Paul Teaser!

Oh my gosharoo... when I opened up my internet machine I almost jumped off the couch when I saw the teaser trailer for Paul had been released! Finally I got to see Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Paul the alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) in action!

What do you think? Do you like this comedy duo? Will you see this one? Could I possibly ask more questions? What's your favourite colour? Can I have a dollar? Ok I'm done.

Priest: A Non-Sparkly Vamp Flick!

 Ooooh la la! Here's a scrumptious treat for all you Cin-Obs who enjoy non-sparkly vamp flicks. Although we love us the lighter, cheezwhizy kind of movies like Twilight (2008), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992),  and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), we also enjoy the darker, more hardcore vampire movies, like 40 Days of Night (2007), and Blade (1998).

Here's the dry, but super enticing synopsis for y'all:

A post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is set in an alternate world -- one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills. IMDB

Needless to say, we're in. Post-apocalyptic? Vamps? Suweeeeet! We're sure it'll be action-packed with some seriously debatable religious/moral themes. It's too soon for trailers, but we did find a little featurette of sorts from Entertainment Tonight Canada. Now please disregard the uber-magooness that is Rick Campanelli, and listen to Bettany talk about this upcoming 3D vamp-battling-sure-to-be-hit!

Anyone else ready for a non-Twilight romp with some seriously dangerous vamps?

Captivating Close-Up: James Stewart

This Captivating Close-Up is brought to you by this week's Cin-Ob Supreme, Adam, from The Blue Meanies Are Coming. Enjoy!

Here's my chance to write a Captivating Close-Up for Angie and Chantale, and in my opinion, there's no-one more captivating in films than my favourite actor of all-time - James Maitland Stewart.

Jimmy Stewart was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania on 25th May 1908, and first came to my attention in the 1946 festive classic It's a Wonderful Life. In it he plays George Bailey, whose life is changed when an angel shows him what his hometown of Bedford Falls would've been like had he never been born.

Following his father's death, George is nominated to run Bedford Falls' Building and Loan with his uncle Billy. The greedy Henry Potter sees an opportunity to get George out of the way, when Billy misplaces a large sum of money, which Potter finds and keeps for himself. George decides that he must face the consequences in Billy's place, and his despair drives him to contemplate suicide by jumping into a river, on a cold and snowy Christmas Eve night.

A wingless angel called Clarence is able to save George, by jumping into the icy-cold river himself. George goes in after him, and it's soon after this that Clarence shows him the Bedford Falls that could've been.

His wife Mary has become a spinster, his own mother takes him for a stranger, and Bedford Falls has become Pottersville, a town that looks something along the lines of what Hill Valley looked like in Back to the Future II's alternate 1985. George decides he wants to live again, and it's only then that everything goes back to normal. His wife and mother know him once more, and Pottersville becomes Bedford Falls again.

Through his portrayal of George Bailey, Jimmy makes acting look very easy, despite apparently never having had any formal acting lessons. George has to show a lot of emotion throughout the film, from being the average family man to wanting to end it all, and Jimmy does an excellent job of convincing the audience how George is feeling in every scene.

Stewart almost never played the iconic role, having contemplated retiring from acting after World War II, in which he'd served in the US Air Force. Co-star Lionel Barrymore who plays Potter, convinced him to take the role, having previously starred alongside him in the 1938 film You Cant Take It With You. Disappointingly, neither Jimmy nor director Frank Capra received an Oscar for It's a Wonderful Life, and the film only began to get attention when it played on TV. It's now a classic which seems to get re-released on DVD every December, and is a must-see in the run up to Christmas.

Jimmy also appeared in many Westerns, with my favourite being The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), in which he co-stars with John Wayne. When Wayne came to film his last-ever movie The Shootist released in 1976, he requested that Stewart be cast as Dr. Hostetler. Jimmy's only DVD commentary appears on the 1950 Western Winchester '73, and was recorded for it's laserdisc release. It's a very interesting listen, and is basically an interview with Jimmy about the film and his career.

He also starred in four films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, although it should've been five. Cary Grant was due to be cast as Rupert Cadell in Rope (1948), but Hitch cast Jimmy instead. He then went on to be cast in Rear Window (1954), Hitch's remake of his own The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and Vertigo (1958). Surprisingly, Vertigo was a financial failure, and Hitchcock blamed this on Stewart's performance. He was the original choice to play Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959) and very much wanted the role, but Hitch decided to cast Cary Grant, citing Stewart as looking too old to still attract audiences. This was rubbish, as Cary Grant was four years older than Jimmy.

