Looking for a True Fiancee (Yubi wa wo hametai)

A Kino Film Corp., Gaga Corp., Kinoshita Management Co. production. (International sales: Gaga Corp., Tokyo.) Produced by Yumiko Takebe, Tsutomu Hirabayashi. Executive producer, Naoya Kinoshita. Directed, written by Yuki Iwata, based on the novel by Takami Ito.With: Takayuki Yamada, Manami Konishi, Yoko Maki, Chizuru Ikewaki, Fumi Nikaido.Uneven helming and a dull male lead undermine the brilliant premise of Japanese romantic comedy "Looking for a True Fiancee," the story of an amnesiac man who can't recall to which of his girlfriends he was about to propose. Adapting Takami Ito's novel, first-time helmer Yuki Iwata shows a flair for captivating moments that recalls early Baz Luhrmann, but the poor pacing, even during the funniest gags, deadens every laugh. Local auds will engage with "Fiancee" in its mid-November release, but it's probably too twee for offshore markets, although a rewrite could make it a remake contender. Pic begins with first-aid-kit salesman Teruhiko (Takayuki Yamada) sustaining a concussion at an ice-skating rink. Finding himself in possession of an engagement ring, he can't remember whether he was planning to pop the question to a melancholy puppeteer (Chizuru Ikewaki), an exacting biochemist (Manami Konishi) or a good-time girl (Yoko Maki). There is one more obvious candidate: the sprite-like ice skater (Fumi Nikaido) who glides like a snow angel around the rink where Teruhiko was injured. While auds won't miss the skater as the guy's best chance, Teruhiko is too caught up in his dilemma to notice her. Despite its apparent simplicity, the yarn is actually more sophisticated than the setup would indicate, with eventual revelations offering some unexpectedly bitter twists. Helmer Iwata's previous experience with musicvideos and low-budget shorts is apparent in her inventive visual flourishes. A pleasing dance number conducted on the ice rink is a real charmer, but overall Iwata lacks the timing needed to make this romantic comedy work. The film is further hamstrung by male lead Yamada, who's too stiff to be funny and not stiff enough to be hilarious. Better suited to more dramatic fare like "Gantz" and "13 Assassins," Yamada tries hard but doesn't cut the ice as a comic performer. Talented femme thesps have less-developed characters to work with, but all throw themselves into their roles with dazzling gusto and far more success. Pic has that flat, washed-out look that often stems from overlit HD lensing. Other tech credits are low-budget pro, although a tighter edit would exponentially improve things.Camera (color, HD), Shuhei Onaga; music, Mino Kabasawa; production designer, Shinpei Inoue; costume designer, Sachiko Ito; sound (Dolby Digital), Hajime Komiya. Reviewed at Tokyo Film Festival (Special Screenings), Oct. 22, 2011. Running time: 108 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Indian Entertainment Energy Player Eyes U.S. Growth

