TRUE GRIT cuts down a trailer

From ComingSoon.net:

"In the December 25 release, [True Grit] 14-year-old Mattie Ross's (Hailee Steinfeld) father has been shot in cold blood by the coward Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and she is determined to bring him to justice. Enlisting the help of a trigger-happy, drunken U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), she sets out with him -- over his objections -- to hunt down Chaney. Her father's blood demands that she pursue the criminal into Indian territory and find him before a Texas Ranger named LeBoeuf (Matt Damon) catches him and brings him back to Texas for the murder of another man."

Comic-Con: TRON LEGACY roars to life

From ComingSoon.net:

"Tron Legacy takes the stage this morning at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H, the same location where, two years ago, a teaser for the film met with roaring applause and helped speed the film into development.

Set to open on December 17th, Tron Legacy stars Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen and will hit regular theaters and IMAX in both 2D and 3D.

Patton Oswalt has appeared onstage to moderate.

'Welcome, furries!' he announced to the crowd before adding, 'Sorry, that's something I'm doing later.'

He also joked about a viral shirtless Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner knife fight tonight, the secret location of which will soon be revealed.

A brief series of clips was screened to showcase Tron's pop culture legacy. Though most of it has been shown at Disney events before, it's now updated to include the recent 'South Park' episode.

The cast and crew have come onstage, including director Joseph Kosinski, producer Sean Bailey, producer and director of the original Tron Steven Lisberger, and cast members Garrett Hedlund (Sam Flynn), Olivia Wilde (Quorra), Michael Sheen (Castor), Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Bradley) and Jeff Bridges (in the double role of Kevin Flynn and his alter-ego, Clu).

Both Quorra and Castor are being described as ambiguous characters, not necessary on anyone's side.

Michael Sheen has promised that the film is actually in 4D 'because Jeff Bridges brings a whole other dimension of awesome.'

Eight minutes of the film were screened:

Opening with a 3D Tron version of the Disney logo, the footage begins with Sam Flynn having just entered the computer world and captured by a red Recognizer.

'This isn't happening,' he says, looking at the world before adding, 'This is happening!'

'This program has no disk,' says one of the helmeted officers, 'Another stray.'

Sam is taken aboard the craft and locked in a light field along a number of others. He tries to ask them about his father, but they are just speaking meaninglessly. One of them turns and glares at him, revealing his face is half missing.

We see that this Recognizer is part of a larger fleet, all headed towards a large conical building that looks a stadium.

Inside, each of the prisoners is approached and identified as either 'Rectify' or 'Games'. Sam gets games and is taken to a light-disc elevator that takes him down to a large empty room. From four sides come four attractive women in skin-tight white suits. They surround Sam and illuminate their fingers, touching them against his clothes which rip to shreds, falling to the floor and getting sucked away instantly.

A black bodysuit materialized around him and the women gather armor that they clip to his body.

'He is different,' one of them says.

Sam is then given an identity disk which is clipped into his back, causing his eyes to flash with light.

'What am I supposed to do?' Sam asks.

'Survive,' one of the women says.

On a different elevator, Sam is taken up, emerging in the middle of a large stadium, other programs all around him.

The footage switches to a montage with lots of bike racing. One shot has someone killed by a disc, slicing them in half as their body goes to pixels.

One shot reveals Clu, removing his yellow mask to reveal young Jeff Bridges. Another shot has him leaping mid-air and turning into a yellow light-jet.

'I'm not your father, Sam,' we hear Clu say, 'But I'm very happy to see you.'

Following the footage, the audience was given a chance to help record ADR [direct from Skywalker Sound] that they plan to incorporate into the final film. The screen gave the audience words to chant including 'Disk! War', 'Rinz! Ler!', and 'Dee! Rez!' as well as the sound of cheering and stomping feet.

When asked if the original might get a rerelease in 3D, Bailey said, 'Those are conversations we're having right now.'"

Other quotes from the Tron press conference -

"[This is a] true 3D movie, shot with two cameras." - Joseph Kosinski [Patton just, sarcastically, called Avatar a "cheap piece of crap" when telling the audience that Tron Legacy uses the NEXT generation of 3D film technology.]

