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+