In Chicago, a subway employee is in love with a stranger she only sees from a distance. But when she rescues him from a mugging in which he is knocked into a coma, his family mistakes her for his fiancee. When she falls for his charming brother, the mix-u
If you don't mind a heavy dose of schmaltz and sentiment, this romantic comedy has a gentle way of seducing you with its charms. While You Were Sleeping was the first starring role for Sandra Bullock after her blockbuster success in Speed. In a role that nicely emphasizes her easygoing appeal, Bullock is the reason the movie works at all. She plays Lucy Eleanor Moderatz, a Chicago Transit tollbooth clerk who's hopelessly smitten with a daily commuter, Peter Callaghan (Peter Gallagher). She saves the object of her affection from certain death after he's mugged and falls onto the train tracks. While Peter is in a coma, she lets his family believe that she is his fianc�e, and surprisingly finds herself drawn to his brother (Bill Pullman), for whom the attraction is definitely mutual. How Lucy gets out of this amorous predicament is what makes this pleasant movie less predictable than its familiar ingredients would initially indicate. It's feel-good fluff, with characters and performances that keep you smiling through the drippy plot mechanics. --Jeff Shannon

While You Were Sleeping is available at Amazon for $6.99. To Order click here
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Other Products of Interest

• Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)
• You've Got Mail
• Sabrina
• French Kiss
• Hope Floats

When all is said and done, even though he's a Satanist, I prefer GAAHL to these wimpy boy journalists any day. At least he's his own man. "That is the force of all life. It is to grow." No offense, but Amen, Gaahl. So why can't these guys grow up?

Best Parody: Don't Go Into the Endor Woods
Best Comedy: Tarkin 'n' Friends
Best Creature Character Makeup: Contract of Evil
Best Short Subject: The Empire Strikes Back in 60 Seconds
Best Animation: George Lucas Hip Hop Awards
Best Visual Effects: Ryan Vs. Dorkman II
Audience Choice Award: Hip Hop George Lucas
George Lucas Selects Award: Padme

Some Observations:
• The mere presence, much less success, of Don't Go Into the Endor Woods is a real surprise, as it struck me---as mild as it is---as something Lucasfilm would normally find too racy to be officially associated with Star Wars. Shows what I know.
• New Insta-Categories: "Best Visual Effects" and "Best Creature Character Makeup."
• Missing In Action: "Best Fan Fiction" and "Best Action" categories, both introduced in 2007.

By the way, if you should ever read something on this blog and conclude that I am totally on the ball, please make a point of referring back to this post, as it should prove beyond a doubt that I have no idea what I'm talking about. Yesterday, I predicted:

Padme for the Audience Choice. Nope.
A new Best Anime category. No way.
A new Best Duel category. Nuh uh.
A new Mashup category. Not happenin'.
Landspeeder Mayhem for the Lucas Selects Award. Nyet.

Zero for Five...well, at least I'm consistent.

While I enjoyed Padme (as noted yesterday), its scoop of the Lucas Award irks me 'cause I pointed out that historically, the Big Guy doesn't go for genre crossovers...so what did he go and choose? Ugh. Like I said, the man is unpredictable---but let's face it: We wouldn't have it any other way.

FanCinemaToday wishes a big, sincere congratulations to all the winners!

Additionally the issue of aggressive begging was discussed, with Sgt Nicola Duffy from the Clapham Town Safer Neighbourhood team assuring us that action is being taken to deal with the problem and that they are working with teams in Ferndale Ward and Clapham Common who all share responsibility for parts of the high street. If you have experienced agressive begging yourself you should contact Clapham Town Safer Neighbourhood team to give details as this will help the case against the worse offenders.

We promptly moved on to the Clapham Community Project AGM at St Anne's Hall in Venn Street.  The project has provided advice for people who live in Lambeth for over twenty years. They are funded by the council as part of the Lambeth Advice Network and are a member of Advice UK. The valuable advice they provide is free of charge, confidential and independent.

They provide advice on consumer, employment and debt matters giving general information and advice to enable clients to take action themselves or by signposting them to the appropriate agencies. They also provide advice on welfare benefits and housing law.

The project last year dealt with over 3,300 enquiries and provides invaluable support to people who otherwise would not know where to turn. The building is also used by a variety of community organisations and I was very interested in a letter of thanks which had been received from Kevin Spacey, artistic director from the Old Vic Theater, thanking them for their support for a education and community project which used their hall for rehersalls.

"Também usávamos sinais manuais. Braços cruzados: a mesa está quente. Um toque no olho: precisamos conversar. E uma mão passando pelo cabelo, significava uma coisa: "Saia. Agora!!".

Vê o nome de Kevin Spacey nos créditos, a mim já é um motivo para assistir o filme. Nesse, um outro fator também. O de ser baseado num fato real. Bem, tirando a longa duração do filme, até que gostei. Sem uma meia hora de filme, a história ficaria amarradinha, e até melhor.

Filmes com jovens superdotados, na maioria, caem em esteriótipos. Ganhando até um termo: nerds. Mas em 'Quebrando a Banca', até que deixa algo do tipo: a vingança dos nerds. E por conta de que? Além de terem escolhidos jovens que não seria rotulados assim, à primeira vista. Também por eles curtirem a vida fora da sala de aula. Além de que tiraram proveito prático das suas genialidades. Great!

A longa duração do filme nada mais é que um tremendo merchan dos Cassinos e Hotéis de Las Vegas. São um deslumbre, mas não precisavam exagerar.

Antes de entrar na história do filme, mas por conta do jogo de cartas... Lembro que em criança, tinha colegas que os pais não permitiam baralho em casa. Mas em vez de proibirem, deveriam ter usado o jogo como um aliado para um gosto pela matemática. Pois foi o que meu pai fez. Foi ele quem nos ensinou, a mim e meus irmãos. E nenhum de nós ficamos 'viciados' em baralho. Era sempre uma diversão. Um tempinho atrás, confesso que gostei de ver o netinho de uns tios jogando o 21. Por vê-lo fazendo as contas... É um jeito lúdico de ensinar a Tabuada.

Em relação a Cassinos, dica de um livro. Para que a sua ida seja uma diversão e só! Separe a quantia que daria si mesmo como um presente. Coloque-a no bolso direito da calça, por exemplo. Fique por lá até essa quantia terminar. Se ganhou algum dinheiro, coloque-o no bolso esquerdo. Não use essa parte. Porque já não estaria mais se distraindo.

Agora sim, a história do filme... Ben (Jim Sturgess) sonha cursar medicina em Harvard. Mas precisaria de pelo menos uns US$ 300 mil para isso. Estudante do MIT, durante uma certa aula de matemática, sem querer, ou melhor, sem saber, é notado por um certo clubinho.

Pausa para registrar isso: Prestem atenção a essa aula. Só ela já vale a pena rever o filme.

Voltando... O tal Clubinho tem como Mentor o professor de Matemática Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey). E os já membros: Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), Kianna (Liza Lapira), Choi (Aaron Yoo) e Jimmy Fisher (Jacob Pitts). Ali, aprendem como usar a técnica de contar as cartas nas mesas do 21, o Blackjack. Sem se deixarem pegar. Trabalho em equipe. Cientes de que têm que obedecer as regras do Micky. Nem se deixarem seduzir por aquele mundo.

