Moviegeek Memo

Back and better than ever

2007-10-30T07:34:00.001-07:00

I'm pleased to announce the formation of the Detroit Film Critics Society - an organization I consider myself privileged to be a member of.

Read about it here

More People Loving on Marty

2007-05-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

And it sure seems like Barry Diller feels shame for knowing he's a businessman first and foremost.

The Downside of Botox and Collagen

2007-05-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

How Can Someone So Good Be So Wrong

2007-04-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

David Thomson is a great writer about film. His Biographical Dictionary of Film is a perfect movie companion, eloquent, well argued, and often very funny. However, this fine book has one gaping error. Thomson doesn't "get" Scorsese, in fact he feels there may be nothing to "get." I allow this heresy because nobody can be right about everything. His most recent edition of that book left out one director who seemed quite worthy of his attention, Richard Linklater. He has made up for it in a recent article. To my surprise he's downright hostile towards what is easily the best film of this decade.

Look at That Cast List!

2006-12-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Matt came up with the best trailer of the Oscar season

National Lampoon Kicks Kramer When He's Down

2006-11-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

Easy, but exceedingly well done

Thanks, Matt!

The Departed Inspired Cammila to Create This

2006-11-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Scorsese Has a New Home Studio

2006-11-08T05:02:00.000-08:00

From Hollywood Reporter:

In a bid to foster a talent-friendly studio reminiscent of its '70s glory days, Paramount Pictures has signed a four-year, first-look deal with filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey said Tuesday.

The studio will supply Scorsese, who will continue to be based out of his New York offices, with $2.5 million a year in overhead for four years, equivalent to the studio's deal with Brad Pitt's Plan B Prods.

Scorsese has contracted to give Paramount and its specialty division Paramount Vantage -- which is run by the director's former agent, John Lesher -- first crack at all projects he directs and produces in all media, including features, made-for-DVD films, documentaries, digital content and television.

Grey has nurtured a close relationship with the filmmaker. Along with Pitt and Graham King, Grey produced "The Departed," the biggest-grossing film of Scorsese's career. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the Boston-set gangster film has grossed more than $150 million worldwide in its first five weekends of release.

Grey cited his "great experience" working with Scorsese on "Departed," the documentary "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" and Scorsese's currently filming Rolling Stones documentary, which is set for Paramount release next year.

I was eager to create a home here for Marty, who is one of the greatest filmmakers in the world," Grey said. "I'm trying to turn a studio around, and Marty is a magnet for the greatest writers, actors and producers the business has to offer. It's all toward making the place a creative hub again."

According to Grey, the filmmaker will be able to set up projects at Paramount, DreamWorks or Vantage, where the director would have the option to "make some films at a lower price point," Grey said. "He knows I want to be supportive of what he wants to do creatively."

Scorsese said recently that he is interested in directing lower-budget films.

Vantage's new co-president, Nick Meyer, will be involved in selling Scorsese titles overseas. Lesher already is developing projects with the filmmaker, and Scorsese is pushing hard for a green light on his 15-year passion project "Silence," a period film adapted by Jay Cocks from the Shusaku Endo novel set in the warring states of 16th century Japan. The budget, which has been estimated to be as high as $65 million, would exceed Vantage's budget caps. Graham King would produce.

While Scorsese's studio deal is not exclusive, for the next four years Paramount retains the right to co-finance and co-distribute any film the director sets up with another studio. Grey said the studio has a similar arrangement with DreamWorks co-chairman Steven Spielberg. The only other director with a Paramount first-look deal is Cameron Crowe.

The deal, which begins immediately, marks Scorsese's first overall pact in several years. In the past, He had an exclusive production pact with Universal Pictures, which yielded 1995's "Casino," followed by a first-look deal with the Walt Disney Co., which delivered "Kundun," the Paramount co-production "Bringing Out the Dead" and the Miramax releases "Gangs of New York" and "My Voyage to Italy," a documentary about Italian cinema. Miramax Films' Harvey Weinstein announced a first-look deal with the filmmaker in 2001, after "Gangs," but that deal was never consummated.

In a statement, Scorsese cited his "great personal relationship" with Grey and said, "I am looking forward to working with him at Paramount, a studio rich in cinematic history and responsible for making some of my favorite films: 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Shane' and 'The Heiress,' among others."

Scorsese received his fifth directing Oscar nomination for the Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator." He also has received writing nominations for "GoodFellas" and "The Age of Innocence." He has directed more than 40 films, including "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver."

Scorsese was represented in the deal by Endeavor, manager Rick Yorn of the Firm and attorney Jake Bloom of Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal & LaViolette Llp.

What gift do you give a moviegeek this year?

2006-11-07T05:41:00.000-08:00

You can't do better than this

The Departed Review

2006-10-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

Read the full review here, but to quote my friend Cammila after it was over, "It's like I just had great sex for two and a half hours. It kind of hurts but it's amazing."

Congratualtions to Lorne Michaels and Saturday Night Live

2006-09-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

They cut the three least essential members of a once overstuffed cast list for the upcoming season.

And I could not be happier that Maya Rudolph will be back.

It's Not All About Movies

2006-09-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's about music and television. I contributed to a roundtable discussion for All Music Guide about the show Rock Star: Supernova. To quote Dave Navarro.....It was awesome!

Required Friday Night Viewing

2006-09-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

A hearty than you to the folks at Turner Classic Movies because this friday they are playing a vast selection of short iflm by famous directors. The full line-up is here, but highlights include La Jetee from Chris Marker; Scorsese's rarely screened It's Not Just You, Murray, along with The Big Shave and What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This; Stanley Kubrick's Day of the Fight; and Roman Polanski's Two Men and a Wardrobe. This should be fun.

If I Did This I'd Be Slapped Repeatedly and Arrested

2006-09-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Go to You Tube. In the search window put "anne-marie losique interviews ben affleck". Watch and be amazed.

St. Elsewhere On DVD - Finally!

