Osama bin Laden thriller finds distribution

In the wake of the assassination of one of the world's most infamous terrorists, Columbia Pictures announced that Sony will distribute director Kathryn Bigelow's thriller, which focuses on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Development began on the film in 2008. It will incorporate the recent ambush that resulted in bin Laden’s death. Bigelow will be reteaming with screenwriter Mark Boal, who also penned “The Hurt Locker.”

Filming is scheduled to begin this summer, with a release date planned for later next year. Sony's head Amy Pascal said this film "could not be more relevant." With Bigelow on board, it sure will deliver the goods!

(via Chicago Tribune & Sony)

Tom Hanks for Kathryn Bigelow's next film?

Looks like Tom Hanks could end up in Kathryn Bigelow's upcoming Paramount drama "Triple Frontier." Deadline says Hanks has not signed a deal yet, but he's seriously chatting with Bigelow, who's directing.

In a nutshell, the film is set in Argentina and focuses on the intensity of organized crime in the border zone between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Word is Bigelow has to fill five lead roles for "Frontier."

The good news is the film shoots early next year. Hanks recently did voice work for Pixar's hit sequel "Toy Story 3," and he has "Larry Crowne" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" coming soon.

2009 Screening Log Movie Awards Nominations!

The nominations for the 1st annual Screening Log Movie Awards are in! I've selected the best of 2009 and narrowed them down to less than a dozen per category. Winners are announced Dec. 28, 2009.

A few notes on the process: These nominations reflect my selection of the best films I've seen this year. I've enjoyed many excellent movies this year, and I engaged in this process to honor my favorite ones of '09.

Over the course of this week, I will be looking more closely at each category and pick the ones I personally believe deserve to win. Please know these are solely my own, personal favorites of the year!

Let's get to it then! Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" took home four nominations, and "Up in the Air" received seven nominations. Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" earned six, and "The Road" took five.

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Austin Film Critics Association loves 'Hurt Locker'

Members of the Austin Film Critics Association showed their love for Kathryn Bigelow's war drama "The Hurt Locker" this week as they named it the best film of 2009. Bigelow was also named best director.

Colin Firth took home the award for best actor for "A Single Man," while Mélanie Laurent won best actress for "Inglourious Basterds." Christoph Waltz was voted best supporting actor for "Basterds" as well.

Meanwhile, Austin's film critics picked Anna Kendrick as best supporting actress for her stunning role in "Up in the Air." The film also won best adapted screenplay for Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

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Southeastern Film Critics Awards 2009

The Southeastern Film Critics Association picked Jason Reitman's superb "Up in the Air" as the best film of 2009. Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was runner-up, followed by Pixar's animated flick "Up."

That said, Kathryn Bigelow ("Locker") picked up the award for best director. George Clooney ("Up in the Air") was voted best actor of 2009. Meryl Streep was named best actress for her role in "Julie & Julia."

Christoph Waltz picked up another award for best supporting actor in "Inglourious Basterds," while Mo’Nique was named best supporting actress for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

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New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2009

The New York Film Critics Circle today announced its 2009 film awards, and Kathryn Bigelow's war drama "The Hurt Locker" was named best film of the year. N.Y. critics also named Bigelow best director.

In the best actress category, Meryl Streep took the top award for her extraordinary performance in "Julie & Julia." George Clooney won best actor for "Up in the Air," and in my book, he totally deserves it.

Christoph Waltz was named best supporting actor for his amazing role in "Inglourious Basterds," and Mo'nique picked up yet another best supporting actress prize for her powerful performance in "Precious."

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Boston film critics pick 'Hurt Locker' as year's best

The Boston Society of Film Critics has named its best films of the year, and just like the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, it picked Kathryn Bigelow's war drama "The Hurt Locker" as best film of '09.

"Locker" won more than one award though. Bigelow was named best director, and Barry Ackroyd won the award for best cinematography. Bob Murawski and Chris Innis won best editing for the film.

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen earned the award for best screenplay for "A Serious Man," and Meryl Streep won best actress for "Julie & Julia." Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for "Inglourious Basterds."

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Daily news dose: 'Hangover' writing duo sells script; Kathryn Bigelow to develop 'Triple Frontier'

Here's your dose of film news for August 10, 2009:

• Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the writing team behind the brilliant "The Hangover" (pictured above) and the not so brilliant "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and "Four Christmases," have sold a script entitled "Change Up" to Universal. In the film, a serious guy with a wife switches bodies with a lazy man child. David Dobkin is attached to direct. (Variety)

• Kathryn Bigelow, who recently directed "The Hurt Locker," will team with the film's writer Mark Boal for "Triple Frontier," an action adventure set in the border zone between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Details about the plot are kept under wraps at this stage. (Variety)

• You may not have seen her on the big screen recently, but Tara Reid is still making movies. The "American Pie" actress is joining Greg Garthe's upcoming comedy "Last Call," about two cousins forced to run a family pub. Travis Van Winkle, Ryan Hansen, Christopher Lloyd, Tom Arnold, Dave Foley and Diora Baird co-star. (THR)

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'The Hurt Locker' premieres at Venice

After a six-year absence from the big screen, Kathryn Bigelow returns with "The Hurt Locker," a drama about the dangerous work of an elite Army bomb squad in Iraq. Starring Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce, Sam Reford and Jeremy Renner, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week. Here's what the press is saying about the film:

• Shane Danielsen at Times Online: "Like the men it depicts, 'The Hurt Locker' never rises above its own limitations."

• Deborah Young at The Hollywood Reporter: "For a film purporting to be about soldiers' psychology, 'The Hurt Locker' makes little in-depth analysis of its characters."

• Variety's Derek Elley: "The major problem with the script by journalist Mark Boal, who was embedded with a bomb squad in Baghdad four years ago, is that it's unclear where the drama in 'Locker' really lies."

• Richard Corliss at Time: "The appearances by some familiar faces — Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse — are all too brief."