We Bought a Zoo gave Cameron Crowe, Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson fans something to be thankful for over the Thanksgiving weekend: A special sneak peek at their new film. 20th Century Fox reported that the film’s response was unprecedented as it “scored the highest ratings in a sneak previewed movie that we've ever seen.”

The story of We Bought a Zoo follows Damon’s Benjamin Mee, a man whose wife has just died, and he moves his family to the Southern California countryside where he buys a rundown zoo and takes the challenge that is bringing it back to life. Johansson portrays a zoo employee integral to Damon and his family’s success in resuscitating the zoo. Also starring in We Bought a Zoo is one of our favorite promising young actresses in Elle Fanning (Super 8).

The weekend sneak peeks clearly struck a chord with audiences for the film that is due in theaters nationwide December 23. The audience exit polls our Fox source commented on above are astounding. Of those who saw the film last weekend, 70-percent rated the film excellent, 94-percent (!) gave it a highly favorable and 82-percent said they would definitely recommend. Those are some seriously good numbers!

The studio also reported We Bought a Zoo sneak peeks sold out in the following cities: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Albany, Orlando, Memphis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Detroit, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Looks like Crowe has his next hit on his hands!

Check out the We Bought a Zoo trailer:

We Bought a Zoo Trailer

Fresh off of the release of new images from John Carter, Disney has unleashed the film’s new poster.

Don’t you just love the red permeating through the new John Carter poster? It is employed to reflect the landscape of Mars, where our hero has been mysteriously transported from his Civil War era home on Earth.

Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch is John Carter and Disney promises a new trailer for the film later today and Movie Fanatic will bring it to you. Can’t wait! The movie looks rich with stunning visuals and a story that is based on an iconic series by author Edgar Rice Burroughs.

John Carter hits theaters March 9, 2012.

Would you leave Jonah Hill of The Sitter alone with your children? Judging by the first moments of the new trailer for The Sitter, the answer is: probably not.

The Sitter Trailer 2

Director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) is back with another comedy that looks to push the envelope and produce laughs in the process.

Hill stars as a slacker whose mother puts him up to babysitting a friend’s children and from what we see in the new trailer from 20th Century Fox, that was probably not one of her best ideas. But, for audiences, hilarity is the result of Hill’s predicament.

The Sitter (check out the red band trailer) arrives in theaters December 9 and also stars Sam Rockwell, Kevin Hernandez, Method Man, Max Records and J.B. Smoove.

And be sure to watch our exclusive video interview with Jonah Hill for Moneyball!

Michael Fassbender stars in his latest collaboration with director Steve McQueen in Shame. The film explores the devastating burden that is sex addiction. The film’s red band trailer has premiered and gives an impeccable glimpse into the feel of the film as well as -- without saying a word -- illustrating how Fassbender’s character thinks, even during what would appear to be a simple ride on the New York subway. Warning: the following trailer contains nudity.

Shame Red Band Trailer

Stay with Movie Fanatic for our interview with Fassbender and McQueen later today and our review of Shame that will debut tomorrow, December 1. Shame hits theaters December 2.

Breaking Dawn, the penultimate story in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, is making money hand over fist globally. The Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner starring flick has just gone over $500 million in international box office, in only 12 days.

Thus far, Breaking Dawn has earned $223.4 million in the U.S. alone and $285 million internationally, bringing its total box office earnings to $508.4 million in less than two weeks!

Fans have been split over their feelings on the film (don’t miss our Breaking Dawn review), but that is not keeping the studio behind the franchise, Summit Entertainment, from celebrating the blockbuster.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the success of this film and a franchise that the fans have continued to support over the past several years,” said Summit co-chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger. “Thank you to all involved with the films from the actors, filmmakers and Stephenie Meyer to the most important group of all, the global fan base that continues to drive a desire for more Edward, Jacob and Bella."