"[I] threw away [my] walker [when I got the call to do the sequel]." - Bruce Boxleitner

"I had no idea Alan Bradley would become such a lost soul." - Bruce Boxleitner

"To revisit a character 27 years later is quite amazing." - Bruce Boxleitner

"[Playing against my 35-year-old self] was pretty wild and psychedelic." - Jeff Bridges

"[Quorra] has been a companion to Kevin Flynn for a long time and she's a fearless warrior." - Olivia Wilde

So I thought that was nice that Disney gave Tron fans a chance to BE HEARD in Tron Legacy because they were HEARD.



Before the show everyone was given a card with the number "999" on it. No one knew what it meant, if it had something to do with Tron or something else....

TRON LEGACY: Set Visit Part I

From ComingSoon.net:

"'We're in uncharted territory right now. I mean this is a little bit like Rip Van Winkle.'

Those are the words of filmmaker Steven Lisberger, who 28 years ago heralded in a new era of computer-assisted filmmaking when he made his cult classic sci-fi picture TRON. The 1982 Disney feature integrated computer generated imagery into live-action footage to create a world that, both within the story and in reality, existed entirely in a computer. Many thought the film would be a breakthrough on its initial release, but both the industry and general public proved reticent, as it took in a mere $33 million at the box office and the Academy refused to allow it to be nominated for a visual effects Oscar because it considered the use of computers 'cheating'.

Nearly three decades later, time has not only vindicated Lisberger's vision, with nearly every major motion picture now employing the same techniques he used in their infancy for TRON, but has given a second-life to the franchise itself.

We caught up with Lisberger as he was filming a cameo appearance in the sequel Tron Legacy, a major motion picture being shot in stereoscopic 3D for a December 17. The new chapter is neither a remake nor a reboot, but a genuine direct sequel, and while some series such as Indiana Jones or Star Wars had major gaps between releases, this film boasts the longest time between chapters in history. Lisberger was beaming in his crazy futuristic get-up that made him look like a pale Vegas-era Elvis dipped in neon, and very aware of the long road it had been to be on that set in June.

'The sequel has been in development at Disney now for about 10 years,' said Lisberger. "I've watched some Disney executives go from brown to grey in that time. So it's been a long time, and I think that it couldn't happen until the right group of people were in place. And that had to include people that were really ready to champion the film and get totally into it.'

Those 'right people' include Joseph Kosinski, a director with a Masters in architecture from Columbia University and a body of commercial work that includes everything from Chevrolet to Nike to video games like 'Gears of War.' Add it all up and you have the ideal director to take the world of Tron into the 21st century… and beyond.

Inside the Canadian Motion Picture Productions Studios in Burnaby, British Columbia, where such large-scale productions as Watchmen had taken place, we found the main nerve center of the production known affectionately as the 'War Room.' The walls of this war room were covered head-to-toe with production art, storyboards, digital pre-vis, and blueprints of set layouts with cryptic descriptions like 'Rectifier Interior.' Also visible were small foam core models of sets which, unlike the smooth geometrical surfaces of the original film's environment, featured many organic, rock-like surfaces to augment the cold smoothness and rigid lines of these new buildings.

Returning from the original film will be familiar sights such as the famed light cycles, gladiatorial disc battles, and imposing recognizers, all brought up to date by a team of concept artists brought in from all different engineering & design disciplines, most of them the tops in their field. There are new toys at play as well (think CARS) and the guiding principal seems to have been that over the decades the Tron program has been upgrading itself to match the increasing sophistication of the times. Think about the evolution between an old Apple II and a modern day iMac.

According to Lisberger, 'The first film was sort of the bridge from analog to digital and they've met in the middle. And now it's Gonzo digital, just Gonzo digital. And that's another reason why I think it's better that the next generation take it over. Because I have too much analog in my blood from the old days, you know? I get nervous if I don't see some paint brushes in a sink somewhere.'

