David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay Reteaming for Hurricane Katrina Film

While anger continues to build over the Oscar love Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo didn't receive for Selma, the duo is pushing ahead on their third collaboration anyway. Variety reports the two will team up on a film set during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster.

DuVernay will produce, write, and direct while Oyelowo will produce and lead the film, which is described as a love story and murder mystery. The two first worked together on the indie drama, Middle of Nowhere, which won her Best Director at Sundance back in 2012.

No word on when filming could begin but this is pretty exciting news that DuVernay and Oyelowo are back in business together and tackling another event with deep societal impact. The two have been traveling the globe promoting Selma and clearly have developed a personal and creative bond that hopefully will lead to more projects in the future. Go here to check out my recent interview with them both for Selma.

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Review: JC Chandor's 'A Most Violent Year' starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain

There are many different ways a person can be tested, but not all of them make for good movies. With only three movies to his credit, J.C. Chandor has taken audiences through three very different fights for survival, each more gripping than the last. Margin Call, for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, took us through an intense economic meltdown; All is Lost depicted a physical battle for survival against Mother Nature. Chandor's latest, the gripping crime-thriller A Most Violent Year is his most perceptive yet and looks at one man's quest to achieve the American Dream while enduring the moral pitfalls at every turn.

A Most Violent Year is something of a cross between The Godfather and Macbeth; it's about power, the corrupting influence of it and the constant need to attain more of it. But the film is also about the choices made along the way. Does having power matter if the road to getting it is littered with moral and ethical compromises? Oscar Isaac, looking more like a young Al Pacino than ever before, plays Abel Morales, a heating oil magnate in 1981 New York. It's the most violent year in the city's record and Abel is dealing with a dilemma. He's just put down a hefty deposit for a prime piece of land that will completely evolve his business, but the balance must be paid within 30 days or the deal is off and the down payment lost. However his trucks are being hijacked at an increasing clip and the drivers are looking to arm themselves, which would be illegal. Oh, and the District Attorney (David Oyelowo) is in the midst of dogged investigation into the business for possible violations.

Making for a fiery, well-dressed instigator is his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain), the daughter of a mob boss who happens to be the business' original owner. She has her husband's back through thick and thin but she's got a dangerous edge that he simply doesn't. She's her father's daughter, that's for sure, and is willing to cross boundaries that Abel won't. As his pride clashes with her ambition the sparks ignite in unexpectedly gripping ways without fully crossing over into a murderous gangster movie. While there are brief bursts of violence you keep waiting for some kind of turf war to erupt but that never happens. Chandor instead thrills us with the choices his characters make and the implications of them. When Anna breaks out a gun for the first time we know it's going to be trouble. When hijackers seem to be targeting a weak-willed driver (Elyes Gamble) it turns into a situation that could destroy everything Abel has built. And through all of this Chandor keeps the tension on a slow boil, feeding us just enough action to keep us on the edge of our seats. A close-quarters shoot-out in the city streets followed by a dangerous foot race into the bowels of the city pay off in spades. Not every subplot pays off as satisfactorily as they could as Chandor tries to juggle a bit too much for everything to wrap up neatly.

After only dealing with Robert Redford in All is Lost, Chandor has gathered a superb and very large ensemble for A Most Violent Year. Isaac can add another must-see performance to his impressive resume as the calculating, simmering Abel. Chastain gets the flashiest role and the flashiest outfits as Anna, nailing a Brooklyn accent and Brooklyn swagger like a pro. Albert Brooks, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Oyelowo all bring their A-game to the table as Chandor proves again how good he is at pulling forth the best from his stars. Meanwhile cinematographer Bradford Young evokes the gritty street-level feel of early Martin Scorsese and Sydney Lumet, which when paired with Chandor's sharp screenplay makes A Most Violent Year one of the best crime movies in recent memory. Ultimately it's a film about doing whatever it takes to survive without losing one's sense of self in the process. They don't make movies like this much anymore when they used to be commonplace. A Most Violent Year is truly a rare breed.

 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Cinema Royale #86- 'Taken 3', 'Inherent Vice'; 'Selma' Interview with Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo

Happy New Year! Cinema Royale is kicking 2015 off right with a huge show! First off, my homie up north Christopher Bumbray joins me to talk about the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson, the drugged-out detective comedy Inherent Vice! Plus it all ends here for Liam Neeson in Taken 3!

Plus, with the incredible Martin Luther King Jr. film Selma expanding into more theaters, Cinema Royale is joined by writer/director Ava DuVernay and star David Oyelowo to talk about the making of this important civil rights drama.

Follow Cinema Royale on Facebook and get automatically entered into our monthly Blu-Ray giveaway! Subscribe to the show at  www.cinemaroyaleshow.com or on ITunes, TuneIn, and the Cinema Royale app!

