November 2009

Jeff wings it for the Greendale Community College debate team in a match-up against City College.Add this to your queueAdded: Fri Nov 06 01:32:09 UTC 2009Air date: Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 21:15Closed captions available.

Peter attacks Sylar, determined to bring Nathan back, while Claire and Gretchen tour the Carnival.Add this to your queueAdded: Tue Nov 24 00:06:05 UTC 2009Air date: Mon Nov 30 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 43:00Closed captions available.

Kenneth is on a mission to make TGS green-friendly, while Liz faces a real estate dilemma.Add this to your queueAdded: Mon Nov 16 22:29:04 UTC 2009Air date: Thu Nov 19 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 21:20Closed captions available.

The cast and crew welcome the latest actor to join the TGS family.Add this to your queueAdded: Fri Nov 06 01:32:09 UTC 2009Air date: Fri Nov 13 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 21:22Closed captions available.

James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) had been looking forward to a trip to Europe and then the Columbia University in New York after his graduation from college. But sudden financial problems of his parents means no financial support from them – so no trip to Europe, instead James has to find a job to finance his [...]

Bijo to Ekitaininigen (THE H-MAN) (1958)Directed by Ishirô HondaSpecial Effects Director: Eiji TsuburayaStarring:Akihiko Hirata as Inspector TominagaYumi shirakawa as Chikako AraiKenji Sahara – Dr. MasadaMakoto Satô – UchidaThe great Japanese director, Ishirô Honda, made films constructed like Russian nesting dolls: The surface layer is always something grand and commercial, certainly, but once opened, layers of treasures come into the light.Honda never saw things simply, or easily. Like the artist he was, he would see the core of any film he was assigned (he worked for Japan’s Toho Studios) through his own crystal prism. Thus, his 1956 masterpiece, Gojira (Godzilla), a film about a giant lizard destroying Tokyo (and magnificent on those simple terms), becomes a film about the horrors of nuclear war and the essential goodness of mankind. And no assigned project was given anything less than the full Honda vision. Thus, his 1969 Gojira Minira Gabara Ōru Kaijū Daishingeki (All Monsters Attack), while often thought of as the worst film in the Godzilla franchise, is actually a delicate and moving film about a child’s alienation in a harsh, urban world of crushing poverty.Which brings us to The H-Man, which is a prime example of the kind of sci-fi thriller that Toho Studios loved to make all through the atomic age and beyond. In short, a number of humans have been mutated by radiation into a gelatinous, glowing liquid – driven to slither and ooze from Tokyo’s sewer system to cover and absorb more humans. It’s a wonderful premise and one guaranteed to put butts into movie seats (the well-known American film, The Blob, had a very similar monster but, as both films came out the same year, the similarity seems purely and wonderfully coincidental). Given the assignment, Honda instantly applied himself to making a gangster film, placing the film’s focus on the story of a tough cop, Inspector Tominaga (Akihiko Hirata), and his crack team of untouchables.Tominaga is determined to crush the Tokyo underworld. Sure, some members of the drug and crime gangs have become blue radiated slush that goops under doors and down walls, but that is beside the point. For much of the film, they are criminal scum first, radiated monster ooze second. Honda has envisioned a direct and linear crime film with an undertone of effective, very creepy sci-fi – not the other way around. And Honda will have his way!The movie opens, as do so many films from this era, with an atomic explosion. As the titles roll, we see the bomb dissolve into a shot of a ship, drifting on a night sea. The ship appears deserted and is shrouded in fog. Clearly, a mystery ship, somehow effected by the radiation of the atomic blast. Honda’s editing in this opening sequence is masterful, as he moves the camera over the wet decks of the ghost ship, supported nearly subconsciously by forlorn foghorn, dissolving into a shot of water sluicing along a gutter into a Tokyo sewer with the sound of hissing rain. We see a pair of feet running along a rain-spattered night street, and sooth as silk we have moved into a noir world of shadows and crime.The camera pulls back, and we see a Tokyo night street slick with rain and streetlights. It is obvious that we are watching a crime in progress, as a getaway driver is nervously smoking and awaiting his partner. A man emerges from a nearby sewer, lifting the grate and replacing it, carrying a satchel of stolen goods. His partner at the wheel impatiently beeps the horn, as the thief races to the back of the car and begins to open it with a key. Suddenly his body stiffens and a look of horror and pain grip his wet face. He drops the satchel as if partially paralyzed. He struggles, barely managing to pull a small automatic from his inside coat pocket. Small gurgles of agony are forcing themselves through his clenched teeth. With a crazed expression he aims the pistol down, staring at something near the ground, just off camera; and his eyes have gone white-rimmed. He begins firing wildly, appearing to be shooting himself in the leg.His driver behind the wheel, upon watching his partner firing his pistol wildly at his own foot and generally behaving like a lunatic for no apparent reason, decides very quickly to dissolve their partnership and tromps the gas pedal with all his might, speeding off down the street. Left alone now, the thief staggers around in the rain a moment before he is struck by a car. Everyone runs to the scene but finds nothing but a pile of wet clothes, a hat and shoes. The satchel of stolen goods is left on the street in the rain. Again Honda’s camera pauses for a moment on the fall of the rain, dancing over the vacant clothes and satchel, and again the camera moves smoothly, following the rush of water were it sluices through the