March 2010

A&E returns the Emmy®-nominated "Sell This House" for an all-new eighth season beginning April 3 at 9:00 and 9:30am ET/PT followed by the premiere of the new original series "Fix This Yard," at 10:00 and 10:30am ET/PT. Both series air as part of A&E's Saturday morning lineup, The Big Fix.

Hosts Amy Devers and Alan Luxmore bring curb appeal to that eyesore at the end of the block in "Fix This Yard." Each week they meet a homeowner's frustrated friends, relatives or neighbors and get a

Chip Coffey, star of A&E's Paranormal State and Psychic Kids is bringing his Coffey Time event to Canada. Each event has two parts: a question-and-answer session followed by psychic readings performed from the stage. This is a rare opportunity for all fans of Paranormal State and Psychic Kids, so don't miss out.

VIP packages are also available for all events.

MAY 7
Edmonton
Myer Horowitz Theatre

MAY 8
Saskatoon
The Broadway Theatre

MAY 10
Winnipeg
Fort Garry Hotel

MAY 12

Well, what can you say. Quentin Tarantino at his usual fantastic best.
Dialog and character richness in a way that no one else can seem to manage. His movies are becoming a genre of their own since no one else can even come close to making a movie with that kind of substance. With an ensemble cast that’s absolutely stunning. Everyone delivers in this world war II fantasy where they manage to rewrite history.
An elite group or soldiers (Jewish soldiers) called the Basterds are being assembled to do one thing, kill Nazi’s. Lead by Lt. Aldo Raines (Brad Pitt) who tells his small group of men that as of now, they all owe him 100 Nazi scalps. They roam the countryside killing Nazi’s and collecting scalps. The other half of the plot has you following the Jew Hunter,
Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) who proceeds to steal the movie as the man the Germans call in when they need the best. During a raid on a small farm, Landa loses a teenage Jewish girl named
Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) and the film manages to follow her as she grows up and waits for the perfect time to exact her revenge. With the Basterds, Landa, and Shoshana all on a collision course the films last act is just what we all wish would have happened to end the war.
With the acting and dialog at its absolute best, this film was one the five best last year. If you are a fan of Tarantino’s movies (and I don’t know how you couldn’t be) this will be known as his best work since Pulp fiction. Exceptionally bloody and violent, the film is perfection on every level. Don’t miss it.
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• Fatal Attraction
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• Forbidden Kingdom
• Rambo
• Juno

BBC documentary on the precient global farming and food crisis, filmed in the UK. Featuring Martin Crawford (Agroforestry Research Trust), Fordhall Farm, Richard Heinberg and others. Topics covered are the influence of oil on the food production, food security, carbon emissions, sustainability and permaculture.

A chicken witnesses invaders to its habitat and attempts to brainwash its new visitors. My video is over 2 minutes in length, I know it won't be eligible for the competition, but I really just wanted the directors to see my work.

His relationship with his father strained in the wake of a family tragedy, rebellious New Yorker Tyler (Robert Pattinson) finds love with the one girl who understands him. Tyler wasn't looking for love, but that's exactly what he found when he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin). Enchanted by her beauty and inspired by her spirit, Tyler finds that his stran...

Training Day director Antoine Fuqua takes viewers on a dark ride through the streets of Brooklyn, following three New York Police officers as they wrestle with temptation, loyalty, and duty while attempting to uphold the law and deal with the pressures of the job. Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is days away from retirement, but he's been burnt-out for ...

Dog the Bounty Hunter is coming to your town... but don't worry, he's not chasing a dangerous fugitive! Everybody's favorite bounty hunter is on the road signing copies of his new book "Where Mercy is Shown, Mercy is Given":

Saturday, March 13 - 2:00 PM
HONOLULU
BARNES & NOBLE
Ala Moana Mall's Center Court
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814
808/737-3323 (store)

Tuesday, March 16 - 7:00 PM
LOS ANGELES
BORDERS
9301 Tampa Avenue
Northridge, CA 91324
818/886-5443 (store)

