It's a seemingly standard-issue career track for the modern actor: Indie success, mainstream notice ... and then the clout and cachet to move behind the camera. And word came from Empire this week that Paddy Considine, who you may recognize from films big (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum) and small (Dead Man's Shoes, In America) is on that track now himself.

Speaking with the mag at its own awards celebration, Considine announced he's getting ready to direct his first feature, Tyrannosaur. Please note that the title's a metaphor; no dinosaurs for Paddy. Instead, as he explains, Tyrannosaur will be " ... about a woman leaving an abusive relationship. But it's not your run-of-the-mill, kitchen-sink drama, there are bits and pieces in there that hopefully make it a little bit different. Hopefully, we start shooting it at the end of the year."

There's no word if Considine will take a role in the film; the only casting note he shared on the red carpet was that "I've got Olivia Coleman in the lead role -- as we get further into the production we'll start casting the other roles." (I can't help but think of Tim Roth and Gary Oldman, whose own directorial debuts The War Zone and Nil by Mouth explored similar dramatic terrain.) Considine also gave a few hints about his next collaboration with director Shane Meadows, King of the Gypsies; the full Empire story has more.

Oscar night is over, and everyone is basking in the glow of the winners. Or, excuse me, the "recipients" of the Oscars. Not too many years back, the politically-correct police changed the language from "and the winner is" to "and the Oscar goes to" because that made the losers sound less like losers. It's a joke now when someone says, "It's an honor just to be nominated," but I believe that's true. I think it would be unbelievably cool to be nominated, even if you were in the Best Documentary Short category and the bouncers tried to keep you from entering the theater. This week's column is dedicated to the losers that were honored just to be nominated.

My favorite film of the year, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is gone from theaters and available on DVD, received two nominations and lost both, which I expected. But this is a film that, like Anthony Mann's The Naked Spur and many other Westerns, will grow in stature despite its lack of Oscars. The year's other big Western, 3:10 to Yuma, also lost its twin nominations, but will probably endure as long as there remains a small, dedicated audience for Western adventures. On the other hand, I find that very few films in the "disease of the week" genre have much life after the Oscars. But The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (161 screens) will be different, for two reasons: 1) it was actually really, very good, and 2) it didn't win anything.

I have such a huge Oscars hangover this morning. Did anyone theme it for the night? I cooked some mean-ass burgers in honor of Juno, then attempted to make a few milkshakes (in honor of There Will be Blood) before realizing I had no ice cream. Anyone get nutty and make Ratatouille? Anyway, when it comes to the day after the Oscars, talk usually surrounds the big surprises. What were the shockers? Personally, I totally thought Transformers would walk away with at least one Oscar for special effects or sound, and Marion Cotillard winning best actress came somewhat as a surprise. I mean, a French actress winning best actress for a foreign language film that practically NO ONE saw?

And Tilda Swinton? Really? Do cracked-out single mothers not mean anything to the Academy voters? Amy Ryan definitely should've won in that category. Other surprises -- who the hell let Gary Busey onto the red carpet? Did you see him lick Jennifer Garner's neck? Poor girl. Unfortunately, her husband was f**king Jimmy Kimmel at the time and couldn't be there to rescue her. But anyway, last night's biggest upset? In your opinion, who was it? (And is it okay to say that my new crush is Marion Cotillard. Holy crap did she look fantastic!)

Frankly I'm amazed that the announcement for a fourth Bourne movie wouldn't get a little more fanfare than buried half way down an article. In a press release in Variety, Universal announced that Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass will be returning for a new installment of the Bourne franchise. Originally, when the two were peppered with questions about a fourth film, they had the stock answer that Damon would only reprise his role if Greengrass returned to direct, and Greengrass would only return to direct if Damon was willing to star. Confused? Don't be, it was basically the PR equivalent of keeping the idea of a film on the back-burner without promising anything too specific.

Universal released the info in a release about their upcoming slate of films, and according to them both Damon and Greengrass are definitely returning to work together on the spy franchise. There are two books left in the Bourne series, so at least there would be some source material to start with. The two are currently working on the Iraq drama, The Green Zone, and Damon has already signed to star in The Informant for Steven Soderberg and is also in talks to star in The Human Factor for Clint Eastwood. Greengrass is also going to be busy with his upcoming Vietnam drama, They Marched into Sunlight. So it could be as late as 2010, before the two can even get started on making another Bourne flick, let alone get one into the theaters. However, with Bourne Ultimatum taking home three Oscars last night (three!), I imagine the fourth flick might be made a priority. For Universal's sake, I hope this one is a done deal. I can't help but think how embarrassing it must have been for MGM's Harry Sloan when his studio got a little overzealous about a certain spy franchise.

