The Weinstein Company | USA/Italy | 118 min

A great musical always leaves one leaving the theater in joy constantly humming or even singing. More importantly, a great musical’s songs actually add to the story and the characters. There’s very few musical films that have accomplished that. Does Nine? No. This is a film that purely gets by due to its style and a handful of memorable performances. This is a forgettable and yet mildly passable piece of Oscar bait. Read the full story

The third trailer for Rob Marshall’s (Chicago) Nine has premiered on Apple in HD. The film is a musical adaptation inspired by Fellini’s famous film and the original play. Check out the trailer with the all star cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson and Sophia Lauren below. Read the full story

And there’s a little Nicole Kidman in there too, with some Fergie and Daniel Day-Lewis to boot. The song, “Cinema Italiano,” fits Hudson’s character in the film, 60s American journalist Stephanie, and will most likely offer a film history backdrop to Rob Marshall’s adaptation, referencing the time period as one of cinematic revolution in places like France and Italy. Hudson’s voice seems just fine, nothing more or less. And she’s never looked better. Funny enough, the worst part of this trailer is the lyrics to the song, or just the song itself. Here’s hoping the other number are better than this one.

The Nine buzz has been picking up a little these days, with an early review on AICN that praises the film in general, most specifically Day-Lewis’s turn as Guido Contini and Marion Cotilliard’s performance as his wife. That said, it’s safe to say this is still the calm before the storm.

What do you think of this trailer? The song that comes with it? Hudson’s voice?

It looks as though we will be seeing a lot of Nine promotion on ABC. The Weinstein Company, still struggling to stay above financial waters it seems, has signed a pact with Disney/ABC Unlimited to pepper the high-profile Rob Marshall musical all over ABC television, whether it’s applying the song “Be Italian” (from the “Nine” musical) into Dancing With The Stars (matching dress ensembles included) or name-dropped in day-time soaps.

Disney will also offer a road block-style trailer on ABC and the majority of ABC/Disney own cable channels on November 22nd. ABC.com is even devoting a microsite to the film on the master Web site, “streaming of the movie trailer and a half-hour “Making of ‘Nine’” special.” [Variety]

This harks back to the way TWC handled the release of Inglourious Basterds, splitting the work with Universal, forfeiting most of the international take to the big studio.

While it’s a smart, “hedge you bets” kind of move that worked in the case of the $300 million grossing Basterds, it’s still a bet that may not pay off. But TWC and Disney are covering all media bases, from TV to Internet. “The audience is not just watching TV,” he said. “There’s a fragmentation. They’re also online, they’re accessing shows on Blackberrys. This allows us to say, this is the depth of programming we want to access. We want to go after audiences on several fronts,” said Francois Martin, senior vice president of marketing at the Weinstein Co. [Variety].

The trailer for Rob Marshall’s (Chicago) Nine has premiered on Apple in HD and brings us the picture of the century (see above). The film is a musical adaptation inspired by Fellini’s famous film. Check out the trailer with the all star cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson and Sophia Lauren after the jump along with 38 screen captures.

Check out the trailer and screencaps >>

Last Sunday Slumdog Millionaire swept the Academy Awards concluding the culmination of 2008 cinema. 2009 film is now upon us. It’s been a bit of a mix with the horrendous Paul Blart: Mall Cop kicking off the year, but so far, it’s left us with a couple gems (Taken and Coraline 3-D). It’s not too early to take a look at the films that we will be seeing in next year’s Academy Awards. If you are looking for a more mainstream/blockbuster films, check out my 50 Must-See Movies of 2009. If you want a list of higher caliber films, here are my predictions for the major 2010 Oscars categories:

Best Picture/Director

I’ve decided to lump these two categories together since it’s too early to separate them out. Here are 10 films that I can see being in the running with some other contenders after:

Martin Scorsese – Shutter Island (a.k.a. Ashecliffe

Plot: Drama is set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. Leo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Max von Sydow

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I’m willing to bet money you can’t find a person that agrees with all the Best Picture wins in the last 10 years, even 5 years. Everyone has favorite films each year that don’t win, let alone get recognized (see Children of Men, The Third Man, Vertigo). Then there are films fortunate enough to get nominated but couldn’t secure a win. These are not snubs in all cases, sometimes the winners are well deserved (see The Godfather Part II, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and No Country For Old Men). Here are the Top 25 Best Picture Nominees That Didn’t Win:

25. There Will Be Blood (2007) (nominated) - No Country For Old Men (winner)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of an Upton Sinclair novel about a greedy oil prospector does more than just retell the story. It paints a sprawling, vivid image with much credit going to Daniel Day-Lewis and his flawless performance.

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Variety reports Martin Scorsese is in talks with Benicio Del Toro (Che) and Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) to star in his next movie, Silence. The drama is set in the 17th century as two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. Gael Garcia Bernal (Babel, Y Tu Mama Tambien) may also star. The film, based on the Shusaku Endo novel, which was adapted by Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York), has been on Scorsese’s radar for over 10 years.

This film sounds spectacular. Three of my favorite actors with my favorite director. Couldn’t ask for more.

Scorsese’s next film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island, comes out this October. Silence is expected for a late 2010 release.

Do you like the casting for Silence?

UPDATE: The list below was written in January of 2009. I suggest checking out our new list, 65 Must See Movies of 2010. Click the image below to see:

So 2008 is over, come on, it’s time to move on. Here are 50 great reasons to go to the theater this year:

January

My Bloody Valentine 3-D (Jan 16^th)

Synopsis: After surviving a fatal accident that claimed the lives of five of men in a mine shaft, Harry Warden performed a horrific killing spree on Valentines night in the town of Harmony, killing 22 people before he was shot to death.

Why You Should See It: Early screening reports have said there is more sex, limbs, and buckets of blood than one can handle. The 3-D gimmick is the only reason this is on my list. If implemented right it should be a great time at the movies.

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