While Lisberger has conceded the reigns of this production to Kosinski, helping to bridge the gap will be returning star Jeff Bridges, who originated the role of programmer Kevin Flynn. A much-loved actor known for his affable charm in films going back to The Last Picture Show through The Fabulous Baker Boys and into his legendary turn as 'The Dude' in The Big Lebowski, Bridges has managed to skirt true superstardom until recent roles in blockbuster Iron Man and an Academy Award-winning turn in Crazy Heart have catapulted him into the highest ranks of the A-list. It is only fitting that headlining Tron Legacy, his biggest film to-date, should come about at this auspicious time. He seemed pleased to be back in the saddle, and to be working alongside both his old director and his new one.

'It seems like we had a long weekend,' commented Bridges, 'basically because Lisberger who directed the first one is involved, very involved in this one which is great. You know, having the source of the material still engaged. I think it gave us all a lot of pressures because he's such a wild cat but it's also kind of grounded in that first movie that was so unique and everything.'

'Jeff's contribution to Tron means a lot to me,' added Lisberger. 'He's sort of my alter ego, and for a long time I don't think he thought this would happen. I think he's a little surprised, to tell you the truth, but it's worked out well timing-wise. It's like he was the crazy fool and now he's the Obi-Wan.'

'Joe, our director, was an architect,' says Bridges. 'That's where he's coming from. It's interesting, different filmmakers, where they come from and what they bring to the film and he's an architect and so the film has a very heightened design feel to it. By the way, this is his first film. Can you imagine? I don't know if it's the most expensive ever made but it's right up there. To have a first-time guy... Got to give Disney credit for taking that risk. They were smart because he's such a calm, can-do guy. He's gonna pull this off. He's out of commercials, and I saw some of the technology that he had available to him that he could use. It was basically the same reason that I did the first one.'

Kosinski pitched the studio on a story which involved Flynn's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) being informed by Alan Bradley (an also-returning Bruce Boxleitner) that a new transmission had been received from his long-missing father. When Kevin goes back to his father's old arcade to investigate, he gets inadvertently sucked into the Tron world on a quest to find Kevin.

Essentially taking over Jeff's original role as the film's protagonist, newcomer Hedlund had to maintain a certain degree of perspective while trying to create his character amid a world of bluescreen that will be filled in later by CGI wonders.

'I have an extreme amount of curiosity to see what this is all going to look like,' said Hedlund, 'because for now when you look at playbacks in the monitor it's just, you know, your mug and a blue screen. You can become critical, you're like oh I flinched there, or I blinked there. Man I shouldn't blink so much and then it's like [LAUGH] but there's going to be all this glorious stuff back there that's going to be taking a lot of focus off yourself as well.'

Hedlund took on the lead role eager to take on the various physical challenges, including motorcycle and parkour training, but relished the chance to work alongside Bridges.

'I've always been such a fan of him,' he said, 'and his kind of self-character and his charisma and everything. And I knew I'd really get along with him and, you know, we did. He's got a very big portion of him that's still just a kid.'

One relationship that proved not-so-comfortable for Hedlund on this film was between him and his skin-tight suit, which is covered with paper-thin lighting. Part of the practical ethos to do as much in-camera as possible for Tron Legacy is exemplified by these suits; even in the original TRON the suit circuit lights were achieved on a computer. These new suits are controlled by radio, with safe wiring, and in order for the lights to pop onscreen much of the shooting in the Tron world has been done with extra low-light.

Hedlund discussed the troubles with these costumes in detail:

'Once you have to put it on for the first day it seems like the longest day in the world. Your body is doing different things. They got foot straps down here to keep the pants low enough so they don't raise up. You got this on and you got the boots and the top holds this one up but this has to hold the top down. And so when I raise my right arm I'm feeling a tug on my left foot. [LAUGHTER] And it's all these different things and your shoulders go out. Had a lot of chiropractic readjustments, to the point where I had both shoulders out and three ribs out, both hips. It's all just from when you can't sit down and the lower back is going.'