After a long and successful career, Stewart went into semi-retirement in 1978, when The Magic of Lassie flopped. His final film role however was the voice of Sherriff Wylie Burp in the 1991 animated film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. He died aged 89 on 2nd July 1997, after not only a wonderful career, but also a wonderful life. I've only touched on a few of his films in this profile, and hope you enjoy seeking out and watching many more.

Captivating Close-Up: Sam Rockwell

Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor, appearing primarily in independent films.

After his first film role in the 1989 horror film Clownhouse (produced by Francis Ford Coppola's production company) which he filmed when based in San Francisco, he moved to New York and trained at the William Esper Studios. His career slowly gathered momentum in the early 1990s, when he alternated between small-screen guest spots in TV shows like The Equalizer, NYPD Blue and Law & Order and small roles in films such as Last Exit to Brooklyn and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

After appearances as a bumbling actor in 1999's sci-fi satire Galaxy Quest, in the 1999 Shakespeare adaptation A Midsummer Night's Dream as Flute, and as gregarious villain Eric Knox in Charlie's Angels (2000), Rockwell won the biggest leading role of his career as The Gong Show host Chuck Barris in George Clooney's 2002 directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Rockwell's performance was well received, and the film received generally positive reviews.

Rockwell has never been married, and stated in a 2007 interview, "I definitely don't want to become a parent. It's not my bag." He has been dating actress Leslie Bibb since late 2007. They met while he was filming Frost/Nixon, in L.A.

Wikipedia

Dance, Sam, Dance!

Captivating Close-Up: Michael Clarke Duncan

Michael Clarke Duncan (born December 10, 1957) is an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

Duncan took other security jobs while in Los Angeles while trying to get some acting work in commercials. During this time, worked as a bodyguard for celebrities like Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, and Notorious B.I.G. all the while doing bit parts in television and films. A friend was covering for Duncan the night that Notorious B.I.G. was killed. This was the reason for Duncan to quit this line of work.

Duncan then was cast in a string of films that helped to establish him as a star: The Whole Nine Yards, Planet of the Apes, The Scorpion King (where he starred alongside his friend, The Rock), The Island and Daredevil as Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin.

In 2005, he starred in the film Sin City (again alongside Bruce Willis) as Manute, a powerful mobster. Duncan appeared in a minor role in the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby as Lucius Washington, and he voiced the role of the villain Massive in the Loonatics Unleashed. In 2006, he voiced the role of Numbuh 26 in the animated movie Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation ZERO. He played Balrog in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and voiced the prison commander in Kung Fu Panda.


Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American film and stage actor who played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Nick Tatopoulos in Godzilla, Inspector Gadget in Inspector Gadget, Jimmy Garrett in Project X and David Lightman in WarGames. He voiced the characters of the adult Simba in The Lion King and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Tack the Cobbler in The Thief and the Cobbler, Adam Flaymen in Bee Movie, alongside Jerry Seinfeld, and Despereaux in The Tale of Despereaux. He played Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers, and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw in the Civil War drama Glory.

He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his featured role in the play Brighton Beach Memoirs and one in 1995 for his leading role in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was also nominated for the Tony Award, Best Actor in a Musical, for the The Producers but lost to Lane. To date, Matthew Broderick is the youngest winner of the Tony Award, Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Broderick reunited with his co-star from The Lion King and The Producers, Nathan Lane, in The Odd Couple, which opened on Broadway in October 2005. He appeared on Broadway as a college professor in The Philanthropist, running April 10 through June 28, 2009.


Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Nathan Lane

Nathan Lane (born February 3, 1956) is a two-time Tony and Emmy award-winning American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and his voice work in The Lion King and Stuart Little. In 2008, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

When he told his mother he was gay, she replied, "I'd rather you were dead," to which he replied, "I knew you'd understand." Lane, who came out publicly after the death of Matthew Shepard, once jokingly explained, "I was born in 1956. I'm one of those old-fashioned homosexuals, not one of the newfangled ones who are born joining [pride] parades." He has been a long-time board member of and fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and he has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and The Trevor Project for his work in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

Lane resides in New York and has a long-time partner. He remains very good friends with Matthew Broderick, Mel Brooks, Robin Williams and Ernie Sabella.

Wikipedia

Hank Azaria - An Underrated Wonder!

