To get your New Year started off right, we have a bunch of great new stills to share from movies you’ll be hearing more about in the coming months.

In no particular order:

This is the first official still from Ben Affleck’s Argo. Affleck both directs and stars in this period film set in the mid 70’s that revolves around the CIA’s risky plan to free six Americans who have taken refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran just as the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point. The cast also includes Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, Kyle Chandler and John Goodman. It’s set for a September 14 release in the US, 5 October in the UK. Affleck’s previous two directorial efforts (Gone Baby Gone, The Town) have both found their way onto my dvd shelf, the latter one of my favorite films of 2010. Argo is definitely on my must-see list for 2012.

Here’s a look at Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the set of Steven Spielberg’s 2012 Christmas release, Lincoln. This one does not hunt vampires, he merely guides the nation through the Civil War. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as the 16^th President, Gordon-Levitt plays one of his sons, Robert Todd Lincoln. (As a student of American History and a Civil War buff in particular, I am so EXCITED for this one! The cast is amazing, including Jared Harris, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Straithairn, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Walton Goggins, David Oyelowo and Sally Field, [as Mary Todd Lincoln. While DDL is age appropriate, my first thought is she’s a bit long in the tooth for this role. I could be wrong.] to name but a FEW.) It’s based on a book by Doris Kearns Goodwin (“Team of Rivals”) with a script by John Logan and Tony Kushner. I’ll wager this will be a MAJOR awards contender next year.

Jack the Giant Killer is a “modern day fairy tale in which the long-standing peace between men and giants is threatened, as a young farmer leads an expedition into the giants' kingdom in hopes of rescuing a kidnapped princess”. Here’s the first official image, of Nicholas Hoult as Jack in mid-climb of the ‘Magic Beanstalk’. The film, directed by Bryan Singer and costarring the likes of Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Eddie Marsan and Ben Daniels (YAY! I’ve missed him since he left “Law & Order: UK”), is set for a June 15 release.

Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie is a remake of his own short from 1986, in which young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences. The original has been expanded for a feature length format so look for the neighborhood kids to get into the act with their own pets. Sounds like Mary Shelly meets Stephen King filtered through the mind of Tim Burton. Frankenweenie, featuring the voices of  Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Martin Landau and Catherine O’Hara, gets an appropriate October 5 release.

Here’s a look at a film we haven’t talked about before. The Impossible, which stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, is  based on the true story “of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time”, namely the tsunami that struck Thailand on December 26, 2004. The film marks the English-language debut of Juan Antonio Bayona(The Orphanage). (Ironically, there is a first trailer out there if you want to view it, but it’s dubbed in Spanish. I thought I’d wait for the English version before posting it.) I suspect we’ll talk a lot more about The Impossible before its release. Right now it only has a firm date of October 12 in Spain.

Enjoy the pics! Happy New Year!

A short but dramatic new clip from War Horse, introduced by the film’s star Jeremy Irvine, has just been released and comes to us courtesy of Yahoo. In it, Major Stewart, played by Benedict Cumberbatch is giving a rousing speech in an attempt to bolster the courage of his troops as they prepare to go into battle. I’m looking forward to seeing the entirety of that scene. I know that there are actually three, “Be brave!” utterances from Cumberbatch (although we get a different number in each new clip) and I can imagine the whole thing will induce goose-bumps. We also see Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls preparing the horse we can assume is Joey (the titular War Horse).

War Horse is Steven Spielberg’s second film of the year (after The Adventures of Tintin). He and his stars, Hiddleston and Cumberbatch are having great years. Hiddleston was seen in Thor, The Deep Blue Sea and Midnight in Paris (and so was nominated for a SAG award for Best Ensemble). Cumberbatch appeared onstage in Danny Boyle’s “Frankenstein” as well as in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. While that film, as well as War Horse were both shut out of the SAGs (They’re in good company there), I think Cumberbatch (and Gary Oldman) should still be tipped for BAFTA nominations (and possibly Golden Globes which are announced tomorrow.)

War Horse opens in the US on Christmas Day and 13^th January in the UK.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city… Steven Spielberg’s War Horse had a grand world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for The Performing Arts, also on Sunday December 4 (and again, my invite got lost *shakes fist at USPS*). The setting was around the corner from where the Tony-winning play upon which the film is based had played. There was the crowd was well-heeled and included a cross-section of brainy entertainment industry-types, like director Doug Liman, the screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) and Elizabeth Olsen, (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”, J. Edgar) Michael Michele, Mariska Hargitay and her gorgeous hubby Peter Hermann, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad, Kathy Lee Gifford (whose daughter, Cassidy, was in a Herve Leger bandage dress) and Adrien Brody who made the after-party since he’d been at Madonna’s soiree as well. Of course the stars of the film were there including Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, David Kross, Emily Watson, Toby Kebbell, David Thewlis and Celine Buckens, along with director Spielberg who was accompanied by his daughters, Destry and Sasha, as well as step-daughter Jessica Capshaw (“Grey’s Anatomy”).

