To my faithful readers,

My new blog will be at moviescene.wordpess.com. Please visit and continue to leave your comments there.

Thank you,
rots28

"Ice" and Cool: Review for "Masters of Horror: We All Scream For Ice Cream"

Showtime's notorious anthology show Masters of Horror had seemed to be picking up all the nonsense that the show became infamous for (blood, guts, nudity' all gratuitous). But it was cancelled and moved to NBC under the title Fear Itself. Same premise; less graphic stuff. Apparently, when they switched, they thought that less is gore! Yes, bad pun. We All Scream For Ice Cream was an episode from the second season of MoH. It was directed by Tom Holland (Child's Play and Fight Night) and it was adpated from a short story by John Farris (Prey). It is about the sins of a child and how years later they will still hoaunt that child. Buster the clown was a nice man who sold ice cream to kids. He was very sweet and really enjoyed his job. He was also mentally retarted,, which brought some unkind words to him. But when angry, rebelious, pompus, idiotic teens come around to tease the clown, you can say "Bye, Bye, Buster!". The kids who commited the crime were young and didn't know what they were doing. thirty years later, Lane moves back to town and all of the members of the junior Wild Bunch start to disappear. Buster (Will Forsythe, The Devil's Rejects) has come back to get them by giving their kids an ice cream in the shape of the victim. When someone bites into the ice cream, the turns into melted ice cream. Less gory than most of the series and a surprisingly sympathetic villain. One of the best of the MoH series, though some scenes can be as slow as Buster's ice cream truck.

Grade: B

Thorny "Rose": Review for "La Vie en Rose"

Marion Cotillard won the Academy Award, the Cesar Award, the BAFTA Award, and countless others for her portrayal of French diva Edith Piaf (Piaf means "Sparrow" in French). Her nickname and her voice are icons in France. Olivier Dahan has directed the life of the chanteus in a very cinematic yet confusing way. Dahan switches scenes from the beginning of her life in the slums of Bellville to her last days in the studio recording "Milord". Gerard Depideu plays Piaf's singing teacher during her teenage years. Throughout her life (as this film chronicles it), it does not seem as if she were a woman to be admired. Yes, her voice is amazing, but if I were to find a personification of prima dona, the answer may be Edith Piaf. Cotillard's performance is an extrodinary transformation of an actress. As if that it is not actuallt Cotillard, but the spirit of Piaf embodying and possessing the body of Cotillard. But due to the confusing order of the film, it is my regret to say that this film is not one that a person who is simply watching La Vie en Rose to waste time. With shots from her early life being raised in a brothel to her death bed at an "old folks home", you may get confused. You really have to pay attention, otherwise, you may be lost in Edith Piaf's Life of Pink.

Grade: B-

An Almost Perfect Fit: Review for "27 Dresses"

The new film with Hollywood's it girl, Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up, TV's Grey's Anatomy), is a cute and bubble movie about a girl who loves weddings. Jane is always a bridesmaid and never a bride. She has been a bridesmaid twenty-seven times and has the ridiculous looking dresses to pove it. She has been been secretly doting on her boss, and when she finally plucks up the courage to say something to him, her ditsy sister comes in and steals her. The two have a cute relationship, made up of her lies and his hard work. They decide to get married. Meanwhile, James Marsden (Hairspray, X-Men) plays a reporter who writes in the commitments section, going to weddings and engagements, offering cynicysism where it is warrented. But dee inside, he's absolutely sappy for weddings and falls in love with Kate. This is a cute romantic comedy with good acting all around, a tidy plot line, and dresses that are so appalling, they will make your jaw drop.

Grade: B+

Murder Is E-asy: Review for "Untraceable"

Untraceable is one of the newest in the "torture porn" collection; which includes gruesomely graphic films as the Saw movies, The Hills Have Eyes remake, and the Hostel movies. FBI agent Jenifer Marsh (Diane Lane) tracks down the crimes that are comitted on the World Wide Web. She finds this new website called killwithme.com (it's not real; however if you do go to the address, you will play a game and shut down one of the killer's websites). What people have found there is a man killing and torturing people on live streaming video. Every time a person logs on to the website, it kills the person faster. The film (supposedly) promotes anti-torture porn movies, when, in fact, it features graphic torture which would make you think "What was the MPAA ratings board thinking when it gave this an R?". I will, however say that Diane Lane's performance was good. I have to say the Saw movies do have a reasonable plot line (yes, including Saw IV, which I gave a bad review. Click here to read.) It was about a guy who was teaching people life lessons, yes, by torturing people, but even so, the plot made sense. This film does not give a reason why he is torturing people and broadcasting it on the Internet. Sure, his father died, but making the public look like hypocrits just sounds like that Austrian film Funny Games. One blurb that was on a TV commercial for the movie was "The Silence of the Lambs for the Internet age!". I'm not sure who said that, but only one thing here resembles Silence of the Lambs and that is Diane Lane's hair. This has neither the great storytelling nor the great suspense that Silence had. Instead of making you scared, it just makes your stomach turn.

Grade: C-

Footballers' Lives: Review for "Leatherheads"

Set in prohebition era 1925, Leatherheads stars two of the biggest stars in Hollywood: Renee Zellweger and George Clooney. It also stars John Krasinski, whom you may know from NBC's The Office. Clooney plays a pro football player, Dodge Connelly, during an age where pro football had no rules and almost no audience. the public's eye was on war hero/boy wonder Carter Rutherford, who, it is said, single handedly made a troop of German soldiers surrender. He happens to be a star at his college. He's handsome, a college football player, and a war hero (nicknamed "Bullet"). But Chicago Tribune writer Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger) and her superiors suspect that this guy isn't all he's made out to be. Dodge, meanwhile, wants to set up a brand new team. He thinks hiring Carter will bring money and people to his games.Under the public's scrutiny is hard for a kid that young. He fesses up to Lexie one night and she writes all about it. It becomes a big scandal and Carter vehently denies the allegation. Clooney and Zellweger trade funny repartee. At the end, there are rules in football, much the Dodge's dismay. Enjoyable, though not perfect, film. Sports fans will enjoy. The script was written by two writers from Sports Illustrated. Kransinski does much better off in his second film than his first, the turkey called License to Wed.
Grade: B

Pitch Problem: Review for "Alvin and the Chipmunks"

In Alvin and the Chipmunks, Jason Lee (TV's My Name Is Earl) stars as Dave Seville, a down on his luck singer-songwriter trying to make it big in the music biz. The head of the company, Ian Hawke (David Cross), is a particularly cruel and manipulative guy. A guy who would personify evil (evil as in "Greed is the root of all evil"). He barely gives Dave a chance. That night he hears a few voices of chipmunks talking. They just happen to be some of the most iconic animals in history. Alvin is the rebel, while Simon is the wise one, and little Theodore is the chubby one who indulges in food a little too much. It turns out they have great voices, which makes Dave realise that these animals could sing his songs. When he brings them to Ian, they get stagefright and Dave is ridculed. These little scenes of over dramatic smypathyis what causes me to dislike the film. Ian becomes a manipulative, egotistical agent, whle Dave whines. Though it may be fun for kids, there may be one too many sqeaks for adults.
Grade: C

Return of the "King"?

Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings films, is returning to the next Rings film, only, not as director. The next film, The Hobbit, is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings and was the first of the series that J. R. R. Tolkein. The book will be split into two films, which will be executive produced by Jackson. The films will be directed by Guilmermo del Torro, who has directed by Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. The film is slated for release in 2011.

The Music Man: Capsule Review for "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" DVD

Walk Hard is a biopic of fictional rock legend, Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly). It takes you through his life, from women and drugs to his early childhood trauma to more drugs. The film plays like your average spoof, though there are nice variations on other biopics, from Walk the Line to I'm Not There. But a lot of the jokes tend to fall flat. Cox goes through many, many women, and takes many, many drugs. However, the best part of the film is when Cox talks witn the Beatles. Jenna Fischer, from TV's The Office, plays Cox's second wife, Darlene Madison, and she does it quite well. Her one and only song, "Let's Duet", was actually performed by another person, Angela Correa. The film was produced by Judd Apatow. However, there are cool cameos by Jewel, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovet, and the Temptations. The special features include featurettes on the music and the making of the film, a stupid commercial for sausages, full song performances, and song demos.

Film: C+

Special Features: C-

Overall: C

An Inconvinient Truth: Review for "Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who"

Horton Hears a Who, the newest animated Seuss adaptation, stars Horton, a lovable, somewhat affable elephant, voiced by Jim Carry. He thinks he hears a tiny voice, but no one believes him. He protects this little spec, where he heard the voice, on a clover. It turns out that all of Whoville lives on this piece of dust, though not even the Whos realise this. The Mayor, voiced by Steve Carell, is a "boob", according to his council collegues. He has ninety-six daughters and one son, who dresses in dark gray, and channels today's depressed misfit teens. The Mayor, who is part of a long line of "greats", keeps trying to force his son, Jojo, into being the future mayor. But the Mayor realises that his village has very odd happenings every so often. He then realises, with the help of Horton, that if somone doesn't get the spec to somewhere safe, the Whos will be in great danger. Among the villains trying to stop the rescue of the spec is Kangaroo, who is brilliantly played by Carol Burnett. She is the "President of the Jungle of Nool". Her actions make her seem like the annoying woman in suburbia who yells at you for having 2 1/4 inches grass blades, when they are supposed to be 2 inches. The end of the film seems a little sluggish, though enjoyable. The speech that both Kangaroo and Horton make seem like versions of a global warming speech. The narrator supplies the verses from the story, which is marginally acurate. I really enjoyed each line and rhyme, I reccomend this film if you want a good time!
Grade: A-

Cutthroat Competition: Review for "Sweeney Todd" 2-Disc DVD

Sweeney sure does "polish 'em off" inn this new 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD. The movie is of the utmost imaginative. Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is a sweet, meaningul barber in love with his wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelley). However, a corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) covets Barker's wife and sends the young barber to jail on flase charges. He comes back, vengeful, only to find that his wife killed herself and his daughter, Johanna, is the ward of Judge Turpin. The film is dark, but funny in some parts. The black comedy that was in the stage musical is still there. Tim Burtin goes a little haywire with the blood, but it shouldn't be a problem for most. This tale is not supposed to be real. It's not supposed to take place in a real London. The London that Todd slashes in is surreal. Not to mention the slashes. It's not the gruesome and graphic slash you might find in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but it is done in a balletic motion, very much choreographed to the song "Johanna". It's not the way Freddy Krueger might do it, but any way you slice it, it's entertaining. During these killings, he is lamenting the death of his wife and the loss of his daughter. It's a great film. The special features include an interesting documentary on the callaboration of Helena Bonham Carter, Johnnyy Depp, and Tim Burtin. My favorite featurette is Sweeney is Alive: The Real Demon Barber, which chronicles the original tale of the barber, from his first appearance in The String of Pearls to his latest venture on the big screen. Other features include a Making Blood featurette, costume design, and more.
Film: A-
Extras: B+
Overall: A-

It's Just Buzz: Review for "Bee Movie"

I'm very sorry to say this, all you Seinfeld fans, but Jerry Seinfelds voice is boring. And it is this which caused me to dislike the filme Bee Movie. Okay, fine, I didn't dislike it, I just thought it could be btter. Barry Benson (Seinfeld) is a happy bee getting to get a job in his enourmous hive. He is shocked to find out that when you take a job, you keep it for the rest of your lie, with no days off. He decides o go out into the world to find new things. He then meets Renee Zellweger's waxy looking character, Venessa, a happy-go-lucky florist and defender of all God's creatures. Barry becomes smitten with her and they embark on tthe most awkward "relationship" ever. When he sees that Ray Liotta has his own honey company, Barry sues the "human race" for stealing their honey. What follows are several puns and guest witnesses (including Sting, being interrrogated by a bee on the use of his stage name). It is an odd premise for a film which seems too self concious, as if it's trying to make as many corny puns as possible while maintaining a script. The hypocritical part, in which Barry wins the case and the bees do nothing, thus making the flowers in the world wilt and die, is rather stupid. It seems the whole film was wasted on the case against the humans, while only in the last few minutes, Barry realises his folly. The film is cute enough, but the constant use of "b" and "bee" is irksome to the max.

Grade: (you guessed it) B

Coen to the Midwest: Review for "Fargo"

The film Fargo is supposedly based on a true story. The events that are featured in the film took place in 1987. But those who have seen the Coen's work of art and believe this were fooled! Joel and Ethan Coen were inspired by true events that did not take place in Minnesota or North Dakota.

