2011 BAFTA NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

BAFTA Award

The British Academy of Film & Television Arts announced their 2011 Film Awards Nominees earlier today in Piccadilly. Not drawing many distinctions from those Award ceremonies held so far in the U.S., their Best Film category finalists include: Black Swan, Inception, The King’s Speech, The Social Network and True Grit. The inclusion of Inception for some might be the surprise. The King's Speech leads the way with a total 14 nominations.

For Outstanding British Film, nominees include 127 Hours, Made in Dagenham, The King’s Speech, Another Year and the more obscure Four Lions.

There were no real surprises in the Acting categories other than Melissa Leo failing to get a Best Supporting Actress nomination; instead her The Fighter co-star Amy Adams got the nod. They also considered 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld in the Best Actress category versus Best Supporting Actress, which she has been considered for mostly here. The Academy also recognized The Town Actor Peter Postlethwaite in the Best Supporting Actor category; he hasn’t been mentioned much thus far for Oscar contention in these parts also.

The BAFTA Awards will be held February 13, 2011. Read a Full list of nominees here.

 

(Photo credit: BAFTA)

"SAW VII 3-D" THRILLS THE BOX OFFICE

Still from Saw VII 3-D

It's almost becoming too easy with its annual Halloween release, but Lionsgate's Saw VII 3-D, yes part VII, not only contains a lot of killing, but made a killing also.  The Horror flick took in an estimated $24.5 million from 2,808 screens this weekend. It is said that this will be the final installment in the series. We'll see about that.

Slipping to second is last weekend's Champion Paranormal Activity 2, which took in approximately $17 million. In two weeks, the sequel has made $66.5 million for one of the most profitable franchises in history for Paramount.

Surprisingly, Red is hanging tough still in third with $10.7 million. The film is still showing at 3,349 theatres, impressive considering it has actually been on illegal downloading sites for a couple weeks already.  Now who said studios were suffering from downloading?

Jackass 3-D although losing a bit of its edge with moviegoers, is still doing well in fourth spot with $8.5 million in its third week, putting it just past the $100 million mark domestically.

The Town in its seventh week is still in the Top Ten amazingly with $2 million earned this weekend and a total $87.6 million in its run so far. Congratulations, Ben Affleck!

Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven favourite Conviction got its wide release finally this weekend in a paltry 565 theatres, earning $1.9 million in tenth spot. Despite some great reviews and tons of promotion, this one inexplicably still isn't connecting with moviegoers. Why?

WALT DISNEY'S "TRON: LEGACY 3-D" TO PREMIERE AT TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Jeff Bridges in Walt Disney's TRON: Legacy 3-D

Tokyo, I envy you!    The other TIFF, the Tokyo International Film Festival, will be the first to premiere Walt Disney's TRON: Legacy 3-D this Saturday, October 23, 2010 as the film will be shown as a Special Presentation.  Stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde are confirmed to be doing Press also at the Festival. Our dear friend MiT will do her best to get us some photos of the excitement!

Other titles - many which premiered in Toronto last month - to be making the rounds in Tokyo include:

MR. WILL-W.'S EARLY OSCAR PREDICTIONS - OCTOBER 2010

Although not quite as formula-based as my girl Sasha predictions are over at Awards Daily, Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven is known to have picked an Oscar winner or two in the past.  Even though the big day isn't until Sunday, March 5, 2011, I will break down for you who I feel is in-contention for a nomination in the major categories.   Obviously, there are a few contenders which I have not seen yet, so I have denoted these with an asterisk.  The names in bold are the contenders I feel have the greatest chance of winning the actual Oscar.  Selections are subject to change and I'll probably re-jig this again closer to the end of the year.

Still from Black Swan

BEST PICTURE

• The Town
• Black Swan
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The Social Network
• 127 Hours
• Rabbit Hole
• Toy Story 3
• Blue Valentine
• The King's Speech

*Hereafter (review to be posted Wednesday), Made in Dagenham, True Grit, Fair Game and Love and Other Drugs

"THE SOCIAL NETWORK" ON-TOP FOR A SECOND

Still from The Social Network

Although it should come as no surprise, The Social Network hangs on for a second week at the top of the Box Office with $15.5 million earned, just edging out two tough new challengers, Life As We Know It and Secretariat. The David Fincher film about the story behind Facebook, has all of Twitter abuzz with celebrities like Rob Lowe and Alyssa Milano raving about it to their Followers.

Warner Bros.' Life As We Know It almost debuted on-top, taking in $14.6 million proving that Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl has what it takes to draw in movie-goers. And despite favourable reviews, Walt Disney's Secretariat just didn't perform like the champion Race Horse it is about, but $12.6 million (enough to land it in third) in its opening weekend is nothing to scoff at.

Surprisingly, Legends of The Guardian: The Owls of Ga'Hoole continues to perform consistently, landing in fourth with $7 million this weekend. To-date, it has earned $39.4 million domestically and  just beat-out Wes Craven's new 3-D horror My Soul To Take, which opened in fifth spot for Universal Pictures with $6.9 million.

