1,000 Monkeys
So Many Monkeys Jumping
on the Bed

by Kim Voynar

Balancing kids with work, particularly now that I'm a single mom, can be a challenge; it helps that I have a level of stamina that those around me sometimes find overwhelming and annoying. When I have to be, I am the proverbial Energizer Bunny: I keep going and going and going ... although, as I've had to learn these past six months of battling illness, the battery does, occasionally, run out.

______________________________

Frenzy on the Wall
Red Riding: Better Than the Godfather?
by Noah Forrest


I must say that I wasn't that appreciative of the films as a whole right after watching them.  It was something that I slogged through because I was told I needed to and because David Thomson said that Red Riding was better than The Godfather.  These comparisons hurt the film because it could not possibly live up to that billing.  But the more time I've had to think about it, to let the films marinate in my brain, the more I realize how masterful they are.


Film Reviews
MCN Critics Roundup
Box Office Hell
DVD Reviews
Trailers

Romance trumped visceral thrills as the three-hanky Dear John debuted at the top of weekend viewing charts with an estimated $32.7 million. More >>

Full List of Weekend Estimates
3-Day Estimates
Weekend
% Chg
Cume
Dear John
32.7
-
32.7
Avatar
23.5
-25%
630
To Paris with Love
8.1
-
8.1


Wilmington on Movies
Dear John, Crazy Heart, From Paris with Love, Dear John and Fish Tank
by Michael Wilmington

The story—Tatum’s somber hunk John Tyree and Seyfried’s winsome blond cutie Savannah Curtis meet on the beach and fall in love on the Carolina coast in two breathless weeks, then are separated for years while John fulfills his armed forces commitments in the world crisis after 9/11—is as phony as they come.


Now that the nominations are out, the Gurus look all but the shorts categories one by one.

The Hurt Locker or Avatar sit on top of nine of the categories. But there's room for Up, Crazy Heart, Up in the Air and Star Trek, too.

Gurus: February 2



Voynaristic
Oscar, Schmoscar
by Kim Voynar

The category I care most about this year is Best Director. I really, really want to see Kathryn Bigelow win this one, both because she deserves it for making such a completely kick-ass film, and because dammit, it is LONG past time for a woman to win Best Director. This is the year for it to happen. And if it does, I hope that no one will take away from Bigelow's outstanding achievement directing The Hurt Locker with any snide-ass remarks about the "token" female director winner.

______________________________

The DVD Wrap
Amelia
by Gary Dretzka


Few Americans have led lives more exciting or noteworthy than Amelia Earhart, an aviator whose accomplishments continue to inspire women and men who live to fly. Her willingness to tempt fate was equaled only by her self-confidence. How, then, was it possible for Mira Nair–a director of undeniable talent —to make a film as dull and lifeless as Amelia

__________________________________

Wilmington on DVDs
The House of the Devil, The Wolfman, The Godfather: Coppola Restoration ...and more
by Michael Wilmington

Instead The House of the Devil, made by another kind of low-budget horror auteur, Ti West, is a different kind of bloody throwback, done in the more restrained attack and mood (compared to today) of the ‘70s, the era of moody and violent low-budgeters like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Halloween.  It’s a retro shocker, with sweet-faced, tight-jeaned Jocelin Donahue as the menaced babysitter Samantha, and Tom Noonan, Marty Woronov, Danielle Noe  and AJ Bowen as the Ulman clan that menaces her.


The Nominations
9 for Avatar and Hurt Locker, 8 for Inglourious Basterds, 6 Precious and Up in the Air

DP/30: The Nominees
The Hot Blog Reacts

Nominee Reactions
Nominations by Film
Nominations by the Numbers
Nominations Fact Sheet
Nominations Side Bar
The Oscar Ballot



The Ultimate DVD Geek
Che
by Doug Pratt

It is masterfully composed and finely acted, with many distinctive sequences, but on the whole, it is as dull as a Party meeting. The only factor, other than historical accuracy, that saves it from being a complete waste of time is the sound mix in the battle scenes, which are especially rousing on Criterion's two-platter Blu-ray release. The battle scenes are sporadic and often incidental, as if actually giving them an emotional arc would be too 'Hollywood,' but whenever they kick in, you start ducking, because bullets go whizzing by every which way, and it is a unique, heart-quickening experience. As for the rest of both parts of the film, there is very little life to it.

'Dancing with the Wildman 6 - As Tucker and Dale, they don’t just give us characters whose reality runs counter to the stereotype. They emotional support and friendship they display toward one another.
'Dancing with the Wildman 7 - Something tells me that the guy wearing his “Vida” hat has no idea that Vida is a high-end sex toy line.




Frenzy on the Wall
If I Had a Ballot
by Noah Forrest


Is the Academy trying to get “cool points” with the kids?  Kids aren’t watching the damn show anyway.  You really think that just because District 9 and Star Trek are going to be nominated that your average teenager is going to sit through a three-and-a-half hour show hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin?  If you believe that, I’ve got a great talk show at 10pm on NBC to sell you…




Voynaristic
Review Roundup: Avatar, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Lovely Bones and Up in the Air
by Kim Voynar

Pandora is all vibrant blues and greens and feels like a living, breathing thing that the Na'vi are a part of, though, and in the sense of creating a computer generated world that feels as real as technology will allow, Cameron succeeds. I just wish the story that holds up the fancy technology had been a little less predictable, a little less shallow.