[via Empire]

Finally Josh Brolin received an award for his excellent performance in No Country for Old Men. He and the rest of the film's actors won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble cast Sunday night, giving No Country its second big win of the weekend (Joel and Ethan Coen received the top Directors Guild of America award Saturday). Along with Brolin, trophies went to cast-mates Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Garret Dilahunt, Tess Harper and Javier Bardem, who also won the SAG award for best supporting actor. While I'm not sure how many of No Country's performers actually received their own trophy, I'm hoping that both Kelly Macdonald and Barry Corbin were also included. No Country is one of those movies that wouldn't be the same without all of its main and supporting actors, and it is certainly fitting for it to have picked up this honor.

Other film winners from Sunday night include Daniel Day-Lewis, who surprised no one by being honored with the leading actor trophy. Even I'm getting a little bored with all of his awards, despite my agreement that his is the best performance of the year. I didn't even notice if any of the other nominees (George, Emile, Viggo and Ryan) showed up to the ceremony, which was one of the first red carpet awards events of the season. Picking up the award for leading actress was Julie Christie, further cementing the fact that I really need to see Away From Her already. The supporting actress honor went to Ruby Dee, who deserves it just for being the cutest old lady on screen last year, let alone for going up strong against both Denzel and Brolin in American Gangster. Finally, The Bourne Ultimatum won the new SAG award for best stunt ensemble and Charles Durning -- one of Cinematical's favorite character actors ever -- received a lifetime achievement award. Be sure to check out Moviefone's coverage of the awards for plenty of red carpet and ceremony photos.

If I had to think of one moment that summed 2007 up for me as a critic and moviegoer, then that moment came before an early-morning press screening at Cannes. Two film writers were speaking about a film from the day before -- excited, animated, engaged. One of them said "Le Scaphandre et le Papillion?" She then made a hand gesture worth a thousand words, and then exclaimed "Cinema!" And I felt the same way about The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as she did -- that it was a work of pure cinema, using every possible element of film to make a powerful piece of art, one that was engaged with the real world we live in while also existing as a strong, expressive creative work in and of itself. That's worth looking for, at the movies -- and, this year, it was easier than you might think to find it. These, then, are the films that made me exclaim 'Cinema!" in 2007, in no particular order after #1.

1. No Country for Old Men

The best film of the year -- wildly engaging, supremely confident, completely thrilling. Lesser filmmakers would have turned Cormac McCarthy's book into a tedious shoot-'em-up; thanks to Joel and Ethan Coen, we get a pulse-pounding, thought-provoking existential action flick -- a Greek tragedy with shotguns, a story of the American West whose true themes and concerns are eternal. I've seen No Country for Old Men five times now, and I get something new out of it every time -- it's a rich and dense work that also has sugar-rush surface-level pleasures. With three of the best male performances of the year (Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem) and a tone that somehow both fulfills and thwarts what we expect from the movies, No Country for Old Men may be the Coen's masterpiece.

There's a continuing debate about whether or not computer-animated films should be eligible for visual effects awards. But despite the fine line seen by some, others are quick to point out that many effects artists have the same function on Surf's Up as they do on Spider-Man. To them, it should come as quite a triumph that the Oscar shortlist for the visual effects category includes two animated films, Ratatouille and Beowulf. According to the Hollywood Reporter, they join 13 other effects-heavy movies, including definite front-runners Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Spider-Man 3. The trade points out, however, that this is not the first time animated films have joined the effects race. Back in 1994, The Nightmare Before Christmas was one of the three nominees (against Cliffhanger and obvious winner Jurassic Park).

The animated effect issue is different now, though, then it was 14 years ago. Animated films now have their own Oscar category, and it's fair to say that is the place to recognize Ratatouille and Beowulf (actually Beowulf shouldn't be recognized at all). Typically movies nominated in the visual effects category are popular blockbusters that wouldn't otherwise receive notice from the Academy. Until there's an Oscar for best sci-fi/fantasy or action movie, this is one of the best ways for a little movie like Transformers to be put in the spotlight. Sure, I'm being sarcastic, but nonetheless I like the category being the place for those movies actually seen by the majority of Oscar telecast viewers.