A princípio, Ben não aceita. Mas depois deixa-se seduzir, entrando no jogo. Assim, os cinco mais o Micky, passam os finais de semana em Las Vegas. O que ganham, é divido entre eles. Cabendo uma parte maior ao professor. Acontece que nem tudo são flores, pois um tipo de capataz da firma de vigilância, por estarem perdendo clientes (Cassinos), decide mostrar serviço. Ele é Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), que fica na cola deles. É onde o filme fica com mais ação.

Enfim, se pensarem que esse filme traz como um bônus um - Conheça Las Vegas! -, terão um bom sessão pipoca!

Por: Valéria Miguez (LELLA).

Quebrando a Banca (21). 2008. EUA. Direção: Robert Luketic. Elenco: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Laurence Fishburne. Gênero: Drama. Duração: 123 minutos. Inspirado no livro: "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions".

Hasta que por fin... hoy 22 de Julio de 2008  pude verla, no fue en el cine, no fue en dvd pirata ni mucho menos en la television, me sente 2 horas frente a la pantalla para salir con la mayor decepcion de mi vida. Estos fueron algunos de mis pensamientos:

Kevin Spacey, de acuerdo... se parece tanto a Bobby Darin que hasta asusta pero estaba increiblemente viejo cuando hizo la pelicula y con todo y el parecido nunca vi a Bobby Darin en el sino a un viejo haciendo papel de joven, asi que no cuadró excepto en la ultima parte de la pelicula. Aparte de todo, no soy fan de Kevin Spacey ni nunca lo sere, en realidad solia serlo hasta finales del año pasado cuando vi por el canal 8 que no es mas que un actor chavista al igual que Sean Penn y Danny Glover.

¿Quien carrizo lo llamo a el para aca a reunirse con Chavez y ponerse a opinar de la situacion actual de Venezuela? de afuera obvio que la revolucion es muy bonita ¿Por que no viene mejor y pasa un tiempo viviendo en el 23 de Enero a ver si sigue siendo tan bolivariano?

Si la pelicula fuese una pelicula normal no voy a negar que fue buena pero siendo una pelicula biografica pense que debieron respetar mas la realidad porque simplemente no entendi nada... el niño, el otro, pero no se si eso estaba en el pasado o si era la pelicula sobre la pelicula y luego el viejo bailando con el niño... NO ENTENDI NADA.

Cuando iba a comenzar a verla pense que era algo asi como la pelicula sobre Johnny Cash, eso si fue una buena pelicula biografica, ademas todos sabemos que esas celebridades antiguas cayeron en todos los vicios habidos y por haber asi que eso es lo que esperamos en las peliculas de sus vidas, no que los pongan como unos santitos... eso si es ficcion.

En fin, estaba esperando algo como "walk the line" y termine viendo algo parecido a "titanic", ficcionaron la verdad por completo y olvidaron hechos claves de la vida de Bobby como su segunda esposa, su divorcio de Sandra Dee y la manera en que se entero de la verdad de su familia. Aparte que Kevin Spacey no debio cantar las canciones sino dejar el audio original y pudieron haber agregado algunas grabaciones de verdad como presentaciones o fragmentos de la pelicula.

Como espectadore regular la pelicula fue una obra de arte, como fan de Bobby Darin me quedo sin palabras.

Critiquemos el cine

Old Fashioned Girl

In the process of learning to write decent movie reviews, I’ve read a lot of movie reviews written by other people. And in the process of reading those reviews, I’ve come across certain terms used often by movie critics that don’t mean anything to me. I have no idea what a critic means when he says a movie is “richly textured.” Or “the tone was off” – what is that? Maybe someday I’ll learn what they’re talking about, and be admitted in to the elite Critic’s Club where they hang out. Until then, I’m committed to only write things that make sense not only to me, but also to you, dear reader.

“21” is a pretty awful movie, but I’m thankful now that I’ve watched it, because I can hereby add some terms to my Critic’s Lexicon. This movie was flat. It lacked energy. What ought to be an exciting story – about MIT students, led by a ruthless professor, develop a card-counting strategy and take it to Vegas, where they make gobs of money before double-crossing each other – never really gets going. It feels like whoever is telling this story (director Robert Luketic) has told it at too many cocktail parties, and now is a little bored with it himself. If you want to know what “flat” means, watch 21. If you want to know how a movie that ought to be loads of fun can somehow lack energy (unlike, you know, Victorian period dramas, which are just born lacking energy) watch 21. If you want to see a good movie, watch something else.

Luketic relies heavily on two of my least favorite movie tricks – the montage and the voiceover. Both are shortcuts directors take when they don’t really know how to tell a story efficiently and well. I’d say roughly half of “21” is either montage of voiceover. The rest – well, there are a lot of underwhelming slow-mo shots of casinos, and an awful lot of bad acting (Kevin Spacey looks particularly anxious to get on to his next picture – almost every scene he’s in feels rushed, like he’s getting it over with as quickly as possible.) There are, just for fun, some absolutely ridiculous costumes and an alarming amount of really bad advice on how to cheat a casino. (Tip to the attentive: if you don’t want the security guys to know you’re a team of students working together to cheat the casino, you may not want to a. walk into the casino together, b. regularly gather in each other’s hotel rooms, or c. hang out in the restaurant together, celebrating your winnings) Oh yes, and some of the worst dialogue this side of Bollywood. “Our window of opportunity is closing in on us,” our hero confides to his mentor at one point, in all seriousness. Seriously.
“21” is based on the nonfiction book “Bringing Down the House,” by Ben Mezrich. A little research yields some fascinating facts -- the card counting team actually pulled from several different schools, involved competing teams, brought in outside investors, and operated for over twenty years. It sounds like a fascinating story, and it ought to make a great movie – or even a series of movies. Too bad “21” is what we get instead. How long before someone else – someone with a real artistic sense, as well as knowledge of Vegas, maybe even someone who read “Bringing Down the House -- can make a different movie from the same source material? What’s the statute of limitations on remakes?

Recommended

• if you know absolutely nothing about Vegas or Blackjack, and next to nothing about storytelling, good filmmaking, or human nature.
• If you want to know what a movie critic means when she says a movie is “flat” or “lacks energy.” “21” could be used in film class to define the terms.

Not Recommended

• if there’s anything else available.
• If you’re looking for “Blackjack Cheater’s Guide to Vegas.” Please, please don’t try anything you see in this movie.

1980: Caddyshack 

In a pretty strong year for movies, the irreverent slice of life at Bushwood Country Club comes out on top. It's still eminently watchable (and eminently quotable), and I'll give it a slight push for pure enjoyment over runner-up Raging Bull.

Honorable Mention(s): Raging Bull, Airplane!, The Empire Strikes Back, The Shining
Dishonorable Mention(s): The Blue Lagoon

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark

In a year with fewer of my favorites, the first (and still best) Indiana Jones foray comes out on top.

HM: Superman II, Stripes
DM: Nothing else too great this year, but nothing too offensive (that I've seen anyway) either.

1982: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Probably the best film in both Amy Heckerling's and Cameron Crowe's oeuvre, Fast Times handles teenage life with equal parts crudeness and sophistication, which is why it's the definitive cinematic statement on the topic, even today.

HM: E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
DM: Airplane II: The Sequel

1983: The King of Comedy

Features a darkly comic Robert De Niro (back when he was method), and a deadly serious Jerry Lewis, playing against type. Scorsese explores celebrity obsession at a time when it was just beginning to be a hot button issue.

