MovieVault Movies On Demand Giveaway

Hey MovieVault readers!

I'm happy to announce that we here at MovieVault have teamed up with Movies on Demand to bring you a promotional giveaway the likes of which you have never seen. The winner, whoever he or she may be, will receive an embarrassment of riches, laughing gleefully as they swim around in a pool of gold coins, just like Scrooge McDuck!

Ok, well, no. I may have gotten a little excited. However, the nice folks over at Movies on Demand are offering up a $25 Visa Gift Card and a Movies on Demand tote bag, presumably to aid you in toting around whatever you purchase with your gift card.

Movies On Demand on cable is offering many Awards Season nominated films such as Slumdog Millionaire for rent via your digital cable remote often times weeks before they are available from other rental options and years before they can be streamed online. For more information about the Movies On Demand on cable service, be sure to visit http://www.facebook.com/moviesondemand and reminisce over last Awards Season’s titles available to order on demand (the full list can be found below my signature).

Twenty five bucks and a free tote bag aren't too shabby, and entering the contest is a simple two-step, two-and-a-half step process.

Go to our Twitter account and give us a follow, then retweet this tweet.

Comment on this post with both your Twitter username and tell us what movie you're looking forward to the most this year, with a very brief explanation as to why. Only one post from each person will be counted.

In two weeks time, we will pick a random winner from the people who followed us on Twitter, retweeted our message, and posted a comment on this post. Good luck and happy movie watching!

Legendary Sword Fight Choreographer Bob Anderson Dies

Bob Anderson, who choreographed sword fight scenes for classic films like The Princess Bride and Highlander, as well as newer hits like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has passed away at the tender old age of 89. Anderson had trained with famous swashbucklin' leading man Errol Flynn, among other big name actors, teaching them how to fence. Anderson supposedly developed fighting styles for the various cultures in the Lord of the Rings after reading the books.

My favorite contribution of the master swordsman? He did stunt work for the character of Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy, a series of films I hold near and dear to my heart.

Anderson, as well as other choreographers and stuntmen, are the unsung heroes of the film industry. All of those spectacular action sequences that make up Hollywood blockbusters might not even exist without the likes of people like him, and if they did exist, they wouldn't be nearly as spectacular.

For those interested, the 2009 documentary Reclaiming the Blade features Bob Anderson and is currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. 

SAG Nominees Now on Movies on Demand

Hello Vaulters! The 2012 SAG Award nominees have been announced, and a decent handful of them are available on Movies on Demand.

The Help picked up four nominations - Viola Davis for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, both Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and the cast as a whole has been nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The Help is now available on Movies on Demand and will be until April.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but Christopher Plummer was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Beginners. Beginners is available on Movies on Demand from now until April.

One of my personal favorites from this year, Bridesmaids, is up for two awards. Melissa McCarthy was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and the film was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Bridesmaids will be available on Movies on Demand until February.

Of the five films up for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, four of them are available now on Movies on Demand - Cowboys & Aliens, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and X-Men: First Class.

Midnight in Paris, another favorite of mine, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and just hit Movies on Demand, where it will stay until March.

Another SAG nominated film that just hit Movies on Demand is Warrior. Nick Nolte is up for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as Paddy Conlon. Warrior will be available until May.

Finally, Moneyball will be available starting January 10th. Both Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill picked up SAG nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, respectively.

FOCUS FEATURES ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATES FOR FIRST HALF OF 2012

NEW YORK, December 16th, 2011 – Three previously announced Focus Features movies for 2012 release have been assigned confirmed domestic opening dates for the first half of the year. The company made the announcement today.

Being Flynn is the new dramatic feature from AcademyAward-nominated writer/director Paul Weitz (About a Boy). Adapted from Nick Flynn’s 2004 memoir Another Bulls—t Night in Suck City, the movie explores bonds both unbreakable and fragile between parent and child. Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood) portrays Nick Flynn, a young writer seeking to define himself. He misses his late mother, Jody (four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore), and her loving nature. But his father, Jonathan, is not even a memory, as Nick has not seen the man in 18 years. Jonathan Flynn (two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro) has long defined himself as a great writer, “a master storyteller.” Suddenly facing eviction from his apartment, Jonathan impulsively reaches out to Nick and the two come face-to-face. Being Flynn will open in select cities on Friday, March 2nd.

Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell and Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley star in the comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which marks the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Lorene Scafaria (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Set in a too-near future, the movie explores what people will do when humanity’s last days are at hand. As the respective journeys of Dodge (Mr. Carell) and Penny (Ms. Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World will open in theaters nationally on Friday, April 20th.

Moonrise Kingdom is the new feature from two-time Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore). Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, the film follows a young boy and girl (newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) falling in love. When they are moved to run away together, various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down – which might not be such a bad thing. Bruce Willis plays the town sheriff; two-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton is cast as a camp leader; and Academy Award nominee Bill Murray and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. Also in the cast are Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman. The original screenplay is by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited). Moonrise Kingdom will open in select cities on Friday, May 25th.

In addition to the three newly dated films, current and upcoming Focus Features releases include writer/director Dee Rees’ contemporary drama Pariah, which world-premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; Sam Fell and Chris Butler’s ParaNorman, the new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA, which was previously announced for a 2012 nationwide domestic release on August 17th; the historical tale Hyde Park on Hudson, directed by Roger Michell and starring Academy Award nominees Bill Murray and Laura Linney; Joe Wright’s epic romance Anna Karenina, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard and starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, and Aaron Johnson; andTomas Alfredson’s thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy.

Courtesy: Allied-THA