Sam Flynn will be led down the rabbit hole of the Tron world, experiencing many of its most dangerous and exotic places, in his quest to find his dad. When they do meet up, we were promised by the producers that the elder Flynn's role would take on a dimension that, much like Kurtz in 'Heart of Darkness,' would exist very much in the grey area between good and evil. Lisberger said that this transition into a slightly more cynical story is in keeping with the theme how things become not as clear-cut as we age...

'Naturally I relate to Jeff's character, and I'm the same age as the character in the film and my son is the same age as the character in the film. So the father son story is particularly close to my heart. And I always like the idea of making people fight to the death on the game grid.'

Whatever becomes of both Flynn the elder and Flynn the younger at the conclusion of this new film, it is clear that a circle is completed and a torch has been passed to a new generation, while respect for TRON and its effect on the movie industry is being treated with a gentle awe by both the new and returning filmmakers.

Said Bridges, 'The first one was cutting edge technology at that time and this one certainly is for this time. And it's a whole different way of making movies I hadn't experienced. A little bit in Iron Man, but nothing like this.'"

The folks at ComingSoon.net have at least two more parts to their set visit that they will release later. How much later, I have no idea.

2010 ACADEMY AWARDS Nominations

BEST PICTURE:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), A Lightstorm Entertainment Production, James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
The Blind Side (Warner Bros.), An Alcon Entertainment Production, Nominees to be determined
District 9 (TriStar), A Block/Hanson Production, Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
An Education (Sony Pictures Classics), A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production, Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), A Voltage Pictures Production, Nominees to be determined
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte lsberg Production, Lawrence Bender, Producer
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate), A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production, Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
A Serious Man (Focus Features), A Working Title Films Production, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
Up (Disney•Pixar), A Pixar Production, Jonas Rivera, Producer
Up in the Air (Paramount), A Montecito Picture Company Production, Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

DIRECTING:
James Cameron - Avatar (20th Century Fox)
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air (Paramount)
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate)
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney - Up in the Air (Paramount)
Colin Firth - A Single Man (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman - Invictus (Warner Bros.)
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren - The Last Station (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan - An Education (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia (Columbia Pictures)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Matt Damon - Invictus (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger (Oscilloscope)
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones (Paramount)
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Penelope Cruz - Nine (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air (Paramount)
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight)
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air (Paramount)
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
District 9 (TriStar), Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
An Education (Sony Pictures Classics), Screenplay by Nick Hornby
In the Loop (IFC Films), Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate), Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air (Paramount), Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Written by Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Written by Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger (Oscilloscope), Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
A Serious Man (Focus Features), Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Up (Disney•Pixar), Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Ajami (Kino International), An Inosan Production, Israel
El Secreto de sus Ojos (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haddock Films Production, Argentina
The Milk of Sorrow, A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production, Peru
Une Prophéte (Sony Pictures Classics), A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production, France
The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics), An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production, Germany

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Coraline (Focus Features), Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox Searchlight), Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney), John Musker and Ron Clements
The Secret of the Kells (GDKIDS), Tomm Moore
Up (Disney•Pixar), Pete Docter

ART DIRECTION:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics), Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
Nine (The Weinstein Company), Art Direction: John Myhre, Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Young Victoria (Apparition), Art Direction: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.), Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics), Christian Berger

COSTUME DESIGN:
Bright Star (Apparition), Janet Patterson
Coco Before Chanel (Sony Pictures Classics), Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics), Monique Prudhomme
Nine (The Weinstein Company), Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria (Apparition), Sandy Powell

FILM EDITING:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
District 9 (TriStar), Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Sally Menke
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate), Joe Klotz

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Burma VJ (Oscilloscope Laboratories), A Magic Hour Films Production, Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
The Cove (Roadside Attractions), An Oceanic Preservation Society Production, Nominees to be determined
Food, Inc. (Magnolia Pictures), A Robert Kenner Films Production, Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (First Run Features ), A Kovno Communications Production, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
Which Way Home, A Mr. Mudd Production, Rebecca Cammisa

MAKEUP:
Il Divo (MPI Media Group through Music Box), Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria (Apparition), Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

ORIGINAL SCORE:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox Searchlight), Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.), Hans Zimmer
Up (Disney•Pixar), Michael Giacchino