HM: Return of the Jedi, Risky Business, Trading Places, National Lampoon's Vacation
DM: The Big Chill

1984: This is Spinal Tap

A top contender for funniest movie ever made, in a banner year for mainstream comedy.

HM: Ghostbusters, The Karate Kid, Broadway Danny Rose, Sixteen Candles, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Amadeus
DM: Footloose, Police Academy

1985: Back to the Future

Sure, the special effects don't really hold up, but it's hard to think of a movie from the 1980s that's more iconic of its era. This despite the fact that most of the film takes place in 1955. Even on the hundredth viewing, I still root for Marty to make it to the clock tower in time, as if I don't already know the ending.

HM: Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Rocky IV
DM: Mask
 

1986: Hoosiers

A year with some good films, but no great ones. Hoosiers stands in the upper echelon of sports movies, an ultimate David and Goliath story that manages not to be trite, despite throwing out conventions we've seen a million times before.

HM: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, An American Tail, Platoon, Stand By Me
DM: The Money Pit

1987: Raising Arizona

The Coens' first true comedy established an offbeat sensibility that would later be perfected in Fargo and The Big Lebowski. Edges out the mainstream but underrated dramedy Broadcast News.

HM: Broadcast News, The Princess Bride, Full Metal Jacket, The Lost Boys
DM:  Innerspace, Leonard Part 6

1988: Eight Men Out

Not quite the masterpiece it could have been, D.B. Sweeney, John Cusack, David Straithairn, et al. join a fine ensemble cast in adapting Eliot Asinof's fine book about the 1919 Chicago White Sox. The players are portrayed as flawed individuals in a desperate situation in a film that brings life to the most famous black mark in baseball history.

HM: Die Hard, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
DM: Action Jackson

1989: Roger and Me

It's hard to remember today, but the Michael Moore of Roger and Me was much more right than self-righteous, a balance that he's seemed to forget in latter days, when he has a tendency to overplay his hand. We can also thank this film for the excess of first person documentaries that litter the cinematic landscape. Though as Roger and Me shows, when something gets imitated, it usually means that the original was onto something.

HM: Batman, When Harry Met Sally..., Parenthood, Major League, Field of Dreams, Il Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
DM: No Holds Barred, Turner and Hooch

1990: Goodfellas

Martin Scorsese brought the gangster genre into the modern age, using long takes that brought the viewer into the action, and period music to establish time, mood, and tension. I don't think I'll ever be able to separate the piano coda from "Layla" and the crescendo the film reaches while it plays. Here, Scorsese marries a subculture to the culture at large, using only his camera and a set of speakers.

HM: My Blue Heaven, Edward Scissorhands, The Grifters, House Party
DM: Rocky V, Mr. Destiny

1991: Defending Your Life

The protagonist (Albert Brooks) dies in the first minute, and must rely on incompetent attorney Rip Torn to defend his indiscretions and move him on to the next life. A great showcase for the sharp comedy of Brooks, who also wrote and directed.

HM: Barton Fink, The Silence of the Lambs, L.A. Story, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
DM: King Ralph 

1992: Reservoir Dogs

In a fine catalog, Reservoir Dogs still stands up as Quentin Tarantino's most realized vision, from an auteur whose extraordinary vision sometimes exceeds his reach. Limited by his budget, the young filmmaker delivers a shoot-em-up pulp crime story perfectly cast and professionally executed.

HM: Wayne's World, The Player, Glengarry Glen Ross, Aladdin
DM: Ladybugs, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot 

1993: Groundhog Day

Probably the first film to realize the true curmudgeonly potential of late period Bill Murray, revealed expertly by director (and longtime Murray collaborator) Harold Ramis. 

HM: Army of Darkness, Dazed and Confused, Philadelphia, A Bronx Tale
DM: Judgment Night

1994: Clerks.

With the way he's tarnished his legacy over his past several films, it's easy to forget that during the mid-90s Kevin Smith was something of a low-budget wunderkind. Filmed for $10,000.00 (the proceeds garnered from maxing out credit cards and selling his comic book collection), Smith gave false hope to any film school reject hoping to make it big. The dream of making the next Clerks didn't work out for many of them, and, subsequently, didn't really work out for Smith either.

HM: Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Quiz Show, The Hudsucker Proxy
DM: Last Action Hero, It's Pat

1995: The Usual Suspects

Though it admittedly wouldn't be much without the twist ending, Kevin Spacey's standout performance highlights an otherwise worthy ensemble cast in the 1990s' finest caper film.

HM: Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach), Se7en, The Basketball Diaries, Toy Story, Clueless
DM: Dangerous Minds, Nine Months

1996: Fargo

Compared to Raising Arizona, Joel and Ethan Coen played this one a little closer to the vest. Some of the comedic elements are still a little screwball, but they hide under the surface this time around, letting the characters be amusing in spite of the crime plot, not because of it.

HM: The Cable Guy, Kingpin, Trainspotting
DM: Mars Attacks!

1997: Boogie Nights

The first major release for P.T. Anderson and the first starring vehicle for Mark Wahlberg. In his ensemble tale about the Southern California porn industry, Anderson reveals a style derivative of his cinematic heroes, yet altogether singular. The cast, comprised mostly of Anderson's own troupe of actors (William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Julianne Moore, et al.), excels all around. The obvious choice in a year full of excellent films (see below).

HM: Waiting for Guffman, L.A. Confidential, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Grosse Point Blank, Donnie Brasco
DM: Bean, Fools Rush In

1998: Rushmore

By this point, the curmudgeonly Bill Murray era was in full swing, and Wes Anderson really put that persona on the map in Rushmore. Still, Murray is outshined by a young Jason Schwartzmann, who portrays Max Fischer with just the right balance of faux sophistication and emotional childishness. Though it's Anderson's second film, Rushmore marks the real arrival of a career that's weathered universal praise, the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash.

HM: The Big Lebowski, American History X, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Saving Private Ryan
DM: Very Bad Things

1999: (Tie) Office Space and American Beauty

Forced into a decision on my favorite 1999 film, i have chosen not to make one. (Though, according to Canadian power trio Rush, I still have made a choice.) The best comedy and the best drama of their year, time has not been kind to either. American Beauty has been ruined by my own aging and realization of its trite message, while Office Space has been ruined by endless repetition of its best gags. Both are about grown men questioning the routines their lives have worn into them, a predicament with which everyone is at some time familiar. I wish I could see both films again with my 1999 eyes.

HM: Magnolia, Being John Malkovitch, Fight Club, The Matrix, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Election
DM: The Big Kahuna, EDtv

2000: High Fidelity

John Cusack's emotionally stunted record collector was really the perfect character for me in my college years. High Fidelity is the kind of harmless, satisfying trifle I'll reach for when I hit my midlife crisis, just to remember that it's all going to be OK.

HM: Almost Famous, Snatch, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Traffic
DM: Dude, Where's My Car?, Pay It Forward

2001: The Royal Tenenbaums

Following up Rushmore, Wes Anderson proved he could handle a wide ensemble and all the plot underpinnings that entailed, without leaving any stones unturned. He also proved himself as a rare filmmaker who can handle an unexpectedly large budget without losing his original vision, and coax just the right tone from actors as diverse as Anjelica Houston and Ben Stiller.

