It is a sad day in the film community. We were just informed that the talented Heath Ledger was just found dead in a Manhattan apartment, with prescription and over the counter pills found in the room. Police have found no indication of foul play, so a lot of people have already ruled it out as suicide, but Police spokesmans Paul Browne stated, "This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet." It was also confirmed that the pills were not scattered around. NYPD ruled out the rumor that the apt. was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen.

He was just 28 and left behind a two year old daughter, Matilda Rose, and wife, Michelle Williams. Reports state they have been separated for some time now.

Click CNN reports Heath's autopsy was inconclusive, and the cause of death will not be known for another 10-14 days.

If you are interested in reading the details on why Johnny Greenwood's score was disqualified for an Oscar, click HERE. Paramount Vantage was also given word that Into The Wild was also ineligible due to the same reasons, even though Eddie Vedder wrote three original songs for the film. (Not even a nom. for best original song? Thanks!) If you're feeling a bit bitter about this like myself, feel free to express your opinions here.

Today The Academy announced 2008's Oscar nominations. There is a lot of bitterness floating around about Johnny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood being disqualified due to "roughly 46 minutes of pre-existing work" not being his own. Whatever. Here are the nominations. In bold is where my vote is going to:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)
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Saw IV
Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Paterson, Arthena Karkanis
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman.
Since Saw III ended with the death of Jigsaw and his protégé Amanda you’re probably wondering why we have to deal with another violent and dumb Saw Film. Well Saw III made a large profit proving that Saw is still a very bankable franchise and like the saying goes, “where there’s a will there’s a way”.
Saw IV begins with FBI profilers Strahm and Perez arrive on the scene of the grisly remains of the last film and soon learn that Jigsaw still has one more game to play Involving Swat Commander Rigg. We also learn Jigsaw’s back-story and what really causes him to do what he does the way he does.
The film is just more of the same boring bloody tricks from the people that have a made career on this stale franchise. Like the previous film Saw IV is Low on tension or real frights. However, if you enjoy squirming in your seat and having to constantly look at the ground as you hear the sound of bone’s crunching and flesh tearing then you will have fun with Saw IV. Otherwise, I suggest you avoid this film.
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This was a tough year for Eddie Murphy, Jessica Simpson, and Lindsey Lohan. But they all suck, so who cares. Here are the nominees for this years Rasberry "Razzie" Awards!

Worst Picture
Bratz - Lionsgate
Daddy Day Camp - Sony/Tri-Star/Revolution
I Know Who Killed Me - Tri-Star
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry - Universal
Norbit - Dreamworks

Worst Actor
Nicolas Cage - Ghost Rider, Next and National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Jim Carrey - The Number 23
Cuba Gooding, Jr. - Daddy Day Camp and Norbit
Eddie Murphy (as Norbit) - Norbit
Adam Sandler - I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Worst Actress
Jessica Alba- Awake, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck
Four No-name Actresses - Bratz
Elisha Cuthbert - Captivity
Diane Keaton - Because I Said So
Lindsay Lohan (as Aubrey) - I Know Who Killed Me
Lindsay Lohan (as Dakota) - I Know Who Killed Me, Too

Worst Director
Dennis Dugan - I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Roland Joffe - Captivity
Brian Robbins - Norbit
Fred Savage- Daddy Day Camp
Chris Silverston - I Know Who Killed Me

Source- razzies.com

In the next few days, we're going to be giving you lots of coverage of 2008's Sundance Film Festival. I'm going to start with Colin Farell's In Bruges for three reasons. One, We're screening it this week. Two, we're interviewing the director Martin Macdonah next week. He is a first timer, so this will make or break his career (not our interview, his film). And three, Ralph Fiennes is in this, and it's rare for him to make a bad movie. We are all going to pretend he was never in Maid in Manhattan. Here is some press stuff for their new film. Stay tuned for our review of In Bruges and video interview with Martin McDonagh next week.

So, you know 1/3 of our thoughts on Cloverfield, and now we would like yours. Did it meet your expectations? Was the monster better/worse than you thought it would be? Is J.J. Abrams trying to take over the world? And most importantly, how do you feel about the hand held camera effect? Did it bother you at all?

Cloverfield of course came in first with $41 Million That's a bit surprising considering all the hype around it, but after watching this, I can see why it didn't get close to our projected 80. You can read my review HERE.

Chick flick 27 Dresses happily came in second with $22 Million. I have not seen this yet, but I am going to say that I am very proud that this stayed to compete with Cloverfield ever since hearing about all the films that got pushed back because the studios did not want to compete.

The Bucket List made the top 5 cut this weekend, and even though it hasn't surpassed it's budget, it's a big deal with it being a limited release.

Juno is still kicking ass and taking names. It's soooooooo close to the $100 million mark, which will make it the highest grossing independent film of all time. I'm sure you hate us with all the Juno stuff we are shoving down your throat without a spoon, but we don't care.

And last, National Treasure is well on it's way to the one trillion dollar mark. Cool. Read Cameron's review HERE.

Results (Jan. 18-20):

Source- boxofficemojo.com

Here is the interview we shared with Eva for her new film, Over Her Dead Body. She's so cute and little! I just wanted to put her in my pocket and carry her everywhere!

