Brave

Here is what Disney Pixar does in a way that no one else can — it produces visual masterpieces with a storyline that captivates and entertains all ages. If you have seen Brave, you know that putting the three-disc collection under the tree is a no-brainer. If you haven't seen Brave, trust us — putting the Blu-ray DVD collection under the tree is a no-brainer. Pixar's lifelike animation draws you into this amusing but touching story and scenery that makes you long for the majesty of Scotland. Brave is one of Disney's biggest triumphs to date, and curling up around it with your family is the perfect way to relieve the boredom of a long winter break.

A chat with the creators of Brave>>

Secret of the Wings

Who knew that Tinker Bell had a life outside of flying around the Disney castle at the beginning of Disney movies? Or that she had a sister? Little ones are sure to become enchanted with the tale of Tinker Bell and her fairy family and the adventures that Tink faces when she decides to break the rules. You'll want Secret of the Wings on hand because your kids will want to watch it over and over, which will enable you to put all the holiday decorations away while the tots are blissfully preoccupied.

Secret of the Wings: A simple love

Cinderella/Finding Nemo

Both of these Disney classics have been around for a while. But they haven't been around in Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3-D, and both are a mandatory addition to your Blu-ray library. If you thought the beauty and magic of Cinderella was cool in its classic form, wait until you see it in Blu-ray. And if you thought Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo was amazing the first time you saw it, seeing it in Blu-ray 3-D will make you think you are swimming with the fishes — in a good way. Your Blu-ray collection is not complete until you have experienced both of these features in high definition.

Wise words from Cinderella's fairy godmother>>

Desperate Housewives

This collection isn't for the kiddies, but it is for the Desperate Housewives junkie on your Christmas list. The eight-season collection comes in a sturdy "trunk" and includes a never-before-seen bonus disk and a letter from the executive producer. The recipient of this gift will get lost all over again in every juicy scandal that Wisteria Lane has to offer. Give this to a girlfriend — and then invite yourself to join her in a Desperate Housewives marathon.

Images courtesy of Disney

The next X-Men film just got a little better with the addition of returning stars from different parts of the series' lifetime. X-Men: Days of Future Past is currently in production. Director Bryan Singer, who also directed X-Men and X2, announced the casting on Twitter.

"I'd like to officially welcome back James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, & Nicholas Hoult to #XMEN for#DaysOfFuturePast," he tweeted on Tuesday.

He then added a couple more additions, which will undoubtedly make for an interesting storyline.

"Thrilled to announce @ianmckellen118 & @SirPatStew are joining the cast of #XMEN #DaysOfFuturePast #magneto #professorX More to come...," tweeted Singer.

In 2011's X-Men: First Class, McAvoy and Fassbender played the younger versions of Xavier and Magneto. With Stewart and McKellen playing the older versions of the same characters, it could mean the new movie has a storyline that, in a change from the previous films, includes flashbacks.

Neither McKellen nor Stewart have been in an X-Men movie since 2006's X-Men: Last Stand.

The makers of the new film may have a challenge on their hands as they work with the actors' schedules, since many of the younger stars have gained popularity since the last film. Jennifer Lawrence is currently filming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and there is a good chance she will be making the awards show circuit early next year for Silver Linings Playbook. James McAvoy is currently working on up to five other projects, including a film about Wikileaks' Julian Assange. Michael Fassbender is working on The Counselor along with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and others. He will also begin filming Prometheus 2 in the near future.

Sir McKellen is of course in the middle of the production of The Hobbit trilogy, and Stewart also is working on multiple projects.

According to Box Office Mojo, X-Men: Days of Future Past is set to be released on July 18, 2014. It should begin filming early in 2013.

Photo courtesy of WENN.com

The Dallas Buyers Club, a film about the early days of the AIDS epidemic, has caused quite a bit of controversy recently, but not exactly because of its controversial subject. Star Matthew McConaughey lost a large amount of weight to play an AIDS patient, and Jared Leto has been a recent topic of conversation because of his dramatic change in appearance as well.