grate of a nearby curb sewer.The satchel is full of stolen drugs, a great deal of drugs worth a ton of yen. Police determine that was stolen from a local thug, who is brought in for questioning. Local thug quickly revels the seller, a drug dealer named Misake (who police suspect stole the drugs back in a double-cross). Detectives bring in Misake’s girlfriend, Chikako Arai (Yumi Shirakawa), who is a singer in a local nightclub, for questioning. She is plunked down across the interrogation table from Inspector Tominaga, who up to this point has only orchestrated his team of detectives in the investigation. This is the first time we see this ice cold son of a bitch in action, and it is immediately clear our little songbird is in a world of trouble.We first see Chikako’s reaction to Tominaga’s voice as he interrogates her, see her reaction to the inspector’s questioning. Her face is pale, and she is having trouble maintaining eye contact. She swallows hard and nearly flinches at Tominaga’s voice, which isn’t loud at all – simply hard:“You say you live with him, but don’t know what he’s been doing?”We cut to Tominaga’s face. His face is flat, angular, eyes black and bright – a hawk spotting a field mouse in the grass far below. Chikako’s words come in a rush: “when I ask him he yells at me and tells me it’s none of my business.”Tominaga’s face registers nothing. If she had hopes for a moment of sympathy, his reaction crushes them to ashes. He watches her a moment, then reaches into his jacket pocket for his lighter. “Television set,” her remarks casually, Three-mirror makeup stand.” He places a cigarette in his mouth. “You have a lot of nice things.” His detectives take their cues perfectly. If Misake is doing nothing wrong, how can he buy you nice things! barks one detective, who thrusts his face at her. Don’t be stupid! shouts another. You knew he was dealing drugs!“I bought the TV!” she says urgently.Instantly Tominaga strikes: “You sing at a night club, right?”Chikako realizes her mistake but cannot change course now. The Russians have a saying: In lies, you may always go forward, but you cannot go back. Either she admits she knew her boyfriend was dealing drugs, or she admits making more a month than her “career” would allow. She lowers her eyes. “Yes,” she says. She will have great difficulty meeting the inspector’s eyes for the rest of the interrogation.Tominaga speaks softly, gently applying the teeth of the trap: “How much do you earn a month?”“Depends on the month,” says Chikako. Tominaga simply stares at her. “About 50 or 60 thousand yen,” she says finally, staring down. One of the detective smirks and crosses his arms. Tominaga simply smiles. He has forced her to admit that she is a prostitute.“So that's how you can buy a TV,” he says, almost gently.Eventually detectives show Chikako some of the personal items that were found in the vacated, soggy clothes at the crime scene, which she identifies as Misake’s. Tominaga thanks her for her time, allows her to leave. She bows deeply, still unable to raise her eyes, and exits. Letting her go? says one of the detectives. “She’s very pretty,” says Tominaga, his voice brutal in its casual tone. “Misake won’t leave her alone.” He has broken the girl and strapped her down like a lamb to bait wolves.But Misake is no longer Misake, of course, having been absorbed by the H-Man (or H-Men, it is never clear how many there are). We are to quickly learn that the ghost ship, seen at the beginning of the film, is in fact the origin of the H-Monsters. The ship has passed through a radioactive fallout from a nuclear test, turning the crew into radioactive, hungry goo.* Once pulled into dock in a Tokyo harbor, the monsters slither and slurp off the decks and into the nearby city. The underworld is the first element of society to encounter the H-Men because, like the irradiated monsters, they use Tokyo’s sewer system as a base of operations – the gangers for it’s privacy, the monsters for it’s moisture.In fact, the film stages it’s wonderful finale in beneath the city’s streets, in the dark, wet caverns of the sewers, as police storm through the tunnels with cleansing fire! But let’s flesh out a few of the details as we take care of The Good Stuff!The Good Stuff, Part I: Eiji Tsuburaya and the horror of real time.Yes, Ishirô Honda was intent on making a fine crime film, but that didn’t stop his oft-partner, special effects genius, Eiji Tsuburaya, from making a first-class sci-fi film full of horrors and nightmares. To discuss Tsuburaya’s achievements in anything short of a book is impossible if not insulting. For those wishing a full and proper treatment, let me recommend August Ragone’s Eiji Tsuburaya! Master of Monsters; where those curious can discover the man behind the golden age of Japanese science fiction film (the photo I have included of Tsuburaya on the set of Mothra is scanned from Ragone’s book). Suffice to say here he was the man that built the Tokyo for Godzilla to stomp. Miniaturization was his specialty – his genius – and for the most part, all his effects were done in “real time,” meaning that nothing was ever done on a computer or with stop-motion animation. Men in rubber suits, mostly, fit the bill; smashing and crashing their way through entire cityscapes designed by this artist.In The H-Man, the challenge was to simulate the effects of monster slime dissolving and liquefying a human host. Tsuburaya used life-sized latex dolls, dressed them, then let the air out while filming at a slightly increased speed - accompanied of course with appropriate strangled screams and slurps. The effect was so dramatic, many scenes were edited down for the American release to lessen the horrifying punch. To simulate the blob-like monsters flowing ooze, Tsuburaya constructed sets to roll on 60 degree slants so that the gelatinous slime could slide up legs and walls.Even something as simple and easy to miss as the fist scene with the ghost ship, drifting on a foggy sea, was all done in miniature in the massive water tank on the grounds of Toho Studios. The ship here is astounding and quite typical of the work of