TRAILER: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

The trailer for the sequel to the Dreamworks hit How to Train Your Dragon is here. The movie's coming out next June:

Movie of the Day: "Die Hard" (1988)

The 1988 classic Die Hard is one of the best holiday action movies you can watch this Christmas Eve. The whole thing takes place the night before Christmas, as ordinary, off-duty cop John McClane (Bruce Willis in the role that made him a superstar) is called into action by accident when a bunch of European terrorists seize the building in L.A. he just happens to be visiting in order to win back his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia). The situation provides a pretty surefire way to them to reunite as McClane battles bad guys in a wife beater and all but singlehandedly saves the day. Alan Rickman is one of the most memorable movie villains ever, sneering his way through campy one-liners and getting one unforgettable death scene. The movie may be corny in places now, but it's still a lot of fun and a perfect alternative Christmas choice this week.

Original 1988 Trailer:

Florida, Las Vegas & Dublin

While the regional groups across the country are looking more and more like they're starting to copy/paste each other's winners (seriously, why even bother voting?), the Dublin Film Critics Circle is a nice batch of variation, as the Irish film critics really seemed to like Gravity.

DUBLIN

• Film: Gravity
• Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
• Screenplay: Before Midnight
• Actor: Bruce Dern, Nebraska
• Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Documentary: The Act of Killing
• Irish Film: Good Vibrations
• Newcomer: Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color
• Breakthrough: Lake Bell, In a World...

LAS VEGAS

• Film: 12 Years a Slave
• Director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
• Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
• Actress: Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
• Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
• Screenplay: Her
• Cinematography: Gravity
• Editing: Gravity
• Costume Design: 12 Years a Slave
• Art Direction: Gravity
• Visual Effects: Gravity
• Score: 12 Years a Slave
• Song: "Please Mr. Kennedy" (Inside Llewyn Davis)
• Documentary: Blackfish
• Animated Film: Frozen
• Foreign Language Film: Blue is the Warmest Color
• Action Film: Lone Survivor
• Comedy Film: This is the End
• Horror/Sci-fi Film: Pacific Rim
• Family Film: Saving Mr. Banks
• Young Actor: Tye Sheridan, Mud
• Breakthrough Director: Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station

FLORIDA

• Picture: 12 Years a Slave
• Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
• Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
• Director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
• Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
• Original Screenplay: Her
• Cinematography: Gravity
• Visual Effects: Gravity
• Art Direction/Production Design: The Great Gatsby
• Foreign Language Film: Blue is the Warmest Color
• Animated Film: Frozen
• Documentary: The Act of Killing
• Breakout Performer: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

25 Films Added to the National Film Registry

Every year there are 25 films selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress, deemed worthy due to "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance." As usual, there are selections among this year's entries that are hard to believe weren't in there already, like Mary Poppins, Pulp Fiction, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Gilda. But choosing Michael Moore's first film Roger and Me is pretty cool.

25 Movies Added to the National Film Registry:

• Bless Their Little Hearts (1984)
• Brandy in the Wilderness (1969)
• Cicero March (1966)
• Daughter of Dawn (1929)
• Decasia (2002)
• Ella Cinders (1926)
• Forbidden Planet (1956)
• Gilda (1946)
• The Hole (1962)
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
• King of Jazz (1930)
• The Lunch Date (1989)
• The Magnificent Seven (1960)
• Martha Graham Early Dance Films (1931-1944)
• Mary Poppins (1964)
• Men and Dust (1940)
• Midnight (1939)
• Notes on the Port of St. Francis (1951)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• The Quiet Man (1952)
• The Right Stuff (1983)
• Roger and Me (1989)
• A Virtuous Vamp (1919)
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
• The Wild Boys of the Road (1933)

London Critics' Circle Film Nominations- "12 Years a Slave" Leads

The London Film Critics have released their nominations- these could be important for the BAFTA nominations later on, or the British Academy Awards. The reason BAFTA matters is because there is a large British/European voting bloc in the Academy that overlaps with BAFTA, and often that is a clue for certain nominations and wins that you might not see coming. It's the reason the Academy tends to actually be a bit more adventurous and foreign-film friendly than places like SAG or the other guild awards.

Picture

• Blue is the Warmest Color
• Blue Jasmine
• Frances Ha
• Gravity
• The Great Beauty
• Her
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Nebraska
• The Wolf of Wall Street

Director

• Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
• Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
• Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
• Paolo Sorrentino, The Great Beauty
• Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Actor

• Bruce Dern, Nebraska
• Leonardo Dicaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
• Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
• Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
• Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

Actress

• Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Sandra Bullock, Gravity
• Judi Dench, Philomena
• Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color
• Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha

Supporting Actor

• Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
• Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
• James Gandolfini, Enough Said
• Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks
• Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Supporting Actress

• Naomie Harris, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
• Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
• Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
• Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
• June Squibb, Nebraska

Screenplay

• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Her
• Philomena
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Wolf of Wall Street

Foreign-Language Film

• Blue is the Warmest Color
• Caesar Must Die
• Gloria
• The Great Beauty
• A Hijacking