War Horse is the story of a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey. Their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to save his friend.

The film opens Christmas Day here in the US, just in time for awards contention, where it will compete with films such as The Artist, (Coriolanus and W.E. all) from The Weinstein Company, which would set up a rematch of 1999, when Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan lost out to Weinstein’s Shakespeare in Love.  We’ll see. The spoiler could be Fox Searchlight's The Descendants anyway. Enjoy the pics!

“The greatest journey is the one that leads you home.”

War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Steven Zaillian and starring Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Peter Mullan and Jeremy Irvine, has Oscar bait stamped all over it in neon. It’s also, according to most reports, worth the hype, if not for the humans, then certainly for the performances of the equine actors.  I’m definitely predicting an Oscar nod for John Williams’ score. Even from the clips and trailers I can tell it’s another of his trademark moving and evocative efforts. The lush cinematography by longtime Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski looks spectacular, as usual.

War Horse follows a young man named Albert (Irvine) and his horse, Joey, and how their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to save his friend.

We have two new clips to share:

‘Family Actors’ is an extended TV spot for War Horse in which the cast discuss the significance of the film.

Family Actors

‘Miraculous Kind’ acts like a mini-trailer for the film, showing a compilation of segments that were shown before.

The Miraculous Kind

War Horse opens Christmas Day in the US and Canada, but not until 13^th January in the UK.

Dreamworks has released new tv spots for it’s big holiday release, War Horse. Now that Thanksgiving is over, expect things to get serious in terms of movie releases and awards contenders. It’s almost like the playoffs have begun. 

The official synopsis: DreamWorks Pictures’ War Horse, director Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets–British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter–before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse–an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war– a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is arriving on Broadway next year. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

We’ve the extended version of three clips you can find over at Latino Review. They are essentially just remixed versions of the one you can find below.

“Wherever you are, I will find you. And I will bring you home!”  Am I the only one who hears Daniel Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans?

War Horse stars Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Thewlis.  The film opens Christmas Day, everywhere.

Wow! If Steven Spielberg's War Horse doesn't get the tear ducts flowing, you might want to check that you have them. Here's trailer number two from Dreamworks for this Christmas time, awards baiting flick and it is steeped in Spielbergian goodness, from the gorgeous cinematography of Spielberg stalwart Janusz Kaminiski to John Williams soaring score (not to mention plenty of closeups of the "Spielberg face" – you know, that wonder struck expression that's been a staple of every Spielberg film since Hooper first saw the shark from the deck of the Orca), and would seem to be a winner from those factors alone not to mention the subject matter and the fact that the Broadway play is already a hit.

The synopsis for the film is simple: Follows a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, and how their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to save his friend. It would appear that Joey has miles to go and many hurdles to jump before he and Albert are reunited. 

War Horse stars Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis, Toby Kebbell, Eddie Marsan, Peter Mullan, David Kross and Jeremy Irvine as Albert. The film switched release dates with Spielberg's other holiday entry, The Adventures of Tintin, and will now be released December 21.

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It seems that there is potential for a very powerful cat fight between Madonna and Angelina Jolie as rumour has it they are both vying for the rights to the Chilean miners’ story in the hopes of directing the movie.

According to a source to the British Daily Star:

“Development has already started on the film and Angelina and Madonna are both desperate to be at the helm,”

“This story touched viewers worldwide and the film is going to be colossal. It would establish either of them as a respected film director”

Sometimes when there are really slow news weeks (like these recent ones) overactive imaginations kick into high gear and usually this involves either nefarious gossip or pitting women against each other.

Brad Pitt Visits Angelina Jolie On Movie Set [PHOTOS]

Originally the buzz was speculating that Stephen Spielberg would be directing the movie about the true story of the 33 men who were trapped underground for 69 days before being saved by an innovative rescue capsule on October 13. The source says:

“They are both passionate women who will do anything to get ahead in the movie world”

No question these women are ahead in the entertainment world but in terms of the movie world, from a directorial standpoint, I don’t think they can compete with the likes of Stephen Spielberg.

Madonna & New BoyToy Hit The Club [PHOTOS]

Angelina Jolie is making her directorial debut in Budapest as we speak and Madonna has directed a few films. *crickets*

What do you think? Is this rumour fact or fiction?

Photo credits:  Andres Oteros/WENN

The Los Angeles premiere of the HBO mini-series The Pacific took place last night at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.   The show is:

A 10-part mini-series from the creators of “Band of Brothers” telling the intertwined stories of three Marines during America’s battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.

At last night’s premiere:

• Tom Hanks
• Steven Spielberg
• Alexander Skarsgard
• Jon Seda
• Thomas Jane
• Gilles Marini
• Ryan Kwanten
• Steven Moyer
• Michael Emerson
• Jennifer Taylor
• Teresa Palmer
• Sam Trammell

Pictures after the break

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