2006-09-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

Just announced, street date of December 12, the first season of St. Elsewhere, the best television drama of the 1980s. Seriously, this is one of those shows that has forever shaped my opinions and feelings about what television can do at its very best. I could not be more thrilled.

If you are already familiar with the show, particularly the final episode, please check out this incredible site. If you are not, do not go there as it will ruin the end of the series.

In Honor of My Birthday - Shameless self-promotion

2006-09-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've written a piece for AMG about the horrible movies that have been released to theaters on my birthday.

Over the weekend a very entertaining piece I co wrote with the great Jeremy Wheeler about silly MPAA explanations ran. Check them both out if you have the time.

Griffin Mill Returns

2006-08-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

Michael Tolkin has published a sequel to his very good novel The Player, which became one of the great Robert Altman films.

All Movie Guide Looks at New Trailers

2006-08-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

And we do what we do best: deconstruct, praise, and be snarky.

Poster for The Departed

2006-08-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

What's not to love?

Fast Food Nation Release Date Change

2006-08-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Fox Searchlight’s FAST FOOD NATION has been moved from October 20, 2006 to November 17, 2006.

Why Bush is "Reading" French Existentialism

2006-08-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

This story asks the question, but isn't it obvious that the reason is because of the appearance the book makes in Talladega Nights? Either the President was curious after seeing the movie, or - more likely - the Oval Office thought it would be a good PR move to ride the coattails of the very successful film.

How to Make a Great 9/11 Movie

2006-08-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

My newest feature, about this year's 9/11 films, is on the front page of the All Movie Guide for the next few days. Read and opine.

I've Become Infatuated with Harry Nilsson

2006-08-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the kindness of Tom, I have been turned on to the entire catalogue of the late great Harry Nilsson. That led to me discovering this amazing clip that has made me unreasobaly happy every day for the last couple of weeks. If you need a lift of spirits, I offer this.

Calling All Buster Keaton Fans

2006-08-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Press Release: The International Buster Keaton SocietyReturns to Muskegon, MI for their 12th Annual Conventionon Fri-Sat., October 6-7, 2006.

Contacts:Ron Pesch (231) 759-7253, email: peschstats@comcast.com Eryn Merwart, Convention Co-Chair, email erynm@rogers.com

The City of Muskegon, Michigan again welcomes the Damfinos - The International Buster Keaton Society - to town for their 12th Annual Convention, Friday, Oct. 6 through Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006.

The Convention program will include viewing of rare Keaton film and television footage, presentations by Keaton historians, a Walking Tour of the Actors’ Colony (the Keaton family’s summer home at the southern end of Lake Muskegon), and a presentation by Melissa Talmadge Cox, granddaughter of Buster and first wife Natalie. Attendees will be able to meet writers, film restorers, and historians who have contributed to the restoration and DVD production of Keaton’s films and television appearances.

The Saturday night film program, open to the public for nominal admission, will have a “detective” theme, featuring Buster’s silent films Sherlock, Jr. (1924) and The Haunted House (1921). A third film, Oh, Doctor! (1917), co-stars the comedy filmmaker who hired Buster into the movies, Roscoe Arbuckle. Films will be presented with live theatre organ accompaniment by Dennis James at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, 425 W. Western Avenue, Muskegon, MI. Tel. 1-800-585-3737, website www.frauenthal.info.

An auction of Keaton film memorabilia, a banquet, and Speakeasy costume party will also be part of the Convention activities.

The Shoreline Inn, on the northeastern shore of Lake Muskegon at Terrace Point, Muskegon, MI, will offer a special Convention rate. Tel. (866) 727-8483, website www.shorelineinn.com.

Convention registration is $125 for Friday and Saturday, or $80 for Saturday only. ($145 after Sept. 1, 2006.) More information is on the “News” page of www.busterkeaton.com, as well as on www.slapstick-comedy.com/2006/about.html, and www.busterstuff.com. Buster Keaton: Along with contemporaries Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, Keaton was one of the masters of silent comedy. Now recognized as one of the great filmmakers of all time, his silent feature, The General, released in 1927 and based on a real Civil War event, is viewed as one of the finest movies ever made. The film was one of the first 25 placed in the National Film Registry in 1989. Unlike Chaplin and Lloyd, however, Keaton remained active in the entertainment industry throughout his life, appearing regularly in film, on television, and on the stage. The child of vaudeville performers, Buster learned his craft on the vaudeville circuit, first appearing in his parents’ act at the age of five. Buster was a “crowd-pleaser”, and the family act became known as “The Three Keatons.” Born in 1895, he died in 1966.

Buster and Muskegon: Buster’s father, Joe Keaton, was one of the founding members of the Actors’ Colony, which was located on a split of land between Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, in a section of town known as Bluffton. Populated by performers from the vaudeville circuit, the Colony offered a place for rest and relaxation for the actors during the summer months - the off-season for many. Buster spent ten summers of his youth in Muskegon before leaving the family act in pursuit of fame and fortune in New York, and ultimately, Hollywood.

The International Buster Keaton Society: The International Buster Keaton Society was founded in 1992 on October 4, Buster’s birthday, in New York City. Focused on bringing greater public attention to Keaton’s life and work, the membership includes many individuals from the television and film industry: actors, television and film producers, as well as best-selling authors, artists, comic book writers, musicians, and designers, as well as those who have just discovered the magic of Buster Keaton. See the Society’s website at www.busterkeaton.com. The American chapter, the Damfinos, draws its name from a boat in Buster’s 1921 comedy, The Boat. The British chapter, the Blinking Buzzards, draws its name from Buster’s 1920 comedy, The High Sign.

The Award for Best DVD Packaging in a Long Time

2006-08-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Goes to the 15th Anniversary Edition of Reservoir Dogs.

Die Hard Music Video

2006-08-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jeremy bringing it to my attention I can pass this fantastic piece of work along to you.

Creative movie marketing at its finest

2006-08-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

Finally, a piece of telemarketing I would love to receive. God bless Samuel L. Jackson.