Unlike the film critics in American cities, who this week have been naming their year-end award winners, the folks across the pond are waiting until February 8 to reveal their favorites. But they have at least announced the nominees for their awards, many of which distinguish the importance of British filmmaking. See, the London Film Critics' Circle gives two separate awards each for the categories of best film, best director, actor and actress, so that one award is given to the best British film, director, actor and actress. Sometimes this leads to an overlap, as in the case of last year, when both Helen Mirren and Judi Dench were nominated for best actress and best British actress and The Queen was nominated for best film and best British film.

This year's nominees don't appear to have that overlap problem (see the full list here), which could very well mean the Circle has changed its rules since last year. Either that or there really is no clear enough front-runner this year in any of those categories. Or maybe the Circle just felt there were too many non-British films, directors and performers worthy of notice and didn't need to exclude any of them just to spotlight their own movies more than necessary. The one interesting thing is that while Daniel Day Lewis could be considered a British actor, he is only nominated in the more general Best Actor category. Also, it is interesting that Paul Greengrass is nominated as best British director for The Bourne Ultimatum, a movie nominated only in the more general Best Film category.

The best thing about having the British-only categories is the recognition the LFCC gives to terrific films like Control and This is England, which aren't on the radar enough in America to be given notice here. Also, the British-only directing category allows for the general best director nominees to include other foreign (non-American) directors like Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 weeks, 2 days) and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others).

Since the holidays are upon us, and since I've finally decided to pick a side in the HD format wars (as I'm sure a lot of you will be doing come later this month) I felt it was appropriate to not only ask you which format you prefer better (blu-ray, HD-DVD), but also ask for some advice. For awhile now, I've remained in the "wait until there's only one format" camp. I cannot stand the fact that some movies come out in blu-ray, while others come out in HD-DVD, and so the penny pincher in me had been against shelling out money for one when there was a chance it could become obsolete in the next year or several. But that all changed earlier this year when I finally received my first ultra-awesome flat-screen HD TV (a 46-inch Sony Bravia, in case you're wondering). Now I'm hooked on HD. It's like friggin' heroin. And if I can't watch something in HD, I throw a fit. It's pretty lame.

That being said, with Christmas upon us, I finally decided to take the plunge and choose a side; if only so that at least I could watch some movies in HD. The route I took? Playstation 3. Yup, this way I get the games and the blu-ray player. Worse comes to worse, at least I'll always have a gaming system. But here's my dilemma: What film do I premiere? When I first bought the TV, I opted to premiere Boogie Nights (because when you upgrade your screen, the first thing you want to check out is nudity). The film I wanted to premiere in HD was The Bourne Ultimatum (until I found out it was only coming in HD-DVD form). So now I'm stuck. I'm throwing a little 'Davis Goes HD Launch Party" and I need a good film (available in blu-ray) to premiere. So this poll asks two questions: Which format do you prefer, and which film should I premiere? Any and all help is appreciated.

I used to think Julia Stiles was the next big thing. That was back when she seemed to star in every Shakespeare update around (10 Things I Hate About You; Almereyda's Hamlet; O). Then she somehow became better remembered as "Nicky", the deer-in-headlights character from The Bourne Identity and its sequels. Sure her part increased through the series, but all I can think of is that line, "I can send Nicky to do that, for Chrissakes." Now, I associate her with any role that's so easy even she could do it. Which certainly seems to apply with a movie in which she's just been cast, Cry of the Owl. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stiles is replacing Sara Polley in the thriller, which makes me wonder if maybe the part is too simple for the now-very-respected Polley. "They can send 'Nicky' to do that, for Chrissakes," the actress must have thought.

Cry of the Owl is based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (author of The Talented Mr. Ripley, which starred Bourne co-star Matt Damon) and was previously adapted by Claude Chabrol. This version will be helmed by Jamie Thraves, who directed my favorite Radiohead video, "Just", as well as videos for Blur ("Charmless Man") and Coldplay ("Scientist"; "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face"). The movie co-stars Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum) as a new guy in town who Stiles' character falls for. Problem is, he's also stalking her. Scott Speedman (who was probably looking forward to working again with Polley, his My Life Without Me co-star) plays her ex, who plots revenge for being dumped. The movie begins shooting in Toronto next week.

To be fair to Stiles, I have to admit that coming from Highsmith, Cry of the Owl may not be just another stalker thriller. Also, she has been delivering fine performances in little-seen movies like A Little Trip to Heaven and Edmond -- never mind that she also starred in The Omen remake. She's also just made her directorial debut with the short Raving and she's set to star in an adaptation of The Bell Jar. Perhaps one of these days I'll have something new, and more favorable, to associate her with.