Tsuburaya. The final burning of Tokyo (more on this later) is all miniatures as well. Simply amazing.The Good Stuff, Part II: Akihiko Hirata – Cool at the Center.I have been a fan of actor Akihiko Hirata since I watched his mad doctor save Tokyo in Honda’s 1954 Gojira. His tortured, moving performance was just so perfectly controlled, so reserved and – yes – just plain cool. There is something about a Hirata character that always seems unhurried and slightly remote from the frantic thrashings of his fellow humans, particularly when others are devoured by chaos and panic. He dwells always in the perfect eye of the hurricane.His character here, Inspector Tominaga, never raises his voice or even looks angry. Yet men jump when he speaks, suspects wilt under his gaze; even friends approach with caution. His secret is this: when he speaks, it is the hard, blunt truth without any sugar for easy consumption. When he easily corners and breaks the nightclub singer, Chikako, slowly defining the way she actually makes her money; she crumples as if having to face this truth for the first time.After Chikako identifies a few of her boyfriend’s personal belongings, and is on the point of tears, Tominaga stares straight into her eyes and says. “It would be best for Misake to turn himself in. His friends will kill him.” Chikako hears, and knows instantly that it is the truth, and any residual resistance she has – any last protective urge she may harbor for her drug-dealing boyfriend, is smashed. Her face is blank, terrified, and very pale as the cruel honesty of this bastard cop nests itself in her mind.Every sci-fi movie must contain at least one slightly dreamy-eyed but hugely brilliant scientist who will come to the law or military with a pet theory of alien invasions or atomic mutation. No exception here, and before long we are given Dr. Asada (Kenji Sahara), an assistant professor specializing in biochemistry. He has a theory about atomic radiation and its ability to transform a human into liquid, and he has read about the strange disappearance of the criminal, Misake. This has led him to sniffing around Misake’s girlfriend, Chikako, which has gotten him arrested and brought before the desk of Inspector Tominaga.But wait! Asada and Tominaga are old friends. Whew, what a relief! The professor visibly relaxes as Tominaga kids him about drinking in clubs when he should be working in the lab! Yuk, yuk – just two old friends kidding one another. Dr. Asada even gives one of the lowly detectives a smirk, as if putting him in his place. We caught him talking to Chikako Arai, says the lowly detective, giving his boss a note Asada had written to the girlfriend/singer.Tominaga stares at the note a moment and sits down. He looks up at his friend, no longer smiling. “This is your handwriting?” he asks.The professor nods yes, a simple statement of fact. Nothing to worry about at all.The Inspector continues to stare at the professor. One senses a change. “How do you know Misake and Chikako?”The professor hasn’t caught the shifting tide. He answers easily, “I read about them in the paper.”Tominaga grins, displaying a smile that resembles the natural, joyless expression of a crocodile. “You normally go see people that are in the newspaper?” Suddenly we notice a tone that is not friendly. Not friendly at all. We also notice that the professor has not been invited to sit. He stands coat in hand, suddenly understanding that the floor has dropped out from under him. He blanches, "Well, I . . .“ He seems unsure of his footing. A uniform cop has mercy and slides a chair over to him. The professor drops into it. “What if I don’t tell you?” he asks.“We’ll put you in jail,” answers Tominaga, still smiling.The professor/friend suddenly is simply a suspect on the hot seat. “I guess I have no choice,” he says in a soft voice all full of humble.That’s right, Mr. assistant professor with the nutty theory, you have no choice. Because this guy with the toothy, unhappy smile and pearl-black eyes isn’t your friend, he’s a cop. Before he is a mother’s son, before he is a husband or father, before he is even a man, he’s a cop. An officer of the law that will put your brainy ass in jail before you have time to piss your tweed trousers. So loosen that tie, Poindexter, and start talking.The Good Stuff III: Honda and the Hottest Club in Tokyo.At one point in the film, super cop Tominaga decides to take his crack team of detectives to the club where Chikako sings (and drug gangsters hang out) and start cracking some heads. He’s gotten real tired of the nutty professor and his crackpot theories of radioactive melting men. Where his egghead friend imagines Misake an atomic mutation, our crime-buster imagines a straight forward drug killing among double crossers. Much like his educated friend, though, Tominaga does have a little pet theory he’s eager to work out: He suspects the missing Misake will show up the club of his girlfriend or, at the least, his associates must know where he is. Tominaga strongly suspects if taken to a back room at police headquarters, and thereupon beaten badly with a rolled up newspaper or truncheon, many of Misake’s criminal associates will reveal Misake’s fate or whereabouts briskly and without further irritating delay. Eager to field test this hypothesis, team Tominaga head down to the Cabaret Homura, just in time for cocktail hour and Chikako’s floor show.The following scene in the jazz-drenched nightclub is a beauty for several reasons. First, if I had to choose one nightclub in the history of movies for an evening’s entertainment, it would be this one. Ladies and gents, Club Homura swings! From the hot band all dressed in cream-colored suits to the gorgeous dancers, it looks like one fine time. The service looks absolutely top flight, and the singer (Chikako) can really give purr the sultry (on this evening, she sings in English – a little number called “How Deep is My Love”). I can’t think of another film where a club scene so perfectly captures the Atomic Age in all its splendor.More importantly, this scene gives Honda a chance to use his camera, and he tells this short, one-act