Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

Villainous.

Glorious.

Ridiculous.

Such was this past week in movie-related news. Oh, and here’s an Ape.

In light of all recent developments, let’s take a trip to the High-Low Country courtesy one of the more intriguing bits of casting news: Michael Shannon as General Zod in Zack Snyder’s MAN OF STEEL.

No, he’s not Dexter.

Kentucky born Shannon has had quite a presence in theater and film in a wide-ranging career, and most recently he became a series regular on Boardwalk Empire. While performing in Chicago, Shannon helped form the Red Orchid Theatre, and to this day performs there when he has a hiatus from the film world.

The first high of his career could also be called his first film as he starred in the tiny part of a groom-to-be in Groundhog Day way back in 1993. If you don’t remember his presence, neither do I.

After that, he starred in a few smaller capacities throughout the nineties until Tigerland and Pearl Harbor came along. Still locked in supporting roles, usually small, Shannon also dabbled with Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe’s remake Vanilla Sky.

Moving to his low-low moment, Michael Shannon possessed the role of the fearful villain in Kangaroo Jack. Perhaps the insanity behind Kangaroos is what pushed him to help develop and start the stage character of Peter Evans in the play Bug, which was later adapted into a feature film with Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr. directed by William Friedkin. This is still a low moment for Shannon, as the film Bug was virtually unwatchable and a questionable experiment by an otherwise fine director and cast.

Shannon dabbled in a few more unheard of supporting roles in larger films (Bad Boys II, World Trade Center) and earned much acclaim for his role as Son Hayes in Shotgun Stories. Shotgun Stories revolved around a feud between brothers that erupts after the death of their father.

It must’ve been a comedy.

From this acclaim, Shannon’s rise to the High Country continued with a role in late Sydney Lumet’s final film, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. This role was immediately followed by the very showy, scene-stealing insane son of the neighbors in Revolutionary Road, which scored Shannon an Oscar nomination. The role, seen by many as the best part of the film, was a character designed to provide a deep and dark reflection of the “happy couple” portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Shannon’s character had numerous brief moments overcome with his troubles and insanities, which were troubling and uncomfortable to watch, and also were enough to propel him to the top of everyone’s “wanted” list for dark and tortured characters. Such is the difficulty of being a master character actor with a dark face.

Since his Oscar nomination, Shannon appeared in the dreadfully panned Jonah Hex as well as two of Werner Herzog’s latest, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and  My Son, My Son, What have ye done? , inspired by a true story about a young actor who re-enacts a personal Greek tragedy in the act of killing his mother with a sword.

Recently, Michael Shannon has shown consistent character strength in the role of the over-zealous Federal agent in Boardwalk Empire, and he gained enough support and attention from Zack Snyder to be confidently named for the role of General Zod in the yet-to-be filmed Man of Steel.

Michael Shannon has truly walked uphill for many years to get to the High Country, and his only time dwelling in the lowlands has been on his way to the top. How long will he last? Will he take another Kangaroo Jack excursion into the valley of career detention, or remain at the top of everyone’s villain list? Will he be able to grow out of the dark territory he now rules?

I think so. I think Shannon definitely has a range, some of which we haven’t been able to see yet. If he can be dark and haunting, then he has the superior ability, like Heath Ledger, to name one, to bounce into a charming place and sweep a lady off her feet. Don’t doubt the dark and brooding types in the land of romance and heroics.

Here’s a last minute video in which Shannon discusses his “chemistry test” with Superman Henry Cavill:

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting For Duty!

There were two recent stories floating across Movie-News outlets that I wanted to focus on this week and hopefully drum up some conversation and thoughts on the topic of collaboration.

Film is a collaborative process, through and through. You might be the type to point directly to Hitchcock, Truffaut, or even Scorsese and Antonioni, and talk until you’re blue in the face about the Auteur Theory and what it means to be a filmmaker. Well, it’s true that the writer/director maintains a good amount of creative control, some of the time, when it comes to the finished product. But that dude can’t hold a camera, clap the slate, roll sound, and act in the film all at the same time. It just cannot physically be done. Once you bring in that second entity, whether it’s a sound dude with a boom mic, or a girl who can load a mag in record timing, you’re film has become a collaboration.

