Contender: 'Super 8'

'Super 8'If this year's newly elastic best-picture race allows a summer blockbuster to slip in, Paramount's alien-invasion thriller "Super 8" could well be the prime beneficiary. Greeted in June with largely admiring notices and a better-than-expected $127 million domestic gross, this unusual passion project found writer-director J.J. Abrams embarking on a unique professional and spiritual collaboration with producer Steven Spielberg, paying affectionate tribute to classics like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T." (That both films were up for multiple Oscars has to be considered a good omen.)A reliable Par hitmaker socking over his first non-franchise outing, Abrams imbues the film with a deeply personal touch that never gets lost amid the impressive visual effects, the often seat-rattling sound design and the enchantingly retro art direction, re-creating a classically Spielbergian small town circa 1979.In a fairly slim year for kudo-worthy scripts not based on published material, Abrams' inventive synthesis of innumerable sci-fi and coming-of-age touchstones could well bend the Academy's definition of "original screenplay." And while "Super 8" isn't the sort of picture that draws attention for its acting, many critics singled out the remarkably poised and poignant supporting turn of Elle Fanning, ably demonstrating that for the part of a talented young actress, it helps to cast one.Release date: June 10ParamountRead the Variety review Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

The 20 Worst Movie Mistakes in History: Family Edition

Because you so enjoyed reading about the 15 Worst Movie Mistakes in History, Moviefone is happy to bring you the 20 Worst Movie Mistakes in History: Family Edition. Check out the list ahead for some of the most egregious errors in your favorite family films. (Once again, a big thanks to MovieMistakes.com, who in addition to helping us with this post, have a database full of, well, mistakes made in movies.) The 20 Worst Movie Mistakes in History: Family Edition 'Aladdin''Toy Story 2''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets''Beauty and the Beast''The Wizard of Oz''Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''Matilda''High School Musical 2''Ghostbusters''It's a Wonderful Life''Home Alone 2''Miracle on 34th Street''Honey, I Blew Up the Kid''The Karate Kid''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''The Little Mermaid''Cheaper By the Dozen''Back to the Future''Back to the Future''Spy Kids' See All Moviefone Galleries » [All photos courtesy of MovieMistakes.com] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Brett Ratner's Apologies: The Ultimate Stand

By John Mitchell Brett Ratner is presently on some type of apology tour after having an anti-gay slur throughout an problem-and-answer session while marketing "Tower Heist." His latest atonement, undertaking a proper apology and also the resignation as producer of next year's Oscars, is, like Tracy Morgan before him, to synergy with GLAAD to "convene public discussions featuring leaders inside the entertainment industry about marketing fair and accurate inclusions of LGBT people and tales." "Once we sitting lower with Brett today, he made an appearance very sincere within the desire to make use of this experience in order to begin speaking against anti-gay language in popular culture, Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's senior director of Programs and Communications, mentioned in the statement. That's all good and, clearly, it's admirable that he's just a little responsibility for saying something as foolish as "Testing is ideal for f**s." But seriously. How come nobody calling this individual around the relaxation of the things that he's been proclaiming that he needs to be apologizing for? Namely the misogynistic and racist remarks he gained about Olivia Munn and Lindsay Lohan. Let's start with the grossest of all the frat-guy trash this dude has offered up recently. Within a telephone call to Howard Stern's radio show, Ratner joined rather graphic detail about his relationship getting a "very youthful" Lindsay Lohan. He boasted about undertaking dental sex on Lohan, saying, "I'm possibly the best on earth,In . adding they know he's the most effective "since they cry." More youthful crowd recognized he'd Lohan examined for STDs just before the 2 rested together in 2006 you understand, when she was 20 which he was 37. "Before I've intercourse getting a woman, I really do do one strange factor, Ratner told Stern. I really do take em for the physician and search em out. Im as being a cootie freak. Im a germaphobe. Im a hypochondriac. Before The year progresses completely, I send the woman for the physician and search them for everything. My physician features a test to see if you'll probably catch something afterwards even. For your record, Lohan came back clean. Should not you be very glad you will be aware? He ongoing to recount how Lohan later found him in bed mattress getting a Victoria's Secret model as well as the two experienced a fight over him. In the separate but equally stylish and appropriate conversation on G4's "Attack in the Show," Ratner copped to being the not named director stated in Olivia Munn's book "Suck It, Question Lady: The Misadventures from the Hollywood Geek," acknowledging he "knocked her a few occasions" but did not remember who she was when she later showed up to audition for him. He did, however, deny Munn's account he masturbated before her while eating a shrimp cocktail, but really didn't undertake her charge he was, er, packing a shrimp that belongs to them. While all the sex discuss Munn and Lohan is patently tasteless, it's another quote about Munn which get under my skin more. "We used so far Olivia Munn when she was Lisa. That was the problem,Inch he told "AOTS" host Kevin Pereira. "She wasn't Asian in individuals days.Inch What? His point, I suppose, is always that Munn now allegedly plays up her race like it's some type of Hollywood wild card. That possibly it's some type of joke when she does research on "The Daily Show" becasue it is "Senior Asian Correspondent" because it wasn't listed just like a talent on her behalf account resume when he first met "Lisa." This can be a pretty crazy step to toss available so offhandedly, yes? At first, I figured the Academy made the wrong choice in giving Ratner the reins round the finest evening in Hollywood. He's a financially effective director, yes, but more youthful crowd features a well-deserved status for frat boy antics and lowbrow humor, neither that have devote the Academy awards. Say what you need to in regards to the Oscars namely that they may be boring but they're not lowbrow and given Ratner's recent string of public misfires, specifically those he's not apologized for, "lowbrow" is almost really the only word we could consider to describe the almost-Oscar producer. Reveal what you consider inside the comments section and also on Twitter!