tale of cops vs. robbers with a keen, wordless efficiency that boggles the mind and treats the eye.We watch as Inspector Tominaga sits at his table, entertaining his lovely date, while he sketches the club’s layout on a pad of paper; placing a circle at the tables where he can identify members of Tokyo’s criminal underworld (to his companion, it seems he is idly doodling). With a nod of his head, he positions two-man teams throughout club, some at the door, others at the bar. While this goes on, a waiter is scurrying around, telling the gangsters of Tominaga’s presence.Then, when the club band breaks into their loudest number, Tominaga springs his trap. He begins smiling at each gangster, one by one, tipping his glass to them as if telling them of his plans for a back-room interrogation. “Who is that?” asks his foxy date, noticing him giving a table his frosty, rapacious grin. “Some friends,” he says, not breaking eye contact with the table of criminals.And, one by one, they wilt under the weight of Tominaga’s steel-trap smile and decide to head for the exits – grabbing their girls by the upper arms and hastily snuffing out cigarettes. And, one by one, Tominaga gives his teams a signal whereupon they spring after the prey like packs of hunting dogs. The sound of the band wailing on hot jazz cover up the gunshots as thugs wrestle with cops at the doors. The beauty of the scene is that it is done with virtually no dialogue. We have nothing but Honda’s smooth camera work and direction to tell the tale, and it is more than enough.While arrests are being made and arms are twisted harshly behind backs, we discover that Tominaga was correct, after a fashion. Misake does return to the club, only in the form of the sludgy, creeping, radioactive H-Man, intent on feasting on some old friends to stay alive, particularly an old friend named Uchida (Makoto Satô) who double-crossed Mistake on the original drug theft. The H-Man can’t catch up to his double-crossing ex-friend, but he does manage to liquefy several members of the club and one cop in particularly gruesome fashion for a night’s work. So, this scene serves also to get cop and scientist on the same page, working together. Tominaga has been a hard man to convince regarding theories of a radioactive slush killer, but watching one of his best cops turn to bubbling slime gets him on board in one hot hurry.The Good Stuff Part IV: – All worlds meet in the bowels of Tokyo or Fire Solves Everything!After escaping the slimy mitts of the H-Man, Uchida kidnaps the club singer, Chikako (whom he has always lusted after, even when she was Misake’s) and heads for the city’s sewers, where he has stashed his own cache of stolen drugs, for the movie’s rip-snorting finale.The river of waste and decay that run along the concrete tubes beneath the city, like ribbons of a grotesque bowel under the city’s skin, is the dank, claustrophobic universe were all worlds meet. For while Uchida retreats to his awful sanctuary, trudging through the knee deep pollution with automatic in one hand and Chikako’s wrist in the other; the blue, glowing mutants have fled to their sanctum sanatorium as well, running in thick rivulets along the walls chasing after the fleeing pair.Honda draws both words - the one of sci-fi horror and the one of gritty urban crime – patiently together, pulling all concerned toward the twilight world of Tokyo’s sewers with a watchmaker’s precision. He winds the tension in his watch, too, with a master’s stroke: He has the authorities declare a marshal law and has Tokyo evacuated. He clears the stage, then, for his grand finale. While Uchida drags a filth-drenched Chikako through the sewers’ tunnels (actress Yumi Shirakawa certainly earned her pay here), Inspector Tominaga plans his attack on the creatures beneath his city; and considering what Tominaga has in mind, the complete evaluation of the city of Tokyo is not an overreaction. No ifs, ands, or buts - Tominaga intends to put this case to rest in the first attempt.In a packed boardroom, using his pointer like a epée, Tominaga bends over a grand map of the city’s sewer system and lays out his plans. His voice is so official, his commands so sharp, it takes a moment to grasp what he has in mind. “The gasoline attack will begin at 10:00 p.m.,” he says, indicating dozens of push pins stuck in the sewer map at various locations. “Once the public has evacuated, we will ignite the gas simultaneously."Yes, Tominaga’s plan of attack is to dump thousands upon thousands of gallons of gasoline into the sewer system and light it. The push pins indicate the “fire ignition groups” that will set of this giant gas bomb “simultaneously.” Well, yep, that should do ‘er. The dozens of officials listening all nod their heads in approval once Tominaga has finished. Yes, yes. Fine plan. You guys sure you don’t see a potential problem with Tominaga’s tactical masterpiece? Anyone? No? Well, OK, then, light it up.Does it work? You bet. H-Mann all gone. I’ll add this, though: Tominaga would use a sledgehammer to open a music box with a sticky clasp, and frankly, I love him for that. Also, I’ll tell you this much more. The skunk Uchida doesn’t get cleansed by fire. Nope, he doesn’t get off that light. He goes by goo in what I have learned in researching this movie gave lots of young movie watchers severe nightmares.You really should see this film. It will make you feel smart to have seen it. It’s that good.Now, let's go to the club and watch Tominaga in action! -- Radiation Cinema!* The fate of the boat in the film is, sadly, based on fact. A Japanese fishing vessel, The Lucky Dragon No. 5, encountered the heavy fallout resulting from the Castle Bravo nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. All 23 crewmembers suffered from acute radiation syndrome, the symptoms of which include, headaches, nausea, bleeding from gums, burns, etc. Within 6 months, the chief radio operator, Aikichi Kubouama, 40, was dead from injures. At the time of the test, the ship was operating well outside the danger zone, as given in US Government warnings, but the test was twice as powerful as expected.