Subhash Chandra, chairman of Indian entertainment firm Zee Entertainment Companies as well as the Essel Quantity of Companies, is among Forbes' 20 wealthiest media moguls in the world. Throughout vacation to NY, THR NY bureau chief Georg Szalai spoken to him about his plans for wellness programming business Veria Dwelling within the U.S., an Worldwide Emmy he'll receive Monday, competition from entertainment conglomerates in India as well as the outlook for your media and entertainment business in India. THR: A few years back, you launched wellness programming network Veria Living, having a TV network an online-based component. How's that going and so are you concentrating on getting bigger distribution beyond current entrepreneurs Dish Network, Verizon FiOS and Frontier Communications? Chandra: Veria Living needs to be in every single home, every mattress room. It's something that people strongly feel might help the audiences to reside in well and be healthy. We are speaking to all or any satellite and cable operators. On Dish, we are around the [tier] that merely reaches about 4-5 million houses. You want those to expose this to all or any 11-12 million houses. DirecTV remains this really is this is not on, but we are speaking on their behalf. People request me why we are not receiving distribution. You might have four pornography channels, but no wellness funnel. It is said there's scarcity of bandwidth. However'm sure once individual to individual advances, they'll also carry us. Will there be any U.S. network you're feeling competes together with you if this involves wellness and health content? There isn't any network, which does that. But you will discover systems that carry some health programming half an hour or hour. There is however no full 24/7 wellness and lifestyle funnel. You introduced today the roll-from a $250 million (U.S.) content development, production, co-production and acquisition fund that will benefit Veria over five years. Precisely what will you utilize it? That which you do is we can do production here, co-production in other nations. We wish the most effective of programming. Eventually Veria Living is really a global brand. Once it's well distributed inside the U.S., the next stop will probably be all British-speaking nations after which it non-British-speaking nations. In this country, we intend to carry out a The the spanish language language version in the network. We wish this to offer the utmost quantity of people. How will you experience new digital distribution options for Veria? Any fascination with getting content on Hulu, Netflix etc? We are dedicated to growing across television, Internet, mobile and [over-the-top] platforms. Our objective is always to achieve towards the utmost quantity of people. We are talking with mobile companies, Internet companies while others...It must be distributed in the linear way, but we should compliment it while using Netflixs and Hulus. You will discover plans for completely new primetime programming on Veria in 2012. Anything you can inform us relating to this? And then for any large names which will be factor relating to this? You will notice new programming. And you'll see some stars involved. Our programming team will deliver. The programming needs to be entertaining in addition to utilization for the viewer. Stars will probably be ones that have been already to the wellness space. They may its not all be large stars. [For example, Deion Sanders does reality Tv program Sports Fathers about fathers who wish ether kids being sports stars. And Jewel will host the completely new season in the Incurables.] I heard you are focusing on health and fitness too. What now ? on that front within your private existence? I eat vegetarian food. I avoid fried food. I aim to accomplish my workout each day - some yoga, some while using the machines. I really do approximately one hour. You will get the world Emmy Directorate Award here on Monday. How important is always that for you and your company? Frankly, I must confess I didn't know a lot of relevant for this. Then our people mentioned you need to accept this, which used to do. The take-away personally is quite than feeling personally proud, I'm it is a recognition of India just like a television programming country, which was up to now only appreciated by South Asians. However Hollywood and people may also be accepting that India is not nearly software programs, but has quality programming for TV and flicks. Will there be room to produce more content from India for the U.S.? We already introduced here six Indian language channels. We haven't done [major distribution deals] yet. My recommendation to my team is that they need and dub a couple of from the programming in to the the spanish language language here and try out it what it is received, We are dubbing into local languages in other nations, for instance Indonesia and Russia. We are progressively, progressively doing a little of products. There's already a lot of content in British. In my opinion dubbing into British might not work. You stated that Hollywood has already established note of India. Viacom, CBS, Disney, Time Warner and also the new the new sony are active there. Do aggressive global media groups provide plenty of competition for Zee? India if this involves controlling matters is very open. Viacom, The brand new the new sony and anybody else can own one hundred percent and don't need Indian partners. The higher of those come, the higher it's. We have to our country, our people, our programming much better than they could do. And competition helps make the better. Any applying for grants whether some global entertainment companies did a far more acceptable job in India than these? Most of them exist. Some did better jobs, some did bad jobs. I'd nothing beats to go over who's [doing] better. Zee has British movie funnel Zee Studio and British entertainment funnel Zee Cafe in India, among others. How are things doing inside the British-language space and so are Hollywood conglomerates a harder competitor there? There's undoubtedly they are excellent at British language programming. The problem is the fact that British programming has niche audiences. Although India features a large British-speaking population, bear in mind that seventy percent-eighty percent of houses continue being single television houses. As well as the remote is within charge in the ladies. And they wish to watch their unique programming. So British programming has really a market audience. Today, in the $13 billion-$14 billion industry, the revenue for British language would not be greater than, my conjecture is, $100 million. And if you have been channels offering British-language programming, including CBS, News Corp., The brand new the new sony plus much more. We've three British systems Is purely fashion, the very first is general entertainment, the very first is movies. We make an effort to purchase programming from this level and Europe. Shows you're seeing here, you'd see there on our network. I don't think we must go bigger than that. There isn't any market. Hollywood and India did or looked into some collaborations, such as the DreamWorks-Reliance partnership. Can you expect really this? And which U.S. entertainment companies are you currently presently coping with? Yes, if this involves production, I see really it coming if this involves movies. There will not be as much in television programming. There exists a partnership after a while Warner now with News Corp. We are disseminating our in addition to their content together in the partnership company. It's going quite good. Can you expect more mix-over of Indian stars like Anil Kapoor to the U.S. and the other way round? Progressively, it'll happen. Monday's Worldwide Emmy Award may be the oncoming of that. The is recognizing that India is creating quality programs. That will open some discussion and partners. Mix-fertilization of talent can happen. What's your outlook or forecast for your fast-growing Indian media market? Back in the day 30-35 percent growth within the last 18-2 decades. That has slowed down lower lower close to fifteen percent. The, which has grown inside an unstructured manner. You will discover 500 Tv producers, 20 news channels in one language adding to 75 including other languages. That kind of factor isn't sustainable. Growth is slowing down lower lower, but you will notice an occasion when it explodes again if you do consolidation. How about your outlook for Indian content inside the U.S.? The programming from India could keep growing in the present amount of 5-six percent. But people will progressively begin to use our formats and also find out about Indian background biographies [together with other formats]. Once that programming starts being launched of India, I know it'll explode. Any misconceptions the truth is about India as well as the Indian entertainment industry? Misconceptions are actually created by us Indians. Sometimes some Indians frequently overpromise and deliver less. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects

The Biz: Analyzing This Season's Talk Shows

Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell Big changes and familiar faces have stirred up the talk-show arena this season. Here's how it's shaking out so far. EllenEllen DeGeneres was expected to benefit from Oprah Winfrey's departure in daytime and so far, she has. The syndicated chatfest is up 6 percent year-to-year, averaging 3 million viewers. The ChewABC execs expected ratings to drop when they replaced All My Children with The Chew and they were right - year-to-year, the food-oriented talker is off 15 percent. But the production costs are much less and audience levels have been ticking upward, with a season high of 2.2 million viewers watching the week of October 31. The TalkCBS rearranged the chairs around the coffee table (Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete were replaced by Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler), but the audience level has stayed close to last year's average of 2 million and recently hit its season high. AndersonAnderson Cooper's show is drawing 1.7 million viewers, and in times of fragmented audience, that's enough for a Season 2 in syndication. "If you show some promise, TV stations are more patient," says Telepictures president Hilary McLoughlin. The Rosie ShowIt's hard to imagine that Rosie O'Donnell's new show on OWN is one of Oprah's favorite things. It's been dropping since its premiere week, averaging a puny 171,000 viewers overall and a scant 58,000 in the 18-to-49 demo. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

'James Murdoch Arrested' Tweet Taken Down by Sky News

LONDON -- After sending shockwaves through the social media sphere Saturday night, Sky News has taken down a tweet on @SkyNewsBiz reporting that James Murdochhad been arrested, saying the feed had most likely been hacked.our editor recommendsJames Murdoch May Face Police Questioning After New Cache of Emails Found (Report)James Murdoch Admits News Corp. Put British MPs Under Covert SurveillanceRebekah Brooks' Computers Still Held Amid Report of $2.7 Million News Corp. Severance The tweet, which appeared at 11:16 p.m. London time, was re-tweeted multiple times and came just hours after press reports that Murdoch may face police questioning over a cache of new emails that have emerged - which are thought to contain damaging information. PHOTOS: News of the World's Top 10 Scandals Saying simply: "BREAKING: James Murdoch arrested over phone-hacking claims. Questioned at Paddington Green Station at 10pm," the post appeared on @SkyNewsBiz. But the Sky News channel wasn't carrying the story in any form and within ten minutes the tweet was deleted. "Sky News has no information to suggest that James Murdoch has been arrested and believe that the @SkyNewsBiz account has been hacked," Sky producer Neal Mannposted. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Biggest Blunders A spokeswoman from News International also said she had "no guidance" that any arrest had taken place. Earlier reports in the London Daily Mail suggested that police investigating a new cache of emails may want to question James Murdoch and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks on new evidence. Related Topics International News Corp. James Murdoch Phone Hacking Scandal