Ben Affleck's The Town continues to perform like the monster that it is, bringing in $6.3 million this weekend in sixth spot, garnering (pardon the pun) a total of $73.5 million in just four weeks.

NEVER UNDER-ESTIMATE THE POWER OF FACEBOOK

The Social Network Still

Never under-estimate the power of Social Networking. For example, David Fincher's The Social Network destroyed its competition at the Box Office this weekend. The true story of Mark Zuckerberg's rise to fame as the creator of Facebook impressed both critics and audiences, taking in $23 million its opening.

Surprisingly resilient though is animated feature Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole 3-D, which brought in $10.9 million in its second week - enough to land it in second. The film has earned $30 million to-date domestically and undoubtedly was helped by the fact it is still showing in 3,575 theatres.

Last week's champion Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps slips to third spot this weekend with $10.1 million, placing it just ahead of Ben Affleck's The Town which is in fourth with $10 million earned - still going strong.

Easy A is a certified hit, landing in fifth this weekend with $7 million. Made for just $8 million, it has brought Sony Screen Gems $42.4 million in three weeks.

Real-life lovers Renée Zellweger and Bradley Cooper's Case 39 debuted in seventh spot with $5.4 million, being made for $26 million. After several delays in release and an underwhelming performance, many are beginning to doubt Zellweger's ability to pull in an audience after a string of blemishes recently like New in Town, My One and Only and Miss Potter.

MICHAEL DOUGLAS IS KING OF THE BOX OFFICE STILL

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

He's still got it.  Michael Douglas is King of the Box Office with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, 23 years after being debuting in third in December 1987 with its predecessor.  Despite some negative reviews, the follow-up to the Oscar-winning Oliver Stone film brought in a total $19 million this weekend from 3,565 theatres.  Although some of this could be coming from sympathy support for the actor after his recent Cancer announcement, here's to hoping for a quick recovery to the legendary Douglas from one Cancer survivor to another.

Warner Bros.' Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole 3-D boasts an all-star cast including Helen Mirren, Abbie Cornish, Joel Edgerton and Ryan Kwanten, but doesn't boast the big numbers of its $100 million budget.  Still though, it's enough to land it in second spot this weekend with $16.3 million.  I'd expect this will perform much better overseas.

Although The Town slips to third spot this weekend, its drop is only minor as it still was able to pull in $16 million this weekend.  In only two weeks, it has pulled in $49.1 million.  The same applies to Emma Stone's star-making Easy A which debuted in second last week but slips to fourth this weekend with $10.8 million.  Both The Town and Easy A's commercial success have also matched their critical success.

Disappointing though is Disney's You Again which I loved, but only managing to debut in fifth spot with $8.3 million.  Despite poor reviews, I can't agree that the negative remarks actually mean that this  is not worth a visit to the theatre.  

Miraculously, Inception is still hanging onto the Top Ten at the bottom end with $1.2 million from 907 theatres.  Shall we see if it hangs on for a twelfth week?

BEN AFFLECK IS THE TALK OF THE TOWN

The Town

Although I'm not quite sure who was doubting it would happen, one can never under-estimate the power of Guns, Car Chases and good-looking men at the Box Office. Ben Affleck's The Town is expected to take in $23.6 million this weekend as reported by Deadline. The film, which was a Gala presentation last weekend at TIFF and is receiving extremely positive reviews overall with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes - deeming it a commercial and critical success. Surely, Affleck must be pleased after his last directorial effort Gone Baby Gone failed to pull in big numbers.

Sony Screen Gems' Easy A also is a critical and commercial success, garnering v. strong reviews (85% at Rotten Tomatoes) and a projected $18.3 million this competitive weekend. Emma Stone steps up to the challenge as a Leading Lady and succeeds with flying colours. Expect bigger things for the brilliant young actress.

Director M. Night Shymalan definitely has seen better days and his new film Thriller opens in third this weekend with only $12.7 million and reviews also have been lackluster with a 41% rating at Rotten Tomaotes. This still is good enough to put it ahead of last week's champion Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D, which earned $10 million.

Believe it or not, Inception is still in the Top Ten this week, even though it is showing at 1305 theatres. The film is in ninth spot and to date it has earned in excess of $285 million domestically. Incredible.

THE TOWN TIFF GALA WITH BEN AFFLECK, BLAKE LIVELY, JON HAMM (PHOTOS & REVIEW)

Ben Affleck at
The Town Gala

Ben Affleck's The Town is a movie for the guys and even he joked at tonight's Roy Thomson Hall TIFF Gala that since his last directorial effort Gone Baby Gone "failed to set Hollywood on fire", perhaps this film will.  He went on to thank the Cast and Crew for their hard work on the film, before thanking also his wife Jennifer Garner who was in attendance.