Poor Mr. Lundergard (a brilliant William H. Macy) is down on his luck and need money. How much? $750,000 to clear his debts. So he asks a couple of hit men (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife for a ransom of $1 million. He hopes that his wife's father will give the money to them, because he's rich. But what follows are a string of accidental and intentional deaths. Margery Gunderson (a hilarious and Oscar winning Frances McDormand) is on the case, while she is pregnant, and tries to track down these ruthless killers. The film is very dark, but has some light comedy. It's a dark sort of comedy, but funny nevertheless. The violence is brutal (woodchippers, anyone?), the comedy light hearted and the originality unmistakable. Frances McDormand is great, with her sing songy accent and her smile. One of the greatest films of all time. I preferred this one to the Coen's other film No Country for Old Men. Is Fargo a good movie? Yeah, you betcha!

Grade: A

West Side Gory: Review for "No Country for Old Men"

Out in the desolate west is where many great films have taken place. The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, (winner of Best Director) are among the great American filmmakers. Their snarky noir to their screwball comedy have earned them prestige and respect and also a few Oscars. I've never cared for films that take place in the barren desert. They tend to be too formulaic. That's where you have the Coens take an overused setting and make it new and interesting. Their 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, No Country for Old Men is a refreshing look out west. Josh Brolin (Grindhouse) plays a man who finds dead bodies in the desert, with a briefcase of two million dollars and a truck filled with heroin. He tries to escape with the money, but on his trail is a hitman with the world's worst haircut (Best Supporting Actor winner Javier Bardem). The Coens definitely produce, write, and direct the Thinking Man's film, due to he fact it's a bad idea to doze off through one of their films, otherwise, you might miss something very important. Many critics have said this films is a western horror movie, and in a way, they're right. You have your maniac, your refugee, your hero, and your ultra-violence. The violence seems brutal, from explosions to shots...in the head. Javier's hitman is one of the most original portrayals in film history. He's quick, slick, and keeps his cool, all with a very misfortunate hairstyle. Tommy Lee Jones (Academy Award nominee for In the Valley of Elah) is the good guy, trying to track down the killer and find who stole the money. The pursuit is heart racing, the emotionless face of the causes fear hitman as he walks closer to the door with his silenced gun. He's very eerie, and his raspy voice intensifies it. He is one of the most evil characters ever to appear on screen. He runs shivers up your spine. You may find that "Call it, friend-o." may be the most popular line of 2007. There's a little of he Coen's familiar humor hidden in the film, one liners and awkward moments. Joel and Ethan adapted the script from the novel by Cormac McCarthy. The great script and the wonderful storytelling is clear as day in this western thriller. The desolate wasteland where film takes place is haunting, as if you are alone and no one can help you. If you are trapped, laying in the sand covered in blood, and a man with a weird haircut calls you friend-o, you're dead meat. Joel and Ethan tell this story in a flawless style (and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), and it is done it gorgeous detail. The ending has been causing controversy. Audiences have felt cheated. You are left with a cliff hanger, not as if it were to be made into a sequel, but just left on the edge of your seat, wanting more, but the film leaves you hanging. I did not care for the ending. I can not appreciate it. Other than that, No Country is a masterwork. A brutal, yet glorious film.

Grade: A

Kid Rivalry: Nickelodeon Vs. Disney Channel

There are rivalries between Batman and the Joker, James Bond and Blofeld, and countless others. One notable rivalry is between networks the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, the networks responsible for some of the famous shows your tweens are crazy about. I have a review of each network and some of their shhows.

Disney Channel

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
The show, which is about twins who live in a hotel, is funny enough, using slapstick as a key formula in the series. Dylan and Cole Sprouse (Cole played Ross's son on Friends) play Zack and Cody, respectively, who get into all sorts of shinannigans. Dylan is very swift and quick as a prankster who often falls by the wayside. It seems to come naturally, while Cole's geek Cody seems to be a tired formula. He tries way too hard to be nerdy. The real stars are the self absorbed rich London (Brenda Song) and Maddie (Ashley Tisdale). The two battle it out in every episode which earns the show's most laughs. Though, the self referencial jokes are tiring, mentioning Disney's sleeper sucess High School Musical and pretending that Maddie looks nothing like Ashley Tisdale, who co-starred in HSM.
Grade: B+

Hannah Montana
The show Hannah Montana chronicles the life of a pop superstar living each day as an ordinary tween and each night partying away at concerts. I've heard it all before. It's much like superheroes like Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, all of whom lead seperate, normal lives in the real world. Miley Cyrus is peachy as Miley Stewart, and Cyrus's real father, Billy Ray, plays her on-screen father. The family colloquials get tiring after 5 times in one episode. The "Sweet Niblets!" are really annoying after a while. It is a question whether Ms. Cyrus has a good voice? Some may concur, while others may say she has an effect that most won't remember in coming years. I don't think it's all that.
Grade: B-

Nickelodeon
Spongebob Squarepants
Spongebob Squarepants is a cute, peppy little guy who goes to work at the Krusty Krab, home of the Krabby Patty, run by the greediest man since...well you think about that for a little bit. Even though parents may find the potty humor immature, it's probably the funniest, most well written, and smartest kid show in a long time. With many a luagh for the ones who get the humor, and a few giggles for the youg'ens, Spongebob is the show to go to when all else on television is impure and scadalous.
Grade: A

Drake & Josh
It's definately not the smartest show on TV, but it's okay. I'm talkin about Drake & Josh, the show about a slacker and a nerd who become brothers. Haven't we heard this before. The show is aimed at teens. It's repetative with bad sets and odd jokes.
Grade: C+

So you've just had a small taste of the networks. Who's better: Nick. Even though some shows are totally brainless, the little yellow sponge takes it home for the team.

Nick: B+
Disney: B

The Road to Gold: The Oscars!

