Park City, Utah is surely a bustling place right now as the 2012 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing. Unfortunately, I won’t be in attendance this year, as an audience member or as a competitor, however, I recently took the time to watch most of the trailers for this year’s roundup. Check out my top five trailers:

1.) Fishing without Nets

2.) Red Lights

3.) This Must Be the Place

4.) Wrong

5.) The Raid

Also, be sure to check out the film Robot and Frank that’s been getting a lot of positive attention. The festival ends January 29, 2012.

Happy Movie-ing!

Many would consider the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, or Cary Grant amongst the greatest actors of all time. More recently, names such as Tom Hanks, Robert DeNiro, and Denzel Washington are certainly relevant in the conversation. But to be the best, one would have to change face (literally) and cover a wide range of characters and personalities. So on that note, who is the most dynamic actor of all time? Let’s take a look at someone who is often overlooked.

As a true master of disguise, Gary Oldman makes a strong case. These days, people most likely know him for his role as Sirius Black, or perhaps, his role as Commissioner Gordon. However, few know the whole story.  From movie to movie one might not even recognize a character as being portrayed by Gary Oldman until the credits roll. Who actually knew that he was the disfigured Mason Verger from Hannibal (2001)?

It seems his penchant for versatility outweighs all others, but let’s allow the pictures (in chronological order) to do all the explaining:

And that’s not all! There are still more faces to be had. Check out his roles as Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

He has even done some voiceover work for the popular video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Gary Oldman has been known for his menacing villains and scene-stealing supporting characters, however, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) marks a comeback for him into a prominent leading role. Many also don’t know that in 1997, Oldman took the helm as director, and his film Nil by Mouth won nine awards and received eight more nominations. He plans to direct again in the future, with Colin Firth as his starring man.

Certainly an accomplished and noteworthy actor, Gary Oldman has never even been nominated for an Academy Award.

For more insight into the persona of Gary Oldman as himself, check out these candid interviews:

Just food for thought…

The Alien and Batman franchises should top the charts in 2012. TDKR is already selling out IMAX tickets, 6 months in advance!

Yesterday, the Director’s Guild of America announced their nominees for outstanding directorial achievement in motion pictures. Up on the block this year is Woody Allen, David Fincher, Alexander Payne, Martin Scorsese, and Michel Hazavanicius. Consequently, these nominations seem a worthy foresight for the Academy Award’s Best Picture and Best Director categories. Apparently, the DGA winners have been in accordance with 90% (!!!) of the Oscar winners. Check out the article for more info.

Who will win? Perhaps someone not even mentioned. And where are the likes of Steven Spielberg and Terrence Malick?

Also, be sure to keep an eye out for this year’s wild cards: Steve McQueen (Shame), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), Bennett Miller (Moneyball), and Tate Taylor (The Help).

For more cool insight into this year’s heavy-hitters, check out these two articles  from Variety.com:

Cinematographers on Cinematographers and Directors on Directors.

As many moviegoers may have noticed, the last two decades of cinema have surely followed the curve of technological advances as many of today’s theaters are populated with films that place a heavy reliance on CGI.  Special effects, what was once a primarily physical and practical medium is now dominated by the crutch of digital enhancements. It seems, though, that new developments in software and computer imaging has taken some of the magic out of filmmaking. Not only that, but the onset of more widely available and affordable software programs has largely diluted the professional pool.

Granted, without the assistance of digital 3D modeling, movies such as TRON (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), The Matrix (1999), and The Lord of the Rings (2001) would not have been possible. And don’t forget the epic classic 2012 (2009). Well, not so much…

Lately, however, it seems that there has been a [perhaps only minor] resurgence in the application of miniature models as a means of practical special effects. Take for example, Christopher Nolan, the modern master of grandeur. His two most recent blockbusters, The Dark Knight (2008) and  Inception (2010), have employed the use of scaled miniatures to capture some of their more impressive action sequences.

Check out some behind-the-scenes info from Inception.

There’s hope for miniature effects on a smaller budgets, as well. Check out this campaign for the Sci-Fi short film C 299,792 km/s that made 200% of its goal on Kickstarter. The filmmakers are boasting the use of scale models, all in-camera effects, and no green screen. They were even featured on Wired’s ‘Underwire‘.

*UPDATE* If the embedded Vimeo link isn’t working, try this: A Small Trip To The Making Of Visual Effects – Miniatures Effects on Vimeo

Let’s keep an eye out in the future for more scale model miniature effects.

For more, check out the author’s YouTube Channel.

To be frank, I am not sure who would even consider giving these filmmakers the license to helm the wheel of such a cherished classic. This film would seem more at home as a cheesy SyFy Channel mistake. The heavy reliance on CGI is in stark contrast to the 1982 film’s approach, and the utter lack of an attempt to scare the audience with anything beyond cheap,  gory tricks gets boring fast.

The genius of Carpenter’s film was the psychological guessing games the characters played with one another, trying to figure out who really was who they said they were and who could be The Thing which, for most of the movie was an unfamiliar entity. In the 2011 version, the filmmakers showcase the full capabilities of the morphing monster fairly early in the movie, completing missing the mark of any chance to make their audience fear the unknown.

The best part of this movie was when the credits rolled. Literally. After a fairly anticlimactic and abrupt ending, we finally got our first spoon-fed connection to the 1982 film, which was strangely the most enjoyable part.

When [almost] all is lost, perhaps the online game may have some redeeming qualities?
The Thing The Game: The Thing – Station Survival – Unity Game.

If I’m lucky, I’ll live to about the Equilibrium Era, and if I’m really lucky I’ll live to see the Total Recall Era (A Remake is in the works). Unfortunately, I’ll just miss the Jetsons.

Check it out:

All of the videos were shot on the RED ONE or RED EPIC.

Check out the videos: The Hollywood Issue – 14 Actors Acting – NYTimes.com.

Read More: Solve Sundsbo’s Video Portraits – NYTimes.com.

The second campaign I saw was a bit different. It’s a music video by the well-known artist Method Man rhyming about the Sour Patch Kids candies.

Why you ask? Well, it’s actually a music video disguised as a promotion for a new iPhone Game called Sour Fling. Available on iTunes.

Sour Fling for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and iPad on the iTunes App Store.

I can’t say that these are entirely new concepts but I certainly like the twisty trend advertisers are taking. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more…