New Taxi Driver Trailer

2006-08-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

While at first I loved the mash-up trailers idea, the concept grew stale very quickly for me(mostly because of the overload of Brokeback parodies). When I saw a link this morning for a new version of the trailer for the greatest film of all time I was very skeptical. However, it won me over, partly because for me the comedy comes from the fact that it is exactly how a modern studio functionary would edit a Taxi Driver trailer.

Departed Trailer

2006-07-31T04:37:00.000-07:00

This should be huge

I hope it makes 200 million

2006-07-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Footage from The Departed

Just Another Reason to Fear Southland Tales

2006-07-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Jeremy flipped through the first of the graphic novels that have been released as a lead-in to Richard Kelly's probably gonna be horrendous motion picture Southland Tales.

In doing so he came across the following line of dialogue that he believes is spoken by the character who will be inhabited by The Rock in the film:

"I am a pragmatic prevaricator, with a propensity for oratorical seniority,
which is too pleonastical to be assimilated by any of your unequivocal
veracities."

The Acceptance Speech Would Be Longer Than the Performance

2006-07-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

Yet another reason why the Emmy awards are ridiculous. Apparently you can be nominated for a performance that has as much screen time as that lady gets in the HeadOn commercial (applied directly to the forehead)

First I'd like to thank the Academy, then the little people, then my supportive loving drunk husband Chad Lowe

2006-07-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

Those brilliant people at Junkiness have annointed me the winner of a contest thanks to my uncovering (meaning having it sent to me by a friend) an interesting/disturbing story about the ambitions of Dakota Fanning.

The Searchers Reconsidered

2006-07-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

Regardless of one's opinion of the film, this is a fine piece questioning why The Searchers stands as one of the great American films.

Utterly Shameless Self-Promotion

2006-06-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

For the next week my piece on Martin Scorsese will be on the front page at All Movie Guide. Go there and click through to the full article if you are so inclined.

Excellent Bootleg Cover

2006-06-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is how to sell a black and white period piece drama.

The New Look All Movie Guide

2006-06-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

Head on over to the All Movie Guide to see the new front page and layout with a bunch of new features.

Sending Roger Ebert Best Wishes for a Speedy Recovery

2006-06-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

He's going through cancer treatment again.

American Idol

2006-05-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

I was invited to join in the roundtable discussion about the final episode of American Idol for the All Music Guide. That should be up Friday the 26th.

I'm a Taylor fan, but never ever would I designate myself as a member of the Soul Patrol.

How Can an Art Film make 300 Million Dollars?

2006-05-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

Marie Antoinette will set all kinds of box office records if they use this image as the poster.

And here is a link to the film's trailer, one of the best trailers of the year.

The film plays the Cannes Film Festival very soon.

You can read about how much I like Sofia Coppola's first two films if you click this and this.

Expectations are high.

The Best Show on TV

2006-05-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Office finished up it's second season, the first full season they have produced. I would argue that they had a perfect year. No bad shows, a half-dozen classics, and subtle, rich character development. If you haven't been watching either download from itunes or be sure to watch the DVDs when they come out in a few months. And be sure to watch the shows in order.

Marty Slaps Down the FCC

2006-05-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

In the article, notice how his word choice implies a racist element to the government's decision.

FCC "Whitewashing" Blues, Says Scorsese

Tilda Swinton's Amazing Words

2006-05-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Tilda Swinton delivered a speech - a State of Cinema address at the San Francisco International Film Festival. It is truly beautiful.

Talented People Making Commericals

2006-04-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Most people have heard that Jack White has written and performed an ad for a new Coke commercial.

Fewer people are aware that They Might Be Giants have done the same for a series of new Dunkin' Donuts commericals.

And here is the Wes Anderson American Express ad.

Still from the most anticipated film of 2006

2006-04-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Marty is God.

Cannes 2006 Line-up

2006-04-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here it is

On the plus side - Fast Food Nation and Marie-Antoinette and Babel and Volver.

On the down side - Southland Tales

New Look AMG - Fortified with Essential Vitamins and Minerals

2006-04-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

The All Music Guide, sister site to the All Movie Guide got a facelift today and has lots of new features written by people I know, trust, respect, and admire. In due time the same will happen for the movie site.

If This Acting Thing Doesn't Work Out He Might Make a Fine Critic

2006-04-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

Reuters has this story:

Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks picked "2001: A Space Odyssey" as his favorite film of all time and selected four other films among his "top five" that he had nothing to do with.
"I just can't see enough of '2001: A Space Odyssey'," the American actor told Germany's Bild newspaper in an interview published on Thursday. Stanley Kubrick directed the 1968 film.
Hanks also picked "Elephant" (2003) by Gus Van Sant because it "is one of the most moving films I've ever seen." (moviegeek note - I also think Van Sant's film is a masterpiece and that link takes you to my review) He also listed "The Godfather" (1972) by Francis Ford Coppola, "Fargo" (1996) by Joel and Ethan Coen among his all-time favorites. Hanks, who won two Academy Awards for best actor in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump," rounded out his top five with "Boogie Nights" (1997). The movie, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is about the porn industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the social attitude of that era. "That film was a revelation for me," said Hanks, 49, who has made more than 40 films. He said he likes films that give the viewer a chance to ask themselves how they would react in a similar situation.
"That's what I'm looking for when I go to see a film, just like any other cinema-goer," he said. "The period, the topic or the genre don't matter to me. The only thing that matters for me is: 'boy, what would you do if that were you?"'

The Next Generation of Indie Film Stars Begins Now

2006-04-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to a very talented couple.

Marty has no Oscar, but he has a Peabody

2006-04-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

This year's list of Peabody winners includes South Park, and No Direction Home (Scorsese's brilliant documentary about Bob Dylan).

The Best Show on Television

2006-04-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

For those who have been watching The Office regularly, here is a link to all the joke Public Service Announcements they created that aired during April Fools Day week.