But the film is becoming even more interesting. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that indie-band Deerhunter's Bradford Cox has joined the cast. Cox will play Jared Leto's lover. Leto is also a musician, leading the band 30 Seconds to Mars, and in the film he plays a cross-dressing man dying of AIDS. McConaughey plays a man diagnosed with AIDS who takes it upon himself to find an alternative treatment.

"The Dallas Buyers Club is based on Ron Woodruff, a Texas electrician who contracted HIV through drug use in the eighties," said Rolling Stone magazine. "When doctors told him he had six months to live, Woodruff began smuggling alternative drugs into the U.S. for himself and other AIDS patients. While the medicine extended Woodruff's life, it also pitted him against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which wanted to keep such medicine out of the country."

Jennifer Garner is another star of the movie, and THR said that Denis O'Hare and Griffin Dunne have also joined the cast. O'Hare has most recently appeared in The Good Wife, True Blood, American Horror Story and J. Edgar and has been in over 100 different projects since 1993. Dunne most recently appeared in House of Lies and Damages, but he has been acting for almost four decades. Garner plays a doctor in the film.

Bradford Cox helped write the score for Where the Wild Things Are, but The Dallas Buyers Club will be his film acting debut.

Photo courtesy of Andres Otero/WENN.com

Cate Blanchett is an evil stepmom. Or she will be, anyway, when Disney's Cinderella update hits the big screen.

Details on the deal, and on the film itself, are fuzzy, but Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Blanchett is "in talks" to take on the role of Cinderella's evil stepmother in the live-action adaptation now in development at the studio.

Cate Blanchett pities the plastic surgery fools>>

Former children will remember that Cinderella's evil stepmother sets the plot of the fairy tale in motion by refusing to let Cinderella attend the prince's ball, hoping that her own difficult and plain daughters will catch the royal's eye.

It's unclear if the Cinderella adaptation will faithfully follow the lines of Disney's 1950 animated Cinderella. But since buzzworthy indie director Mark Romanek is directing from a script touched up by interesting writer Chris Weitz, the smart money says this Cinderella will find something new to say about one of the most passive heroines of fairy-tale lore.

Scribe Weitz has had what /Film calls "an incredibly varied and interesting career." He's worked as both writer and director on excellent, polar opposite movies like About a Boy and American Pie. He also directed interesting failures like The Golden Compass and the second movie in the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon .

Weitz was the second one to get his hands on the Cinderella script. The original idea for a Cinderella "re-imagining" came from Aline Brosh McKenna, who also wrote The Devil Wears Prada. Huh. We like that movie, too.

Universal is reportedly developing a rival Cinderella project written by Ann Peacock, who penned The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Universal seems to like competitive fairy tale projects: its Snow White and the Huntsman was being developed at the same time as Mirror, Mirror back in 2011.

Lily Collins and Kristen Stewart beyond Snow White roles>>

Fairy tale retakes are currently hot both on television and at the cinema, with upcoming movies like Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters and Jack the Giant Slayer set for imminent release.

Image courtesy Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com

In case you live under a rock in the Shire and haven't heard, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is nearly upon us.

As if the experience couldn't get any more epic, participating IMAX theaters will be giving away limited-edition posters at their midnight premieres.

In the running are four beautiful pieces featuring Bilbo Baggins, Gollum, Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield.

If free posters are this intricate, we can only imagine how amazing this movie as a whole will be!

Peter Jackson has crafted the predecessor film to The Lord of the Rings saga: the story of one hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his unexpected adventure deep into the darkness of Middle Earth and ultimately an exploration of himself.

Although the burden of the ring rests on Bilbo alone, his travels place him within great company like that of the wizard Gandalf, dwarves, elves and all the monstrous creatures on the fringes of his peaceful land.

The Hobbit may be cast across a medieval plain but it ultimately tells of the troubles we must all overcome on the path to courage, sacrifice and strength.

Grab your precious and check out The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Dec. 14.

