Watch out for Shatner! Halloween Review

I watched this film as I am preparing to shoot a short horror and I was looking for inspiration. Though my film is B quality and intentionally funny at times, I was still looking for ways to bring more horror elements to the film. Since I dont watch slasher films, Halloween is probably the only one I have seen, I didn't really know what to except. To cut the story short, I was a little disappointed in Halloween and Im starting to think slasher films are just not my cup of tea.

The opening is quite good a long shot from Micheal Myers POV as he sneaks into his sister (babysitters) room (after she has her way with her boyfriend) and stabs her (to death?). See this is where one of the problems arises, and there is a chance my friend and I just talked through the explaination (while making fun of the girls in the film, more on this later), but I was never sure who got stabbed at the start. It appeared to be Micheals babysitter, and it kinda seemed like she died (trying to think back to the body count listed on IMDB, I believe it implies she died), but then I didnt get the connection to the Babysitters Micheal Myers is after for the rest of the film. I guess he just has a thing for killing babysitters (John Carpenter specificaly wanted the audience to be unable to connect on any level with Micheal so we cant really know this). For a while I thought that Micheal Myers was back to kill his babysitter (based on the confusing tagline on the back of the DVD case saying something about Myers coming back to kill his babysitter again or maybe because I believe that is the plot of the Rob Zombie remake). But it seems that, that wasnt the case, he just simply picked out a group of 3 teenage girls to kill at random.

For a lot of the film (what appeared to be too large a portion) the film follows these three girls who for some reason are all stuck babysitting on Halloween night for a bunch of parents that I guess the budget couldnt afford us to see. In fact, the budget also couldnt allow for more than about 3 kids to ever be seen trick or treating showing that Halloween in this small town is quite lame. So anyway as I said, my friend and I laughed through quite a bit of this as the girls in true horror movie fashion talked about how they were going to hook up with their boyfriends while babysitting (as they never talked about anything but boys), and in one great incident one of the girls spills something on her clothes and I though it may appear she just had a little spill, she strips down to her underwear, just to be safe (by the way the kid she is babysitting is in the other room comatose as ever watching a movie). So this girl then runs around with an oversized shirt (I forget where she found that) and her underwear for a while.

Throughout most of this interlude with the girls Myers is in the background, drifting in an out, the girls catch sight of him standing ominously in the shadows, then he disappears. It is pretty creepy and well done, though it did seem like Myers was doing more standing around then anything else. I mean at one point you see him standing outside a window looking in at this girl, and then he just walks away, and like 15 - 20 minutes later he comes back for her. I guess he is planning out his actions but come on, I wanted to see this guy gut people with a knife, way does he just stand there all the time?

When Myers does start his attack is it creepy, scary and entertaining, exactly what the audience is looking for, so for that reason this movie does well.

**SPOILERS**

However... now this might be because I dont watch slasher movies (as it seems that this is a common occurance), but why wont Micheal Myers die? Nothing in the film leads the viewer to believe he is anything more than some deeply psychotic man, but psychos were not bullet proof last I checked. Alright so as Myers is trying to finish off the last of the girls, he runs into some problems as she has a bit more of a fight to her. Myers takes a sewing needle to the throat and goes down, all is good... but wait here he comes again, so the struggle continues and Myers gets stabbed (in the chest I think) and goes down again. But this is still childs play apparently because he just gets up like nothing happened. Then the calvery arrive and Myers appears to take a bullet to the head and stubbles into the bedroom, guess it wasnt in the head because when they walk into the bedroom he is standing there like nothing happened. So he gets shot 4 more times, cashes through the bedroom window and falls 2 stories onto the front lawn. At this point I turned to my friend and said, "If Myers isn't lying on the danm ground when they look out that window, I am going to be pissed." You can probably guess how I felt.

The Academy Awards - My Reactions

Well, the night was dazzling and the awards rocked, but there are still some things that need to have attention drawn to them. This is really in no order, just a list of my general observations, opinions and reactions to the unfolding of the evening.

Well first of all, I spent all night giggling at Danny Boyle, who was also giggling and looked as if he would explode from joy at any moment all night long. You could see how proud he was for Slumdog and he really does have the spirit of a little kid. Hugh Jackman was hilarious, I love that man and although he would disapear from the show for long periods of time, my respect for him tripled with the song and dance routines, I almost died at the 'I Am Wolverine' line. Penelope Cruz looked beautiful in her vintage dress and was so eloquent when she recieved her award, it was very nice, and Angelina Jolie's earrings looked like something you get from one of thoes 25 cent toy machines....or the dollar store.

Now onto my reactions to the actual awards:

I kicked ass in my guessing, as you can see. Slumdog got everything, which really was the icing on my cake. I still feel that Mickey should have got his award for Best Actor, but I'm sure after his speech at this years Film Independent's Spirit Awards probably clouded their favor towards him (BONUS: video linked of his speech!). I really disliked a lot of the presenters this year, and the fact that they each presented like 2-4 awards at a time, when Robert Pattinson from Twilight came out I almost threw my drink at the television. They definatly cut back on the skits a tad this year, but I think they made up for it with the amazing recognition for Slumdog and getting to see Jackman and Hathaway sing away! And thats pretty much all I can think about right now, other than the fact that everyone on the cast/crew of Slumdog Millionaire is beautiful and I love each one of them very very much!

As promised, Mickey Rourke's Acceptance Speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og3tN7P6oKI

Yes.

7 BAFTA's, 4 Globes, and 8 Academy Awards.


Suck it.

The 81st Academy Awards - It is written

Yeah its been a while, I've been busy and whatnot, forgive me please. Even though my Oscar party got shafted, I'm still going to kick ass and win with my votes. Unlike with the Golden Globes, I'm gonna choose with my heart and will pretty much start setting things on fire if Slumdog doesn't take everything, EVERYTHING!