Herman Cain Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live': 'We're Taking This Head On'

Ethan Miller/Getty Images Herman Cain kept his promise to appear on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, only hours after a fourth woman came forward to accuse make sexual harassment allegations against the Republican presidential candidate.our editor recommendsHerman Cain Blames Journalists for Sexual Harassment DramaDonald Trump Accuses Jon Stewart of 'Racist Rant' about Herman Cain (Video)Condoleezza Rice on CBS 'Early Show': Herman Cain Should Not Play 'Race Card'Jon Huntsman's Daughters Parody Herman Cain Ads in YouTube Campaign (Video)GOP Presidential Candidate Herman Cain's Campaign Bio Hits Amazon Top 10Lawrence O'Donnell Under Fire for Herman Cain Interview (Video)Herman Cain Responds to Jon Stewart's Stereotyped Black Dialect: 'Words Are Not Going to Hurt Me' (Video) In the interview -- which alternated between humorous and serious -- Cain continued to deny the accusations in the wake of Sharon Bialek's press conference with attorney Gloria Allred during which Bialek urged Cain to "just admit what you did, admit that you were inappropriate to people." PHOTOS: Best Presidents in Film and Television She accused him of putting "his hand on my leg, under my skirt and reached for my genitals. He also grabbed my head and brought it toward his crotch." Cain said he watched the press conference. "We watched it because we didn't even know that this whole thing about Woman No. 4 was going to even come out, so that was a surprise," he said, as reported by Politico. "At least it wasn't one of the many that have the first name anonymous so now this one actually had a name and a face so we watched to see what it was and who it was and we are dealing with it and tomorrow we're going to have a press conference. Oh, yeah, we are going to have a press conference. We're taking this head on." PHOTOS: Actors Who've Played Politicians Cain added that his wife, Gloria, also watched the press conference, and he called her immediately afterward with "steam coming out of my ears" and called Bialek's account "totally fabricated." "I was listening very closely and then when it was all over with, I said, well I know what we got to do because there's not an ounce of truth in all of these accusations and my team is putting this stuff together," he said. "That is why I'm willing to do a press conference tomorrow to set the record straight." Cain, who recently said he was through talking about the allegations, explained that he will continue to address any new "firestorms" that pop up. "I will talk about any and all future firestorms because here's one thing people know about Herman Cain: I'm in it to win it and I'm not going to be discouraged," he said. PHOTOS: Democrats and Republicans' Favorite Movies Bialek is the fourth woman in a week to come forward alleging inappropriate behavior on Cain's part. Politico reported last week that two women alleged harassment against Cain while he was president of the National Restaurant Assn. in the 1990s. Those women reportedly signed agreements with the group that gave them financial payouts to leave their jobs and also prevents them from talking about the situation. A third former employee came forward Wednesday, saying she considered filing a workplace complaint over what she considered aggressive and unwanted behavior by Cain in the 1990s. She said the behavior included a private invitation to his corporate apartment. Meanwhile, Cain's wife was scheduled to appear on Fox News' On the Record With Greta Van Susteren on Friday night, but canceled the night before. She has intentionally kept a low profile throughout the campaign. Jimmy Kimmel Politics Herman Cain

