karen (Lewis) arrives from Florida with a sketchy new fiancé (Dermot Mulroney) whose riches can't hide his wandering eye. And really, that's just the tip of an iceberg that's threatening to sink the entire family as they're crammed under one roof in sweltering Oklahoma summer heat (the gauge reads 108 degrees) and allowed to stew in their own juices. Throw in Violet's boisterous sister Mattie Fae (Martindale) and her quarreling with even-keeled husband Charles (Cooper) over their awkward son "Little" Charles (Cumberbatch) and there's barely a moment when something venomous isn't spewing out of someone's mouth.

Dysfunctional families are something we all can relate to, and often find some measure of humor in, but there is so much pure hatred in the Weston family that it's tough to buy into them even talking on the telephone, much less showing up during a tragedy.  In one particularly toxic dinner scene, Violet cuts loose on everyone under her roof, spewing an endless stream of "truths" so painful the festivities erupt into a battle royale Vince McMahon would approve of. And yet it's just the first of many virulent showdowns, each revealing something more awful than the one before to the point where you just become numb to it.

With so much talent involved of course there are small moments that hit just the right notes, during those rare times when people stop screaming and start talking. That's when the actors are given enough room to provide nuance and tone to their words, whether they be words of support or disdain. But Letts, who adapted the screenplay himself, has delivered a hammer of a script that perceives nearly every scene as a nail even when subtlety would be more appropriate. Wells doesn't do much to stray beyond Letts' original vision, which probably works better split up into acts on a stage than it does in a movie where there's no time to catch a breath.  Streep has likely earned herself another Oscar nomination for her snarling, acidic turn as Violet, donning a big ugly wig and cutting loose in a way we haven't seen since The Devil Wears Prada. Actually, Violet would probably chew Miranda Priestly up and spit her out. Roberts is also very good as Barbara, who has grown cold, embittered, and begins to recognize how like her mother she really is. In the underrated category Julianne Nicholson will likely be overlooked because she's not a big enough name, but she's great at capturing the angst most neglected middle children contend with. And old reliable Chris Cooper does what he always does, taking a small role and delivering a stirring moment of emotional truth that cuts through the bullcrap. On the other hand Cumberbatch is woefully miscast as the cowardly "Little" Charles, although it could be because we're so used to seeing him play stronger characters.

As cherished a work as August: Osage County is on the stage, it can't simply be made into a movie without significant tweaking. Whether Wells failed to realize that or was unable to change it really doesn't matter because in the end this film was designed to be an actors' showcase first and foremost.

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Middleburg Film Festival Announces Main Slate of Films; 'Nebraska' Leads Impressive Line-Up

There are no shortage of film festivals scattered about the DC area; from my personal favorites the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesburg and Filmfest DC, to AFI Docs and the Maryland Film Festival, but we're about to get a serious new player on the scene. Local entrepreneur and power player Sheila Johnson announced a few months ago that she was kicking off the inaugural Middleburg Film Festival this fall, and she's bringing all of her Hollywood muscle to bear to get it started on the right foot. A member of the Sundance Institute and a producer on Lee Daniels' The Butler, Johnson has gone all out to make sure the opening line-up consists of special events, major celebrity starpower, and film slate full of Oscar contenders and festival favorites.

The Opening Night festivities begin on October 24th with a showing of Alexander Payne's black & white road trip drama Nebraska, which stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte. There has already been a ton of Academy Awards talk swirling around Dern's performance in the father/son film, especially after he won Best Actor at Cannes.

The Centerpiece Film is Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which has also been earning potential awards consideration for star Idris Elba as renowned freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. The October 26th screening will be followed by a musical performance by South Africa's Yvonne Chaka Chaka, as part of the festival's emphasis on film scores.

A recent addition is John Wells' star-studded adaptation of August: Osage County, based on Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch,, Sam Shepard, Ewan McGregor, and more star in the ensemble about the women of the Weston clan, who are brought back home to Oklahoma under the roof of their eccentric mother after a family crisis.

Other major films to take note of: Like Father, Like Son, the latest provocative family drama from Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda (Nobody Knows, I Wish). The story follows two families who learn that their sons were accidentally switched at birth six years earlier. Steven Spielberg recently snapped up the rights to an American remake.

Stephen Frears' TIFF People's Choice Award runner-up Philomena stars Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, and tells of a disgraced journalist who aids a woman's quest to be reunited with the child she was forced to give up in the 1950s.