Now that award season has kicked off with the announcement of the Independent Spirit Award nominations, the Movie Fanatic Oscar Watch takes a look at the women primed to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar nomination. 2011 proved to be an astounding year for stellar performances by lead actresses and they ran the gamut in terms of new to the Oscar buzz and veterans used to the spotlight of the Academy Awards. Despite her record 16 nominations, each year it seems that Meryl Streep is up for another award, yet she loses. Streep has been nominated 16 times, yet has only won twice. This year, her turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady has her, in many eyes, finally feeling the grasp of her third win at hand.

Movie Fanatic’s Oscar Watch takes our periodic look at the major Oscar categories and this week, we gaze firmly at the Best Actress category and offer our opinion on who could be, and should be, nominated.

Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady: Streep earned the Best Actress trophy from the New York Critics recently and we believe that this indeed could be her year, except there is another who might slip past her to walk across the Kodak Theatre stage and accept Best Actress. More on her soon, but in The Iron Lady, Streep achieves the impossible -- again. Portraying a real life person is never easy, particularly one as well known as Thatcher. Yet, Streep is effortless in her ability to not only capture the nuances of the first female Prime Minister of the U.K., but to also deliver a performance that is astounding in its scope and breadth. She is a front-runner for sure, but Movie Fanatic believes she is in a tie for that position with…

Viola Davis for The Help: The entire cast of The Help could be looking at nominations, particularly Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. But in terms of a Best Actress, a standout emerges: Viola Davis. Her turn as a maid in early 1960s Mississippi is the stuff of legend. She is equally powerful and vulnerable. Davis brings both humor and humility in a performance that should finally give the Oscar nominee for Doubt her first Oscar. In our eyes, Davis is the actress to beat.

Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene: There are breakout performances by an actress, and there is what Elizabeth Olsen achieved in Martha Marcy May Marlene. She exploded on the screen and commanded audiences’ attention in a film that riveted and could have been a solely powerful piece of filmmaking about one woman’s effort to leave an abusive cult behind. Instead, it was the Elizabeth Olsen show with the younger sister of the famous Olsen twins firmly stepping out into her own spotlight. Movie Fanatic thinks that Olsen is a lock for that third spot on the Best Actress nomination list.

Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn: Like Streep with The Iron Lady, Michelle Williams had the tough task of portraying an icon. In what could have been an imitation of Marilyn Monroe, Williams instead gave her layers upon layers of humanity that brought an approachable nature to a legend for legions of audience members who only knew Monroe from her tabloid life and screen history. Williams plays Monroe in My Week with Marilyn as a woman seeking affirmation, whether from men, her co-stars and the public at large. The actress is uncanny as Monroe and has set the standard for any actress seeking to slither into Monroe’s sexiness in the future.

Charlize Theron for Young Adult: There is a trick to portraying a character that is less than sympathetic. Theron achieves that in droves with her turn in Young Adult. The actress plays an alcoholic Young Adult author heading home for her high school reunion. She is on a mission: To steal away her high school sweetheart from his happy marriage. Not the stuff that makes audiences pull for your character. Yet, in Theron’s hands, her character possesses a power that is palpable and allows the viewer to be right with her every step of the way.

Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia: In Melancholia, Kirsten Dunst achieves an Elizabeth Olsen type of announcement of her arrival on the scene. Only for Dunst, it is not a new announcement, simply a reminder of the talent this young actress possesses. Her characterization of a bride on her wedding day while the world is collapsing around her -- literally -- is commanding, complicated and every bit worthy of an Oscar nomination.

Those are the leaders in terms of who we believe has a real shot at an Oscar nomination. But, there are some killer performances that could surprise and nab a nod from the Academy.

Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Simply seeing Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trailer and one can see the searing performance that Oscar voters adore. The film may be too gritty for the Academy, but will be hard to ignore. The David Fincher film’s success or failure hinges on his casting of Lisbeth and with Mara, not only does he have the perfect faulted heroine, but he may have cast an actress that will add Oscar nominee to her resume.

Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs: There is no question that Glenn Close deserves an Oscar nomination for her performance in Albert Nobbs. The only problem is the film doesn’t deliver as many expected, and whether enough voters will see the work before voting closes remains a mystery.

Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin: Tilda Swinton has already scored an Oscar, but could pick up another nomination for her role in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The problem for her is the same for Close, will enough people see the film to give it and her the attention they so richly deserve?

