Next steps for the project include finding a screenwriter and a director. No timeline has been expressly stated, but I would look to something in late 2013 at the absolute earliest. Plenty of names have been bandied about as possible directors, but they’re too stupid to mention here.

Okay. One.

Angelina Jolie.

I told you they were stupid.

“I would be happy for everyone involved as that would mean a lot of people went to see it and enjoyed it. Do I need to see a sequel? No, there’s a little bit of an emotional cliffhanger at the end, but the story is complete.”

He even went so far as to say that the movie’s star Rooney Mara would be fine without him in future installments. So if you want to see a sequel (or sequels) to the movie, you better vote with your wallet. Fincher also says that if he were directing the sequels, he’d film them concurrently, since he sees the plots of the two books (The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest) as being one story spread out over two books. But that’s only if he agrees to take the job, which he totally hasn’t.

The issue at hand in the exchange isn’t really important, but it’s worth laying out for the sake of the bigger story. When critics are invited to screen movies early so that they may write a thoughtful review that coincides with the film’s public release, they are usually subject to an embargo, an explicit or understood agreement that they won’t discuss the film’s content until a certain date. If embargoes didn’t exist, reviewers would be racing to beat each other to the presses with their thoughts, which is bad for two reasons. First, they wouldn’t have time to write a thoughtful review, and second, the reviews would come out way before the movie, undermining their utility.

Ok. In this instance, Rudin caught wind that Denby was planning on breaking the embargo, releasing a review earlier than everyone else. Rudin is pissed because these embargos serve a purpose and if one critic doesn’t abide by them, then ultimately no critic will have to, and the scenarios I discussed above will become very real, very quickly.

Denby doesn’t have an ethical leg to stand on. He agreed to something as a condition of his invitation to a screening, then he went back on his word. It’s not complicated, nor is it very interesting. Rudin’s film will do fine, and Denby is something of a dick for choosing to disregard a common practice to which he agreed, all for the sake of his self-interest.

What is interesting is Denby’s rationale for going rogue and publishing his review early. In the exchange he cites the flawed studio system that compresses all of the prestige pictures into the last month of the year so that they may be at the apogee of their buzz going into awards season. His exact words:

Scott, I know Fincher was working on the picture up to the last minute, but the yearly schedule is gauged to have many big movies come out at the end of the year. The system is destructive: Grown-ups are ignored for much of the year, cast out like downsized workers, and then given eight good movies all at once in the last five weeks of the year. A magazine like “The New Yorker” has to cope as best as it can with a nutty release schedule. It was not my intention to break the embargo, and I never would have done it with a negative review. But since I liked the movie, we came reluctantly to the decision to go with early publication for the following reasons, which I have also sent to Seth Fradkoff:

1) The jam-up of important films makes it very hard on magazines. We don’t want to run a bunch of tiny reviews at Christmas. That’s not what “The New Yorker” is about. Anthony and I don’t want to write them that way, and our readers don’t want to read them that way.

2) Like many weeklies, we do a double issue at the end of the year, at this crucial time. This exacerbates the problem.

3) The New York Film Critics Circle, in its wisdom, decided to move up its voting meeting, as you well know, to November 29, something Owen Gleiberman and I furiously opposed, getting nowhere. We thought the early date was idiotic, and we’re in favor of returning it to something like December 8 next year.

In any case, the early vote forced the early screening of “Dragon Tattoo.” So we had a dilemma: What to put in the magazine on December 5? Certainly not “We Bought the Zoo,” or whatever it’s called. If we held everything serious, we would be coming out on Christmas-season movies until mid-January. We had to get something serious in the magazine. So reluctantly, we went early with “Dragon,” which I called “mesmerizing.” I apologize for the breach of the embargo. It won’t happen again. But this was a special case brought on by year-end madness.

This stupid little insider quibble has brought to the attention of the public a standard and frustrating practice that has been in place for decades, but has now become exacerbated given the current climate of the film industry. Children’s films and mindless tentpole releases still generate good money, but more esoteric or niche fare generating lower returns have been culled, and the few that remain are considered awards fodder, saved until just before the Oscar eligibility deadline of December 31.

Scott Rudin is the guy in this picture that isn't the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails.

This practice makes sense to a degree. If edgy, smart films could be released in June to a profit, then I’m sure studios would release them then. But as it stands, the edgy, smart films need the buoy of Oscar buzz and the media attention lavished thereon to help them sell tickets to these films. Since the Oscars deadline is at year’s end, the logical move is to shoehorn the releases in as close to that deadline as soon as possible.

Of course, when ten or so “good” films are all duking it out in the month of December, they will quickly begin to cannibalize each other. No one except film critics go to the theater ten times in a month, so that means quality fare will be overlooked either in the near term or indefinitely by moviegoers.