Set in Charlotte, Massachusetts, this story involves a team of bank robbers who orchestrate a series of heists. Their master mind Doug (Affleck) however, falls for the same Bank Manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) he holds hostage, even though she is not cognizant of this in having been blind-folded by his accomplices. What ensues is a tale of betrayal, redemption and a high octane Tom-and-Jerry chase as FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) is in hot pursuit of the dangerous criminals responsible for terrorizing the town.  Will Doug be able to end his Criminal ways before he is caught?

My only problem with The Town other than its over-the-top implausibility, is its questionable choices in casting as Affleck opts for buzz and star-power in his on-going quest for a validating commercial/critical hit. Gossip Girl's Blake Lively despite her best efforts just doesn't quite nail the depth and history required of Krista, an alcohol and drug-dependent single mother and lover to Doug. The talented Hall is under-utilized, not given much of an emotional range to work with in her seemingly important role which somehow disappears in the high speed car chases and rounds of shoot-outs. The same could be said of Hamm's character also perhaps.

"THE TOWN" TIFF GALA PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOS

I did scope out the Press Conference for Ben Affleck's The Town this afternoon and although it was rather amazing seeing Affleck and his co-stars up-close, it was extremely competitive to get a clear line of sight to photos with tons of Autograph Hounds traveling in from aboard - some blocking each other and any Cameras trying to snap a shot- with their Clip Boards.  Affleck did "bless" a few photos with his initials, as did Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively (both even more stunning in-person), but stars like Mad Men's Jon Hamm were a little less generous with autographs due to time constraints. The Hurt Locker actor Jeremy Renner signed a grand total of zero autographs, which was rather surprising.

The Gala for The Town takes place Saturday night at Roy Thompson Hall and I'll definitely be in attendance and posting a review soon.  By then hopefully, I'll have some more photos of its stars including Hamm, whose wonderful photo magically disappeared from my Camera!  In the meantime though, enjoy these snaps from earlier this afternoon.

Ben Affleck

BEN AFFLECK SHOWS OFF HIS GRAY HAIR IN VENICE FOR THE TOWN

Ben Affleck & Rebecca Hall
at Venice Film Festival for "The Town"

One of this year's most anticipated films is Ben Affleck's The Town and it just received Gala treatment at Venice Film Festival yesterday, where its principal stars all came out on the Red Carpet. Affleck has been generating a lot of buzz with his noticably Salt and Pepper hair, which actually suits him rather well if I might say so. But then again, when has Affleck not been handsome?

Time Out Magazine published one of the first reviews, giving it three out of five stars. The review calls the Bank Heist Drama "a slice of robust craftmanship". Awards Daily pointed out Empire Movies' review, which notes particularly that "the supporting cast is excellent – notably Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and especially Blake Lively, as Doug’s (Affleck) white-trash girlfriend, who really help Affleck sell his rough-diamond antihero." Many are taking note of Affleck's directorial ability.

The TIFF Gala for The Town is this Sunday at Roy Thompson Hall and I'll be there! Cannot wait.  For everybody else, the film opens next Friday, September 17, 2010.

(Photo credit: Associated Press)

TIFF 2010 TITLES ANNOUNCED

Yes! The titles TIFF 2010's Special Presentations and Galas have just been announced and this is going to be a good one.

This year we just might be expecting stars like Sam Worthington, Jon Hamm, Ben Affleck, Woody Allen, Naomi Watts, Marion Cotillard, Aaron Eckhart, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Paul Giamatti, Emma Stone, Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, Colin Firth, Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling, Helen Mirren, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Spacey, Ryan Philippe, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman and oh, so many more to be in the city this September!

I'm particularly excited to see Blue Valentine, The Town, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Black Swan, Never Let Me Go and of course Conviction, which I've been going on about forever. But as always, I love measuring the buzz and discovering hidden surprises too!  What are you guys excited to see?

For a complete list of Special Presentations and Galas, click here. Exciting stuff!

W MAGAZINE INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA HALL AND JON HAMM

Two of my favourite actors Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon) grace the cover of August's W Magazine. The pair are promoting Ben Affleck-directed and headlined The Town, which is already getting a bit of Oscar buzz. In the interview with Kevin West, they talk about what it was like to work with Affleck and Hamm stated that he is "Mr. Boston" and could not walk a block without getting a 'Hi, Ben!' during filming.

The film centers around a Bank Manager (Hall) who witnesses the brutal beating of one of her colleagues during a Robbery. She then falls for the same man who was an accomplice to the crime (Affleck), while Hamm's character is in hot pursuit of the suspect.

When asked whether or not she had any part in the dissolving of Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes' marriage, she replied flat out, "No". Hamm pitched in a bit of humour, stating "The reality is that I broke them up", then joking about a beautifully-directed Sex Tape of theirs which Mendes directed.

Read the article in full here.  Crossing fingers this gets a screening at TIFF.  Looks hot.

(Photo credit: Nathaniel Goldberg/W Magazine)