Now, be sure to check out our thoughts on who should earn Oscar nominations for Best Actor!

The second chapter in Guy Ritchie’s cinematic series centered on Sherlock Holmes has debuted the final poster before the film premieres December 16. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has Movie Fanatic truly thrilled as it features the notorious Sherlock villain Moriarty as played by Jared Harris.

The Shadows of the title are reflected in this final one sheet as we see Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) chasing Moriarty (we can tell by his iconic hat) down the street with only the villain's shadow being seen.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows also stars Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry, Gilles Lellouche and Eddie Marsan.

The gang from American Pie is getting back together with the arrival of American Reunion on screens April 6. Universal is taking fans of the series behind the scenes with a new feature where the cast gives us insight into the making of a new Pie.

American Reunion Behind the Scenes

American Pie became a cinematic comedy legend when it debuted in 1999 and made stars out of its cast including Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas and Seann William Scott (soon to be seen in Goon).

Ten years has passed in the Pie world and now the friends are gathering for that cultural rite of passage in American Reunion that is the ten year high school reunion. You know the hijinx will be at a fever pitch. Also returning are Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge, who was unforgettable as Stiffler’s mom.

The Darkest Hour arrives on Christmas Day and brings holiday tidings in the form of an alien invasion film unlike any you’ve ever seen. Emile Hirsch leads a cast of young Americans in Moscow who survive an alien attack, only to have to fight for survival while the takeover of Earth commences. The film has released a new TV spot entitled Fight and Movie Fanatic has it for you as well as some new The Darkest Hour warning signs below inspired by the film.

The Darkest Hour TV Teaser: Fight

Summit Entertainment has released the incredibly creative “Warning Signs” to help put audiences in the mindset of the survivors and the new reality that is their world.

Check out the creative “Warning Signs” from The Darkest Hour:

Steve McQueen has quite a muse in actor Michael Fassbender as the pair has combined forces yet again for the astounding Shame. The duo worked together on 2008’s Hunger and will reunite next in Twelve Years a Slave. The middle part of their working together trilogy is Shame (don't miss the red band trailer), a haunting tale of sex addiction set in New York City where Fassbender plays Brandon -- a man spiraling out of control.

McQueen and Fassbender sat down with Movie Fanatic to talk about the joy that is their collaboration and how the issues at the heart of Shame could really be about any subject matter, not simply sex addiction.

Movie Fanatic: Michael, what were your thoughts watching the final product? And Steve, were you ever fearful that an American distributor would not latch on, given the subject matter of sexual addiction and its NC-17 rating?

Michael Fassbender: I have only seen it once, and it was all a bit sort of overwhelming, really. I think I watched the third act like this… [Puts hands over face peeking through fingers]. I need to watch it again, to be honest. And I will watch it back in London, hopefully with Steve, and not like a thousand people. I thought it was incredibly beautiful, beautifully shot. I was very moved by all the characters in there, and this idea that each character is trying to connect or is looking for human help. We are all fragile in our own way. We’re all trying to find our way. And what I got from it was that great sort of humanity that each of these people, they need somebody to help them. I thought that was quite moving. 

Steve McQueen: The other half of the question, about the American distributor, was I worried? I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just thinking about making the best film that we could possibly make. I was very happy that Fox Searchlight came and wanted to distribute the movie. A discussion has never happened about cutting the movie -- or anything like that -- never happened. I never had a conversation like that at all. They are just an extraordinary company, and I was very pleased that they wanted to distribute the film.

Michael Fassbender: I think they are the best people we could have ever hoped to get.

Movie Fanatic: Steve, did you ever consider setting this story in London? What do you think setting the film in New York brought to your movie?
 
Steve McQueen: In our research, we spoke to two specialists in the field, who happened to be living in New York. They actually introduced us to people who had this affliction, and I thought to myself, “Why don’t we just shoot it in New York?” It seemed to be the logical and obvious thing to do. That’s how the wind carried us over the Atlantic to New York.

Movie Fanatic: Given that this is your third film together, what is it about each other that keeps bringing you back together?
 
