Every day, come rain or shine or internet tubes breaking, Film School Rejects showcases a trailer from the past. Here’s a minimalist trailer that’s content to shove the names of Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Akira Kurosawa all together next to the phrase “Academy Award Winners” in order to make the sale. Of course, you don’t need much of a voice over when you have Kurosawa’s startling, beautiful imagery. But tossing in a mention of that Palme d’Or win can’t hurt either. Think you know what it is? Check the trailer out for yourself:

Editor’s Note: This article will be updated in real time as the winners come in during the Academy Awards broadcast. Please join us for our Live-Blog tonight (because we ask nicely), and while you wait for the winners, check out our Oscar Week Series, where you will find breakdowns and predictions for all of the major categories. Tonight’s the night! You find out if you will take top prize in your office pool, and, you know, you’ll get to see which fantastic films are most celebrated with little naked statues of gold. If you love the Oscars, hate them, or pretend to hate them while sitting riveted to the broadcast, one thing is clear: tonight is a night to celebrate the best in filmmaking. We love movies. So do you. Tonight we can all celebrate our favorites of 2010 even if they don’t win and even if they weren’t nominated. As for those in the running, they are all beautiful works of art, they’re all winners tonight, they went out on the field and gave 110%…and…yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s get to the winning, right? And the Oscar goes to…

In a recent, must-read interview, Francis Ford Coppola reveals at least two things that might come as a surprise to fans. The first is that his success with The Godfather actually derailed him from a plan to make intimate, personal stories that he was passionate about. The second is that he believes artists aren’t meant to be wealthy. Coppola points back to the beginnings of art and the benefactor model. He also points to the concept of having another source of income so that filmmaking can remain an arduous hobby and an outlet for taking risks. He’s absolutely, idealistically correct (even if he does question why art has to cost money (which is a little like asking why cameras have to cost money)), and amidst the radical concept that maybe people should be able to view art of all kinds for free, he offers his three rules for filmmaking.

I believe it was Robinson Crusoe who once said “Fess up, Friday” after discovering a urine puddle on his straw shack’s linoleum floor. As revolutionary as that statement was almost three hundred years ago, it took a young man by the name of William B. Goss to bring it into the digital age. Thanks to his initiative, #fessupfriday is the most-used hashtag in Twitter’s four decades of existence. There are certain movies that every cinephile should have seen, but only the brave foolhardy movie lovers immune to ridicule actually admit to the acknowledged classics that have so far eluded them. Which brings me to Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Vietnam adventure, Apocalypse Now. #fessupfriday

There are several names that look perfect together, but for some reason, have never made it anywhere near each other. When those names happen to be brought together near the phrase “horror thriller,” it’s like learning you can have oatmeal cookie ice cream with your chocolate peanut butter cups. Hopefully the ice cream being made by Francis Ford Coppola and Val Kilmer will have some blood in it. According to Deadline Warrenville, Coppola is “quietly working” on a flick (which means they’re using inside voices) called Twixt Now and Sunrise (subtle candy product placement there) in which Kilmer plays a horror novelist. Elle Fanning and the incredible Bruce Dern are also involved, and that’s all it takes to generate some excitement. It’s great to see Coppola picking up steam again (and hopefully taking a break from grapes), and it’s promising to see him return to some horror roots with a talent that deserves more than direct-to-video fare. It’ll be fascinating to see what these two can come up with together.

Back in 1979 Francis Ford Coppola took a vacation to South East Asia and filmed a family movie over a weekend. While that is probably untrue, in 1979 he did spend months in hell toiling to create what more than one reputable critic has described as “one of the greatest films of all time.” Hitting the streets on October 19th, Coppola’s Apocalypse Now comes to Blu-ray in stunning high definition for the first time. Available in two versions, the 2-Film Set and the Full Disclosure set, the former will run you $40 and the three disc latter version is $60. Unless of course you happened to know some handsome fellas willing to give you a copy for free….

The best hope for the brutal future our world faces is another Bill and Ted movie. Since this is self-evident, there’s no need to debate it or explain it, and Keanu Reeves is delivering just a glimmer of hope for a brighter tomorrow. In a recent interview, he claimed that he’d love to revisit the character and work with Alex “Bill S. Preston, Esq.” Winter again. After throwing out strange ideas like filming the movie in black and white with a dash of 3D and having multiple directors (specifically Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Werner Herzog), it apparently never dawned on Reeves why another sequel (which should have been called Bill and Ted Go To White Castle) just can’t happen: George Carlin is no longer with us. The hopes for the future are dashed again. But seriously, everyone wants this thing, right? [MTV]

Last week, the recipients of the Honorary Oscars were announced, the awards ceremony taking place at the Academy Governor’s Awards Dinner on November 13 (an evident pushback from the typical televised reception of the Honorary Oscar at the actual ceremony in the first quarter of the following calendar year). Honorary awards are being given to Veteran actor and senior-senior-citizen Eli Wallach, film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, legendary French New Wave auteur Jean-Luc Godard, and the Irving G. Thalberg memorial award for excellent producing has been bestowed (to the surprise of no one) to the occasionally brilliant cinematic patriarch and wine magnate Francis Ford Coppola. According to the Academy’s executive director on August 25, attempts were made to contact Godard directly (by phone, fax, and through associates), but to no avail. Unbeknownst to the fact there does indeed exist television and the Internet in Paris, members of the Academy interpreted Godard’s behavior as elusive rather than evasive. Godard has a history of rejecting awards of the honorary or lifetime achievement variety, so until he makes a statement that provides an official stance, it remains likely that Godard will simply and inevitably turn this one down as well. And as well he should.

Whether you love him, hate him, love to hate him, or hate that you love him there’s no denying that Tom Cruise’s career decisions in terms of what directors he will work for have been second-to-none. Or, maybe they have been. You decide.

The long-gestating project might be putting its rubber to the asphalt soon. Does this mean Francis Ford Coppola is going to stop making wine?

Michael Cimino has gone over budget, beyond his schedule, and generally through hell for Heaven’s Gate. Now his cut is 5 and 1/2 hours long. Is artistic freedom really what Hollywood needs?

Supposedly, Francis Ford Coppola made his final masterwork with Apocalypse Now. Then how do you explain this little slice of thug heaven?

Last week I wrote about the history of the auteur theory and its strengths and weaknesses when applied to actual film practice. Regardless of the theory’s apparent problems, it’s clear that the idea of the auteur still holds great weight in framing the way even the most casual of filmgoer goes about experiencing cinema.

It was the best of times and the drug-induced times in American modern history. Stick out your thumb and dig deep into the madness.

So Lars Von Trier isn’t forcing Martin Scorsese to remake Taxi Driver. Who cares? Here are ten directors that the madman should punish for being geniuses.

This week’s Culture Warrior says that cinema is the ultimate form of art. And it has nothing to do with ‘Avatar.’ Seriously, it doesn’t.

Francis Ford Coppola continues his commitment to small, personal filmmaking with Tetro a dysfunctional family melodrama that makes great use of its moody black-and-white.

The first official trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s next film Tetro has made its way onto the YouTube this past weekend. Many of you will be surprised to see that it is in black and white (for the most part). Alright, maybe you aren’t surprised — the black and white thing isn’t what is interesting.

Spike just published a list of what they believe to be the Ten Most Overrated Directors. The only thing it does is prove Spike as one of the Most Overrated Online Magazines.

In an interview with GQ magazine (November issue out Tuesday), Francis Ford Coppola’s reasons for saying three of the most famous and talented actors around, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Robert De Niro, “have become apathetic.” Is he right?