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Breakups are one of the most painful and heartbreaking parts of everyday life; most of the time, they are important and inescapable. It still doesn’t mean that it’s easy to get over one, and that’s our main reason behind compiling this list, which consists of some of the most heart-touching or heartbreaking movies that will help you get over your breakup.

Celeste & Jesse Forever (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures Classics

Celeste & Jesse Forever is a romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lee Toland Krieger from a screenplay co-written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The 2012 film follows Celeste and Jesse, who are ending their marriage but still care about each other and spend much of their time together. However, when Jesse meets someone else, Celeste finds it hard to move on.

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Anora is a romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sean Baker. The 2024 film follows the story of Anora Mikheeva, a young stripper who falls in love with and marries Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch, and finally gets her Cinderella story but once the news reaches Vanya’s parents they come to New York to get their marriage annulled by any means necessary. Anora stars Mikey Madison in the lead role with Mark Eidelstein, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the intensely dramatic story, tragic romance, and compelling characters in Anora here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Pretty Woman (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Touchstone Pictures

Pretty Woman is a romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall from a screenplay written by J.F. Lawton.

Blue Valentine presents a devastating love story, but there are a lot of details that fans may not know. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play Dean Pereira and Cynthia “Cindy” Heller, two lovers whose relationship falls victim to the passage of time. The 2010 film was a critical hit, with both Gosling and Williams receiving major award nominations for their performances, but its creation was far from a steady process.

Viewers might note that the movie's accolades speak for themselves, and Blue Valentine gives Michelle Williams one of her highest-rated films. Audiences say much of the feature's emotional weight comes from its performances but they might be interested to learn how its heartwrenching moments came to screen. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams went above and beyond behind the scenes of Blue Valentine to immerse themselves in their characters to prepare for the film.

Michelle Williams Got The Script 6 Years Before Filming...

On tap right now we have an exclusive look at the new artwork for 2307: Winter’s Dream from director Joey Curtis working from a script he wrote with Paul Sidhu. Sidhu also stars alongside Branden Coles, Arielle Holmes, Kelcey Watson, Anne-Solenne… Continue Reading →

The post 2307: Winter’s Dream – Exclusive New Poster! appeared first on Dread Central.

On tap right now we have a look at the official trailer and artwork for 2307: Winter’s Dream from director Joey Curtis working from a script he wrote with Paul Sidhu. Sidhu also stars alongside Branden Coles, Arielle Holmes, Kelcey Watson,… Continue Reading →

The post 2307: Winter’s Dream Awakens to a Trailer and Artwork appeared first on Dread Central.

"The ice humbles all, it reveals our limitations, our weaknesses, our human-ness." Vertical Entertainment has unveiled an official trailer for a sci-fi action film titled 2307: Winter's Dream, set (obviously enough) in the year 2307 during a new ice age. The plot in this is a bit weird - scientists bio-engineered Humanoids that possess great strength, speed, and tolerance to extreme cold. When one of these humanoids escapes and threatens to lead a rebellion, an elite team of soldiers is sent to hunt him down. This seems to be much more about the gritty action and nefarious characters than the futuristic time it takes place. 2307: Winter's Dream stars Paul Sidhu, Branden Coles, Arielle Holmes, Kelcey Watson, Anne-Solenne Hatte, Timothy Lee DePriest, and Stormi Henley. This looks like it might be okay, but I'm not excited. You? Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Joey Curtis' 2307: Winter's Dream , direct...

The year is 2307 and Earth is three centuries removed from climate change transforming its surface to glacial ice. Humanity has evolved to living underground, improving technology to help sustain their tenuous ecosystem outside of the subzero temperatures. This includes insulation injections to combat cold for up to 48 hours, strength enhancements, and even artificial intelligence boosters. It also led to the manufacture of a synthetic Humanoid race as slave labor. Super-strong, immune to the elements, and unable to reproduce, they do all the things we can’t in this new world wrought from a hubris that’s allowed the year to mark a second anniversary: five years since Ash-393 (Branden Coles) broke free from his “chains” to lead a devastating Humanoid rebellion that’s yet to be neutralized.

It’s a pretty terrific concept for a sci- actioner with philosophical elements delving into the idea of history and our inexplicable ability...