If you’re a fan of Family Guy and have been enjoying this amazing animated series of Fox Network since premiere, you may be disappointed to know the following.
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor has assaulted Family Guy TV show for satirizing the Down Syndrome of her son Trig in the episode aired this Sunday.      In the episode, viewers see that Chris Griffin, the son of Griffin family, dates a girl. That girl has Down syndrome The thing, which is not liked by Sarah Palin is that when Chris asks the girl about her parents, she says “My dad’s an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska”. The episode is entitled ‘Extra Large Medium’ aired on February 14, 2010. She first expressed her choler through Facebook, a very popular social networking site and once again in an interview on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’. The lady believes that the joke is directly towards her family and the disability of her son.
Even her daughter also speaks on the same matter. She says, “insults hurt too much for us to remain silent”.  She also adds, “If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks”.
Well, it’s not clear yet what Seth MacFarlane, the creator of this animated show, has to say about it all. What do you think fans? Did the writers really try to mock the Down Syndrome of Sarah Palin’s son or was it just a co-incidence? Go to the comment section and share your valuable words with the rest of the fans.  The topic really needs to be discussed.
Family Guy is soon to return with the ninth successful season in the fall of 2010. There will be very entertaining episodes as the show comes back with the new season. So get ready to grab it as soon as it hits the TV screens.
And, if you want to download Family Guy episodes of previous seasons, you can begin with us right now. We offer the complete seasons of the show with high quality sound and picture.

A symphony of design and power

Mind-blowing: the new Audi A8 tv ad

Are you in New York or LA and would like a manicure courtesy of Kirstie Alley's Big Life ? See below for more details!

Free Manicure*
Sat & Sun March 13 & 14
Compliments of Kirstie Alley's Big Life
A&E Real Life. Drama.

*All you have to do is ask for our exclusive Essie color "Life. Lick it." (and it's yours to keep)

At the following locations only while supplies last:

Los Angeles

Bellacures
239 N. Robertson Blvd.
(btwn Charleville Blvd. & Gregory Way)
Beverly Hills
Sat

A&E kicks off the original real-life series " Runaway Squad ," following former NYPD detective Joe Mazzilli and his team of private investigators, who track, rescue and reunite runaways with their families. The seven episode series will feature a special one-hour premiere on Monday, April 5 at 10 PM ET/PT on A&E followed by back-to-back half-hour episodes each week.

"Joe Mazzilli is a true New York character and a real-life superhero," said Robert Sharenow, Senior Vice President, Nonfiction

Everybody's excited for the series premiere of Kirstie Alley's Big Life , airing Sunday, March 21 at 10/9C. If you can't wait to get your fix of Kirstie, here's a list of her media appearances for the week of March 15:

Tuesday, March 16th

* The Today Show (8am hour)

* Live with Regis & Kelly

* The Late Show with David Letterman

Thursday, March 18th

* Larry King Live (full hour)

Director Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) team up to deliver this visually dazzling take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale. Nineteen-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is attending party at a lavish country estate when she sees a white rabbit with a pocket watch dart into the bushes. Curious, she follo...

Dr. House returns home to Princeton where he continues to focus on his recovery, but surprises Cuddy with the news that he’s making a big change in his life. Meanwhile, the team is unable to diagnose a loud-mouthed video game creator who posts each new symptom on the internet and opts for treatments suggested by the online community rather than by the doctors, and Foreman angles for Dr. House’s job, but the pressure to solve the case creates tension in his relationship with Thirteen.
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In this House Tv episode, a wealthy businessman brings his teenage son to the hospital and insists on having House handle the case; Foreman and Chase prepare to present information on the Dibala case.

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In this episode of House M.D, a drug dealer collapses during a sale, but refuses to reveal personal information to the team because it might incriminate him. Meanwhile, Foreman’s teammates conspire to play a practical joke on him, while House and Wilson both aim their sights on an attractive new neighbor, Nora.
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Cuddy has a day to herself when she has to deal with her personal and professional life, as well as House and his team.

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Dorothy Stratten came into the world as Dorothy Hoogstratten in Vancouver.