Thanks Dana, Queen of TV.

There Will Be Insider Information

2006-03-29T05:18:00.000-08:00

Long time readers of the memo will remember that I have a friend who works in Hollywood and, on this site, goes by the code name Stan. Stan gave me a ring last night and it is my pleasure to report that it seems very likely he will be working in Texas on the shoot of Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. It goes without saying I have never been more jealous of another human being in my life. To think I may be just 2 degrees away from the director who I firmly believe is the most talented filmmaker of my generation. Congratulations Stan. I said this for the first time in 1997 after seeing Hard Eight for the first time at The Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. "I have seen the future of Amercian cinema, and its name is Paul Thomas Anderson." All I can add is that the future is now.

A Link to the Best Music Video of the Month

2006-03-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here it is.

Thanks Cammila

Ask the Dust Review

2006-03-14T05:09:00.000-08:00

The biggest accomplishment of Robert Towne's adaptation of John Fante's depression era novel Ask the Dust is that it will make anyone who sees it want to read the book. The film threads numerous layers of symbolism into the relationship between young Mexican/Italian writer Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell) and the Mexican waitress Camilla (Salma Hayek). There are questions of race, and what it means to be an American, and what it means to be in Los Angeles (a question that Towne has addressed often in his career), and how a writer must balance his time between writing and living life in order to have experiences to write about. Towne interweaves all of these themes into the dialogue in such a way that shows intelligence and an obvious love for the source material. However, for all of the thematic resonance built up, never once do these two characters seem to exist as real people. The characters are used to ask questions and make philosophical points, but they fail to register as three-dimensional human beings. Caleb Deschanel's exquisite cinematography, and the wonderful attention to period detail in the clothes and the cars, makes for a beautiful looking movie that finds a perfect middle ground between being a perfect recreation of depression era Los Angeles and expressing the dreamy, romantic vision of the protagonist. Towne and company get the subtext right, but fail to bring the main characters to life. Because of this, Ask the Dust engages the mind, but fails to touch the heart.

Crash is the Least Popular Best Picture Winner Ever

2006-03-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

Here is the proof.

Thanks Mike!

Archival Monty Python Interview

2006-03-10T05:18:00.000-08:00

This is a link to a blog that has a rarely seen clip of a 1975 interview four of the members of Monty Python gave to the Dallas PBS station that first aired Flying Circus in the United States. Essential for any Python enthusiasts, and still amusing for anyone else. And even if you don't care for the Pythons, be sure to watch it just for the hilariously dated opening to the 1975 telecast.

A Link to a Great Trailer

2006-03-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

This could be the most enjoyable film of 2006.

The Morning After

2006-03-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

I'll do an extensive post-Oscar post later, but for now I just want to give a giant thank you to Tracie Cooper who was kind enough to send me this.

Oscar Predictions and Hopes

2006-03-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

Award: Prediction - Personal Vote

Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain - Good Night and Good Luck.
Best Director: Ang Lee - Steven Spielberg
Best Actor: Philip Seymoure Hoffman - Philip Seyoure Hoffman
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon - Reese Witherspoon
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney - Paul Giamatti
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz - Catherine Keener
Best Original Screenplay: Crash - Good Night and Good Luck
Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain - Capote

Ever Wonder if the Oscar nominated short films are any good?

2006-03-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

They usually are. Here's proof.

Proof of Geekdom

2006-02-23T05:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a movie geek, and a total Oscar geek, because I find this totally fascinating.

A Lesson in Oscar Watching

2006-02-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

The timing of this story is the surest sign yet that Phil Hoffman will be winning the Best Actor trophy.

Of course it doesn't hurt that he actually gave the best performance of the year.

Link to the worst trailer in a long long time

2006-02-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

"I trust you. Do you trust me?" will be the new "Why can't I quit you?"

A Link to the Best Trailer in a Long Long Time

2006-02-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

And it's even better if you are lucky enough to see in in a theater.

A Version of Sleepless in Seattle I'd Want To See

2006-01-31T09:29:00.000-08:00

Or at least a trailer for it

Thanks Zach

Oscar Nominations

2006-01-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Full List

Oscar Nomination Predictions

2006-01-31T04:34:00.000-08:00

Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain (Which will be the most nominated film)
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Walk the Line

The first four are total locks for nominations. Walk the Line could be replaced with Munich, The Constant Gardener, King Kong, or A History of Violence.

Best Actor:
Philip Seymoure Hoffman - Capote (who will win the Award on March 5)
Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
David Strathairn - Good Night, and Good Luck(and how cool was Hoffman giving Strathairn mad respect at the SAG awards Sunday night?)
Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line
Russell Crowe - Cinderella Man

The first four are sure things. Crowe is actually a coin flip and may lose that spot to Terrence Howard for Hustle and Flow as he has been getting all the right kind of buzz and has been by my understanding being talked about by all the right people.

Best Actress:
Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line (She is a lock to win the award)
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
Judi Dench - Mrs. Henderson Presents
Charlize Theron - North Country
Kiera Knightley - Pride and Prejudice

Again the first four are sure things for a nomination, but the fifth spot is a dead heat between Knightley and Ziyi Zhang for Memoirs of a Geisha.

Best Director:
Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain
George Clooney - Good Night, and Good Luck
Paul Haggis - Crash
Bennett Miller - Capote
Steven Spielberg - Munich

The first three are for sure nominations. Miller I'm fairly confident but that movie is so quiet and small he may be passed over in favor of Fernando Meirelles, Peter Jackson, or David Cronenberg. The same is true for Spielberg. Poor James Mangold.

So there you have it. I'm hoping for some kind of epic surprise as always, and after Giamatti being left off the Best Actor list for Sidewise last year it sure is a possibility. I'll be back later today with some reaction to the real nominations.

He Won't Stop Until He Dies

2006-01-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

Three stills from the shooting of Rocky VI

Thankfully someone has said everything I need to say on the issue

Thanks Jeremy!