Wait -- what's that -- Matt Damon wants to do another Bourne film? But I thought he was done with the character? Right? Right? Maybe wrong. Back in May while promoting Ocean's Thirteen at the Cannes Film Festival, Damon told the press that he was done with anything related to Jason Bourne. His exact words: "I'm definitely done with that. I think we've ridden that horse as far as we can. The character lives on in the books and if someone else wanted to play it, I guess they could." Well, what if that someone else is, um, Matt Damon? Keep in mind these comments came a few months before The Bourne Ultimatum slid onto the scene, capturing the world's attention with its slick action sequences and ... other cool stuff. Since then, the film has gone on to make lots of moolah, it was given lots of praise, and -- ya know what -- considering the fact it's rare we get a good action film, I think people want to see more Bourne in the future.

Damon, well, he's beginning to warm up to the idea. While in Tokyo, he made the following comments: "If Paul Greengrass, maybe years down the road, was interested in doing another one, then I would do it, too. I don't think either of us completely put the character to bed yet." Great, this means my nightmare of having to write seven different "Damon Says He Might Maybe Possibly Star in Fourth Bourne Film" posts is beginning to come true. But doesn't everyone always say the same thing? They throw out the "years down the line" comment to fend off the media, give us something to write about, and then continue to repeat the same thing (while we continue to report on it) until, eventually, there's a fourth film. Honestly, since the series has been so damn successful, I have a feeling we'll be hearing more about a fourth flick sooner rather than later.

Oh, and regarding our dream that Bourne would face off against James Bond in a film, Damon says: "He keeps himself in very good shape. I would like to avoid any confrontation with Daniel Craig if I can." Drats!

Halloween came a little early this year, although for Rob Zombie and the folks at Dimension Films it's more like Christmas. Their reimagining of John Carpenter's classic horror flick set a record for a film opening on Labor Day weekend. After two weeks at the top, Superbad finally slipped into the number 2 spot, just above newcomer Balls of Fury. Here are the final numbers:

1. Halloween: $26.3 million
2. Superbad: $12.4 million
3. Balls of Fury: $11.3 million
4. The Bourne Ultimatum: $10.4 million
5. Rush Hour 3: $8.5 million

What's coming out this week? Glad you asked. It's a subtle melding of idiocy and firearms, the same combination that made Elmer Fudd a star. Here's what we've got:

3:10 to Yuma
What's It All About: In this remake of a 1957 film of the same name, a rancher and Civil War veteran played by Christian Bale takes on the responsibility of delivering a vicious felon (Russell Crowe) to the 3:10 train to Yuma so he can face trial.
Why It Might Do Well: The film has two strong, charismatic leads and the director of Walk the Line at the helm.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Needless to say, westerns are a tough sell.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $18 million

The Brothers Solomon
What's It All About: A pair of socially challenged brothers who were home schooled in the arctic race to find a woman so they can provide their dying father with a grandchild. SNL's Will Forte and Arrested Development's Will Arnett star.
Why It Might Do Well: Humor and conception mixed well for the highly successful Knocked Up, so it may work here as well.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The relatively small number of theaters is going to keep this one out of the top five (probably even the top 10). The trailer looks promising, but this is also the type of film that walks the fine line between funny and dopey.
Number of Theaters: 650
Prediction: $2.5 million

Shoot 'Em Up
What's It All About: Clive Owen stars as a gun-toting badass fighting to protect a newborn infant from an evil crime lord played by Paul Giamatti. Monica Belluci also stars as a hooker with a heart of gold who specializes in clients with a mommy fixation. Freaky.
Why It Might Do Well: Owen's character sounds like a combination of the ones he played in Sin City and Children of Men, so we know he can pull it off. Paul Giamatti as a thug? I'm dying to see this.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Don't see that happening.
Number of Theaters: Number not available, though it is a wide release.
Prediction: $14 million

Come monday morning, I'm betting the box office top five will look something like this.
1. 3:10 to Yuma
2. Shoot 'em Up
3. Halloween
4. Superbad
5. The Bourne Ultimatum

After I mentioned last week how hard it was becoming to get a perfect score on our weekly predictions, four of last week's entrants proved equal to the challenge. Way to go, gang. Here's the rundown of how everyone did:

1. Gregory Rubinstein: 16
1. Bubba8193: 16
1. Skyler: 16
1. Chris: 16
2. Lee: 13
3. Matt: 12
3. Mario: 12
3. Porcalina: 12
3. Opp-Neg: 12
4. Jasonsmusicpage: 11
5. Jaimovich: 9
5. Amano Jyaku: 9
6. JBob: 8
6. Anna07: 8
7. Ray: 7
7. Josh: 7
7. Rich Diamond: 7
7. Tek: 7

Here's how the competition works:
Please post your prediction in the comments section below before 5:00PM on Saturday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie.

