Awards Season: SAG Nominations Released

The SAG awards were released on Wednesday morning and there are some surprises among this years crop.

Best ensemble cast
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

Interesting fact: "No film has won Best Picture without a SAG nomination in 15 years.." Should make the rest of the awards season very interesting.

Best actor
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best supporting actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best supporting actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

TELEVISION

Best ensemble cast in a comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Best ensemble cast in a drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife

Best actress in a comedy
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Best actor in a comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Steve Carell, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Best actress in a drama
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best actor in a drama
Patrick J. Adams, Suits
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter

The awards will air on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 on TNT.

George Clooney Is A "Monster"

Anyone who doubts that George Clooney is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood ought to look at the man's upcoming slate. He is gearing up to direct the film "The Ides of March" and also is attached to star in Alfonso Cuaron's new sci-fi movie "Gravity" and has now added yet another project to the mix.

According to Variety Clooney is attached to star while Fox 2000 have acquired the film rights to serial-killer thriller "The Monster of Florence".

The novel, which the film will be based on, was released in 2008 and written by Douglas Preston ("The Cabinet of Curiosities," "The Relic") and Mario Spezi. The story focuses on a serial killer who carried out 16 murders between 1968 and 1985 in Florence, Italy. The perpetrators were never caught.

Interestingly, the case was one of the inspirations for a character in the 1999 novel Hannibal by Thomas Harris.

Writers Chris McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander are taking on the script while Clooney, Grant Heslov, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing. Tom Cruise had originally optioned the rights and was attached to produce and possibly star in the project at United Artists back in 2008.

The case sounds fascinating and the fact that McQuarrie is taking on the script is only a positive for this project. To me McQuarrie wrote one of the best scripts in recent memory when he did "The Usual Suspects" back in the '90s, so any film he works on has the chance to be something special.

Clooney on the other hand can play any role he likes and make it look easy. I recently watched "Syriana" again for the first time since I saw it in theaters and I was marveled by Clooney's performance. I remember it being Academy Award worthy, but after watching it again I realize that it was nothing short of phenomenal. On a side note I think "Syriana" was grossly overlooked and underrated and is truly an excellent, albeit complicated film.

"The Monster of Florence" most likely will shoot in the fall.

Minghella, Wright Team For Clooney's "March"

The last time George Clooney stepped behind the camera was for 2008's uneven comedy film "Leatherheads", which was a completely different turn from his previous film, "Good Night, and Good Luck". Clooney's film on Edward R. Murrow was absolutely fantastic, and earned Clooney a nomination for Best Director.

Clooney's next directorial project, "The Idea of March", looks to be more along the lines of "Good Night, and Good Luck", which is a welcome move for the actor/director. With the calendars about to change to 2011, the film has added a couple solid names to its cast.

According to The Daily Mail and Deadline, Max Minghella ("The Social Network") and Jeffrey Wright ("Casino Royale") have signed onto star in the George Clooney directed political drama, which already has Ryan Gosling attached.

Based on Beau Willimon's Broadway play "Farragut North", the story follows a young, idealistic press spokesman (Gosling) who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate (George Clooney).

During the campaign, his career is done in by more seasoned politicians who thrive on partisan politics, dirty tricks and back-stabbing. Willimon loosely based the story on Howard Dean's 2004 presidential election campaign.

Character details for the pair haven't been revealed. They join a fantastic cast which includes Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. Clooney co-wrote the script with Grant Heslov and will both direct and produce the feature, which he is independently financing.

Clooney and political themes are always a good mix in my eyes. Clooney seems to do some of his best work when projects are politically charged, and this project should be no different. On top of that, the cast is just fantastic, and with the additions of Minghella and Wright only strengthen it.

Minghella did solid work on "The Social Network" earlier this year, and I'm intrigued to see what type of role he plays in this film. Wright is just great in everything he does, and he and Clooney are already familiar with each other from 2005's "Syriana" (for which Clooney won an Oscar for his role).

Shooting kicks off in January in Michigan and Ohio.