Images courtesy of New Line Cinema/Warner Bros

Just days after X-Men fans were thrilled to hear that Patrick Stewart would reprise his role as Professor Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen would be back as Magneto, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Hugh Jackman was negotiating to show up as Wolverine one more time.

Fans are unusually excited about X-Men: Days of Future Past, set for a 2014 release, since director Bryan Singer, a.k.a. the director who made the only decent X-Men movies , is back for this installment.

Viewers will recall that the first two X-Men movies were genre-busting massive hits, beloved by both fanboys as well as those who hadn't even heard of the X-Men before the movie opened.

X-Men: Days of Future Past gets a cast>>

After Singer departed the franchise in 2004, director Brett Ratner directed the abysmal X-Men: The Last Stand, which has a sad 57 percent rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ratner's film was so awful, in fact, that Matthew Vaughn, the director who took up the reins of the fourth X-Men movie, X-Men: First Class, told a British newspaper in 2007 that "I could have made something a hundred times better than the film that was eventually made."

Somewhere in there, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a muddled mess released in 2009 to universal pans, helped sink the X-Men rep.

But with original stars and director set to reunite for the next X-Men, things are looking up.

Another good sign: The plot of Days of Future Past is based on a storyline from the original Uncanny X-Men comic books from Marvel in the early '80s. It looks toward a dystopian future in which mutants have been hunted almost to extinction. Most of the last remaining mutants are in concentration camps, while terrifying robots called Sentinels roam the U.S. looking for others.

Meanwhile, present-day X-Men are warned of the purge to come and seize the opportunity to make changes now so that the future they glimpse can be avoided.

Deja vu? X-Men: First Class sequel lands familiar director>>

Meaty stuff! Possibly made meatier by Jackman's fleshy flexing!

Jackman made a memorable cameo in X-Men: First Class when he told Magneto and Professor Xavier to "Go f**k yourself."

Jackman must like cursing onscreen. One of the biggest laughs of X2 came when Cyclops asked Wolverine to prove he was really himself and not a clever facsimile, and the cranky Wolverine, a non-fan of Cyclops, rasped back, "You're a douche."

Image courtesy WENN.com

Photos of Jared Leto's weight loss are making fans do a double-take. Not only has the actor shed pounds for his role in the Dallas Buyer's Club, he's shaved his eyebrows!

Much like co-star Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto is on an extreme diet to become emaciated for the filming of the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof. The 40-year-old singer and actor has signed on to play a transsexual woman with AIDS.

Along with the eyebrows, Jared Leto has been waxing his legs to help get into character.

Deerhunter singer joins the cast of Dallas Buyer's Club>>

"Your body goes through weird stages," the 30 Seconds to Mars singer told Vulture of his weight-loss experience. "Sometimes it’s hard to hold on to water. But for me, it's not about the most weight I can lose, it's more to represent the character. I'm focused on what it means to be a transsexual woman."

For fans watching the transformation, however, it is very much about Jared Leto's weight loss! The actor, seen here on Nov. 26, hasn't revealed how much weight he's lost yet, but Matthew McConaughey is working on shedding a full 40 pounds from his normally svelte 183-pound frame.

Stars who are willing to look "near death" for the perfect role>>

Both men are doing their best to reassure fans who are unsettled by their scary-skinny new looks.

Matthew McConaughey told The Daily Beast, "Everything has shrunk quite a bit. ... I don't have the leverage I used to. I have body soreness. ... [But] I'm as healthy as can be. My blood pressure, everything's fine."

Jared Leto tweeted to fans Thursday, "Thanks for all the concern.. energy a bit low but I'm doing OK over here! XO."

Do you think Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are going too far for their roles?

Image via WENN

With the rights to 50 Shades of Grey being worth more than maybe any other movie yet to be made, Universal is being very protective. The film studio bought the rights and is currently in the process of making the film.

While porn companies regularly make "adaptations" of other films, the substance of the 50 Shades of Grey series makes the porn version a touchy subject. Universal says the porn studio based the movie directly on the book, without attempting to make it a parody or any other genre that would make it somewhat acceptable.