The hospital must keep a surrogate mother on life support until her fetuses are able to survive; Naomi dis

A patient's desire to end her life triggers haunting memories for Hunt; Arizona and Callie have different o

Dr. House checks in the psychiatric hospital and meets a few new characters including his roommate Alvie (guest star Lin-Manuel Miranda) and Dr. Nolan (guest star Andre Braugher).
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Disappointed at the way their lives have turned out, four longtime friends reunite at the ski resort where they used to party and find themselves transported back to the year 1986 by a magical jacuzzi. Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Jacob (Clark Duke) have all seen better days; Adam's and Nick's love lives are in ...

Hello boys and girls! I’m back for twenty seven words, but now I must go. It is a sad day today, please see below. Hey, that rhymed!
The balcony is closed.
This is the last season of “At the Movies,” the long-running syndicated review show made into a hit in the 1980s by dueling Chicago critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
The show’s roots go back to 1975’s “Sneak Previews.”
Here’s a statement from distributor Disney-ABC Domestic TV:
After 24 seasons with us in national syndication, the highly regarded movie review show “At the Movies” (formerly known as “Siskel & Ebert” and “Ebert & Roeper”) will air its last original broadcast the weekend of August 14, 2010.

This was a very difficult decision, especially considering the program’s rich history and iconic status within the entertainment industry, but from a business perspective it became clear this weekly, half-hour, broadcast syndication series was no longer sustainable. We gratefully acknowledge the outstanding work of the program’s current co-hosts A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips and top-notch production staff, and it is with heartfelt appreciation that we extend very special thanks to the two brilliant, visionary and incomparable critics that started it all, Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel.
Online reviews and aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic have made finding knowledgeable opinions movies easier than ever for fans, yet have also evolved the consumption of criticism in such a way that made the half-hour review show seem dated. “At the Movies” also never again found a critic pairing with the chemistry that matched the breakout pairing of Siskel and Ebert.
(via THR)

City IslandGood Reviews, Limited (63.7% Positive). City Island opened in limited release to good reviews. • Chris Vognar wrote in the Dallas Morning News, "...genially shows a family unraveling in different directions before the inevitable, healing coming together. The ensemble clicks,... More about this film...

I caught Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in Disney 3D it was anything I'd expect from a Tim Burton film and Disney film - surreal and family friendly.

The film is loosely based on the Lewis Caroll classics Alice's Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, but the real imprint on-screen was Burton's handiwork. The combination of 3D graphics and live action make this version of Alice in Wonderland flavorful eye candy.

The story is quite simple (your typical hero's adventure in a strange land) but Burton turns up the "EPIC" several notches higher and channels James Cameron's planet Pandora in creating Wonderland/Underland. The cast of Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp (He's gotta be in any Burton film) as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham-Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen all give nice interpretations to the characters. (Gotta love it when the Red Queen screams "Off with her head!")

People who loved the 1951 Disney Alice in Wonderland will be in for a letdown as the update deviates from the original. The initial pre-Wonderland sequences were quite dragging (Victorian England seems to be typecast as a boring period most of the time) and the underlying feminist plot is treading on cliché, but I'm sure folks will appreciate the eccentric imagination that drives the film to enjoyment.

Rating: 3.5/5

Technorati: Alice in Wonderland

Now that the 2010 Oscars fever is kinda dying down, it's time for me to point out some points of reflection on the academy awards.

But first, I found this nice "trailer" online. Made me laugh. :D

Now on to the blog post: I kinda feel bad that I missed "The Hurt Locker" when it was showed on cinemas. I wanted to, but circumstances made me miss the theatrical run. *groan*

But the good thing is that out of the 10 nominated films for Best Picture, I was able to watch a handful of them. Here's my list:

• The Hurt Locker - I missed this :(
• Avatar
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• An Education - I'm not sure if this has been shown here locally
• Inglorious Basterds
• Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up in the Air - I'm going to watch this next

I want to watch The Hurt Locker so I can make my conclusion if Avatar was better or not. :)

Technorati: Oscars

Now I know why Up in the Air got an Academy Awards nomination for Best Picture: It's a nice little package of story telling and characters and tying them together in a timely manner.

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham and he's a "transition specialist"-- ie, he's a consultant companies hire to fire people from their jobs. He travels a lot and he has the miles to prove it (350,000 miles a year). He loves his work and baggage-free life. His life makes some interesting turns when he's tasked to mentor a promising new comer in their company (played by Anna Kendrick) and he finally gets involved with a woman whom he shares his frequent flyer miles and love for life in the air (played by Vera Farmiga).