Joey Curtis’ 2307: Winter’s Dream From the Writer of Blue Valentine Makes North American Premiere at the La Indie Film Festival September 16th Ultra Media is honored to announce the North American premiere of Joey Curtis’ 2307: Winter’s Dreams. The ice-covered sci-fi thriller will screen for the first time in the States at the 9th La …

The post The World Ices Over when 2307: Winter’S Dream Premieres at the La Indie Film Festival September 1 first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net - Official News Site...

"What is it?" Two preview pages from Night Trap #4 give fans a look at the Trapper. Written by Cullen Bunn with artwork by J.B. Bastos, the fourth issue of the slasher comic book series is now on store shelves. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Tales of Poe DVD details and 2307: Winter's Dream La premiere info.

Check Out Preview Pages and Cover Art for Night Trap #4: "Night Trap #4

JUL161741

(W) Cullen Bunn (A) J.B. Bastos

"What happened to you, Kelly?" The answer to this might save their lives - or end them - as Kelly's traumatic past boils to the surface in a final showdown with the Trapper. Acclaimed horror writer Cullen Bunn's unexpected twist on the slasher genre concludes in this non-stop blood-streaked fight to the finish!

In Shops: Sep. 14th, 2016

Srp: $2.99"

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Tales of Poe on DVD Forevermore: Press Release: "New York, NY -...

"Ash-393 is considered to be the most sophisticated humanoid ever created by man. He's the leader of the rogue humanoid rebellion." This is one of those weird little films we've never heard of, and yet it actually looks pretty cool. 2307: Winter's Dream is a futuristic sci-fi film set in 2307, of course, about a soldier sent on a mission to hunt down the leader of the humanoid rebellion. It was pointed out to me by the guys at Quiet Earth and pitched as a "Mad Max on ice", which is actually kind of accurate if you think of the very first Mad Max film. The cast includes Paul Sidhu, Branden Coles, Brad Potts, Anne-Solenne Hatte and Arielle Holmes. This looks like one of those sci-fi B-movies you'd get on VHS at the local video store. Here's the first teaser trailer for Joey Curtis' 2307: Winter's Dream, from Vimeo (via...

I've got a trailer for you to watch for an indie sci-fi film called 2307: Winter's Dream. The movie is like a post-apocalyptic Mad Max film only this one is set on a frozen wasteland. The movie was written and directed by the Academy Award-nominated writer of Blue Valentine, Joey Curtis. The story follows a soldier who is sent on a mission to hunt down the leader of a humanoid rebellion. It's a high concept story, and it looks like the creative team who made the film pulled off something pretty awesome. Here's the synopsis:

The year is 2307 A.D. The earth is frozen over and virtually uninhabitable. The manmade Chimeric Virus wiped out over 75% of the population. The remaining humans live underground, unable to survive the sub-arctic temperatures. With no “man power,” scientists bio-engineered Humanoids that possess great strength, speed, and tolerance to extreme cold. A rogue humanoid named...

Tagline: "The Hunt is On." Sci-fi website Quiet Earth has debuted the first trailer for Joey Curtis' 2307: Winter's Dream. The film, which is currently at Cannes, involves a future world, where synthetic humanoids are waging a rebellion. From director Joey Curtis (Blue Valentine), 2307: Winter's Dream blends a number of genres. And, Paul Sidhun, Branden Coles and Brad Potts centrally star. The film's first trailer available here. The synopsis reveals more of the story. A virus has wiped out 75% of the world's population. The survivors live below ground as an Ice Age is renewed above ground. Synthetic humans, tasked with helping their creators, have turned against them, instead. Now, a war is raging between the synthetics and few remaining human survivors. Very indie in nature, the filmmakers of 2307: Winter's Dream have provided an example of how far creativity can go on a small budget. Full of action sequences and terrifying scenarios,...

Here's a new Pa flick to get your morning started right, folks. It come from the Academy Award nominated writer of Blue Valentine, Joey Curtis, who also directs the second ice-age actioner called 2307: Winter's Dream.

The trailer below is full of high-concept elements from a virus that destroyed the world, to underground societies and a hunt for a synthetic human. Throw in some great practical locations and interestingly designed props and we're officially intrigued by this one.

Synopsis:

The year is 2307 A.D. The earth is frozen over and virtually uninhabitable. The manmade Chimeric Virus wiped out over 75% of the population. The remaining humans live underground, unable to survive the sub-arctic temperatures. With no “man power,” scientists bio-eng [Continued ...]...