This studio practice is a self-fulfilling prophecy in that, yes, if ten movies are all trying to steal each other’s thunder in December, then they probably will require that sweet, sweet Oscar buzz to stand out from the pack. But a good film released in July, like last year’s The Kids Are All Right, will manage to prove durable enough to not be forgotten during awards season, and also stand out from the pack of typical mindless summer fare to actually generate some decent cash.

Sure, it didn’t set any records, but it earned $21 million off of a $4 million budget.

While dumping a film in December will pit it against countless others to garner a slice of a relatively small pie, it also lends credibility to a film that might otherwise not be so well-received. “Oh, it’s a December film! The studio must think this is good enough to be in contention for awards,” is a common understanding, as is “Why is this coming out in February? It must really suck.”

One can argue that audiences have the above expectations, and then someone else can argue that they only maintain those expectations because the studios reinforce them. And on and on and on and on and on we would go.

To break this cycle, the studios are the ones that are empowered to effect change. People will begrudgingly scramble to see the year-end films they want to, and critics will dish the lion’s share of their “important” reviews in this small window because, after eleven months of substandard films, both parties are probably excited enough about some decent films that they will go above and beyond to get their fix, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best system.

Studios don’t like to break new ground, so don’t expect anything to change in the near future, but while Denby’s actions are weasel-y and self-serving, his contentions are spot on. There is no reason why decent films can’t come out steadily throughout the year. While premiering immediately before the Oscars probably does offer an advantage, a strong film can and has remained in the collective consciousness for six or seven months. The studios would find that giving audiences a little more credit would improve their bottom line and make life a lot easier for the people that are paying their bills.

Which is why I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Denby himself was the one who leaked this exchange in order to spark the discussion. And because he’s a jerk.

What is it about mass-market rap, metal, and rap-metal stars that grants them the talent to direct a feature better than those indie darlings? Perhaps it’s the fact that mass-marketed media exists to span platforms. While The Shins or Yo La Tengo are all about the music, the MTV video stars are decidedly NOT all about the music. They’re about the videos, short films, webisodes, and co-branding, all of which puts them around cameras a lot more than those shaggy kids from Williamsburg, Austin, and Silver Lake.

Here are the lonely, lonely examples of musicians making the trip from behind the mike to behind the camera.

6. David Byrne

David Byrne has made a musical career, both fronting the Talking Heads and in other projects, blending styles as disparate as punk, new wave, Afro-pop, and jazz. So it should be little surprise that this geek-chic icon branched out into film writing and directing with 1986’s True Stories, a collection of interwoven vignettes about a fictional Texas town on the cusp of its anniversary celebration.

True Stories is certainly not your standard theater fare, but it serves as a refreshing exercise in absurd, snarky, and charm for those willing to take it for what it is. Unfortunately, in 1986, its wide release by Warner Bros. demonstrated that there were very few of those people around, so it came and went without much fanfare, relegating Byrne back to his day job of making awesome, awesome music.

5. Ice Cube

 
That crazy motherf#cker named Ice Cube may have squandered much of his Boyz in the Hood and N.W.A. credibility with his turns in a recent streak of family fare and mindless action films, but 1998’s The Players Club, while a bit of a mess, at least served as one of his last connections to the world from which he came. The film followed Diana and Ebony, two cousins that get involved in the seedy world of strip clubs, only to find their way out on the other side.

It came and went with little fanfare despite grossing $24 million bucks domestically.

12 years later, Ice Cube stepped back behind the camera for a project that was quintessentially Ice Cube. He directed the “Straight Outta Los Angeles” entry in ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 canon. The doc discussed the Oakland/L.A. Raiders ties to both the LA sports and gang communities. He goes so far as to tie the birth of gangster rap to the Raiders’ Los Angeles arrival in 1982.

Not that it makes up for Are We Done Yet? but it’s a step in the right direction.

The story begins with Rooney Mara‘s Lisbeth investigating Daniel Craig‘s journalist Mikael for a group of employers who want to hire him to investigate a 40-year old cold case. Mikael in turn hires Lisbeth to aid him in his investigation. Without having read the story, I’d say that Christopher Plummer totally did it. Or Warlock. I’ve never trusted either of those guys.

All in all, it’s an exciting trailer that builds the mystery while introducing the characters without slowing down the action. Mara and Craig have an undeniable chemistry. I’m really looking forward to when this film gets adapted into a weekly procedural on ABC starring Ron Eldard and Joanna Garcia.

