The 2013 awards race is in full swing, and what better way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday then to take a closer look at how the categories are shaping up thus far?  Over the next few days we’re providing a bit of an overview of what the state of the race looks like at this point in time.  Yesterday we ran down the contenders for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, and today we’ll be taking a look at the fiercely competitive categories for Best Actor and Best Actress.  Hit the jump to read on.

Expanding into more theaters this weekend is Steven Spielberg’s Best Picture nomination shoo-in, Lincoln.  The period piece is less a cut-and-dry biopic of America’s 16th President, played brilliantly by Daniel Day-Lewis, and more of an examination of the burdens placed on Lincoln to keep a nation from falling apart while abolishing slavery and attempting to hold his personal life together. Lincoln also stars Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, David Strathairn, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lee Pace and Hal Holbrook.  For more on the film, here’s three clips, Dave’s review, a great trailer, and all our previous coverage.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I got to speak with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  He talked about what was it like to collaborate with Steven Spielberg, whether anything surprised him while researching his role (he plays one of Lincoln’s sons), what it was like to work with Daniel Day-Lewis and what he was like off camera, his directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction (which I think is premiering at Sundance in January), what it was like to host SNL for the second time, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

As we move closer towards awards season, studios are busy finalizing which of their films to push in which categories in order to give them the best shot at winning.  Given that the Best Picture snub for The Dark Knight in 2008 is widely considered a large reason why the Academy subsequently expanded the category to a larger number of nominees, we knew Warner Bros. would be launching a campaign for The Dark Knight Rises.  Alas, the “For Your Consideration” campaign for Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy closer is off and running, and we’ve got a look at which categories WB is pulling for.  Hit the jump for more.

As I write this review, we here in the States are approaching an historic Presidential election.   For many, the voting decision comes down to individual beliefs related to the economy and civil rights.  So it was with a familiar national context that I approached Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, a film as much about the man himself as it is about the fight to approve the 13^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery and thereby put an end to the Civil War.  Much as our 16^th President was equal to the task, so too was Spielberg in his effort to bring this story to the screen, complemented by the absorbing lead performance of Daniel Day-Lewis and the dynamic writing of Tony Kushner.  While the film missed on a few marks, Lincoln remains an engaging story full of heart, humor and conviction that remains culturally relevant even today.  Hit the jump for my review.

Three new clips have gone online for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.  The clips provide glimpses of conversational scenes throughout the film and feature President Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis), Mrs. Lincoln (Sally Field), Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) and Robert Lincoln (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).  Taken individually, the clips give a nice suggestion of tone, visual aesthetic, character interaction and a bit of plot.  However, taken together, they reflect a core principle of the film, one that stresses the balance that Lincoln had to maintain, not only in his Presidential decisions, but in his role as a husband and a father.  Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony Kushner’s dialogue and the superb performances all around make this a must-see movie.

Also starring David Oyelowo, James Spader, John Hawkes, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Strathairn, Walton Goggins, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace and Jared Harris,  Lincoln opens on November 16th.  Hit the jump to view the new clips.

Just in time for Election Day, a new international trailer for director Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln has been released, and it’s by far the best one yet.  This trailer actually delves into the central focus of the long-in-the-works drama—the passing of the 13th Amendment—and gives us a much better idea of what kind of biopic Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner have crafted.  Much of this trailer is reminiscent of The West Wing, with Daniel Day-Lewis’ Lincoln and his advisers working to secure enough votes to ensure that the amendment will pass.  The trailer also teases the multitude of strong performances from the ridiculously talented ensemble, and I can’t wait to see the whole thing unfold onscreen.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Oyelowo, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, John Hawkes, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Strathairn, Walton Goggins, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace and Jared Harris.  Lincoln opens on November 16th.

For the first time, I’m writing from the comfort of my newly remodeled “mancave” or, as my wife likes to lovingly refer to it, the “nerdcave”. For a space that used to be an attached garage/dungeon, I have to say that the end result is pretty cozy. I guess there really are no living quarters that a substantial amount of time, money, and framed movie prints can’t fix. Now, if only I could find a way to fit and/or afford a mini-fridge, classic stand-up arcade games (i.e. The Simpsons, and X-Men), theater-style seating, and a projection screen that comes down from the ceiling via hand-clap command, I may finally be able to fulfill my dream of never leaving home again.

All praises of my new space aside, this week’s incarnation of the Top 5 brings a look back at our Fantastic Fest 2012 coverage, Looper interviews with writer/director Rian Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt, The Avengers Blu-ray interviews with members of the pic’s visual effects team, The Perks of Being a Wallflower interviews with Emma Watson, writer/director Stephen Chbosky and more, and Hotel Transylvania interviews with Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez just to name a few. As you might expect, a brief recap and link to each is holding down the fort after the jump.

[This is a repost of my review from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.  Looper opens today.]

