As highly anticipated movies go, the fourth Indiana Jones sequel is right up in that list. I would even posit that it could very well top the list of a majority of movie fans. And who wouldn’t anticipate a movie that, along with Star Wars, defined our movie going experience in the 80s?

Harrison Ford is not be a spring chicken anymore though so most of the speculation surrounding the movie is whether he could deliver and really give justice to the role that made him a superstar. But based on some of the leaked pictures of Harrison, we may have to put those worries to rest. He has never looked this good in quite a long time! He has reacquired that debonair, swash-buckling aura and, more importantly, he doesn’t look ancient!

And the co-stars in Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull really add more starpower. Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf will definitely bring with them their respective fans, firmly cementing the movie’s box office success. Too bad Sean Connery is not in the movie though. He would’ve really lit up the screen especially since we haven’t seen him in a new movie in years.

The Academy Awards is approaching. Traditionally, other award giving bodies are now starting to give their own awards for film. For film fans this is the start of speculations and award-watching because these early awards serve as a barometer for potential Academy Award nominees and winners.

Just today, the National Board of Review gave their awards and the results are quite interesting. I’ll let you see some of the choice nominations and awards for your benefit:

Best Film — NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Top Ten Films — (In alphabetical order) THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, ATONEMENT, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE BUCKET LIST, INTO THE WILD, JUNO, THE KITE RUNNER, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, MICHAEL CLAYTON, SWEENEY TODD

Best Foreign Film — THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Top Five Foreign Films — (In alphabetical order) 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS, THE BAND’S VISIT, THE COUNTERFEITERS, LA VIE EN ROSE, LUST, CAUTION

Top Five Documentaries — (In alphabetical order) DARFUR NOW, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, NANKING, TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE, TOOTS

Top Independent Films — (In alphabetical order) AWAY FROM HER, GREAT WORLD OF SOUND, HONEYDRIPPER, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, A MIGHTY HEART, THE NAMESAKE, ONCE, THE SAVAGES, STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING, WAITRESS

Best Actor — GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton

Best Actress — JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor — CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress — AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone

Best Ensemble Cast — NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor — EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress — ELLEN PAGE, Juno

Best Director — TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd

Best Directorial Debut — BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone

Best Adapted Screenplay — JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Best Original Screenplay — DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Documentary — BODY OF WAR

Best Animated Feature — RATATOUILLE

I am quite happy that Lust, Caution has been given some recognition. It is a beautiful film that deserves a wider audience. We’ll see in the coming months if these early winners will continue to build steam and momentum to the run-up to Academy Awards early next year

After making the Matrix trilogy, not much had been heard from the Wachowski brothers except for producing V for Vendetta and all of the talk about Larry (or is it Andy) and his transformation into a woman.

Well, the Wachowskis are back in the limelight again with the imminent release of their first movie in years. And, boy, what a comeback it is going to be because the film is none other than the live action version of Speed Racer.

The Speed Racer anime is one of the most loved series of all time and, predictably, anticipation for the movie is quite high. Expect to see a number of cool actors in the movie, like John Goodman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Christina Ricci, and Matthew Fox. The titular role of Speed Racer has been given to Emile Hirsch. But more than the actors, I’m pretty sure most of the people will want to see the classic Speed Racer car. Well, drool over the picture below.

One of the biggest teases for the Batman Begins sequel is the look that the designers have devised for Heath Ledger. We all know that he will be playing the role of The Joker but other than that, and a very artsy, and dimly lit closeup of his face there were no other information given to his character, much less a more detailed picture of him.

But with marketing for the movie now in full swing photos of the main stars are now slowly appearing everywhere. First, Christian Bale’s new Batman costume was seen in a number of websites. It was, for the most part, a vast departure from the previous Batman costume that Bale wore for the first movie.

But the most anticipation was for the look of Ledger himself. In one teaser website, a countdown was being made on Ledger’s picture as The Joker. But Empire Magazine pre-empted the website by providing the first look at Ledger as Batman’s arch-nemesis.

Aint’ he so cool looking as The Joker? I can’t wait to see if he is going to do justice to the character.

After comicbooks, the hottest source for inspiration in Hollywood are video games. We’ve seen Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Doom, as the most recent video game to movie releases. One of the most hotly anticipated video game to movie adaptations though is Hitman.

Hitman is a wonderful stealth/action game that has a very enigmatic character — an assassin with no name but is only identified through the tattoo located near his nape — 47.

Starring in the movie is Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood). I had initial misgivings when I first heard about the casting. I love Olyphant but I just thought that he will not be a good choice for the character. But from what I’ve seen lately, it looks like Olyphant is going to do justice to the role of the assassin.

Martin Scorsese is, to my mind, one of the greatest American directors. His visceral, highly kinetic style is all his own and he has made some of the greatest movies in film history. Most of my all-time favorite films (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Good Fellas) were helmed by Scorsese himself.

Scorsese recently finished his Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light, his project after the award-winning The Departed. But for those who just have to see anything that the maestro has produced, then go to the Freixenet website, or more specifically to this link. Apparently, Scorsese has made a short film for the company. It’s nice to see Scorsese’s short films because he manages to distil his distinct style quite effectively in a shorter medium, much like what he did with New York Stories.