5 photosRooney Mara Looks Like Paul Dano In New 'Dragon Tattoo' Pics

The story follows a psychiatrist who kills a home invader only to have a psychotic accomplice come after him and his family on a vengeance mission. It’s unclear if Fincher has an interest in directing or merely producing the project, but I imagine he’s only got Dragon Tattoo on his mind at the moment. Regardless, this is the first project at Fincher’s Panic Pictures. Between this and Panic Room, dude really loves some panic. Now’s the time to court him for your next music video Panic! At The Disco. (Vulture)

Anyway, if you’re not afraid of a little microscopic nudity or gruff Daniel Craig, you can see the full version below. If you are afraid of those things, maybe consider a therapist. Your life doesn’t have to be like this. (Championship Celluloid)

Sony will co-finance and distribute the next two James Bond movies, including the upcoming Bond 23 which might star Javier Bardem or Anthony Hopkins as the villain. In return, Sony executives had to dance around in gold bikinis for MGM execs, while they sat in their fancy suits and casually smoked cigarettes. Actually, MGM gets to co-finance several Sony’s films, including potentially big moneymakers like the Total Recall remake and David Fincher‘s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, cause MGM needs some sweet, sweet cash.

MGM was flirting with Fox, Warner Bros and Paramount, but the studio ultimately returned to its partner for past successes like Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. How very un-Bond-like of MGM, sticking with the same girl in the end. Well, I guess you never should say never again. (Deadline)

He’s in high demand currently thanks to The Social Network‘s Oscar nomination, the advance Girl With The Dragon Tattoo buzz, and the World’s Best Dad coffee mug he was given last Father’s Day. James Cameron was previously interested but was lured away by Fox when they promised to donate money to his beloved ocean in exchange for an Avatar 2 & 3. Next, Paul Greengrass was in the mix until he opted to do Memphis from his own script.

Now Fincher is the candidate, but that could just as easily go away due to his schedule with Dragon Tattoo sequels and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Should he not work out, I’ll take one for the team and do it. You’ve convinced me to direct this sweeping, epic, historical drama starring one of the biggest celebrities in the world. It may require a little on the job training, but I’m willing to learn. Get me an agent and then talk to them regarding payment. Then look for Wookie Johnson’s Cleopatra in theaters. I’d like to get a Christmas release date if at all possible. (Deadline)

Yeah, that could be pretty good.

Details haven’t been disclosed, but Deadline reports that the video-rental juggernaut paid over $100M for the privilege of acquiring 26 original eps. The series focuses on British politicians clamoring for power at the end of Margaret Thatcher‘s tenure. Huh. I just bored myself to actual tears by simply typing that sentence. Well, the subject matter doesn’t sound terribly engaging, but one mustn’t doubt David Fincher. Spacey, maybe (K-Pax, Pay It Forward), but never Fincher. Besides, I’ve always felt that Kevin Spacey was a dry little British man trapped in a dry little American man’s body, so let’s see where this goes.

The move comes at a critical time for Netflix, which has performed its finishing move on Blockbuster, but is looking at growing online competition from Amazon and Hulu, while facing DVD competition from Redbox. This move is the first of its kind, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a winner. But with these names attached, it’s hard to bet against it.

“The political thriller … is set at the end of Margaret Thatcher‘s tenure as prime minister and follows a British politician with his eye on the top job.”

Fincher is executive producing along with Spacey and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenwriter Eric Roth. It hasn’t been shopped to networks yet. I can guess that it probably won’t be on AMC, since the whole political thriller angle is pretty much covered by “Rubicon” on that network. But then again maybe the drawing power of Spacey and Fincher would offset that. (via Deadline)

This week we shackle our Best Director contenders together by the ankles, slather them in honey, toss them in the bear cage with an 800 pound grizzly and a pair of bolt cutters to see who among them has the will to survive. Wait… did I say directors or hobos? I meant hobos. But this article’s not about the bear game. No, this article’s about the Academy’s Best Director nominees, an impressive list containing some of American cinema’s most lauded directors. We have David “Fight Club” Fincher, Darren “ass-to-ass” Aronofsky, Joel and Ethan “that movie where Peter Stormare puts Steve Buscemi in a wood chipper” Cohen, David “O” Russell… and some British dude. I’d be honored to have any one of these talented white males helm my breakdancing videos (PopNLockNRonnie @ Youtube). But which of these white males deserves the Shiny Gold Dude?

FRONTRUNNERS

DAVID FINCHER

PRO: David Fincher is one America’s most acclaimed directors, possessing a unique visual style that sets his work apart from his peers. He boasts an impressive track record — Alien 3 notwithstanding — and despite working primarily within the studio system has managed to make a career of exploring the darker realms of the human psyche. While The Social Network bears Fincher’s stamp it is also his most accessible and critically acclaimed film to date, a one-two punch that makes him an easy choice for Academy voters.

CON: Fincher’s renowned for tackling bile-black subject matter; he’s made films about serial killers, psychopaths, serial killers, serial killers and serial killers. And while The Social Network’s backstabbing billionaire protagonist does have his dark side, it’s not like he’s cutting off anyone’s head and mailing it to their sweetheart (that we know of, anyway). In comparison to Fincher’s back catalog, The Social Network might seem to some Academy voters like a bit of a trifle.