Director: Gary Gray

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meany

The worst complaints I have about Law Abiding citizen are not the ridiculous plot or the tired, overdone evil genius character. The worst part of this project is that it has made alot of money and will encourage more crap to shoot out of [...]

Claire courts trouble after the sorority attack; Matt vows to destroy Sylar at any cost; Peter helps Emma start a new life.Add this to your queueAdded: Fri Nov 06 01:32:09 UTC 2009Air date: Mon Nov 09 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 42:38Closed captions available.

It's a rocky Thanksgiving for the Bennets, the Petrellis and the Carnival, as the chips start to fall.Add this to your queueAdded: Thu Nov 19 20:42:05 UTC 2009Air date: Mon Nov 23 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 43:14Closed captions available.

Relationships are put to the test when Mac and Dennis decide to spend some time apa

There’s nothing more American than wrestling.

Constantin von Jascheroff über seinen Bruder und "GZSZ"

The Scranton branch gets wind of troubling rumors swirling Dunder Mifflin's future.Add this to your queueAdded: Fri Nov 06 01:32:09 UTC 2009Air date: Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 22:04Closed captions available.

Leslie gets upset when she learns the library department wants to take over her lot.Add this to your queueAdded: Wed Nov 04 22:21:09 UTC 2009Air date: Thu Nov 05 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 21:38Closed captions available.

Study group members try to help Jeff when they learn he is living out of his car; Pierce joins Vaughn's (Eric Christian Olsen) band.Add this to your queueAdded: Sun Nov 01 22:30:13 UTC 2009Air date: Thu Nov 05 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 21:15Closed captions available.

Still holding Charlie, Samuel sends Hiro back in time to do some dirty work, and Sylar finally gets his day of reckoning. Or does he?Add this to your queueAdded: Mon Nov 16 22:29:04 UTC 2009Air date: Mon Nov 16 00:00:00 UTC 2009Duration: 42:02Closed captions available.

What are we really looking for in a zombie movie? Blood and guts with a little suspense thrown in right? Ok, The Norwegians have managed to make a really good and gory zombie flick that’s well worth watching. It seems like under the radar gems these days are coming from other countries. I think the days of this kind of gore and complete disregard for the politically correct rules are over in American cinema. A small warning for the younger crowd, this is an absolute, complete gore fest and wont sit well for those who don’t like blood.
It starts just as most zombie or slasher films do. A group of young adults headed to some remote location for a weekend of fun, sex and whatever, but this little snowy retreat holds a deep dark secret. During world war II, a Nazi squad sent to hold the town for strategic reasons but ended up torturing its villagers until they revolted. they chased the Nazis out of the town and in to the mountains. The problem is, they never left, and now the mountain is an evil place where unspeakable things happen and people are warned not to go anywhere near.
Its just good gory fun. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking violence, but it is really quite good for a foreign zombie movie. Enjoy it if you dare.
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I always thought this book would make better movie than the DaVinci Code, just because there was more action and suspense. The murders were pretty gruesome, and, you don’t have to sit through the history lesson. Where it was obviously impossible to squeeze all the information and detail contained in the DaVinci Code in to a 2 hour or even a 4 hour movie, Angels and Demons fits that movie mold much better. That being said, some how, Ron Howard just cant seem to make these books into blockbusters, as much as everyone wishes they would be (myself included). The movie is good, better than DaVinci Code easily, but there is just something missing. I don’t know what it is (maybe it’s just me).
Robert Langdon – Tom Hanks is once again called in to solve a crime. During the conclave, the process where Catholic cardinals gather in Rome to elect a new Pope, someone has abducted four of the members and is threatening to kill them (one each hour) until the final act, the destruction of Vatican City itself. Religion and science collide once again as Langdon must decipher the clues and rescue the cardinals with the help of a pretty young Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra – Ayelet Zurer, while he tries find the mole within the Vatican, all the while being hindered and obstructed by the ones he’s trying to help. A race against the clock thriller with a pretty spectacular twist ending.
All in all the movie is good, I just wanted great. Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, good book, come on. I want great. So here’s the question, is it What-to-Watch?…Absolutely, Yes it is, better than most of the movies this year, enjoy.
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Instead of falling in love, this time Sandra Bullock uses her love to inspire!  Host Grace Randolph asks audiences if that's something they want to see.