Steve McQueen: This is like Abbott and Costello. We just pretend to like each other [laughs].
 
Michael Fassbender: In fact, I loathe him [laughs]. I don’t know. I think it’s a hard thing to put your finger on. It’s a chemistry that I’m very, very grateful for, and feel so blessed that I’ve come across it. It is something that, for me, for sure, I was always looking for -- a collaborator. We just formed a language, very quickly. When we started Shame, it was like we had just walked off the set of Hunger and onto that. We picked it up, immediately. It was amazing.
 
Movie Fanatic: Steve, what was your main impetus for wanting to make this movie and tell the story of Shame?

Steve McQueen: I wanted to see Michael naked!

Michael Fassbender: [Laughs]

Steve McQueen: Why? It is extraordinarily important, what is going on right now, but nobody is speaking about it -- and it is such a huge phenomenon in a way. But it is not just sex addiction -- it is about addictions in general. It is not even about having an addiction. It is about being in a world where we don’t necessarily have self will. It is difficult to be human right now. And all of this knowledge portrayed in this way that is what I wanted to do, to show us as being fragile. Often is the case, it is not beautiful or pretty to look at, and I just wanted to sort of take the ostrich head out of the sand and have a look at ourselves in a way.

Shame Trailer

Movie Fanatic: How did you deal with the many intimate scenes in the film? What kind of mood has to be established on set to make that work?
 
Michael Fassbender: We had a lot of fluffers around.
 
Steve McQueen: Don’t say that! [Laughs] I lost my train of thought with that. Sorry. From the catering to make-up and hair to the camera department to the sound department and to the electricians, grips and gaffers, you have to create an atmosphere that everyone knows each other. It’s a group that’s working together. Great actors, like Michael, if I may be so bold to say, are like thoroughbred racehorses. They come into a room and they sense if anything is wrong. So, you create an environment which is safe. In order for people to take risks, that’s what one has to do. It starts from the bottom, up. Everyone has to be involved. It really is that simple, in that way. Everyone is involved. And, it was a great set to be on. It was a fantastic set to be on. It was wonderful.
 
Michael Fassbender: The New York crew was amazing. They were amazing people. We were jumping around like kids, as well, because we were like, “We’re filming in New York!” That idea of being allowed to film in New York was really exciting.
 
Steve McQueen: Absolutely!

Movie Fanatic: Steve, do you feel that Brandon’s story in Shame would be minimized if you did not show the full physicality of what he is doing? That is what led to the NC-17 rating.
 
Steve McQueen: I don’t know. It’s sex. It’s what most people have done, if not all of us. I’ve never held a gun in my hand, in my life. It’s this weird thing, where what we do in our daily lives should be somehow censored. It’s very odd. And things that we have no idea about and have no capability of doing should be viewed by the masses. For me, it’s just normal. For example, Brandon waking up in the morning and going to his kitchen to have a glass of water, and putting on the voicemail, maybe in 1951, he would have had pajamas on, but in 2011, people often do not wear pajamas. That’s it. It’s normality. There’s no big deal for me about nudity. There’s nothing graphic about it. It’s sex. It’s nothing which is harmful to anyone.
 
Movie Fanatic: Can you talk about the genesis of the scene of Michael's onscreen sister -- Carey Mulligan’s Sissy -- singing New York, New York in the bar and specifically that arrangement of that song? It is simply gorgeous.

Steve McQueen: Well, I just thought that Brandon is an introvert, imploding and -- of course -- Sissy is an extrovert, exploding. I thought to myself, these two people came from the same background, but obviously what has happened in their background has affected them differently. I thought, "Okay, well Sissy, I imagine she is a performer." She is very expressive; she wants to give. She is an artist. She wants to be expressive. The location is amazing. I read the lyrics to New York, New York and I thought, “This is the blues.” When you read the lyrics it is about a person who is a vagrant, who is a homeless person, who wants to make it in the big city, but is not there, but sees the bright lights over there, and wants to be involved in that, and wants to “make it there.” And I thought, “Let’s turn it into the blues.”

Movie Fanatic: Steve, what is it about Michael Fassbender that is so appealing for you to work with?