Director Jason Reitman (Juno) succeeds in making Ryan the character a real person. We know what his dreams are, his passion for his work, and his understanding of life. In a nice touch, there's a little subplot about Ryan's speaking and motivation career, where we see a speech he refines in the course of the movie. George Clooney doesn't do acting pyrotechnics, but his seamless performance of Ryan Bingham deserves the Oscar nod.

Up in the Air is a sad and funny movie that reminds us that change doesn't have to come in a good little package, whether it's getting fired from work, industry shake-ups, and meeting people that will change your outlook in life.

Rating: 4.5/5

Technorati: Up in the Air

Addison is surprised to see Derek's younger sister on the team.

Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) re-team for their latest electrifying thriller in "Green Zone," a film set in the chaotic early days of the Iraqi War when no one could be trusted and every decision could detonate unforeseen consequences.

Space vampires, soul bug zappers, zombie plagues, and endless scenes of naked vampire chicks walking around London. What's not to love.

This picks up where "Feast" left off, and attempts to replicate the first film's formula. It has monsters, topless biker babes, and midget luchadores. I should love this film. Why didn't I like it?

Bombolini is a fairly worthless drunk in the small Italian town of Santa Vittoria in the closing days of World War II. When word comes that the Fascist government has surrendered, he climbs a water tower to tear down the flag. He can’t get down and someone gets the crowd to chant his name to give him confidence. The Fascist town council hears this and believes that he is the town’s new leader. They surrender to him and make him the new mayor. He rises to the occasion and when he finds that the Germans plan to occupy his town and take their wine (over a million bottles) he works out a plan to hide it.

Oscars 2010.  We asked you who should win an Oscar this year, and here are your picks!  Find out if audiences are rooting for Avatar or The Hurt Locker, Sandra Bullock or Meryl Streep, and more!  Host Grace Randolph gives you all the audiences picks for the 2010 Academy Awards, as well as your write-ins for who was left out!  Enjoy the Oscars 2010!Be sure to check out all of Indy Mogul's Oscar coverage here -http://indymogul.com/Oscars

Does Tim Burton honor Lewis Carroll, or himself? Host Grace Randolph finds out if audiences enjoyed their trip down the rabbit hole!

Based on best-selling novelist Nicholas Sparks' ("A Walk to Remember," "The Notebook") forthcoming novel, "The Last Song" is set in a small Southern beach town where an estranged father (Greg Kinnear) gets a chance to spend the summer with his reluctant teenaged daughter (Miley Cyrus), who'd rather be home in New York. He tries to reconnect with her through the only thing they have in common—music—in a story of family, friendship, secrets and salvation, along with first loves and second chances.

Meet Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, heir of the Viking chiefdom, but a boy with one very big problem: a hero he is not. "How to Train Your Dragon' is the riotous story of Hiccup's quest to hunt down the fiercest dragon, bring it into submission, and-hopefully-pass his initiation. Instead, he ends up with the smallest, most ornery dragon-it's even toothless! Thus begins the hijinx of the world's most lovable, unlikely hero and a most reluctant "beast." Packed with energetic drawings and plenty of action, this boisterous tale is just right for fantasy fans or anyone with a spirit of adventure. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Man som hatar kvinnor)Very Good Reviews, Key Cities (74.4% Positive). The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Man som hatar kvinnor) opened in key cities to very good reviews. • Tom Maurstad wrote in the Dallas Morning News, "...so full of cutting-edge energy and imagery that... More about this film...

All you need to know about Twilight's 3rd installment Eclipse...

Cast:
Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Mark Wahlberg,
James Franco, Leighton
MeesterDirector
: Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Night
at the Museum
2)Genre:Comedy

Cast:
Darsheel Safary,Ziyah, Atul Kulkarni,
Rituparna Sengupta
Director:
PriyadarshanRelease
Date: May 7, 2010

Cast:
Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal, Nana
Patekar....Director: Prakash
JhaProducer: Prakash
Jha

Can Robert Pattinson play any role but Edward Cullen?  Host Grace Randolph asks audiences if they think this teen heartthrob has what it takes to make it on the silver screen.