Charming crowd-pleaser Le Week-End has Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as a long-married couple who visit Paris to jumpstart their marriage. Jeff Goldblum co-stars.

The full slate of 17 films can be found here. The Middleburg Film Festival runs from Oct. 24-27, and of course we will be there.

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New 'August: Osage County' Trailer As Weinstein Changes the Ending

Despite a cast that screams Oscar powerhouse, the response to John Wells' August: Osage County was mixed after its TIFF debut. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts star in the adaptation of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play about the Weston family women, who have all gone their separate ways but return home to Oklahoma and their dysfunctional, drug-addicted mother after a tragedy strikes. Much of the praise has been heaped upon the cast, which also features Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, and Chris Cooper, but the film's extremely bleak tone seem to be a chief complaint.

Based on that and Letts' source material, the latest trailer is obviously misleading in that it depicts a light family comedy, when in truth the story goes to some seriously dark places. It's those dark areas that apparently turned off test audiences and drove Harvey Weinstein to demand the dour ending be tweaked to present a more hopeful picture. The changes were made, but according to Vulture there's still question which version will end up in theaters.  Wells certainly knows where he stands on the issue, revealing to the LA Times that he hopes the original version wins out....

Wells: "I'm not sure I’m OK with doing it that way. I don't want to say there's anything wrong with the current ending, because there isn't. But it's something we’re still talking about. We don’t open for three months, and it’s possible you’ll see something different."

Whichever version we end up with, Weinstein is going to put a ton of Best Picture muscle behind August: Osage County when it opens on Christmas Day.

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Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts star in the first 'August: Osage County' trailer

There's no question that August: Osage County is expected to be a major Oscar contender. One look at the cast will tell you why: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, and Dermot Mulroney all make this an undeniable acting showcase. Less convincing is director John Wells (ER), but then again it should be tough to mess up Tracy Letts' Pulitzer prize-winning stageplay.

The first trailer for the film has been released, and frankly it looks a little flat. Sure, the performances seem convincing, as one would expect, but that seems to be all the film is banking on. The story centers on the tough women of the Weston family, led by boozing, dysfunctional matriarch Violet Weston. When tragedy strikes, the entire family gets back together in their Oklahoma home and all of their long-simmering feuds come to a boil.

August: Osage County opens on November 8th.

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New posters for 'The World's End', 'White House Down', 'August: Osage County', and more

Edgar Wright has promised we'll be seeing the first trailer for The World's End in just a few days, but before that he's graced us with this new quad posture. The image is actually quite revealing, as a look beyond the astonished mugs of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are what look like glowing humanoid aliens. After a six year wait, the wrap up to the Three Flavours trilogy arrives on August 23rd, and follows five childhood friends attempting to recreate an epic pub crawl from 20 years ago. In the midst of their journey the come to realize that the real struggle is for the future of all humankind. Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan, and Martin Freeman co-star.

So Channing Tatum's last attempt to save the world didn't work out so well in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but he'll give it another go in White House Down. The new trailer just hit the web a few days ago, and basically it clued us in to his character, a single dad having the worst job interview ever. Losing out on a gig to join the Secret Service, he nonetheless gets a shot to rescue the President (Jamie Foxx) when the White House is taken down by terrorists. The latest poster shows Tatum and Foxx walking through the fog of devastation, probably in slow motion, because that's what action heroes do. White House Down opens on June 28th.

The first poster for John Wells' adaptation of Tracy Letts' August: Osage County isn't much, but it does get across that this is going to be one heck of an acting showcase. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, and Juliette Lewis lead a terrific ensemble in telling the story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, who have all gone their separate ways until a family tragedy brings them home to Oklahoma and under the roof of their alcoholic mother. The film has been positioned as a potential awards contender, hitting theaters on November 8th.

And finally, a rather terrible new poster for The Bling Ring, which is basically someone using MS Paint over a photo we've already seen. Emma Watson leads Sofia Coppola's latest look at celebrity culture, telling the true story of a group of Beverly Hills teens who rob the homes of famous people to fuel their lifestyle. The Bling Ring comes for your stuff on June 14th.