HM: Wet Hot American Summer, Zoolander, Oceans Eleven, Freddie Got Fingered, Donnie Darko
DM: Corky Romano, A Beautiful Mind

2002: Spider-Man

Immersed as we are in the "Comic Book Summer," let's not forget about Sam Raimi's Spider-Man adaptation, which took forever to get to the big screen, and proved to be worth the wait. There have been a slew of good comic book films over the years, but this one stands out due to the Raimi touch, using the same offbeat conventions Raimi employed in his Evil Dead films on a scale about a thousand times as large.

HM: Adaptation., Super Troopers, One Hour Photo, Punch-Drunk Love, Death to Smoochy
DM: Eight Crazy Nights, Like Mike, Juwanna Mann

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Like the Academy did, when I recognize Return of the King, I'm recognizing the whole achievement. Though it falters in places, Peter Jackson's saga managed to bring Tolkien's tale to the screen in a way completely unimaginable before. The trilogy was made at the right time, with the right cast and the right technology, and Return of the King is the best singular film of the three.

HM: Lost in Translation, Elf, Bad Santa, American Splendor, A Mighty Wind, Old School
DM: From Justin to Kelly, Gigli

2004: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Rightfully so, Scorsese's The Aviator was the most critically acclaimed film of 2004, but no film of the year (and few films of the era) are as rewatchable as Anchorman. Bumbling idiot Ron Burgundy is the perfect voice for Will Ferrell; Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell are his perfect goofball playmates, and Christina Applegate is his perfect foil. Ferrell has tried to catch the same lightning in a bottle, with varying success, ever since.

HM: The Aviator, Friday Night Lights, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Team America: World Police, Mean Girls
DM: Christmas With the Kranks, Garden State

2005: The Squid and the Whale

I'm still a little confused by Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale, but I can't hold that against him. In fact, I praise him for it. It's a tribute to the director that his characters are so far removed from mainstream society, yet their plight resonates. What can we expect the aftermath of a ruptured family to look like, when that family was so nontraditional to begin with? The director seems to be as confused as his characters are, and that's a good thing. It means no reaction can be altogether unbelievable.

HM: Batman Begins, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Aristocrats, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Munich, Walk the Line, The Corpse Bride
DM: The Man, The Dukes of Hazzard 

2006: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

You can blame Sacha Baron Cohen for all the bad Borat impression you heard throughout 2006. But you can't blame him for exposing Americans for what we are: usually well meaning, often naive, and, sometimes, complete assholes.

HM: The Departed, Casino Royale, Marie-Antoinette, Little Miss Sunshine, Nacho Libre, Grandma's Boy
DM: Failure to Launch, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, The Pink Panther

2007: There Will Be Blood

A brilliant performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, a haunting Johnny Greenwood score, and a pitch perfect tale of greed and corruption during the turn of last century's oil boom. Day-Lewis plays a man who feels no emotion, who seeks money in lieu of the happiness he will never find. In maybe the best movie year of my lifetime, P.T. Anderson comes out of hiding and shoots his masterpiece.

HM: No Country for Old Men, Once, Ratatouille, Gone Baby Gone, Juno, The King of Kong, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Darjeeling Limited, Knocked Up, Superbad
DM: Epic Movie, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

2008 (So far): WALL-E

It may get knocked from the top spot before the year is out, but, as I've said before, it's the best of the year so far.

HM: Iron Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Kung Fu Panda
DM: The Happening, Made of Honor, Speed Racer, Meet Dave

If you're keeping score, that's two each for Martin Scorsese, P.T. Anderson, Wes Anderson, the Coen brothers, and, um, Harold Ramis.

So please, if you have an afternoon to kill, try this exercise. It's fun!

Post your results, or a link to them, in the comments.

Ya es oficial: Batman, El caballero oscuro, segunda entrega de la refundada franquicia, va a ser un pelotazo de escándalo. En Estados Unidos ha arrasado en su primer fin de semana. Ya el viernes había desbancado a Spiderman 3 como el estreno más fulgurante con más de 66 millones de dólares, pero es que hasta el final del domingo la cifra se disparó hasta superar los 153 millones, 2 más que la última (de momento) entrega del arácnido.

Sin lugar a dudas, la prematura muerte de Heath Ledger, que sucede a Jack Nicholson como Joker, ha creado una corriente de interés hacia la película que ha arrastrado a más gente todavía a las salas de cine. Sí, Batman estaba llamada a reventar el box office, pero que el joven y prometedor actor que encarna al villano de la función aparezca muerto en la cama, oficialmente tras una ingesta accidental de medicamentos (para siempre quedará la sombra de una posible sobredosis voluntaria), supone ese extra de morbo, si se quiere, que tal vez ha atraído a un segmento de la audiencia que, de otra manera, bien podría haber sido más reticente.

Desde luego, el caso de Batman, de la franquicia en realidad, es uno a estudiar, y en detalle, sobre todo porque contrasta vivamente con otros, como pueden ser Superman y, en menor medida, Hulk, y es todo un aviso para navegantes dirigido a otras macro-sagas como Spiderman y X-Men. Por partes, mientras Christopher Nolan (que había brillado con Memento y fallado con Insomnia) ha conseguido revitalizar por completo una franquicia moribunda, víctima de un Joel Schumacher más preocupado por los pezones del Bat-traje que por tratar al personaje con el mimo que se merecía, Bryan Singer se quedó corto en la revisión de una serie tan mítica como la del Hombre de Acero, pariendo una obra menor, con un protagonista menor (Brandon Routh) envuelto en una historia menor donde sólo se salvaba, y sin grandes alardes, Kevin Spacey como nuevo Lex Luthor.

Precisamente Singer venía de encandilar con las dos primeras entregas de X-Men, desfondada ya en su tercer capítulo: ahora se prepara el spin-off de Lobezno, y no parece la mejor manera de encarar con garantías el futuro de la franquicia, a no ser que esta opte por vivir de sub-productos como este y el film dedicado a Magneto: sí, es una opción, la de dar una película hasta cada protagonista, hasta que alguien se dé cuenta de que personajes menores (véase Catwoman) jamás tendrán tirón en la taquilla.

X-Men es una de las series que puede leer algo de interés en el éxito de Batman; mencionábamos a Hulk, pero es un caso un tanto atípico, habiendo refundado al personaje después de una sola entrega, la controvertida, por ser suave, interpretación del (por otra parte) genial Ang Lee. Es, desde luego, Spiderman quien más debe sacar en limpio del fulgurante nuevo Batman. Si realmente Tobey McGuire y Kirsten Dunst no se van a apear del carro del arácnido, y el señor Sam Raimi, en lugar de limitarse a producir, dirigirá de nuevo, es algo que me gustará ver; en todo caso, a los responsables de la franquicia no es improbable que les esté pasando una idea juguetona por la cabeza: ¿y si hacemos como con Batman, y empezamos de cero?

De acuerdo, el caso es diferente, Spiderman 3 volvió a recaudar muchos millones, pero había ya síntomas de fatiga, McGuire no se calló a la hora de expresar sus ganas de desmarcarse del personaje, so pena de quedar encasillado, Raimi dejó caer que producir sí, pero no dirigir... La disyuntiva no es fácil. Volver a empezar sería una opción, pero no podría hacerse de cero, porque, repito, la saga goza de buena salud, y no es necesario reinterpretar al personaje, como ha hecho Nolan matizando los orígenes del héroe y, sobre todo, oscureciendo la paleta argumental, huyendo de un personaje que había ido cayendo en el vodevil más hortera (increíble que George Clooney saliera indemne de su incursión...). Pero ahí queda esa posibilidad: otro actor, tal vez otra actriz, dejar la senda del Duende Verde para seguir la del Lagarto o el Cazador o los numerosos buenos villanos que tiene Spidey...