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Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma' starring David Oyelowo

There's a scene in Ava DuVernay's stirring, remarkably resonant Selma that reflects perfectly its relevance. Its 1965 and unarmed activist Jimmie Lee Jackson (Keith Stanfield of Short Term 12) is shot and killed at close range while peacefully protesting in support of voting rights. Those who know the story know the cop wasn't charged for more than forty years, denying Jacksons' family the justice it deserved. Sound familiar? Selma is already an amazing film, a vitally important film that never falls into standard biopic clichés. But coming out now as racial tension seems to be at a new high, Selma shows the true power of grassroots activism to affect real change when a cause is just.

There's a good reason why the film refers to the titular Alabama city and not Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) himself. Set in the months leading up to the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, Selma is about the movement more so than the man. It shows the push for equality from the streets to the dining houses, from the church pew to the White House itself.  When the film begins King is just receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for his civil rights efforts, but that peace is contrasted by the deaths of four black girls in a 1963 bombing. The heinous attack brings startling focus to the reality of life for African-Americans, when their lives could be snuffed out at a moment's notice for no reason.

Violence is one thing, but King's real focus is the political and legal infrastructure that allows such actions to occur. Without the right to vote nothing else matters. Oprah Winfrey, in a small but pivotal role as Annie Lee Cooper, tries unsuccessfully to register to vote in Alabama only to face rejection by a racist putting her through an impossible impromptu quiz. But just because King and his supporters, which include Andre Holland as Andrew Young, Common as James Bevel, Tessa Thompson as Diane Nash, and Stephan James as a young John Lewis, can agree on the end result does not mean they agree on an approach. Help from President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) is slow going, despite their frequently combative conversations on the matter. King is shown to be a shrewd strategist, knowing when to step back and when to force the issue. A move to Alabama for a series of televised marches, which he knows will be met with violent resistance by racist governor George Wallace (Tim Roth), is the most effective way to bring global attention to the cause and force Johnson into action.

While the protest scenes are captured with urgency and energy by cinematographer Bradford Young, King's home life with wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) is depicted in subtle, tense strokes. There's a tenuous dynamic of loyalty, love, acceptance that plays out between the two. She loves her husband, supports the fight he champions, but endures death threats that put their kids in jeopardy. Through the machinations of the FBI she's also keenly aware of King's infidelities, and at times we can see her weighing whether all the fear and heartache is worth it.

It's that personal touch DuVernay brings that makes Selma so special. She's perfected her craft through a pair of well-regarded dramas, I will Follow and Middle of Nowhere, but you'd never know this was her first time working on such a large canvas. She digs into the details that make King great without idolizing the man, making him more human than we've ever seen him in a film like this. One can't help but wish we could have spent more time with others crucial to the movement. This is one film that could have used an extra hour. It would have meant more time spent watching Oyelowo's commanding performance, one that he's been working up to for years. Attached to the role since back when Lee Daniels was on board to direct (thank goodness how that turned out), we've seen Oyelowo's profile and confidence build until it seemed nobody else could be more perfect for the role. He lives up to the heavy burden, giving the rare performance that more than meets King's stature. The soaring, iconic speeches will leave you breathless and inspired.


Most important is that Selma is truly worthy of Dr. King's legacy. So many biopics this time of year have great performances with stories that feel diminished, inconsequential. Selma is a true triumph; a vitally important film with a legacy destined to endure. What can't be ignored is the sad truth that much of the work King and others fought for was undone recently when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. The greatest message Selma sends is that it doesn't matter how many years have passed, there is still reason to get out there and march.

 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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New Clips from 'Selma' as Ava DuVernay Defends the Drama's Historical Accuracy

Is there some kind of concerted effort to discredit Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King Jr. drama Selma just as Oscars voting has begun? It sure seems that way. Over the last few days she has been forced to defend the historical accuracy of her film, which chronicles the Civil Rights marches to Selma, Alabama. In particular it has been her depiction of President Lyndon Johnson as a waffler on the whole issue of Civil Rights that angered one of his former aides and the director of the LBJ Presidential Library. To her credit, DuVernay hasn't taken it lying down; she's come back swinging haymakers.

At a recent media gathering in New York, DuVernay responded that Selma is her version of the events as she saw fit to tell it....

“I think everyone sees history through their own lens, and I don’t begrudge anyone from wanting to see what they want to see. This is what I see…That should be valid. I’m not going to argue history. I could, but I won’t. This film is a celebration of people who gathered to lift their voices—black, white, otherwise, all classes, nationalities, faiths—to do something amazing.”

She elaborated on the subject in an interview with Rolling Stone last week...

 "Every filmmaker imbues a movie with their own point of view. The script was the LBJ/King thing, but originally, it was much more slanted to Johnson. I wasn't interested in making a white-savior movie; I was interested in making a movie centered on the people of Selma," she told the magazine. "You have to bring in some context for what it was like to live in the racial terrorism that was going on in the deep south at that time. The four little girls have to be there, and then you have to bring in the women. So I started adding women."