Best Picture-Slumdog Millionaire
I will be very suprised and outraged if this doesn't win.

Best Leading Actor-Mickey Rourke
I agree that his competition is Sean Penn, but I think Mickey needs this one, and he worked hard to get it.

Best Leading Actress-Kate Winslet
Although I may not like it, she seems the natural pick for leading actress.

Best Supporting Actor-Heath Ledger
No comment needed, Gumby pretty much summed this one up.

Best Supporting Actress-Penelope Cruz
Definatly a shoe-in for this one.

Best Director-Danny Boyle
Darn tootin!

Best Original Screenplay-Milk
I'm torn between this and In Bruge, but I think the story of Milk deserves to be recoginized

Best Adapted Screenplay-Slumdog Millionaire
Although I feel this is a toss up against The Reader, this definatly deserves it.Best

Cinematography-Slumdog Millionaire
Absolutely stunning, better take it.

Best Editing-Benjamin Button

Best Art Direction-Benjamin Button

Best Costume-The Duchess
I'm making a wild guess here, I always pick the one with the most complicated costumes, usually the period pieces.

Best Makeup-Benjamin Button
Figure they have to toss the dog its bone.

Best Original Score-Slumdog Millionaire
Its a wicked score :D

Best Original Song-Slumdog Millionaire (Jai Ho)
It took me a bit to decide which of the two songs should get it, but I think this one is more iconic as the ending music.

Best Sound-WALL-E

Best Sound Editing-The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects-The Dark Knight

Best Animated Film-WALL-E

Best Foreign Film-Vals Im Bashir

Best Documentary-Man on Wire

Best Documentary Short- Witness from the Balcony of Room 306

Best Animated Short-Oktapodi

Best Short Film, Live Action-Grisen

Gumby's Oscar picks

Here we go, after much deliberation I have finally made my picks.

Best Picture
-Slumdog Millionaire

All the buzz is around this movie so unless the Academy wants to pick another film simply to be different, Slumdog is going to be the winner.

Best Leading Actor
-Mickey Rourke

There is some competition from Sean Penn, but I think Rourke will go home with the hardware.

Best Leading Actress
-Kate Winslet

Seems odd how Winslet could win a Leading Oscar for a role that got her a Supporting Globe, but she is being hailed as the front runner. So I will go with the flow and pick Winslet.

Best Supporting Actor
-Heath Ledger

There is no way Ledger isnt going to win, especially since his three year old daughter will recieve the statue after the ceremony. The Acadamy is not going to make a three year old cry (at least I dont think so)

Best Supporting Actress
-Penelope Cruz

The Globes let me down on this pick, but I'm sure the Oscars will get this one right.

Best Director
-Danny Boyle

Another sure thing.

Best Original Screenplay
-Milk

I'm a little unsure on this one, but I think Milk will trumph over Wall-E (and In Bruge)

Best Adapted Screenplay
-Slumdog Millionaire

This story was too well written to not win this award.

Best Cinematography
-Slumdog Millionaire

Best Editing
-The Dark Knight

With the snub from the major categories for The Dark Knight, I figure it will win quite a few of the technical awards, starting with Editing.

Best Art Direction
-Benjamin Button

With Slumdog taking all most of the major categories, Benjamin Button as well as The Dark Knight, are likely to take home quite a few of the technical awards.

Best Costume
-Benjamin Button

I'm thinking it's Button or Australia, but I dont think Australia is going to win the only Oscar its nominated for.

Best Makeup
-Benjamin Button

I am torn here, it's either Button or The Dark Knight. Aging Brad Pitt, or the Joker (I know who would win in a fight, but that hardly counts here). But I'll go with Benjamin Button on this one.

Best Original Score
-Slumdog Millionaire

I picked Bejamin Button at the Globes and was let down, and it seems that Slumdog is the front runner here once again. So I will learn from my mistakes and pick Slumdog.

Best Original Song
-Slumdog Millionaire (Jai Ho)
With Peter Gabriel protesting the event I dont think they will reward his actions with an Oscar, so its between the two Slumdog Millionaire songs, and I feel "Jai Ho" is the stronger of the two.

Best Sound
-The Dark Knight

Best Sound Editing
-The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects
-The Dark Knight

Again like best Make-up its Benjamin Button or The Dark Knight, but I will go with Batman on this one.

Best Animated Film
-WALL-E

Like every award presentation this year, WALL-E will win, no doubt.

Best Foreign Film
-Waltz with Bashir

Just like the Globes, Walts with Bashir seems to be the critics favorite.

Best Documentary
-Man on Wire

A very acclaimed documentary, seems to be a shoe in here.

Best Documentary Short
-The Conscience of Nhem En

No clue here, never watched any, so lets just pick at random.

Best Animated Short
-Maison en petits cubes, La
Once again, never saw any, so Im taking a shot in the dark here.

Best Short Film, Live Action
-Grisen

A final shot in the dark, never say any of these.

Oscars

Tonights the big night, the Oscars. And its time for a rematch between the Cinephiles. I came out as the champion of the Golden Globe pool, but we all know that the Oscars is the true competition and therefore tonight is where one earns their true bragging rights.

So stay tuned as each Cinephile posts their picks for this years Oscars.

5 Films by Luis Bunuel

5 Films by Luis Bunuel

My first introduction to Bunuel was on a website where they had listed the most shocking scenes in film history. A film was on the list that I had never heard of, Le Chien Andalou, as a film buff always in search of something new, I looked into this film and there I discovered Bunuel. Though the first film I actually watched was L'Age D'Or, I became fascinated by the uniqueness of Bunuel's style, with surrealism. Now that I have watched a handful of Bunuel's film I felt it necessary to introduce others to this famous (though unknown to most people) director.

