LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: ACADEMY AWARDS Unveil New Poster

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled the poster for the 84th Academy Awards®. The art features the iconic Oscar statuette alongside memorable images from eight films spanning eight decades: “Gone with the Wind” (1939), “Casablanca” (1943), “Giant” (1956), “The Sound of Music” (1965), “The Godfather” (1972), “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989), “Forrest Gump” (1994) and “Gladiator” (2000). All the films featured on the poster won the Academy Award® for Best Picture, except “Giant,” for which George Stevens won the Oscar for Directing.

Supported by the tagline “Celebrate the movies in all of us,” the design is meant to evoke the emotional connections we all have with the movies. “Whether it’s a first date or a holiday gathering with friends or family, movies are a big part of our memory,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “The Academy Awards not only honor the excellence of these movies, but also celebrate what they mean to us as a culture and to each of us individually.”

The artwork was created by award-winning graphic designer Anthony Goldschmidt, and Mark and Karen Crawford of the design firm Blood&Chocolate.

Posters will be available to theaters in the U.S. and internationally, along with a theatrical trailer, which will begin screening on January 6.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

WAR HORSE: A Movie Review

“War Horse”

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis, based on the novel “The War Horse” by Michael Morpurgo

Starring Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and David Kross.

 

By Bryan Buss

 

Steven Spielberg returns to the director’s chair after a three-year hiatus with this World War I drama about a British young man and his horse. Pretty boy Albert (newcomer Jeremy Irvine, looking like a young Ethan Hawke) becomes attached to Joey, a magnificent stallion his alcoholic father purchases at auction in place of the workhorse they need to till the fields. Then when the Great War begins, Joey is sold into the army to aid the Brits, and, Albert, being too young to enlist himself, is heartbroken to see Joey off on a journey of hardship, horror, and danger.

As he comes in contact with soldiers and civilians alike, though, Joey touches and changes each of them even as he passes out of their lives within days. While that seems a bit simplistic on the surface, Spielberg’s confident direction ensures that the emotions elicited are earned and not cheap or overly mawkish. The problem is that Joey’s odyssey is to find his way home, so we know from the get-go that these other characters are transitional, and thusly, it’s difficult to become invested in them. Even Albert, by the time the story circles back to him, seems like a new character because we spend such a short period of time with him before he’s dispatched for 80 or so minutes.

And while this is being marketed as a family film, it’s important to keep in mind that this is, in reality, a war movie. There is no gratuitous violence, but it is very intense throughout and is far too much so for children, who might also be bored or simply not understand the mechanics of battle or have enough understanding of history to even follow the intricacies of the story.

What makes up for what the film lacks is the quality of the acting from both old pros (Watson, Thewlis, Mullan) and up-and-comers (Irvine, Kross), and the stunning cinematography by veteran director of photography Janusz Kaminski (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Catch Me If You Can”). Kaminski’s visuals are epic; they look like the most fantastic paintings with the most stunning shades of light and dark you can imagine. War has never looked so beautiful.

Though the film is boldly sentimental (and sometimes whimsical!), and will certainly evoke tears from many sentimental audience members (and maybe some snorts from the cynical ones), the inevitable emotional disconnect with the two leads separated for two-thirds of the film (and with one being absent for about as much) keeps “War Horse” from being a complete success. It’s solid, but it’s not a smash.

CLIQUE MAGAZINE ONLINE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 FRONT COVER

Last week Matthew Brown, who is the genius behind Clique Magazine Online, had a photo shoot for the front cover of our 2011 October/November issue.  With the help of gorgeous & talented model Harmony Swapp Sloane and the brilliance of Merc Arceneaux who did hair and make-up, the front cover for the October/November 2011 issue of Clique Magazine Online is nothing short of a masterpiece.  This issue will be published within in a couple weeks but until then please follow us on twitter at Clique_Magazine and become a fan of Clique Magazine Online on facebook!!

Welcome to CLiQUE MAGAZINE!

Dear Readers:

We are pleased to announce the creation of our new blog for our exciting magazine! With the launch of our new issue, we felt this blog would supplement our newly-improved digital publication. CLiQUE is formulated with you in mind: artists who knows no boundaries yet continue to exude inspiration to other creative colleagues.  Together, this fusion of creativity would enable us to provide you with up to the minute entertainment news within the Hollywood, fashion, beauty and lifestyle platform.

Thank you for welcoming us to the blogosphere and to your home.