"The lawsuit said that Los Angeles–based Smash Pictures had produced a movie called Fifty Shades of Grey: A XXX Adaptation which lifted 'exact dialogue, characters, events, story, and style from the Fifty Shades trilogy,'" said Reuters. The report continued by quoting the lawsuit: "The first XXX adaptation is not a parody, and it does not comment on, criticize, or ridicule the originals. It is a rip-off, plain and simple."

Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels, written by E.L. James, have reportedly sold over 40 million copies after being released a little over a year ago. Reuters said that Universal bought the film rights to the entire series for $5 million earlier this year.

The lawsuit was filed by both Universal and James' company. She currently owns the copyright to the novels. The lawsuit is looking not just at the proceeds from the film but also at money earned from any subsequent films or products made with the name or likeness of the 50 Shades brand.

"Universal said Smash Pictures had two subsequent movies in production and that one of its subsidiaries had also launched a 'Play Kit' of kinky sex toys called 'Fifty Shades of Pleasure,'" said Reuters.

"The lawsuit seeks an injunction, unspecified damages, and profits from sales of the movies, which it says are trademark and copyright infringements."

The real film is currently in pre-production. However, given the storyline of Fifty Shades of Grey, you have to wonder how far from the porn version the Universal movie will be.

Photo courtesy of WENN.com

In Playing for Keeps, Gerard Butler plays a conflicted father, ready to settle down and move past his bachelor prime, but unable to stay out of trouble with women constantly throwing themselves at him.

Sound familiar? Well, it’s probably because the role so closely parallels the apparent struggle in Butler’s own life: Balancing the desire for a family and being a Hollywood heartthrob.

WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH GERARD BUTLER

“There’s definitely some mirroring going on as [my] life as an actor and George’s life as a soccer star,” Butler told us of his character, an aging pro athlete who ends up coaching his son’s soccer team. “They’re all throwing themselves at him. What are you going to do? He’s trying his best. A man’s got to be a man. You can’t help it.”

Why ladies love Gerard Butler >>

Hey, we can’t really blame him. But when we hear that he wants kids someday, and would even be into coaching their soccer team in real life, a girl can’t help but dream.

“I see myself being a dad,” Butler told SheKnows. “I could coach a sports team. All the kids, they were amazing. I had the best time playing with them and hanging out with them.”

But we’re jumping way too far ahead here. Butler will have to find himself a woman first! Rumored fling Jessica Biel is obviously off the market. Whether or not that reported hook-up actually went down — we’re not going to speculate here — the two are currently on great terms.

Butler had an abundance of nice things to stay about the starlet during our chat.

“Jessica is amazing,” Butler said. “She’s really talented. This is the best role I’ve ever seen her in. She’s so sensitive, and she’s sexy, and she’s beautiful. But she’s sweet, she’s protective, and she’s compassionate and she’s hilarious. She really had it all. I was constantly like, ‘This girl is good.’ I had a great time with her. She’s a fun girl to hang out with. It was nice.”

Wow, quite the compliment. Butler wasn’t too bad himself though, and watching him turning tricks on the soccer field was pretty impressive.

“I played soccer my whole life when I was younger. I was a player that scored goals. I was never the tricky player, so in this film I want to be more of that, because the camera’s only going to see you for a second.”

But is he as good as David Beckham, who is referenced several times in the film?

“No,” Gerard answered. “We almost had him in the movie, and his kid. It would have been amazing.”

Butler and Beckham shirtless on the soccer field? It certainly would have.

Be sure to catch Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel in Playing for Keeps, in theaters today!

Photo credit: Film District

4.5 Stars: Perfect for Quentin Tarantino fans

Frankie , an obtuse-minded delinquent, teams up with Aussie heroin junkie Russell when a Mafia ringleader known as Squirrel hatches a plan to rob a Mob-sanctioned poker game.