So here I present a review of some of Bunuel's classics, a collection of films unlike any others.


Le Chien Andalou
The most famous short ever made. Le Chien Andalou is based on a pair of dreams by Bunuel and Salvidor Dali and finding the meaning of this film is like finding the meaning to a dream, try all you want, but you can never be sure you actually found it. The film centers around two lovers but it could hardly be said that the film is about these lovers, the film is essentially plotless.

The most famous scene that of the eye being slit by a straight razor (held by Bunuel himself) is said to represent the assault on the senses that the audience is about to experience. From there the film meanders through a series of distantly related scenes. The only words in this silent film offer insight into the pausing of time, though the text suggests an improbably passing of time and only furthers Bunuel's assault on the audience. It is a film that shows the full possibilities of film, of the tricks that can be played on the audience. The film that deconstructs cinema by offering a film without a plot, a series of interconnected but severed scenes both meaningful and meaningless and a narrative timeline that though stated, is completely improbably. But since the film declares this passing of time, how can we say it didn't happen?

This is a wonderfully imaginative film and Bunuel's first attack on the public (something he would continue throughout his career). A must for any true cinephile.


L'Age D'Or (The Golden Age)
The followup to Le Chien Andalou, though Dali is also credited with the writing he has claimed many of his ideas where ignored and cut. This film caused so much controversy it was banned for nearly 60 years in some countries. The film was seen as lewd and blasphemous, the scene combining religion with the Marques de Sade is enough to get a film banned today, let alone in 1931.

L'Age D'Or follows more of a plot (again about two lovers, though they are only actually in the middle portion of the film) then Le Chien Andalou though like any surrealist film, it still leaves a lot to interpretation (though this film unlike Le Chien Andalou appears have placed more meaning behind its scenes). Some ideas are subtle and require a careful eye, while others (such as the wagon cart moving unnoticed through the upper class party) are a little more straight forward. L'Age D'Or starts to show off the oddly absurd sense of humor found in Bunuel's later works while at the same time offers some striking and powerful scenes.


Viridiana
I didn't know what my initial reaction to this film was; I just didn’t know what to say about it. It is not like the previous films mentioned, it is not a surreal film, it is a serious drama, and a powerful one at that.

Viridiana is a young woman who just before her convocation visits her sick Uncle at his request, as she may never see him again. Due to the events that occur at her uncle's house she decides to turn away from the church and seeks to help those less fortunate instead, so she takes in as many homeless people she can find and gives them a place to eat and sleep.

The homeless people are a great bunch of characters; they are poor, unhealthy, opinionated, discriminating, fun-loving, carefree and hateful. They are not just a group of beggars that we look upon with sadness or shame. They are real complex people and a truly memorable bunch.

The beggars look upon Viridiana with kindness, they admire at her beauty and kindness, but with the Uncle's son inheriting the estate Viridiana can only give the beggars the barn and guest house to live in. The beggars are still treated like dirt by the son and the other people at the estate and tensions begin to flare up between Viridiana and the son, as well as among the beggars themselves (as they feel certain individuals should not be welcome into their home).

A very deep and complex film (though somehow still a simple story) about a beautiful woman who is confronted by her religious believes and the events and people of the world around her. A woman confronted by what people want from her, what people want in life, and what she believes she can provide, about what she wishes to provide. A film that will most likely leave you feeling similar to me, simply unsure how to feel about what had just happened.


The Exterminating Angel
Roughly 20 guests are invited for dinner following a play. But when the dinner ends the guests begin moving to the living room for some music and to socialize, wherein the guest suddenly find themselves trapped. Every time a guest attempts to leave the room something happens that causes them to turn back into the room. But there is nothing physically preventing them from leaving the room.

Tensions flare, starvation and survival seep into their minds as the guests wait days for the rescue team to save them from their imprisonment. But it appears that the rescue team is unable to enter the house.

Bunuel works wonders with the guests. It is simply amazing how he works all of them into the story, giving them all a unique personality and perspective. The camera work is also superb, drifting among the guests, exiting and entering conversations as the viewer moves throughout the party (and later the dinner room). Giving the viewer the impression that they are themselves a guest of the party, drifting among the guests, learning who they are, catching parts of the conversation and then moving on to meet more people. The story is just amazing, the film flawlessly works all of the guests into the brilliant script.

The film (like many of Bunuel's works) is a satire of the upper class and their customs as well as a satire of human nature when faced with survival (the superstition and despair everyone turns to in the face of death). But unlike serious dramas about survival the viewer realizes that these guests are not trapped, and can't help but laugh at their foolishness (because when you take away the actual threat of death, all their actions just seem foolish). The film also works to satirize the actions of humans, how politeness, policy and curtsey, if followed by everyone, can bring a complete standstill to society. A surreal masterpiece of satire.


The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie focuses on a group of individuals as they attempt to have a meal together. A wonderful send up of the upper class in France who were often a target for Bunuel. Though there is food, these individuals just cannot seem to eat a meal as the man-made constructs of society or human nature seem to always find a way of getting in the way. So while people starve in the world from lack of food, these individuals don't eat because customs within society prevent them from eating.

This is another one of Bunuel's surreal films. Though each characters actions are justified and there is an actual a reason these individuals cannot eat (unlike in The Exterminating Angel where there is nothing preventing them from leaving the room). However the reasons become more and more absurd as the film progresses to the point where it all seems unreal (and sometimes is).