Volviendo al principio, El caballero oscuro va camino de batir, pulverizar y desmenuzar marcas y récords; desde luego, a nuestro país llegará el 13 de agosto subida a la cresta de la ola, en medio de un ambiente de euforia por su brutal acogida en Estados Unidos.

When I first watched this film four years ago, it was the most thrilling and exhilarating film I had ever seen. Nothing compared to it in terms of suspense and thrills. When I watched this film recently, I realized why this film had such an impact on me four years ago. This film is by far the most suspenseful film I've seen and it plays with your fears like they are toys. The direction is impeccable; David Fincher is highly aware of this film's genre and uses it to the best of his ability. He bides his time and keeps all of the thrills contained until the climax and definitely unleashes them in the conclusion. Comparing Se7en to thrillers released after 1995 is difficult because none of them hold a candle to this masterpiece. The only films of this genre who are anywhere near the quality of Se7en are The Descent, 28 Days Later and Zodiac (which was also directed by Fincher). Through examining the film's genre and visual style, it is easy for me to say that Se7en is one of the best films I have ever seen.

When thinking of the horror genre, the first thing that usually comes to mind is monsters, zombies, ghosts or some other fictitious creature that we normally see attacking people in films. When The Silence of the Lambs was released, it re-introduced the idea of realism in horror films. Realism had not been popular in the horror genre for decades; in the 1950s, most of the thrillers were in the film noir style where the villain was not a monster, but rather an insane human who was battling himself as well as others. The duality of the characters was what made them frightening. For example, Harry Powell (played to perfection by Robert Mitchum) from The Night of the Hunter was one of the most frightening antagonists from the '50s. But the idea of realism was lost until 1991, when it became more popular.

In 1995, Se7en introduced what would become one of the iconic villains of the 1990s: John Doe. He was a human. He was evil. He was real. He murdered people, but added a twist to his killings: he murdered them based on their sins, one death for every one of the seven deadly sins. The one difference between Se7en and other horror films incorporating realism is the fact that the villain doesn't have an inner battle with himself. Usually we know the villain's past and usually this past is what causes the villain to become villainous in the first place. With John Doe, we don't know his past, he doesn't have fingerprints and he is nameless. The fact that he has no identity is one of the most important bits of this film. Having the villain appear half way through the film and giving him no identity gives the evil deeds in the film much more ambiguity in terms of whose fault they were. The evilness ultimately lies in the victims. Yes, murder is a sin, and we see what becomes of John Doe in the conclusion, but his victims died because of the evil he saw in them. In terms of film history, Se7en is groundbreaking in the originality department. It establishes new takes on both the villain and on realist horror conventions. It's brilliance should be remembered for it brought around a totally new type of psychological thriller.

Se7en was not only revolutionary in what was aforementioned, it also exuded mastery in the editing department. The opening credits of this film are almost as intense as the film itself. They display graphic images of grisly murders, mutilated bodies and bloody jars. What we are watching is John Doe at work in his scrapbook where he keeps pictures of his killings. The sharp and jolting editing mixed with the also gruesome song "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails gives the opening credits an extremely eerie feeling. This is a perfect introduction for it establishes what we can expect from the film itself. Stylistically, this film is excellent. The editing, music, cinematography and art direction are used perfectly in accordance to the thematic elements. The dark look this film has diminishes hope and the dirty city gives the feeling of unease not only for the characters, but for the viewers, too.

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman both give deep performances. The two characters they play each have their gloomy, secretive sides, but are likable characters nonetheless. Kevin Spacey gives yet another astonishing performance as the villain in this film, John Doe. Unfortunately, he goes uncredited on the film's posters and opening credits, but for good reason: shock value. His monologue in the police car as Brad Pitt interrogates and mocks him is amazing and proves why he is such a fantastic actor.

Se7en is one of the essential films of the 1990s. It redefined the horror genre and established new techniques and conventions that shocked the viewing public. It's a disturbing film which has poignancy in its core, but I wouldn't recommend it to the faint of heart. It's grisly and graphic, but the gore is necessary for such a film. It instantly became one of my favourite films and I think it could easily pass as my favourite film of all-time. An excellent thriller that will be recognized as revolutionary for years to come.

Theatrical trailer for the film:

[SEM SPOILERS]

O mundo precisa de Heróis, simples assim.

Antigamente, décadas de 80 e 90 pra ser mais exato, eram chamados de Nerds pessoas que idolatravam heróis em quadrinhos. Lembro de uma vez um vizinho meu questionar a meu amigo como ele podia gastar a mesada dele com revistas em quadrinhos. E nada como o tempo pra responder a esse meu vizinho, alias, a todos os preconceituosos (seja o preconceito qual for). Um exemplo claro é minha irmã, ela crítica tudo que eu faço, falo e toco, e sim, zombava de mim por ler e gostar de heróis em quadrinhos, e hoje em dia não é que ela enche a boca pra dizer que a trilogia dos X-mens são alguns dos filmes favoritos delas ever.

E mal sabe ela que Brian Singer só deu o primeiro passo pra mostrar que o mundo deveria levar os quadrinhos a sério. E assim como barrados no baile foi a primeira série teen, e talvez tenha sido a pior de todas, X-Men(os 3 filmes) foram muito inferiores ao que já ocorreu nos quadrinhos e até mesmo aquele clássico desenho que passava (e acho que ainda passa) na globo.

A grande contribuição de Singer foi mostrar que algumas das mentes mais brilhantes desse mundo eram envolvidas com historias em quadrinhos, e se o mundo prestasse atenção de forma séria, seriam surpreendidos com as histórias que poderiam ser contadas.

E seguindo X-Men veio Homem Aranha (com sua quase perfeição), e vieram as bombas Demolidor, Motoqueiro fantasma, Elektra e mais alguns (vocês por favor percebam que não falo numa ordem cronológica exata). A verdade é que o mundo (Lê-se Hollywood) está dividido. Sem preconceitos(e sem generalizar), mas creio eu que como na maior parte do mundo, os mais velhos (que só costumam ter uma visão ultrapassada e enxergar o bolso enchendo) compravam os direitos pra levar os heróis a tela, mas achavam que qualquer explosão seria suficiente pra ter retorno. ERRADO. E alguns como Bryan Singer e Sam Raimi acreditavam que além das explosões deveria ter conteúdo, e com isso o povo se identificava. EXATO. O grande problema, que até esses dois diretores que falei acabaram errando mais do que acertando, o que deve ser uma resposta de Nolan dentro de The Dark Knight sobre o fato dele querer ou não continuar na franquia. Ou vocês acham que “ou se morre como um herói ou se vive tempo o bastante para que se torne o vilão” foi em vão? E para os mais antenados, sim, Kurt Cobain já dizia algo do tipo

O grande problema de Singer foi apostar muito na fama dos seus personagens mais complexos(X-Men) e o mais popular do mundo(Superman), e com isso quis fazer filmes famílias, aliviando onde devia pegar pesado. E antes que me atirem pedra, eu acho Hugh Jackman o cara certo pra Wolverine, o próprio ator me confidenciou (pois é) que é o personagem da vida dele, mas assim como falo pra minha irmã, falo pra qualquer um que assistiu X-Men sem ao menos ter lido uma revista(ou visto um episódio na globo), aquele Wolverine de Jackman não é Wolverine. Os mais conservadores dizem que os filmes aliviam em alguns arcos e ou cenas para não chocar as crianças, nem influenciá-las de modo negativo, mas essa teoria cai por água abaixo quando lembramos que estes personagens são de revistas em quadrinhos, voltada pra crianças, talvez não de 1 ou 2 anos, mas pra crianças de forma geral, e tirando por mim que lia “A Teia do Aranha” quando pequeno, até hoje não tentei escalar paredes, nem muito menos saí por aí atrás de criminosos.