Markie Trattman is the king of underground gambling and had even hired thugs to rob his own card party decades ago. Squirrel knows Markie’s shady past is common knowledge and supposes that if Markie’s poker parlor were to be robbed again, most folks would think it was Markie calling the shots, just as he did before.

Squirrel, Frankie and Russell test this theory and make off with nearly a hundred thousand dollars, but getting away with a crime against criminals is easier said than done.

That’s when Jackie is called in to restore equilibrium to the greedy, seedy underworld of the Mob. After all, when the gangsters are stealing from each other, something must be very wrong in gangland.

Jackie calls in Mickey for backup, but is disturbed to find this former tough guy is soft as a rum-soaked peach. But not to worry, Jackie’s mind is sharp as a straight razor and he doesn’t mind doing the killing himself, as long as he can do it at a distance. All the pleading, crying and peeing men do when they know they are about to be executed is too stressful for Jackie. He likes to kill his targets “softly,” without the pity party.

Using radio sound bites and CNN clips of George W. Bush during the darkest days of the financial crisis, Killing Them Softly cleverly satirizes the Mafia and their gluttonous misdeeds. The Mafia, like Wall Street, has no regulation. Left to their own devices, this greedy lot cannibalizes itself, just as the housing market did with subprime loans. Wall Street and the Mob represent capitalism at its worst.

Nice guys beware: Brad Pitt swelters as Jackie, burning with the cowboy swagger of a young Clint Eastwood. He breathes and sweats bad boy with a heart of coal. He’s the type of guy who could ruin a nice girl and make her thank him at the end of it.

James Gandolfini plays aging mobster Mickey without the brains or machismo of Tony Soprano and is absolutely hypnotic. Swilling booze, his pathetic, mumbling monologues about his wife threatening divorce steal every scene as he bullies bartenders and prostitutes.

Bottom line:  This movie is extremely violent, but one of the best films of 2012. If you love your crime dramas gritty and bloody, you’ll love this movie. Enjoy!

Photo credit: The Weinstein Co.

Stewie Griffin, movie star. It'll happen sooner or later, according to Seth MacFarlane, who says he has the plot of a Family Guy movie already worked out in his head.

"It's just a matter of when," MacFarlane told an audience of student filmmakers at UCLA, in a story reported by Entertainment Weekly. "It's hard to do that while you have the series going on at the same time; I think that's why it took The Simpsons 20 seasons to figure out how to do it."

Yeah, and speaking of that Simpsons movie? MacFarlane wasn't any crazier about it than the rest of us, although he kindly refrained from bashing it.

"The Simpsons movie, I thought, was hilarious, but the one criticism I would have is that it's a story they probably could’ve done on TV. There could’ve been an episode that had that plotline," he said.

Yep. MacFarlane put his finger on the unique challenge of translating an animated television show into a movie.

Seth MacFarlane makes his big-screen debut with Ted>>

Animators can make their characters do anything and be anyone. Fred Flintstone used to talk to a tiny green alien who no one else could see, and Lisa Simpson has been eight years old for more than two decades. Squidward. Spongebob . Patrick.

So how do you take a TV show and make it so epic or so involved — or even so disgusting — it just has to bust out onto a movie screen?

MacFarlane is mum on his exact plans, but assured the UCLA students that "we finally hit on… something that would be impossible to do on TV."

As Entertainment Weekly pointed out, the success of Ted this summer means MacFarlane currently has plenty of box office clout: The $50 million movie made $500 million worldwide.

MacFarlane is also plenty busy on Family Guy and American Dad!, as well as prepping to host the Oscars in February, so it's anyone's guess when Family Guy could hit the big screen.

Image courtesy Daniel Tanner/WENN.com

1) Agents J and K are back for the latest installment of Men in Black. The story's amped up this time with the added element of time travel as Agent J discovers secrets about his partner's younger years. Josh Brolin has Tommy Lee Jones down to a pin, and nails his younger portrayal. Men in Black 3 is rated PG-13, so it's pretty safe for everyone on your home planet.