The film also gains an unreal quality due to various dreams and stories told by the characters. In one scene a solider just sits down at the table and asks if they would like to know his life story, and then processed to tell it. In another scene someone is asked to tell the guests of the dream he had the night before. These are all things the people would not normally just blurt outright. Though they are important, people do not just say these things, they usually hint at various things and eventually, usually reluctantly, they tell their story of life or of a haunting dream. This is how characters in a film act as well. Characters don't just explain themselves directly, they develop, the audience learns who they are throughout the film. But not with these characters in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. They are all too willing to be heard, to be understood, they don't wish to wait, they wish to act now, to speak now. It is a quirk of communication where one thinks because of curtsy or customs that they should not simply speak.

An absurd, ridiculous, hilarious, shocking, frustrating, surreal film.

Oscar winners announced early!

Oh no, wait, these are the BAFTA winners. It's all the same. Really.

The Academy is going to have to pull it together and do something completely unexpected so that we don't get bored of the same people making the same speech every time they win in the same category. I would suggest that the easiest way to do this would be to cut Kate Winslet out of the ceremony completely.

"Oh Cias, why do you dislike Kate Winslet so?"

Because I can.

Conflicted

The pleasant smile that crossed my face when I saw that Michael Sheen had won for his role as David Frost in Frost/Nixon, was not enough to repair the wound in my soul from seeing that Stephen Daldry beat Danny Boyle in the best director category.

I mean no harm to Stephen Daldry; The Hours and Billy Elliot were great movies. But Kate Winslet crying all over the screen was not nearly as spectacular as watching Hindus and Muslims fighting on the streets of Mumbai from a child's point of view.

I suppose nobody knows what the British Movie Awards are anyway....

Why the sag face?

While the Oscars are always the main course, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are certainly a tasty appetizer. The SAG awards are particularly appealing because you get the beauty of an awards show without all of the nuts and bolts. And by nuts and bolts, I mean all of the awards are for acting, so you don't have to listen to any sound crews or cinematographers thanking their children at home "who really should be in bed, but were allowed to stay up tonight!" How nice for you. Nothing but sparkly celebrities tonight though.

I was particularly pleased to see our young and talented Dev Patel nominated for best supporting actor. I even had a slight glimmer of hope that he may walk away with it; but then I remembered Heath Ledger. A scan of Heath's award's list comes up with him having won every time he's been nominated for his role as the Joker, with the exception of the Satellite Award- which went, by some amazing twist of fate, to Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road.

Anyway, while it wasn't the acting that made Slumdog Millionaire the great film that it was- that can be attributed to Danny Boyle's genius, and an amazing screenplay- I was glad to see SAG and BAFTA throw Dev Patel a bone. I really hope that when the smoke clears after Slumdog this young man doesn't disappear into obscurity.

Wait, there was a point to all of this...oh yes: Watch the SAG awards, if anything they'll provide a nice distraction from the crippling loneliness. Or is that just me?

It was written

Well, I finally did it: I saw Slumdog Millionaire.

Think back, for the past two months or so, of every review you read, heard on tv, or the radio. Think of everything you heard your friends, teachers, family, people on the subway, or Facebook say about it. Think of all the award nominations, the award wins, the five star reviews, and the news articles. Everything you heard, all of it, is true.

I can't write a review or anything, there are already many, but to get to the point: Slumdog Millionaire is one of the greatest films to come out in my lifetime.

My awards show has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R. My awards show has a second name, it's P-R-E-D-I-C-T-A-B-L-E...

This year's Academy Awards nominees were announced this morning.

There aren't many surprises in this year's list. They certainly gave Gran Torino the shaft; it wasn't a great movie, but I assumed that since it was Clint's last horrah they'd give him something. Viola Davis got her best supporting actress for Doubt, which I was relieved to see. And oh happiest of happy days, Kate Winslet's Golden Globe sweeping performance in Revolutionary Road is nowhere to be found on this list. Unfortunately, looking at her competitors, she seems to have a very good chance of winning best actress for The Reader. How kind of them to give Anne Hathaway a nomination, she seems like a nice young girl. I don't know what Robert Downey Jr. did in Tropic Thunder but it must have been amazing. Once again, no Michael Sheen, I was a little dissapointed. The Dark Knight got quite a few nominations, which is exciting, but no best picture or director. And Slumdog cleaned up nicely, and will...clean up even...more....nicerly at the actual ceremony. The Wrestler only got two nominations, best song not being one of them, which was strange and unfortunate. No acting nominations for Slumdog or Burn After Reading. Too many nominations for Benjamin Button. And why is the Reader up for best picture? I don't say that because I hated it, it just doesn't seem to carry the same weight as its competitors. Also, I hated it.

Now we will hold our breath until Febraury 22nd. The excitment of the anticipation is worth the price of buying a small ventilator.

Employment wanted: "I can't afford second breakfast anymore"

Dominic Monaghan keeps talking, but all I hear is "help me, nobody watches Lost anymore!"

"...the trilogy of the Lord Of The Rings films was so beloved by the fans that they're really keen to try to say thank you for the support that they gave to the Lord Of The Rings movies and possibly bring back some of those characters that they know and love."

It's like when Spielberg made Schindler's List; he thought "hey, E.T. was such a well received character, I should include him somewhere, you know, to say thank you."

Personally, I thought it was poor taste.

Now I have to buy a new laptop...

And it's all Kate Winslet's fault. Since her Golden Globe wins there have been 120 articles about her on the imdb newsfeed. So now my keyboard is broken because after the first ten articles I just started puking all over it every time I read another one.

How much do you want to bet she spends the rest of her life resenting this child?

FINALLY.

We can all rest easy.

A hilarious follow up....

Words of wisdom from Jeremy Piven.

Speculation began to surge when the Entourage star blamed his rare illness on eating too much sushi, with the play's sharp-tongued author, David Mamet, remarking, "My understanding is that he is leaving showbusiness to pursue a career as a thermometer."