TOM HOOPER

PRO: Tom Hooper is the least known of our nominees, but he does have buzz on his side. The King’s Speech received the lion’s share of nominations in the major categories and thanks to the slick campaigning of the baby-devourin brothers Weinstein, seems to be gaining momentum as Oscar night draws near. Hooper is also this year’s safest choice; his resume boasts period pieces and costume dramas but none of the dark, violent, controversial work that his fellow nominees are known for. He’s never cut off Gwyneth Paltrow’s head (unfortunately), shoved a double-dong up Jennifer Connelly’s pudding pipe (unfortunately), thrown anyone into a wood chipper (unfortunately) or tried to strangle George Clooney (ibid). He’s the Postum of best director nominees; a rich and tasty beverage that is inoffensively flavorful and harmlessly healthful.

CON: Tom who? Hooper is what my WoW clan members would call a “noob.” Also he’s British, and we should never forget how the British betrayed us during World War 2 by aligning themselves with the Nazis.  Or perhaps that was the Italians. Eh, British, Italian, same thing.

DARK HORSE

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

PRO: I know he wasn’t nominated, but if any director could find a way to win despite not being on the ballot, it’s Nolan. Perhaps I’m only dreaming he wasn’t nominated and when I wake up he’ll be on the Best Director short list. But then what if when I wake up I find out that’s just a dream, too? And what if that dream’s a dream within a dream within a dream, and it isn’t even MY dream but someone else’s dream? These are the kinds of things I think about when I’ve been huffing air freshener.

CON: After examining the list of past Best Director winners it seems that exactly 0% were people who weren’t officially nominated. Why I don’t know. I guess for the same reason that ZZ Top didn’t win the 1984 Presidential election as write-ins, in spite of spending months on the campaign trail in a roadster called Eliminator, telling every voting-age citizen in every one horse town about the virtues of sharp dressed men and knowing how to use legs when you have them. Or perhaps ZZ Top DID win the 1984 presidential election and I’m only dreaming they didn’t? Whoa. Just blew my own mind.

LONG SHOTS

DARREN ARONOFSKY

If it was the award for MOST directing, Aronofsky would be a shoo-in. Black Swan was a masterstroke of technique, but like a Yngwie Malmsteen guitar solo it rings a little short on soul in spite of its technical impressiveness. Also, Aronofsky has been left in the shadow of his film’s leading yummy-mummy-to-be Natalie Portman, who is widely favored (and was my pick) to win Best Actress.  Darren Aronofsky’s a highly talented filmmaker and I have no doubt that he’ll eventually get his due, but I don’t foresee him taking the Shiny Gold Dude in 2011.

DAVID O. RUSSELL

If this article was about the bear game, David O. Russell would be a shoo-in. If anyone on this list has it in him to tear out a bear’s throat with his teeth while his fellow directors bleed to death it’s Russell. Unfortunately this award’s being given for directing not bear-fighting. And while Russell has made some wonderful films – The Fighter included — I still don’t think the Academy voters will be willing to overlook his volatile disposition, especially given the fact that he essentially tried to murder Oscar darling George Clooney on the set of Three Kings. George Clooney’s farts have been nominated for Oscars. For the love of God, don’t fuck with George Clooney.

JOEL AND ETHAN COHEN

The Cohen Brothers are kind of like Pixar for grown-ups; all they have to do is make a film to get Oscar nominations. Which in a way works against them. When you’re prolific and talented enough to be on the ballot every year Academy voters are forced to be a bit more discerning. True Grit was an amazing film, but was it an amazing Cohen Brothers film? Back to the Pixar analogy, it wasn’t a Cars but it probably wasn’t a Toy Story either. I’d consider it a solid Monsters, Inc.

ADVANTAGE: David Fincher. Any of the nominees would be deserving and it’s still going to be a shoot-out. But while buzz is on Tom Hooper’s side I believe the Academy voters will honor the more experienced Fincher. Give that man a Shiny Gold Dude!

Taking a page from Joe Francis’s book, Fincher presented his proposed one-sheet to the Hollywood Reporter. “It shows actor Daniel Craig half-hidden behind co-star Rooney Mara, who’s looking directly into the camera. Her hair is spiky, her face pierced with rings, her body covered in tattoos. It’s black and white and beautiful, but there’s no way in hell any studio will ever let Fincher use it, as he knows. Because Mara is naked from the waist up.”

The article also points out that Fincher keeps a rifle on his desk as “a reminder of the consequences.” The MPAA had better keep this in mind before they ask him to airbrush a bra onto her.

All of Hollywood woke up early today to find out the nominees for the 2011 Academy Awards. Except for M. Night Shyamalan. He’s going to sleep in. And then eat some waffles that he later discovers are ghosts.

Without further ado, here are the nominees that will have to struggle to keep eye contact with co-host Anne Hathaway.

