tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Three of my most anticipated movies have been released already - Brothers, The Lovely Bones and A Single Man. Two of them, A Single Man and Brothers, seem to be getting the kind of attention and raves they deserved while The Lovely Bones is now considered as one of the most divisive in regards to critics' assessment of the said Peter Jackson film. So what's the latest buzz right this minute?

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A Single Man: The recent win as Best Actor for Colin Firth at the Venice Film Fest appears to be a good omen for Tom Ford's directorial debut. I have yet to read anything 'drastically' negative about it.
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There is something to be said about Kate Winslet's acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. After five nominations, Winslet finally won Best Actress! It's really about time. When she mentioned Meryl Streep, I took notice of the generations of actresses in attendance and that both Streep and Winslet belong differently.

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This year, will someone from a much younger generation takes home the Oscar? I wonder will it be Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones? Many are probably rooting for Carey Mulligan (An Education) to win and there are also many Oscarwatchers pinning their hopes on the older generation - will it be Dame Helen Mirren for The Last Station or will it be Meryl Streep's year yet again for Julie and Julia?
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Two Oscar news of different levels of importance caught everyone's attention: The new Oscar hosts and Danny Boyle's problem with his Slumdog Millionaire child actors. I'll deal with the hosts here...

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While I'd love to see Hugh Jackman do it again and it would have been cool to see Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr team up and do some hilarious antics on the stage, but it seems they're not in the mood to host the Oscars. When it was announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin would host the upcoming Awards show, then that's also fine with me. Steve Martin is cool and he can really make the Oscar awards night lively and fun, while Baldwin can take care of the more serious side. Of course, they're together in It's Complicated with Meryl Streep, who could have been a host too, but...
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British filmmaker Danny Boyle is reported to be very frustrated with his dealings with the child actors he cast in his Oscar winning film, Slumdog Millionaire.

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Daily Record reported that:

"He is tired, really tired, the demands are now skyrocketing," Jai Ho Trust spokesman Noshir Dadrawalla said. The spokesman added: "Danny is tired, Danny is frustrated at these demands and has left for England. He is very, very upset." The charity revealed that the young actors and their families had issued a series of demands they expected Boyle, who made his name with Trainspotting, to meet. During the meetings, Boyle was asked to provide a car for Azharuddin Ismail, who played the title character as a young boy. And co-star Rubina Ali wants a further £30,000 to add to the £50,000 her family has already been given for an apartment. Both actors are also reported to be demanding £35,000 of health insurance for their entire families. [ read more ]

I don't know about you, but it seems to me these young actors are getting some advice. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen but then again, it might be difficult to understand but we have to remember they are very poor (they actually live in slums) and to get something more from a movie which has earned $377,417,293 worldwide seems like the right thing to do. The demands were supposedly for health insurance for their families, is that too bad?
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Invictus, already considered an Oscar hopeful, will feature the latest collaboration between Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman. Freeman will play the role of South African leader Nelson Mandela, while Matt Damon is the leader of the football team, and together they will face a challenge that will decide their country's future. It was set during the time Mandela was the President of South Africa and apartheid has just been abolished.

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If you recall, Eastwood directed the Oscar winning 'Million Dollar Baby' with Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank. All three won the Oscars for the said movie. Eastwood got the Best Director, Swank grabbed the Best Actress and Freeman won the Best Supporting Actor.

Oscar buzz on Invictus and the cast and crew after the jump!
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She's terrific in Rocket Science where she plays a student who is also the treacherous captain of the debating team. It was only a supporting role but she delivered quite a compelling performance. While moviegoers identify her as one of the cast of Twilight, Kendrick did quite a number of movies that speak volumes about her talent - two of them in particular has received raves for her performance - Up in the Air and Elsewhere.

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The former is the movie that might bring her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. But what are her chances of actually winning the Oscar? [ Related: Kendrick also tops our list of most underrated young actresses. ]

Rave reviews and more after the jump!
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Finally the movie poster for Invictus is up! I think it's about time. I love the tagline, I think it really captured what the film is all about: "His people needed a leader. He gave them a champion."

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Invictus (also known as The Human Factor) is an upcoming 2009 feature film based on Nelson Mandela's life during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film stars Morgan Freeman as the then South African President Mandela, and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the South African team captain. The story is based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation. The film is due for release on December 11, 2009.

Invictus is part of our 20 most anticipated period films.

James McAvoy was quite exceptional in The Last King of Scotland and it was his character who actually provided the perspective for the story and the movie itself. However, no Oscar nomination - not even for Best Supporting Actor. As Robbie Turner in Atonement, McAvoy "shows a sheer emotional range that's completely new to his career." says Derek Elley @Variety, "And McAvoy is a dynamo, nailing every nuance in a complex role." adds Peter Travers @Rolling Stone, and yet, still no Oscar - not even a nomination.

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Even before McAvoy appeared in these movies, he was already an accomplished actor -  Inside I'm Dancing, Starter for Ten, Bright Young Things. He was also the recipient of the first Orange Rising Star award, an addition to the established awards at the BAFTA.

Fast forward to the 2010 Oscar race, when Sony Pictures Classics announced it has acquired The Last Station for its North and South American distribution, the awards buzz has began. Will this mark the first time James McAvoy gets nominated for an Oscar? Or will this remain another unfortunate Oscar event for the acting career of our favorite Scottish actor?
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