Written by Cin-Ob Supreme Jonathan, from Symbolic Living:

This post was an idea I got when I read the recent post about the new Smurfs movie. I tend to see Hank Azaria in many many movies, and I find myself gleefully saying "OOh Hank Azaria"...

Many many actors in Hollywood are way too overrated, *cough* Nicolas Cage*cough*!

But unfortunately there are also those that come in underrated. Hence the reason why I want to dedicate my guest post to the most honorable Hank Azaria!

Hank was born in 1964 as Henry Albert Azaria. He is probably best known as the many voices in The Simpsons tv show and movie. It is quite remarkable to see an actor of his caliber with such talent, not be recognized more by the Academy. I love pretty much all movies he has been in, from The Birdcage (1996) all the way to Year One (2009) (which is the most recent movie I've seen him in). Azaria is a master of accents, and always tends to play outrageous characters.

Here are a few gems I think are worth watching that showcase his amazing talent! Enjoy! :)

Azaria as Agador in The Birdcage (1996)



Azaria as The Blue Raja in Mystery Men (1999)



And last but not least, a compilation showcasing his voice talents!

Captivating Close-Up: Jet Li

Li Lianjie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, wushu champion, and international film star who was born in Beijing, China and who has currently taken up Singapore citizenship.

After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring from wushu at age 17, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably the Once Upon A Time In China series, in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei Hung.

His first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), but his first Hollywood film leading role was in Romeo Must Die (2000). He has gone on to star in many Hollywood action films, most recently starring beside Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), and as the titular villain in The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008) opposite Brendan Fraser. He is set to star in the upcoming film The Expendables.

Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan (born Chan Kong Sang, 陳港生; 7 April 1954) is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts. Jackie Chan has been acting since the 1970s and has appeared in over 100 films. Chan has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a cultural icon, Chan has been referenced in various pop songs, cartoons and video games. Chan is also a Cantopop and Mandopop star, having released a number of albums and sung many of the theme songs for the films in which he has starred.

Jackie Chan created his screen persona as a response to Bruce Lee, and the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Lee's death. In contrast to Lee's characters, who were typically stern, morally upright heroes, Chan plays well-meaning, slightly foolish regular guys (often at the mercy of their friends, girlfriends or families) who always triumph in the end despite the odds.

In 1998, Chan released his final film for Golden Harvest, Who Am I? After leaving Golden Harvest in 1999, he produced Gorgeous, a romantic comedy that focused on personal relationships. Chan then helped create a PlayStation game in 2000 called 'Jackie Chan Stuntmaster', to which he lent his voice and performed the motion capture.

Despite further success with Shanghai Noon in 2000, Rush Hour 2 in 2001 and Shanghai Knights in 2003, Chan became frustrated with Hollywood over the limited range of roles and lack of control over the film-making process. In response to Golden Harvest's withdrawal from the film industry in 2003, Chan started his own film production company, JCE Movies Limited (Jackie Chan Emperor Movies Limited) in association with Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG). His films have since featured an increasing number of dramatic scenes while continuing to succeed at the box office; examples include New Police Story (2004), The Myth (2005) and the hit film Rob-B-Hood.

Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Ashton Kutcher

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978), best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American film actor, television actor, producer and former fashion model, best-known for playing Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. He created, produced and hosted Punk'd. He played lead roles in such films as Dude, Where's My Car?, Just Married, The Butterfly Effect, The Guardian and What Happens in Vegas.

He is also the producer and co-creator of the supernatural TV show Room 401. and the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek. He is married to actress Demi Moore. As of April 2009, Kutcher is the most followed user on the social-networking site Twitter.

After participating as a modeling contestant in an IMTA competition (losing to Josh Duhamel) in 1998, Kutcher signed with the Next modeling agency in New York, appeared in ads for Calvin Klein, modeled in Paris and Milan, and appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial.

After some success in modeling, Kutcher moved to Los Angeles and, after his first audition, was cast as Michael Kelso in the television series That '70s Show, which debuted in 1998 and ended in 2006.

Kutcher dated actresses January Jones (from 1998 to 2001), Ashley Scott (from 2001 to 2002), Monet Mazur (2002), and Brittany Murphy (from 2002 to 2003). Following his break-up with Murphy in early 2003, Kutcher began dating Demi Moore. Moore and Kutcher married on September 24, 2005 in a private ceremony conducted by a rabbi of the Kabbalah Centre; the wedding was attended by about 100 close friends and family of the couple, including Bruce Willis, Moore's ex-husband.