Best Picture

‘Black Swan’

‘The Fighter’

‘Inception’

‘The Kids Are All Right’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘127 Hours’

‘The Social Network’

‘Toy Story 3′

‘True Grit’

‘Winter’s Bone’

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky, ‘Black Swan’

David O’Russell, ‘The Fighter’

Tom Hooper, ‘The King’s Speech’

David Fincher, ‘The Social Network’

Joel and Ethan Coen, ‘True Grit’

Best Actor

Javier Bardem, ‘Biutiful’

Jeff Bridges, ‘True Grit’

Jesse Eisenberg, ‘The Social Network’

Colin Firth, ‘The King’s Speech’

James Franco, ‘127 Hours’

Best Actress

Annette Bening, ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Nicole Kidman, ‘Rabbit Hole’

Jennifer Lawrence, ‘Winter’s Bone’

Natalie Portman, ‘Black Swan’

Michelle Williams, ‘Blue Valentine’

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, ‘The Fighter’

John Hawkes, ‘Winter’s Bone’

Jeremy Renner, ‘The Town’

Mark Ruffalo, ‘The Kids Are All Right’

Geoffrey Rush, ‘The King’s Speech’

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, ‘The Fighter’

Helena Bonham Carter, ‘The King’s Speech’

Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’

Hailee Steinfeld, ‘True Grit’

Jacki Weaver, ‘Animal Kingdom’

Cinematography

Matthew Libatique,’Black Swan‘

Wally Pfister, ‘Inception’

Danny Cohen, ‘The King’s Speech’

Jeff Cronenweth,’The Social Network‘

Roger Deakins,’True Grit‘

Best Animated Feature Film

‘How to Train Your Dragon’

‘Illusionist’

‘Toy Story 3′

Best Foreign Film

Mexico – ‘Biutiful’

Greece – ‘Dogtooth’

Denmark – ‘In a Better World’

Canada – ‘Incendies’

Algeria – ‘Outside the law’

Best Original Screenplay

‘Another Year’

‘The Fighter’

‘Inception’

‘The Kids Are All Right’

‘The King’s Speech’

Best Adapted Screenplay

‘127 Hours’

‘The Social Network’

‘Toy Story 3′

‘True Grit’

‘Winter’s Bone’

Best Art Direction

‘Alice in Wonderland’

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I’

‘Inception’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘True Grit’

Best Costume Design

‘Alice in Wonderland’

‘I Am Love’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘The Tempest’

‘True Grit’

Best Original Score

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ John Powell

‘Inception’ Hans Zimmer

‘The King’s Speech’ Alexandre Desplat

‘127 Hours’ A.R. Rahman

‘The Social Network’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Documentary

‘Exit through the Gift Shop’ Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz

‘Gasland’ Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic

‘Inside Job’ Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

‘Restrepo’ Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

‘Waste Land’ Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Best Film Editing

‘Black Swan’

‘The Fighter’

‘The Kings Speech’

‘127 Hours’

‘The Social Network’

Best Makeup

‘Barney’s Version’

‘The Way Back’

‘The Wolfman’

Best Sound Editing

‘Inception’

‘Toy Story 3′

‘TRON: Legacy’

‘True Grit’

‘Unstoppable’

Best Sound Mixing

‘Inception’

‘The King’s Speech’

‘Salt’

‘The Social Network’

‘True Grit’

Animated Short Film

“Day & Night”

“The Gruffalo”

“Let’s Pollute”

“The Lost Thing”

“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Jouney Diary)”

Live Action Short Film

“The Confession”

“The Crush”

“God of Love”

“Na Wewe”

“Wish 143″

Visual Effects

“Alice in Wonderland”

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″

“Hereafter”

“Inception”

“Iron Man 2“

He commented on the scenes involving cocaine and a Victoria’s Secret model. “I wish my life was that cool.” His girlfriend must be TH-RILLED right now.

“The part of the movie that frustrated me most was when the character played by Justin Timberlake who just happens to have my name – writes a cheque to Eduardo who I remain in contact with and consider a friend, and throws it at his face and has him thrown out of the building. That’s just rude. I mean who would do that?”

Umm, I don’t know, people who are hilarious? That’s how Screen Junkies pays me. Am I to believe this is not standard practice in the business world? If so, I’m sooo not wearing that ball gag when I blog from now on. (The Next Web)

Beyond Mara, Tanner Hall boasts a fairly odd cast comprised of Amy Sedaris, Chris Kattan, and Tom Everett Scott. The plot revolves around four teenagers growing up at a boarding school, which is odd, because none of the cited cast could really play a convincing teenage girl. Except for Kattan. (Deadline)

Van Wageningen will be playing the part of “Nils Bjurman, the court appointed guardian over Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) when Holger Palmgren suffers a heart attack.” And since this is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it’s a safe bet to assume he’ll be involved in a rape somehow.

