Did Stanley Kubrick give an assist on this one?

Credit: Chris Hadfield

I struggled with posting this because it's not movie-related (or even entertainment-related) and it seems like a weird way to use HitFix resources, but the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't really resist. After all, "Star Trek Into Darkness" is set to hit theaters on Friday and capture the imaginations of space freaks the world over, while at the same time, we have the homecoming of Commander Chris Hadfield and company from a few months' stint on the International Space Station -- real-life heroes of the cosmos. And Hadfield in particular has been doing what I think is some Pulitzer Prize-worthy work up there. Let me explain...

James Franco in "As I Lay Dying"

Credit: Millennium Films

One of the most fascinating projects in James Franco's compelling and vast arsenal as of late is an adaptation of William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying." The film is set for the Un Certain Regard section of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival and is the first big screen adaptation of the novel, widely considered one of the greatest ever written.

Bruce Dern and Will Forte in "Nebraska."

Credit: Paramount Pictures

(Welcome to Cannes Check, your annual guide through the 20 films in Competition at this month's Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 15. Taking on a different selection every day, we'll be examining what they're about, who's involved and what their chances are of snagging an award from Steven Spielberg's jury. We're going through the list by director and in alphabetical order -- next up, Alexander Payne with "Nebraska.")

Olivia Colman holds one of her two BAFTAs aloft -- a sight a lot of people wanted to see last year.

Credit: AP Photo

Well, I'll say this for BAFTA: they know how to make an apology. You may remember that the British Academy came in for some flak last year when they announced their film award nominations -- and beloved local actress Olivia Colman, who otherwise cleaned up on the UK awards circuit for her shattering lead turn in Paddy Considine's "Tyrannosaur," wasn't on the Best Actress list.

Marine Vacth in "Young and Beautiful."

Credit: Mandarin Films

(Welcome to Cannes Check, your annual guide through the 20 films in Competition at next month's Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 15. Taking on a different selection every day, we'll be examining what they're about, who's involved and what their chances are of snagging an award from Steven Spielberg's jury. We're going through the list by director and in alphabetical order -- next up, François Ozon with "Young and Beautiful.")

Takao Osawa in "Shield of Straw."

Credit: Warner Bros. Japan

(Welcome to Cannes Check, your annual guide through the 20 films in Competition at next month's Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 15. Taking on a different selection every day, we'll be examining what they're about, who's involved and what their chances are of snagging an award from Steven Spielberg's jury. We're going through the list by director and in alphabetical order -- next up, Takashi Miike with "Shield of Straw.")

'The Butler'

Credit: The Weinstein Company

"The Butler" is preparing to move to August 16.

"Precious" director Lee Daniels' all-star historical drama was originally scheduled to be released October 18, in time for awards season, but The Weinstein Company has pushed it up two months, according to Deadline.

"Kon-Tiki"

Credit: The Weinstein Company

One of the five films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar last year was Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg's "Kon-Tiki." It was the first Norwegian film to be nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe and it was actually filmed in both Norwegian and English. The latter version was released on two screens stateside two weeks ago and is platforming out slowly, moving into more markets today.

A scene from "Like Father, Like Son."

Credit: Wild Bunch

(Welcome to Cannes Check, your annual guide through the 20 films in Competition at next month's Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 15. Taking on a different selection every day, we'll be examining what they're about, who's involved and what their chances are of snagging an award from Steven Spielberg's jury. We're going through the list by director and in alphabetical order -- next up, Hirokazu Kore-eda with "Like Father, Like Son.")

Ryan Gosling

Credit: AP Photo

The Cannes market has landed its first sale before anyone has even arrived in the south of France as Ryan Gosling's "How to Catch a Monster," which is currently filming, has been acquired by Warner Bros. for domestic release.