I’ve talked before about famous pairings throughout film history (Steven Spielberg and John Williams, for one) but the two recent articles have to do with fresh pairings in the name of creative rebirth.

The first actually addresses the auteur theory, as this director has been associated with the premise since his movie The Sixth Sense skyrocketed him to fame over a decade ago. I’m talking about M. Night Shyamalan and today’s announcement that he’ll be collaborating with Will Smith and Jaden Smith on an upcoming Sci-Fi flm. Shyamalan co-wrote the script with Gary Whitta (Book of Eli) and at first Will Smith was only on-board as producer. Until recently.

What developments occurred to convince Smith to star alongside his son? No one knows, but the best guess involves a special deal giving Smith final cut over Shyamalan. Given the performance of Last Airbender and most of the director’s latest films, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if this power setup drew Smith in front of the camera. Then again, M. Night does tend to craft an attractive image and visual style (when not adapting Airbender tales), and his clout with such talents as Bruce Willis, Paul Giamatti, Mark Wahlberg, and Mel Gibson prove that he’s got quite a way with bigger names, making them all look somewhat great on-screen.

Here’s hoping the writing contributions of Whitta can outweigh any undesirable aspects of the story. But the bigger question out of all of this is the effect the movie’s performance will have on the Smith family’s career. Jaden is only just getting started, but his first two bigger pictures (The Pursuit of Happyness and The Karate Kid) nabbed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide, and he’s got the confidence his father gained when his was three times the kid’s age. And Will has only really starred in blockbuster successes, currently in the middle of filming Men in Black III. He’s not hurting for cash, and I would bet that, should the next Shyamalan opus totally bomb, Will would land on his feet and hit the ground running. I mean, look what happened to Mel Gibson after Signs…

The second piece of collaborative news to hit the Nets today is that Shane Black will only be directing Iron Man 3. The script will be penned by Drew Pearce, best known for creating the British TV Series No Heroics. In that series, superheroes meet in a bar where no uniforms or powers are allowed. Pearce has also apparently turned in a script for the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s brilliant Runaways comic series, so he apparently has a grasp on the superheroes with snarky attitudes genre.

Still, is having a separate writer a good or bad omen for Shane Black’s involvement in the series? Here’s a guy who was known for his writing in the late 80s and 90s, virtually rebooting action films as we know them with Lethal Weapon, and even redefining Robert Downey, Jr.’s career with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. But take the writer out of the creator equation, and what do we have? Could be good (remember The Wrestler? Didn’t need Aronofsky’s original hand for that to succeed…) could be terrible. Either way, what Iron Man needs, more than any other comic book movie, is a creative overhaul on the filmmaking side. They’re not trying to rush it out before the Avengers movie, so that could work in its’ favor actually. Iron Man 2 was hindered by the lack of a script and an agenda by Marvel execs that was not made clear to Favreau until immediately before filming began. By giving part 3 over to someone like Shane Black, who’s style is a better fit for RDJ, the world of Iron Man changes a few varying degrees and becomes a larger part of the action genre, which is where it belongs.

Thoughts? Difficulties with either of the above scenarios?

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

At ease.

The big movie news this week is not that Gary Oldman failed to extract the ending to The Dark Knight Rises from Christopher Nolan’s head, or that Edgar Wright came away with the award for Best Comedy Director — Film for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World at the first Comedy Awards.

No no, soldiers, the story of the week is that Amy Adams, the wonderful perky, pretty, and thrice Oscar-nominated actress, has been cast in the role of Lois Lane in Zack Snyder’s SuckerPunch Superman: Man of Steel (rumored title).

Now, I’m not the biggest SuperGeek on the planet, but I for one wholly support this casting. Not only is Amy Adams young and perky and brilliant with dark emotion and a sense of humor, but as she showed us in The Fighter she can come off abrasive and strong without “kicking ass.” Lois Lane, in my few experiences, represents the kind of woman that’s head-strong yet vulnerable because of her dedicated curiosity and need to report the truth. She should be played by someone just out of their twenties, not “beautiful” but just a touch above pretty, smart yet flighty in social situations. Most of all, she should be a red-head, because the hair truly makes the woman.

