The Oscar winning writer for Milk, Dustin Lance Black is set to write a a biopic based on the life of J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI. Pajiba has reported that the biopic is being developed by Universal Pictures and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment. No director has been attached as yet but with Black on board it should not take long for this film to begin production.

Black’s appointment as writer for this Hoover biopic is not unsurprising. As /Film has noted, Black is very interested in a positive representation of gay culture through which young gay men and women can exist in an environment that allows them to come out safely. Hoover was reportedly a cross-dresser and according to some also a homosexual. With such material at hand, Black’s representation of this within the biopic could possibly another remarkably enlightening film.

Hoover has already been portrayed by Billy Crudup in Public Enemies. Although the film was not a financial success, this biopic may prove otherwise with its story covering a greater extent of the FBI Director’s career, beginning from the founding of his organization in 1935. He made the FBI an efficient crime-fighting organization through the now famous method of harassing dissenters and building secret files on politicians. He is most often associated with his role in fighting the gangster wars in the 1930’s and, later, the Mafia.

At the moment Black is currently in post-production on What’s Wrong with Virginia, a drama he wrote and directed starring Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris.

Do you think Dustin Lance Black is the best choice to write a Hoover Biopic?

Mexican actor Diego Luna will be making his feature directorial debut this month, with his film Abel set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

After his mother brings little Abel home from the psychiatric ward, his family worries about how he will handle his father’s absence and whether or not he will suffer an emotion breakdown. He surprises them by deciding that he will become the father of the house, taking over the responsibilities of a family man. All is going well until a stranger shows up claiming to be his father. The film is told from the young boy’s perspective, as he blurs reality and fantasy. Read the full story

It’s a question with no precise answer and no particular set of rules attached to it. Loosely, a biopic tells the story of life, usually one of both triumph and failure and, of course, accomplishment.

Think Chaplin or Ray, standard bio-films that follow the life of their “great” subjects from childhood to death, going over all of the big moments while sure to add a couple “poignant” small moments many viewers didn’t already know about. Sometimes these films bookend their subjects’ lives with elderly collections of the past or last will and testaments (remember Milk, if you can).

Others work are framed in a similar fashion, only under a thinner scope, i.e. the significant event/achievement said subject lead/started/was part of. Think Patton, which begins with his victory in North Africa than Sicily than Normandy, charting his WWII command as a filter through which to study his life. In a (slightly) similar way does Lawrence of Arabia unfold, quickly checking off the historical moves in which he becomes a British military officer so as to concentrate on his brilliant tactical leadership of the Arab Revolt of 1916 and its aftermath. Sticking with the war hook, another easy example (from a much more complicated angle) is Schindler’s List.

All this to reiterate the titular question: what is the art of telling the story of a true life? How can one capture the awe of something, and someone, that really happened?

Read the full story

Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life has been kept very under wraps so far and there hasn’t been a release date announced yet, but it may  be coming to theaters in 2009. Screen Daily (via Hollywood Elsewhere) is reporting that the film has picked up distribution at Cannes and that it may be released this year. The film wrapped over a year ago and Malick is still apparently cutting the film. The film stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as brothers.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Comedian Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and recent Oscar Nominee Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) have just officially joined Warner Brother’s upcoming 2010 summer tent-pole Jonah Hex. Arnett will be playing a union soldier who enlists Jonah Hex and is blindsided by the dirty fighting style of his enemies. Michael Shannon is set to play Doc Cross Williams, the bizarre ringleader of a brutal gladiator circus event. That character also may be featured in future installments. The cast already includes Josh Brolin (Milk), Megan Fox (Transformers), and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich). Jonah Hex is set for August 6th, 2010.

Will Arnett seems like an odd casting choice, but then again it’s Will Arnett so it would be a sin to call this bad news. Michael Shannon is of course great news. While it sounds like more of a cameo, Shanon will still most likely be great as he usually is. 

What do you think of this cast? Are you excited for Jonah Hex?

- Jack Giroux

Last night Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up (as predicted) with 8 Oscars. I gathered as many acceptance videos I could find. Check them out below, kicking off with one of the best Oscar introductions to date and ending withe Judd Apatow’s hilarious comedy montage.

Hugh Jackman Opening Performance

Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire, Christian Colson (producer)

Best Actor

Check out the rest of the winners and acceptance speeches >>

The Academy Awards start tonight at 8pm EST. Here are our predictions. Check out the full list of nominees here.