______________________________

20 Weeks to Oscar
10 Is Good
by David Poland

But it’s more than who is still in play. It’s the shut-down mentality that comes, especially in a year like this, when you only have the five nominees. Precious, Invictus, Up, and An Education would all be sweating nominations a lot more than they are this weekend in a field of five. Would that be a good thing?

To offer some perspective, I decided to parse our MCN Critics Top Ten Chart as though it was an Oscar nomination vote.







Updated throughout the day
Updated: 3:50 pm

On Avatar's Digital Marketing
And - India's Dongria Kondh Seek Cameron's Assistance In Avatar-Like Conflict Over Holy Mountain Niyamgiri And Bauxite Mining

Tim Burton's Annie Acceptance Speech (video)

Mark Harris On Red Carpet Fever

Alice Screenwriter Linda Woolverton Ready For Haters (spoilers)

New Orleans Times-Picayune Presses Still Rolling On Their "AMEN" Cover

Pitt And Jolie Vs. News Of The World

Michael Moore Launches His Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival

Sundance Was Robust, So What Does That Mean For Sales At The Berlinale?

Aside From The Vastly Different Sums Necessary To Produce Them, Why Does Indie Music Thrive And Indie Film Struggle?

The Journey Of "Auteur"
While - Mathews And Anne-T Banter Over Whether Tarantino Is Worthy Of The L'appel

Unbearable Whiteness Of Being On Vanity Fair H'wd Cover Leads To Online Threats And One Arrest

Hw'd & Fine Offers Rx For Indie VOD

Daniel Ellsberg's Oscar Papers

Ian Christie, 82, Jazz Clarinetist, Longtime Film Critic

The Super Bowl Spots
Alice in Wonderland
The Prince of Persia
The Wolf Man
Robin Hood
Plus ... Google's Sweetheart of a Love Story
And - Adland's Page o' Super Bowl Ads

Chris Columbus On Percy Jackson's "Flash In The Pantheon"

When O When Will Meryl Streep Do Her "Exploding Helicopter" Movie?

Son Of Libyan Dictator Finances First H'wd Film Through His "Natural Selection" Co, An Adrien Brody-Forest Whitaker Vehicle

Up Wins Annies; Coraline And Princess And Frog Take Three Each

"With end credits, every movie ends the same way, like a song that fades out, rather than one that comes to a full stop. I believe cinema in general is the poorer for it. If you're a filmmaker, why should you want your audiences to have two or three minutes in the dark to collect themselves?"
Mick LaSalle Wants To Take His Dreams And Go

A Fresh Hour With William Friedkin Across His Career

"Emily Mortimer enters the Brooklyn bar like a snowstorm: surrounded by a gust of frozen air and bundled up against the cold in a big white woolly coat that may once have been related to a yeti. She is moving rather slowly: she is just days away from giving birth to her second child."
As Ledes Go, This One Gets

Scott On "Apolitics And The War Film"

"Falling behind is the permanent state of being online. There's too much stuff. No one can see it all."

Former Head Of Motion Picture Nursing Home Got Big Pay Raise Even As Facilities Struggled

Yes, Jeff Bridges Loves The Way His Life Has Gone

Loaned Star: Robert Benton's LBJ Biopic May Have To Shoot Outside Of Texas

Te Wei, 95, One Of China's Top Animators

Ian Carmichael, 89, Specialist In Upper-Class Twits, Acted In I'm All Right Jack, As Bertie Wooster, Lord Peter Wimsey

The Long, Rich History Of Tamil Cinema

Julian Fellowes Sez Carey Mulligan's Not A New Audrey Hepburn, Only Herself

Oscar-Winning You Light Up My Life Filmmaker Joseph Brooks Released On $1.25 Million Bail In 13 Cases Of Predatory Sexual Assault

Bollywood Film Striker To Simultaneously Debut Worldwide On YouTube

Gabbing With Shirley MacLaine, Evening Star

Telegraph Has Pleasing Banter With Clint
While - Mottram Examines Eastwood's Lasting Appeal

Time Out Scribe Banks On Roman Polanski's Genius For The Ghost Writer

John McCallum, 91, Creator Of Skippy The Bush Kangaroo, Widower Of Googie Withers

Design Commenters Enliven Jardin Entry About Avatar's Papyrus Font Fetish

Kevin Smith Talks About His Reservations With The Big Table And The Small Table

Werewolves' Hair Is Not Always Perfect

"Capturing America": Mark Lawson On The Fading Of The "Masters Of American Literature"

Helena Bonham-Carter Sez She's Half Of "The Bonkers Couple"

From NZ, Kathryn Bigelow's Big Bang Theory

Always-Amusing John Waters Chats With The Australian Before Taking His Filthy World Down Under