Of course, I’m only joking about that last part, but that’s the kind of superficial attitude needs to be avoided here. There’s nothing that’s wrong with Amy Adams’ appearance, as you can see here:

And hey, there’s always hair-dye. But she’s a strong actress who hasn’t performed badly in a bad movie yet, to my knowledge, so her presence, along with Kevin Costner, certainly adds some artistic merit to the Superman project, something much-needed in light of Snyder’s critically panned Sucker Punch.

Adams and the always graceful Diane Lane will make Superman truly a rock hard man (of steel).

The latest on other Superman rumors include: Viggo Mortenson will NOT be in the movie. Michael Shannon and Edgar Ramirez are being considered, but for which roles it remains unclear.

Oh, and just this morning tidbit dropped from WB Executive Jeff Robinov to the LA Times: “He’s then aiming to release new “Batman” and “Superman” films in 2012 and “Justice League,” a teaming of DC’s top heroes, in 2013.” Batman and Superman we already know of as Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder’s, respectively, but Justice League? While the original attempt died a few years back, a new revival of the younger DC favorites might be coming to us just in time. When the current Batman trilogy finishes up, instead of brand new reboots and adventures, we delve into a younger version, thus justifying any continuity changes.

Your thoughts?

Until next time, when I’m sure another 600 Dark Knight Rises rumors will…rise…you are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting For Duty!

I am currently in preparation mode to enter the state of Texas and venture through the SXSW Festival of Film this coming weekend, but in the meantime I’ll try to entertain you with some recent movie new as it relates to comic book stories and adaptations.

First on my list is Y: The Last Man. Last we heard a thing about the adaptation, Shia Labeouf was being considered for the role of Yorick, with DJ Caruso directing the adaptation. Now that Caruso is taking on the Preacher adaptation scripted by John August, will this open the door for another A-List director to take over Y: The Last Man? Who knows. In the meantime, you can head over to scriptshadow where Carson Reeves has reviewed Brian K. Vaughan’s screenplay version of his story with…mixed results. The story has been truncated for the big screen, chopping out characters and scenes that are already classics in their own rights. Judge for yourselves.…

My thing about Y: The Last Man is that the smaller factions of people Yorick meets along his journey are almost better than the overall concept itself. Much like The Walking Dead, the story takes place in an alternate future that we can’t even imagine. We should explore this “future” and the ramifications as a better reflection on our current selves. Can women survive without men? Why are men so important, or unimportant, in the overall scheme and plan for the human race? Is science taking us too far? Answer these questions for yourselves, and then ask why we should only have one movie that asks and answers complicated questions.

The Marvel Universe is expanding throughout the galaxy on the big screen, according to this article at Badassdigest.com. The Inhumans is the next big foray into the Marvelverse, and will be shot and released well after The Avengers in 2012. Will this relate directly to the world already created for us, or will it be an offshoot so distant as to not crossover into the Universe already before us?

My worry with this film is that Marvel may be aiming way too high too soon to expand its’ universe on the big screen. There’s a danger in shooting expensive movies over and over very quickly. They’ll become repetitious, or full of scenes that don’t make sense (Iron Man 2) and will fall victim to the almighty dollar. I can’t stand how many times a studio or company will tell us that they care so much about storytelling, then blow it all to try and make a bigger movie for a few extra bucks. Don’t insult the audience with the false claims that you care about the storytelling so much only to screw us in the end. Literally.

Our own Ben Glibert thinks says that “if they use the Skrulls in the Avengers movie, this could tie in nicely. But it’s pretty isolated property on its own. There was a Paul Jenkins / Jae Lee story from 2001 that was pretty solid. Hopefully they stick to that, or even some of the old Kirby work. It could be really good or terrible, depending on the writer and director.”

Below is a fan-made Thor poster, but fun nonetheless:

Andrew Garfield of The Amazing Spiderman knows how to raise his hands to the ceiling.

Channing Tatum has sold a pitch to Sony Pictures that is a “dark re-imagining” of the origin of Peter Pan. Word on the street is that it poses that Pan and Captain Hook are … brothers…I’m all for reimaginings of origins of famous characters, but you have to be careful how dark you take it. Peter Pan is not a dark story, and if we start to reinvent the wheel of this classic character, you may end up hurting and confusing the vision. Then again, Disney was able to take the tale of a thief in the Dark Ages and make it exhilarating for kids (Robin Hood with foxes!).