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood Is Going to Happen

2006-01-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

And with Daniel Day Lewis in the lead just as Paul was hoping for. This is officially the leading Best Picture nominee for 2007.

Thanks Jen for the heads up!

The Producers Review

2006-01-16T07:48:00.000-08:00

The musical version of The Producers shows how much nerve Mel Brooks has lost in thirty-five years. The original Producers remains to this day a bad-taste masterpiece largely because Brooks understands that the average audience embraces tastelessness when it is presented as camp – as a highly stylized flamboyant excess. That is the point of the original film. The behavior of the lead characters in the original is repellent, but the seriousness of their greed and lying and self-centeredness is very funny because it is pitched at a different tone than the comedy of the dancing Nazis. If Brooks can get you to laugh at a mass murderer like Hitler, then laughing at a pair of selfish criminals is automatically acceptable. Where the musical remake goes totally wrong is that it presents everything in the film as camp. The new film’s tone establishes right from the opening number that “camp” is the only tone the film is interested in. The new version of The Producers fails so spectacularly precisely because it fails to offend at all. This time around the Busby Berkley-inspired rotating swastika offends to about the same degree as the characters’ manipulations, and all of it has been softened by the relentlessly campy tone. This approach might be acceptable if there were some craft on display that could be appreciated, but the songs are at best pedestrian and the direction is static and dull. The performances, with the lone exception of a perfect Uma Thurman who gets the best song, are a mess. Nathan Lane has the timing fine, but he is not threatening, something that Zero Mostel most certainly was in the original. Matthew Broderick has the unenviable task of recreating one of the greatest comedic performances ever, and the only time he doesn’t embarrass himself is when he directly mimic’s Gene Wilder’s gestures or vocal mannerisms. Lenny Bruce said there is nothing sadder than an aging hipster, but the new film version of The Producers offers a compelling argument that there might be nothing sadder than an aging vulgarian.

Match Point Review

2006-01-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

Match Point is the most consistent Woody Allen picture in about fifteen years. Not since Husbands and Wives has he shown such detail to the simple craft of storytelling, and this is what should give hope to longtime Allen fans who might have begun to question how many good films the great director may have left in him. The film does not break new ground thematically, but simply by setting the film in London it feels fresh. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is cast well as Chris Wilton, a tennis pro always looking to climb up the social ladder. His inherently cold features help make the character more menacing than might have been intended. It lends the character a steely confidence when a different actor might have played the character more passively. Matthew Goode turns in a fine supporting performance alongside $Emily Mortimer and the always reliable Brian Cox as the rich family Chris befriends. Nola Rice, the femme fatale, appears at first to be a familiar character in Allen’s work – the emotionally erratic sexually voracious woman. However, Allen smartly alters this stereotype in intriguing ways. Although the first scene overplays the character’s hand, Scarlet Johansson brings an intelligence and a presence to the part the grounds it. She is beautiful, but she is not unstable. She is a three-dimensional person, not simply the personification of the lead male’s erotic desires. The screenplay has a fatalism that will be familiar to anyone who knows Allen’s non-comedies, a fact that bleeds some of the drama out of the third-act of the film as many people will see how it is going to end. But good storytelling is as much about how events unfold as it is about how the story ends. Match Point offers the encouraging experience of a great director and writer rediscovering his muse thanks to a new city and new actors.

Munich Review

2006-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

Munich differs from all of Steven Spielberg’s previous historical epics because, for the first time, the director is using the past to comment on the present. One of Spielberg’s peerless talents is the ability to create tension filled sequences. Munich’s structure, following the exploits of a group of Israeli agents hunting down the terrorists responsible for the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, allows Spielberg to put this talent on display throughout the movie. Each of these sequences is varied so that the film avoids becoming visually repetitive even though it clocks in at close to three hours. Though the film works strictly as a thriller, the excellent script traces the gradual emotional and psychological changes that occur to Havner (Eric Bana), the man leading the group. While he never questions the importance of what he does, or really the moral authority to do it, the film does not flinch from the consequences of living in a constant state of alertness fueled by paranoia and fear. The film acknowledges both the visceral thrill and the interior decay that results from vengeance – a word that once served as the film’s working title. Munich does not carry the weight of history that say Schindler’s List does partly because Munich exists not in a black and white world of good and bad actions, but instead reveals a world full of grays. Munich, although about historical events, is very much about what America asks of itself during the war on terrorism. The screenplay is savvy enough to make these themes universal so that the film will not lose its power over time, but setting the film’s final sequence with the World Trade Center in the background should tip audiences to the fact that Spielberg has created a very personal reaction to current events. Taken with the same year’s politically pointed remake of War of the Worlds, Munich reveals Spielberg to be, at sixty, a director committed to making important films that address the tenor of the times.

And Here are the Directors Guild Nominations

2006-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

The only place Steven seems to be getting any love for the best film of his career.

Screen Actors Guild Nominations

2006-01-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

Here they are

No real surprises.

The Cloudy Oscar Forecast Should Clear Some After This Morning

2006-01-05T04:51:00.000-08:00

The nominations for each Oscar category are decided upon by the members of that branch - in other words cinematographers nominate cinematographers, directors nominate directors etc. etc. etc. Because of this the nominations for each of the various individual guilds acts as the best barometer for who will be picking up Oscar nods. The Writer's guild nominations yesterday were very promising. It will be a very good thing if The 40 Year-Old Virgin is nominated for best original screenplay. This morning the Director's Guild and the Screen Actor's Guild will unveil their nominations. The producer's guild passed on almost all of the "big" productions, instead focusing on such worthy small efforts as Good Night and Good Luck, Brokeback Mountain, and Capote leaving Munich, King Kong, and Memoirs of a Geisha behind. This will be the last big spurt of awards until the Golden Globes are presented on the 16th.