"This is a dramatization of the events. But what's important for me as a student of this time in history is to not deify what the president did. Johnson has been hailed as a hero of that time, and he was, but we're talking about a reluctant hero. He was cajoled and pushed, he was protective of a legacy — he was not doing things out of the goodness of his heart. Does it make it any worse or any better? I don't think so. History is history and he did do it eventually. But there was some process to it that was important to show."

Frankly, I didn't think there was any debate that Johnson needed to be encouraged to follow through on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 after the struggle he went through on the Civil Rights Act just a year earlier. I think Selma reflects the back-and-forth between King and Johnson pretty well. We can argue about the specifics of the actual conversations they had, but it doesn't paint Johnson as a bad guy. It makes him look like a politician weighing his options, no more no less. Whatever one thinks about the issue, Selma is expanding into more theaters this Friday and you most definitely need to check it out. If you need any more motivation here are a handful of clips, including one much talked about scene featuring Oprah Winfrey. [Deadline]


Selma Movie CLIP - Bingo (2015) - David Oyelowo Drama by Trailer-Addict


SELMA (2014) APPLICATION by Movie Trailers

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'Selma' Interview with Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo

Is Ava DuVernay's Selma the best picture of the year? Judging by the heaps of praise from critics, including from yours truly, and the multiple awards nominations, it certainly seems like it is. The road to DuVernay's inspiring look at a few months in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. has been a long and tough one. But it's also been immensely rewarding both for her and star David Oyelowo, who had the challenge of embodying the civil rights leader.

Along with my Addicted to Film partner in crime, Tim Gordon, I had a chance to talk with DuVernay (who is apparently a big fan of the show) and Oyelowo about the making of Selma, the changes the project underwent, and the privilege of telling King's incredible story.

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'Selma', 'Dear White People' Lead 15th Annual Black Reel Awards Nominations

The Black Reel Awards, of which I am a voting member and is run by my good friend +Tim Gordon, have announced their nominees honoring the best in African-American cinema and TV for 2014. Leading the way with 10 nominations apiece were Ava DuVernay's stirring Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, Selma; along with Justin Simien's debut feature, the racial satire Dear White People. Both DuVernay and Simien were nominated for Outstanding Director, joined by Chris Rock for Top Five, Gina Prince-Bythewood for Beyond the Lights, and Amma Asante for Belle.

Besides the strong showings by Dear White People and Selma, the greatest individual honors belongs to breakout star Gugu Mbatha-Raw who must compete against herself in the Outstanding Actress category for her performances in Belle and Beyond the Lights. She's joined in the race by Tessa Thompson for Dear White People, Quvenzhane Wallis for Annie, and Top Five's Rosario Dawson. Chadwick Boseman enters the Outstanding Actor field once again, this time for his role as James Brown in Get On Up. Others in the category include Chris Rock for Top Five, Denzel Washington's brutal turn in The Equalizer, Nate Parker for Beyond the Lights, and David Oyelowo for Selma.

The full list of nominations is below. The Black Reel Awards will be announced on February 22nd.

Outstanding Motion Picture

• Belle | Damian Jones (Fox Searchlight)
• Beyond the Lights | Stephanie Allain, Amar’e Stoudamire, Reggie Rock Bythewood & Ryan Kavanaugh (Relativity Media)
• Dear White People | Justin Simien, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe, Ann Le, Effie Brown & Julia Lebedev (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Selma | Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner & Christian Colson (Paramount)
• Top Five | Scott Rudin & Eli Bush (Paramount)

Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture

• Chadwick Boseman | Get on Up (Universal Pictures)
• David Oyelowo | Selma (Paramount)
• Nate Parker | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
• Denzel Washington | The Equalizer (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture

• Rosario Dawson | Top Five (Paramount)
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Tessa Thompson | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Quvenzhane Wallis | Annie (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture

• Nelsan Ellis | Get On Up (Universal)
• David Oyelowo | A Most Violent Year (A24)
• Tyler Perry | Gone Girl (20^th Century Fox)
• Wendell Pierce | Selma (Paramount)
• Michael K. Williams | The Gambler (Paramount)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture

• Viola Davis | The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (The Weinstein Company)
• Carmen Ejogo | Selma (Paramount)
• Teyonah Parris | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)
• Zoe Saldana | Guardians of the Galaxy (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Octavia Spencer | Snowpiercer (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Director, Motion Picture

• Amma Asante | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
• Gina Prince-Bythewood | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Ava DuVernay | Selma (Paramount)
• Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
• Justin Simien | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted), Motion Picture