The Oscars are famous for being prestigious, glamorous, and star studded. However, they're notorious for being long, boring, and dull. You can't really blame' em, it's an awards show, and awards shows all have those tenancies. This year, Jon Stewart hosted, what would normally be a predictable year, and brought spice, wit, and humor to the Oscars. His jokes are hilarious (After the montage on the voting process, Stewart beams and says, "And I thought it was up to the super-delegates!"). The show was much more engrossing than last year. Though, this year's show had the lowest rating in history: only 32 million viewers. The last time it was that low, it was the 2003 show and Chicago won Best Picture. This year's winners were exceptionally predictable. Best Picture went to No Country for Old Men. Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor were very predictable and they went to Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) as a greedy oil miner in the west and Javier Bardem (No Country), as a hit man, respectively. Best Actress was a little surprising. French actress Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for her portrayal of French chanteus Edith Piaf and Tilda Swinton won for the court drama Michael Clayton. The Coen brothers won for No Country, and, unsurprisingly, Ratatouille won Best Animated Feature. "Falling Slowly" from Once won Best Original Song, trumping Enchanted's three nominated songs. The one surprise for me was that The Golden Compass won Best Visual Effects, and not Transformers. It was a pretty good show, other than it was 3 1/2 hours (which is actually an improvement from last year, it being 4 1/2 hours).

Grade: B+

Beatles "Revolution": Review for "Across the Universe" Soundtrack

Across the Universe is a complicated film to reccomend as is the soundtrack. The film's entire soundtrack is comprised of of Beatles covers by the cast, with cameos by U2 members, Bono and the Edge, Joe Cocker, Eddie Izzrd, and Selma Hayek.

The first song of the film is "Girl" which is very haunting. Jim Sturgess, though a relative newcomer to film, was in a rockband, and his Jude sounds originsl and new, yet at the same time somewhat old school Liverpool/Beatles style. His "Something", "Across the Universe", "Strawberry Fields Forever", and "All My Loving" are much in the same way. But his version of "All You Need is Love" is the real showstopper for him. The new version retain the formula, but adds a new elementand at first, lacks the annoying "dum-na-num-na-num" after each "all you need is loev". But once the pattern is added, in an electric guitar, it sounds much cooler than the original.

Evan Rachel Wood's Lucy is as girly as one would be in the '60s, but her voice gets stronger as her hcharacter gets more radicall. Her version of "Hold Me Tight" is cute and almost bubblegum like, yet has a Beatles-esqe class to it. Her rendition of "If I Fell" is heartbreaking and very sad and beautiful. The new version of "It Won't Be Long"is very peppy. Overall, she's very good.

Joe Andersonplays Max, whose voice has a Beatles like tone. His covers of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "I Want You" are very well done and his version of "Hey Jude" is fresh and new and has a sound that is somewhatlike an homageto the original but still sounds new.

Dana Fuchs plays Sadie and her voice is very reminiscent of Janice Joplin (which is kind of a coincedence, due to her starring in a stage biography of the rocker called Love, Janice). Her "Why Don't Do It the road?", "Oh! Darling", "Dear Prudence", and "Helter Skelter" are really good, my favorite being "Oh! Darling".

Martin Luther McCoy plays Jo Jo, and his rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is enough to make you weep. A smooth rock and roll sound with a mix of saucy R&B in it.

T.V.Carpio plays shy Prudence and she sings pretty well, if soft, version of "I Want to Hold Yor Hand", which, in my opinion, is better than the original. I always thought it was a corny song anyways, but Prudence's shyness in the song and the film make it a little melodramatic.

Guest singer Joe Cocker, famous for his rendition of a few Beatles songs, is back as he sings a raspy hard core version of "Come Together". A bold new sound to an already brave song that broke the boundries of cool.

Eddie Izzard (TV's The Riches) speaks the lyrics to "Being for the Benifit of Mr. Kite". Where they got the original lyrics...a circus poster. I never cared for the original and this version is even worse, it sounds as if he is add libbing the entire thing and sounds very odd and discombobulated.

Bono and the Edge leave their mark on "I Am the Walrus", which is perfect for them, a nice mixed version of a radical classic. His "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is okay, but it doesn't match the original. Almost none of these beat the originals. A few come close, but the Beatles made some of the greatest songs in history, and no one can beat someone who has already won the game... a long time ago.
Grade: A-

Best of the 2008 Oscars

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Winners Circle:The Winners of the 80th Annual Academy Awards

Best Costume Design
Alexandra Byrne, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille, Brad Bird

Best Makeup
La Vie en Rose, Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

Best Visual Effects
The Golden Compass, Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Moriss, Trevor Wood

Best Art Direction
Sweeney Todd, Art Direction: Dante Feretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Live Action Short Film
Le Mozart de Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets), Philippe Pollet-Villard

Best Animated Short Film
Peter & the Wolf, Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Adapted Screenplay
No Country for Old Men, Joel & Ethan Coen

Best Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum, Karen Baker & Per Hallberg

Best Sound Mixing
The Bourne Ultimatum, Scott Millan, David Parker, Kirk Francis

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Film Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum, Christopher Rouse

Best Foreign Language Film
The Counterfeiters, Austria

Best Original Song
"Falling Slowly" from Once, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Best Cinematography
There Will Be Blood, Robert Elswit

Best Original Score
Atonement, Dario Marianelli

Best Documentary Short Subject
Freeheld, Cynthia Wade & Venessa Roth

Best Documantary Feature
Taxi to the Dark Side, Alex Gibney & Eva Orner

Best Original Screenplay
Juno, Diablo Cody

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Director
Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Picture of the Year
No Country for Old Men

Creep Show: Review for "Vacancy"

The thriller Vacancy is your standard issue slasher film, but it's better. Amy (Kate Beckinsale) and David (Luke Wilson) are on the verge of divorce. They've recently come from their parents' wedding annivarsary when they need to stop at a strange gas station to get some help. The guy who "fixes" their car makes it worse and it breaks down a mile or so down the road. They decide to stay the night at a hotel. While watching some of the videos, they see people getting killed in a low-budget horror flick way, but at the same time rather ghastly. They find out that people were killed in the same room. These sickos were watching them all along, like a sick peep show. But these victims are smarter and create a plan to get away. What follows is a cat and mouse game of high tension. This film was excellently writton, directed, and acted, though the ending was horrible. Very scary and exciting.

Grade: B+

The Bets: Who I Think Will Win

Best Actor will definately go to Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood. He's a brilliant actor and he's given a great performance. But I think Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd deserves it. He's scary and he slashes and he sings. Best Actress is a tough one, with the brilliant Julie Christie as an Alzheimers patient in a heartbreaking performance in Away From Her, Marion Cotillard in an outstandingly realistic portraylal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, Ellen Page may also take it as witty Juno. But if I know the critics, I think it will be Christie. Best Supporting Actor is a no contest for Javier Bardem, who has gained many critics awards for his role as a hit man in No Country for Old Men. Best Supporting Actress is a little trickier, but young Soairse Ronan from Atonement has no chance. Gone Baby Gone's Amy Ryam gave a tremendous performance as well as Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton, Cate Blanchett as a Bob Dylan-esqe character in I'm Not There, and a short but sweet performance by Ruby Dee in American Gangster. Best Director may go to Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country or Paul Thomas Andreson for Blood and even Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Best Picture I think may go to No Country, which has been well received by critics. We'll have to see the winners Sunday night at 8/9 p.m. est LIVE from the Kodak Theater on ABC.