Steve McQueen: I don’t think we see often an actor like him, often at all. Because he is this person -- he is a very visceral male character. He is a guy. But at the same time, he has an extraordinary femininity in him -- an extraordinary sort of tenderness and an extraordinary sort of openness and I think that is the appeal. Often with actors, they never show their heart and never show their vulnerability. I think that’s pretty amazing that you can be so open and vulnerable, and still sort of wear it with pride. I think most actors will never take that risk, because they’ll feel sort of open and vulnerable. I think it is extraordinary, really I do.

Michael Fassbender: Thank you.

Steve McQueen: Did I embarrass you?

Michael Fassbender: Yes.

Movie Fanatic: Michael, how are you enjoying this period in your career? Do you feel like you are really in kind of a sweet spot after your turns in X-Men First Class, Jane Eyre, A Dangerous Method and now Shame?

Michael Fassbender: Yeah, I do. I feel like I am pretty blessed to work with people like Steve. That is really it -- that I am allowed to work with the people that I am working with. I think that, for me, this position is like the highest that I could have hoped to achieve when I started out. And that is it, really. I am trying to enjoy the rest of it. It does make me a little scared about what is next. Because I don’t want to spend too much time thinking about things I have done, or sort of linger in the past. I can find that sort of depressing. So, my main thing is what am I going to do next? Hopefully do a good job on the next one.

Arthur Christmas stormed into theaters last week and the animation team that produced Wallace and Gromit has achieved another animated gem. The unique take on the Santa Claus legend features heartwarming scenes, comic moments galore, action and suspense. Oh, and yes, plenty of wonderful quotes to keep you warm this holiday season.

Santa Claus sets out on a impeccably designed military-type mission each Christmas Eve and delivers billions of presents on one evening. In Arthur Christmas, Steve Claus heads the operation from the North Pole while his father journeys the earth delivering good tiding to children everywhere. Arthur is Steve’s younger brother and in the film represents the unclouded joy that is reflected in every child’s dream of the perfect Christmas. Also along for the Arthur Christmas ride is Grand Santa, Santa’s father and Bryony -- the most enthusiastic gift wrapper in all of the North Pole.

Sit back, pour a glass of eggnog and enjoy our Arthur Christmas quotes.

Steve Claus: Operation Santa Claus is coming to town! | permalink

Elf at North Pole Command Center: Waker! We have a waker! And Santa's in there! | permalink

Arthur: [Yelling] A child's been missed! | permalink

Arthur: I just want it to be perfect for every kid! | permalink

Arthur: There's no time for a bow!
Bryony: There's always time for a bow! | permalink

Grand Santa: What happened to going down the chimney? | permalink

Bryony: No one gets an unwrapped present on my watch! | permalink

Grandsanta: Arthur, there is a way.
Arthur: It's impossible.
Grand Santa: They used to say it was impossible to teach women to read. | permalink

Ridley Scott is heading back to space with Prometheus, finally! The director of Blade Runner and Alien is back with a new science fiction adventure that, judging by the film’s first stills, is equally as beautiful as it is mysterious. Michael Fassbender, Logan Marshall-Green and Noomi Rapace star in our first Prometheus still as they discover something otherworldly.

Charlize Theron and rumored next James Bond Idris Elba appear concerned on the bridge of the ship Prometheus (thus the title!) in our next still from Scott’s latest sci-fi adventure.

Scott works his magic with Rapace (soon to be seen in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows).

Expansive sets with otherworldly beauty are a hallmark of a Scott sci-fi film and it appears from this next still that Scott will not disappoint with Prometheus.

Prometheus lands in theaters June 8 and follows a team of explorers and scientists who embark on a mission that results in answers to some of life’s most enduring questions.

The new trailer for John Carter has debuted. After premiering on Good Morning America yesterday, Disney has released the full trailer online and Movie Fanatic has it for our readers!

John Carter Trailer 2

The film (check out the first John Carter trailer) is the first live action flick for director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and features an killer cast including Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Cirian Hinds, Taylor Kitsch, Samantha Morton, Bryan Cranston and Thomas Hayden Church.