Two young fathers find themselves pinned down by the antagonistic forces that define their choices and ultimately shape and foreshadow the future. In The Place Beyond the Pines, writer/director Derek Cianfrance’s ambitious third feature, there is a common thread full of moral ambiguities regardless of which side of the law his characters dwell in. The epic drama about fathers and sons sees Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper lead a stellar supporting cast of Dane DeHaan, Ray Liotta, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, Harris Yulin, Rose Byrne, Bruce Greenwood and Emory Cohen, and the pairing portray complex, layered characters. The film had its premiere at the 2012 edition of the Toronto Int Film Festival, and Focus Features will release the saga in theaters this Friday, March 29th. I sat down with Derek during his whirlwind press tour for the film.

Yama Rahimi: “Epic” and “Saga” are a pair of descriptive...

What a surprise to talk to Marina, founder of the Spanish international sales company, 6 Sales and as of Cannes 2012, founder of a second international sales company, with different partners, Dreamcatchers.

When I teach young filmmakers who are making their first forays into "The Business", I tell them to be conscious of the fact that they are writing a book about themselves and that everybody in the business has a book describing who they are and the book should always be checked before entering any business transactions. I tell them that the people they meet going up are the same people they will meet going down, that ours is a business of constant ups and downs, if not of people on their career ladders, then of countries on their economic swings. I also tell them that as they meet people, they will eventually see that those people they become friends with or whom they like the most for business all seem to know each other and those whom they don't like and don't want to do business with also all seem to hang out together in their separate world. It's an odd form of natural selection or social networking.

Though I say this to students, it still surprised me to find that rule in effect regarding Marina with whom I had not spoken in many many years...since an Afm when she was with another company...Lumina I think it was. But I have always enjoyed watching her films – most recently Blancanieves which is up for 18 Goyas in Spain and which won the Cine Latino Prize in the Palm Springs Film Festival amongst many other prizes from different countries. It has been a pleasure seeing how well she has fared as head of her own company...now in fact two companies.

One example of this “birds of a feather” phenomenon is that during Sundance I was entranced by Sebastian Silva and his two films, Crystal Fairy and Magic Magic. You can read more on my previous blog. Marina is the international sales agent for Magic Magic, for which, she tells me, Sony already acquired half the world during Afm 2011. Wild Side in France, who also distributed Drive, is quite high on the film which they acquired at script stage and is making a push for Cannes Film Festival. She attributes a “Polanski” touch to Sebastian, especially his early films in which the viewer never knows exactly what is going on but there is a sort of secret communication between the characters. She is also the international sales agent for Jake Paltrow’s new film, Young Ones link which just started this Friday and which has a great script and a great cast. Not only is Jake a distant cousin, but both scripts for Young Ones and Magic Magic were brought to her by Brian O’Shea who has his own international sales agency The Exchange. He too is a good friend and his publicist partner Laurent Boye is a especially good friend. One more association is with Alicia Keyes who recently completed Blaze You Out and about whom I wrote a blog about a year ago. Alicia and she have been working on a project for the past six years.

The early history of Marina herself is illuminating and sheds a light on why she is so unique. While Young Ones is shooting in South Africa and is a South African-Irish coproduction (thanks to the efforts of Marina and a big group of various people around the world), it is supposed to take place in Colorado, where Marina herself was conceived and where she gave birth to her own first child almost seventeen years ago.

We spoke of the culture shock her parents experienced when her father came to University of Colorado for his PhD in aeronautics (he’s built the Hispasat communication satellites over Spain today). He and her mother left Spain while it was ruled by the dictator Franco to go to this hippy town; her mother spent the first year attending every protest in Boulder she could. Imagine the feelings experienced by her parents who were raised in such a repressive society that her mother thought that babies were conceived by kissing because the act of kissing was censored in all movies released in Spain.

Marina began her career studying business administration in Spain and France but realized how much she loved film and so she returned to Boulder where she studied film at the University of Colorado with the avant garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage, with classmates Derek Cianfrance and Joey Curtis, who 17 years ago at the University began writing Blue Valentine. Her sister, six years her junior, also trained there to be a pilot and still lives in the Us today, thus giving the family reason to return every Christmas.