Bowling for dolla dolla billz

I really hope this guy is successful in suing Michael Moore for all that he's got. But then again, it's Michael Moore, so that's like what, $100,000, and his handbook, appropriately titled: "How to over exaggerate situations, completely skew the truth, profit from other people's misfortunes, and make bad movies".

It's a pretty rare book.

I didn't know the North American Free Trade Agreement gave out awards!

Not NAFTA, BAFTA.

So the nominees for the Orange British Academy Film Awards have been announced.

I'm glad to see some acting awards in there for Slumdog Millionaire, and a few more nominations for Burn After Reading. And, Kate Winslet is nominated twice for best actress, which means she can't sweep both best actress and best supporting actress this time, significantly lowering the chances of us having to listen to her drivel on about herself more than once.

Small blessings.

Real Vampires Don't Sparkle

8 Movies The World Didn't Need From 2008

I have complied a list of eight movies made in 2008 that, had they not been made, might have made the world a better place. I am proud to say I haven't seen a single one of these movies (in its entirely at least) and my opinion comes from previews, clips, film ratings and a general sense of superiority and common sense (just try to argue for Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I dare you).

1. 10 000 BC - With a 4.9 rating* out of ten, this trainwreck can boast crummy CGI and virtually no plot. This is an obvious throwback to Apocolypto minus the acting, plot and suspense.

2. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - A whopping 2.4 rating, I don't feel I need to even try to justify whats wrong with this movie. I want to know when this ever seemed like a good idea, and the fact that it stars Piper Perabo, whom I just loved in Lost and Delirious, makes my heart break just a little bit more.

3. The House Bunny - Sadly this movie may be one of the best from this list as it at least recognizes its stupidity and doesn't seem to try to fight it. With a 5.6 rating there are worse movies out there you could see, but honestly the Elle Woods Legally Blonde motif has been overdone, can we move on please?

4. Prom Night - From the first time I saw the preview I knew nothing good can come from this, and big shock 3.7 rating. Maybe this is the cynical, modern horror movie hater in me, but this is just crap, don't waste your time, your money or your sanity.

5. The Ruins - For a modern horror this movie could do a heck of alot worse, pulling in a solid 6 rating this movie has been deemed 'decent' by most. However I still can't get over the lame plot and thus it earns a coveted position here.

6. Step Up 2: The Streets - I am so sick and tired of these dance movies, and there is no way this deserves even the 5.4 rating it has. You know what, Save The Last Dance was alright, but the replica's that it has spawned is sinful, I hope this trend will finally die out soon.

7. Twilight - I don't care what you say, nothing will convince me that this bares any resemblance to a decent film. Forget the overly generous 6 rating and scores of fans and crappy merchandise, this movie, nothing is saving this disaster. I can't wait for this trend to die as well, but with 3 more movies I feel like I will have a lot more ranting ahead of me, so we'll leave it there for now. Also, real vampires DON'T SPARKLE

8. Anaconda 3: The Offspring - I just has to add this one here, it has a 2.7 rating and I'll share with you the plot and let it speak for itself. "A mercenary-for-hire accepts a mission from a billionaire to capture a dangerous snake that could possibly help cure a terminal illness." (From IMDB) Enough Said.

*all ratings from IMDB.com and as such are at subject to change

Dr. Acula

Slow news day.

Good for nothings...

I'm pretty disappointed in this year's batch of award nominations and their complete ignorance to Michael Sheen's laudable performance as David Frost in Frost/Nixon. Especially since all of the praise is being given to Frank Langella's over-dramatized portrayal of Richard Nixon. This is especially unfortunate as this is the second time one of Sheen's better performances, the other being a convincing Tony Blair in The Queen, has been almost completely ignored.

Long story short: I was pleased to see that he has been nominated for best actor at this years British Movie Awards.

...whatever those are.

Dolphin free

This is why I love everyone.

"The Entourage Entourage star was ordered by doctors to pull out of the David Mamet David Mamet play because his mercury levels were "shockingly high" - reportedly due to eating too much sushi."

Why do stupid people say stupid things?

So apparently director extraordinaire Michael Bay put up a fuss about director actually extraordinaire McG (hey, he produces Supernatural, I'm in the man's debt) for using robots, big robots, in his new film Terminator: Salvation.

I'm completely on Michael Bay's side here. I mean, before Transformers came out, there had never been big robots on screen before. Somebody once tried to tell me that there was a whole tv series about transforming robots, and that it was even called Transformers, but I slapped him in the face and told him to never question Michael Bay's creative abilities.

If I were Michael Bay, I'd go right for the next obvious target: Brad Bird's The Iron Giant. That film was a complete rip off of Pearl Harbor.

via: /film

A surprise for the little guy

This article sums up pretty well what our good friend Imago was saying last night.

The Globes certainly deserve a tip of the hat this year for paying attention to movies to whom attention ought to be paid. They treated Slumdog and Mickey Rourke so well that I'm almost willing to forgive them for the whole Kate Winslet debacle. I was also glad to see them completely snub The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a movie screaming "give me an award!" behind every line. Yes the makeup was well done, and yes we all love to see Cate Blancette wearing her pretty dresses; but at a run-time of 2 hours and 46 minutes, it was about 2 hours too long.

Insert line about Gran Torino making Eastwood's day

Eastwood's latest effort, Gran Torino, swept the box office this weekend, making it his most successful effort to date. I wasn't too crazy about the movie, and if anybody but Eastwood had anything to do with it, it would have been a disaster. But kudos to him on this achievement, it's certainly well deserved.

"Oh no, wait, you mean that was the guy who made Swept Away? I guess he might have had this coming ."