John Carter’s story is compelling as the titular hero is a Civil War era soldier who is mysteriously transported to Mars where he lands in the middle of a war between residents of the red planet.

John Carter arrives on screens March 9 and you don’t want to miss a series of new John Carter stills.

Daniel Day Lewis is Lincoln as far as we’re concerned, as evidenced by a photo uploaded on Twitter by Michael Phillips from the set of the Steven Spielberg-directed biopic.

Lewis appears to be taking a break from filming Lincoln for a meal in the tweeted shot -- never thought you’d see an image of Abraham Lincoln in jeans!

Lincoln is currently filming in Virginia and with its pedigree, we are already thinking Oscar. Lewis, of course, is Lincoln, Spielberg is directing and the film is based on the astounding book by noted historian Doris Kearns Goodwin called Team of Rivals. Goodwin even worked with screenwriter Tony Kushner to adapt the novel for the big screen.

Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost and V and Julie Benz of Dexter and Desperate Housewives sat down with Movie Fanatic for an exclusive video interview to talk about their new film together, Answers to Nothing. The duo play best friends in the film and talk exclusively about how they immediately bonded on the Answers to Nothing set over portraying TV characters who perished -- Mitchell on Lost and Benz who had just been killed off shockingly on Dexter. Benz and Mitchell, it was easy to tell in our interview, have an impeccable rapport off screen that mirrors their onscreen chemistry in the film that stars Dane Cook in a rare dramatic effort.

Elizabeth Mitchell and Julie Benz Exclusive Interview

Answers to Nothing is an LA story that features criss-crossing narratives in the vein of Crash and Grand Canyon. Cook is a psychologist who is married to Mitchell, a lawyer-advocate for the less fortunate while Benz is an LAPD detective hot on the trail of a man who is accused of abducting a missing child.

Be sure to stay with Movie Fanatic as we premiere our exclusive video interview with star Cook and our Answers to Nothing movie review on December 2.

Movie Fanatic saw John le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy last evening and immediately the film shot into the top 5 of our Best of 2011. Our review is coming December 9 -- the day the film premieres. To bring our readers further into the spy fray, we present a featurette that takes audiences deeper into the world Le Carre created with his masterwork which filmmaker Tomas Alfredson has crafted expertly on screen with a who’s-who of UK talent.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Featurette

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy takes place in 1973 Cold War Britain as the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) is frantically trying to keep up with global espionage and maintain security for the homeland. As a mission in Hungary appears to be compromised, Gary Oldman’s George Smiley is brought in to weed out a Soviet mole at the highest levels of British intelligence.

The film not only features Oldman in a role that could earn him an Oscar nod, but also an Oscar winner in Colin Firth and a bevy of British thespians including Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Stephen Graham, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, David Dencik and Benedict Cumberbarch.

In Catch .44, Bruce Willis is almost unrecognizable. The film’s first trailer has arrived and in it, the action hero is made up to look quite a bit older than he really is, yet his character is no less fierce than he is in the bevy of gun-toting parts he’s portrayed in the past.

Catch .44 Trailer

Catch .44 also stars Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed (Breaking Dawn), Deborah Ann Woll and Forest Whitaker in a tale of criminal types where it appears everyone is backstabbing everyone else. The film’s release date hasn’t been decided yet, but Movie Fanatic will keep you posted for when you can see the film that appears to be a cross between Pulp Fiction and The Whole Nine Yards.

Tom Cruise has joined the cast of director Doug Liman’s sci-fi thriller All You Need is Kill. Liman, director of the Bourne series and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, is set to helm the film that is based on the wildly popular Japanese graphic novel by Hiroshi Sakurzaka.

The story is about a soldier who pays the ultimate price with his life in a battle with aliens invading Earth. In a very Groundhog Day-type of plot point, he awakens and is destined to relive the day of his death over and over.

All You Need is Kill features Cruise as the character who has to alter something that occurs during that death day in order to change his fate and live to fight another day. This is Cruise's first role in a science fiction flick since 2005's War of the Worlds.

Days after the New York Film Critics Circle named The Artist their best film, the National Board of Review has tapped the Martin Scorsese-directed Hugo as their best film of 2011.