Signs of a slow, post-holiday news day: Cinematical reports on the signing of a second unit director. Ah, but this isn't just any second unit director, and Dan Bradley hasn't signed on to just any movie. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Bradley, who's been the action designer behind the last two Bourne films, has hopped onboard Bond 22 as the film's second unit director. Not a bad decision if you ask me; Bond has taken a backseat to the highly-acclaimed Bourne series over the past few years, and it's wise for EON Productions and Columbia Pictures to look toward the latter in an attempt to bolster their franchise going forward. Casino Royale was certainly a good start, and Bradley's involvement means the next Bond installment will at least kick tons of ass in the action department.

According to HR, Bond producers want Bradley to "continue and build on the more realistic and gritty approach to the veteran British spy begun in last year's Casino Royale." Apart from Bond 22 (which will most likely begin filming this winter), Bradley has also done work on two Spider-Man sequels, Jackass: The Movie (now there's an interesting assignment), Seabiscuit and, most recently, Indiana Jones 4. I'm not sure whether the guy was in a lot of fights when he was a kid, but he sure knows how to help deliver some fantastic action sequences, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if the man is considered to potentially helm Bond 23 if director Marc Forster doesn't decide to return. So far Daniel Craig (Bond) and Judi Dench (M) are signed on to reprise their roles in the next Bond film, with a Bond girl(s) announcement due (hopefully) fairly soon.

Matt Damon recently gave an interview to The Guardian -- a paper that actually figures prominently in his latest film, The Bourne Ultimatum -- and had a few interesting things to say. The actor talks in detail about the problems that plagued the first Bourne film -- there were four rounds of re-shoots and no one thought it had a chance of doing well. "The writer, Tony Gilroy, was the first writer in the history of Hollywood to arbitrate against himself so that he didn't have sole credit," Damon says. "These are strong signals to everybody in the industry that a turkey was coming." Damon also seems to soften a little when the reporter asks him if he's open to a fourth Bourne film: "It wouldn't be the worst thing," Damon says. "But it's tough to sustain."

Damon is also asked about his relationship with Ben Affleck, and actually commented on what he thinks sent Affleck's career into a tailspin. He says Affleck committed to roles that "in hindsight weren't good choices" and allowed himself to become a fixture in the tabloids, to his detriment. "If you end up on the cover of Us magazine, you're f**ked," Damon says. "Monday, here's so and so buying a cup of coffee ... Tuesday, here he is again at the bookstore ... By the time it gets to Friday, no one is going to see your movie. There's no mystery to you." Damon also says that he and Affleck aren't currently working on a script, but that they still plan to collaborate on something in the future.

Okay, if we're going to get technical, that title should read "Superbad Expected to Do Super Well," but that just doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? Over at Hollywood Elsewhere, Jeff Wells is reporting that the Judd Apatow-produced teen geek sex flick, (helmed by Greg Mottola, who's probably sick of everyone talking about Apatow and Seth Rogen's roles in his film by now) should do even better at the box office than original predictions were targeting. Sony, according to Wells, had been projecting about a $25 million weekend take for the film, but it looks like the film is going to hit more like $30 million, maybe even as high as $33 million.

This is pretty interesting -- it would seem that the appeal of the geek guy has not yet run its course, probably because there are a lot more geeky guys out in the real world (and chicks who dig geeky guys) than Hollywood anticipated, even after the success Apatow had with 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Films about your average dorky protagonist are appealing, in part, because real guys like to watch films where guys like them have fun, succeed in life, and get the girl, and real girls like to watch films where the guys are characters they can like and relate to.

Clearly, both sexes also like to watch Jason Bourne kick the crap out of the bad guys, his muscles rippling beneath his shirt (yrrrrrooooww), as Wells also notes that The Bourne Ultimatum (loved it!) is set to exceed the previous two in total box office. (Just as clearly, nobody wants to see Nicole Kidman be body-snatched, as The Invasion is, predictably, tanking -- did anyone really think that one was going to be good?) But while guys might like to fantasize about being Bourne or Bond or a superhero in tights, they know those things are purely in the realm of fantasy, whereas Apatow, et al, show them how real guys can live the life the beautiful people would like us to think is reserved for them.

Long live the geeks!