Lembro também de ter assistido Homem Aranha com um dos meus melhores amigos, e no final do filme, quando eu e ele estávamos babando com o que acabávamos de assistir, eu disse a ele “cara, se eles tivessem colocado Gwen Stacy na história, e no final na ponte, Parker não conseguisse salvá-la, como aconteceu nos quadrinhos, esse filme concorreria a Oscar, Globo de Ouro, até Emmy se duvidar” e simples assim, o filme foi muito bom, mas poderia ter sido muito melhor. E sério, quem está conhecendo os heróis agora procurem a origem deles nos quadrinhos, sei que é difícil, mas vocês não vão se arrepender de ler as histórias criadas ao longo desses anos.

Agora pra não parecer que o mundo dos quadrinhos só acerta, infelizmente, nos últimos anos, contamos a dedos histórias boas criadas no quadrinho. E os americanos têm um grande problema, seus Heróis não morrem. O que eu gostava de homem aranha quando lia quando pequeno era que ele era eu (quando não tava com a mascara, claro), e era uma identificação absurda, e uma coisa que eu sempre me identifiquei acontecia constantemente nas revistas “não importa quão bom você seja, uma hora você vacila, ou uma hora vão questionar você”. E sério, essa frase não é inspirada em Cavalheiro das Trevas, essa frase resume Homem Aranha, essa frase resume a mim. O grande problema que eu cresci, passei por bem menos coisas do que ele(Aranha) e mudei, mas com ele continuaram tentando fazer mais do mesmo, quando tentavam mudar, faziam besteira, ou então acertavam, mas não agradava(ou era radical demais) e com isso voltavam pro mesmo ponto. Infelizmente isso aconteceu nos quadrinhos, e aconteceu no cinema tanto com X-Men quanto com Homem Aranha. Fontes confiáveis (sim, eu sou o cara) me disseram que o roteiro do terceiro filme do cabeça de teia não estava pronto, mas eles tiveram que seguir adiante por causa das malditas datas(lembra do que eu disse dos velhos que só querem ganhar grana?) e o terceiro filme que é espetacular em ação, falhou no que tinha conquistado todo mundo, seu roteiro.

E Singer foi mais longe ainda, criou o pior filme de herói em quadrinhos de todos os tempos, talvez perdendo até pra séries de televisão dos anos 70(ou era 80, sei lá). É inadmissível vê alguém conseguir errar mais do que a equipe criativa de Smallville. E Defendendo Smallville, os 3 primeiros anos foram primorosos, e sim, Singer tinha que ter prestado atenção nisso. Nada contra ele se basear no filme clássico do Superman, mas se foi uma continuação do filme, só fez estragar o clássico e nos colocar em duvida do talento dele como diretor. Não vou dizer que este Superman, o retorno foi um filme pra mulherzinha porque estaria insultando elas e sendo preconceituoso (sem preconceitos, lembram?), mas ele conseguiu pegar o personagem mais popular do mundo e torná-lo vazio e unidimensional, o vilão tão bem criado em Smallville era uma caricatura de dá nojo, e eu que fui assistindo com o pensamento de que se Rosenbaum já fazia um Lex memorável, imagine Spacey no papel. Mas não que Spacey não tivesse se esforçado, ele foi a única coisa que se salvou do filme (o ator, e não o personagem), mas o filme era uma bomba, uma bomba que analistas e mais analistas pensam se vale realmente a pena continuar com a franquia no cinema, ou recomeçá-la daqui a uns anos.

Mas pra nossa sorte, apareceram caras como Snyder, Rodriguez, Nolan, Favreau e disseram, ou melhor, mostraram, que se levarmos os quadrinhos realmente a sério(se possível, copiá-los na integra) teremos filmes espetaculares, e da criança de colo ao avô acompanhando o neto, todos sairão do cinema com a sensação de que foi o melhor dinheiro gasto na vida(vamos deixar de lado por um momento as mulheres e as cervejas). Bom, os diretores que citei filmaram 300, Sin City(pra mim as duas melhores adaptações dos quadrinhos) Batman e Homem de Ferro(os dois melhores filmes sobre heróis em quadrinhos), e eles apenas acertaram onde os outros acertaram, e erraram menos onde os outros faziam cagadas.

E a soma de tudo que escrevi acima é The Dark Knight. O que me assusta nesse filme é que eu assisti com as expectativas a mil (e todos sabem que isso é péssimo pra avaliar um filme), mas mesmo assim o filme superou minhas expectativas logo nos 5 minutos iniciais. E o que me assusta mais ainda é que este talvez tenha sido o melhor filme que já vi na minha vida, de todos, e de todos os tempos, e o que mais assusta de verdade é que eu acho que estou falando sério. A sensação que tenho é que pela primeira vez na minha vida eu acho que vi algo perfeito, e não tenho palavras pra descrever tal coisa.

E alguns vão perguntar “você quer dizer que você não viu erros no filme?” quase nenhum será a minha resposta, teve uma pequena falha do filme que se não tivesse ocorrido eu não falaria “acho” e sim afirmaria que era o melhor filme ever. Mas, essa pequena falha só prova que o erro faz parte da perfeição.

E pra quem perguntar “por que você disse que o mundo precisa de Heróis?” a resposta é simples, basta olhar pela janela.

This is the movie that will make you wish you're in college and have the brains to do what they do. This movie features Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Lawrence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth and Aaron Yoo (that guy that plays Shia La Beouf's friend in Disturbia). Im not crazy about the cast or the plot. This is based on a book, Bringing Down the House, which is based on a true story. Apparently, these guys go to Vegas every weekend, count cards at Blackjack, wear disguises, take home wads of cash and then be back in time for class in monday morning.

But what intrigues me is the story behind it, MIT Blackjact Team does exist, and they were pretty notorious in their heyday. And then, I must admit I attempted to learn to card-count in Youtube.