5 Feasible Storylines for the Where's Waldo Movie

In an age of Battleship movies and Carmen Sandiego features, it’s no surprise that another kid-friendly nostalgia icon, the bespectacled title traveler of Where’s Waldo, is purportedly getting his own movie. MGM bought the rights to Waldo, and that could mean a feature adaptation of the smiley boulevardier’s exploits is in our near future. I don’t know how a man in a striped shirt who gets lost in crowds can sustain an audience’s attention for a full movie, but here are five possible storylines I’d tolerate. 1. Waldo must track down his brother Odlaw, a tacky schemer whose black-and-yellow ensemble is aesthetically inferior to Waldo’s classic red-and-whites. Odlaw has run off to Europe with Waldo’s life savings, and Waldo must find him in unbelievably crowded cityscapes before he spends it all on black-and-yellow real estate. 2. Waldo ditches his soulmate Wilma for a flashy adventurer named Carmen Sandiego. They have a lot in common: They both love globetrotting, being hard to find, and well-fitted red garments. The only problem? She’s a notorious con artist and thief, and he’s just a sexless cipher in straight-cut blue jeans. Can Waldo, who just wants to blend in at the Louvre, sustain a relationship with a woman who wants to steal the whole Louvre? 3. It’s a sad Christmas for Waldo as his family loses sight of him inside the local candy cane factory. Is that him behind some red and white storage bins? Are those his glasses peeking out from under an American flag? In the end, the holiday is saved as Waldo and his family fly to North Pole, discover the real meaning of Christmas, and get lost in a Santa hat factory. 4. Waldo, an underpaid lackey at an accounting firm (of endlessly repetitive cubicles and characters), is greeted in a dreamy haze by Wizard Whitebeard, who promises to show Waldo the world and save him from his humdrum existence. He takes the young troubadour to the Great Wall of China, crowded beaches, and the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. So many people to meet! So much adventure! But Waldo realizes that he’s just too feeble for glamorous travel, so he clutches his walking stick and asks to be taken home to his sweatered dog Woof. 5. No plot. Just moviegoers staring at a grim red and white-striped screen, searching for an original idea somewhere in each frame. MGM finds rights to ‘Where’s Waldo’ [Variety]

Screen Media Acquires Greta Gerwig's 'The Dish and also the Spoon' (Exclusive)

Screen Media Films, recognized for little movies with large talents (like Maggie Gyllenhaal in Laurie Collyer's Sherrybaby), has acquired Alison Bagnall's The Dish and also the Spoon, which star Greta Gerwig shot soon after her Spirit Award-nominated breakout performance in Greenberg.our editor recommendsThe Dish & the Spoon: Movie ReviewGreta Gerwig, Adam Brody to star in 'Damsels in Distress'Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill Join Woodsy Allen Movie Olly Alexander (Vibrant Star) also stars within the movie, which focuses on a lady who, after her husband confesses for an affair, embarks with an unconventional romance having a stranded British teenage she finds out stranded around the beach. "A fragile brief-encounter indie occur the aftermath of unfaithfulness," authored The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore from the Dish and also the Spoon's March SXSW premiere. "The film has art-house potential and may enhance the profile of costar Olly Alexander." Bagnall, an AFI alum who started because the author of Zoysia ཾ, will screen the film in AFI's 2011 Youthful People in america section. After NY Occasions critic Manohla Dargis'Greenberg review stated Gerwig "may be the definitive screen actress of her generation," Gerwig started landing roles such high-profile films as Nero Fiddled by Woodsy Allen, also on the career upswing. The Dish and also the Spoon can come on VOD and DVD at the begining of 2012. The offer was brokered with Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment and Suzanne Blech, leader of Screen Media Films. Related Subjects Greta Gerwig

Apocalyptic thriller 'The Day' sells to U.K., France

Released: Got married., November. 2, 2011, 1:20pm PTBy DIANA LODDERHOSE LONDON Entertainment You've clicked on up rights to Doug Aarniokoski's publish-apocalyptic thriller "Your DayInch for Blighty, France, Scandinavia and Nigeria. Pic, that's being looked worldwide by Content Film Intl. which is getting its market preem within the American Film Market, appeared to become acquired by Nettai Museum for Japan. Luke Passmore composed the story through which an empty war against humanity rages and five youngsters are lost and abroad. Pic stars Shawn Ashmore, Ashley Bell, Michael Eklund, Cory Hardrict, Dominic Monaghan and Shannyn Sossamon. Guy A. Danella produces while Aarniokoski, Michael Finley, Tim James, Antonina Armato and Ross M. Dinerstein professional produce. Splendid has bought the pic for German-speaking areas in Europe and Benelux. Distribution are repping worldwide rights while Kevin Iwashina of Preferred Distribution are handling U . s . States rights. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com