Gosling, Clooney Team For "Ides of March"

First said to be in talks a month ago, Ryan Gosling is now confirmed to be starring in a political drama based on Beau Willimon's Broadway play "Farragut North" reports the trades.

The film has scored a new title, "The Ides of March", and follows a young, idealistic press spokesman (Gosling) who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate (George Clooney).

During the campaign, his career is done in by more seasoned politicos who thrive on poisonous partisan politics, dirty tricks and back-stabbing. Willimon loosely based the story on Howard Dean's 2004 presidential election campaign.

Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood have also joined the cast as a rival campaign manager, a New York Times reporter, and a seductive campaign intern respectively.

George Clooney co-wrote the script with Grant Heslov and will both direct and produce the feature which he is independently financing. Shooting kicks off in February in Michigan and Ohio.

Two of my favorite actors working together? Count me in. On top of that, when Clooney writes with Heslov, as he did on "Good Night, and Good Luck", great things happen. This one has heaps of potential.

And the List Goes On...

Parts four and five of Dark Horizon's list of notable films of 2009 are up, here are some of the highlights:

The Informant, Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon, the film follows a rising executive that suddenly turns whistle blower for the FBI. The film is a dark comedy/thriller, and is based on an interesting true story about a lysine price-fixing conspiracy. Damon plays Mark Whitacre, who at the time was the highest-level executive to turn whistle blower in U.S. history. What makes the story even more interesting is the fact that Whitacre, while informing to the FBI, also defruaded his company for millions, and acted somewhat bizarely during this time due to his struggles with bipolar disoreder. The film also stars Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), and the always great Joel McHale (The Soup).

Kick Ass, Directed by Matthew Vaughn, this comic book adaptation follows high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons. While I've never read the comic, this film looks like it could be pretty cool, due to the fact that Vaughn enabled himself to make the film without much studio interference, which bodes well for fans of the comic. I'll also be looking forward to seeing Christopher Mintz-Plasse in a role other than "McLovin". The film also stars Nicholas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Mark Strong.

Leaves of Grass, I don't know too much about this film, which is directed by actor Tim Blake Nelson, and stars Edward Norton as twins. The story involves a college classics professor who is lured home from the Ivy League to the backwoods of Southeastern Oklahoma by his identical twin, a hedonistic, pot- smoking career criminal. He soon finds that Plato and Marcus Aurelius have ill-prepared him for dealing with homicidal yokels. Whether or not this movie turns out to be any good, I'll at least keep my eye on it for the fact that it could be, because of Ed Norton playing the twins.

The Lovely Bones, While I never read the best selling novel, this film is sure to garner some attention with Peter Jackson directing. he story centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. With a big name cast including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Michael Imperioli, and Susan Sarandon, the adaptation should be good. Saorise Ronan, who was impressive in Atonement, stars as the main character of the story.

Me and Orson Welles, As a big fan of Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise), I can't help but keep an eye on this film. Set in the heady world of New York theatre, a teenage student lucks his way into a minor role in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar," directed by 22-year-old genius Orson Welles. Stage actor Christian McKay plays the legendary Welles, in a performance that could be exceptional no matter how good or bad the film is.

Men Who Stare At Goats, The story centers on a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets a man who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier who was re-activated post-9/11. The pair travel through Iraq and look into the secret Army unit tasked with creating paranormal powered soldiers. A strange sounding black comedy, this film could end being a favorite of critics with George Clooney starring and his producing partner Grant Heslov, who co-wrote Good Night, and Good Luck, directing the film.

Nine, I am not interested in musicals whatsoever, but one thing I am interested in is any film that stars Daniel Day-Lewis. Following up his Best Actor performance in There Will Be Blood, Lewis stars as world famous film director Guido Continias he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life - his wife, his sultry mistress, his film star muse, his confidant and costume designer, his mother and a young American fashion journalist. The film is based on the Broadway musical and inspired by Fellini's classic film "8 1/2". Director Rob Marshall has already had success with Chicago, which bodes well for the film, as well as its all-star cast which includes the most recent Oscar winners for Best Actor and Actress (Lewis and Marion Cottilard), Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, and Penelope Cruz.