Nicole Kidman will reportedly appear in Just Go for It, Columbia’s romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Sports Illustrated cover model Brooklyn Decker also has joined the cast of the movie, which is due to start filming in Los Angeles in March. Read the full story

Baz Luhrmann has revealed to the India Times that he is in discussions to collaborate with Slumdog Millionaire composer A.R. Rahman. Although noting that it was his “dream to make a movie in India”, Luhrmann’s possible collaboration with Rahman is still in the very early stages of development:

“We are planning to create some work together, but it’s too early to talk about it. I’d just say that we want to create the right piece, for the right story so that it can be told well.”

Luhrmann’s last trip to India resulted in the inspiration for the box office hit, Moulin Rouge’s Bollywood themed costuming and musical Hindi number “Chamma Chamma“. Undoubtedly Luhrmann hopes to achieve a similar, if not greater, success for his next film.

However this collaboration between Luhrmann and Rahman comes at an interesting time with relations between Indians and Australians currently fraught with tension. Should this untitled production become a reality, its development won’t be without controversy. That aside, a Bollywood blockbuster Luhrmann-style could be just the film to overshadow the love-hate responses of his last film, Australia.

What do you think about this project?

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

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?

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 >>

Vanity Fair hired Annie Leibovitz to photograph “10 partnerships that helped generate more than four dozen Oscar nominations this season.” Check them out below or on Vanity Fair:

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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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5. August
This smart taut 85- minute character study watches the collapse of the ‘01 web bubble the month before 9/11 through the eyes of Tom Sterling (Josh Hartnett), one of two brothers who founded Landshark, a dotcom business running on speculative fumes. Directed with a fast-paced style and written with quick dialog by Austin Chick, this film has become more and more timely since its non-existent summer release, observing how overblown stock speculation can lead to mass irrationality.
4. Blindness
While certainly not a masterpiece on the level of director Fernando Meirelles’ City of God, this allegorical, sociological film is certainly on par with the critically-lauded The Constant Gardener, Meirelles’ most recent work before this. The film features a brutally honest turn from Mark Ruffalo as a doctor who, like nearly all of the inhabitants of a unnamed city (that looks like L.A.), has lost his eyesight. The content is realistic and graphic and the tone is bleak. Perhaps critics and viewers were just not ready for it.
3. Snow Angels
Blame it on the release date I guess. This film, directed by David Gordon Green (the same guy who gave us the decently funny Pineapple Express), came out in the late winter/early spring of ‘08 to virtually no audience. And even though critics loved it, it has since been forgotten. Literally every performance in this film is phenomenal. From Sam Rockwell to Kate Beckinsale (believe the hype, she’s a good actress now, legitimately) to Olivia Thirlby (she was Juno’s best friend in Juno), the acting carries this thing all the way, obviously helped by Green’s simple screenplay and careful direction.
2. W.
Oliver Stone’s surprisingly unbiased examination of our lame duck president is an insanely interesting film that was split nearly in half by critics. While some hailed it as something similar to what I just wrote, the other half felt it was either to soft on Bush or too hard. It’s neither. Despite a couple of bust performances (well, really just Thandie Newton), Josh Brolin embodies Bush while Stone presents the Commander-in-Chief as a man who never had a life goal, so more or less fell into the Presidency as a way to make his dad happy.
1. Australia
We live in a cynical, cynical world. Baz Luhrmann’s adventure romance is an epic of our time, featuring big performances from performers, not actors. This is the stuff of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh; Old Hollywood, when actors expressed their emotions externally rather than internally. This thing is beautiful and fun and passionate. In a perfect world, Australia would get a Best Picture nod, Luhrmann would get Director, and Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman would get acting noms. Incidentally, the closest this film will get to the BIG 4 will be Jackman’s hosting of the bloody ceremony.

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionare
The Dark Knight
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
Milk

Best Director:
Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionare”
Christopher Nolan – “The Dark Knight”
David Fincher – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Sam Mendes – “Revolutionary Road”
Gus Van Saint – “Milk”

I don’t see this category differing from BP noms, except for maybe the inclusion of Ron Howard for “Frost/Nixon” or Darren Aronfosky for “The Wrestler”

Best Actor
Mickey Rourke – “The Wrestler”
Sean Penn – “Milk”
Brad Pitt – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Josh Brolinin – “W.”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “Revolutionary Road”

Rourke the clear leader here.

Best Actress
Kate Winslet – “Revolutionary Road”
Meryl Streep – “Doubt”
Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”
Nicole Kidman – “Australia”
Sally Hawkins – “Happy-Go-Lucky”