Did you miss the VMAs last night?

Don't worry, it was a disaster, but here's the teaser for The Hunger Games for anyone interested:

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music

Here's a new and even better trailer for Like Crazy!

Take a gander:

-Joey's Two Cents: The choice of song in the trailer is excellent in my opinion, and seems to fit the mood of the piece perfectly...I can't wait. Thoughts?

Here's the Poster for Like Crazy

The Poster seems to have more going on than it appears to at first glance, and I like it...thoughts?

Behold the Trailer for the Sundance hit and Oscar hopeful Like Crazy!

Is this potentially the indie breakout of the year? Take a look and judge for yourself:

-Joey's Two Cents: It looks like a hybrid of (500) Days of Summer and Blue Valentine, and if it approaches the quality of either of those two phenomenal films, it'll be a major player. For now, it's a great looking trailer that hints at a rather moving story. I'm in...thoughts?

Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell could be working together real soon...

...according to The Playlist:

...and then there was one. With Elizabeth Banks, Kirsten Dunst, Blake Lively, Rooney Mara, Rachel McAdams, Andrea Riseborough, Olivia Wilde and Jennifer Lawrence all vying and testing for the coveted female lead role in David O. Russell‘s “The Silver Linings Playbook,” one name has risen above the others. Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence seems to have impressed the director where the others have failed, taking the frontrunner position according to Deadline.

We were definitely bummed when the “Winter’s Bone” star bailed on Oliver Stone‘s “Savages” to make way for “The Hunger Games,” but this finds the actress back into meatier territory after her recent vacations in tentpole land. The plot involves Pat Peoples (to be played by Mark Wahlberg), a former high school teacher who, after being released from a four-year stint in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother; he then seeks to remake himself, finding the titular silver linings in his life. The role that Lawrence will take is that of a depressed neighbour, who after the death of her husband, goes on wild sexual spree, loses her job and eventually becomes friends with and a love interest for Pat.

Of course, Lawrence is currently very busy shooting “The Hunger Games” in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, but should the contracts get signed, sealed and delivered, she will transition straight to Russell’s film which is gearing up for a fall shoot. It’s certainly a rock solid casting choice for Russell, who could really have chosen anybody he wanted, and for Lawrence, another smart move by the actress who is quickly diversifying her IMDb page.

Can Mel Gibson salvage his career and image with The Beaver?

Well, that remains to be seen, but the potential is certainly there, considering the script for The Beaver is kind of brilliant. I go over it in my Script Review of the film here, but suffice to say, Gibson has got an Oscar worthy role to play with (not to mention juicy supporting parts for supporting players Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence). The early word from screenings was very positive as well, so if audiences are willing to pay to see Mel again, this could be not just a critical hit, but a commercial one as well.

Here's an excerpt from our exclusive Script Review:

In terms of awards potential, I’d look at Best Original Screenplay as where the best possibility lies. If the movie is a hit, Best Actor is where the love should go, though don’t count out Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress (Lawrence), or even Best Director. I don’t know that it’ll be the Academy’s cup of tea, but the potential is there.
Overall, ‘The Beaver’ is one of the best scripts I’ve read in a while. It’s different, but not in an off-putting way. It’s incredibly
touching, and while some may not be thrilled with its choice of denouement, I found it perfect and apt. The premise may be a hard sell, but I can assure you, this will be worth your time. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the movie. If the script is properly executed on screen, this could easily be one of the best films of 2011.
--

Go check out the latest Awards Circuit Script Review (the first of 2011 after The Social Network and Buried were two of the prominent ones featured last year) and let me know what you think!

Jennifer Lawrence IS Katniss Everdeen!

Via The Wrap:

Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence has landed the coveted lead role in Lionsgate's new franchise "The Hunger Games," TheWrap has learned.

The role caps a meteoric rise for the 20-year-old actress, who was barely known to the public a year ago when she came to prominence in a tiny film at Sundance 2010, "Winter's Bone."

The film, which won the festival's top award, went on to become a sleeper hit in the heartland states, and nabbed Lawrence an Oscar nomination for best actress for her performance as gritty young girl defending her family in a hardscrabble country landscape.

The lead in "The Hunger Games," based on the best-selling novels, was one of the hottest roles in town.

The Beaver debuts to a strong reception at SXSW!

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Summit made a wise choice in choosing SXSW and Austin to first show its potentially troubled drama The Beaver to a regular audience. From the rousing applause of those in attendance at the Paramount Theatre after the Jodie Foster-directed film finished to the supportive reactions to questions about beleaguered star Mel Gibson, it seemed that the crowd was in an encouraging, forgiving mood.

In a strange way, the fact that Gibson is playing a deeply depressed, barely functional husband and father in the film -- whose message is about the need for connection and helping those who are sick whether you like them or not -- while providing major marketing challenges is also the key to its success with audiences. And thus it has no small potential to buoy Gibson's public reputation.

Could Jennifer Lawrence be close to her first big post-nomination role?

Via Variety:

Jennifer Lawrence is close to getting an offer to star as Katniss in Lionsgate's "Hunger Games," Lionsgate's bet on the next "Twilight"-sized young-adult franchise.

Gary Ross is set to direct from a script by Billy Ray and Suzanne Collins.

It's another gritty role for the actress, who was just nominated for a best-actress Oscar for her turn as a strong-willed teen in the grim indie thriller "Winter's Bone."

"Hunger Games," based on the novel by Collins, is set in a dystopian future where a young woman joins a survival contest to save her community. Tome is the first in a trilogy that's garnered comparisons to the "Twilight" series.

Pic is being produced by Nina Jacobson through her Color Force productions.

Daily Variety first reported that Lawrence was being considered for the role along with Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin, and that there was strong interest at the time for Lawrence to get the role.

Age was a significant factor in the decision, as insiders have told Variety that Ross and Lionsgate execs were weighing whether to play the role younger or older. That would not only help determine the tone, but also play a part in casting other roles, specifically the role of Peeta, Katniss' love interest.

A couple of this year's Oscar nominees are both up for the same role...

...in what could be the next 'Twilight'. Here's the story in Variety:

With the Oscars over, two of this year's up-and-coming nominees are being considered for the hottest female role available at the moment: the lead in "Hunger Games."

Sources tell Variety that 2010 Academy Award nominees Jennifer Lawrence and Hailee Steinfeld -- as well as Abigail Breslin, nominated for "Little Miss Sunshine" -- are all vying for the Liongate tentpole, due next March 23.

While no offer has been made, insiders say that Lawrence has generated the most interest.

Studio has Gary Ross directing and Billy Ray set to pen the script that Lionsgate hopes will be the next "Twilight"-like franchise. Source material is the hit book series by Suzanne Collins, which takes place in a dystopian future where a young girl joins a survival contest to save her community.

While "Games" is still a couple months from production, the lead role has become an important piece in what direction the film takes. The most significant is whether Ross wants his lead to play older or younger.