Hong Sang-soo’s most recent film, Like You Know It All (2009), begins with a filmmaker arriving at a film festival in Korea, where he’s supposed to serve on the jury. Hong’s basic plots are usually triggered by his memories, and so some people call him a Proustian director, while others prefer Rohmerian, due to his [...]

Every contender for a “best-of” list should be seen more than once. First impressions aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. And if you care about accuracy and fairness, films not commercially distributed should be given as much consideration as widely available ones. As I was unable to view all of my “contenders” multiple [...]

It’s not often that one would write about a film while it’s still in the middle of its first screening. But as it turns out, one of my favourite movies of this decade—a movie that’s also one of my favourites of the ‘90s, ‘80s, and ‘70s—offers no other choice. I’m speaking of Tony Conrad’s Yellow [...]

If the films were classified in order of preference, In Vanda’s Room would occupy first place. It’s by chance that Costa’s film tops a chronological ordering: of the ten cited, it is undoubtedly the only one whose importance can be immediately measured against the scale of cinema history. In Vanda’s Room launched a new epoch, [...]

Here are the winners of the 2010 Academy Awards:
BEST PICTURE
“The Hurt Locker”
“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9″
“An Education”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”
BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Lee Daniels, “Precious”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
Meryl Streep, “Julie and Julia”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Hurt Locker”
“The Messenger”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Inglourious Basterds”
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Precious”
“District 9″
“An Education”
“In the Loop”
“Up in the Air”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Up”
“Coraline”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“The Secret of Kells”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Argentina)
“The Milk of Sorrow” (Peru)
“Un Prophete” (France)
“The White Ribbon” (Germany)
“Ajami” (Israel)
ART DIRECTION
“Avatar”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Nine”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“The Young Victoria”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Avatar”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“The White Ribbon”
COSTUME DESIGN
“The Young Victoria”
“Bright Star”
“Coco Before Chanel”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Nine”
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
“The Cove”
“Burma VJ”
“Food, Inc.”
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
“Which Way Home”
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
“Music by Prudence”
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
“Rabbit a la Berlin”
FILM EDITING
“The Hurt Locker”
“Avatar”
“District 9″
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious: based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
MAKEUP
“Star Trek”
“Il Divo”
“The Young Victoria”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
“Up”
“Avatar”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Sherlock Holmes”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″
“Take It All” from “Nine”
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
“Logorama”
“French Roast”
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty”
“The Lady and the Reaper”
“A Matter of Loaf and Death”
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
“The New Tenants”
“The Door”
“Instead of Abracadabra”
“Kavi”
“Miracle Fish”
SOUND EDITING
“The Hurt Locker”
“Avatar”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“Up”
SOUND MIXING
“The Hurt Locker”
“Avatar”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
VISUAL EFFECTS
“Avatar”
“District 9″
“Star Trek”

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Visionaries Slide Show Featuring Graham Hill, Moby, Dr. David Kessler, Sarah Susanka, Jane Bryant Quinn, John Zogby, Adam Werbach, Jeffrey Swartz, Summer Rayne Oakes, Philippe Cousteau, Gabriel Thompson, Adam Gardner, Robyn O'Brien, Stephen Dubner and Maria Rodale.

/* Read the full story on Planet Green

A decade of remembering (or, Avant que j’oublie) Literally. Or the fear of forgetting. From Godard’s elegiac Éloge de l’amour (an anguished apologia for the ramshackle installation to come—another of the decade’s most memorable moments strewn amid the ruins of abandoned thought), perhaps the most poignant and prescient statement of the ‘00s (one plus one), not [...]

Even if Jay Baruchel can get a ten, can he get your ticket money? Host Grace Randolph asks audiences if they’d date this movie!

Forget the glass ceiling! Can Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning break out of their child actor personas? Host Grace Randolph asks audiences if these girls rock their way to adulthood!

MakingOf.com has an exclusive interview up with Bruce C. McKenna, Co-Executive Producer and writer of HBO’s television event, “The Pacific.” McKenna discusses the advantages of making a mini-series vs a feature length film, keeping the characters as real as possible, and what it was like working alongside Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. View the video [...]