25 Things You Didn't Know About 'Blue Velvet'

'Blue Velvet' fans, lend an ear. You may think you know all there is to know about David Lynch's twisted classic -- which effectively launched the careers of Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern and relaunched those of Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell and Roy Orbison -- but there's plenty of forgotten lore hidden in the movie's dark corners, some of which is coming to light only now with the Nov. 8 release of the 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray. So crack open a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a cylinder of nitrous oxide, and read on for 25 little-known facts about 'Blue Velvet,' from its unlikely connections to Helen Mirren and Carol Burnett, to the shocker that a nude Rossellini delivered to Hopper, to the legendary lost (and found) flaming-nipples scene. 1. How did Lynch ever conceive of such a bizarre movie? He has said the inspiration came from several ideas that had been floating in his head as far back as 1973. One was the image of a severed ear in a field. Another was a saloon with a neon sign out front. Another was the 1963 Bobby Vinton song that became the film's title and was included on its soundtrack. 'Blue Velvet' - A Human Ear (h/t The HD Room) 2. Another inspiration, for the look of small-town Lumberton, was the imagery of small-town Americana he'd known as a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest. "My father was a research scientist for the Department of Agriculture in Washington. We were in the woods all the time," Lynch once recalled. "I'd sorta had enough of the woods by the time I left, but still, lumber and lumberjacks, all this kinda thing, that's America to me like the picket fences and the roses in the opening shot. It's so burned in, that image, and it makes me feel so happy." 3. Most notoriously, the scene where Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) appears naked on a neighborhood street was inspired by a similar incident Lynch and his brother witnessed as children. The event was so traumatic it had made Lynch cry. 4. It was Lynch's massive critical and commercial failure with 'Dune' that, paradoxically, gave him the chance to realize his vision for 'Blue Velvet.' Despite the poor reception for the sci-fi epic, Lynch had maintained a strong working relationship with its producer, Dino de Laurentiis. The Italian film-industry veteran asked Lynch if he had any more ideas for movies, and Lynch pitched him 'Blue Velvet.' De Laurentiis agreed to give Lynch complete creative control on the condition that the director halve his salary and keep the budget below $6 million. 5. Lynch was also on good terms with Kyle MacLachlan, who had made his film debut as the messianic hero in 'Dune.' Lynch said he felt that the 27-year-old actor could play Jeffrey, the much more naive teen sleuth at the center of 'Blue Velvet' because MacLachlan could convey the impression of someone thinking on screen. 6. Helen Mirren almost took the role of Dorothy, the lounge singer trapped in a sadomasochistic relationship with the man who kidnapped her husband and son. Indeed, Lynch credits her with helping him work out some difficulties in the script before they parted ways. A meeting at a NY restaurant with Rossellini -- then best known as a Lancome cosmetics model, who'd worked on only one English-language movie ('White Nights') -- could handle the part. 7. Filming had already begun in Wilmington, N.C. before Dennis Hopper was cast as sadistic villain Frank Booth. Hopper had seen the script and had phoned the director, demanding to be cast, saying, "I've got to play Frank! I am Frank!" Indeed, the star had famously lived on the edge for years, and while he'd finally gone to rehab and been drug-free since 1983, Lynch still had some trepidation about hiring him. "Dennis had to have been through experiences on the dark side to have owned that character," Lynch recalled in a 2007 interview. "When Dennis called me and said that to me, he had been clean and sober for about a year-and-a-half, and had already made another film clean and sober, but he had held all that he had learned from his suffering. He could bring that now in a very strong way to characters without screwing everything up" 8. Hopper certainly brought his knowledge of hard drugs to bear on his portrayal of the gas-huffing Frank. Lynch's script had called for Frank's cylinder to be full of helium, but Hopper knew that helium doesn't get you high, it just gives you a squeaky voice. He suggested he play Frank's scenes as if he were inhaling amyl nitrate or nitrous oxide and called upon his own sense-memories to replicate the experience. Years later, Hopper told Bob Costas in a TV interview that he almost wished he'd stuck to the script because a chipmunk-voiced Frank might have been even more freakish and disturbing. 9. Hopper and Rossellini met for the first time on the day they were to shoot a scene of Frank raping Dorothy. Under her robe, Rossellini wore no panties because the camera would have captured them when the robe came off. Hopper didn't know this and was surprised during shooting to find himself up close and personal with the actress he'd just met. 10. Wilmingon locals had no idea of the nature of the movie Lynch was making until the filming of Rossellini's shocking public nude scene. In her memoir, she recalled, People came out with blankets and picnic baskets, with their grandmothers and small children. I begged the assistant director to warn them that it was going to be a tough scene, that I was going to be totally naked, but they stayed anyway.... I apologized to them in a loud voice, knowing they were going to be upset, and concentrated on my scene.... Once David called, 'Cut -- we have it,' someone came with a robe for me to wear and my attention returned to our surroundings. Everybody had left. The next day a notice from the police told us we would not be given any more permits to shoot in the streets of Wilmington, North Carolina. 