Her five years in the U.S. during College were her most creative; she loved the University which was very different from the staid and more theoretical studies in Europe. And she still loves the creative energy of the U.S. where people are eager to try everything. But there was no real business in Boulder and she had a one year old baby. New York was too tough and so she returned to Madrid where her first job was with Alta Films as the assistant to its founder. Her second job was with Andres Vicente at Lolafilms. Andres was the most gifted person she ever met in energizing and motivating people to further his productions, but it was Nicole Mackie (today at Fortissimo) who was head of sales there and who taught Marina everything she needed to know about sales. When Lolafilms lost their deal with Telefonica, Marina formed her own company, Lumina, with Robert Bevan and Cyril Megret in London. In 2005, with two children, going back and forth from Madrid to London was quite difficult as the Headquarters were based there. So after transitioning by hiring another manager she left and started 6 Sales in 2006. The company was renamed Salt and is still operating today.

With a story like that, who could not admire Marina. Sharing our insights, I confided in her my belief that half of the “Spanish” in the New World were probably of Jewish origin, coming to the New World with Columbus to escape the Inquisition. She did not see this as far-fetched, in fact added that the fact that people with the last names starting with “San” or with names with “water” in them, like Rios (rivers) or Fuentes (fountains) were known to be of Jewish origin. Her partners in 6 Sales are Israeli and when she visited Israel she felt very much at home. So many Israelis reminded her of her own extended family. Like the Italians and the Spanish feel so similar to one another, so she felt with the Israelis.

She is in L.A. now, primarily with her second company Dreamcatchers as they start on the second installment of Mariah Mundi link to Cinando. Just to show my readers how far in advance sales agents must work, the first installment of Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box. has not yet been finished and will debut in Cannes. It is a large family film about magic and is based on a bestselling novel, orchestrated by the Brussels Philharmonic which did The Artist, with music composed by Fernando Velazquez, who also composed the music for Universal’s current hit, Mama and for The Impossible. This film should hit big.They are already in discussions with U.S. distributors and agents about the second part.

She says,

“We want to become one of the main European Sales Agencies of top quality commercial product. Films like Blancanieves will be an exception but they show how much we love cinema. It is not a commercial film by traditional standards but it’s quality and has won so many awards -- almost Oscar nomination and 18 Goya Nominations!! Mariah Mundi and The Midas Box will be more our type of product. We are now commencing production on the second part with a budget of $30M. We have a great advantage over U.S. companies as well because we have soft money to bring together with my partner’s Fund (Arcadia Capital). And now our next projects are Prodigious and Oliver’s Deal and we are announcing the beginning of production of Claudia Llosa’s new film Cry, Fly on March 11th in Canada. We will present a promo in Cannes this year. This is the first English language film of Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa with The Milk of Sorrow ."

Read more about Cry, Fly covered in Varierty.

Claudia Llosa is the niece of the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa and the film director Luis Llosa. She wrote Madeinusa which premiered in Competition at Sundance in 2006. The Milk of Sorrow won Berlin Film Festival in 2009 and was nominated to the Foreign Oscar the next year.

Chicago – “Blue Valentine” director Derek Cianfrance is happily married now with two young children, but the road getting there was turbulent and sometimes still is. While that’s real life, romance films often end with the lucky guy getting the pretty girl and them living happily ever.

By contrast, “Blue Valentine” is often much more, well, blue. More important, it’s just genuinely real. The romantic drama feels somewhat like a fly-on-the-wall documentary (Cianfrance’s primary experience is in TV documentaries) even though it’s not billed or scripted that way. It understands the true dichotomy between our happy and heavy hearts. The film, which was released on Blu-ray and DVD on May 10, 2011, is one of the best movies of 2010 that didn’t win an Oscar.

Michelle Williams as Cindy in Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine”.

Photo credit: Davi Russo, The Weinstein Company

While Cianfrance says he sometimes felt like...

Chicago – I have shown a lot of love for “Blue Valentine,” putting it in my Top Ten Films of 2010 while also including its stars in my piece on The Best Performances of 2010. Clearly, I’m a fan. Rent the Blu-ray or DVD, hitting stores this week, and you’re likely to become one as well.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

With one of the most striking debuts in years, writer/director Derek Cianfrance pulls no punches in “Blue Valentine,” chronicling the first and final chapter of a marriage. And yet, unlike a lot of similar-yet-flawed dramas, this is not some grand statement on marriage, infidelity, or love. It’s just an all-too-common story about two people who found themselves together more through circumstance than romance. It is a character study of the kind that doesn’t often get made any more and it serves as a perfect showcase for arguably the two best actors of their generation.