You Can Never Have Too Much "Spam": Review for "Spamalot"

Spamalot is somewhat an adaptation/remake of Monty Python's hilarious Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The original tale revolves around King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The title is a pun on "Camelot" and the long running Python gag "Spam", which, if you dot already know, is canned meat. There were several differences from the movie, which, in essence, shouldn't matter. Eric Idle, one of the originals, wrote the book and the lyrics for the play. The Lady of the Lake character is very funny, and the actress who plays her has a tremendous voice. Her rendition of "What Ever Happened to My Part?" is hilarious, in which she complains of not being on the stage for long and makes fun of Posh Beckham. However, in the style of those dirty minded comedians, there's plenty of swearing and ladies showing lots of skin. The show, though advertised for families, is not exactly family friendly. There are very funny parts in the second act when it was like the original film with the Ones Who Say "Nee" and the Black Knight scenes. Lancelot, who falls in love with Guenivere in the original tale, falls in love with Price Herbert. That doesn't bother me in the slightest, it was just the style that they did it in. A funny line that Lancelot said at the end of the show about same sex marriage is "To think that 2000 years in the future this will still be controversial." It is true and put very frankly. There are very clever scenes in which they use a projector. The play is clever, funny, and sometimes hilarious!
Grade: B+

All You Need is Love: Review for "Across the Universe"

Note: My mom is a big fan of The Beatles, so she kind of helped me understand this film. This blog is to reccomend films to people, but this one is hard. It really depends. There are many things to consider. If you are a Beatles fan, you may love how creative this film was, or you may hate it for butchering the classic songs with new performances and new interpretation. You may also not enjoy iy for its portrayol of the Vietnam War, radicalism, and drugs. If you are a Liberal, you might enjoy it. If you are a Conservative, you may think otherwise of this film.

Across the Universe is a film by Julie Taymor, who previously directed the Broadway hit The Lion King. The film is a compilation of Beatles songs. The story is intertwined with songs. Jude (Jim Sturgess) is on his way from Liverpool to America to find his father. If that makes you cringe, just wait, every character in this has a name from a Beatles song. He meets Max, who then become best friends. He invites Jude to dinner and meets his sister, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). Max drops out of college and go to NYC. They stay in an apartment, who's landlord is named Sadie (Dana Fuchs). She's a singer. The Vietnam War is raging and Max gets drafted, and he looks at Uncle Sam. He stars singing I want you... and grabs Max. Lucy starts working for a radical pamphlet. Jude and Lucy's relationship goes on the rocks, but then she discovers "All You Need is Love".

The film is overall well done. The new renditions are very good. Sexy Sadie's voice reminds me of Janis Joplin. Though some of the songs included in the film feel as if they have been just thrown in there to complete the Beatles' circle, with no real purpose to the storyline. Jim has a very good voice, and Evan has a really good voice. The most spine-tingling song is sadly the least needed in the film. The cast's rendition of "Because" is haunting. Bono makes a cameo singing "I Am the Walrus" (he plays Dr. Robert) and the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" at the end credits. Other cameos are from Eddie Izzard (The Riches) who performs "Being the Benefit of Mr. Kite" and Joe Cocker who performs "Come Together". The film is visually stunning and is great.

Grade: B+

Pencil Pushers: News on the Strike

The Writers Strike may be coming to a close. The WGA will vote Saturday. If they vote to end it, that will mean that in a couple of weeks, we may see Betty, Grey, those Desparate Housewives, Samantha and even Oscar could be in the lime light. Cross your finges for the whiny brats to vote to end it all!

Big (Stupid) Brothel: Review for "Moulin Rouge!"

I know that those who know Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann will hate me for saying that I hate his movies. I have so far seen his MTV-era adaptation of William Skaespeare's Romeo + Juliet and his love story-filled-with-old-songs tale Moulin Rouge! and have been so scarred from those viewings, I'm scared to see his first film Strictly Ballroom. I just don't like his executions, though his ideas are interesting.

Moulin Rouge! is the story of a young man, Christian (Ewan McGregor), who has come to Paris in 1899. He gets mixed up with some weird Bohemians and ends up in a night club/brothel/I-have-no-idea-what-it-is trying to persuade a beautiful courtesan named Satine (Nicole Kidman) to have him write a play called Spectacular Spectacular. He falls in love with her, but *gasp* she has TB and is dying!

There are several problems with this film. One is that the use of old songs of yesteryear are not well executed. Sure, it's a great idea, but destroying songs such as Madonna's "Like a Virgin" (which was rather offensive to begin with) is just plain wrong. Not only have they mixed songs together (The "Elephant Love Medley" consists of about ten different songs.), they have even changed the lyrics to fit the storyline. I think that jukebox musicals are an interesting, but dangerous idea. Nicole Kidman is really the "Sparkling Diamond" she is supposed to be and her voice is pretty good, while Ewan McGregorr is fine. My favorite duet between the two is the song "Come What May". The cinematography is appalling. During FatBoySlim's "Can Can", you may actually get dizzy or naucious from watching the twirling camera angles of petticoats and garter belts.

Though there is one thing I can say that I liked about this film. One of the famous numbers in the film is "El Tango de Roxanne", which is a visually and inspriring number. It's actually a new version of The Police's "Roxanne", which is in a way shocking. The song runs chills up your spine. That's about it.

This film is not very good, but you might enjoy it. There were a few parts I did enjoy, I guesse.

Grade: C+

"Quantum" Physics?: News About the 22nd Bond Film

The title of the 22nd Bond film has been released. It will be called Quantum of Solace. The title originates from an original Ian Fleming short story in his collection called For Your Eyes Only. The movie continues about 20 minutes after Casino Royale, Bond has shot Mr. White. The phrase actually means "a measure of comfort". Solace will be released in theater on November 7, 2008.