• Gina Prince-Bythewood | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• John Ridley | Jimi: All is by My Side (XLrator Media/ Open Road Films)
• Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
• Misan Sagay | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
• Justin Simien | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Documentary

• Anita: Speaking Truth to the Power | Freida Lee Mock (Samuel Goldwyn)
• I Am Ali | Clare Lewins (Focus World)
• Keep on Keepin’ On | Alan Hicks (Radius-TWC)
• Time is Illmatic | One9 (Tribeca Film)
• Virunga | Orlando von Einsiedel (Netflix)

Outstanding Ensemble (Awarded to Casting Directors)

• Belle | Toby Whale (Fox Searchlight)
• Dear White People | Kim Coleman (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Get On Up | Kerry Barden & Paul Schnee (Universal)
• Selma | Aisha Coley (Paramount)
• Top Five | Victoria Thomas (Paramount)

Outstanding Foreign Film

• Difret (Ethiopia)| Zeresenay Mehari  (Moving Turtle)
• The Double! (U.K.) | Richard Ayoade (Magnolia Films)
• Fishing Without Nets (Kenya) | Cutter Hodierne  (Drafthouse Films)
• Freedom Road (South Africa) | Shane Vermooten (Media Village Productions)
• Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria) | Biyi Bandele (Monterey Media)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male

• Brandon Bell | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• David Gyasi | Interstellar (Paramount)
• Andre Holland | Selma (Paramount)
• Stephan James | Selma (Paramount)
• Tyler James Williams | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female

• Jillian Estell| Black or White (Relativity Media)
• Patina Miller | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 (Lionsgate)
• Teyonah Parris | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)
• Amber Stevens | 22 Jump Street (Columbia/ MGM)
• Kuoth Wiel | The Good Lie (Warner Bros.)

Outstanding Voice Performance

• Vin Diesel | Guardians of the Galaxy (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Morgan Freeman | The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Maya Rudolph | Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Zoe Saldana | The Book of Life (20^th Century Fox)
• Damon Wayans Jr. | Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

MUSIC

Outstanding Score

• Terence Blanchard | Black or White (Relativity Media)
• Kathryn Bostic | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Danny Bramson & Waddy Wachtel | Jimi: All is by My Side (XLrator Media/ Open Road Films)
• Mask Isham | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Jason Moran | Selma (Paramount)

Outstanding Original Song

• “It Ain’t Easy” from Top Five | Written & Performed by: Questlove & Elza Colby (Paramount)
• “It’s On Again” from The Amazing Spider-Man 2| Performed by: Alicia Keys & Kendrick Lamar; Written by: Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer & Kendrick Lamar (Sony Pictures)
• “Glory” from Selma | Performed by: John Legend & Common; Written by: John Legend, Common & Che Smith (Paramount)
• “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights | Performed by: Rita Ora; Written by: Diane Warren (Relativity Media)
• “What is Love” from Rio 2 | Performed by: Janelle Monae; Written by: Janelle Monae, Nathaniel Irvin III and Roman Irvin (20^th Century Fox)

INDEPENDENT

Outstanding Independent Feature

• 1982 | Tommy Oliver
• Christmas Wedding Baby | Kiara C. Jones
• CRU | Alton Glass
• The Retrieval | Chris Eska (Variance Films)
• Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind | Richie Adams

Outstanding Independent Documentary

• 25 to Life | Mike Brown (AAFRM)
• Evolution of a Criminal | Darius Clark Monroe
• Let the Fire Burn | Jason Osder
• Oscar Micheaux: The Czar of Black Hollywood | Bayer Mack
• Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People | Thomas Allen Harris

Outstanding Independent Short

• #AmeriCan | Nate Parker
• Muted | Rachel Goldberg
• The Voodoo | Steven Alexander

TELEVISION

Outstanding Television Documentary or Special

• Finding the Funk | Nelson George (VH1)
• Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown | Alex Gibney (HBO)
• On the Run Tour: Jay-Z & Beyonce | Jonas Akerlund (HBO)
• The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip-Hop | Billy Corben & Alfred Spellman (VH1)
• Terror at the Mall | Dan Reed (HBO)

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series

• A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Tom Leonardis, Jeffrey M. Hayes, Bill Haber & Whoopi Goldberg (Lifetime)
• Gun Hill | Daniel Hank (BET)
• Rosemary’s Baby | Zoe Saldana, Cisely Saldana, Mariel Saldana, Tom Patricia & Robert Bernacchi (NBC)
• Seasons of Love | Joshua A. Green, Asger Hussain & Yaron Schwartzman (Lifetime)
• The Trip to Bountiful | Bill Haber, Cicely Tyson, Hallie Foote & Jeff Hayes (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Charles S. Dutton | Comeback Dad (UP)
• David Alan Grier | An En Vogue Christmas (Lifetime)
• Ving Rhames | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Keith Robinson | Lyfe’s Journey (UP)
• Larenz Tate | Gun Hill (BET)

Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Whoopi Goldberg | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Imani Hakim | The Gabby Douglas Story (Lifetime)
• Letoya Luckett | Seasons of Love (Lifetime)
• Zoe Saldana | “Rosemary’s Baby” (NBC)
• Cicely Tyson | The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Richard T. Jones | Lyfe’s Journey (UP)
• Harry Lennix | The Fright Night Files (TVOne)
• Mekhi Phifer | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Blair Underwood | The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
• Bokeem Woodbine | The Fright Night Files (TVOne)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Tichina Arnold | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Kimberly Elise | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Aisha Hinds | Gun Hill (BET)
• Anika Noni Rose | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Vanessa L. Williams | The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Reggie Rock Bythewood | Gun Hill (BET)
• Stan Foster | My Other Mother (UP)
• Princess Monique | Seasons of Love (Lifetime)
• Russ Parr & R.L. Scott | The Fright Night Files (TVOne)
• Ryan Richmond | Lyfe’s Journey (UP)

Outstanding Writing, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Reggie Rock Bythewood | Gun Hill (BET)
• Shernold Edwards | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Dayna Lynne North | An En Vogue Christmas (Lifetime)
• Peres Owino & Sharon Brathwaite-Sanders | Seasons of Love (Lifetime)
• Kimberly Walker | Comeback Dad (UP)

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David Oyelowo may Join Lupita Nyong'o in 'Americanah'

The time is right now for David Oyelowo. Remember how we said that about Chiwetel Ejiofor last year for 12 Years a Slave? Well it's happening now for Oyelowo who is receiving not only praise but plenty of awards nominations for his performance in Selma as Martin Luther King, Jr. And with that kind of praise comes the ability to pick your next projects, and Oyelowo may be joining Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o in Americanah.

Announced earlier this year as a project shepherded by Nyong'o, the adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's romance novel tells the "epic love story of young Nigerians, Ifemelu and Obinze; a romance that spans continents, visas, phone cards, and breakups, while exploring the cruelties and the humor of both the modern immigrant experience and the difficulty of finding your way home."

This one's a way off as there is still no writer or director attached, and that search could get a lot easier if Oyelowo wins some gold. [Variety]

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Watch 2014's Top Actors Smooch in '9 Kisses' Video Series

People I'm jealous of this morning: Every guy in these videos not named David Oyelowo or Timothy Spall. You want to know why sometimes you read stories about people fighting really hard for certain movie roles? It's because of stuff like this, New York Times' video series '9 Kisses', in which some of 2014's best actors and actresses kiss one another in different scenarios. My favorite? Chadwick Boseman and Kristen Stewart, partly because I've had that EXACT SAME DREAM where Stewart is my #1 fan. Jenny Slate and Rosario Dawson in some hot girl-on-girl action? Yes please. And Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Miles Teller's video is pretty sweet, too. Shailene Woodley and Jack O'Connell's kiss is cool because it maintains some of the tougher edge of the roles they've been playing all year.

These are all kind of awesome to me. Watch and enjoy.

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'Birdman' Tops Indie Spirit Awards Nominations with Six

Okay, so the term "independent feature" has lost a lot of its meaning lately as budgets for art house movies continue to expand, but the Independent Spirit Awards are still a big deal and the first major nominations of the season. Are you ready to open the flood gates? Here we go.

The Indie Spirit Awards announced their full list of contenders for their 2015 show, and leading the way with six nominations is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta-comedy Birdman, including Best Feature, Best Actor for Michael Keaton, Best Supporting Male for Edward Norton, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Female for Emma Stone. In a major surprise considering nobody saw Kumiko the Treasure Hunter (I did, and loved it), Rinko Kikuchi earned a Best Female Lead nomination, along with Jenny Slate for Obvious Child, Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant, Tilda Swinton for Only Lovers Left Alive, and Julianne Moore for Still Alice. Picking up five nominations are Richard Linklater's Boyhood, Ava Duvernay's Selma, and Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

In a move that has me utterly baffled and I suspect was done only so he might appear on stage, Andre Benjamin earned Best Male Lead nomination for his sleepy performance as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All is by My Side. He'll go up against David Oyelowo for Selma, Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler, Keaton for Birdman, and John Lithgow for Love is Strange.

Today is a big day for debut writer/director Justin Simien whose race-based comedy Dear White People earned him a Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay nomination. Also performing well with four nods was Damien Chazelle's crowd-pleasing jazz drumming thriller Whiplash, including one for Best Director and another for J.K. Simmons as Best Supporting Male. Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice will be honored with the Robert Altman Award, while Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher will be presented with the Special Distinction Award.

Full list of nominees is below. The Indie Spirit Awards takes place on Saturday, February 21st.

BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood
Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland
Love is Strange
Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy
Selma
Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey
Whiplash
Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michael Litvak

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle
Whiplash
Ava DuVernay
Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater
Boyhood
David Zellner
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Big Eyes
J.C. Chandor
A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy
Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch
Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
Love is Strange

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah
Dear White People
Director/Producer: Justin Simien
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe
Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Obvious Child
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Producer: Elisabeth Holm
She’s Lost Control
Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt
Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Desiree Akhavan
Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo
Little Accidents
Justin Lader
The One I Love
Anja Marquardt
She’s Lost Control
Justin Simien
Dear White People

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Blue Ruin
Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
It Felt Like Love
Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman
Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner
Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Man From Reno
Writer/Director: Dave Boyle
Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman
Producer: Ko Mori
Test
Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Chris Martin

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Marion Cotillard
The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore
Still Alice
Jenny Slate
Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton
Only Lovers Left Alive

BEST MALE LEAD
André Benjamin
Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal
Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)John Lithgow
Love is Strange
David Oyelowo
Selma

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette
Boyhood
Jessica Chastain
A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo
Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Riz Ahmed
Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke
Boyhood
Alfred Molina
Love is Strange
Edward Norton
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
J.K. Simmons
Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Darius Khondji
The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Sean Porter
It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young
Selma

BEST EDITING
Sandra Adair
Boyhood
Tom Cross
Whiplash
John Gilroy
Nightcrawler
Ron Patane
A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard
The Guest

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
20,000 Days on Earth
Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson
CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Stray Dog
Director: Debra Granik
Producer: Anne Rosellini
The Salt of the Earth
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders
Producer: David Rosier
Virunga
Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel
Producer: Joanna Natasegara

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Force Majeure
(Sweden)
Director: Ruben Östlund
Ida
(Poland)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Leviathan
(Russia)
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Mommy
(Canada)
Director: Xavier Dolan
Norte, the End of History
(Philippines)
Director: Lav Diaz
Under the Skin
(United Kingdom)
Director: Jonathan Glazer

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson

21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
H.
Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
The Retrieval
Director: Chris Eska

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Approaching the Elephant
Director: Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal
Director: Darius Clark Monroe
The Kill Team
Director: Dan Krauss
The Last Season
Director: Sara Dosa

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Jessica Chastain Demands Respect from David Oyelowo in Clip from 'A Most Violent Year'

If there's one film that has all of the ingredients to be a powerhouse this season it's A Most Violent Year. Directed by JC Chandor (All is Lost, Margin Call), with a cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, and David Oyelowo, no film comes with quite the same level of pedigree behind it. The trailers we've seen so far have been blazing hot fire, and now the first clip has arrived that turns the heat it up even more.

Set in 1981 New York, the most violent year in the city's record, the story follows immigrant businessman Abel (Isaac) and his wife Anna (Chastain), as they try to expand their business while surrounded by corruption. In this scene we see Anna, who happens to be the daughter of a mob boss, making a not-so-subtle demand of respect from Oyelowo's character. In less than a minute we've got the lay of the land completely, and it's clear Anna is not someone to be trifled with.

A Most Violent Year gets an Oscar qualifying run on December 31 before expanding in January.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Takes a Stand in the First Trailer for 'Selma'

The arrival of Ava Duvernay's civil rights drama Selma couldn't come at a better time. Our country just held its midterm elections that saw voting rights trampled in numerous states, and even in those that didn't face such odds saw only a small percentage of people turn out to vote. A lot of people fought and died for that right to vote, and the story of that struggle looks to be in very good hands if the first trailer for Selma is any indication.

Starring David Oyelowo in what looks like a career-defining performance, he plays Martin Luther King Jr. as he fought for voting rights in 1965, leading to the incredible marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and ultimately the signing of the Voting Rights Act by President Johnson. King and his supporters faced opposition on all sides, much of it violent, and it appears Duvernay isn't afraid to show just how bad it was for those fighting for equality.

The project was initially led by Lee Daniels, but he stepped aside so he could focus on The Butler, which turned out to not  be the Oscar contender he had hoped for.  Selma seems to be on the right track though, and should be the breakout film for the vastly underrated Duvernay. Starring Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Andre Holland, Omar J. Dorsey, Alessandro Nivola, Dylan Baker, Wendell Pierce, Common, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Keith Stanfield ,Giovanni Ribisi, Tessa Thompson, Diane Nash, Colman Domingo, Stephen Root and Jeremy Strong, Selma opens on Christmas Day in limited release, going wide January 9th 2015.

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New Trailer and Poster for 'A Most Violent Year' starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain

There are only a handful of directors that we look upon their every release as an event. J.C. Chandor has quickly achieved that status after only three movies: Margin Call, All is Lost, and his latest, A Most Violent Year, a 1980s-set drama starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. A new full-length trailer for the film has been released, backed by the smooth sounds of Marvin Gaye, and it looks like another beautiful, bold effort from Chandor. Isaac and Chastain star as an immigrant couple trying to run an honest business while surrounded by corrupt forces during the most violent year in New York City history.