The award season is in full bloom, with the announcement this week of the Independent Spirit Award nominations. Having the NBR name Hugo Best Film adds ammo to the effort in getting Scorsese’s 3D brilliance the Academy Awards’ highest honor.

Some are calling the NBR award of Scorsese’s latest (check out our Hugo review) a surprise, but Movie Fanatic does not agree.

Hugo is a stellar film and it reminds us of why we go to the movies. It is also a celebration of film as it explores the early days of the medium while telling its tale of an orphan living in a Paris train station. NBR more than concurred as it also named Scorsese Best Director for his work.

The surprise in fact, came from their Best Screenplay award, which went to Will Reiser for his work on the semi-autobiographical 50/50. Don’t miss our interview with Reiser as he takes Movie Fanatic inside his NBR winning film.

The NBR then released its top 10 movies of the year list, and we run them in order: The Artist, The Descendants, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Ides of March, J. Edgar, The Tree of Life and War Horse. We agree on many of these, but have a few substitutions in our own Best of 2011 list, which will premiere December 20.

NBR gave acting honors to George Clooney for Best Actor for The Descendants, Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin, Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Shailene Woodley for The Descendants.

Shame only concurs with what Movie Fanatic already believes: Michael Fassbender is one of the greatest actors working today. His performance in Shame is astounding and is like a cinematic earthquake of power, presence and brilliance.

The film explores the taboo subject of sexual addiction, but it is truly about so much more as it also delves into family dynamics and how the scars left by parents may result in ongoing self-destruction by their children.

In that vein Carey Mulligan stars as Sissy. She is Fassbender's onscreen sister. She is as lost as he is bullish in his sexual conquests. The relationship between Fassbender's Brandon and Sissy is tenacious at best, but it is in that sibling connection that we see the heart of Fassbender’s character. Throughout the movie, he can appear as cold as the New York City winter raging outside. But there is something about the presence of Sissy that brings Brandon, eventually and literally, to his knees.

Director Steve McQueen is brilliant behind the camera. His landscape of Shame is even more commanding than he established with his first film, also starring Fassbender, 2008’s Hunger. McQueen films his movie allowing the audience to never judge the characters that inhabit his world. He paints a picture that is simply the reality of those individuals and allows the viewer to go on a ride that is powerful and mesmerizing. McQueen shows Brandon on a self-destructing path, yet we never have any idea of how the journey will end. Will Brandon be able to save himself or his sister? Does this man have the capacity for love beyond his sexual addiction? The beauty of McQueen’s work on Shame is that hand is never tipped until its astounding finale.

At times Shame can be downright painful to watch, and that, believe it or not, is a very good thing. Watching someone who philosophically repeatedly puts his face out to the world hoping to get punched is never easy. But in the hands of Fassbender, his Brandon is a hero more than an anti-hero. We pull for him to get his life in order. There is something about the nuances in Fassbender’s performance that allows audiences to feel strongly for this man, despite his legions of faults.

Shame Trailer

And Mulligan delivers as well, making Shame a double-edged sword of thespian triumph. She goes toe-to-toe with Fassbender and the winner is the audience. In fact, what may be the best eight minutes of the film belong to her and it is captivating. She sings New York, New York at a jazz bar while her brother watches from a nearby table. McQueen had the brilliant idea to make the Frank Sinatra big band standard a blues song and as such, we get to witness the first signs of true emotion emitted by Brandon as he proudly watches his sister on stage. In those moments, Fassbender further convinces us solely with his eyes, even without his dynamic delivery that we’ve seen in Jane Eyre and A Dangerous Method, that Hollywood has found the decade’s next leading man.

There is a lot that is exposed in Shame, not the least of which is famously the Fassbender Full Monty. The film is rated NC-17, which got us thinking: How come in the U.S. pervasive sex in film warrants the rating kiss of death, while films that serve as virtual violent slaughterhouses can get an R, or even at times a PG-13? That is the true shame of Shame, that its audience may be limited by its rating. In fact, this is a film that qualifies as a must-see for anyone who appreciates the command of the human spirit that is so captured by the art of cinema.