Kickin' Assasin: Review for "Lucky Number Slevin"

Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Lucy Lui, Ben Kingsly, and Morgan Freeman star in Lucky # Slevin, the slick thriller about a horse race and the crime world. Slevin (Josh Hartnett), a young man who stops at a friend's house, is mistaken for that friend, who is Nick Fisher, and is brought to a big crime lord, called the Boss (Morgan Freeman). The Boss wants the supposed Nick Fisher to kill someone, not just for fun, but because his son was murdered by another crime lord, called the Rabbi (Ben Kingsly). So Nick must kill the Rabbi's son, as revenge. To help him, the mysterious assasin, Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis, charismatic as usual), gets the job done. Nick's neighbor, Lucy Lui, is a peppy-girly version, of say Miss Marple and Columbo. She and Willis steal the show. This assasin first tells the taleof a horse race that was fixed and a father lays the bet on a crime boss. He, howeverm is unnable to pay, but has high hope that he will win. He brings his son, a kid named Max, and watches, socked to find that his horse, a Lucky Number Slevin, falls and dies. The crime boss kills his whole family. No one wanted to kill the kid, so he hires "the guy who does jobs no one wants to do." This crime thriller is cunning in a way, manages to keep you guessing, but if you use your head, you can find out the real mystery of this story in about 10 mnutes. The ending is shocking, while somehow managing sympathy for the characters. Tucci plays a cop trying to find out what this Slevin guy is doing. His is a subtle, but important role. There rae many pop culture references, the most important to the story being a cartoon named Shmoo. James Bond and few others are thrown around. Bruce Willis, as the mystery assasin, is excellent, never breaking a sweat, kind of like a bad James Bond who kills for money. This was fun to watch, with the unravling tale of guns, horses, and revenge.

Grade: B+

The Great Ape: Review for Peter Jackson's "King Kong"

Peter Jackson, famous for the Lord of the Rings films, makes films that are very faithful to, not only the original of what it is based on, but also to his vision of what it should be. King Kong is not exception to this band of greats. Naomi Watts plays Ann Darrow, a hopeful starlet for the new adventure film by Carl Denham. Jack Black plays Carl with surprising ease and skill, considering he is more of a comedic actor. Black not only plays Carl, who is somewhat of a wannabe film maker who's denied every chance to film a film by those evil producers, with seriousness, he plays him as somewhat of a mad scientist and conniving con artist. Black's charisma and comedic timing works with the character very well. While trying to film on location on a mysterious Skull Island, the crew of Carl's film decides to explore the island, only to find carnivorous bugs, dinosaurs, and a giant gorilla. Carl's screenwriter is the famous Jack Driscoll, who writes plays and begins to fall in love with Ann. Driscoll is played by Adrien Brody, who won an Oscar for The Pianist. He is fine, but he doesn't really stand out. The real emotional relationship in the film is between Ann and Kong (Andy Serkis, who made the movements for Kong and LOTR's Gollumn). Kong finds Ann fascinating, considering he hasn't seen a human before. During one of their first encounters, Ann bangs her fist against her chest as a sign for "beautiful" towards the end of the film, when the two are on top of the Empire State Building, bangs hiss chest. That is so beautiful and the way Jackson portrays this misbegotten love story is fantastic. This is probably the best remake I have ever seen in my life. The emotion of the original film lingers. The visual effects are excellent and the sets very well made, though I ponder why in many period films, they make the cars in such bright, fluorescent colors. Naomi Watts is absolutely ravishing and acts fantastically in this film. Her protests against the fighter pilots killing the already bullet riddled Kong are heart wrenching. This performance deserves a standing ovation, because it is the visual effects and Watts's performance that make the story of the tragic love story. The facial expression is so real on Kong. My heart breaks every time when Carl says, "It was beauty that killed the beat." The most romantic and the saddest films I've ever enjoyed watching. This is one of my favorite films of all time.

Grade: A+

The SAG Award Winners

Here is the list of Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Male Actor in a Drama Series

James Gandolfini, The Sopranos

Female Actor in a Drama Series

Edie Falco, The Sopranos

Ensemble in a Drama Series

The Cast of The Sopranos

Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Ensemble in a Comedy Series

The Cast of The Office

Life Acheivement Award

Charles Durning

Male Actor in a TV Movie or Mini Series

Kevin Kline, As You Like It

Female Actor in a TV Movie or Mini Series

Queen Latifah, Life Support

Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Male Actor in a Leading Role

Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Female Actor in a Leading Role

Julie Christie, Away From Her

Cast in a Motion Picture

The Cast of No Country for Old Men

Miss Interpretation: Review for "Atonement"

The long and somewhat confusing adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement, is a masterpiece to behold during the Oscar season. The story of a young girl, Briony Tallis (Oscar nominee, Saorise Ronan, for Best Supporting Actress), who reads a letter that was delivered to her sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley, ravashing as always), by Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) that featured the C-word and blames him for not only being a pervert, but molesting her sister in the library and her friend Lola. What happens: Robbie is sent to prison, but then joins the army during WWII in 1940. Robbie and Cecilia had been very much in love, but have now been torn apart for what the little girl had done 5 years earlier. She becomes a nurse and then tries to talk with her sister. Robbie is stuck in France in the war, desperate to get home to his Cecilia. The ending is not only emotional, but also a bit shocking. Some may feel tired and restles during the film, but the end of the film will completely change your views, as it did mine. In some sequences, it shows what Briony had witnessed, and then what really happen, going with the point of view, though some may find it hard to make the transition, due to no actual notification of change of scene or fashback. The film is very intricately made and is a wonderful watch. Keira Knightley is beautiful, graceful, and brilliant, though she smokes some eleven or twelve cigarettes. Smokey and the Falsely Accused Bandit, I guess. Young Ronan plays her with great ease. McAvoy and Knightley have great chemistry, real spark on film. This is the kind of film, however, that you have to be in the mood to watch. Dario Marianelli wonderful score, which has been nominated for Best Original Score Academy Award, is wildly creative. When Briony is on screen, a piano and a typewriter start playing an intoxicating little tune that, I suppose, symbolizes that something might happen, typewriters are weapons, and/or a reminder of what happened in the beginning of the film. Joe Wright, who previously directed Ms. Knightley in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, has come back to make a masterpiece of 2007.

Grade: A-

Oscar Fight: The Academy Awards Nominations

Here is the complete list of nominees for this year's Oscars.