In other movie news that’s fallen by the wayside recently, the lovely Emma Watson has announced that she’ll be starring in the adaptation (finally) of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is a stirring portrayal of a naive teen “outsider” attempting to navigate friendship and love in high school. Chbosky wrote the book 12 years ago, well before he created the somewhat hit TV series Jericho. Summit Entertainment (Twilight) is producing.

That’s all the news that I feel is fit to print this week. Next time I’ll try to entertain you with stories of SXSW, as long as I am awake to tell the tales…

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

Since I’ve been out on covert operations in the land of film, I missed last week’s deadline. Hopefully, the 600 pushups I performed as punishment will teach me a lesson. I’m betting they won’t.

Upon my return to dry land, Ben ordered me on a mission to comment and write about the 83rd Academy Awards telecast which took place 2/27. What could I possibly write, though, that hasn’t already been written about?

Was James Franco high, or just bored? Was the entire broadcast a rehearsal? How do you get Kirk Douglas out of the shot??

With no stone unturned, I will instead suggest a few new ways to vamp up the Oscars in terms of class and watchability.

Postmodern Art?

1. A Host that Talks. James Franco bombed in a big way, partly because he mumbled off a teleprompter for most of his schtick, and partly because he eyes were too busy rolling instead of looking at the audience. Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, was extremely bubbly and in high spirits, with just enough energy that you wish could be shared around the room. However, a whole show with Anne on her own would be filled with too many smiles and teeth. How about Kevin Spacey? He was great in a short tribute to movie songs, and could easily manage a crowd with a classic sense of humor and professional style. Ideally we would like Billy Crystal to come back, but since he’s too busy with…nothing else…we can settle for Bill Murray — am I right? Sticking with classics, perhaps Morgan Freeman wouldn’t do any harm at all, and his voice could carry us through awkward teleprompter reads.

2. Re-writers. Bruce Vilanch has written on the Oscars for 600 years. Let’s bring in a fresh face and truly revitalize the jokes in the show. Both for the hosts and the presenters; the energy gets lost after the first 45 minutes. It’s easy to say that some performers are just difficult to get to tell a joke, so you know what I say? Book other people.

3. Contrast. It’s great that a meaningful personality like Oprah presents the Documentary category, because those films “mean” something. But that also leads to double the depression around that category. Bring in Howard Stern or Letterman to tell you what’s so great about reality and then, oh yeah, we’re presenting an award that’s supposed reality…yeah, that might do it.

4. Nix the songs. They’re good performances, usually, but we no longer live in a time when the nominated songs are heard over the radio. No one at home recognizes them most of the time, so why spend 15 minutes performing them. Do a montage similar to the Best Score package, and cut to the presentation of the award. Simple editing, folks.

Banksy has a comment.

You know what, I’m done critiquing this awards shindig. There are other, more interesting topics to ponder this week — like wondering why Zack Snyder is doing yet ANOTHER Superman origin story. We know where he came from. We get it. Unless Diane Lane as Martha Kent is only part of a flashback, then — wait a minute, Diane Lane? Delicious Lane.

Or let’s talk about the proposed Blade Runner sequel and prequels. The last thing Hollywood needs right now, in this time of financial woes and loss of attendance, is lame movie ideas and rehashing / remakes of older films or classic films. Lame much? What’s next, The Godfather: Michael’s High School Years?

Finally, Jennifer Lawrence (20) Hailee Steinfeld (15) and Abigail Breslin (14) are all allegedly in the mix to play the lead in the Hunger Games adaptation. Who is your pick?

That’s it for this week, folks. Two topics: Oscars and News. Sometimes two is better than one — just not in the case of the Oscars Host(s).

You are dismissed.

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

Today’s Cinegasm has been invaded by a TVgasm. Thanks for tuning in! (pun#1)

Like most of you (we can hope) I’ve been visiting NBC’s Community weekly since it’s premiere last season. The show (about six misfits attending community college who form a study group) has remained consistently entertaining, thoughtful, and hilarious through seasons one and two (its’ current season). What allows Community to stand out from the rest of American sitcoms is the recurring use of thematic lessons and examinations of American culture, hidden beneath the bitter, selfish existence of Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) and the rest of the group.