11. Lynch had hired musician Angelo Badalamenti as Rossellini's singing coach for her cabaret scenes. He was so pleased with the results that he commissioned Badalamenti to write a song ('Blue Star') for her to sing. (He also appears in the movie, as the piano player.) Eventually, Lynch had Badalamenti compose the movie's entire score. Thus began a partnership that made Badalamenti Lynch's composer of choice for the next 15 years. 'Blue Velvet' - Dorothy Sings 12. Dean Stockwell has said he based his performance as Ben, the face-painting, lip-synching pimp, on a character from a Carol Burnett comedy sketch. He also came up with the idea of using a work light as a mock microphone. In rehearsal, he picked the light up and sang into it, assuming it was a prop, and Lynch liked the way that looked. 13. Roy Orbison did not grant the filmmakers permission to use 'In Dreams' for the lip-synch scene, but they got permission elsewhere. Orbison didn't even know that his song was in the film until he watched it in the theater. Nonetheless, Lynch and Orbison collaborated on a music video for the song, using images from the movie. A late career comeback for the operatic rockabilly crooner followed, including his stint with the likes of Bob Dylan and George Harrison in the Traveling Wilburys. 'Blue Velvet' - 'In Dreams' (NSFW) Blue Velvet by David Lynch from oastronauta.tumblr.com on Vimeo. 14. According to Jeffrey's love interest Sandy (Laura Dern), the robin eating a bug in the final sequence represents the triumph of love over evil. Many 'Blue Velvet' fans think the scene is supposed to be ironic and hollow because the bird is so obviously a mechanical fake. Lynch has said, however, that the crude mecha-robin was simply the best the filmmakers could do on short notice with a limited budget. 15. The MPAA initially thought the film was too violent to earn an R rating, citing a scene where Jeffrey watches Frank slap Dorothy. (Really? Of all the movie's extreme content, that was the straw that broke the camel's back?) Lynch agreed to amend the scene so that the slap occurs off-screen, but Jeffrey is seen wincing when he hears it. Lynch thought this edit actually made the scene even more disturbing than it had been before. 16. Altogether, Lynch trimmed nearly half the footage from his rough cut, in order to deliver a film under two hours, as his contract stipulated. Most of that footage was assumed to be lost forever, but Lynch announced at the beginning of 2011 that fifty minutes of footage had been found and would be released as deleted scenes among the extras on the new Blu-ray. 17. One legendary lost scene, one of Lynch's favorites, invoved an actress who performed a trick that involved setting her own nipples on fire. The scene, which took place in Ben's brothel, was part of the found footage and is included on the Blu-ray. You can watch the (obviously NSFW) scene at Slashfilm. 18. When Lynch presented de Laurentiis with the completed film, the producer wasn't sure what to do with it. He thought of trying to release it as a midnight movie. No distributor would touch it, and de Laurentiis eventually founded his own distribution arm, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, to put the film in theaters. 19. DEG never managed to book a release wider than 188 theaters in North America. It grossed only $8.6 million domestically, though de Laurentiis eventually made a profit from overseas screenings and home video. 20. Critics were sharply divided over the film. Some hailed it as genius, others found it repellent. It earned only one Oscar nomination, for Lynch's direction. 21. 'Blue Velvet' is widely credited with launching Hopper's comeback, proving his enormous gifts and setting him on the path of playing baroque villains that would mark the rest of his celebrated career. It also marked a comeback of sorts for Stockwell, leading to his casting as a flamboyant mafia don in 'Married to the Mob' and as Scott Bakula's sidekick on the hit TV series 'Quantum Leap.' 22. Rossellini has said that her performance earned her plenty of attention, much of it negative. She said de Laurentiis was embarrassed for her, having known her since her childhood and having been a friend of her legendary parents, director Roberto Rossellini and actress Ingrid Bergman. Italian reviewers speculated that she must be so desperate to be a movie star like her mother that she'd act in anything, even this piece of semi-pornographic trash. Her agents at ICM dropped her. And the nuns who had taught her in school told her they were praying for her soul. Nonetheless, the film put the model on the map as a serious thespian. 23. 'Blue Velvet' launched what became the Lynch repertory company. Along with composer Badalamenti, there was MacLachlan,who went on to star in Lynch's TV drama 'Twin Peaks' and its movie prequel 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.' Dern went on to star in Lynch's 'Wild at Heart,' and she starred in and co-produced Lynch's most recent movie, the surreal 2006 epic 'Inland Empire.' And of course, there was character actor Jack Nance, who'd been a Lynch regular since starring in Lynch's first movie, the notorious 'Eraserhead.' 24. After 'Blue Velvet,' Lynch and Rossellini became a couple and lived together for five years. They acted together in Tina Rathborne's 1998 family drama 'Zelly and Me' (Lynch's first real acting role), and Rossellini appeared in 'Wild at Heart' before the couple split in 1990. 25. Yeah, Frank Booth uses the F-word in nearly every sentence, but he's the only one in the movie who uses it. (Except for Ben, when Frank goads him into saying it.) [Photo: MGM] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman RELATED

