If you walked out of The Muppets feeling like you were on top of the world, Bret McKenzie was a big reason. The actor/singer/songwriter, best known for his HBO series Flight of the Conchords, was hired by director James Bobin to write many of the brand new songs for characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and others to sing in the Muppets triumphant return to the screen. And to that aim, McKenzie was a success. He was rewarded for his work with an Oscar-nomination for Best Original Song for “Man or Muppet,” which features Jason Segel’s character Gary and his brother, Walter the Muppet, signing about their true identities. It’s funny, clever, catchy and has a 50/50 shot at gold since only two songs are nominated.
We sat down to talk to McKenzie about the honor, his process integrating songs in the film, the song not being performed at the Oscars, as well as his upcoming role in a tiny film called The Hobbit and more. Watch the video interview after the jump. Read More »
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Each year, the Oscars are the culmination of a year of movies in Hollywood. Films from January through December of the previous year are celebrated and awards are handed to the best of the best. This year however, maybe I’m crazy, but something doesn’t feel right.
It all began with the Brett Ratner/Eddie Murphy debacle. Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal replaced them, which was fine, but then the nominations came out and were almost too predictable for words. Even as recently as Tuesday, it was announced the two Best Original Song nominees won’t be performed. What’s supposed to be a joyous occasion, filled with glitz and glamour, now has what feels like a huge rain cloud hanging over it.
Maybe the people who are behind the whole shebang agree. They’ve just revealed a new ad campaign to remind viewers, and filmgoers, about Oscar’s storied history with thirty plus images saying “We Showed You” followed by a reference to a great movie of the past. We’ve picked ten of the best for you to check out after the jump. Read More »
Posted on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 by Angie Han
It’s been a rough awards season for the Oscars’ Best Original Song contenders. Not only did the complicated new rules lead to just two out of thirty-nine eligible songs getting nominated, we’re now learning that the songs that did get acknowledged — “Real in Rio” from Rio and “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets — will play a smaller role than usual at this year’s ceremony. In past years, the event has featured live performances of the Best Original Song nominees. However, according to a new report, this year’s Awards will likely skip the performances altogether. More details after the jump.
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Joe Carnahan‘s new film The Grey opens this week, and the movie is a return to the early promise of Carnahan’s movie Narc, which was released in 2004. The Grey is a solid little movie that combines familiar characters with tense action and survival situations, and it should do pretty well with audiences. And if the movie does click with the public, we might see it back in theaters late this year, the better to position it for possible awards. Read More »
We’ll likely spend some of today reacting to the Oscar nominations, which were announced this morning. But before we get to complaining and picking apart the Academy choices that snubbed certain films, let’s celebrate a couple of movies that just got a big bump from the Oscar nods.
In the Best Animated Film category two of the nominated films are ones that are probably unfamiliar to a lot of people. A Cat in Paris, by Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, and Chico & Rita, by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando were both nominated. But before you get too up in arms that these movies helped snub Pixar and/or Tintin, take a look at the trailers for the two films below. Chico & Rita, for example, is simply gorgeous. Read More »
This morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, The Hunger Games) read the new Oscar nods, with by Academy President Tom Sherak.
The big nominees were The Descendants, The Artist, and Hugo, all which come as no surprise. But Moneyball scored four big nominations, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy also walked away with a couple big nods, and The Muppets is now Oscar-nominated. The Adventures of Tintin was shut out of the Best Animated Film category, and Andy Serkis did not end up with a nomination for his work in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Read More »
Last night the Producers Guild of America (PGA) gave out awards for achievement in films and television released in 2011. The big winner was The Artist, which took home the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. As the winner of this award takes the Best Picture Oscar three times out of four, any betting on the top Oscar honor is pretty much over at this point.
Read on for the full list of winners. Read More »
The sixty-three films eligible for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Oscars have been culled down to nine movies, and the resulting list is a bit surprising. Not making the cut is The Flowers of War, with Christian Bale, or Miss Bala, the Mexican film that did well at festivals last year.
Meanwhile the Belgian film Bullhead, which got a good reception at Fantastic Fest, did make the list, as did likely favorite to win A Separation, which took home a Golden Globe this past weekend.
Get the full list after the break. Read More »