Are audiences on Team Edward or Team Jacob?!  Host Grace Randolph finds out this franchise is a one hit wonder or the real deal!

Host Grace Randolph finds out if this is the end of cinema as we know it!  Audiences share their reviews of this holiday blockbuster!

Get ready for psychedelic war, man!  Host Grace Randolph asks audiences if George Clooney's new film is an all out farce, or if it has some bite.

Will this movie scare you, intrigue you, or confuse you?  Host Grace Randolph asks audiences what they think of Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly's latest film!

October 30 – November 1, 2009. Michael Jackson might be the King of Pop, but how about the box office?  Host Grace Randolph gives you the latest box office report plus her own review of The Stepfather!

November 20 - 22, 2009. The Twilight Saga wreaks havoc on the box office! Host Grace Randolph gives you the latest box office report plus her own review of The Blind Side!

BY AUSTIN BURBRIDGE. SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (CINEMA MINIMA) — Cinema Minima is covering the American Film Market from 2009 November 4 Wednesday to November 11 Wednesday. For updates follow <twitter.com/cinemaminima>.Complete stories, reviews, and analysis will appear here shortly.

" Dog the Bounty Hunter ", A&E's hit Real-Life series, is returning with a brand new season beginning Wednesday, December 2 at 9PM ET/PT with a special one-hour premiere - marking the 150th episode of one of the most successful franchises on television. Viewers are in for a wild ride as the world's most famous bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman, comes back with more action-packed adrenaline fueled hunts from Hawaii to Colorado, tracking down fugitives along side his wife Beth and fearless

A&E's 2009 Emmy® Award-winner for Outstanding Reality Program "Intervention" and critically acclaimed "Hoarders" return for all-new seasons with back-to-back premieres on Monday, November 30th at 9:00 PM ET/PT and 10:00PM ET/PT.

The eighth season premiere of "Intervention," features Linda, who after graduating from college found success working as an extra in Hollywood, achieving the glamorous life she always wanted. Linda's dreams died when she came down with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare

Der Schauspieler Manuel Cortez über "Californication"

Do You Give Green Thanks?
By Sara Novak

How many days before feast day should you buy your holiday produce?
Four days out
1 week out
2 days out
Read the full story on Planet Green

BY OGOVA ONDEGO. NAIROBI, KENYA (CINEMA MINIMA) — The Lola Kenya Screen film festival for children and youth calls upon children, youth, amateurs, students, and professionals to submit quality films that focus on children, ages 13 and under; youth, ages 14 to 25; or families, including adults ages 25 and over. The fifth edition of the annual event will take place in August 2010. The deadline for film submissions is 2010 April 15. There is no entry fee.

Experimental films, television series, and video games will be accepted. Even creatively packaged music videos, tackling issues related to children, youth, and family — and which provide strong role models to children and youth while speaking positively to children of diverse backgrounds — are welcome.

Showcases and Awards

Selected films will be showcased under various categories, with those starring children between ages of 6-13 competing for the prestigious Lola Kenya Screen Golden Mboni award for the best children’s film; those featuring children above 14 years competing for the Lola Kenya Screen 14-Plus Prize for the best youth film.

Workshops

The festival not only showcases films; it also places audiovisual media production tools into the hands of children and youth. It has equipped 92 children with basic skills — 47 in filmmaking, 19 in creative journalism, nine in events organization and presentation, and 17 in the critical appreciation of films. Its annual film production workshops have realised 20 short animations and eight documentaries.

Lola Kenya Screen Film Festival entry rules and submission form are online in PDF format. Details about the festival, and other Lola Kenya Screen activities are available at the Lola Kenya Screen Web site.

Films must be received between 2009 December 1, and 2010 April 15. Entries must reach the Lola Kenya Screen no later than 2010 April 15.