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Sure Shots: Jon Turteltaub; Sam Shepard; Jennifer Jason Leigh

* Well, this should come as no surprise that studios are scrambling to try and take advantage of the Olympics fever before it totally evaporates, but this next film is just plain ridiculous. Jon Turteltaub(National Treasure) is set to direct Beached, about a fat four year old boy who falls into the water during a family vacation and I guess is presumed dead. Instead he survives and is raised by whales, ultimately becoming an Olympic swimmer. Seriously. Fox 2000 owns this piece of watery crap, picking up the script originally written by Ted Griffin(Ocean's Eleven) way back in 1997. Turteltaub will rewrite the script, and I assume this will be his next project after Last Vegas wraps. [THR]

* The great Sam Shepard has joined the already terrific ensemble for August: Osage County, John Wells' adaptation of Tracy Letts' award-winning stageplay. Already boasting Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin and more, Shepard will play Beverly Weston, the alcoholic patriarch of the family whose disappearance brings all the women back home to Oklahoma and face some hard truths. Filming is set to begin next month. [Variety]

* You can never go wrong adding Jennifer Jason Leigh to any film, so her presence in James Ponsoldt's adaptation of The Spectacular Now is certainly welcome. Written by the (500) Days of Summer duo of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the film stars Miles Teller(Rabbit Hole) as a hard-paryting high schooler who attempts to transform a social outcast, played by Shailene Woodley. Leigh will play Woodley's mother, with Brie Larson as Woodley's best friend. [Variety]

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Benedict Cumberbatch joins Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep in 'August: Osage County'

Although we may not be seeing or hearing much from Benedict Cumberbatch in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey where he'll voice the dragon Smaug, we'll have plenty of chances to see him in the months following. Not only is he set to play the villain(Gary Mitchell!!!) in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel, but he's also part of the incredible ensemble for Steve McQueen's Twelve Years A Slave. Now he's joining the cast of August: Osage County, which boasts a cast that may be even better.

Written and directed by John Wells, the film is an adaptation of Tracy Letts' award-winning play, and stars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Juliette Lewis, and Margo Martindale. The story centers on the women of the Weston family, who have all gone their separate ways until a family crisis sends them back home to Oklahoma and into the home of the dysfunctional mother who raised them. Cumberbatch should fit in nicely amongst this talented group, playing the "sensitive" son to Martindale's character.

Production gets underway next month, and I'm pretty sure we can count on August: Osage County being in next year's Oscar race. [THR]

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Abigail Breslin and Juliette Lewis set for 'August: Osage County'

With Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Chris Cooper set for John Wells' adaptation of August: Osage County, it looks like one role we thought was filled is still in some question. A few days ago we learned that Andrea Riseborough(W.E.) was up for the role of Karen, the youngest of the Weston siblings. Now Deadline reports Juliette Lewis has entered negotiations for the part.

If Lewis does take over the part, she'll be joined by Abigail Breslin, who has just agreed to play the angry 14-year old pot smoking daughter to Roberts' character. The film is based on the award-winning stageplay by Tracy Letts, and follows the estranged Weston sisters who return home to their hard-drinking mother(Streep) when a family tragedy occurs.

Not the type of film I usually get excited over, but so far Wells is putting together a cast that is too good to ignore. I love Juliette Lewis and Abigail Breslin, while struggling a bit lately, is a proven strong actress who can only make this movie better. There's a reason why George Clooney and Grant Heslov are backing this as producers.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Andrea Riseborough joins Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in 'August: Osage County'

One of the big surprises for me over the last few months has been the emergence of Andrea Riseborough as an actress to keep a close eye on. After appearing in the sci-fi drama, Never Let Me Go, she gave one of the finest performances I saw at Sundance in the IRA thriller, Shadow Dancer. She then went on to be the only good thing about Madonna's W.E., and apparently Hollywood has taken notice. Not only is she currently filming Oblivion with Tom Cruise, but now she's gearing up for what may be her most promising role yet.

Riseborough has joined the cast of August: Osage County, an adaptation of Tracy Lett's Pulitzer and Tony-award winning play. John Wells will direct the film, which follows the estranged Weston women, who are forced back together when a family crisis brings them home to Oklahoma and the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Riseborough will be starring opposite two screen legends in Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, making this potentially a breakout film for her. Streep plays the wild, pill-popping matriarch, Violet Weston, with Roberts as her combative oldest daughter, Barbara. Riseborough plays the youngest daughter, Karen.

Filming is set to begin this September, and clearly an awards season run in 2013 is in the works. [theDailyMail]

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