ORIGINAL SONG:
"Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from Paris 36 (Sony Pictures Classics), Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from Nine (The Weinstein Company), Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

SOUND MIXING:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount), Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

SOUND EDITING:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Wylie Stateman
Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
Up (Disney•Pixar), Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

VISUAL EFFECTS:
Avatar (20th Century Fox), Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
District 9 (TriStar), Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, A Downtown Community Television Center Production, Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner, A Just Media Production, Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, A Community Media Production, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
Music by Prudence, An iThemba Production, Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
Rabbit à la Berlin (Deckert Distribution), An MS Films Production, Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
French Roast, A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production, Fabrice O. Joubert
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (Brown Bag Films), A Brown Bag Films Production, Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte), A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production, Javier Recio Gracia
Logorama (Autour de Minuit), An Autour de Minuit Production, Nicolas Schmerkin
A Matter of Loaf and (Aardman Animations), An Aardman Animations Production, Nick Park"

WHAT SURPRISED ME:

The Blind Side for Best Picture (you know Memphis is gonna squeeze everything they can outta this; I am proud, however, for the Touhys though I do not know them personally)
District 9 for Best Picture
Up for Best Picture (it is not only the 2nd animated film in history to be nominated in the Best Picture category, but it is also the 1st completely computer-animated film to be nominated for Best Picture; also the first Pixar film to be nominated for Best Picture)

WHAT ANGERED ME:

No Star Trek for Best Picture, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay (based on the TV series "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry) or Costume Design? (I guess that was a false dream)
How did a Harry Potter movie get Best Cinematography?
No Robert Downey Jr. nomination for Sherlock Holmes (even though the man won the Golden Globe for it; though it was in "Comedy" which we all know the Academy loathes.)
Speaking of the Academy loathing comedy, not a single nomination for The Hangover which is the highest-grossing comedy of all time.

Joseph Kosinski updates on TRON LEGACY

From MTV.com:

"Joseph Kosinski deserves a spot on MTV News' 10 to Watch in 2010 list because of his sheer creative guts. For the director's feature-film debut, he's taking on one of the most venerated sci-fi flicks ever in Tron, the 1982 Jeff Bridges-starring escapade about artificial intelligence, gaming and the boundaries of moviemaking technology. And for his sequel, Tron Legacy, due in December, Kosinski is going big with a motion-capture 3D adventure that picks up after the events of the first movie and seeks to pay homage to the original while utilizing the very latest digital tools Hollywood has to offer.

With principal photography on the film wrapped, the director is hard at work on the visual-effects work Disney is hoping will be unlike anything audiences have ever seen. In the midst of all of this work, Kosinski called MTV News to talk about his film's 3D tech, the elements from the first film we're sure to see in the sequel and how Daft Punk were recruited to record the score.

MTV: 'Much of the work was done last year, but looking at 2010, does it feel like this is an important professional year for you?'

Joseph Kosinski: 'I'm about two and a half years in on this, with about another year still to go. We still have a tremendous amount of work still to do, because there are a lot of visual effects on a movie like this, and we're also doing it in 3D, which doubles up everything. Then sound design and tweaking the music. It's not the home stretch by any means. '

MTV: 'How immersive is the 3D? Is it start to finish, or does it pop up in key sequences?'

Kosinski: 'Our approach is not like Avatar, which I think is 3D from the first shot to the last. Ours is sort of a Wizard of Oz approach. Ninety-eight percent of the 3D is in the world of Tron. The 3D really starts once we get into the Tron world.'

MTV: 'Is the technology you're using similar to what James Cameron used or what Robert Zemeckis has used?'


Kosinski: 'It's a combination of technologies that Zemeckis has been using in terms of the completely digital motion-capture of a character and for the live-action camera system. We used a camera developed by James Cameron's company. We used a newer generation of camera than the one used on Avatar. They built it specifically for us.'

MTV: 'Will the finished film look pretty much like what we've seen in that test footage from Comic-Con?'