James Lasdun On Chekhov At 150

TribCo Execs Get Biggo Bonuses But Size Of Pages Set To Shrink, Taking Out 6 Chi Trib Comics Including Chicago's Own Sylvia

Getting Naked With Blue Valentine

Opening Shutter
Sampling Shutter Island's Soundtrack
And - Rafferty Finds Marty "Age-Appropriate"
And - Scorsese, DiCaprio And Lehane Talks Challenges
And - Scorsese's Pre-Shoot Film School For His Actors
Plus - That Great Japanese Poster For The Film
And - Bowles On The Scorsese-DiCaprio Team
And - The Duo Chat Up The Aussies
While - The Independent First-Reviews With Hateful Spoiler Action

Olson Indie-Focuses Terribly Strange Terribly Happy

Will And Jada Pinkett Smith File Preemptive Suit Against Film Investor

"Actors respond to movies that have more focus on the acting. People at the top of their craft, they feel more connected to them, and enjoy them more, as opposed to Avatar."

Article Tag Of The Day: "jack shafer: persecuting accidental perpetrators of incidental crime for as long as we can remember"
Daily Beast Admits To Plagiarism

Another Nosegay Of Salingeriana
Ron Rosenbaum On The "Soiled Tissues" Of A Racy Bit Of Juvenilia
And - The Story: "Go See Eddie"
Plus - Rosenbaum's 1997 Salinger-Stalk Esquire Piece
And - The Publisher Who Soured An Edition Of Salinger's Last Story
And - Donald Fagen's Thing For Franny Glass
And - The Woman Who Answered Salinger's Fan Mail

Mo'Nique Does Not Do Woo

Anne Hathaway And The Joy Of Particle Physics

WeinsteinCo Acquires Tillman

True/False Fest Announces Its 7th Year Schedule

A Peek At Super Bowl 2010 Ads
The Last Airbender
Robin Hood
The Crazies
Shutter Island

Man Nibbles Dog

Retired P.R. Sweetheart Lois Smith On How The Biz Of Flackery's Changed

GG On The Fiscal (And Physical) Forms Of Sundance Hangover

Could La Finke Feel The Pink And Raise Stink In Courts Over HBO's Hw'd B-Word (Blogger) Pilot?
While -
"Why are you so f---ing fascinated with me? Get a life."

Gawker Claims To Have Her On The Horn

The Genial Life Of Writers On Film In Light Of The Last Station
And - Andrei Konchalovsky, From Tarkovsky To Stallone

"I'm just so glad I liked the movie. I was dreading seeing the film because I liked Tom Ford so much I knew I couldn't lie to him. What a relief that screening was, to be able to tell him with real enthusiasm how good it is."
Don Bachardy Sez Tom Ford's Vision Of A Single Man Complements The Late Mr. Isherwood's

Director Alex Proyas Sez Screen Australia Needs To Be Clearer On Their Rules For Local Production

After 30 Years, NYC May Finally Restore The Loew’s Kings Theater, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn

Danny Elfman's Pleased He's Done With The Mad Hatter's Fudderwacken Dance

Shackleton's Whisky Dug Up In Antarctica

"Film Forum Raises Enormous Middle Finger In General Direction of China"

Former Big Rues "Microsoft's Creative Destruction"

Vishnevetsky And Bujalski Talk Beeswax

To The Moon, Jim: Cameron Op-Eds For Proposed Commercialization Of Space

Mottram On The Miramax Mess

Canuck Cricket Cannonades Cameron
Howell Thinks Portrait Of Americans As "Rapers And Pillagers Of The Galaxy" May Be Overstated

How A Few "Rewrites" Might Save The Santa Fe Film Fest

"Egoyan In No Mood To Waste Time"

Wenders Making 3-D Short In Italy Starring... Ben Gazzara?

Jackie Collins Is On Team Bigelow
And - Academy Recognizes All Four Producers On Hurt Locker

SOLDJA!, Sistah
Tell Me You Read Me: Condon & Mort Set HBO H'wd Femme B-Word (Blogger) Series; Any Resemblance To La Finke, Waxman, Anne-T Strictly...

Mark Ruffalo Talks Scorsese, Fincher, Death And Survival

David Thomson BioDicts Takeshi Kitano
And - Teasing Kitano's Latest Gangster Pic, Outrage (in Japanese)

Wes Anderson Does Spidey

The Country Music-Style Drama Behind The Songs Of Crazy Heart

"Television, just like movies and even music and publishing, doesn't truly innovate until its infrastructure is collapsing."
A Smart 3,000-Word Patton Oswalt Interview

A Perfect Day For FedEx

James Cameron's 1988 Video For Martini Ranch, Starring Bill Paxton And... Kathryn Bigelow

"Everyone Eats...": Cricket Sietsema On What It Takes To Review Food Has Fine Parallels With Movie Reviewing; Take Penultimate Schickel Citation With A Grain Of Celluloid

100 Cities Will Get Oscar-Nominated Shorts This Year

Lucasfilm Sues Over "Skywalker" Billboards

Talking To Sequel-ish Alice's Mia Wasikowska

Tokyo's Cinematic Watering Holes



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