The festival — which recognizes that adults must be sensitised into creating for and with children and youth — has been held annually since 2006. By its fourth edition in August 2009, Lola Kenya Screen had showcased 1,450 films from six continents. The 2009 edition had attracted 315 films in 33 languages, out of which more than 250 were shown to over three thousand people.

The 2009 Golden Mboni prize went to IO PARLO by Marco Gianfreda of Italy, the Silver Mboni to THE HAPPY DUCKLING by Gili Dolev of Scotland/Israel, and the Bronze Mboni to PAMELA by James Kanja of Kenya. The Golden Mboni has been awarded since 2006.

The 14-Plus award was inaugurated in 2009, and was won by South Africa’s UGUGU NO ANDILE, a timeless love story set against the backdrop of a political war, directed by Minky Schlessinger. The 14-Plus award for the second and third best youth films went to Norway’s A BEAUTIFUL TRAGEDY by David Kinsella, and to Kenya’s FROM A WHISPER by Wanuri Kahiu, respectively.

BY AUSTIN BURBRIDGE. 2009 AMERICAN FILM MARKET, SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (CINEMA MINIMA) — House of Film — a new film distributor headed by veteran distribution executive Ava B. — offers a bold and comprehensive strategy to address the new challenges faced by independent filmmakers in a volatile market.

The formation of this firm, and its new, “fusion distribution” strategy, throws light on the dramatic changes in the market for independent films.

The 2009 American Film Market was a laboratory for producers and distributors (and a few filmmakers) to discover precisely how the market has changed; to experiment with new ways to get films before audiences; and to devise new methods to recoup investments and to realize profits from their productions.

The new market for independent films

In 2009 the market for independent movies is smaller, and heterogeneous. A producer cannot depend on a single big sale to Hollywood to recoup her costs or make profits; nor can she afford to “leave money on the table,” in smaller markets, new media, or new venues for exhibition.

Now, a filmmaker must begin early — in preproduction — to think about how she will sell her movie, get it distributed, and market it to an audience. Putting off those questions until after a film would have been completed is no longer a practical option.

Audience development

With so very many different kinds of entertainment competing for time, attention, and dollars, a movie audience is no longer a given. Nowadays, a movie does not find its audience, nor does an audience discover a movie; instead, an independent movie production must develop an audience.

Independent filmmakers must start to do what Hollywood has been doing for decades — start to work early with media, advertisers, and sponsors to develop audiences using coherent combinations of publicity, promotion, and co-branding. These relationships would not only provide financing; they would also leverage partnerships with established brands to seize public awareness — and amplify a film’s marketing message far beyond the reach of publicity and advertising.

House of Film’s new strategy for a new market

In an exclusive interview with Cinema Minima, founder Ava B. — previously, Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions at LongTale, a foreign sales and intellectual property asset management company — explained her firm’s “Fusion Distribution” strategy.

“House of Film connects independent movies with both traditional and non-traditional distribution. We can reach the widest possible global audience and maximize producers’ revenue in a new ‘fusion distribution’ model.

“This new business model underscores our ability to incorporate product placement and integration, as well as sponsorships, into the production of quality independent films.

“Watching what’s happening to distribution these days — traditional distribution does not work any longer, but new distribution does not work yet,” she averred. This refers to the fact that — although the number of persons who go to the movies continues to decrease, and DVD sales are declining — the number of persons getting movies online has not increased so much as to make up the difference. In short, the total audience for motion picture entertainment is shrinking. As Ava B. puts it, “Filmmakers are independent, but filmmakers are lost: There is no good solution to make enough money from their content.

“So, putting together my experiences — and learning from the mistakes of other companies — I thought, all right, let’s put this together: What can work? The business model of this company, is basically, optimizing profits from any content; to look at the content and see how much it can carry:

• Find the optimum distribution strategy.
• Combine digital technologies with the best of the traditional methods, for both USA domestic and international distribution.
• Negotiate contracts that provide the most lucrative return.

“First, start at the top with the best options of traditional distribution, then go one level lower, one level lower, like television, then DVD … and go through all the levels of traditional distribution. We have something like eight thousand buyers in our database — we are rather well-connected, especially with Academy Award-worthy content [i. e., SUNRISE/SUNSET] that brings in the important buyers.

“Once we have finished with the traditional distribution, we monetize the content as much as possible across all media. We switch over to non-traditional distribution for the content,” she said, “and we are trying to find other ways to monetize the content, for example, sponsorships, or cover-mount deals.

Product Integration and product placement

“And, we are looking at movies in development, where we could do product integration or product placement. That is why it is important for the company to pick up quality movies, so that it would be well-positioned to be attractive to high-end brands, so that — the Chanels, the Diors, and the Pradas of the world would not mind being associated with our company. That’s the vision. That’s what we are aiming for. …

Worldwide distribution under the House of Film brand


”… And we pick up the content accordingly. House of Film offers worldwide distribution to films — of any genre — that meet the highest standards in aesthetics, with a special focus on movies that relate to design, fashion, or the arts. Visually, quality has to be ‘A-plus’; or, a picture must be innovative in its presentation. We can pick up high-art movies, or a horror movie — if it is quality — or even an action movie, or a documentary.”