On a personal note, I think Fincher’s take on this material will surpass the original Swedish trilogy of movies, especially with the news that Fincher is re-teaming with Trent Reznor to do the score as in The Social Network. Plus the Swedish versions aren’t even all that great anyway (this should help me meet my snark quota). (The Playlist)

The Social Network

Awards like these can be indicators of how the Oscars are gonna go. I thought The Social Network was terrific, but I’m pulling for Toy Story 3 to win Best Picture, just like director / noted foot fetishist Quentin Tarantino. Are industry types willing to give the prestigious title of “Best Picture” to the third film in a series about action figures who fight mean children and evil teddy bears? Hopefully! But as long as they can ghettoize Pixar films to the Best Animated movie category, Buzz and Woody’s Best Picture chances may end up in the incinerator. Also, remember how terrified you were during that scene? Yeah, that shit was crazy.

A little more interesting is Inception sleep-stealing the most awards of the evening with 6, but they’re mostly art direction awards, which means they’re entirely worthless. The Fighter pounded its way to two awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress Christian Bale and Melissa Leo. Also, Natalie Portman won Best Actress for Black Swan. Wasn’t Mila Kunis going down on her enough of a reward?

Here’s the full list of winners from Cinema Blend:

Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Best Young Actor/Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Best Acting Ensemble: The Fighter
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler, The King’s Speech
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Cinematography: Inception
Best Art Direction: Inception
Best Editing: Inception
Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Best Makeup: Alice in Wonderland
Best Visual Effects: Inception
Best Sound: Inception
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Action Movie: Inception
Best Comedy: Easy A
Best Picture Made for Television: The Pacific
Best Foreign Language Film: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Best Documentary Feature: Waiting for Superman
Best Score: The Social Network

That’s why I think director David Fincher and NIN frontman Trent Reznor are onto something with their idea for turning Fight Club into a musical. After many years of joking about it to the press, then half-joking about it to the press, we understand that they’re now actively working on adapting the film for the stage. The timing is perfect. Yes, imagining Tyler Durden and crew prance-fighting like the Jets and the Sharks is ridiculous, but that’s obviously not what it would be like. If they allow the actors to really beat each other up on stage, every single night, they can easily beat Spider-Man. In Spider-Man, the injuries are accidents – if crazy injuries were real and guaranteed, you could sell tickets for $200 a pop. A few actors might die, but they’ll die doing what they love: getting punched in the teeth.

Broadway, watch your back. (/Film)

Also: Calvin, watch your back, too.

Oh good. Somebody already did. Fincher’s out making the rounds to promote the DVD release of The Social Network and he told AICN when we can expect to see The Goon feature film.

“Animation that isn’t singing furry animals is hard. Especially something as outré as Eric Powell. And it’s his script! (laughs) It’s main-lined Eric Powell. We kind of went out with it at the end of the year and I don’t know that a lot of people were paying attention, but hopefully someone will step in and want to (pick it up).

I gotta hope there are more avenues for animation than… I certainly wouldn’t call The Goon ‘adult animation.’ I think that ends up starting to sound like Fritz The Cat and that’s not what it is. It’s more like “teen animation.” And it’s funny!

Hopefully this will be the year that people go, ‘Wait a minute! We don’t all have to be trying to imitate Pixar!’

Um. Yes you do. Have you seen Pixar movies? Shit is great. Well, maybe not Cars. Just be like all the Pixar movies that aren’t Cars and you’ll be good.

Seriously though, he raises a good point. We need more originality in cinema. This need to force everything to fit a certain mold is watering down entertainment and forcing more and more Focker gatherings and remakes upon us. It’s time to try something different. And I feel like a guy beating the crap out of zombies and Draculas is an excellent place to start.

Mara got done up as cyber-punk hacker Lisbeth Salander for a W Magazine shoot accompanying a profile of director David Fincher. What do you think of the pics? Bloodied hands and cleavage do it for you? If you squint hard enough, they look pretty hot. Otherwise, kind of looks like a hipster greyhound, right?

In addition to the boner-killing pictures, there’s also some tidbits of info about Fincher’s adaptation:

“The script, which captures the novel’s bleak tone (its original Swedish title was Men Who Hate Women), was written by Academy Award winner Steven Zaillian, who wrote Schindler’s List, and it departs rather dramatically from the book. Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending—the resolution of the drama—has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but Zaillian has improved on Larsson—the script’s ending is more interesting”

That’s good considering everyone who has been on an airplane, train, or beach in the past year has read the book. I’ve posted the pics below if you’d like to ruin your penis’s day. You’re welcome. (W Magazine)

I’m not even close to getting through all the films 2010 had to offer, but that won’t stop 2011 from vomiting dozens of new options into the toilet that is my life. With so many films to choose from, I’m going to have to make some difficult decisions over the next 12 months. That’s why I’m planning ahead. While I’m sure this list will be altered as the year progresses and new information comes to light, I’ve made a preliminary rundown of 11 films I refuse to miss in 2011, all others be damned. Sure, a lot of great movies probably didn’t make the cut, but this is the real world. Not everything works out the way you want. Deal with it.