On April 16, 2009, Kutcher became the first user of Twitter to have more than 1,000,000 followers, beating out CNN in the "Million followers contest". Kutcher announced via Twitter that he would be donating $100,000 to a charity to fight malaria.

Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy (November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Sin City and Riding in Cars with Boys, and performed vocals on a range of films and with dance musician Paul Oakenfold, together garnering a number one dance music hit in the USA in 2006.

Murphy starred in many successful films, including Clueless (1995); Girl, Interrupted (1999); Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999); Don't Say a Word (2001); the TV adaption of the novel The Devil's Arithmetic (2001); 8 Mile (2002) and Uptown Girls (2003) as well as many lesser-known films, such as Spun (2003). In 2004, she starred in the romantic comedy Little Black Book, and the critically acclaimed Sin City (2005). She starred in two Edward Burns films: Sidewalks of New York (2002) and The Groomsmen (2006). In 2009, she was cast in the Lifetime TV movie, Tribute, as the main character, Cilla.

In late 2002, Murphy began dating Ashton Kutcher, her co-star in Just Married. Once engaged to talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz, Murphy became engaged to Joe Macaluso in December 2005, a production assistant she met while working on the film Little Black Book. In August 2006, they ended their engagement. In May 2007, Murphy married British screenwriter Simon Monjack in a private Jewish ceremony.

On December 20, 2009, Murphy was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering a full cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.

Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. Hill has had a successful career as an actor in comedy films, and has appeared in Accepted, Grandma's Boy, Evan Almighty, Superbad, Strange Wilderness, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Funny People.

Hill made a brief appearance in Judd Apatow's directorial debut The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which eventually led to him starring in a larger supporting role in the Apatow-directed Knocked Up, a short role in Click playing Ben Newman at 17 years old, an uncredited role of Dewey Cox's grown-up brother Nate Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and a leading role in the Apatow-produced Superbad.

Hill has wanted to be a writer since he was young, dreaming of someday joining the writing teams of The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live and The Larry Sanders Show. He is currently writing two screenplays, both of which are scheduled to be produced by Judd Apatow, producer of Superbad. One of the films, The Middle Child, would star Hill as a young man who returns from college to find that his parents gave a child up for adoption before he was born. The role of Hill's older brother was written with frequent collaborator Seth Rogen in mind.

At one point, Hill was writing a screenplay with close friend and I Heart Huckabees co-star Jason Schwartzman. However, he is now writing Pure Imagination, a comedy for Sony about a man who develops an imaginary friend after a traumatic experience.

Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Jason Segel

Jason Jordan Segel (born January 18, 1980) is an American television and film actor, screenwriter and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the movies Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, and I Love You, Man, and also for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

He is known for his role as "Freak" Nick Andopolis on the short-lived NBC comedy-drama series Freaks and Geeks, about a group of suburban Detroit high school students circa 1980.

Segel had recurring roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Neil Jansen and on Undeclared as Eric. He currently plays Marshall on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Feature film appearances include Slackers, SLC Punk!, The Good Humor Man, and Dead Man on Campus. In 2007, he appeared in Knocked Up, directed by Freaks and Geeks producer Judd Apatow. Segel starred in the lead role of 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a film he wrote and Apatow produced, with Shauna Robertson, for Universal Pictures.

Segel, along with Nicholas Stoller, has recently been enlisted by Disney to write and direct the next Muppets film. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall Segel's character writes a "Dracula" musical performed by puppets.

Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: John Turturro

John Michael Turturro (born February 28, 1957) is an American actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in over sixty movies, and is well known for his ability to change both his demeanor and physique.

A versatile actor comfortable with both comedy and drama, Turturro also had an extended collaboration with the Coen Brothers, appearing in their films Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).

He has also appeared in several of Adam Sandler's movies, such as Mr. Deeds (2002) and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008). He played a severely disturbed patient of Jack Nicholson's in the comedy Anger Management and played Johnny Depp's antagonist in Secret Window. Before becoming a household name, Turturro made a cameo in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters.

Turturro produced and directed, as well as acted in, the film Illuminata (1999), which also starred his wife Katherine Borowitz. He also wrote and directed the film Romance and Cigarettes (2005). He recently appeared in Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd as the right hand man of C.I.A. man Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), and as the oddball Sector 7 agent Simmons in two films of the Transformers live-action series.


Source: Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Jeff Bridges

Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is a four-time Academy Award-nominated American actor and musician. His most notable films include The Last Picture Show, Tron, Starman, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Fisher King, Fearless, The Big Lebowski, and Iron Man.