I couldn't really understand what Sacha Baron Cohen was saying half the time, so this joke went completely over my head. How dare a comedian make jokes about an acclaimed director like Guy Ritchie. Is acclaimed the right word?

Well the Golden Globes had to go and surprise me again, but I really didn't expect this type of surprise. Instead of handing out awards like candy to the top grossing publicly acclaimed flicks of the season, like Mamma Mia! and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, they went ahead and let Slumdog Millionaire sweep the evening, and justifiably so! It's always a nice thing to see an original film, although slightly unconventional and foreign (the usual kiss of death at the commercial American award shows), be recognized and win over more commercial, although still artistic and well made films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Also I couldn't help chuckle that Slumdog Millionaire has yet to début in India, and I am looking forward to the public response from the awards both here and there. The TV pics didn't come as huge surprises, although I figured Dexter was due for its nod. Although the Golden Globes are starting to turn around and recognize real artistic achievements in film, like last years win by Julian Schnabel for Le Scaphandre et le papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), I still find them a little hard to take seriously, so we'll just have to wait and see

And the winner is...

Well the winner of the Golden Globes was clearly Slumdog Millionaire (which deserves all the praise it is receiving), winning Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. As well as Kate Winslet for taking home two acting awards.

But the winner of The Cinephiles little competition was myself, Gumby. I congradulate my other competitors and look forward to the next competition when the Oscars comes around.

The final scores were as follows (1 point for 1 winner chosen):

Possible Points
TV - 11
Film - 14
Total - 25

Imago
TV - 3
Film - 5
Total - 8

Cias
TV - 3
Film - 6
Total - 9

Gumby
TV - 3
Film - 8
Total - 11

And the winners of the 2009 Golden Globes in full are presented here:

Best Picture - Drama - Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Picture - Comedy or Musical - Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Actor - Drama - Mickey Rourke

Best Actress - Drama - Kate Winslet

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical - Colin Farrell

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical - Sally Hawkins

Best Supporting Actress-Kate Winslet

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger

Best Director - Danny Boyle

Best Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song - Motion Picture - The Wrestler

Best Original Score - Motion Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated - WALL-E

Best Foreign Language Film - Waltz with Bashir

Best TV Series - Drama - Mad Men

Best TV Series - Musical or Comedy - 30 Rock

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV - John Adams

Best Performance by and Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV - Paul Giamatti

Best Performance by and Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV - Laura Linney

Best Performance by and Actor in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy - Alec Baldwin

Best Performance by and Actress in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy - Tina Fey

Best Performance by and Actor in a TV Series - Drama - Gabriel Byrne

Best Performance by and Actress in a TV Series - Drama - Anna Paquin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Tom Wilkinson

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Laura Dern

Congradulations to all the winners.

Unbelievable...

I can't believe James Franco didn't win best actor for The Dark Knight. This is why nobody likes the Golden Globes.


No wait...

And the Golden Globes matter because....?

Apparently the Globes merit me spending my Sunday afternoon playing guessing games. I suppose it's better than me crying alone in the corner. Yeah, you heard me.

Best Motion Picture- Drama
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy
Mamma Mia!

Best Actor- Drama
Sean Penn for Doubt

Best Actor- Musical or Comedy
James Franco for The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet for The Reader (even though it really, really, should be Viola Davis for Doubt...)

Best Director
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire

This is the part where I decide there are too many categories. So, I'll just put a list of names, and they'll be in order of how the list of nominations appears on the IMDB site.

WALL-E "Down to Earth"

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

WALL-E

Il y a longtempts que je t'aime

Dexter

30 Rock

A Raisin in the Sun...because the name is funny...

Ralph Fiennes

Catherine Keener

Alec Baldwin

Tina Fey

Michael C. Hall

January Jones

Neil Patrick Harris

Dianne Wiest

The winner will be showered with praise. The loser will be taunted and booed until my throat is sore. - Mr. Simpson

Disclaimer: These are not necessarily the movies or TV shows I want to win, rather what I think will win, or I blatantly guessed would win. I'm still holding out for a few, and there's a number I didn't vote for that I wouldn't be disappointed if they won.







Best Motion Picture - Drama - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Meryl Streep – Doubt

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy - Mamma Mia!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comdey -Meryl Streep


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comdey - James Franco – Pineapple Express

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film - Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film - Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Director - Motion Picture - David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture - Slumdog Millionaire Written by Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Score - Motion Picture - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Composed by
Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song - Motion Picture - "Gran Torino" – Gran Torino Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood and Michael StevensLyrics By: Jamie Cullum

Best Television Series - Drama - Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama - Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama - Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - 30 Rock (NBC)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television - John Adams (HBO)

Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Judi Dench – Cranford (PBS)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Kiefer Sutherland – 24 (FOX)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Gumby's Golden Globe Picks

Best Picture - Drama
-Slumdog Millionaire. I spent weeks wondering why this film was getting so much attention, though to be honest I didn't know much about it. Then I finally went to see it. Great story, great acting, great direction, it's a winner all around.

Best Picture - Comedy or Musical
-Mamma Mia did very well in the box office so I will pick that, though I loved Burn After Reading.

Best Actor - Drama
-Mickey Rourke, sorry Penn, going to have to pass up on you this time.

Best Actress - Drama
-I feel Meryl Streep deserves this one.

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical
-Brendan Gleeson though I really don't have a reason why.

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
-Though I have not seen it, Happy-Go-Lucky has won numerous awards, so I'm going to say Sally Hawkins.

Best Supporting Actress
-Penelope Cruz, I've been informed she is amazing in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Best Supporting Actor
-Heath Ledger, there is no way he won't win.

Best Director
-Danny Boyle.