Community’s more recent episodes have included plots and subplots revolving around homophobia, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancy, marijuana, alcoholism, divorce, religious exploitation, bullying, and loneliness & suicide. Other “one-off” episodes featured a zombie attack (Halloween), a Christmas Claymation episode, and simulated journeys on a boat and in a spaceship.

The “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” episode of two weeks ago stands out as one of the finest TV moments from any network this season. The episode began with a Lord of the Rings–like parody of the introduction of Fat Neil, an obese student who was given the unfortunate moniker and had fallen into loneliness and depression. The group decides to play a game of D & D with Fat Neil to remind him that there are people who care about him, and the episode ends with Fat Neil turning to a more confident, happier “Neil”. The story was a touching experience, well-disguised in parody and absurdity, and this blog points out some darker undertones of the episode.

I wanted to direct you to watching Community in the future, if you haven’t already caught up, because it’s fast emerging as America’s overdue equivalent of the infamous, fantastic, British comedy: Spaced, created by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Stevenson.

Spaced is about a group of tenants living in a flat house as they wind their way through everyday life. The main characters, Daisy and Tim, are twenty-somethings with nothing specific in their future but day-jobs and big dreams of success (one as a writer, the other as an artist). Other neighbors include an eccentric artist, a much older and promiscuous landlady, and a gun-toting war monger who is Tim’s best friend. The series only lasted 14 glorious episodes, and is known for its’ cinematic style of filming, numerous film and television references, and clear parodies in many of their storylines — Fight Club, Robocop, Star Wars, to name a few.

There was a pitiful attempt to adapt Spaced into an American series by McG, but thankfully it fell apart. Lucky for us that Community is created by Dan Harmon, who is miles ahead of McG’s sense of humor or storytelling skills. Community also involves twenty-somethings, in search of their own futures with their big dreams not far behind, and even a few characters who’ve left their day-jobs (either of their own accord or against their will) to become part of a smaller, more tight-knit family.

One of the closing lines of Spaced states: “they say the family of the twenty-first century is made up of friends, not relatives.” This thematic line of thought rings true in countless American sit-coms. None of them so eloquently, or meaningfully, as Community does (close seconds are Scrubs, Friends, even Seinfeld… but only Scrubs comes close in the use of parody and poignant moments).

One of my gripes, though, is the length of the seasons on network television. Imagine, if you will, if shows like Community shortened their seasons to 12 episodes, or even 18 (to stretch it). More time could be spent writing out of character rather than to fill commercially planned timeslots. The reason British television, HBO, and AMC series are so great and wonderful is because of the extended hiatus, doubling the amount of time the producers can spend developing each episode as if it were a mini-movie. Spaced season 2 was filmed over a few weeks (all seven episodes) as if it were really a long movie. This method kept the outcome tight, focused, and more entertaining. Never does Spaced have a moment in an episode that feels like filler.

The other bone I have to pick with Community is the current state of Chevy Chase’s character Pierce. An old millionaire with a curmudgeony attitude, Peirce needs to be pulled back a bit with his comments and off-color insults. I pity him, especially at the end of last week’s episode, alone on a park bench hopped up on drugs, but I want to get the feeling he’s a better man than what we’ve been shown recently.

Ah well, I can comfort myself by looking at this:

Better than Spaced.

Happy viewing, see you next week…

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle reporting for duty!

Amidst all the hubbub this weekend over the Superbowl or some ridiculous VW commercial, there was also an event in Southern California that was not to be missed: The first ever Inland Empire Comic Expo. Semantink’s own James Ninness wrote a review of his experience there, and I happened to be present as well, covert, wandering amongst the masses, picking the brains and minds of some talented artists and writers.

All of this creativity got me thinking: Isn’t there an easier, lazier way to get to know writers — specifically of movies — and try to pick up handy bits of tips to help other wwriters out there who can then, later on, create their own websites of useful tips???

