The Lord Of The Rings

Question: Since motion-capture performances are becoming more and more common, what are the chances of someone getting an acting nomination for a role like King Kong or Yoda in the new Star Wars movie?

Answer: With moviemaking technology changing at an ever-increasing pace, the Academy has been reviewing a number of its policies, and I've heard it suggested that over the next few years they'll wind up doing their biggest overhaul since the introduction of sound in the 1920s. I have to wonder, for example, whether the conspicuous absence of Frank Miller's Sin City – by any objective standard one of the most visually stunning films released in 2005 – in any category is because members of the various branches didn't know what to nominate it for, given that the photography was extensively digitally overhauled and the production was almost entirely computer generated. read more

Question: Any news about the Smurfs movie?

Answer: I read in USA Today last week that producers envision the CGI trilogy as a comical adventure, with a Lord of the Rings-like fellowship of Smurfs unraveling a mystery. "We looked for what are the pressing questions about the Smurfs," said the pic's writer, Jordan Kerner. "How did they get here? Who is Gargamel and why does he want Smurf soup?" Hopefully they'll also catch the evildoers who napalmed the Smurf village. And then promptly feed them to Azrael.