BLAIR WITCH PROJECT +JURASSIC PARK + GODZILLA + guy loses girl x serious J.J. Abrams special effects= CLOVERFIELD

Rating: 8/10
Motion Sickness rating: 47/10

Director: Matt Reeves
Writer: Drew Goddard
Cast: Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman
Studio:Paramount Pictures

The Good:
I tried going into this movie knowing as little as possible, but considering it is the most hyped up movie of the year, I always seemed to stumble on spoilers and such. I'll tell you this, the less you know about CLOVERFIELD, the better. All you really need to know is that CLOVERFIELD is a new kind of monster film. Shot on a handheld camera, it follows four friends throughout downtown New York while the city is attacked by some kind of Godzilla-like creature. When we see the head of the Statue of Liberty tossed through the city like a rag doll, we know whatever it is isn't here for tea time.

The story starts off with a going away party for our hero, Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who is moving to Japan. We know early that he had a brief romance with the girl of his dreams, Beth (Odette Yustman), whom he has an argument with and she leaves the party. In what would be a story we've all seen before, suddenly a monster comes and destroys everything in its path. But what's different about this film is that it's more focused on the love story than the monster. Rather than take an easy evacuation, Rob sets out to find Beth in the mess of a city, rescue her, and take her to safety. Sound familiar?
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I come from a background of skateboarding, and I would like you to know that the only Hollywood movie I liked that focused around the skateboarding industry was Larry Clark's Kids. Maybe because it didn't pay much attention to actual skateboarding itself. Let the pros handle that.

Here is the trailer for Gus Van Sant's probably future sad attempt at becoming the next Larry Clark. Isn't this the same guy that directed Good Will Hunting?

Click HERE to view the trailer.

2007 has been a great year for movies. This cinematically remarkable year is due largely to the fact that this has been such a great year for directors. Many of the most talented and respected directors in Hollywood have turned in superb entries this year, including Tim Burton’s Sweeny Todd, David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, and Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. I could go on, trust me. Given the success many great directors have had this year, it is only fitting to conclude the year with P.T Anderson’s oil epic There Will Be Blood.

P.T Anderson is a director’s director. Carefully working on his scripts and productions no matter how long it takes. Always willing to go with the bizarre, brutal, or depressing to complete his vision. No tool is ever neglected. The shots are always perfect and introspective; the music moving and intricate. Critically, P.T. Anderson has never made a bad movie with four critical darlings to his name. Is There Will Be Blood at the same quality level as the rest of P.T’s films? Does P.T keep pace with his fellow directors in this fantastic year? The answer is a bold and resounding yes.

There Will Be Blood takes place in the early 1900s. Daniel Day Lewis is Daniel Plainview, a man whose greed and necessity to succeed drives him to make oil his life. The film follows Daniel from his ambitious beginnings to his hollow success, having sacrificed his humanity for his oil dreams.
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Let me first start off saying to all you Eva Longoria haters out there, you are completely wrong and/or misinformed. She was one of the kindest celebrities I've ever met, and trust me, she doesn't have to be. I went into this interview with the impression "lyke, OMG, she's such a betch!" because of the people I've spoken to about her, further increasing my anxiety, but within 10 seconds of meeting her, it dissolved. She smiles! She's beautiful! She's got fantastic energy! She has tattoos! She cooks! She iChats! She does Tony's laundry! And the most important, she actually cares about politics and the terrible things going on in this world. When it comes to her being a bitch, Public Enemy says it best. Don't believe the hype. Here is a shout out she kindly gave us. Her interview will soon follow.

Actor Brad Renfro, who became a child star at 14 in The Client but in recent years was plagued by numerous drug problems and arrests, was found dead at his Los Angeles home Tuesday morning; he was 25. While the Los Angeles County coroner confirmed to Access Hollywood that Renfro had died, a cause of death was not named. The Tennessee-born actor snagged an amazingly high-profile part for his first role, that of a young boy sought by the mafia in the 1994 adaptation of the John Grisham novel The Client, opposite established stars Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. His impressive performance in the box office hit made him a high-profile young actor, and roles in such films as Tom and Huck, Sleepers and Telling Lies in America followed; he also appeared opposite Ian McKellen in Bryan Singer's controversial Apt Pupil, about a young student who blackmails his elderly neighbor, whom he believes is a Nazi war criminal. Despite a string of successful roles, including solid performances in Bully and Ghost World, Renfro reportedly found adapting to Hollywood difficult, and was arrested on a number of drug and theft charges. In 2000, he was arrested in Florida on grand theft charges for allegedly trying to steal a 45-foot yacht, and while on probation for the crime was jailed for underage drinking. Other arrests followed, and last year he was found in violation of his probation for failing to enroll in a drug treatment program. Most recently, Renfro had appeared in The Jacket as well as an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He had just wrapped filming on The Informers opposite Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton and Kim Basinger.

Source- IMDB.com

YES! is the only word I can think of to describe the promotional photo for Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's upcoming comedy Step Brothers. The plot for this is somewhat simple (two brothers competing for their parents love), but with Adam McKay behind the wheel and these two guys leading, it's sure to be a hit. I mean, take a look at the photo below. Can this duo be any cooler?

Source- CHUD.com