Best Actor

George Clooney, Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah

Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War

Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Julie Christie, Away from Her

Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Laura Linney, The Savages

Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There

Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Saoirse Ronan, Atonement

Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Animated Feature

Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Ratatouille
Brad Bird

Surf's Up
Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Best Art Direction

American Gangster
Art Direction: Arthur Max
Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino

Atonement
Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

The Golden Compass
Art Direction: Dennis Gassner
Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Art Direction: Dante Ferretti
Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

There Will Be Blood
Art Direction: Jack Fisk
Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Best Cinematography

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Roger Deakins

Atonement
Seamus McGarvey

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Janusz Kaminski

No Country for Old Men
Roger Deakins

There Will Be Blood
Robert Elswit

Best Costume Design

Across the Universe
Albert Wolsky

Atonement
Jacqueline Durran

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Alexandra Byrne

La Vie en Rose
Marit Allen

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Colleen Atwood

Best Director

Julian Shnabel
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Jason Reitman
Juno

Tony Gilroy
Michael Clayton

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
No Country for Old Men

Paul Thomas Anderson
There Will Be Blood

Best Documentary Feature

No End in Sight
Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Richard E. Robbins

Sicko
Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara

Taxi to the Dark Side
Alex Gibney and Eva Orner

War/Dance
Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

Best Documentary Short Subject

Freeheld
Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth

La Corona (The Crown)
Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega

Salim Baba
Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello

Sari’s Mother
James Longley

Best Film Editing

The Bourne Ultimatum
Christopher Rouse

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Juliette Welfling

Into the Wild
Jay Cassidy

No Country for Old Men
Roderick Jaynes

There Will Be Blood
Dylan Tichenor

Best Foreign Film

Beaufort
Israel

The Counterfeiters
Austria

Katyń
Poland

Mongol
Kazakhstan

12
Russia

Best Makeup

La Vie en Rose
Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

Norbit
Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Best Original Score

Atonement
Dario Marianelli

The Kite Runner
Alberto Iglesias

Michael Clayton
James Newton Howard

Ratatouille
Michael Giacchino

3:10 to Yuma
Marco Beltrami

Best Original Song

“Falling Slowly” from Once
Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

“Happy Working Song” from Enchanted
Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

“Raise It Up” from August Rush
Nominees to be determined

“So Close” from Enchanted
Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

“That’s How You Know” from Enchanted
Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Best Picture

Atonement
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers

Juno
Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers

Michael Clayton
Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers

No Country for Old Men
Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

There Will Be Blood
JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Best Animated Short Film

I Met the Walrus
Josh Raskin

Madame Tutli-Putli
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse

My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Alexander Petrov

Peter & the Wolf
Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best Live Action Short Film

At Night
Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth

Il Supplente (The Substitute)
Andrea Jublin

Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
Philippe Pollet-Villard

Tanghi Argentini
Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans

The Tonto Woman
Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Best Sound Editing

The Bourne Ultimatum
Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg

No Country for Old Men
Skip Lievsay

Ratatouille
Randy Thom and Michael Silvers

There Will Be Blood
Matthew Wood

Transformers
Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Best Sound Mixing

The Bourne Ultimatum
Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis

No Country for Old Men
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland

Ratatouille
Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane

3:10 to Yuma
Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe

Transformers
Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Best Visual Effects

The Golden Compass
Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier

Transformers
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Best Adapted Screenplay

Atonement
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton

Away from Her
Written by Sarah Polley

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Screenplay by Ronald Harwood

No Country for Old Men
Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

There Will Be Blood
Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Original Screenplay

Juno
Written by Diablo Cody

Lars and the Real Girl
Written by Nancy Oliver

Michael Clayton
Written by Tony Gilroy

Ratatouille
Screenplay by Brad Bird
Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird

The Savages
Written by Tamara Jenkins

For more on Oscar, click here

Apocolypse Wow: Review for "Cloverfield"

Somewhat of a homage to monster movies like King Kong, Godzilla, Them!, etc., Cloverfield brings back the old glory days for the monster film to the twenty-first century. The story is relatively simple, and a little boring and cliche: Some of Rob's friends have held a going away party for him. He's about to go off to Japan on a job. During this party, there is an "earthquake". But when they look outside, Lady Liberty's head comes flying down the street. When they look closely, it's a giant monster, with little Mini-Monsters on its back, biting people. The army tries (unsuccessfully) to kill this monster. It seems that a giant monster, which resembles a scorpion, spider, and a human, knocking over buildings in NYC. He even takes out Lady Liberty! That scene, in which the Statue of Liberty's head rolls down the alley brings chills to my bones, since this film is risky, dealing with a post 9/11 era. The poster alone, with Lady missing her head, is something that could have the tag line: "Could Lady Liberty be next?" if it were a political thriller. The amateur footage, I must admit, made me doubtful that this was a good movie when I saw the trailer. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone be filming? I would run the heck away!". But further evidence from the film gives good reason to the constant filming and documenting. (Like I'm gonna spoil the ending!) The young ens are part of the typical formula, filled with melodramatic and mediocre performances like any other teen flick. But overall, it's a great film.
Grade: B+

Worst In Show: Review for "Plan 9 from Outer Space"

The movie that was helmed as the worst film ever made is truly that. Ed Wood's Citizen Cane of bad movies, Plan 9 from Outer Space, is the worst film I have ever seen. Yes, that includes The Dukes of Hazzard. Aliens from outer space (duh!) have come to Earth to rase dead bodies to get our attention (and with the look of Vampira and a wrestler, they did). Bela Lugosi, friend of Wood, played the old man zombie, tough he died two days into filming. They hired another person to play his part and hold a cape over his face. At the end, some cops get into the alien ship and the alien commander gives a speech that sounds like Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth on crack. The settings are dreadful (the graveyard building where they have the coffin of the dead body is so squalid, it looks like a bookshelf), the special effects horrible (the flying saucers are merely miniatures attached to string swinging in front of the camera, the aliens' planet looks obscene), and the dialogue benine ("The flying saucer looked like a giant cigar."). The acting is terrible, but looking at all this evidence, I think to myself, "I guesse that's what you get with Ed Wood." The faces of the wrestler zombie looks hysterical, as if he is in mighty pain, and Vampira arms are as stiff and huge as a tree stump. But the atrocities are very funny, looking back then and now and all the progress we've made from that in film making (even though this was made in the 1950s).  I think the saddest fact is that Wood was trying to be serious.

