Noah: Artistically Ambitious, Economically Advantageous

At first blush, it appeared that Noah represented writer/director Darren Aronofsky’s first real foray into pure big budget spectacle. The indie auteur that burst onto the scene with his twitchy, unsettling debut Pi, only to follow that up with one of the most breathtakingly devastating cinematic depictions of addiction in many years with Requiem for a Dream, was now going big budget CGI in the retelling of the Biblical story of Noah's ark on a grand scale.

CinemaCon 2014: 20th Century Fox & Warner Bros. Tout Strong Women, Big Monsters

Funny, smart and tough women abound in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming slate of films. Three of them will be making appearances today in CinemaCon to tout their films—Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann for their revenge comedy The Other Woman and current Divergent star Shailene Woodley for the adaptation of the beloved YA book The Fault in Our Stars.

Cameron Diaz and Leslia Mann have proven their comedic acting chops time and time again,

CinemaCon 2014: The High-Tech Moviegoing Experience

You’ve heard the logic before: high-definition screens and on-demand content have altered the moviegoing environment forever, creating a home entertainment experience that rivals a night out at the local movie theater. Of course, anyone who saw Gravity in IMAX 3D might beg to differ, but it doesn’t necessarily take a game-changing tour de force to pack an auditorium. Today, the local multiplex has done an impressive job of not just keeping pace but surpassing your trusty living room sofa,

CinemaCon 2014: Sony Teases The Amazing Spider-Man 2 & More

What better way to enjoy Sony Pictures’ presentation than after a few cocktails? The studio is hosting a pre-event cocktail reception in The Colosseum Lobby at Caesar’s before they unveil their 2014 films. Classy. President, Rory Bruer is the man on hand to give folks a glimpse of everybody’s favorite web-slinger, as well as everybody’s favorite undercover cops, to name a few of the films that’ll be teased during their presentation.

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) faces a host of super villains in The Amazing Spider-Man 2,

CinemaCon 2014: Disney Unveils Maleficent, Million Dollar Arm & More

It's day three of CinemaCon and the schedule is packed. Alternative content and event cinema companies, fro Arts Alliance to Screenvision, will be hosting a special exhibit in the Palace Ballroom at Caesar's Palace this morning, followed by Walt Disney Studios exclusive presentation.

Disney Chairman Alan Horn and executive vice president of distribution Dave Hollis will host the presentation, which includes a screening of Million Dollar Arm presented in Dolby Atmos.

CinemaCon 2014: Universal Unveils Summer Lineup

While it’s an inexact science figuring out how much a festival crowd’s enthusiasm means for the future of a film, the screening of Universal’s Neighbors at SXSW must have delighted many in the studio. Hundreds of people waited patiently, in the rain, for roughly an hour to see director Nicholas Stoller’s movie and roared with laughter for just about all of its running time. Universal is offering a look at their summer slate today at CinemaCon,

CinemaCon 2014: A Brief History of Moviegoing

There's no substitute for watching movies in a theater. These days it's easy to watch the same film at home, but without the surround sound, the larger-than-life screen, the crowd around you making every emotion more intense and the tingle of excitement as the lights darken as you and all the strangers around you set off together on a journey into another world- it's not really the same film at all.

This week CinemaCon is taking place in Las Vegas.

CinemaCon 2014: A Peek at Paramount’s Summer Lineup

Paramount’s got a slate of massive films coming out in the next few months, with perhaps it most marquee release bookending the run—Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, coming on November 7. Nolan himself will be on hand at CinemaCon, as he was in 2012 when he showed a five minute clip of The Dark Knight Rises during a Warner Bros. presentation. Tonight at CinemaCon, Paramount will be showcasing some of their upcoming films for eager audiences at 6:30pm.

CinemaCon 2014: 5 Jaw Dropping American Theaters

The worldwide motion picture theater industry descends on Caesars Palace in Las Vegas today for the fourth annual CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO [National Association of Theater Owners] that runs through March 27. CinemaCon is the largest annual gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world, drawing filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors alike for a four-day celebration of the theaters and films we love.

We’ll be celebrating CinemaCon this week by highlighting theaters and the films that’ll be filling them this coming summer.

