Daniel Day-Lewis is retiring. We’ve known that for quite some time. The actor has given powerful performances on a consistent basis never, so it is sad to see that all come to an end. One of the most stunning came from a collaboration with Paul Thomas-Anderson in There Will Be Blood, a film for which he earned himself an Academy Award for Best Actor. Though it has been ten years since the two have worked together on a project, it seems fitting that Day-Lewis’ acting career comes to an end with the director’s new film Phantom Thread.

The first trailer for Phantom Thread has been released, and it gives us a small tease of what not only looks like another great film, but a terrific end to an absolutely great career. Check it out here below.

Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the most prolific actors to date, with three Academy Award wins under his belt, plus a couple more nominations. It’s hard to believe that the actor would ever think about retirement.

However, that seems to be the case. In an official statement from his spokeswoman, Day-Lewis “will no longer be working as an actor.” More on the story below.

Lincoln
4-Disc Blu-ray l 2-Disc Blu-ray l DVD
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITER: Tony Kushner
STARRING: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Peter McRobbie, Lee Pace, David Costabile, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Jared Harris, Jackie Earle Haley
DreamWorks
RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2013

“A compass I learnt when I was surveying, it’ll… it’ll point you true north from where your standing, but it’s got no advice about the swamps, deserts and chasms that you’ll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp, what’s the use of knowing true north?”

We’re all familiar with Abraham Lincoln. We know he freed the slaves. We know his distinctive look. He’s even on our money. But how much do we really know? I for one can admit that I did not know much more than the basics, about the same as the average person would know (I fell asleep in history class a lot, what can I say), but as I’ve gotten older my interest in history has grown exponentially, and lessons via documentary or biopic and so on can be just as appealing as the latest popcorn flick.

With movies, however, we’re always wondering in the back of our brain just how historically accurate the story we’re being told really is. And this will happen no less while viewing Lincoln, the latest film from director Steven Spielberg which tells the story of our 16th president and his fight to pass the 13th Amendment, the amendment that aimed to put an end to slavery.

The 85th annual Academy Awards had its share of unexpected moments and sequences – I’m sure Jennifer Lawrence did not expect to stumble as she walked up the stairs – but for many who appreciate everything Disney, surely it were the wins, losses and outright snubs that may have caused the most surprises.

This edition of Disney In Depth explores what Disney movies should have won, what should have been nominated, and what wins didn’t surprise whatsoever.

It’s Thursday morning and I’m watching the theatrical cut of George Lucas’s 1977 film Star Wars as I make my final Oscars predictions, which you can read here below. At the 50th Academy Awards in ’78, Star Wars was nominated for 10 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and ended up taking home six: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound.

Back in those days, there were only five Best Picture nominees: Annie Hall, The Goodbye Girl, Julia, Star Wars, The Turning Point. Ultimately, Star Wars would lose to Woody Allen‘s neurotic romantic comedy Annie Hall, even though Lucas’s sprawling space saga had changed the film industry – and the world – forever.

Fast-forward to 2013, where the casual filmgoer may argue that the Academy Awards are irrelevant because they don’t reflect popular taste. The truth is – they never have, and that was never the purpose. Overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Awards were created to maintain and celebrate a standard of excellence that is often contradictory to box-office returns and pop culture trends.