Also starring Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, and Alessandro Nivola, A Most Violent Year opens December 31st.


A Most Violent Year TRAILER 1 (2014) - Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain Crime Drama HD by MovieTrailerz

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New Image of David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. in 'Selma'; New Footage Debuting at AFI

The Best Actor and Best Picture races are far from settled at this point, and they won't be until everyone has had a chance to see Ava Duvernay's Selma and David Oyelowo's performance as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  A brief amount of footage was shown to a lucky few at UrbanWorld a few weeks ago, and now as a new image from the film surfaces so does news that 30-minutes of Selma will debut at AFI Fest next month. Here's the full press release:

AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi
ANNOUNCES FIRST LOOK AT SELMA
STAR DAVID OYELOWO, DIRECTOR AVA DUVERNAY, AND PRODUCERS OPRAH WINFREY, DEDE GARDNER AND JEREMY KLEINER TO PARTICIPATE IN CONVERSATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LOS ANGELES, CA, October 31, 2014 – AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, announced today that it will offer a first look at director Ava DuVernay's highly anticipated film SELMA on Tuesday, November 11. The presentation will feature 30 minutes of exclusive footage from the film followed by a conversation with producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo at the Egyptian Theatre.

SELMA, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the Civil Rights Movement. DuVernay's SELMA tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film is produced by Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. The film is written by Paul Webb and directed by Ava DuVernay.

AFI FEST will take place November 6 through 13 in Hollywood, CA, at the Dolby Theatre^®, the TCL Chinese Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Selma opens on Christmas Day.

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First Clip from Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' with Matthew McConaughey

The secret is out. Early reviews for Christopher Nolan's Interstellar have arrived and whether you're trying to avoid them (like me) or not, chances are you already have heard the mixed response. So maybe the heady, ambitious sci-fi film isn't the groundbreaker it has been built up to be? Whatever the case, those who are still eagerly looking forward to it may want to hold on to the mystery a little bit longer, but for those who don't here's the first Interstellar clip.

This scene takes place before things head out into deep space, and it shows just how deeply the world has turned against the idea of space travel. It's gotten to the point where schools teach students that the moon landing was faked, an idea which pisses off Matthew McConaughey's character, an engineer who knows the real value of space exploration. Something tells me the rest of the world will be on the same page with him soon.

The scene also includes David Oyelowo, part of a great cast that includes Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Mackenzie Foy, Topher Grace, Bill Irwin, John Lithgow, Josh Stewart, Ellen Burstyn, and Matt Damon. Interstellar opens November 7th.


Interstellar Official Movie Clip #1 - Useless Machines (2014) - Matthew McConaughey Movie HD. by TrailerNow

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Review: 'Default' starring David Oyelowo and Katherine Moennig

There have been so many movies lately about Somalian pirates they've become a genre unto themselves. One can argue it's been the lesser known ones like A Hijacking and Fishing without Nets that have been the most successful in exploring the crushing economic and social factors that turn men into desperate hijackers, but it's Paul Greengrass' narrow Captain Phillipsthat reaped the accolades. To the credit of director Simon Brand, his new film Defaulttries to combine the best attributes of all three of its predecessors, but isn't intellectually nuanced or gripping enough to measure up.

A big problem that is apparent immediately is Brand's shaky camerawork, clearly inspired by Greengrass and used to try and evoke a sense of realistic urgency. All it turns out to be is a dizzying distraction from a story that gets off to a promising start. A news crew for fictional network ACN has wrapped up work on a story in Africa's Seychelles, and are about to embark on their journey home. They're led by once-great news man Frank Saltzman (Greg Callahan), with his crew (Katherine Moennig, Jeanine Mason, Connor Fox) in tow. ACN has apparently hit the financial skids because their chartered flight looks like something Buddy Holly would scoff at, as it's barely being held together by spit and bailing wire. Not that it matters because before the flight takes off it's boarded by Atlas (David Oyelowo) and a group of Somalian pirates. Their demands are simple at first; keep the cameras rolling, document everything, and have Frank perform an interview with Atlas for broadcast on ACN.

It's at this point we see that Default has wider ambitions than just another hijacking movie, and initially the promise is worth getting excited about. Atlas is more than he claims to be; he's a thoughtful man who doesn't seem all that interested in money, even though his blood-thirsty comrades definitely are. When Atlas and Frank face off, their conversation goes in an unexpected direction, touching on issues of class, the role of the media, and the nature of terrorism. But when Atlas challenges Frank to a silly life-or-death game of chance, what began as an intellectually stimulating debate begins to shift into just another bland genre flick with cheap tricks and cheaper production values. The finale is a ludicrous and nonsensical mess of illogical action and bloody violence that destroys the legitimately earned tension inside the plane's cramped cabin.