Rotten Tomatoes: 69% Fresh

2) Lawless is based on the real-life story of the infamous, bootleggin' Bondurant Brothers played by Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke. Cast against the backdrop of Prohibition Virginia, the brothers' loyalty is tested during one of America's most crime-ridden eras. Lawless is rated R, so check it out when the kids aren't around.

Rotten Tomatoes: 68% Fresh

3) ParaNorman is a great animated flick, wonderful for the whole family. Join the misunderstood world of a small-town boy, Norman, who must save his town from zombies. ParaNorman is unique in that it's entirely stop-motion, making it a real treat! Rated PG.

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% Fresh

4) Jordin Sparks is on a musical mission as she learns to balance life and all its struggles to make her dreams come true. Watch as she and her two sisters strive to break into the Detroit Motown scene despite the hardships that threaten their family. Whitney Houston even stars as the single mom at the head of it all. Sparkle is rated PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes: 58% Splat

5) Step Up 4: Miami Heat may struggle in the plot department, but the incredible choreography and cinematography pick up most of the slack. If you're a dance fan you can groove to this for sure! Rated PG-13.

Rotten Tomatoes: 43% Splat

Photo credit: Mr. Blue/WENN.com

Box
office
Top 10

Find out what topped the charts this weekend!

Photo credit: Andrew Cooper, SMPSP

Coming soon!

Scrat
got your tongue?

The latest Ice Age release might be subject to sub-zero cold as the gang finds itself adrift on an iceberg, but the DVD is jam-packed full of super-hot content!

Manny, Diego, Sid and all their prehistoric creature company are back for another dose of Ice Age fun.

This time the gang sets sail on a high-seas adventure complete with pirates, mammoth hurdles and that whole Pangaea-falling-apart thing.

This is round four in the Ice Age saga and if you haven't figured it out so far, the friends have made quite the journey — and although things don't always go the smoothest, they always pull through!

Just in time for the holiday season, the release is chock-full of bonus features and content so everyone can jump on board the ride.

Perhaps the most entertaining addition is the exclusive segment below showcasing the man who brings Scrat to life. You know Scrat: the lil' acorn-finding saber-toothed squirrel. Join Chris Wedge as he breaks down the many sounds, squeals, grunts and growls that develop the big personality packed into the little guy. From frightened to hyper and everything in between, Wedge gives us a hilarious glimpse of Scrat.

Beyond that, the release also includes an all-new coloring app, sing- and dance-alongs, music videos, deleted scenes and more!

See what it's like to be on set with all the stars like Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Lopez, Aziz Ansari and Drake, who all helped bring this wild ride home to you!

Ice Age: Continental Drift hits stores Dec. 11. Get it while it's hot... er, cold!

Images/Video courtesy ofTwentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

The spirit of independent film is in the air. The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled its roster of 2013 premieres. It includes some of the most anticipated films like Stoker, which stars Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska and is directed by Korean legend Park Chan-wook. There's also Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon's Addiction, a film he wrote, directs and stars in.

On the list as well is jOBS, the much talked-about Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher. Lucky viewers will get to see if Kutcher has what it takes to pull off serious drama.

Check out the 18 world premieres below:

• A.C.O.D.— Directed by Stuart Zicherman, written by Ben Karlin and Zicherman.
• Before Midnight— Directed by Richard Linklater, written by Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Linklater.
• Big Sur— Directed and written by Michael Polish.
• Breathe In — Directed by Drake Doremus, written by Doremus and Ben York Jones.
• Don Jon's Addiction — Directed and written by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
• The East — Directed by Zal Batmanglij, written by Batmanglij and Brit Marling.
• The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete — Directed by George Tillman Jr., written by Michael Starrbury.
• jOBS— Directed by Joshua Michael Stern, written by Matt Whiteley.
• The Look of Love — Directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Matt Greenhalgh.
• Lovelace— Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, written by Andy Bellin.
• The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman— Directed by Fredrik Bond, written by Matt Drake.
• Prince Avalanche — Directed and written by David Gordon Green.
• Stoker— Directed by Park Chan-wook. Written by Wentworth Miller.
• Sweetwater— Directed by Logan Miller and Noah Miller, written by Andrew McKenzie.
• Top of the Lake — Directed by Jane Campion and Garth Davis, written by Campion and Gerard Lee.
• Two Mothers — Directed by Anne Fontaine, written by Christopher Hampton.
• Very Good Girls — Directed and written by Naomi Foner.
• The Way, Way Back — Directed and written by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

The Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 17-27 and takes place in Park City, Utah.