Kosinski: 'I would say it's not far removed. The teaser, at least tonally, represented the direction I wanted to take it. That sequence actually doesn't appear in our film at all. It represents a period of time before our film begins. We were able to refine the design of the light cycles, the characters, the world and kind of flesh it out to a much higher level of detail than we were able to do for the test. What we're going to see in the film will feel a lot more photorealistic. They did that test with eight or 10 people in a matter of months. We have thousands of people working on the film. It's a whole different scale.'

MTV: 'So the takeaway is that Jeff Bridges is playing at least two representations of himself, one that is a contemporary of the original character and one that is a younger version. How much of Jeff are we going to see?'

Kosinski: 'Jeff is playing two characters. He's playing Kevin Flynn, the character from the original film, and he's playing Clu, the avatar that Kevin Flynn created in the 1980s. I'd say he's Clu 2. There was a Clu in the first film who looked like Jeff but was very simple in terms of his abilities. He's very stiff. Clu 2 is a second incarnation of Kevin's avatar. He doesn't only look like Jeff, but he can think like him too. So it's a whole new level of artificial intelligence.


MTV: 'What strikes me from the teaser and my visit to the set is that this is a dark film, an adult approach to the material. It's not a G-rated Disney film.'

Kosinski: 'I don't know if I would say adult. There's nothing in the film that would keep kids from watching it. I think the aesthetic of the film is largely a reflection of my aesthetic and what I'm interested in. When you make a movie, you can only make the movie that you would want to see. For me, it was taking what I loved about the first film, which was the design elements that Syd Mead and Moebius [a.k.a. Jean Giraud] did, which I feel is timeless, and extrapolate it forward 28 years. We're saying in the world of the computer, it's been thousands of years and it has evolved.'

MTV: 'Has there been a mandate in terms of rating?'

Kosinski: 'While making the movie, we never did anything to serve a particular rating. We made the movie we wanted to make. I think Disney would be really happy with a PG rating. But I haven't had it reviewed by anyone. I imagine it will be PG or PG-13.'

MTV: 'It's going to be released in IMAX, presumably. Did you shoot anything specifically for that format?'

Kosinski: 'We did not shoot anything with an IMAX camera, because it uses film, and since we were shooting in 3D, we used two digital cameras. That being said, we are doing an IMAX version. What I am considering doing now is finishing four or five sections of the film in a tall format — not letterbox — and in an IMAX theater, the black bars at the top and bottom of the frame will disappear and it will become a full-screen sequence, which should be really cool. I think IMAX will be the way to see this movie.'

MTV: 'What were the hallmarks that you felt you needed to retain to satisfy the core audience who loved the original?'

Kosinski: 'The focus was always to serve the story we are telling. To include Bruce Boxleitner is not at all a cameo or stunt casting. He is integral to the story we're trying to tell, which is why he's in it. We've taken the events of the first movie as historical facts. In our story, Kevin Flynn emerged from his first experience as CEO of ENCOM and actually released the Tron video game based on his experiences in the first movie. ENCOM has become the most innovative, most successful, most forward-thinking digital company in the world as of 1989. There are fun references to parts of the first film. Sam Flynn [Garrett Hedlund], in searching for his father, has to retrace his steps and comes upon clues and places that we visited in the first film, like Flynn's Arcade. Even in the world of Tron itself, a lot of vehicles and sequences have evolved. We'll get to see how the disc game has changed, how the light cycle battle has changed. We get to see the new version of these iconic sequences. Things have gotten bigger and a bit out of control.'


MTV: 'Why'd you choose to go with Daft Punk for the soundtrack?'

Kosinski: 'I'm a huge electronic-music fan. This is a film where there was a lot of interest from different electronic bands that I follow to work on the film. I felt it was important, just as the first film was so forward-thinking visually and Wendy Carlos' music was so innovative, I felt we had to do the same thing here. So rather than going with a traditional film composer, I wanted to try something fresh and different. I set up a meeting with Daft Punk. We met for pancakes at the 101 Coffee Shop in L.A. one morning. These guys take Tron very seriously. Obviously, Tron was a huge influence on them. It was almost like they were interviewing me to make sure that I was going to hold up to the Tron legacy. But the more we talked, we realized that creatively, we were totally synced up. I've been working on it with them for over a year and a half. I don't know of a movie where you're working on the soundtrack months before you start filming. The level of integration between the music and the film is incredibly strong.'