Here are three such examples of lazy browsing for writing tips.

johnaugust.com

John August is the writer of many of Tim Burton’s flicks over the last 15 years, from Big Fish to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He’s also worked on his own pet projects Go and The Nines, and took on the massive undertaking of adapting Preacher. His website is a massive database of fan and writer questions and his answers, based on his years and experience in the business. Mostly, you’ll see a question that he’s been asked by numerous people, and he just figures hey, this is one I should probably answer. What’s great about the site is that John not only gives sound advice about style and formatting, but also his take on developing ideas, characters, and story structure. Yet he never discredits your style. If you use index cards, you’re all the better for it — but it’s not a guarantee to a great story structure or character arc. If you want to underline key words in the dialogue, great, but don’t overuse it. The best answers he gives are those that cover pitching and being more than just the writer when you meet with executives — how to take a meeting. Finally, John’s site is extra special because he’ll occasionally take on a topic like gay marriage or the new iPad or writing script for a website, and expound his opinions. Once in a while, on twitter (@johnaugust), he’ll randomly ask for feedback for his own research. Follow him.

Scriptshadow

A risky fella who goes by the name Carson Reeves started this site a few years back with the intention of allowing aspiring writers to get their grubby hands on screenplays in development (mostly those on the Black List) and early drafts of well-known movies. Today, he reviews five scripts a week, culminating in “amateur Fridays” when he covers a script emailed to him by one of his avid readers. The good thing about Carson’s site is the access to screenplays. One of the most important thing to study as an aspiring screenwriter is other people’s work — what’s been made, what hasn’t, and why. He’ll usually post a link to the script with a bold note stating that if you are the script’s copyright holder, simply email him and he’ll remove the link.

The bad thing about Carson’s site, as pointed out by John August, funny enough,  is the fact that the public is essentially reading a “draft” of a movie, something not intended to be seen by the general public. Imagine that you’ve shot your film an have a rough cut — no sound effects, no music, etc. A thousand people see it because it made its’ way online. These “fans” start going viral about how bad the movie is. Now, no matter if you have John Williams scoring it or Roger Deakins color-correcting, your film has already been given a rotten by the GP. Too bad, so sad.

These days, Carson also expounds upon the “best or worst” things a writer can do in any given genre. He’s very opinionated and sometimes self-contradictory, nevertheless it’s fun to read his coverage and reviews, and helpful to view his “what I learned” section of each review, as if he’s learning right along with us.

wordplayer.com

A rarely updated site run by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott (Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean), here we get essays and “featurettes” written by such writers as Frank Darabont, Stephen King, and Fred Dekker (holler at The Monster Squad!). Rossio and Elliott offer up such columns as “Breaking the Ice” and “A foot in the door,” little features and vignettes, much in the vein of William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade. Wordplayer is a website that’s a bit tough to navigate and frustratingly not updated as much as it could/should be, but still has the goods in the words, and the word is the master.

Check out the above sites for a little more about the world of screenwriting and the behind-the-scenes workings of the development stages of Hollywood. You’ll like your favorite movie that much more if you know the story behind the story.

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

By now you’ve read, analyzed, rationalized, and determined who the winners will be for the most important film awards show of the year: The Oscars.

Of the most popular awards, only Aaron Sorkin remains the only sure-thing, in my book, for Best Adapted Screenplay (The Social Network). As great as the other nominees are (127 Hours, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone) Sorkin is long overdue for this kind of recognition, and he’s won just about every award available for writing this season. The only possible upset here would be if the Academy decides that a screenplay award is the one way they can honor the Coen Brothers in an otherwise difficult year.

Actor and Actress races seem poised to go to the favorites — Colin Firth and Natalie Portman, respectively (The King’s Speech and Black Swan). Firth is now the frontrunner — the Academy won’t think highly enough of Jeff Bridges to honor him two years in a row, Javier Bardem’s role is too obscure, and Eisenberg and Franco are too young to come away with this — Eisenberg is the youngest person to be nominated for Best Actor. Portman’s competition is really only Annette Bening for The Kids are All Right. She’s seen as overdue and under-appreciated, she’s older, and the role was always seen as juicy enough. Nicole Kidman has already got her golden man, Jennifer Lawrence has plenty of good years ahead of her — the same could be said for Michelle Williams.

The Supporting Actor/Actress categories are highly competitive, as is par for the course. Christian Bale certainly deserves his statue for The Fighter, but Geoffrey Rush’s role is classier, contains humor and sentimentality, and isn’t as showy. Likewise, Melissa Leo is the meat of The Fighter’s conflict, but Hailee Steinfeld led and carried True Grit. She’s just too young to come away with the little man this time around.