The Ten Best Films of 2005

2006-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

While I have many more reviews to post, many of these very films, it is time. Links take you to the AMG site for the film if I wrote the review:

10. Walk the Line

9. The Aristocrats - The film that made me laugh harder than any else this year. A fine look at comedy and comedians. For the record, Steven Wright tells my favorite version of it. Sarah Silverman was the only one to make me cringe.

8. Syriana

7. No Direction Home

6. Broken Flowers

5. Capote - Bennet Miller's directorial debut reminds one of the best work by Jonathan Demme. Capote is patient, observant, and very humane - the difference being Demme has never taken on someone who acts so inhumanely as a protagonist.

4. Brokeback Mountain

3. The 40 Year-Old Virgin

2. Munich

1. Good Night, and Good Luck

The Documentary I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2006

2005-12-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK, NY, December 7, 2005 – IFC, the first and largest network dedicated to independent film, announced today that the IFC Original Documentary, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated," from Academy Award-nominated director Kirby Dick and producer Eddie Schmidt, will premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and air on IFC in Fall 2006. The documentary, a
breakthrough investigation into the MPAA film ratings system and its profound effect on American culture, is executive produced by IFC’s Alison Palmer Bourke and Evan Shapiro. On November 30, the ratings board, an anonymous group whose mandate is to classify films for the MPAA from the perspective of "the average American parent," screened this documentary and gave it an NC-17 rating for "some graphic sexual content." An NC-17 rating generally limits a film’s avenues of exhibition: many theater chains will not show it, media outlets will not run its advertisements and video store chains will not stock it. IFC, however, will present the film uncensored and uninterrupted. Alison Palmer Bourke, IFC’s VP of Documentaries and Features states: "Kirby’s film is a natural for IFC. Our 'tv, uncut.' mandate is to give filmmakers a
platform for free expression, and we let our viewers decide for themselves what is appropriate and of interest to them." Kirby Dick agrees, "It is important that this film be seen by as many people as possible, as it deals with an insidious form of censorship resulting from a ratings process that has been kept secret for more than 30 years." The documentary asks whether Hollywood movies and independent films are rated equally for comparable content; whether sexual content in gay-themed movies is given harsher ratings penalties than their heterosexual
counterparts; whether it makes sense that extreme violence is given an R rating while sexuality is banished to the cutting room floor; whether Hollywood studios receive detailed directions as to how to change an NC-17 film into an R, while independent film producers are left guessing; and finally, whether keeping the raters and the rating process secret leaves the MPAA entirely unaccountable for its decisions. The MPAA has established itself as the lobbying arm of the American motion picture, home video and television industries in the US since its inception in 1922. On its board of directors are the Chairmen and Presidents of the seven major producers and distributors of motion picture and television programs in the United States - Sony, WB, Paramount, MGM, Fox, Disney and Universal. When Jack Valenti became president of the MPAA in 1966, he created a rating system to replace the old Hays code, first adopted in 1930.
Valenti’s voluntary rating system, modified only slightly over the years, has become an icon in American culture, with its letter ratings of G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 (formerly X) used to classify films according to age-based appropriateness. Until today’s announcement, the subject matter of "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" was kept under wraps by the filmmakers during more than a year of research into the MPAA’s rating practices. Director Kirby Dick ("Twist of Faith," "Derrida") interviews filmmakers, critics, attorneys, authors and educators. Ultimately, Dick tries to uncover Hollywood's best kept secret --the identities of the ratings board members themselves. Filmmakers who speak candidly in "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" include John Waters ("A Dirty Shame"), Kevin Smith ("Clerks"), Matt Stone ("South Park"), Kimberly Peirce ("Boys Don’t Cry"), Atom Egoyan ("Where the Truth Lies"), Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream"), Mary Harron ("American Psycho"), actress Maria Bello ("The Cooler") and distributor Bingham Ray (co-founder, October Films and former President, United Artists). When Jack Valenti stepped down in September 2004, Dan Glickman succeeded him as president and CEO. However, Valenti continued to supervise the ratings process until September 2005, when the MPAA announced that it would be splitting its leadership duties between Los Angeles-based president and COO, Bob Pisano, and Glickman, who has been appointed the Washington DC-based CEO and chairman and now oversees the ratings system.

Advertising Lie #48576039754

2005-11-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

Can they really put this pull quote at the bottom of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD and maintain a straight face?

Well I guess that clears that up

2005-11-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

This is not a helpful headline

Jarhead Review

2005-11-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

Sam Mendes’ Jarhead does not tell a new story. Countless other films have shown how war affects soldiers. Mendes is savvy enough to know this and goes so far as to reference Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now early in the film almost as a way of admitting how pedestrian his basic story is. What sets this film apart is that although the story is old, the characters are new. The characters played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard become real people over the course of the film, making their experiences all the more compelling to an audience. In addition to developing a pair of specific characters, the film smartly teaches the audience more than a few aspects of what daily life was like during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The film demonstrates the pent-up energy of young men not allowed the release of either sex or war. The soldier’s unique war experience is expressed beautifully in the film’s final act when, once the men actually get close to real combat, cinematographer Roger Deakins lights the film by the shifting light from fires that burn in sabotaged oil fields. There has never been a film sequence that looks like that one does, just as there has never been a war film quite like Jarhead. The film lacks profundity, but it does contain a specificity that makes it a compelling experience.

Walk the Line Review

2005-11-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

Walk the Line is first and foremost a love story. Director James Mangold touches on most of the standard scenes people have come to expect from movies about real-life musicians, but the material is infused with energy by two outstanding lead performances. Joaquin Phoenix passes the test that buries most performers who play famous musicians; one never doubts that he is playing a person capable of creating these fantastic songs. That he handles his own singing in the film is simply a bonus. Even if he does not sound exactly like Cash, he is close enough that - when augmented by the film’s outstanding editing and the emotional thrust of the story - the illusion is complete. As good as he is, Reese Witherspoon matches him perfectly, registering every contradictory feeling in a smart woman forced to play the fool in public. The scenes where they duet, particularly a scorching version of ”It Ain’t Me Babe,” display an emotional connection between the two that can rival any movie love story. That connection carries over when the couple is off stage, particularly in a wonderful scene early in a diner where one begins to sense the spark the two feel between each other. Walk the Line is an outstanding love story, a highly entertaining look at life of a young rock star on tour, and a showcase for two strong young actors to give great performances.