Best Screenplay
-I want to give this one again to Slumdog Millionaire as I was very amazed by the story and how it was all put together.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
-Clint Eastwood, he sounds like my old chain smoking science teacher, plus it’s a good song.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
-I like good Old Clint, and his jazzy score to Changeling was quite good, but I choose him for best Original Song, so my pick will be The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Animated
-WALL-E. If this doesn't win then someone has paid off a lot of people.

Best Foreign Language Film
-Waltz with Bashir seems to be getting some recognition, so I will do the same.

Now for the TV portion. I don't watch much TV, so most of the TV Series awards are going to be guesses based on knowledge gained by friends.

Best TV Series - Drama
-Alright so I have seen House M.D., but I have never watched any of the other shows before, though Dexter and Mad Men seem to have some buzz (amoungt my friends). So I'm going to give this one to Dexter.

Best TV Series - Musical or Comedy
-I haven't seen any of these shows either, guess that's what you get when you only have 3 channels. So let's say 30 Rock, it didn't win last year and Tina Fey has been quite popular this year.

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
-Let's say John Adams for this one, period pieces usually do well (I think)

Best Performance by and Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
-I'll give this one to Kevin Spacey, no real reason.

Best Performance by and Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
-How about Susan Sarandon

Best Performance by and Actor in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy
-I'll give this on to Kevin Connolly as the others have all won this category at some point before now. Share the wealth.

Best Performance by and Actress in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy
-Tine Fey won last year so my pick is Debra Messing as she is so far an 8 time loser.

Best Performance by and Actor in a TV Series - Drama
-Michael C. Hall, as Hugh Laurie has already one twice.

Best Performance by and Actress in a TV Series - Drama
-I'm starting to think all the same people get nominated for these TV Series acting awards every year. Alright Sally Field.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
-Tom Wilkinson, why not?

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

-And finally Dianne Wiest. She seems like a veteran to these shows.

Golden Globes

It's that time of the year again. No, not the Oscars, but the Golden Globes. The little brother who wishes more people paid him more attention.
So to prepare for this event The Cinephiles are going to have a little "friendly" competition and see who can pick the most winners.
Stay tuned and see which one of comes out on top.

Rick Moranis: "Honey, I hate our kids!"

Gosh, everyone's getting on the Sam Mendes train. Who keeps giving this man a camera? And why does he keep making movies about why the lives of my parents are, essentially, wasted and meaningless? If everyone were a self-centred jerk like the characters in his movies, the population decline would be so severe that the dolphins would surely overthrow us.

If you are, however, a fan of Mr. Mendes, you can get both Jarhead and Road to Perdition at 2 for $10 in your local Wal-Mart remainder bin. You'd think he'd take the hint...

The Equinox... A Journey Into the Supernatural

Also known simply as Equinox depending on what version you watch. The original version The Equinox... A Journey Into the Supernatural was a student film by Dennis Muren who to date has won 6 Oscars for visual effects for such movies as E.T., Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park.

The story revolves around 4 teenagers who decided to visit a professor at his cabin. Upon arrival they discover his cabin has been destroyed and find themselves in possession of an ancient book (though never specifically stated, it is obviously the Necronomicon). From here on the teenagers are attacked by various claymation monsters and a green giant (using some clever forced perspective). For a student film, the special effects aren't half bad, but they are far from good, very far. I particularly enjoy when the people suddenly become claymation when attacked by the monsters, a creative move, but cheesy nonetheless. So I have to give the film credit for the creativeness of it's special effects, since it was made on a budget of $6,500.

Then there is the acting, it is another story. As with most student films where you hire your friends, the performances are laughably bad. The teenagers are like Scooby and the gang, minus Scooby, and emotions, and any distinct personalities. In fact Scooby-Doo is miles above these people. We have the tall silent David, who really doesn't do much in the film, his friend Jim who provides some of the worst dialog this film has to offer, Viki who is dating Jim and provides nothing to the film except to wander off all the time and Susan who also doesn't offer much, except for the fact she doesn't appear to wear a bra for the entire film.

In case the acting and characters weren't bad enough, the dialog is here to bring it all to home. After encountering a monster Jim decides to speak his mind, "I just want you all to know... I'm scared." Good job Jim, way to be brave in front of the ladies. What makes this better is about a minute later Jim decides he will wander through the woods alone to go retrieve his camera which he dropped earlier. An old man who lives in a cave (though no one seems to think this is odd) has a similar change of heart. After telling the teenagers that he will never give them the book, he promptly tells them "I can't let you leave empty handed." and hands them the book. Now maybe the old man is just senile, and maybe Jim is as well, in fact maybe they all are. It would certainly make more sense.
At one point they spot a castle in the middle of the woods in California and the exchange of words goes as follows:

David "What's a castle doing in this area?"
Susan "What do you mean?"
David "Well who's ever heard of a castle around here?"

One would think that Susan could have figured out that castles aren't exactly native to California, but I guess that is too much to ask from her. Though David seems to be slightly aware of how slow she is since he simply repeats himself in response to her confusion.

Later David accidentally kills an old man who's body disappears along with the castle so they discuss these odd occurrences:

Jim "It's not easy to lose a castle and a dead body in one day."
David "Shut up."
Susan "It couldn't have been our imaginations."
David "Of course not."
Jim "What happened to it. You can't just walk off with a castle."
Susan "Well someone did."
David "Well let's go up and have a look, if there was a castle it would have left a mark of some kind."
Viki "How can anyone move a castle."
David "Maybe it wasn't really a castle, maybe it was just the false front of one."
Jim "Like in the movies!"

Something just bugs me about that fact that these people are actually talking seriously about the idea of someone picking up a castle and walking off with it. Also Jim finishes David's sentence much like Robin does in the old Adam West Batman series.

