Family Malfunctions in the New 'August: Osage County' Trailer: VIDEO

Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Sam Shepard, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Chris Cooper, and Benedict Cumberbatch go sniffing around for Oscar in the new trailer for August: Osage County, the adaptation of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Rachel Dratch Runs a Julia Roberts Obstacle Course: VIDEO

A sublimely ridiculous obstacle course from Billy Eichner's Billy on the Street.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Now Playing: 'Mirror Mirror'

Oh Snap! The 90s are back. It's Julia.

BY NATHANIEL ROGERS

YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION

Once upon a time there lived a director with big canvas visual ideas. He would stretch them across just about any surface and start painting. Serial killer craziness (The Cell), muscle queen mythology (The Immortals), and uncategorizable period fantasy (The Fall) were all fair game. Any topic would do including a comic spin on Snow White because why the hell not? 

His name was Tarsem Singh or Tarsem or Tarsem Singh Dwandwar or Tarsem Dwandwar Singh because he could never settle on a signature. He would halfheartedly skim screenplays until inspiration struck. Once the spell was cast, he'd toss the script into the fire, chug absinthe, and speed dial Eiko Ishioka. He'd sketch until the last of the words had turned to ash and only his drawings remained*. The end. 

*not his real process.

Whether you live happily ever after from watching his movies depends on what you go to the movies for.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: My What Big Legacy You Have

Have you ever seen "The Boys in the Band"?

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

 
NOW PLAYING
MAKING THE BOYS is a documentary on Mart Crowley's landmark 1968 play turned 1970 movie "The Boys in the Band" about a very bitchy group of New York City homosexuals gathered for a birthday party during the Stonewall era. The doc is only in New York City at the moment but hopefully other gay-populated cities will follow. No matter what one thinks of the subject film, and opinions vary wildly from "self-loathing relic!" to "Respect your history, it changed the world!", it's worth a rental on legacy alone. One of the most horrifying sequences in the documentary involves a montage of teen and early twenty-something gays, one of them famous, who have absolutely no idea what "The Boys in the Band" is, let alone that it has anything to do with LGBT history. They showed a work print during the Tribeca Film Festival two whole years ago so I recall very little other than that it was an eye opener. Classic Hollywood fans take note: Natalie Wood features fairly prominently, or at least she did in the work print.

Meanwhile in popcorn world, Amanda Seyfried stars in the revisionist fairy tale RED RIDING HOOD.

I know nothing about fashion but I'd be curious to know what Tom & Lorenzo or the Fug Girls make of that red cloak lavender bodice combo. ouch, my eyes...

MORE, AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Golden Globes...and Scooby Doo?

 Remember when Penn was fighting for that Harvey Milk holiday in 2009? Worthy cause.

NATHANIEL ROGERS

...would live in a movie theater if not for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

NOW PLAYING
You don't really want to talk about Nicolas Cage's Season of the Wig oops Witch do you? I thought not. Let's move on. That's the only big new release. The rest is Oscar-focused screen count scrambling.

BONUS SCENES

Sean Penn will soon be honored with a humanitarian award. No, it's not another honor for his excellent portrayal of gay activist Harvey Milk. This prize is for his excellent work as Sean Penn, being quite the activist himself. He's definitely done a lot for Haiti relief recently. Each year the Producers Guild of America hands out the Stanley Kramer Award. It's named after the producer and/or director of high-minded classics like Judgment at Nuremberg, Inherit the Wind, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and High Noon. The prize usually goes to a film (recent winners have included Precious, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda) but Penn will be the first actor to receive it. In the PGA's own words:

"We are proud to honor Sean Penn with this award as he truly exemplifies the Stanley Kramer legacy. Sean is a committed activist who has used his extraordinary talents and influence to shed light on powerful stories, causes and individuals—through film, journalism, and global humanitarian organizations."

Meanwhile at the cinema, Sean Penn will next play Brad Pitt's son (ah, the magic of the movies) in the upcoming Terrence Malick film THE TREE OF LIFE. The trailer is a beauty. Can't wait.

Remember last year's Golden Globes when Burlesque was just a crazy dream and not a reality and Cher & Christina Aguilera presented the Best Original Song prize and hit the after parties?

They're baaaa-aaack. MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Eat, Pray, Love Your Seven Ex-Boyfriends

James Prays. Julia Eats and Loves.

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...prefers air conditioned movie theaters to hot beaches in the summertime. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

**Editor's note: Our apologies -- though we'll blame an attempt at summer hours -- that this didn't get posted Friday. Enjoy.

Your Feature Presentations
For this weekend's moviegoing adventure, may I suggest a film about a whiny protagonist who dives too quick into romances, breaking innocent hearts? The movie is actually pretty good even though you'll want to slap some sense into the lead on occasion. If only our hero could find a little personal redemption and a way around the personal baggage that comes with multiple exes. What movie were we talking about again? Oh yes, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ! Or was it Eat Pray Love?

Eat Pray Love is based on the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. "Liz" (Julia Roberts) is a beautiful writer in New York City. She's still hurting from a painful divorce from Stephen (Billy Crudup). She jumps into a new relationship with David (James Franco) who is too young for her. She's ambivalent and unhappy. She remembers an old prophecy from a healer in Bali and decides that returning there is the fresh start she needs. In order to find balance and inner peace, she'll have to forgive herself for that trail of exes and learn to trust in love again.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is based on a series of very funny comic books. "Scott Pilgrim" (Michael Cera) is a 22 year old bassist hipster in Toronto. He's still hurting from a painful breakup from Envy (Brie Larson). He jumps into a new relationship with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) who is too young for him. He's ambivalent and unhappy. When he sees his dream girl (literally) Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he wants to make a fresh start. In order to be with her, he'll have to forgive her that trail of seven evil exes and defeat them in battle

MORE after the jump.