SAG winners, which matched perfectly last year in all the actor races with the Oscars, were Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo. Count on these four to take home the big gold guy at the end of the day.

The bigger news lately, however, is the PGA and DGA wins for The King’s Speech. So far this season, The Social Network has dominated just about every major critics award across the board, including the Golden Globes. But these two wins certainly spell, well, uncertainty, for Network’s chances on Oscar night. For one thing, there have only been six DGA winners who have not eventually gone on to win the Oscar. In the past 10 years, the PGA winner has gone on to win the Best Picture Oscar 60% of the time. This bodes well for Tom Hooper’s 12-nomination movie, not so well for Network’s 8 nominations.

David Fincher deserves the win this year, not only because The Social Network is an all-around great movie, but because it is not traditional. There are nearly invisible CG moments that you rarely see used with subtlety; dialogue is hammered out faster than Sorkin types (definitely faster than he actually speaks), and all of the actors put forth more than worthy efforts to remain unapologetic and true to their characters throughout. The movie is a whole piece, one made with care and meticulous dedication — not only to the facts of the depositions and history of facebook, but also a tribute to the present tense, to the message and nature of the technology expounded upon within. Hooper’s direction, on the other hand, is very traditional — moving though it is, his scenes unfold like a well-made play. There is nothing wrong with a good play, or with traditional camera angles and storytelling. But the actors carried the film, whereas The Social Network is a full collaboration.

Moving on.

Chris Nolan was ignored for Best Director. Get over it. His time will come. Inception has 8 nominations, same as The Social Network. Remember, the movie is the movie, not the director.

Read it here first: The winners according to the Sgt.

Picture: The King’s Speech

Director: David Fincher

Screenplay adapted: The Social Network

Screenplay original: The King’s Speech

Actor: Colin Firth

Actress: Natalie Portman

Supp. Actor: Christian Bale

Supp. Actress: Hailee Steinfeld (I’m pulling for her)

Original Score: The Social Network (Where’s Tron: Legacy?)

Visual Effects: Inception (unique blend of CG and Practical you rarely see these days. If Alice in Wonderland comes away with this, I will sound the alarm)

Cinematography: While Black Swan should win, I believe this is Roger Deakins’ year, finally, for True Grit.

Enjoy the show, folks. This is the last island of prestigious awards that is not (currently) ruled by pandering and money, at least, not as publicly as nearly every other award on the planet. Seriously, even the changeover to ten Best Picture nominees is such a clear grasp for more viewers and ratings and dollars it makes me want to run through the halls of my high school and scream at the top of my lungs. And then punch John Mayer.

You are dismissed.

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle Reporting for Duty!

If you’re looking for the list of Oscar Nominees, go here.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at some low-tech high-quality filmmaking courtesy the iPhone’s always wonderful, always improving, budget friendly camera.

MUSIC VIDEOS

The video for XFYA’s Technologic Overkill by Steve Ellington holds the claim to the first music video shot with an iPhone 3GS. It’s alright and gets the job done, but there’s room for improvement.

Nancy Lee by Vintage Trouble nails the vintage look and was shot in a day using the iPhone 4.

Kevin Kaho Tsui’s This is the Moment appears to be more an experiment than a true MV, but does show some great images in low-light situations.

KOREAN INVASION

One excellent Korean filmmaker is experimenting boldly in cinematic language with the iPhone 4: Park Chan-Wook, director of Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengence, and Thirst. His new film, a 30-minute thriller loosely translated as Ups and Downs, was shot on a budget of $130,000 and used up to 8 iPhones at a time, usually with lenses and adapters attached.

NOT-on-an-iPhone-But-Still-Low-Budget

Lazy Teenage Superheros is a short film by Michael Ashton, and claims to be budgeted at $300. He claims to have used off-the-shelf visual effects programs, demos, etc., to create the wonderful effects in the 13-minute film. That is all well and good, but he is also a trained visual F/X artist who has access to thousands of dollars worth of equipment on which he can use and learn these programs. Also, his direction of dialogue and his writing skills need a lot of improvement.

My problem with a movie like, and “hype” over the “tiny budget” is that there is always more than they’re telling you. For instance, what did they spend the $300 on? His crew probably worked for free, but he had to feed them, right? In that case, what did he shoot on, and how could he pay for that? Even most companies that will help you with free or cheap equipment would require some sort of insurance plan, one that would run you thousands of dollars.