The Hangover 2

Before The Hangover, I wasn’t a huge fan of Todd Phillips. It’s not that his films weren’t funny, I just didn’t see what all the fuss was about. But I finally saw the light, and I’m hoping to see it again with The Hangover 2.

The Good: Setting the film in Bangkok opens the door for all sorts of demented behavior, since the city makes Vegas look like Branson, MO.

The Bad: Unfortunately, expectations are extremely high going in, which never helps. Unless Philips pulls off The Godfather II of comedy, many people will be let down.

The Ugly: From Mel Gibson to Bill Clinton, this film has been subject to a ton of cameo rumors, which really defeats the purpose of a surprise cameo. Hopefully the film still has some tricks up its sleeve without coming across as too gimmicky.

Sucker Punch

Sucker punch, the latest outing from director Zack Snyder, tells the story of a young girl in the 1950s who is about to be lobotomized. The girl retreats to a fantasy world as she and her friends attempt to make their escape from the asylum.

The Good: Hot girls and violence; This film has lots of both.

The Bad: Way too much slow motion. We get it! It looks cool. Speed it up! I’ve got to piss!

The Ugly: If there’s nothing more than implied lesbianism, things are going to get really ugly in my theater.

Hobo with a Shotgun

Hobo with a Shotgun has been a long time coming. Based on the winner of a Grindhouse-style trailer contest at South by Southwest, the film stars Rutger Hauer as the titular shotgun wielding hobo.

The Good: The fact that this film is even being made restores some of my faith in humanity.

The Bad: Thus far, trailers I’ve seen haven’t been that impressive, which makes me think it will have a hard time living up to the nearly perfect source material. That being said, even if it sucks, I’ll probably see it at least twice.

The Ugly: Decapitations caused by chains tied to moving vehicles tend to get ugly.

Horrible Bosses

This film chronicles the adventures of three friends who decided to kill their…wait for it…horrible bosses. If all goes well, we might be dealing with a modern-day Office Space. Hey, it already has Jennifer Aniston.

The Good: The film has a funny premise and an all-star cast (Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jason Batemen). But despite the big names, I’m most excited about seeing Charlie Day from “Always Sunny” on the big screen…in a film besides Going the Distance.

The Bad: Jamie Foxx’s character is named “Motherfuker Jones.” That’s not bad, so much as it is badass!

The Ugly: If the film is successful, I suspect we’ll see a rash of boss killings, beginning right here at Screenjunkies.com.

Super 8

Written and directed by J. J. Abrams, and produced by Steven Spielberg, Super 8 tells the story of an alien that escapes from a train while being transported by the government. At least that’s what most people are speculating. The filmmakers have been very tight-lipped.

The Good: Abrams, Spielberg, aliens: need we say more?

The Bad: Abrams, Spielberg, aliens: again with the extraterrestrials?

The Ugly: If this alien enjoys Reese’s Pieces, I’m walking out.

The Beaver

Directed by Jodi Foster and starring Mel Gibson, The Beaver is about a business man who loses his mind and begins using a beaver puppet to communicate with the people around him.

The Good: If the film does well, it will be a hell of a comeback story for old Mel. Plus, everybody loves beaver. Am I right?

The Bad: Gibson’s personal problems could derail the film and take away from his actual performance. In case you hadn’t heard, Mel’s been having some P.R. problems as of late.

The Ugly: If you pay to see it, you’re giving money to a racist, anti-Semite who (allegedly) beats his girlfriend. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time, but still.

The Muppet Movie

The Muppets are back, and they’re in a movie. Need I say more? Awesome!

The Good: Jason Segel is in charge of the script. His stuff can be a little melodramatic for my tastes, but it should be a good fit for a Muppet movie.

The Bad: You’ll have to watch a lot of hipsters enjoying the Muppets “ironically.”

The Ugly: Lady Gaga will probably have a cameo. F*ck that!

Rampart

Based on the L.A.P.D. Rampart scandal of the early 1990’s, Rampart tells the fictional story of a police officer, played by Woody Harrelson, who is caught in the crossfire. If it sounds a lot like an updated version of L.A. Confidential, it basically is. James Ellroy even worked on the script.

The Good: A great cast featuring Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi and Sigourney Weaver.

The Bad: You probably don’t want to see this movie at the ghetto theater, even if it is half-priced.

The Ugly: What’s uglier than racial tensions and police corruption? Make your own Steve Buscemi joke. Sorry. I’m uglier than he is, so it’s OK.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Based on the Swedish book of the same name and directed by David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a tale of murder, intrigue, and sexual assault.

The Good: David Fincher and serial killings, together at last.