MTV: 'Will it integrate any of the original themes?'

Kosinski: 'There's a certain level of nostalgia with something like this, but we never want it to go to a level of campiness. So we've been very careful to make sure we're serving our story. If you hear any music from the original film, it will only be in the appropriate place.'

MTV: 'I know it's early, but are you thinking of franchise possibilities?'

Kosinski: 'Yeah. I think the world we've built here is big enough and has scale to support another story. As to whether that will happen, that depends on how the film is received when it comes out.'"

I. STILL. CAN'T. WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff Bridges talks TRON LEGACY

From SciFiWire.com:

"Jeff Bridges likened playing Kevin Flynn in the original 1982 Tron to being a kid again, playing pretend, so it's appropriate that he literally becomes a kid again in the upcoming 3D sequel film, Tron Legacy, in which he plays dual roles.

Though the movie's storyline is closely held, we know that Bridges will play an older version of his original character, Kevin Flynn, as well as [Flynn's digital alter-ego, Clu] whose appearance is that of Bridges 27 years ago.


The film will use of the same computer technology employed to age and de-age Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

'It was challenging, in that I got a little taste of this new technology of acting what they call 'in the volume' and making movies without cameras,' Bridges said in a group interview Wednesday in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting the drama Crazy Heart. 'It's a completely different deal. That was kind of a challenge. It was great getting back with my old buddy, [original Tron director] Steven Lisberger, and Bruce Boxleitner." Boxleitner, who played the dual roles of Alan Bradley and Tron in the original film, will appear in the sequel as an age-appropriate Bradley.

Fans got a taste of Bridges' mysterious dual role in the original teaser for Tron Legacy, which screened two Comic-Cons ago. The teaser gives a sense of how they've updated familiar Tron effects, such as the light cycles and flying discs, but Bridges said that's only the beginning of what's in store for Tron Legacy.

'All that technology that we were going to use in the movie itself is used in the trailer,' Bridges continued. 'It wasn't as highly polished as the movie is going to be, but it gives you a little peek into what you might find. That teaser was something they do kind of often with movies, and I think it's a good idea. The Coen brothers told me they did it with making Blood Simple. Before they even shoot the movie at all, they shoot the trailer of the movie, as if it was already made, and then they use that to entice the financiers. So, even though it was a Disney property, Disney wanted them to shoot this pretty expensive trailer. I don't know how much it cost, but it was pretty expensive.' The teaser footage was actually test footage that won't likely appear in the finished movie.

In Tron Legacy, Kevin Flynn's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), goes back into the digital world to find his lost father. Olivia Wilde and Michael Sheen co-star as programs living in the world of computer programs. Boxleitner also reprises his role from the original Tron. Lisberger collaborates as a producer. Joseph Kosinski directs the new vision of Tron.

'I used to love to pretend when I was a kid,' Bridges said. 'Here's a movie that they say, 'You get to play a guy who gets sucked inside a computer.' Ooh, yeah. Use all the modern technology that's available today, [and] the same goes with the sequel, except all the technology that we're using in that makes the old one look like an old black-and-white TV show or something. Gosh, it's amazing what they've got going on this. I can't wait to see it all pasted together.'

Tron Legacy has completed principal photography but will not be finished with post-production effects until its release, currently slated for December 2010."

Good to see Jeff still holds a place in his heart for Tron.

Speaking of Jeff Bridges news, here's one that's not being covered by major movie news but here!

From GoMemphis.com:
"The Coen brothers -- the Academy Award-winning filmmakers responsible for such modern classics as No Country for Old Men, Fargo and The Big Lebowski -- are looking for a Memphis girl with 'steely nerves,' a 'straightforward manner' and, yes, true grit.

An open casting call will be held from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the East Memphis Hilton at 939 Ridge Lake Blvd., for the potentially star-making role of spunky young Mattie Ross, a lead character in the Coens' upcoming remake of the famous 1969 western, True Grit.