Like we did last year, this is the first in a series of posts highlighting the main Oscar categories. Danny King kicks it off with Best Writing (Original Screenplay) and look for more leading up to Oscar night.

This year’s Best Original Screenplay category is an impressive slate and, normally, it’s the kind of lineup that would make for a photo finish, if not for the gaining momentum of the juggernaut that is Tom Hooper‘s The King’s Speech. In all likelihood, David Seidler will walk away with the Oscar for his delicate, nuanced depiction of King George VI’s speech impediment. But for the sake of highlighting quality work, let’s take a look at the nominees in their entirety. In alphabetical order, they are:

Another Year (Mike Leigh)

The Fighter (Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington)

Inception (Christopher Nolan)

The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko,...

Last year, noticing that studios throughout Hollywood were posting the screenplays for their “Oscar movies” online for free, I compiled the download links for every screenplay I could find and posted them to this site. The article was a hit, many of the screenplays were downloaded, and things went quiet…until a few months ago, when the page started getting a lot of traffic again, no doubt thanks to the start of this year’s Oscar season.

The problem was, a lot of those studio sites from last year have been taken down, so if, say, you try to click the link to download the Avatar script, you get an ugly Not Found error. I won’t make that same mistake again: this year, I’ve downloaded all the new screenplays and stored them here, so the links will always work.

I found quite a few this year (thirty-six, up from last year’s thirty,...

Blue Valentine almost exists on film the way real lives do in time, ebbing and flowing, peppered with failure and beauty; it performs reality as much as love. A clever documentary styled drama, written and directed by Derek Cianfrance (with screenwriters Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis) that is a close-up on love. Dean (Ryan Gosling) is a hopeless romantic and Cindy (Michelle Williams) is the realist; a reversal of roles for an on-screen romance.

They’re a married couple that in essence are in a relationship with their past and present selves, as the film employs flashbacks to illustrate their falling in love and also to express their individuality. In the present, Dean is an aggravating child – his personality has always had hints of ridiculousness and flair that has ripened with age. In their flash of new romance, he observes Cindy so acutely, but now his quirks have come back to haunt him,...

In less than 24 hours we will no longer be discussing who will be nominated for an Oscar, but rather who will win. On Tuesday morning at 5:38:30 a.m. Pst (seriously, the Academy has nailed it down to the second) the 2011 Oscar nominations will be announced.

There are certainly front-runners to this point and we've discussed them at length from The Social Network's dominance as well as the recent surprise victory for The King's Speech from the Producers Guild. Films such as The Fighter pose serious threats in the acting categories and it looks like Natalie Portman and Annette Bening will be battling it out for leading actress.

However, beyond the top categories, this is the first year I've ever attempted to predict the nominees in every single category (barring the short film categories). I opened up "The Contenders" section of the site back in April 2010, and it...

Viso Rating: 98%

Viso Snapshot: Blue Valentine is devastating in the best possible sense of the word. It’s raw, real and an accurate reflection of love found and lost… it’s truly one of the year’s best thanks to an amazing creative team that includes Derek Cianfrance, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. A Must see.

Blue Valentine is a hard movie to review (and in many ways to watch). It’s a film that we just are so passionate about that we don’t want to trivialize the review therefore it has taken some time (and revisions) to try and craft words to accurately express how important this film is and just how amazing the creative team behind the film truly are… from the immaculate and intimate direction of Derek Cianfrance, the gritty yet often beautiful cinematography of Andrij Parekh, the painfully real and raw screenplay by Cianfrance, Cami...

Blue Valentine Directed by: Derek Cianfrance Written by: Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne & Joey Curtis Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka There's not a whole lot happening with the relationship film. From annual Jennifer Aniston comedies to requisite art house dramas, there hasn't been a real innovation in far too long. Blue Valentine takes a crack at it, employing a unique combination of techniques and a back and forth bittersweet narrative, but it still falls squarely into the latter camp. Tremendous credit is owed first and foremost to its cast. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play characters at the beginning and end of a relationship, and the difference couldn't be more stark. The pair is essentially pulling double duty, and the juxtaposition between past and present is what makes Blue Valentine unique. We meet the pair now: Gosling with a cigarette crutch and Williams with a defunct imagination. The spontaneous...