Documentary

• The Act of Killing
• Beware of Mr. Baker
• Leviathan
• Stories We Tell
• We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

British Picture

• A Field in England
• Filth
• Philomena
• Rush
• The Selfish Giant

British Actor

• Christian Bale (American Hustle & Out of the Furnace)
• Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, The Look of Love, Philomena & What Maisie Knew)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
• Michael Fassbender (The Counselor & 12 Years a Slave)
• James McAvoy (Filth, Trance & Welcome to the Punch)

British Actress

• Judi Dench (Philomena)
• Lindsay Duncan (About Time, Last Passenger & Le Week-end)
• Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
• Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
• Emma Thompson (Beautiful Creatures & Saving Mr. Banks)

Young British Performer

• Conner Chapman (The Selfish Giant)
• Saoirse Ronan (Byzantium, The Host & How I Live Now)
• Eloise Laurence (Broken)
• George MacKay (Breakfast with Johnny Wilkinson, For Those in Peril, How I Live Now & Sunshine on Leith)
• Shaun Thomas (The Selfish Giant)

Breakthrough British Filmmaker

• Jon S. Baird, Filth
• Scott Graham, Shell
• Marcos Markoou, Papadopoulos & Sons
• Rufus Norris, Broken
• Paul Wright, For Those in Peril

Technical Achievement Award

• American Hustle- Production Design
• Behind the Candelabra- Production Design
• Filth- Editing
• Frances Ha- Cinematography
• Gravity- Visual Effects
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- Costumes
• Inside Llewyn Davis- Music
• Stoker- Costumes
• 12 Years a Slave- Cinematography
• Upstream Color- Sound Design

So, not a lot of love for American Hustle from the London Critics, who seem to be on the Wolf of Wall Street divide. Behind the Candelabra was a theatrical release in England, so that's why it's eligible for film awards there, and the Italian film The Great Beauty was singled out for Picture and Director (that's sure to be one of the foreign film nominees at the Oscars). Other than that, no Emma Thompson in Best Actress, making me wonder if she's a tiny bit vulnerable in that category (we'll see if she gets a BAFTA nom, but I still think someone new's going to break into that Actress category, taking the spot of either Meryl Streep, Judi Dench or Emma Thompson). And Leo Dicaprio's Best Actor hopes remain alive if the Brits are passionate about his Wolf performance, and it's looking more and more like Robert Redford could be the vulnerable one in that Best Actor category.

TEASER: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"

It's here! The first teaser for the Planet of the Apes sequel, coming out next summer.

Movie of the Day: "Bad Santa" (2003)

Our Movie of the Day series returns this week with what I like to think of as some "alternative" Christmas movie titles. I've already posted my traditional ten favorite Christmas movies on the December movie page, so this week here are some darker, weirder, but nonetheless Christmas-themed films to watch at the holidays. Bad Santa is one of the best, a hilarious and hilariously dark comedy starring Billy Bob Thornton in what's probably my favorite performance of his ever. He's fall down drunk and small time crook Willie T. Stokes, partnered with Tony Cox to rob department stores during the holidays by posing as Santa and his elf. He puts not even the minimum effort into it of course and insults and depresses everyone he meets, even a mentally handicapped kid. There are no holds barred with the crudeness of it all, and without compromising a single ounce of the black comedy hilarity (he even beats up some junior high bullies and is proud of himself for it), a sweet and heartwarming message is preserved in the end, if in a rather perverse way. I love this movie, even though it's not for everyone- it never fails to make me laugh. The great cast includes the late Bernie Mac and John Ritter.

Trailer:

Austin and Phoenix Critics: One for "Her," One for "12 Years"

The Austin critics go for Spike Jonze's Her, while Phoenix sticks with 12 Years a Slave, and both give Alfonso Cuaron directing honors, which seems to be the trend among all the critics, possibly indicating a potential split at the Oscars.

AUSTIN

• Film: Her
• Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
• Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
• Actress: Brie Larson, Short Term 12
• Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
• Original Screenplay: Her
• Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
• Cinematography: Gravity
• Score: Her
• Foreign Language Film: Blue is the Warmest Color
• Documentary: The Act of Killing
• Animated Film: Frozen
• First Film: Fruitvale Station
• Breakthrough Artist: Brie Larson, Short Term 12
• Austin Film: Before Midnight
• Special Honorary Award: Scarlett Johansson, Her

PHOENIX

• Picture: 12 Years a Slave
• Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
• Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
• Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
• Ensemble Acting: American Hustle
• Original Screenplay: Nebraska
• Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
• Live Action Family Film: Oz the Great and Powerful
• Overlooked Film of the Year: The Kings of Summer and The Spectacular Now (tie)
• Animated Film: Frozen
• Foreign Language Film: Blue is the Warmest Color
• Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom
• Original Song: "Let it Go," Frozen
• Original Score: Frozen
• Cinematography: Gravity
• Editing: Gravity
• Production Design: Gravity
• Costume Design: The Great Gatsby
• Visual Effects: Gravity
• Stunts: Fast & Furious 6
• Breakthrough Performance on Camera: Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
• Breakthrough Performance Behind the Camera: Lake Bell, In a World...
• Youth Performance- Male: Tye Sheridan, Mud
• Youth Performance- Female: Sophie Nelisse, The Book Thief

Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "The Blue Angel" (1930)

The movie that turned Marlene Dietrich into an icon in the early 1930's, and marked the beginning of her famous 7-film collaboration with Josef Von Sternberg. This is a very dark, almost disturbing story of a pathetic old man (Emil Jannings) who becomes the cuckold of the cool, calm, preternaturally collected Dietrich. The way director Sternberg shot and lit Marlene Dietrich became the stuff of Hollywood legend and it all starts here. It's a great movie, and if I were you I'd be sure to watch it in its original German (although they did shoot two versions, with one in English).