Sacrifice goes against our biological imperative of self-preservation. If we have a will to survive, then shouldn’t we do everything in our power to stay alive? Or is life only worth living if it’s the good life (whatever that means)? Shouldn’t we celebrate our desire to live? Rian Johnson‘s sci-fi film Looper casts a dark spell over our need for self-preservation, and bitterly twists it into a world where people would go so far as to kill themselves to live. Anchored by tremendous performances from leads Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, Johnson manages to deliver thrills as intense as the ideas he wishes to explore. However, his quest to reach a thoughtful conclusion stumbles over new characters, plot shortcuts, and an extreme tonal shift that leaves the big ideas intact, but fractures the powerful storytelling.

With writer-director Rian Johnson‘s Looper opening this weekend, all week I’m running exclusive video interviews with the cast and Johnson.  The film takes place in a future where time travel exists, but it’s only used on the black market.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a “Looper”, a hitman who is contracted to kill people that are sent back in time, and then disposes of the bodies so the victim technically no longer exists.  Things go awry when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time as a target and then escapes.  The film also stars Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, and Paul Dano.  For more on the film, here are 4 clips and Matt’s review.

At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, I got to speak with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  We talked about the Looper script, how the film changed during production, what do great directors have in common, and more.  In addition, with rumors of The Dark Knight Rises having thirty minutes of deleted scenes, I asked Gordon-Levitt if that was true.  Finally, we ended the interview talking about his directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction (which stars Levitt, Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore) and when it might premiere.  Hit the jump to watch.

With Looper set to bow in theaters this weekend, director Rian Johnson took some time out of his busy schedule to participate in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) at Reddit.  What followed was an absolute deluge from the writer/director in a back-and-forth that encompassed everything from his box office expectations for Looper, to working with long-time friend Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to his favorite episode of Cowboy Bebop.  Hit the jump to see what Johnson had to say.

Looper, also starring Bruce Willis, Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt, opens September 28th.

A fantastic dialogue-free animated trailer for writer/director Rian Johnson’s sci-fi film Looper has gone online.  The film takes place in a future where time travel exists, but is only used on the black market.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a “Looper”, a hitman who is contracted to kill people that are sent back in time, and then disposes of the bodies so the victim technically no longer exists.  Things go awry when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time as an assignment and then escapes.  The film itself is genuinely great on multiple levels with incredible performances all around, and this trailer’s gorgeous animation is a nice spoiler-free tease for what’s in store; you can also hear some of Nathan Johnson’s top-notch music.

Hit the jump to watch the animated trailer.  The film also stars Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, and Piper Perabo.  Looper opens on September 28th.

With writer-director Rian Johnson‘s Looper opening September 28, Sony has provided us with four clips from the fantastic film.  The film takes place in a future where time travel exists, but it’s only used on the black market.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a “Looper”, a hitman who is contracted to kill people that are sent back in time, and then disposes of the bodies so the victim technically no longer exists.  Things go awry when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time as an assignment and then escapes.  The film also stars Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, and Paul Dano.

For more on the film, here’s Matt’s review and all our previous coverage.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

We posted the first teaser trailer for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln earlier this week in anticipation of the full trailer being released during the Google + Q&A.  Now that the full trailer is online, we finally get a chance to hear Daniel Day-Lewis speak as Abraham Lincoln.  If I’m being honest, his choice of tone and inflection is not exactly what I had expected, but who am I to tell Day-Lewis what to do?  There are plenty of scenes in the legislative houses, on the streets and on the battlefield, and they all give a sense of scope and tone to the film, just like Spielberg said it would during the Q&A.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Oyelowo, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, John Hawkes, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Strathairn, Walton Goggins, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace and Jared Harris. Lincoln opens on November 16th. [Update: We added 7 new images after the jump]

The first teaser trailer for director Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln has been released.  The teaser comes just days ahead of the first full trailer and live Google+ Q&A with Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  The teaser gives us our first look at Daniel Day-Lewis in motion, though we only see glimpses of him as the titular President.  There’s also a shot of who appears to be David Oyelowo dressed in Union attire as he turns and walks away from Lincoln.  A narration of the Gettysburg address plays over scenes of Civil War combat, but who is speaking remains unclear for the moment.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, John Hawkes, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Strathairn, Walton Goggins, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, and Jared Harris. Lincoln opens on November 16th.

Sacrifice goes against our biological imperative of self-preservation.  If we have a will to survive, then shouldn’t we do everything in our power to stay alive?  Or is life only worth living if it’s the good life (whatever that means)?  Shouldn’t we celebrate our desire to live?  Rian Johnson‘s sci-fi film Looper casts a dark spell over our need for self-preservation, and bitterly twists it into a world where people would go so far as to kill themselves to live.  Anchored by tremendous performances from leads Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, Johnson manages to deliver thrills as intense as the ideas he wishes to explore.  However, his quest to reach a thoughtful conclusion stumbles over new characters, plot shortcuts, and an extreme tonal shift that leaves the big ideas intact, but fractures the powerful storytelling.