House of Film’s current lineup reflects its openness to different kinds of films — as well as its insistence on superlative visual quality. “These are all pearls here,” Ava B. remarks.

• SUNRISE/SUNSET: DALAI LAMA XIV follows the iconic Tibetan leader for one day for an intimate — and revealing — portrait.
• BELLADONNA is a feature which uses time travel to examine the moment of a wedding to contrast the evanescence of courtship with the permanence of love.
• FOR THE NEXT 7 GENERATIONS presents 900 years of wisdom and prophecy from the 13 most-powerful female elders on the planet.
• TATTOOS is a gripping documentary enlivened by celebrity cameos.
• MILAREPA is the epic story of Tibet’s greatest yogi and saint.
• THE RAIN is a wordless, all-dancing sequence of ravishing tableaux of love and passion.

Fashion + Design + Filmmaking

In this new environment, a distributor must be more than an efficient business opertion. To be a nexus for buyers and sellers, a market-maker must have a recognizable identity, a theme, a focus.

“Since we are aiming at establishing relationships with advertisers and sponsors,” Ava B. explains, “I thought: There is something no one is doing yet — and there is such an obvious need for it. To connect the three big businesses — fashion, design, and filmmaking/film distribution — under one umbrella. I would like this company to be the connecting point.

“Buyers would know that — when they come to House of Film — whatever they find here will be beautiful. It can be the beauty of the soul; it can be the beauty of the form, or the design, the fashion; or it can be via the participation of an artist. … Sooner or later, we will be identified as the meeting point. There’s no company that does that. It is an interesting niche; a new concept.”

A return to quality

“These days, everyone is going for quantity over quality — they’re aggregating bigger and bigger,” she observes. “If everone is going one way, there is room for someone who is doing exactly the opposite — quality over quantity.”

A focus on quality is a welcome development. The recent glut of undistinguished motion picture entertainments — created by financial, not business, considerations — has damaged the “brand” of cinema. Audiences no longer trust the movies to reliably deliver the high-quality confections of spectacle, drama, meaning, and pleasure which had made the cinema the unrivaled form of popular entertainment throughout the twentieth century. This has been especially destructive of the interests of independent filmmakers and distributors. At the Independent Film & Television Alliance’s 2009 Production Conference, independent producer (and former studio head) Bill Mechanic complained that the principal challenges to independent films are neither finance nor distribution nor piracy, but poor quality and lack of originality.

If cinema is to retrieve its privileged place in the popular imagination, and to resume its stature as a business which attracts the best and the brightest, it must again invest in the fundamental mythic and visual qualities which are meaningful to its customers. Also, it must promote business practices which foster its long-term prospects, and deprecate decisions which are motivated by short-term, financial considerations.

House of Film comes to market with a powerful strategy, singular films, and savvy, experienced management. Navigating by the pole star of æsthetic quality, it is well-positioned to prosper in this new and challenging market.

Services offered by House of Film
Distribution under the House of Film label

• Worldwide, U.S. domestic, or international distribution for feature-length motion pictures — of any genre — that relate to fashion, design, or the arts; or that meet the highest æsthetic standards; or whose approaches are innovative or groundbreaking.

U.S. Domestic distribution

• Submission of films to more than 20 of the best Internet/DVD distribution companies
• Transfer of film to digital format to meet submission requirements
• Completion of all paperwork
• Marketing in concert with Internet/DVD distributors
• Insertion of search-engine-friendly metadata
• Transfer into appropriate formats of artwork and supporting materials
• Negotiation of all deals to ensure the best possible terms for the filmmaker
• Client approval of every deal
• Quarterly progress reports

Producer’s representation

• Submission of movies to multiple distribution platforms — U.S. domestic, and international
• Contract negotiation
• Consulting on all things distribution
• Consideration for international sales representation by high-end distribution companies

Content management

• Devising the optimum distribution strategy for clients’ films
• Monetization of content by creation multiple revenue streams

Marketing

• Product placement/product integration and sponsorships for movies with majority financing secured but still in development or post-production
• Cover mount deals
• Public Relations
• Alternative marketing
• Consultation on marketing strategy, including viral marketing and festival strategy

Technical

• Editing (or re-editing) of trailers or movies
• Format conversion

Production and creative development

• House of Film evaluates projects for their commercial viability. In addition, it facilitates creative process with screenplay coverage, cast, and project evaluation.

Strategic alliances

• House of Film will find — and introduce its clients to — synergistic partners within the design or fashion communities. Clients’ films benefit from creative, non-traditional advertising via sponsorships or product integration.

Contact

• <houseoffilm@houseoffilm.net>
• Telephone 1 + (818) 481-1289
• <www.houseoffilm.net>