The only trailer for this movie is without subtitles, so instead here's the famous scene (in English) of Marlene waltzing into movie history by singing "Falling in Love Again."

Toronto Chooses "Inside Llewyn Davis"

Yes! Finally, someone dares to be different. Toronto critics go against the curve and pick the Coens' Inside Llewyn Davis for Best Picture.

• Picture: Inside Llewyn Davis
• Actor: Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
• Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
• Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
• Screenplay: Her
• First Feature: Neighboring Sounds
• Animated Feature: The Wind Rises
• Foreign Language Film: A Touch of Sin
• Documentary: The Act of Killing

"12 Years" Dominates Chicago Film Critics

Chicago weighs in and crowns 12 Years a Slave with just about everything:

• Film: 12 Years a Slave
• Director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
• Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
• Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
• Documentary: The Act of Killing
• Breakthrough Performance: Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color
• Most Promising Filmmaker: Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12
• Original Screenplay: Her
• Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
• Animated Film: The Wind Rises
• Foreign Language Film: The Act of Killing
• Original Score: Her
• Production Design: Gravity
• Cinematography: Gravity
• Editing: Gravity

REVIEW: "Blue is the Warmest Color" (2013) Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux. Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche

A coming of age drama about a young girl discovering her sexuality and in the process, discovering who she is and what she wants in life. Sounds as if it's been done before, and the truth is it has, but these kinds of stories will always have a place in the movies as new generations come of age, and Blue is the Warmest Color (or in France, The Life of Adele, Parts 1 and 2) is just as much a story about modern French society today, and couldn't be more timely or contemporary in feeling.

Adele (played by newcomer Adele Exarchopoulos in a wonderfully natural performance) is a 16 year old girl in high school at the beginning of this movie, vaguely lost in her own thoughts and mixed up feelings about herself. We see her daily routine in intimate close-ups, as director Abdellatif Kechiche seems to have had quite a visual love affair of his own with his leading lady, as the camera fetishizes every part of her, from her mouth to her arms, her legs and everything in between. This extremely intimate and personal style of filmmaking recalls a kind of documentary approach (there is no musical score in this film) and takes us inside Adele's head and into the daily experience of her life as she goes to school, eats dinner with her parents, and has her first sexual experience with a boy who likes her. She thinks she likes him too, but then it turns out something's missing, and that spark of passion Adele is looking for is found in a love-at-first-sight glance with a blue-haired twentysomething woman on the street, played by Lea Seydoux, in the second commanding performance of the movie.

The young woman is Emma, a fine arts major in college, who zeroes in on Adele when she wanders into a gay bar one night looking for her. Their connection is immediate and vital, and elicits exactly the kind of passion Adele is looking to experience. The multi-year relationship she embarks on with Emma is essentially the story of first love and sexual awakening, that explores in intimate detail the world of these two characters and the different facets of life their relationship encounters. We see the inevitable clash between them as drawing partly from class differences (Emma is upper middle class with liberal parents who encourage artistic expression, while Adele is of a working class background with an old-fashioned father who values hard work and a "real" job above everything else), and partly due to Adele's still ambivalent sexuality, which is ultimately left open to interpretation. She finds the passion and awakening she seeks with Emma, and yet throughout the film she remains looking for ultimate fulfillment, never quite satisfied and still with a lot of her life yet to be lived.

The two performances are extraordinary in this film, and extraordinarily brave, as the actresses claimed to have been put through hell by their director, and it shows on screen. The notorious sex scenes, which caused a rowdy controversy at the Cannes Film Festival, are explicit in every sense and it's difficult to imagine how certain acts were faked- yet with much of the film's themes exploring how explosive physical passion can arise due to a particular connection with another person, the graphic nature does not seem entirely out of place, and the actresses make their characters feel real and developed, the sexual attachment between them genuine. It may or may not be true that Kechiche was leery in places (the length of the first sex scene in particular, at 7 minutes, could well be considered excessive), but there is a scene in the film where a character ponders aloud the mystery of female pleasure and bemoans the fact that men will never know the true nature of it, yet will always try to depict it- it's hard not to hear that as a verbal expression of Kechiche's intentions with this movie.

And the film turned out to be an incredibly moving and effective love story, with some of the best acting you'll see all year, for which half the credit must go to the director himself, who used an intense, painstaking approach to elicit emotions as raw and real as possible- and whatever the process, the end result was a powerful and wonderful movie, one of the best and most emotional of the year.

* * * *