With just a day left to go until the big show, I’d like to bet you’ve had enough Oscar predictions – especially considering quite a handful of the biggest honors are considered locks. Well, I offer you something a little different; not who I think will win, but who I think should win. Best Picture: The King’s Speech Every Best Picture nominee achieves some degree of filmmaking prowess, otherwise, they wouldn’t be nominated in the first place. Rather than pick apart the elements and compare the contenders by the writing, directing acting, etc., this category comes down to something far simpler, yet something tougher to achieve – poignancy. Which of  [ Read More ]

The first picture from the film “Rise of the Apes” has been released, according to CinemaBlend. In the picture, we see James Franco with a bluetooth-type headset on, looking seriously and thoughtfully in a scientific type of setting (we see x-rays and scientific equipment surrounding Franco’s character). Apparently, something serious is going on. This blogger is a “Planet of the Apes” fanatic (the ’60s version, not the 2001 version), so this news is very exciting to me. And, even though it’s extremely difficult-verging-on-impossible to examine a movie from one picture, it would seem that there is some type care being taken with this movie. Again, it’s really impossible to judge  [ Read More ]

The Hollywood Reporter has released a question-and-answer session with this year’s Oscar hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco. According to the two hosts, there will not be any insult humor ala Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes. “I can guarantee that if you’re looking for someone to call people out, we’re not your hosts,” Hathaway said in the interview. She also said that she wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that type of comedy because it’s difficult and she doesn’t feel she’s adept to it. She also said that since she is the youngest host in history, she feels she doesn’t have the right to talk about anyone. “I certainly haven’t earned  [ Read More ]

James Franco may feel a lot of things on Oscar night as the co-host, but one thing he doesn’t feel is stress. The actor, who is also up for a Best Actor nomination for “127 Hours”, told Vanity Fair that he would not be fretting over his hosting duties. ”If it’s the worst Oscars show ever, who cares? It’s like, it’s fine. It’s one night. It doesn’t matter,” he said. Even though he stated that if this year’s Oscars urns out to be the worst one ever, he wouldn’t care, that doesn’t mean that he would be just phoning it in. “I’ll try my best,” he said. “They know we’re not Billy Crystal  [ Read More ]

Universal Pictures just released this new movie trailer for the upcoming comedy “Your Highness” by director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Eastbound & Down) and starring Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Thor), Zooey Deschanel (My Idiot Brother), James Franco (127 Hours, Rise of the Apes) and Danny McBride (The Foot Fist Way, Land of the Lost, Tropic Thunder). Synopsis: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Danny McBride and James  [ Read More ]

Cate Blanchett, James Franco and Ben Stiller have all signed on to star in director Noah Baumbach’s upcoming film ‘While We’re Young,’ Cinemablend.com is reporting. The news comes after Baumbach’s wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh, filed for divorce and dropped out of her role. Greta Gerwig, who is most remembered for starring in the director’s last film, ‘Greenberg,’ has also left the movie due to scheduling conflicts. ‘While We’re Young’ is set to follow a documentary filmmaker (played by Stiller) and his wife (portrayed by Blanchett), who are forced to lighten up by a younger couple (played by Franco and a still undecided actress). But the movie is experiencing financial problems,  [ Read More ]

Saw may not have gone out with a bang, but it did close out its seven-year run with a #1 opening at the box office. Saw 3D took in $22.5 million, which is a huge improvement compared to the last installment’s $14.1 million opening, but still nowhere near Saw II’s $31.7 million, Saw III’s $33.6 million, Saw IV’s $31.8 million or Saw V’s $30.1 million opening. Yes, that $22.5 million is a bit under par, but when you consider the film was made for just $20 million, it’s an instant winner for Lionsgate. Apparently Saw 3D attracted a significant amount of moviegoers looking for a scare this Halloween weekend because  [ Read More ]

James Franco has optioned the movie rights to D.J. Waldie’s book ‘Holy Land,’ Cinemablend.com is reporting. This comes after the actor bought the rights to ’The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder’ by Stephen Elliot late last month, with the intention of directing, producing and starring in a movie adaptation. Waldie apparently approves of Franco’s decision to bring his book to the big screen. The author told Variety over the summer that he sees it as “good potential source material for a documentary.” The book follows Waldie’s experiences growing up in Lakewood, California as the land was being turned into tract housing.   As of now, Franco doesn’t have any specific plans  [ Read More ]