Best Picture

Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor

Will Win: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Should Win: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Best Actress

Will Win: Kate Winslet in The Reader

Should Win: Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

Check out the rest of the predictions >>

BY DAN MECCA

Film critic David Denby, who’s always been hit-or-miss in my book but never short of defending his opinions with excellent conviction, wrote this nice little ditty exposing 4 out of the 5 Best Pic noms (he liked Milk) as studio-backed and fairy-tale frauds. I especially enjoy the bit about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Check out the piece here. I caught this thing on In Contention and am happy to see people giving Denby some much needed respect. Whether I wholly agree with this column or not (I really enjoyed Slumdog, Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon but didn’t like The Reader) the guy’s a great writer and should have as big an audience as possible  now-a-days, as film critics drop faster and farther daily than the stock market.

So give it a read and write your thoughts at the bottom.

Do you agree with Denby? Did you like Rachel Getting Married or Happy-Go-Lucky that much?

(cast at Golden Globes, after they won Best Pic, Director, Screenplay)

Thanks to Awards Daily here are the winners of tonight’s Screen Actor’s Guild awards:

Film
Ensemble Cast: Slumdog Millionaire
Lead Actress: Meryl Streep, Doubt
Lead Actor: Sean Penn, Milk
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Lifetime Achievement Award: James Earl Jones

Television
Lead Actress, Comedy Series: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Lead Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ensemble Cast, Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Lead Acress, Drama Series: Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Lead Actor, Drama Series: Hugh Laurie, House
Ensemble Cast, Drama Series: Mad Men
Lead Actress, Miniseries: Laura Linney, John Adams
Lead Actor, Miniseries: Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Here are the results of the Producer Guild Award yesterday:

Film – Slumdog Millionaire
Animated – Wall-E
Documentary – Man on Wire
TV miniseries – John Adams
TV comedy – 30 Rock
TV Drama – Mad Men

Go Slumdog! I wonder if Penn will upset Rourke at the Oscars as well. What do you think of the winner?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads with 13 Nominations.

Here are the 81st Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Frost/Nixon

Benjamin Button

Milk

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins in The Visitor

Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn in Milk

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jollie in Changeling

Melissa Leo in Frozen River

Meryl Streep in Doubt

Kate Winslet in The Reader

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr in Tropic Thunder

Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt

Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

Josh Brolin in Milk

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams in Doubt

Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis in Doubt

Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marrisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Best Director

Gus Van Sant for Milk

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Howard for Frost/Nixon

Stephen Daldry for The Reader

Best Original Screenplay

Courtney Hunt for Frozen River

Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky

Martin McDonagh for In Bruges

Andrew Stanton for Wall-E

Dustin Lance Black for Milk

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

John Patrick Shanley for Doubt

Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon

David Hare for The Reader

Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Feature Film

Bolt

Wall-E

Kung Fu Panda

Best Art Direction

Changeling

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

The Duchess

Revolutionary Road

Best Cinematography

Changeling

Slumdog Millionaire

The Reader

Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Best Costumes

Australia

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Milk

The Duchess

Revolutionary Road

Best Documentary Feature

Encounters at the End of the World

Man on Wire

The Betrayal

The Garden

Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short Subject

The Conscience of Nhem En

The Final Inch

Smile Pinki

The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Animated Short Film

La Maison en Petits Cubes

Lavatory – Lovestory

Oktapodi

Presto

This Way Up

Best Live Action Short Film

Auf der Strecke (On the Line)

Manon on the Asphalt

New Boy

The Pig

Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Best Film Editing

The Dark Knight

Slumdog Millionaire

Frost/Nixon

Benjamin Button

Milk

Best Foreign Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex

The Class

Departures

Revanche

Waltz with Bashir

Best Makeup

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Dark Knight

Hellboy II

Best Original Score

Wall-E

Slumdog Millionaire

Defiance

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Milk

Best Original Song

Down to Earth from Wall-E

O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire

Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Editing

The Dark Knight

Wanted

Iron Man

Wall-E

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Mixing

The Dark Knight

Wanted

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Wall-E

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Visual Effects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Dark Knight

Wall-E

The Oscars are hosted by Hugh Jackman will take place on February 22nd.

Do you agree with the nominations?