It would seem that, in terms of casting, Quentin Tarantino just can’t catch a break lately.  His latest film, Django Unchained, has been beset with actor dropouts almost as soon as casting for the spaghetti western began—first, Kevin Costner was attached to star as the villainous Ace Woody before dropping out  and being replaced by Kurt Russell, then Joseph Gordon-Levitt bailed to film his directorial debut.  Now, Kurt Russell and Sacha Baron Cohen are also bailing on the project, as well.

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It’s been a big week for Quentin Tarantino fans—after a long dry spell of no new information from the set of the hotshot director’s newest film, the spaghetti western-influenced Django Unchained, this week has been a veritable free-for-all of new trivia by comparison.  First, there was the fantastic Saul Bass-esque teaser poster for the film; today, The Weinstein Company has released an official, 282 word plot summary for the mysterious new movie.

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Because it wouldn’t be Oscar night without a few desperate bids for shameless self-promotion, Sacha Baron Cohen did arrive to the Academy Awards telecast, as he was rumored to do, in full costume and character to promote his upcoming film, The Dictator.  And the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t ban him after all, which led to a briefly funny bit in which Cohen poured ash all over perennial red carpet stooge Ryan Seacrest—which kind of makes the annoying Dictator schtick worth it.  Watch a video of the confrontation below.

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Yesterday, we reported that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may revoke comedic actor Sacha Baron Cohen’s tickets to the Academy Awards on Sunday if he arrives to the awards ceremony dressed as the titular character from his upcoming film, The Dictator.  And because the news that story generated is just about the best promotion the film could ask for—because the trailer certainly didn’t do it many favors—Cohen has now released a video response to the non-controversy, in character as the dictator.

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Because Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film, The Dictator, could use the press, and because the Academy Awards desperately, desperately needs a reason for people to tune in to a three-hour telecast in which Billy Crystal mugs his way through a series of celebrity backslappery, news broke this week that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will ban the comic actor from the award ceremony if he attends in full costume to promote his new film.  And thus, we must now all tune in to see what happens.  Well played, Oscars, well played.

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Are you ready for (some ads during) Football? If you love movies, but aren’t so crazy about sports, the Super Bowl has become a time where some of the biggest films of the year drop $3.5 Million dollars for thirty seconds of your attention. Summer blockbusters looking to build buzz and get people excited about the year in film. So much so that there are now teasers for these ads. Trailers for trailers. Here’s a round-up…

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Another year, another Sacha Baron Cohen comedy.  After bringing the world such characters as Ali G, Borat, and Brüno, Cohen has returned with a new film,  Unlike his previous two, The Dictator does not play as a pseudo comedy; rather, the film seems to be playing it fairly straight (or, as straight as it can be with a madman like Cohen at the helm).  That said, despite a few good gags, the trailer seems to fall a little flat, and is more reminiscent of a late period Mike Myers flop like The Love Guru rather than a modern comedy classic like Bruno.  After the jump, you can decide.

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One of the side effects of Martin Scorsese being one of America’s greatest living directors is that every new picture is viewed under the magnifying glass of greatness. Is Hugo another in a line of great movies, or is it a muddled attempt at trying to do something out of his reach? Is it an old man picture, with modest pleasures but a looser grasp? Those seem to be the categories the film’s critics slotted the film into, with many adults deciding that Scorsese failed at directing a film for children, to which the only evidence is anecdotal. But the film is good, possibly great (time will tell), and the most engaging and engaged picture Scorsese has made in a while.

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Sacha Baron Cohen is a chameleon, so it’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino has taken a liking to the actor, and according to Variety, Cohen is in “final talks” to appear in Tarantino’s latest Django Unchained. He’d be joining cast members Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson in QT’s western opus.

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