The First Award Rant of the Award Season

2005-11-16T04:30:00.000-08:00

So the Academy released its short list of the fifteen films that can be nominated for the best documentary award. As usual they have left off some of the best reviewed and simply best films from this category. I'm still not entirely clear on if No Direction Home was eligible but if it was it most certainly should have been on this list. Both The Aristocrats and Grizzly Man were most certainly eligible and should be there.

Shopgirl Review

2005-11-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

Claire Danes gives an interesting performance in Shopgirl. Her character is looking for happiness and fulfillment, but she suffers from depression and takes medication that flattens out her moods. Her Mirabelle Buttersfield has a pretty good clue as to what she wants out of life, she is simply having trouble finding it. Ray Porter, the older man who romances her, sees her as a delicate, elegant, fragile creature. Those adjectives are all accurate descriptions of her, but they certainly do not describe her completely. Steve Martin} mbues Ray with an inherent coldness that never thaws, even as he gets himself more involved with her than he ever intended to. One of the best aspects of the film is the cinematography by regular David Cronenberg DP Peter Suschitzky. The stylish look of the film also has a fragile beauty that encourages the audience to see Mirabelle exactly as Ray does, something that makes her performance all the more interesting. The audience begins to see more in her than Ray does. The love triangle involving the two of them and Jason Schwartman’s twenty-something Jeremy plays out with a simple straightforwardness that suffers mostly because one of these three characters does not grow up - anyone should figure out early on who will end up with who. The film moves at a deliberate pace that allows the viewer to understand and appreciate Mirabelle’s many wonderful qualities, but neither of the men seem particularly worthy of her even if one does become an obviously better choice. As a romance Shopgirl comes up short, but as a portrait of a young woman at an early crossroads in her life the film offers a mix of emotional truth and non-judgmental observation that makes it a worthy character study.

I Hate Sharing Bad News

2005-11-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

So please don't kill the messenger.

Capote Review

2005-11-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Bennett Miller shows with Capote that he is a director comfortable working in close-ups. Not every director has enough faith in the actors or the material to let the camera simply gaze at the characters for long periods of time. Jonathan Demme uses close-ups better than anybody, but where his close-ups reveal affection for the characters Miller utilizes them in Capote to make the viewer get inside the protagonist's head. Truman Capote was, among other things, an outstanding observer. He was able to retain and ascertain many details about people and places just from interacting with them. A viewer of this film begins to see the world of the film exactly as Capote would have observed them. The performers come through with riveting, subtle performances. Philip Seymour Hoffman is arguably the best actor at this moment (a post on that later) and he is flawless as Capote. Getting the distinct voice right was simply half the battle. Hoffman gets at the psychological truth of this deeply flawed man, and plays every aspect of his outsized personality. He is matched subtlety for subtlety by Catherine Keener who is given the moral authority in the film. It has been a pleasure this year to watch her play roles (The Interpreter, The 40 Year Old Virgin) that allow her to get away from the stereotypical Keener part. Capote is the kind of movie that steadily and totally gets the viewer inside the head of its protagonist, but remarkably it simultaneously lets the viewer keep a sense of perspective that never makes his worse aspects at all sympathetic.

Best Television News of the Young Season

2005-11-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

The best satire on TV has been given the love.

December just got a whole lot less interesting

2005-10-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Columbia Pictures’ ALL THE KING’S MEN has moved from December 16, 2005 to 2006 TBD.

Elizabethtown Review

2005-10-21T05:01:00.000-07:00

Near the end of Elizabethtown Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst) tells the lead character Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) that he must go deep into the “beautiful melancholy” of everything that has happened to him. That pretty much sums up director Cameron Crowe’s modus operandi for the movie. While he would certainly describe the film as whimsical, the word Drew uses to describe the look on his father’s face the first time he sees his dad’s corpse, the truth is that the film is unfocused. Containing elements of a corporate satire, a romantic comedy, an affectionate look at an eccentric southern family, and a warm-hearted lesson about living through tough times, Elizabethtown fails to make any of these elements cohere. Orlando Bloom gives a one note performance, but he is playing a one note character who spends the whole film in a listless suicidal funk doing little more than waiting to cry. He offers nothing that compels an audience to pay attention to him, so the average viewer will begin focusing on the edges of the film. Crowe obliges by stuffing the film with ancillary characters. Alec Baldwin, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon, and Bruce McGill all have a scene or two that showcases their talent, but they are also each given moments so misconceived that they produce little more than head-scratching disbelief in the audience. Playing a character simply too good to be true, Dunst embodies her perfect, unselfish woman with just enough pain below the surface to make her interesting even though she remains entirely unbelievable. Without her, the film would be close to unbearable. What makes this mess of a movie all the more fascinating is that Crowe’s relentless bittersweet melancholy seems entirely heartfelt. He is not talking down to his audience, tricking them into feeling big emotions. Crowe’s honesty and earnestness make it difficult to hate the film because he plainly believes the moral of his own story. However he became so focused on sharing his feelings in each moment that he never saw the big picture. Elizabethtown is a mess of a movie that only a talented writer could create.

That Large Sucking Sound

2005-10-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

He's going to make Carson Daly look like David Frost.

Happy Birthday, Memo!

2005-10-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

Moviegeek Memo celebrates it's first anniversary today. Thank you to all the loyal readers, the occasional readers, the bookmarkers, and all friends old and new.

A special shout out to Matt T - The Patron Saint of the Memo. Truly, this does not exist without you. Thank you and congratulations on your newest project.