How to Shoot Stunts & Action on a Budget

The stunts in the recent Liam Neeson action flick Non-Stop were breathtaking, thanks to the work of stunt coordinator (and Neeson body double) Mark Vanselow. In the upcoming Divergent, fight coordinator J.J. Perry helped turned Shailene Woodley into a credible action heroine. There will be more wild sequences on display in Noah, Darren Aronofsky's very singular take on the Biblical story in which he had his stars,

SXSW 2014: Richard Linklater’s Epic, Masterful Boyhood

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood was in pre-production for roughly a year. The film took 39 days to shoot, and then two more years for post-production. It premiered at Sundance in mid January, played at the Berlin International Film Festival in early February (where Linklater won the Silver Bear for Best Director), and then played at the Paramount Theater here in Austin on Sunday morning, March 10, at 10:30 a.m. Linklater, a legend here in Austin,

SXSW 2014: Catherine Gund’s Born to Fly Tracks Elizabeth Streb’s Genius

Dancers strut, cling, and leap from a giant swinging metal contraption. It looks like a massive mouse wheel, something you might see in a Cirque du Soleil performance or perhaps the circus. Despite the padding on the floor, the thing looks medieval and very, very dangerous, but the dancers atop, inside and below appear calm and in control. During one of the wheel’s rotations, a young man holding onto one of the bars appears to lose his grip,

SXSW 2014: Jason Bateman’s Directorial Debut Bad Words

There was something perfect about watching Jason Bateman’s Bad Words on opening night here at SXSW. There are no official press screenings here; your press badge allows you access to any film, but you take in the movie with the general public as well. The vibe is different from Sundance, which befits the laid back Austin setting. Screenings here differ from screenings at Sundance in another, significant way—one can enjoy a drink while watching a film.

SXSW 2014: Things to See & Hear

Now that SXSW is underway and The Credits lounge is open for business, let’s take a quick glance around the festival at some of the things going on over the next nine days. Obviously this is but a tiny little snapshot—SXSW is a festival with so much going on it’s a little like a moving Louvre, you can’t possibly hope to see everything in your allotted time, so you have to pick and choose your spots.

Post Oscars Wrap-Up: Our Social Awards Season App Delivers the Goods

The things that we could agree would happen, like Ellen hosting with her easy going charm (has there ever been a more relaxed, amiable host?) and Gravity mopping up a slew of technical awards. And how did our Social Awards Season App, the DataViz, fare in predicting the winners?  Let’s have a look.

To access the DataViz and see for yourself, click here. For our brief synopsis, see below:

Best picture

Predicted Correctly?

Our Social Awards Season App Gears up for the Oscars

We’re a week away from the biggest night in Hollywood, and our DataViz, a collaboration between The Credits and global social analytics and monitoring firm Brandwatch, a truly one-of-a-kind Social Awards App, is proving its mettle for the second year in a row. The DataViz tracked, crunched and analyzed how critics and the public predicted who would the various categories in the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes, Producers Guild of American Awards and Directors Guild of America Awards,

Looking at the Legendary Career of Oscar Nominated Visionary Hayao Miyazaki

This Friday marks the nationwide release of legendary Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s eleventh feature film, The Wind Rises. With this picture, Miyazaki is nominated for his third Oscar for best-animated feature film. He was previously nominated in this category in 2006 for Howl’s Moving Castle, and he won in 2003 for Spirited Away, the first anime movie to win in that category.

In Their Words: Some of This Year’s Oscar Nominees on Their Craft, Part II

Yesterday we took a look at four filmmakers whose work has earned them an Oscar nomination (in Gravity cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki's case, his sixth), sharing with you some of their thoughts on their craft. In one of the most anticipated Oscars in recent memory, it's refreshing to step back and reflect on exactly how these talented individuals created such memorable moments in such a fantastic year for film.

In Their Words: Some of This Year’s Oscar Nominees on Their Craft, Part I

One of the strongest years in recent cinema history will officially come to a close this Sunday at the 86th annual Academy Awards. What just about everyone agrees on is that, with a few exceptions (most people seem fairly convinced Cate Blanchett has Best Actress locked up, for example), it’s anyone’s guess (including our social awards season app, the DataViz—but it's doing just a little bit more than guessing) who might take home Oscar.

Olympic Stars Who Made it in Hollywood…and 3 Who Should

Like Hollywood, the Olympics has its A-listers. Your Shaun Whites, your Bode Millers, your Apolo Ohnos and Lindsey Vonns. These are the high wattage stars of the Olympics who have returned multiple times (with varying degrees of success) intent on capturing another medal. Then there are the promising young athletes trying their hardest to ascend to the podium, looking for their one chance to be on top. Full of comeback stories,