Unlike the HBO mini-series which follows three Marines into war, the official series companion book follows the actions of five men as they fought in many of the major battles of the Pacific (two of these 5 men were subsequently dropped from the series due to budget constraints).
‘Manila John’ Basilone, Marine… some may [...]

A Serious Man
Reviewed by John David Ebert
Though I’ve never reviewed any of their movies on this site, the Coen brothers are among my favorite filmmakers. Their films are remarkably free from the kinds of flaws that plague the work of other directors, especially of the Hollywood type, for cliches, sentimentality and kitsch are rare occurrences [...]

And John Ford, who would like to remind you that...entrances don't get much better than this.He knew a thing or two about exits as well.

I started going to the movies in the seventies and Steve McQueen was one of the first stars I got to know in current releases. When I saw his last film in the theatre, The Hunter, on opening weekend no less, so excited was I to see it, I felt I knew him well. I didn't. Even though I loved movies like The Blob, The Great Escape, Bullitt, Papillon and, yes, The Hunter, mediocre as it may be, I didn't fully understand Steve McQueen as an actor. I liked him and his movies but never felt he was doing the job I thought others were doing when it came to big screen acting. I certainly didn't think he was bad, I just never gave him much thought as an actor overall. But then, very recently in fact, I had a revelation.A few months ago I watched The Towering Inferno for the first time since childhood. I was going to use it for a "Land Before CGI" post but decided against it upon realizing it was almost all stunt work (admirable enough, don't get me wrong) and very little in the way of miniature or optical effects. And it didn't matter because before my eyes I was seeing something that fully and finally explained Steve McQueen for me. I even brought it up to my wife in excitement after watching it, like I'd discovered some secret know one else knew. It starts with this: Steve McQueen as Fire Chief Michael O'Hallorhan has not one line of dialogue that hints at character depth or development of any kind. Not one. Every single line is technical: "I need to know the businesses on each floor above the fire." "Why?" he's asked. "If they manufacture polyester, that releases cyanide gas at high temperatures. If they ..." and so on. All of his lines are like that. And he's brilliant! And I am being very serious here. Truly, no flippancy. Steve McQueen carries that entire film in a walk. He is utterly, completely and absolutely convincing as the fire chief. I did not doubt for a second he was one and if I were in a building on fire and he showed up and started talking like he does in this movie I would do whatever he told me to do. I would trust him implicitly. But more than that, he is compelling and the audience wants to return to him every time he exits the screen. And that's why Steve McQueen confused me at times as an actor: He was a star and he should've been the guy playing the technical expert in every action film ever made. The roles that McQueen excelled at, like the authority figure here in The Towering Inferno, are few and far between in the world of cinema. Fire chiefs just don't get many starring roles. In order to explain further I need to make a claim that will seem strange to some but I am betting my fellow actors out there will understand. There is a real talent to being non-expressive in a role. Most people confuse that with being wooden. It's not the same thing. Being wooden is delivering your lines badly and flatly. Being non-expressive is delivering your lines convincingly but without flourish. And casting in those types of roles usually misses the mark. Burt Lancaster was an actor who "acted" every word of dialogue and I imagine his role as the fire chief would have been as much of a disaster as Steve McQueen playing Elmer Gantry. Each actor had his strength and in the fire chief role, Lancaster's strength would have worked against him. That's because most actors, not just Lancaster, would have instinctively given that fire chief "character" when in real life, in a real fire, all the chief does is give orders. I think it's a high compliment, and a sincere one, to say I can't imagine another actor being smart enough to play the fire chief the way McQueen did. Steve McQueen knew straight-forward, quiet and convincing authority like most people know how to breathe. He used this same style in most of his roles whether it really fit or not. And being non-expressive, but not wooden, means he never came off looking ridiculous in a role because he was trying too hard to nail a moment with the perfect delivery. But it also means he was very misunderstood as an actor and still is. When I finished watching The Towering Inferno I reassessed Steve McQueen as an actor. We associate great acting with great range but really, expertise in one specific area is quite an achievement. And few actors in movie history could do convincing non-expressive like McQueen. Turns out he was a damn good actor after all, I'd just been looking in the wrong direction the whole time.************This post written for the Steve McQueen Blog-a-thon hosted by Jason Bellamy of The Cooler.