Proof Review

2005-10-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

John Madden’s adaptation of David Auburn’s award-wining Proof retains much of the work’s outstanding dialogue. There is a lack of emotional immediacy to the film, but that has more to do with the characters being from a highly academic world. These are people who are always attempting to be exact and clear, and much of the drama of Gwenyth Paltrow’s character – a part she played on stage in London - comes simply from the fact that she does not want to face in clear and exact terms what she is feeling. The trick to the presenting this material is maintaining the balance between the characters. The audience has to constantly wonder which of these characters they can believe. Madden does a fine job of keeping this element of the play in tact, even if Jake Gyllenhaal’s Hal tips the scale by being played a bit too nice. Madden also does not “open up” the play so much as go deeper into it. He does a fine job editing the film in order to reveal information in ways one is unable to on the stage. This is a fine film with solid performances.

The Report on the Colbert Report

2005-10-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert's remarkable talent is on full display in his new Comedy Central series The Colbert Report. It is a dead-on satire of Bill O' Reily, Chris Matthews and every other talking head with shows like theirs. The first episode laid out the comic premise of the show with a sharp edged wit that stings in large part because Colbert, just as he did non The Daily Show, never cracks a smile. He does not let the audience in on the joke. When one considers how the point of the show is to put on display how idiotic Reilly and his ilk are, that lack of a wink to the audience hammers home the concept that all of those TV personalities are simply acting as well. The show itself may run out of steam, after all he isn't skewering the news he's skewering a certain segment of the television media, but it is still a brilliant parody that draws blood from its victims and should leave any viewer laughing.

Television Will Eat Itself

2005-10-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

Don't believe it?

Good Night, and Good Luck Review

2005-10-13T05:06:00.000-07:00

Had George Clooney's sophomore directorial effort been made for HBO or network TV it would be hailed as one of the all-time great made-for TV movies on a par with say Angels in America or Roots or Brian's Song. The film has a great look thanks in part to ace cinematographer Robert Elswitt. The black and white manages to recall the fifties television milieu of the film, and also helps drive home the stark sincerity of Clooney's intentions. The worst thing that can be said about the film is that it is very modest and straightforward. This is the kind of film that history teachers will be showing to high-school classes for a long time. There are no wasted shots. The performances are strong across the board, but it is David Strathairn who shines as Edward R. Murrow. His Murrow is a stoic, principled figure who doesn't even crack a smile during the course of the film, But Strathairn, really one of the best actors we have, understands the power of a subtle gesture when it comes from a person who gestures very little. He reveals the turmoil he is experiencing inside with merely the raise of an eyebrow. Not that he needs it, but this is the kind of performance that will keep an actor working in films for a decade. From his public life and his directorial career it is apparent that Clooney is turned on by show business and politics. This film is less ambitious than his debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, but it is certainly a better film. As long as he continues to balance his fascinations with show business and politics, and continues to offer up examinations on where those two powerful strains of American culture interact, Clooney should continue his growth as a smart and interesting director.

In Her Shoes Review

2005-10-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Unlike many adaptations of novels, Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes feels like they retained almost everything that happened in the book. The film is loaded with incidents, events, and behavior. In lesser hands the sheer amount of all that storytelling materials would sink most films. However, Hanson has proven to be one of the best workmanlike directors of his time. He can work and work well in any genre because he understands both how to tell a story and how to put a film together that is always entertaining to watch. As he does with each of his films, Hanson gets superb work from his actors. Cameron Diaz surprises by playing a character almost wholly unsympatheitic for much of the film. Her willingness to play a selfish, self-loathing, good-time-girl goes against her endearing image, allowing her to improve as an actor without sacrificing an ounce of her sex appeal. Toni Collette believably plays both halves of her ambivalence towards Diaz's character, always tempered by her character's straight-laced, in-control role as the big sister. She gets the best moment in the film when she discovers an act of betrayal committed by her sister and hits her with an insult so perfect that the audience may laugh until a split second later when they realize how devastating a remark it is. Shirley MacLaine shines as the long-lost grandmother of the sisters. While MacLaine has a history of playing larger-than-life, this time around she plays a very grounded older woman who knows what she is, knows what she has done, and has the strength to try to make things right. Like the two main characters, In Her Shoes is flawed but certainly appealing.

Flightplan Review

2005-10-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Jodie Foster gives a performance in Flightplan that is way better than the film deserves. She embodies intelligence mixed with an end-of-one’s-emotional-tether intensity with a force that compels a viewer to believe what she is experiencing, but the problem is that what happens in the film is so implausible that the audience becomes disconnected from the film. As the situation grows more and more ridiculous it becomes easy to wish that an actress less talented than Foster were playing the lead. The problem is compounded by a pitch perfect Peter Sarsgaard who understands exactly what kind of film he is in and delivers a scene-chewing performance that allows the viewer to laugh at the silliness of the situation without minimizing the director’s intended level of menace. Director Robert Schentke so enjoys playing sub-Hitchcockian games with perspective and framing that he has no time to focus on anything else. An attempt to comment on the ease with which a crowd can make racist conclusions about Arabs is simply exploitative, sickeningly so when one ponders on how easily the screenwriter and director let the audience and the characters off the hook in this regard. The third act is a clunky mess, offering one implausible scene after another until all that is left is sympathy for an actress who gave her all and was given no support whatsoever.

Just in Time for Halloween

2005-10-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

Trick or treating with Scruffy

Thanks Dana, TV Goddess.

Child Actors

2005-10-04T04:54:00.000-07:00

The gifted actress Sarah Polley recently exchanged E-mails with Terry Gilliam, who directed her when she was a child. There is much to discuss about the exchange, but what I am most impressed with is the lack of defensiveness on both of their parts. This might have been difficult for both of them, but do not doubt that these are both adults with strong points of view.

Thanks Jen!

Idol chatter

2005-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

This might very well become the most successful American Idol related project ever, unless Fantasia learns to read.

Just a little off-color humor to start your weekend

2005-09-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is the name I use whenever I log into chat rooms on the Weather Channel website.

Thanks Scott!