According to a release from the casting office, the filmmakers are looking for 'a 12 to 16-year-old Caucasian girl who is tough, strong and tells it like it is. They are open to all looks, so come give it a try. No acting experience is necessary.'

Writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen 'would love, love, love to find somebody unknown,' said casting director Rachel Tenner, who worked with the Coens on A Serious Man, Burn After Reading and No Country for Old Men, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2008. 'Any girls with an instinct to try should come and give it a shot.'"

Wish they were shooting the movie in Memphis!!

Jeff Bridges shows his TRUE GRIT

From ComingSoon.net:


"Jeff Bridges is in talks to star in Joel and Ethan Coen's remake of True Grit for Paramount Pictures. He last worked with the Coens on 1998's The Big Lebowski.



Bridges would play the role that won John Wayne an Oscar for the 1969 original.

The film, which also reunites the Coens with their No Country for Old Men producing partner Scott Rudin, has been redrafted by the brothers to be more faithful to the Charles Portis novel on which the original film was based.

The story centers on a 14-year-old who tags along with an aging U.S. marshal, Rooster Cogburn, and another lawman to track the outlaw who killed her father."

Huh. Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn? He's no replacement for John Wayne (like there could ever be) but I'm interested.

UPDATE:

From ComingSoon.net:

"The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, have gained an entirely new level of respect and appreciation as filmmakers over the last few years thanks to their Oscar-winning adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men and last year's box office hit Burn After Reading. Having their names attached to a movie called True Grit has gotten a lot of interest because the 1969 John Wayne movie of the same name is a popular Western. In fact, the Coens have decided to go back to the Charles Portis novel of the same name to create their own movie based on it.

'We did see it as kids. I don't know if Joel's seen it since,' Ethan said once the movie was mentioned. 'It made very little impression on me, the movie. We subsequently both read the book and the book made a huge impression and I guess that's kind of why we're interested in doing the movie.'

'It's not a great movie but it is a great book actually,' his brother continued.

'It's not really a remake, it's an adaptation,' Ethan admitted to which Joel added, 'Yeah, we were trying to figure out what it was the other day, too. What do you call it?'

They're hoping that this project will be next although they're not sure and are hoping that it will get done in the spring.

Despite there having been word out of Toronto that Jeff Bridges aka "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski was the frontrunner for the John Wayne role in the new movie, the brothers remained coy about confirming that, merely saying, 'We're talking to somebody.'"

Stare at a trailer for THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS

From ComingSoon.net:

"...The trailer for director Grant Heslov's new comedy, The Men Who Stare at Goats, starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges [has been released].

Based on true events described in Jon Ronson's 2004 book of the same title, the November 6 release involves a down-on-his-luck reporter (McGregor) who gets more than he bargains for when he meets a special forces agent (Clooney) who reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to use paranormal powers to end war as we know it."



I admit, I usually don't like war movies (except for ones made by big directors like Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay and Ben Stiller) but this one looks too funny to pass up.

UPDATE: Further information from Slashfilm:

"In this quirky dark comedy inspired by a real life story you will hardly believe is actually true, astonishing revelations about a top-secret wing of the U.S. military come to light when a reporter encounters an enigmatic Special Forces operator on a mind-boggling mission. Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Academy Award®winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of 'Warrior Monks' with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program’s founder, Bill Django (Oscar® nominee Jeff Bridges), has gone missing and Cassady’s mission is to find him. Intrigued by his new acquaintance’s far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides to accompany him on the search. When the pair tracks Django to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (two-time Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey), the reporter is trapped in the middle of a grudge match between the forces of Django’s New Earth Army and Hooper’s personal militia of super soldiers. In order to survive this wild adventure, Bob will have to outwit an enemy he never thought possible. The Men Who Stare at Goats was inspired by Jon Ronson’s non-fiction bestseller of the same name, an eye-opening and often hilarious exploration of the government’s attempts to harness paranormal abilities to combat its enemies."

UPDATE:

NEW TRAILER!!