His first major role was in the 1971 movie The Last Picture Show for which he garnered a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated again for the same award for his performance opposite Clint Eastwood in the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. One of his better known roles was in the 1982 science-fiction cult classic Tron, in which he played Kevin Flynn, a video game programmer. Bridges also starred as "The Dude" in the Coen Brothers' classic cult film The Big Lebowski.

Bridges is also a cartoonist. Some of his doodles have appeared in various films, such as K-PAX and The Door in the Floor.

Source: Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Steve Buscemi

Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi (pronounced /bʊˈʃɛmi/ boo-SHEM-ee; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor, writer and film director.

Buscemi's most notable character roles include Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs, Garland Greene in Con Air, Rockhound in Armageddon, Donny in The Big Lebowski and Carl Showalter in Fargo. Although usually a supporting actor, he has had critical success as a lead actor, particularly in his role as Seymour in Ghost World. Buscemi often plays characters that are neurotic and paranoid. He has appeared in a number of films by the Coen Brothers, in which he tends to die in a grisly, prolonged or unexpected manner.

He frequently provides comic relief in Adam Sandler films such as Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy and Mr. Deeds. Buscemi also starred with Sandler (as brothers) in Airheads alongside with Brendan Fraser.

Buscemi has worked extensively as a writer-director since making his debut feature during the 1990s. His directional credits include:

Trees Lounge (1996)
Animal Factory (2000)
Lonesome Jim (2005)
Interview (2007)

The day after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Buscemi went to his old firehouse to volunteer for recovery work at Ground Zero. That week, he worked 12 hour shifts digging through the rubble, while refusing to do interviews or have his picture taken.

Source: Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Patricia Clarkson

Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. After having a dramatic education in the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and is working steadily on both film and television. She won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Pieces of April (2003).

Clarkson had supporting roles in a series of high-profile films in her early career, including The Dead Pool, Rocket Gibraltar and Everybody's All-American. She starred in the short-run television series Davis Rules, and in the miniseries Alex Haley's Queen. More often a character actor than a leading woman, she has also appeared in such major films as The Green Mile (1999), Far from Heaven (2002) and Good Night, and Good Luck (2005).

In 2003, she gained critical acclaim and a Special Jury Prize for her work in four films that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival : All the Real Girls, The Baroness and the Pig, The Station Agent and Pieces of April.

Source: Wikipedia

Our Captivating Close-Ups today are reserved for actors we feel have been overlooked. Although they're not winning tons of awards or making blockbuster movies, we can always count on them to deliver incredible performances!

* Thanks to softqual for the suggestion!*

Captivating Close-Up: George Clooney

George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Clooney has balanced his performances in big-budget blockbusters with work as a producer and director behind commercially riskier projects, as well as social and liberal political activism. On January 31, 2008, the United Nations named Clooney a "Messenger of Peace."

Clooney began in movies while appearing in ER, his first major Hollywood role being From Dusk till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez. He followed its success with One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and The Peacemaker with Nicole Kidman, the latter being the initial feature length release from Dreamworks SKG studio.

Clooney was then cast as the new Batman (succeeding Val Kilmer, who in turn, had succeeded Michael Keaton) in Batman & Robin, which was a moderate box office success, but a critical failure (with Clooney calling the film "a waste of money"). In 1998, he starred in Out of Sight, opposite Jennifer Lopez. This was the first of many collaborations with director Steven Soderbergh. He also starred in Three Kings during the last weeks of his contract with ER.

Clooney is currently working on his next project, The Men Who Stare At Goats, which is being directed by his best pal Grant Heslov and is set for release in 2010. Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey have also signed on to star. Another project Clooney has signed on for is Up in the Air which is set for a 2009 release. It is being directed by Juno director Jason Reitman.

Source: Wikipedia

Captivating Close-Up: Brad Pitt

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one.

Pitt began his acting career with television guest appearances, which included a role on the CBS soap opera Dallas in 1987. He gained recognition as the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis's character in the 1991 road movie Thelma & Louise. Pitt's first leading roles in big-budget productions came with A River Runs Through It (1992) and Interview with the Vampire (1994).

As of 2009, he lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has attracted worldwide media attention. He and Jolie have three adopted children, Maddox, Zahara, and Pax, and have also given birth to three biological children, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.

Pitt owns a production company named Plan B Entertainment, which produced the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, The Departed, among other films.

Source: Wikipedia