Title: Howl Directed By: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman Starring: James Franco, Jon Hamm, Mary-Lousie Parker, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Treat Williams, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, Alessandro Nivola Lacking an appreciation for poetry? No, I’m not talking about Shel Silverstein-type childhood favorites; I’m referring to the serious stuff, specifically, Allen Ginsberg’s work. If the answer is no, Howl certainly isn’t for you. Not that a moviegoer must like the person, the event or the subject a factual film focuses on, but Howl is so difficult to enjoy as it is that if you don’t find entertainment in slam poetry, the film is a guaranteed lost cause. James Franco stars as Ginsberg,  [ Read More ]

Title: Eat Pray Love Directed By: Ryan Murphy Starring: Julia Roberts, Billy Crudup, Viola Davis, James Franco, Tuva Novotny, Luca Argentero, Richard Jenkins, Javier Bardem, Hadi Subiyanto Like Glee? Sorry, but this film’s not for you. Despite the fact that Eat Pray Love is directed by the show’s writer-director Ryan Murphy, it’s absolutely nothing like it. It’s got some fantastic music selection, ones that would be nice to hear the William McKinley High School kids revamp, but other than that, Eat Pray Love is exactly the opposite, dreary, no fun and unmemorable. Eat, pray, love? More like eat, pray, snooze. Julia Roberts stars as Liz, a woman whose life changes  [ Read More ]

It’s only been a little over a year since Slumdog Millionaire dominated the awards season, but I want more Danny Boyle! And not just because Slumdog was an incredible film; his next movie, 127 Hours sounds fantastic. It’s based on the frightening true story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who had to resort to extreme measures when a boulder fell, trapping him by his arm. During the five days that followed, Ralston assessed his situation and finally came to the conclusion that he had to do whatever it took to free himself and in that case it meant amputating his own arm. James Franco will be the centerpiece of  [ Read More ]

There’s life after Harry Potter for Draco Malfoy. 20th Century Fox announced that Tom Felton has joined the cast of Caesar: Rise of the Apes as the son of the film’s villain played by Brian Cox, the co-owner of an ape facility. Caesar will be set in present day San Francisco and focus on the genetic engineering experiments that result in the creation of ape intelligence that starts the war between humans and apes. James Franco leads as a scientist researching Alzheimer’s who ends up being the man responsible for an ape named Caesar, the leader of his kind in the war. The performance capture work for Caesar will be  [ Read More ]

The creators of the late-’90s television cult favorite ‘Freaks and Geeks’ is re-teaming on an upcoming movie about planning a wedding party, Moviefone reported February 17, and ‘Saturday Night Live’ star Kristen Wiig has been cast in the lead role. Paul Feig and Judd Apatow are working on the comedy that will feature Wiig as a woman who’s in charge of planning her friend’s wedding. Feig is set to direct, and Apatow will produce the as-of-yet untitled comedy. The movie will be the first collaboration for the two since the short-lived NBC series, which helped launch the acting careers of Apatow favorites James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. While  [ Read More ]

21 Laps Entertainment and 20th Century Fox just released another new movie still from the upcoming romantic comedy “Date Night” by director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Just Married) and starring James Franco (Your Highness, Spider-Man 3), Mila Kunis (The Book of Eli), Mark Wahlberg (The Brazilian Job, The Lovely Bones) and Steve Carell (Get Smart 2, Despicable Me). Synopsis: In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple’s attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous. Stay tubned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and more from “Date Night”.

James Franco has signed on to star as mountaineer Aron Ralston Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours.” The film would follow the incredible true-life story of Ralston, who spent five days with his right forearm pinned under a boulder during a May 2003 climb in Utah’s Blue John Canyon. Ralston used a dull knife to amputate his own limb and scaled a sheer 65-foot wall to hike for help, before finally being rescued. Boyle will be directing “127 Hours,” with filming set to begin in March in Utah. The project has a tentative late 2010 release set. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for more on “127 Hours”. By Costa Koutsoutis (Source: Variety)