There is another point where they hear screams and growling from a cave so they go to investigate and find what appear to be dinosaur footprints. And being the intelligent and gullible people they are they instantly come to the conclusion that the two have to be related. Where as any normal person would first suspected a prank and only the guy from the loony bin would believe there is a monster (Note: this is long before they are actually attacked by any monster and even before the castle and the body have disappeared, so in other words nothing too out of the ordinary has occurred, but they are still willing to believe monsters roam the woods).

The other version of the film entitled Equinox is the re released version by Jack Woods (one of the writer of the squeal to the Blob). It made an attempt at fixing the plot by having a park ranger named Asmodeus be the one responsible for summoning the monsters. Though the re release removes the agonizingly slow 20+ minute opening of the original, it does not actually make the film better, and is actually more accidently laughable then the original.

All in all, this film is bad, but it is too the point where it is good because of how bad it is. The dialog is laughable, the characters have the emotions of a cardboard cut out and there are plenty of claymation monsters to cheer on. But it is a student film and everyone has to start somewhere so it get points for that.

So if you like bad monster movies, then grab some friends and enjoy. And in case you don't believe me, just check out the amazing trailer. EQUINOX!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE1UlPPId-o

Introduction Part III: Gumby

Gumby is an engineering student who in the last few years has become obssessed with film. He blames it all on a close friend who introduced him to the world of foreign films. Since then he has started to realize the majority of people have never heard of a lot of the films he talks about. Gumby is part of his university's film group where he spearheads the the screenwriters group. He is a fan of Ingmar Bergman and Fritz Lang and dislikes film remakes.

Top Five
M
Eyes without a Face
Virgin Springs
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Vanishing

The Reader exploit’s a teenage boy, tries to convince me to sympathize with a Nazi, and receives 4 Golden Globe nominations. Go figure.

The Reader is the tragic and romantic love story of a young man, Michael Berg, who gets sick in an alleyway in post-WWII Germany. No wait, scratch that. The Reader is the story of literacy, shame, secrets, lies, Nazis, and statutory rape.

Back to our ill Michael, who is helped home by a stranger named Hanna, played capably, but not notably, by Kate Winslet. After recovering from his fever, Michael seeks out this woman in order to thank her. They soon fall into a passionate, but purely physical, relationship. Michael soon discovers that Hanna enjoys being read to, thus it becomes their new routine: Michael reads to Hanna, then they have sex. After a few months of this affair, Michael arrives at Hanna’s house one day to find that Hanna, and her belongings, are gone. Hanna’s disappearance leaves Michael’s young- roughly 15 year old-heart broken and confused. Cut to a few years later and we see Michael as a student of law who’s class project is to observe Nazi war-crime trials. Hanna becomes a part of Michael’s life again and her past is exposed as he watches her on trial, and eventually convicted to life in prison, for crimes committed while she served as a Nazi prison guard.

The film flashes between Michael then, played admirably by a young David Kross, and Michael now, played by an uncharacteristically unremarkable Ralph Fiennes. We see Michael struggle through every stage of his life with a deep secret never told, coming to terms with the history of his people, and his inability to “love” again. I use the word love very loosely here. A one point in their early relationship, Michael expresses his love to Hanna, and she returns the sentiment. I need to make it very clear that a teenage boy engaging in his fanatic need for sex is not love. And a roughly 30-something confused woman misinterpreting the attentions a young man pays her is not love. The movies greatest downfall was the attempt to label anything about Michael and Hanna’s relationship as love, in the proper sense of the word.

Essentially this film is about Michael’s secrets, Hanna’s secrets, and the consequences of the shame they feel that prevents them from revealing them. It’s about the German people struggling with a history that is all too fresh in their memory. It is about all of our struggles with the mistakes of our pasts, and the attempts to make them right in our presents. Unfortunately, the film tries to touch on all of these issues within a limited amount of time, and therefore only skims the surface of any of them; leaving the audience unsatisfied, unenlightened, and unimpressed.

If you’re literate, I would suggest trying out the book before you see the movie. And hey, if you’re illiterate, you can always try to find yourself a naïve teenager who will read it to you.

Introduction Part II: Imago

Imago is a third year Sociology and History student at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Imago has always been interested in film and cinematography, but her love of films became intensified in high school when she partook in a trip to Serbia to film a documentary on the effects of the war on the children who lived through it. Since then she has worked with a local film maker in Halifax and is currently the Vice President of her Universities film makers group. Imago loves to watch classic horror films, back when they used to be psychological thrillers rather than slasher pics, and has an ongoing love affair with Bela Lugosi. Imago's taste in movies is diverse, but she generally doesn't like contemporary horror flicks, so please don't take offense if you're a fan. Imago loves movies, reading, diet coke and her ferret. She dislikes pretentious art students, cold weather and alarm clocks.

It's pronounced im-ah-go


Top Five (in no particular order):
Leon
Oldboy
The Raven
Laugh Clown Laugh
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Also subject to change on a daily basis.

Introduction Part I: Cias

Cias is a student in her second year of undergraduate study at the University of Toronto where she studies philosophy and theology. In junior high Cias watched The Royal Tenebaums and decided that she could get away with pretending to know how to appreciate movies. She has been doing this up to this day, and will continue to do this in this blog. Cias doesn't know much about movies beyond what she sees with her eyes and thinks with her brain. For this reason, her reviews will be coming from an uninformed and unexperienced mind; so please don't be offended if you thought Twilight was the film event of the year and she disagrees with you, she probably just doesn't know what she's talking about. Cias loves Catholicism, the Office, movies, sarcasm, and Oxford commas. She dislikes dogs, theatre, and Roger Ebert.

It's pronounced chai-iss.

Top Five:

The Royal Tenebaums
Apocalypse Now
The Apartment
Amadeus
Pineapple Express

...these are subject to change, all the time.