The Bad: Sexual assaults are a real drag. If you don’t agree with that statement, seek help immediately.

The Ugly: I’m going with sexual assault for this one too. I can’t stress that enough. Sexual assaults are bad. And that’s not just my court-mandated meds talking.

Hugo Cabret

Based on the book by Brian Selznick Hugo Cabret is about an Orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. It’s not nearly as depressing as it sounds.

The Good: Martin Scorsese is set to direct a cast that includes Jude Law, Ray Winstone and Christopher Lee.

The Bad: The French are involved.

The Ugly: Have you ever smelled a Parisian train station? If so, the 3D images are sure to conjure up some disgusting nasal memories.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

No, not the James Bond movie. I’m talking about the 3D film depicting the “true story” of Justin Bieber. Why is it on this list? Because these days, the only time I feel alive is when I’m engulfed in hatred. Besides, it’s a chance to ruin the film for those who actually want to see it. I recommend sneaking in a bag of your own feces and tossing it into the air half-way through the first song.

The Good: Nothing.

The Bad: Everything.

The Ugly: If you go to this movie, you will look like a pedophile. I recommend bringing a kid with you, unless you are an actual pedophile, in which case you should wait for the DVD.

"Now, observe how the two girls use the cup."

Good news! You’re going to have the opportunity to spend another $12 on seeing The Social Network this weekend. Then, on Tuesday you can go out and spend more money on your own copy when it’s released on home video. Your ticket purchase will help push it to $200 million worldwide, and in turn you get a warm place to hang out for a few hours. Maybe you can get some nachos too. It’s a good deal for everybody.

Sadly, the nasty side-effect to this is that Justin Timberlake is an actor now. We have to just accept it, I guess. Or you could stay home in protest and not see this year’s Best Picture. Then you’ll look like a jerk. Oh God, this is Slumdog Millionaire all over again, isn’t it? (Variety)

Every time the Alien series comes out again on DVD, or now Blu Ray, we always focus on Alien and Aliens. We kind of know everything there is to know about the classics. Wouldn’t it be interesting to really find out what went wrong with Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection?

More after the jump…

Now that the Blu Ray set is coming out, Sigourney Weaver is talking about Alien 3 specifically. “Every day we’d shoot all day and then at midnight David [Fincher] would have to get on the phone and defend shooting the next day’s work,” she said. “You shouldn’t hire someone like Fincher unless you’re going to let them go. So I think it was very difficult for him, really difficult for everybody. Yet I think the film is really good what he did. It was a very specific vision that Fox wanted him to do. It was not his take on it which I think made it more complicated for him, but it made a difficult film that much more difficult certainly. Certainly whatever issues were there were complicated by the distance and the time change. It was hard to have a coherent conversation in those circumstances. I thought Fincher was amazing. I think that with Social Network, everybody now is going to be able to recognize Fincher for being one of the great directors of our day. Certainly that was true after Fight Club, etc.”

If Alien 3 had problems, people hate on Alien Resurrection a lot more. Maybe it’s worth a second look. “I really enjoyed a lot of Alien Resurrection. I thought that the scientists were really wonderful and the company was more detestable than ever. As we become more and more of a corporate planet, I think that the lessons from Alien have not really been paid attention to. I think it got harder for Jean-Pierre [Jeunet]. The story is much more about the science and about the corporations. I think it’s difficult for us to watch the fourth one because it seems like yesterday or tomorrow. It’s not happening far away. It seems like something we read about in the papers, cloning or BP and all this stuff. So I think it makes people more uncomfortable but I think they all really stand up. I’ve heard people arguing over their favorites and three and four have a lot of fans.”

Now that Ridley Scott is making his Alien prequel, he’s revealed that he was never asked to do a sequel. He kind of seems bitter about it, but Weaver assured he never got screwed out of anything.

“Well, you know, what happened was they never set out to make a sequel. Jim Cameron wrote Aliens on spec. He was being interviewed by our producers for something else and he said, ‘I’ve written this script of Aliens. Would you read it?” They hadn’t even thought about doing it. So it was his baby from the beginning and he did such an amazing job. It would have been fun to go back to Ridley to do another one but in those days, you didn’t do sequels. He was busy doing whatever he was doing.”

The Alien Anthology, with behind the scenes features, interviews and screen tests, comes out October 26.
 

New photos from the set of David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo reveal Daniel Craig will look like Daniel Craig. Question though, is there a wardrobe stylist on this movie? If so, does she know how to use an iron? Those pants are just…. oh my God. I can’t believe he went out in public wearing pants that wrinkled. C’mon, is he playing a journalist or a blogger? Step it up, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo stylist!! Pants that wrinkled will never earn a nomination in one of those boring Oscar categories. (Just Jared)

Check out a pic of a punked-out Rooney Mara after the jump…

Photo courtesy of Rooney-Mara.com. The Internet’s best source of Rooney Mara.