This cleverly told story of a doomed marriage is underpinned by two outstanding central performances

Somerset Maugham began his novel The Razor's Edge by remarking that "death ends all things and so is the comprehensive conclusion of a story, but marriage finishes it very properly and the sophisticated are ill-advised to sneer at what is by convention termed a happy ending". As with quite a few things, that wise old cynic was wrong; many of the great dramas truly begin after the curtain has come down on a wedding. Nearly all of Jack Lemmon's films, for instance, concern disastrous marriages, and his second picture was called Phffft!, an onomatopoeia for the sound of a marriage expiring like a dying match. Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine, which he co-scripted with Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, is an account of the passionate, protracted Phffft! that concludes the marriage between Dean (Ryan Gosling...

Blue Valentine *****

Stars: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams | Written by: Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, Joey Curtis | Directed by: Derek Cianfrance

“It’s the little things that kill” sang Bush’s Gavin Rossdale in 1994. That couldn’t be truer than in Blue Valentine which charts the slow decline and eventual implosion of relationship. Cindy and Dean are a working class couple from Pennsylvania with a six year old daughter Frankie. Cindy’s a nurse, Dean’s a housepainter and their marriage is falling apart. They’re unaccountably snappy with each other, they never have sex, and their relationship is decaying. Realising this, Dean books a weekend away at a motel in order to try to revitalise their flagging marriage but it only serves to bring to a head the unvocalised emotions that they’ve both been suppressing for years.

Blue Valentine flits without warning between the past and the present, effectively juxtaposing...

Oscar nomination ballots are due back at AMPAS headquarters today, so I thought I wouldn’t wait any longer than necessary to share with you what I believe the resulting field will look like when it is revealed early on the morning of Tuesday, January 25. I urge you to keep in mind that what follows is not what I feel should happen — that can be gleaned from reading my year-end top 10 list — but rather what I think will happen, based on months of screenings (I’ve seen all of the likely nominees at least once), observations (of critics, guilds, and other awards-bestowers), and conversations (with pundits and voters). I have historically done quite well when it comes to forecasting the nods — for instance, I projected best picture nominations for “The Reader” (2008) and for “The Blind Side” (2009) when virtually no one else did — but only time will tell as far as this year is concerned.

Blue Valentine

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Written by Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne

Possibly the natural result of having a gestation period longer than some directors’ entire careers, Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine manages to feel tortured but not labored. Written and workshopped over half a decade, and conceived considerably longer ago, Cianfrance’s film works both as a master class in onscreen chemistry and as a forensic examination of the psychic damage human beings are capable of inflicting on each other when circumstances conspire in unexpected ways, even if it suffers mildly from a few instances of writer-itis.

Two of America’s best working actors, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, play Dean and Cindy, in two parallel timelines that are intercut sequentially throughout the film. We first meet them on the morning of what will emerge as their relationship’s darkest period. They take their three-year-old daughter to school.

Editor’s note: The review was originally published on January 30, 2010.

Rating: 8/10

Written by: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne

Directed by: Derek Cianfrance

There’s two important films I’ve seen at this festival that gave this message: “Love is a motherfucker.” Or for all the sensitive types out there, “Love is tough.” And there’s two facts in life: we’re all going to die, and at some point, we’re all going to fall in love. Whether or not we stay in love, well, that’s another story.

Read more on Sundance 2010 Review: Blue Valentine…...

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Chicago – Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine,” my pick last month for the 9th best film of 2010, is a devastatingly genuine representation of the first and final chapters of a marriage. It is a powerful drama, partially made so by a fantastic script, but mostly due to two of the best performances of the year from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Don’t miss it.

The intent of “Blue Valentine” is not to make any broad or grand statements about the institution of marriage (even if it does portray the often-ignored fact that many young people end up betrothed more through circumstance than romance) but to present a slice of life, the kind of character study that Hollywood doesn’t make that often any more possibly because there aren’t that many actors as talented as Gosling and Williams who can pull it off.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review...

The consistently remarkable actors deliver, as always, bravado performances in one of the best films of the year!

It may not be 3-D or have the Hollywood star wattage of other films this holiday season, but the small and intimate Blue Valentine is without doubt one of the best films of 2010. The disgustingly talented Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams take center stage as Dean and Cindy, at once deeply in love and later weathered and frustrated as the film cuts back and forth between the two extremes. Through the brilliance of director Derek Cianfrance’s script, written with Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, the film manages to be wholly honest and never gimmicky or cliche as it examines the relationship of this ultimately doomed couple.