What film are you the most excited about?

Before the Oscars and Golden Globes, the critics have to throw their hats in the ring. They acknowledge who they feel are the best in film. According to EW, the New York Film Critics Circle has announced its 2012 winners, which were dominated by Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.

18 films set for Sundance world premiere lineup>>

Zero Dark Thirty walked away with the biggest prize — Best Picture. It also scored Best Director for Bigelow and Best Cinematography for Greig Fraser. On the other hand, Lincoln had its fair share of wins. The film earned Best Screenplay , Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress .

Sally Field "fought like holy hell" for Lincoln>>

Best Supporting Actor went to Matthew McConaughey, whose career is currently on fire. He won for his performance in two films: Magic Mike and the black comedy Bernie. McConaughey will be one to watch as he's also gained praise for his work in the drama Killer Joe.

Here are the 2012 New York Film Critics Circle Winners:

• Best Picture: Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Screenplay: Tony Kushner, Lincoln
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• Best Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea
• Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
• Best Animated Film: Frankenweenie
• Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey for Bernie and Magic Mike
• Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field, Lincoln
• Best Cinematography: Greig Fraser, Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Non-Fiction Film: The Central Park Five
• Best First Feature: How to Survive a Plague

Do you agree with the winners?

Photo credit: Joseph Marzullo/WENN

NBA superstar and Olympic medalist Kevin Durant proves he's got skills on and off the court.

He's the lead role in Thunderstruck, hitting stores everywhere today.

It's a story of talent and the perseverance needed to accomplish one's goals.

Durant stars as himself, but when his basketball expertise is magically switched with a violently uncoordinated teen, things get a bit complicated. Brian miraculously moves from high-school benchwarmer to A-team, while Durant tries to get it together in time to rally for the playoffs.

Although the plot creates chaos in the character's lives, this exclusive clip shows the energetic and exciting environment that Durant helped bring to the set. It's a true testament to the atmosphere Durant weaves throughout the film, and with Jim Belushi bringing in the laughs as Coach Amross, this thing's a hit for sports fans and child audiences everywhere.

Thunderstruck is jam-packed with great bonus content including "KD's Clinic" and an inside look at the maturation of Durant's role in front of the camera — quite the parallel for the journey and regiment that Durant harnesses in the movie as well!

Be sure to grab your copy in stores today, and keep an eye out for a giveaway SheKnows has in the works: Rumor has it we may be giving away some autographed Durant posters in the coming days. Now that would earn you some extra cool-points in the holiday gift department!

Photo credits: D. Salters/WENN.com

3 stars: Perfect for teen girls looking for bad-a** role models

Set in the 1920s, Tang Ning a teenage girl with a dark secret, sets out with her father, Professor Tang Yunlong to compete in a martial arts competition. Young Tang Ning is a great fighter, but winning the championship will be the biggest challenge of her life, given that she's plagued by a rare genetic disorder.

On their way to Wu Dang mountain, father and daughter stop off to help an acquaintance Paul Chen identify an ancient sword that, according to legend, is made from meteoric stone and has magical powers.

Professor Ning determines the sword is a fake, but finds a treasure map in the sword’s case. After stealing the treasure map, the professor barely escapes with his life.

Once at the Daoist monastery so high in the mountains, which looks like another world, the competition begins. Tang Ning’s fabulous moves are a mix of kung fu, tai chi, and break dancing. Her spin-kick is so dynamic, she bruises much more than men's egos.