Overall, this is another feel-good movie.
2.5 out of 5.0

View the trailer Below:

Outstanding comedy series
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
Two And A Half Men

Outstanding drama series:
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

Actor in a comedy:
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Steve Carell (The Office)
Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk)
Charlie Sheen (Two And A Half Men)

Actress in a comedy:
Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?)
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures Of Old Christine)
Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)

Actor in a drama:
Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Michael C Hall (Dexter)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Hugh Laurie (House)
James Spader (Boston Legal)

Actress in a drama:
Glenn Close (Damages)
Sally Field (Brothers And Sisters)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Holly Hunter (Saving Grace)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Supporting actor in a drama:
Ted Danson (Damages)
Michael Emerson (Lost)
Zeljko Ivanek (Damages)
William Shatner (Boston Legal)
John Slattery (Mad Men)

Supporting actress in a drama:
Candice Bergen (Boston Legal)
Rachel Griffiths (Brothers And Sisters)
Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
Dianne Wiest (In Treatment)
Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy)

Supporting actor in a comedy:
Jon Cryer (Two And A Half Men)
Kevin Dillon (Entourage)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
Rainn Wilson (The Office)

Supporting actress in a comedy:
Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies)
Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live)
Jean Smart (Samantha Who?)
Holland Taylor (Two And A Half Men)
Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty)

Outstanding mini-series:
Cranford
John Adams
The Andromeda Strain
Tin Man

Outstanding TV movie:
A Raisin In The Sun
Bernard And Doris
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
Recount
The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Actor in a mini-series/TV movie:
Ralph Fiennes (Bernard And Doris)
Ricky Gervais (Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale)
Paul Giamatti (John Adams)
Kevin Spacey (Recount)
Tom Wilkinson (Recount)

Actress in a mini-series/TV movie:
Dame Judi Dench (Cranford)
Catherine Keener (An American Crime)
Laura Linney (John Adams)
Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin In The Sun)
Susan Sarandon (Bernard And Doris)

Supporting actor in a mini-series/TV movie:
Bob Balaban (Recount)
Stephen Dillane (John Adams)
Denis Leary (Recount)
David Morse (John Adams)
Tom Wilkinson (John Adams)

Supporting actress in a mini-series/TV movie:
Dame Eileen Atkins (Cranford)
Laura Dern (Recount)
Ashley Jensen (Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale)
Audra McDonald (A Raisin in the Sun)
Alfre Woodard (Pictures Of Hollis Woods)

Synopsis and Evaluation

We've seen them in a lot of action flicks being made in the past and present. They are the suave smooth-talkers that persuade criminals to free their innocent hostages. They listen to the demands of the oft-discombobulated hostage-taker no matter how unreasonable. They make counter-offers in order to buy time in order to plan something more concrete and effective. But more often than not, they are just a minor part of the plot used for dramatic effect. In The Negotiator however, they take center stage.

The film started with a tension-filled hostage scene involving a father withholding his daughter by a gun. Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) is a respected and reputable police officer whose asset is his loud mouth. He has been a negotiator for the past 20 years. Without further ado, the film imposed early on the character of Danny. This is a good thing so that the plot could quickly advance to the film's main course. He saved the daughter and because of this accomplishment, a celebration of music and liquors followed. In the middle of this stress-reliever, his good friend Nathan asked him for a quick minute to talk. He learned that somebody on the inside are embezzling the disability funds set up for the benefit of police men like him. This triggered a string of events (one involving the murder of Nathan) that led to Danny Roman's involvement in a serious crime.

With pessimism about the case consuming Danny, he felt that he must do something drastic not just to clean his name but to bring justice to Nathan's death. This presented the central irony of the film – a negotiator that must be talked out to free his own hostages. With Danny on the other side of the fence, he issued demands like a stereotypical hostage-taker including a request for Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey). Chris is also a negotiator that once talked for 55 hours in order to save a hostage by peaceful means.

Chris is a perfect contrast to Danny's personality --- he is low-key, calm, mild-mannered as opposed to Danny's loud-mouthed and flamboyant attitude. This dualism set up a beautiful set of interplays between the two via tight retorts and good delivery from both. A minor gripe in the film is Danny's excessive announcement of his accomplishments and work experience. OK, we get the point already that you are good and old. We are not dumb-asses to not understand it the first time we heard it. The two leads, while they have churned out better performances in other movies, delivered the needed output a film like this needs. The supporting cast quite complemented the leads especially Paul Giamatti who is responsible for a few laughs and chuckles in this suspense thriller.

With Chris learning of Danny's innocence and good intentions, he helped him find his way out of this mess. As with most Hollywood movies, this movie's mantra is “all's well that end's well.” But how the film arrived to its Hollywoodish conclusion proved to be somewhat fresh... which is certainly a good thing.

The Final Word

This is a solid action film that manages not to deteriorate your brains. It offers enough blood, gun fight and tension that blend in together satisfactorily. While it does not break new ground for the genre, it's the perfect popcorn movie to watch when there's nothing else to do.

kevin Spacey: Photo by JC Volotão.

In New York.

www.volotao.com

volotao@volotao.com

stayin' spacey.  the lime green and black flying coffin new era is killing.  no hypebeast!  as always -- details, details, details.

2 links:  buy it first by directly supporting the good people at flying coffin (and it's cheaper).  but i'm generous and i'll 1 up you with an extra life at krudmart.

you're all welcome.

And it's really a question of trends more than individual categories - I can't possibly predict a category like Best Direction in a Comedy Series, but I can tell you who is likely to be kicking around and what kind of shows will perform well in the category. It's one last bit of Emmy coverage before we head into tomorrow, where I'll have live coverage of the nominations themselves followed by the full list of nominees and full analysis of how things went down. In the meantime, let's discuss the "Other" awards, ranging from writing to directing, guest acting to individual performance, and everything in between.

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Trend: The category is usually used to represent the best in episodic television along with the year's standout pilots. It's considered one of the best categories, mainly because of said high quality.

Changes: Unlike last year, there's no show that is going to dominate with a large number of episodes in the tradition of The Sopranos - only Mad Men has a chance at that.

Watch for: Lost's "The Constant" seems like a lock unless something goes hideously wrong (Even last year, with the show snubbed, they won a nomination for "Through the Looking Glass," while the Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Damages pilots might represent new series on the list.

Repeat Offenders: Ronald D. Moore was a surprise nominee for Battlestar Galactica last year, so he could be back. Meanwhile, since three Sopranos episodes made the cut last year, there's room for some returns - David Simon is likely back in the race for the finale of The Wire, for example.

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Trend: A huge, expansive category representing quality drama pilots and standout segments of established series.

Changes: We don't know if we'll see yet another seven nomination kudos list, but if we do it means more of the same from the Academy.

Watch for: In terms of the year's pilots, it's a pretty safe bet you'll see cinematic Damages and intoxicating Mad Men on this list (Alan Taylor, who directed the Mad Men pilot, won for The Sopranos last year). As far as other series go, expect Lost's Jack Bender to pop up again.

Repeat Offenders: Battlestar Galactica could see another nomination here, but Heroes and Friday Night Lights are likely both going to miss the cut. There could be other series, however, that would be more than willing to step in and fill the gap (The Wire and Dexter, in particular).

Outstanding Guest Acting in a Drama Series

Trends: We've got the Actor Top 10, but Actress remains a mystery, but it's the usual: few if any performers are under 50, and the chances of a relevant win seem unlikely.

Changes: Not much, although as usual there's a lot of turnover considering the expanse of the categories.

Watch for: Although the actors remain stalwart, there's room for some younger actresses - Amy Ryan is competing here for The Wire, and then you have two House women. Anne Dudek deserves recognition for her amazing work as Amber on the series, while Mira Sorvino feels a safe bet for her turn in "Frozen." On the male side, Robert O'Toole's hammy turn on Mad Men and Keith Carradine's steely FBI man on Dexter seem likely nominees.

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Trend: A large number of episodes from televisions most successful sitcoms combined with the usual love for showy pilots.

Changes: Considering that 30 Rock and The Office dominated last year, this will be more of the same - the two shows remain stalwarts in this category although there's room for a bit more new blood.