Gosling is, as always, fully committed in his portrayal of Dean, whose initial lovestruck dopiness develops into nagging insecurity as the film progresses. Though he...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/29, R, trailer)

Major Threats

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“The Ghost Writer” (Summit, 2/19, PG-13, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

Possibilities

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, PG-13, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions, 12/29, R, trailer)

“Alice in Wonderland” (Disney, 3/5, PG, trailer)

Best Director

Frontrunners

David Fincher...

The devastating but beautiful love/breakup story mashup "Blue Valentine" has taken a long time to come to fruition. When we recently sat down with star Michelle Williams, who gives an award-worthy performance in the film, she spoke of her passion for the project, and how she wanted to make it for more than six years after reading the script by co-writer and director Derek Cianfrance (two other writers are credited, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne). But Cianfrance had other plans once shooting began. "I loved it because of the script that I read, because of the words, because of the…...

Blue Valentine was my favorite film of the year for the week that I saw it and I will never watch it again. It was like having someone sandpaper my soul. It's a hauntingly effective work, one that defies encapsulation. Because at times it's a relationship drama, at times it's comedic, at times it's typical indie romance, at times it's straight up rom-com, and at times, it's a tragedy. It's so real, it's such an honest portrayal of two people who come together and tear apart. It's not like two pieces of driftwood in a riverbed -- there's no drifting. This is like a Band-aid being attached with superglue being torn off and reattached. There will be many folks who just hate the ever-loving shit out of this film, and that's absolutely understandable, because when they say blue, they don't mean Blue Christmas blue but the blue-violet bruise of a fresh attack.

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, R, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, PG-13, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

Major Threats

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, R, trailer)

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions, 12/29, R, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

Possibilities

“The Ghost Writer” (Summit, 2/19, PG-13, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, PG-13, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Alice in Wonderland” (Disney, 3/5, PG, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, R, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, PG-13, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, R, trailer)

Major Threats

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“The Ghost Writer” (Summit, 2/19, PG-13, trailer)

Possibilities

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, PG-13, trailer)

“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions, 12/29, R, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, R, trailer)

Outside Shots

“Somewhere” (Focus Features,...

Year: 2010

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writers: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: Marina Antunes

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Anyone who’s ever been in a relationship knows that they’re hard. They take work, commitment and stamina and sometimes, it still doesn’t work. It’s a fact of life and for the most part, films don’t take on this subject and if they do, it often comes across as glossy, half hearted and false.

That’s not the case with Derek Cianfrance’s second feature Blue Valentine which has recently been in the limelight not for the film’s merits but rather for the MPAA’s slapping (and then overturning) of an Nc-17 rating. Unfortunate considering that Blue Valentine is likely one of the best relationship dramas of the last few years, one that bears the heart and soul of its actors and rips...

According to the Weinstein Company, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which typically upholds ratings decisions, has broken with tradition and overturned the Nc-17 rating for the feature "Blue Valentine".

"Blue Valentine" will now receive an 'R' rating, after director Derek Cianfrance publicly vowed to release the film without any cuts.

Starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, the romantic drama was co-written by Cianfrance, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne.

"...The film follows married couple 'Dean' and 'Cindy', and their relationship over a number of years by shifting between different time periods.

"Problems with the marriage focus around Cindy's ambition, juxtaposed to Dean's contentment to center his life around his wife and child..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Blue Valentine"...

hollywoodnews.com: Following a hearing this afternoon, The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced that it has won a unanimous appeal of the Nc-17 rating initially given to its feature film Blue Valentine by the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA’s Classification and Rating Administration had bestowed the Nc-17 due to one scene, a sexually intimate sequence between a married couple trying to repair their broken relationship.

The rare unanimous decision by the appeal board strengthens the ability of the film to reach audiences as an acknowledged award-season contender, already nominated for a Gotham Award and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. It has also received wide kudos from critics such as Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger, who wrote, “If there’s any justice, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams will both earn Oscar nominations for their raw, arresting performances.”