'60 Minutes' Pays Tribute to Andy Rooney: 'America's Favorite Grouch-in-Chief' (Video)

60 Minutes paid tribute to the late Andy Rooney on Sunday night, two days after the CBS newsmagazine's former commentator died.our editor recommendsAndy Rooney Dies: What Hollywood Is SayingAndy Rooney's Final Broadcast Draws Largest October Audience Since 2007Andy Rooney: 10 Curmudgeonly Tweets From Web Imitators'60 Minutes'' Andy Rooney Retires: What Pundits Are SayingAndy Rooney: 'I Just Dont Sign Autographs' (Video)Related Topics•Obituaries On Sunday, veteran correspondent Morley Safer gave a short introduction about Rooney's death (the 92-year-old curmudgeon died Friday at age 92 from serious complications that developed after a minor surgery). PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths In his introduction, Safer said Rooney "had the special gift for speaking for every man." He also called Rooney "America's favorite grouch-in-chief." Then 60 Minutes reran Safer's interview with Rooney that aired Oct. 2, the episode that featured Rooney's final commentary. It was filled with clips from Rooney's essays over the 33 years that he served as commentator on the newsmagazine. VIDEO: Andy Rooney: 5 Memorable Rants The segment, which aired at the end of Sunday's 7 p.m. telecast, focused not only on the highlights of Rooney's career -- including his coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing and Iraq War -- but also on the lowlights, including when he was suspended in 1990 over "questionable observations" he had made about sexuality and race. Rooney's "A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney" segment had been a fixture on the show since 1978. His final essay, titled "My Lucky Life," marked his 1,097th commentary. PHOTOS: The Faces of Broadcast and Cable News "This is a moment I have dreaded," he told viewers. "I wish I could do this forever." Rooney's final report boosted the ratings for 60 Minutes, which drew 17.1 million viewers, its largest October audience in four years. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Related Topics Obituaries CBS 60 Minutes Andy Rooney

18 Films Submitted to Oscar's Best Animated Feature Race; What Can Win?

There’s good news and… well, more good news about this year’s race for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. First, the number of submissions — 18 — exceeds the minimum of 16 required for a year of five nominees. (Last year only netted 15 submissions, and thus three nominees, as if anybody was going to knock off Toy Story 3 anyway.) And with a soft year for the likes of both Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, that means the field is pretty wide open for the first time in a while. What can win? Here are your options: · The Adventures of Tintin · Alois Nebel · Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked · Arthur Christmas · Cars 2 · A Cat in Paris · Chico & Rita · Gnomeo & Juliet · Happy Feet Too · Hoodwinked Two! Hood Vs. Evil · Kung Fu Panda 2 · Mars Needs Moms · Puss in Boots · Rango · Rio · The Smurfs · Winnie the Pooh · Wrinkles One word: Rango. It’s the best-reviewed film on the list, it’s an international hit (with less than half of Cars 2 or Kung Fu Panda 2’s global gross, but exponentially more cultural goodwill), and it’s a rare chance for George Lucas — whose Industrial Light and Magic produced the revelatory animation — to throw his weight around in the awards ring. Tintin’s motion-capture stylings remain fraught with technical ambiguities about which the Academy is notoriously prickly, The Smurfs is half-live-action, and Disney’s otherwise weak crop of competition includes a 63-minute bonbon and one of the biggest flops ever. Rio, Puss in Boots and Happy Feet Too are probably locks for nominations as well. Chico and Rita has a solid shot to sneak in as well — not as a huge influencer by any means, but rather as the token foreign-language offering with a ’50s-era romance spanning Havana, NY, Las Vegas and beyond. Thoughts? · 18 Animated Features Submitted for 2011 Oscar Race [AMPAS] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.