It's a shame that screenwriters Jim Wolfe Jr. and Dan Bence go this route because it does a solid cast no favors. It's easy to see why Oyelowo chose to be a part of the film even though he's accustomed to much bigger projects. It gives him a chance to show his natural intensity, and he's head and shoulders above everyone else. We believe him as a leader of men, an ability he'll need to show again later this year as Martin Luther King in Ava Duvernay's Selma. It's a little sad to see the talented Moennig, so good in Showtime's The L Word and Ray Donovan, reduced to barely a supporting role. She's capable of much more and we only get hints of that here. Setting itself apart from a crowded field of Somali pirate movies is a goal Default reaches for, but in choosing meaningless action over all else it's never achieved.

 Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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David Oyelowo is a Somali Pirate in Trailer for 'Default'

At last weekend's Urbanworld Film Festival, select attendees were treated to the first footage from Ava Duvernay's Selma (we recently broke it down on Addicted to Film), starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. The role should thrust Oyelowo into the spotlight and possibly into the Best Actor race, but he's also got high-profile appearances in Interstellar and A Most Violent Year on the way. One film he's got coming up that will probably fall under the radar is Default, the latest in the growing field of Somali piracy thrillers.

Directed by Colombian filmmaker Simon Brand with The L Word's Katherine Moennig co-starring, Default has Oyelowo as a Somali pirate who hijacks an American news crew's flight in hopes of making a statement. With Captain Phillips, A Hijacking, and Fishing without Nets occupying similar territory it will be tough for a small film like this to stand out, but Oyelowo looks tough in a rare chance to play the antagonist.

Default hits VOD and theaters on October 17th.


Default Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Thriller Movie HD by Horror Movie Trailers

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First Images from Ava Duvernay's MLK Biopic 'Selma'

Despite two stirring, acclaimed dramas in I will Follow and Middle of Nowhere, Ava Duvernay has largely been overlooked as a major directing force. Her films have generally been smaller character pieces that don't make it beyond the art house, but her next film is poised to make some serious waves this year. We're talking Oscar-level waves. She's currently hard at work on the star-studded Martin Luther King biopic, Selma, and now the first images from it have arrived.

Once a project to be spearheaded by Lee Daniels, the Brad Pitt-produced film took over last year and assembled a cast that rivals (and kind of resembles) Daniels' The Butler. David Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King, Jr., with Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Tessa Thompson, Tom Wilkinson, Common, Andre Holland, Jeremy Strong, Carmen Ejogo, Keith Stanfield, Giovanni Ribisi, Alessandro Nivola, and many more joining him. The story will focus on King's efforts to secure voting rights for all, leading to the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Selma opens in limited release on Christmas Day, then goes wide January 9th 2015. [EW]

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New Trailer for Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' Rockets into Space

"We're not meant to save the world, we're meant to leave it." Christopher Nolan has kept much of his sci-fi drama Interstellar under wraps, as he tends to do with most of his films. But he's been especially secret about this one, with early plot summaries including things like wormholes, time travel, and alternate dimensions. The latest trailer still keeps much of what Nolan has planned under wraps while finally showing taking us off the Earth and into the void of space.

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Michael Caine, David Oyelowo and more, the film follows a team of astronauts on a mission to the stars in hopes of saving the world. As Oyelowo's character ominously notes, the world has run out of food and the only chance of survival may be finding a new planet elsewhere. Nolan is working with a different cinematographer other than Wally Pfister (who went off to direct Transcendence, probably not the wisest choice) and yet the results appear to be the same as the film looks stunning.

Interstellar opens on November 7th.


INTERSTELLAR - Trailer by dmagianet

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Matthias Schoenaerts Leads 'Galveston'; David Oyelowo and Catalina Moreno Join 'A Most Violent Year'

* It's a double-dose of good news for True Detective writer, Nic Pizzolatto. Not only has he signed a two-year deal with HBO and has begun work drafting a second season of his hit series, but his breakthrough novel Galveston is headed to the big screen with a powerful leading man. Deadline reports Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) will star in the gritty drama to be directed by Janus Metz (Armadillo), centering on Roy Cady, who is diagnosed with a terminal illness on the same day he senses that his boss wants him dead. Walking into a death trap, Roy gets the better of his would-be killers, and takes two sisters he finds hiding in the apartment and makes a run for Galveston.

* Fresh off adding Albert Brooks to the excellent cast of A Most Violent Year, J.C. Chandor is making it even better with Catalina Sandino Moreno and David Oyelowo. The two will join stars Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, and Alfred Molina in the 1981 New York thriller about the owners of a heating oil business whose growth ambitions put them at odds with the criminal element. Filming begins tomorrow which might explain the sudden casting surge.

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