“All of us – the filmmakers and cast – were united in our...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, PG-13, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

Major Threats

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, PG-13, trailer)

Possibilities

“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions, 12/29, R, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, R, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

“The Ghost Writer” (Summit, 2/19, PG-13, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, R, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia,...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, PG-13, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, R, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

Major Threats

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

Possibilities

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, R, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, R, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, R, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics,...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, Tbd, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, Tbd, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

Major Threats

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

Possibilities

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, R, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, R, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, R, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, R, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers,...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, Tbd, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, Tbd, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

Major Threats

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

Possibilities

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, R, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, R, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, R, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers, 10/22, PG-13, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics,...

Director: Derek Cianfrance Writer(s): Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne Starring: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling, Mike Vogel, John Doman Blue Valentine toggles back and forth from the blooming of Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean's (Ryan Gosling) relationship to its apparent ending. (A similar yet different enough take on relationships from Francois Ozon’s 5x2 and Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer.) The early days of their relationship are presented in flashback via richly saturated 16mm film while their later days (the present) are shot in digital – the effect is a brilliant juxtaposition between their gleeful beginning and ugly conclusion.

Sneak Peek a new poster supporting the upcoming feature "Blue Valentine", starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling.

The romantic drama was directed by Derek Cianfrance and co-written by Cianfrance, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne.

The film follows married couple, 'Dean' and 'Cindy'. Problems with the marriage arise over Cindy's career ambitions', while Dean prefers to focus his life around his wife and child.

To be distributed by The Weinstein Company December 31, 2010, "Blue Valentine" was officially given an 'Nc-17' rating, due to "an emotionally intense sex scene..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Blue Valentine"...

The 2011 Academy Awards, which will held on February 27 and be hosted this year by Tina Fey, announced their nominations this morning. Announcements were made by Neil Patrick Harris and Betty White.

The following nominations were revealed.

Best Picture

Black Swan

The Fighter

The King's Speech

True Grit

127 Hours

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

Rabbit Hole

Blue Valentine

Get Low

Best Director

Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Danny Boyle, 127 Hours

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Christopher Nolan, Inception

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

Best Female Performance in a Starring Role

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Annette Benning, The Kids Are All Right

Lesley Manville, Another Year

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Performance by a Male in a Starring Role

James Franco, 127 Hours

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Robert Duvall, Get Low

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin

127 Hours,...

Here is the new poster for Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. In case you did not know, this film has received a controversial Nc-17 rating, though I still can't understand why.

Blue Valentine is written and directed Derek Cianfrance. Cianfrance, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne officially co-wrote the script. The Weinstein Company is releasing it in limited theaters starting December 31st.

Synopsis:

Blue Valentine is a story of love found and love lost told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.

While Cindy has blossomed into a woman with opportunities and options, David is still the same person he was when they met, and is unable to accept either Cindy’s...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, Tbd, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, Tbd, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

Major Threats

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, R, trailer)

Possibilities

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, PG-13, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, R, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers, 10/22, PG-13, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features,...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, trailer)

Major Threats

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, trailer)

“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions, 12/17, trailer)

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, trailer)

Possibilities

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers, 10/22, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, trailer)

Outside Shots

“Fair Game” (Summit, 11/5, trailer)

“Country Strong” (Screen Gems,...

The biggest development since my last set of Oscar predictions is the successful release of David Fincher‘s The Social Network. It made an impressive statement at the box-office by winning two straight weekends, while also earning unanimous approval from critics. I already had the film and Fincher topping their respective categories, so the major moves being made on my board are by the actors. Jesse Eisenberg‘s meticulous portrayal puts him in the thick of the Best Actor race, and co-stars Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake have cemented themselves as formidable contenders in the Best Supporting Actor category.

I have personally had the pleasure of seeing both Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan and Danny Boyle‘s 127 Hours this week. Neither film is inherently Oscar-friendly by any means, but I still think they will both end up with Best Picture nods. Natalie Portman and James Franco are heavy favorites in their respective lead categories,...

"Blue Valentine" is a new romantic drama, written and directed by Derek Cianfrance, co-written by Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

The film follows married couple, 'Dean' and 'Cindy', and their relationship over a number of years. Problems with the marriage arise over Cindy's 'ambitions', while Dean prefers to focus his life around his wife and child.

To be distributed by The Weinstein Company December 31, 2010, "Blue Valentine" was officially given an 'Nc-17' rating, due to "an emotionally intense sex scene..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Blue Valentine"...