Watch for: Pushing Daisies is the category's biggest lock, a fantatic pilot script from Bryan Fuller that really drove the pilot's success, and there's an outside chance of a show like Californication breaking into the race. However, I'm be happier to see them follow drama's lead and represent less Emmy-driven series like How I Met Your Mother.

Repeat Offenders: In terms of 30 Rock and The Office, expect episodes to include "Rosemary's Baby," "Cooter," "Greenzo" for the former while the latter should see "Goodbye, Toby" as its main contender.

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Trend: Single-Camera comedies with either gimmicks or popularity break into this category, along with a pilot or two.

Changes: Don't expect to see Scrubs back considering it doesn't have a big musical episode to submit, but otherwise the rest of the candidates from last year (Office, Entourage, Betty, 30 Rock) seem like contenders.

Watch for: Again, Pushing Daisies is the frontrunner here with Barry Sonnenfeld's expansive and wondrous work on the pilot episode. Elsewhere, this will be a real test of Betty's staying power in the face of shows like Weeds.

Repeat Offenders: Curb Your Enthusiasm is totally different in tone, with its improvisation and all, than anything else on the list, so expect it to find a spot here in this category (And since it kind of represents both writing/directing in one for the show).

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Trend: Usually, it's a selection of Extras "As themselves" nominees combined with guest stars on otherwise spurned shows like Monk and My Name is Earl.

Changes: But that all changes, with Extras out of commission, right? Wrong, probably - Monk still expects strong representation, although 30 Rock has all of the buzz at the end of with its strong stable of performances.

Watch for: Of the 30 Rock contenders, Will Arnett and Matthew Broderick feel like locks, but watch for fan favourite Dean Winters and David Schwimmer as well. Meanwhile, Victor Garber is a potential nominee for a rather lame little Ugly Betty role, and I don't mind - he never won for Alias, give the man an Emmy.

Repeat Offenders: Alfred Molina could be Monk's contender on the evening, while Beau Bridges should be back for his turn as Earl and Randy's father on My Name is Earl.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Trend: From last year, it's a lot of seasoned performers and a few flashy names doing showy work on series that either aren't straight comedies or leave plenty of room for drama.

Changes: But this is all about to change with the domination of 30 Rock and the backlash against Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty seen in other categories.

Watch for: The 30 Rock trio of Edie Falco, Carrie Fisher and last year's winner Elaine Stritch seems unstoppable, although I'd argue Fisher is the weak link. Elsewhere, I'll be downright angry if the Academy ignores the amazing work of Amy Ryan on the Office finale.

Repeat Offenders: Still, there's no counting out the various Desperate Housewives mothers and someone like Annie Potts, who has a hammy turn on Ugly Betty (Which logged two nominees in this category last year).

Outstanding Variety Series/Performance

Trend: The best of Late Night for the former, with the best of elderly concert performers in the latter.

Changes: Not much, although this year's likely concert nominee is much younger - Justin Timberlake looks like the spoiler.

Watch for: Tracey Ullman has a showy cable series in play, and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert remain contenders alongside Bill Maher and David Letterman.

Repeat Offenders: And while everyone is talking about Heath Ledger, George Carlin is likely to grab his own posthumous Emmy nomination for both his special and his performance - he's been nominated before, and the respect for the man should get him represented here.

Other Awards

• When it comes to art design, art direction, special effects, and all other similar awards, Pushing Daisies is expect to rack up an enormous set of nominations that will look great in press releases.
• Outstanding Music and Lyrics, won last year by "Dick in a Box," could see a repeat comedy winner with either of the Jimmy Kimmel/Sarah Silverman/Damon/Affleck saga songs, although expect fantastic Flight of the Conchords to rack up the most nominations in the category for the original material written for the series.
• As far as Music Composition in a Series goes, any TV watcher who gives a damn should be frustrated if Michael Giacchino (Lost) and Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica) aren't on the final list - their work this year has been superlative, and the TV community hopefully is taking notice.
• Speaking of BSG, expect it to pop up in the Visual Effects category again, especially for some of the continued amazing work seen in the Fourth Season (Even if, unfortunately, the amazing work in "The Hub" aired after the nomination period, the early season space battles will be more than enough).
• I'm ignoring Miniseries/TV Movie here mainly because I just have no idea, but expect representation from HBO's John Adams - for me personally, I really enjoyed Recount, and am rooting for Laura Dern and Kevin Spacey.

I won't go much into what I thought, other than to say that the audience cheered, actually cheered, at a certain point in the movie. It's quite a compliment to the filmmakers that this bunch of jaded studio folks could still get excited. (You'll know the part I'm talking about when you see it.)

Screenings are free and plentiful in LA, which is why I went to a lot of them as a poor film student. Besides the movie itself, there are often guest speakers, too. I saw Kevin Spacey at a screening for American Beauty in my first month at school. I even got to ask him a question! If I recall correctly, it was something along the lines of, "Mr. Spacey, why are you so awesome?" (This was before 21, mind you.)

A couple years ago, I went to a screening of King Kong.  We weren't expecting any special guests that time; just a big monkey, some dinosaurs, and maybe Naomi Watts in a skimpy white dress. But while we were waiting in line, I heard a voice I definitely recognized.  It took me a minute to place it, and then I realized it was Brad fucking Bird!

I pointed him out to my friend, who responded, "That's not Brad Bird."

"Yes, it is.  I recognize him from my Incredibles DVD."

"I don't think that's him."

"I'm sure it is."

It went on like this for a while, until I finally went up and asked the guy, "Excuse me, are you Brad Bird?"

"Yes."

"SEE?"

That's pretty much the end of that story.  I said I liked his movies, he said thanks, the end.

In any case, my point is, if you start going to these screenings, you too can meet minor celebrities and prove to your friends that you listen to way too many commentary tracks.

Chiar asa, remarcam ca in ultima vreme nu mai exista genul clasic al comediei. Toate filmele comice mai noi sunt o amestecatura lesioasa de romance, lacrimi si la final zambete printre suspine, care pe mine personal ma plictisesc de moarte. Ai mai vazut o comedie buna in ultima vreme? Una din aia in care sa razi de la un cap la altul tinandu-te cu mainile de burta? La naiba, ma mai distrez si eu la un film?

1997's L.A. Confidential was the best movie that year.  Unfortunately, the movie Titanic also came out in 1997 and not only locked up the box office for months, but also swept the Academy Awards that year as well.  Regardless of the Academy's pick for best picture, L.A. Confidential was the best picture that year.

L.A. Confidential is a well directed, well performed crime drama set in the city of Los Angeles in the1950's.  The story's main characters include three very different police officers who are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley,(Guy Pearce) the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White,(Russell Crowe) ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his temper under control; and Jack Vincennes,(Kevin Spacey) always looking for the Hollywood angle and a quick payday until his conscience drives him otherwise.  The movie correlates how these three distinctly different police officers interact and entwine themselves morally and ethically at the result of a mass murder investigation.  The story contains elements of mob corruption, domestic violence, drug trading, hookers, and its mixture with Hollywood itself.

To say the movie has a few A-List celebrities would be an understatement.  The film includes career defining performances by Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, and Danny DeVito.  Although released at an inoportune time, this L.A. Confidential is one of the best movies of the 90's and is easily one of the best police dramas ever made.  If you haven't seen this movie, you should.

Reel Review:  5 out of 5 Reels.