Other than those “little details” that are left out of headlines and other forms of minor publicity, the film mostly works and is a great example for the dude’s reel.

For a who plethora of music videos shot on the iPhone, visit http://mashable.com/2010/12/02/iphone-music-videos/

You are Dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle reporting for duty!

Take leave of your worries and the troublesome month of movies ahead. Sit back and crack a bottle or spritz a can, and join me in the Second Annual version of the tradition I’ve started:

Beer and a Movie Month, 2011!!

I’ll admit I’m a little late to be hashing this out for you, but there are still a few weeks left in January for you to take the time to bring out your chosen brews for these movie experiences. I’m recommending a good brew for each picture this time around, but feel free to mix and match, and let us know how you done did it in the comments below.

MOVIE: The Green Hornet

Needs a green hairnet

BEER: West Coast IPA

This West Coast-Style India Pale Ale is extravagantly hopped, full flavored, medium bodied and copper colored. A menagerie of hops is combined throughout the brewing process to impart specific characteristics. Hops used include Simcoe for a unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes, and Cascade for floral aroma.

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RELAXATION FACTOR: Moderate. Word has it the film has some great explosions but leaves something to be desired by the end. The combination of non-risk action film and medium bodied IPA should have you swimming with just enough brain cells for the two hour flick not to bother you, but also for you not to be bothered by the lack of coherent storytelling.

MOVIE: The Dilemma

The only dilemma is how drunk do you want to get?

BEER: FRAMBOISE LAMBIC

Long before hops were common in most beers, various fruits and vegetables were used to season beers. The acidity of Lambic beers blends perfectly with raspberries.

Taste: Magnificent aroma, delicate palate of raspberries with undertones of fruity acidity; elegant, sparkling clean natural taste.

Style: Raspberry Lambic.

Color: Rose.

Serve in flute-shaped Lambic glasses at 45 degrees.

RELAXATION FACTOR: Serve cold at 2–3 degrees Celsius. Ease your way through this dreadful “guy rom-com” but also into your lady’s heart. Combine subtle fruity aftertaste with the alcohol content of a fine brew, and you’re cruising for a make-out session despite Ron Howard’s downfall film.

Movie: The Mechanic

Mechanical hurt.

Beer: Arrogant Bastard Ale

This is an aggressive ale. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory–maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make things taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.

Relaxation Factor: Nothing says “Jason Statham kicks ass” like an Arrogant Bastard Ale. To top that off, this is a remake of a Charles Bronson revenge film. Arrogance is not a great feature to have for oneself, but on the other hand, neither is being a fizzy yellow wimp. If your going to root for the badass, be an arrogant fan.

MOVIE: The Rite

Not an ad for the Pharmacy

BEER: DUVEL

To commemorate the end of the First World War, Albert Moortgat baptised his beer originally as “Victory Ale”.

Later on, the blond nectar received its final name Duvel after a local shoemaker and friend of Albert Moortgat described the beer as “nen echten Duvel” or “a true Devil” during a tasting.

And Duvel was born.

RELAXATION FACTOR: Who can relax with the Devil running through their veins? Or, for that matter, with Anthony Hopkins gazing straight through your soul? Regardless of the cliched attempts of  The Rite to scare you out of your bones, a few glasses of this fine brew might help drive you up the wall and into your nightmares with a late-night viewing of the exorcist flick.

VAULT PICK:

Bullitt

Beer: We forego the usual brew for something more refined this time around: Macallan 12 year old Single Malt Whisky

Class in a glass.

Described by Paul Pacult as: ‘simply the best 12 Year Old single malt around’, The secret of The Macallan lies in defiant adherence to traditional methods and ingredients.

The continued use of finest Golden Promise barley and the insistence on sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain are just two of the pre-requisites for perfection.

RELAXATION FACTOR: Doesn’t matter how old you are or where you’re from, nothing beats a Steve McQueen movie while you’re buzzed on classy flavors and Whisky. Rich in aroma and a fast-paced path to a haze of goodness, much like the high-speed, unprecedented car chase within the film. Your weekend won’t be complete until this combination is met.

Drink responsibly, view openly.

You Are Dismissed!!

Sgt. Angle