Grade: F

Crune Struck: Review for "Music and Lyrics"

PoP! band mate Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is little hard on his luck. While his ex-partner from the band, who co-wrote the songs, is a huge star, Alex is stuck performing for parties and reunions, etc. When a very Britney Agulaira-esque pop star, Cora, asks him to write a song for her, he knows he can come up with the melody, but all he needs is the lyrics. His flower girl, Sophie (charming Drew Barrymore) is really a nobody, but is an excellent lyricist. Together the create a ditty that's sweet and cute. Sure, it's not exactly Best Picture material, but it's very charming and Grant and Barrymore light the screen with their charisma. The songs are a little cliche, but are altogether fun. Cora, however, is a Buddhist with an overactive sexual imagination for her songs ("Buddha's Delight"? It's far dirtier than it already sounds.) A little risque if you ask me, but no matter. It's cute and frilly, the perfect date movie. Hugh Grant is great as an English pop star, and Drew Barrymore is cute. Her smile just lights up the screen. Though not Best Picture material, it is good for what it is. It has very good songs such has "Love Autopsy" and "A WAt Back Into Love".

Grade: B+

And the Winners Are...: The Golden Globe Winners

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

Best Supporting TV Actor
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Best Actress in a TV Drama Series
Glenn Close, Damages

Best Supporting TV Actress
Samantha Morton, Longford

Best Actor in a TV Drama Series
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
Marion Cotilliard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Actress in a Mini Series or TV Movie
Queen Latifah, Life Support

Best Actor in a TV Comedy
David Duchovny, Californication

Best Comedy Series
Extras

Best Actress in a TV Comedy Series
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Best Director
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best TV Drama Series
Mad Men

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Julie Christie, Away From Her

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Motion Picture Drama
Atonement

There are the winners for the 65th Golden Globe Awards.

Surreal Killer: Review for "Mr. Brooks"

This film, Mr. Brooks, is quite similar to American Psycho. Mr. Brooks (a very evil Kevin Costner) is an all American man, with a wife a nice daughter. But he hides something. He is a notorious serial killer, named the Thumb Print Killer, famous for p;utting the thumbprint of his victimes somewhere obvious. His alter ego, Marshall (William Hurt), controlls his urge to kill. He has an unstoppable obsession and arousel from killing. He has not been active until recently, when he kills a young couple. But a man (a misscast Dane Cook) witnesses the murders and blackmails him. He doesn't ask for money...he asks to watch Mr. Brooks kill again. Now, the alter ego thing in this film does not work. He talks with Hurt as if no one were there. He talks out loud to him. Unconvincing, but if he either only imagined him in certain areas or if when he spoke with Marshall and someone looks at him and he says something like "It's nothing.". Dane Cook is really odd and his personality would, at first glace, work perfectly with the character, but just bombs. The cop tracking Mr. Brooks is played by Demi Moore. She is insignificant to the story, other than she's been on the case before. The rest of what she does in the film is have arguments with her ex-husband, who she is divorcing, and get kidnapped by a completely different killer. I wonder why she's in the film at all, or why she's been given such a big credit. Mr. Brooks' daughter (Disney princess Danielle Panabaker) is following in the footsteps of her father. She likes killing. A lot. This is an unconvincing "reality-is-not-really-reality" or "the-killer-next-door" film.

Grade: C

Sautee Mix: Review for "Ratatouille"

Pixar has been taking home rave reviews and awards since their first success, 1994's Toy Story. The animation since then has gotten more precise and intricate. The latest in the Pixar lineup is the story of a rat who can cook. Now, if this were not a talking, friendly rat, I imagine a movie about cooking would be a bit harder to sell than super heroes (The Incredibles), race cars (Cars), or fish (Finding Nemo). But what you will find may surprise you. Remy (voiced wonderfully by The King of Queen's Patton Oswald) is a misfit rat who enjoys the rich and tasty world of fine dining. His problem is that he can't really communicate well with humans. His idol is an Emeril-esque cook, Geustau (Brad Garret, Everybody Loves Raymond), who, now dead, accompanies Remy through his imagination. Linguini is Geustau's unknown son and he needs a job. So, while working at his father's restaurant, he becomes a mistaken celebrity chef, only helped by Remy. He gets "lessons" from Collette (Janine Garfalo). Like all Pixar films, this is mostly kid orientated. Brad Bird, who directed The Incredibles, writes and directs a great animated film. The animation is spectacular, every minute detail is stunning. Though not perfect, this film is a tasty dish.
Grade: B+

Statuette Risks: News on the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes have been cancelled, though there is a conference on tonight to announce the winners, but the worry is: if you took down one award, what about the most important one. The Oscars are in danger of being cancelled. ABC may lose billions of dollars in ad revenue. All fingers are crossed that the Writers Strike will not knock over Oscar. The Academy Awards have never been cancelled, not even during the 1980's strike. The Oscars are scheduled for February 24 on ABC. The nominations, whether or not a ceremony will air, will be announced January 22. The Globe winners will be announced tonight 9/8 c on NBC.

Born to Be Bad: Review for "Ed Wood"

Ed Wood is the biography of writer/director/producer/actor Edward D. Wood, Jr., who is claimed as the worst director of all time, while his films Glen or Glenda, about a man who likes dressing in women's clothes, and Plan 9 from Outer Space, which is about aliens raising corpeses from the dead to attack earth. Plan 9 is said to be the WORST. From it's less-than-convincing special effects to it's outrageous plotline. In reality, Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) was a good hearted young man, who liked to dress in women's clothes (which was his insparation to direct Glen or Glenda), who was a visionary artist with all the wrong ideas and crew. He eventually befriended his idol, Bela Lugosi (excellently portrayed by Martin Landau), who's career since Dracula and others had gone done the drain. He had been addicted to drugs for the last 20 years, but that didn't stop the child like wonder in Wood's eye.The film chronicles the making of some of his films. It is well done, though I think that Tim Burton tried to hard to give the Wood like feel to the film, corny music, bad camera angles, and weird lighting. While Ed Wood remains the worst director, Tim Burton is still great! It's just a matter of overdose.
Grade: B

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Golden Globes CANCELED!

The Golden Globes were scheduled for Sunday, January 13, 2008. Unfortunately, the ceremony has been canceled because the actors are refusing to cross the picket line. Instead, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be holding a meeting to announce the winners. Hopefully, this strike will not interfere with the Oscars.