10 movies are still in the hunt for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award nomination and the list is down below. The superhero films (Batman, Spiderman, The Avengers) all made the cut as did four book adaptations including Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Cloud Atlas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
John Carter
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Skyfall
Snow White and the Huntsman
But only five films can be nominated and it's very likely going to be Life of Pi, The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and possibly a surprise nominee in either John Carter and Prometheus. Sadly, the praise for Cloud Altas and The Dark Knight Rises in the technical categories seems a bit muted now but I hope to see it recognized in some way or the other.
Director Tim Burton is back with another "re-imagining", this time it's a 60s show called Dark Shadows which gets the big screen treatment. Those are in now apparently (see 21 Jump Street). His staple actors, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are also back along with Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Eva Green and Chloe Grace Moretz. Here's the official summary by Warner Bros.:
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set
sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even
an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued
their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world
at his feet-or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of
Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate
playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of
Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word,
Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a
vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is
inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed
world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his
once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of
the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own
dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer)
has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham
Carter), to help with her family troubles.
Johnny Depp as a vampire! Looks like fun, I love the shot of him brushing his, um, fangs. Vampires need to have good dental hygiene too. Dark Shadows releases May 11, 2012.
One of the summer's most anticipated releases is Ridley Scott's Prometheus which is or isn't supposed to be the prequel to Alien. Whatever its status, the full trailer released this weekend promises to be intriguing. Co-written by Lost creator Damon Lindelof, the trailer shows a group of space explorers trying to find the origins of the human race with some alarming discoveries. The trailer doesn't reveal a whole lot but I find the title most intriguing. Prometheus, according to Greek mythology, stole fire from Zeus and gave it away to the mortals. His punishment was to be bound to a big rock while an eagle ate his liver and he was doomed to this fate forever. What does this myth have to do with alien culture? What ever it is, it doesn't look too good for those explorers. The all starcast features Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce. Prometheus will debut on June 8, 2012.
The first week of the new year has yielded so many new looks to some anticipated movies of 2012. Thanks to USA Today and the preview guide for 2012, we have some new photos from The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy and more.
Thor meets Captain America in The Avengers.
First look at Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy.
Who are these adorable redheaded moppets with Merida from Brave?
I spy The Hobbit's feet.
Noomi Rapace in Ridley Scott's Prometheus.
It's Daniel. Daniel Craig in Skyfall, the next James Bond film.
Charlize Theron reigns as Queen in Snow White and the Hunstsman.