There is another woman in the competition, however, who may be Tang Ning’s match. Her name is Tian Xin who is not only stunningly gorgeous, but also happens to be a member of the clan who owned the magical sword years ago.

Instead of fighting Tang Ning, Tian Xin decides to team up with Tang Ning’s dad and search the mountain for its many fabled treasures. Turns out, she’s not the only one with a treasure map.

The fighting style in this film is uniquely Chinese for its expression of so much more than anger or competition. Like dance, the fight choreography expresses romance and love as well as respect and hierarchy.

Shot high up in the mountains of central Asia, the ancient sites seem otherworldly as the clouds sit like gods amongst the monasteries, watching the fighters.

While Tang Ning does get embroiled in a romance, the true love story here is between father and daughter. Once dad finds the magic sword, he’ll do anything to save his daughter.

Bottom line: This movie is filled with fun martial arts, strong female characters, and great scenery. If martial arts is your thing, you'll love this movie.

Wu Dang is out on Blu-ray and DVD today.

Photo credit: Well Go USA, Inc.

Whether you loved The Amazing Spider-Man because you love comic books, Andrew Garfield, or the real-life couple of Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield, you'll still love this news:

There's a sequel!

It gets better, too! The sequel will include another of Spider-Man's enemies, the shockingly evil villain, Electro, and he will be played by the brilliant Jamie Foxx. It's always a good sign when the actors are excited for their movies, and Foxx seems stoked.

"I think Electro will be an exciting character to play because he's... a genius electrician-type person," Foxx told ET's Nancy O'Dell. "He gets the short end of the stick from the whole world, and the next thing you know, he turns it on."

According to Marvel's official bio, Electro got his powers accidentally, just like Spider-Man. Electro, whose real name is Maxwell "Max" Dillon, was struck by lightning while working as a lineman for the power company. Instead of dying or suffering from severe brain damage, the electricity took over his body. Upon learning to control that electric, Electro becomes capable of creating and controlling massive amounts of electricity.

We won't tell you how Electro ends up on the side of evil, instead of good, just in case that makes it into the story line for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What we can tell you, though, is Electro is as awesome as villains come in the Marvel world.

The new movie is still a long way off . The first Spider-Man reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, focused a lot on the relationship between Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy . It only recently released on DVD after spending the summer in theaters. Hopefully, though, we'll have the sequel in time for a hot date.

Images courtesy of WENN.com

More on The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man review: Bitten
The Amazing Spider-Man: More sequels, more villains
The Amazing Spider-Man trailer teases

Lenny Kravitz is getting his first starring role in Lee Daniels' take on legendary Motown singer Marvin Gaye's life, but some people aren't too happy about it. Marvin Gaye III doesn't want Kravitz to take the part, according to TMZ.

"The producers and directors of this film are very wrong and shameful..." the younger Gaye said.

His main complaint is that the filmmaker is planning to focus the majority of the story on Gaye's struggle with addiction.

"[They're] trying to do a film about a low period in his life. They don't even know the whole story," his son continued.

Lenny Kravitz wanted Elizabeth Banks' costumes badly! >>

Gaye was killed in April 1984 during an argument with his father. The pair had a tumultuous relationship and it culminated when the elder Gay used a gun during a fight about an insurance policy.

"I was standing about eight feet away from Marvin, when my husband came to the door of the bedroom with his pistol," Gaye's mother, Alberta, allegedly said in a police report. "My husband didn't say anything, he just pointed the gun at Marvin. I screamed but it was very quick. He, my husband, shot — and Marvin screamed. I tried to run. Marvin slid down to the floor after the first shot."

Lenny Kravitz: I had no idea race was an issue >>

His father was later convicted of the crime and died in prison in 1998.

In an interesting twist, Kravitz and Gaye III have been friends since childhood. He told TMZ that he intends to "talk to [Kravitz] about why he would do this."

"I would hope [Lenny] doesn't have any idea that we are against this film being done," he added.

Image courtesy WENN.com