The Gurus give their number 1 and number 2 picks in every category ... including the shorts. Gurus - February 3, 2009

The Weekend Report
by Leonard Klady

Taken, produced by Luc Besson's company, was a major success internationally with a gross of close to $70 million last year. The domestic release initially seemed like an afterthought and release schedule filler but as its opening loomed interest appeared to perk up and expectations rose to a $20 million debut. Exit polls were also good and the film is now expected to be a highly profitable investment.
Weekend Estimates (Full List)
Domestic Market Share

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Voynaristic
Slumdog Millionaire and the Politics of Spin
by Kim Voynar

What is it with the media's insistence on attempting to spin stories to harm particular films?

After enjoying the bounce of positive buzz from the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, solid critical support and a box office take bigger than anyone could have dreamed for a subtitled Bollywood hybrid, Slumdog Millionaire finds itself the target of media attacks on several fronts, and once again, the language of spin is at the forefront, both in mainstream media publications and the blogosphere.

DP/30 Created & Presented by David Poland
30 Minute Chats With Oscar Nominated Directors
Ron Howard Frost/Nixon	Stephen Daldry The Reader	Danny Boyle Slumdog MIllionaire

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Wilmington on Movies
New In Town and The Uninvited by Michael Wilmington

New in Town‘s heart is in the right place but its head seems to be is somewhere north of Old Ulm. This movie is so bad that Minnesota, whenever it gets a U. S. Senator, might consider passing a law against it. I’m serious. I come from a small Midwestern town myself (pop: 1,171 or so when I was there) and I‘m getting sick of all these movie city slickers trying to love us to death. And mucking up perfectly good actors too.

Also ... Wilmington on DVDs

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20 Weeks to Oscar
D. It Is Written
by David Poland

And now, with every competing studio, in its heart, knowing that the big prize is simply out of reach, here comes the treachery.  Truly thoughtless efforts by journalists buying into the scam that there is any more discontent over this film in India – where it was the third biggest opening ever by a non-Indian film – than there is here.  I have had the conversations with people who feel that the ultimate upbeat nature of the film is not in sync with the harsh realities of Mumbai. Okay. I can't argue what you feel. But as the man said, that’s why there is chocolate and vanilla and 29 other flavors and more. 

The Charts
Best Picture | Director | Screenplay
Actor/Supporting Actor | Actress/Supporting Actress

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The Ultimate DVD Geek
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
by Doug Pratt

It is said that flaws can be tolerated in friends and strangers, but not in one's parents, and that definitely seems to be everybody's opinion when it comes to the father of Star Wars, George Lucas. It is because the first movie was so good that the other films became so frustrating and their flaws so obsessively glaring (if only, in Phantom Menace, he had shown the mother killed, like Bambi's mother, the entire series might have been taken more seriously…).

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Oscar Outsider
Deconstructing Oscar
by Kim Voynar

Last week, those of us who were at Sundance had to pull our heads briefly out of the myopic world of Fest Coverage and back into the myopic world of Oscar Coverage when the all-important Oscar nominations were announced. Clearly, the people who run the Oscars hate those of us who have to write about them, because they once again announced their nominations at the hour of ungodly-early-in-the-morning near the end of an exhausting major film fest.

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MCN DVD
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

People love to read all sorts of things,some valid, others not even close, into Woody Allen's movies. Mostly, they involve the filmmaker's personal life and psychoanalytical takes on casting decisions. All's fair in love and gossip, I suppose. Aside from Allen's seeming fixation on Scarlett Johansson, however, his recent European-set movies seem as traditional and classically constructed as one could expect in the mid-2000s.

Also .. RocknRolla, Mary Poppins: 45th Anniversary, Pride & Glory, Max Payne, American East, City of Ember, The Express

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Frenzy on the Wall:
Nomination Autopsy
by Noah Forrest

It’s funny, the night before the Oscar nominations I was remarking to everyone I knew that this would most likely be the first time the Academy didn’t nominate a film for Best Picture that I absolutely detested. I mean, I expected them to nominate a film like The Dark Knight which I wasn’t particularly fond of, but it was still a good film. So I was looking forward to the first Academy Awards where every film nominated would be something decent. Then, they went and nominated The Reader ...

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Voynaristic
Sundance: It's a Wrap
by Kim Voynar

In the year of its 25th anniversary, the Sundance Film Festival coincided with the inauguration of a new president who offers hope to a country beaten down by war and a tough economic climate; it's the first time in my own adult life I've ever cared enough about the inauguration to block out time on my own schedule to watch it, and you could hear the crickets chirping around Park City the morning of January 20th as folks skipped screenings to attend any number of inauguration bashes. The mood at Sundance this year, especially given the quality of films, should have felt festive, even buoyant. Overall though, the air at the fest was low-key and somber.

The Gurus take a look at all of the categories - Best Picture to Sound Mixing - post nominations. Gurus January 22 __________________________
All The Nominations Nominations by the Numbers Nominations Fact Sheet Nominations Trivia Sidebar Nomination Reactions __________________________

DP/30 Created & Presented by David Poland
Oscar Nominees
Mickey Rourke The Wrestler	Richard Jenkins The Visitor	Frank Langella Frost/Nixon
Amy Adams Doubt	John Patrick Shanley Doubt	Viola Davis Doubt
Boyle & Beaufoy Slumdog Millionaire	Josh Brolin Milk	Man On Wire The Producers
Ari Folman Waltz With Bashir	Peter Morgan Frost/Nixon	Marisa Tomei The Wrestler
Mike Leigh Sally Hawkins Happy-Go-Lucky	Ellen Kuras Netakhoon (The Betrayal)	Melissa Leo, Courtney Hunt Frozen River

Defiance	-				-
Hotel for Dogs	-	-	-	-
Paul Blart, Mall Cop	-		-	-
Notorious	-	-	-	-
Chandi Chowk	-	-	-	-
Last Chance Harvey	-		-	-
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	-
Revolutionary Road	-				-
Valkyrie	-		-	-
The Wrestler	-	-	-	-

285 Top Ten Lists tallied; 265 films listed; 106 films with a single vote -- proving there's some love out there for almost everything Updated Top Ten Scoreboard The Top Ten Lists

Headlines, Awards, Top Tens, Features and Reviews at MCN's Awards Watch.

Maltin Interviews Ebert (And Sir Laurence) (video)
While - Ebert Celebrates Passed Colleague Scrivener Paul Galloway And The Sheep Story

A Loving Defense Of Revolutionary Road's Terrors

The Chance Meeting That Led To Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock

Chicagoans Invited To Fondle Oscar

Senate Stimulus Bill Stripped Of Breaks To That Conservative Straw Man Known As "Hollywood"

Miniature Knitwear In Coraline Knit With Itty-Bitty Needles

Screenwriter John August On "The Kevin Williamson Problem"

"One grasps these snapshots from Benjamin’s life as if, at the moment of their presence on the screen, they were already nothing more than memories."
A French Kiss For Benjamin Button
And - Fincher Sez No Better Place To Fail Upward Than H'wd

Are Auds Ready To Buy A Comic Shopaholic?

Rickey Goes In Depth With 3-D's Digital Techs

Eller Counters Waxman-to-Finke-to-Chance Reports Of Lionsgate-Summit Betrothal As Last Fall's Failed Flirtation

The Bagger's 90-Second Video Raspberry To Slumdog-Slappers

Terry Gilliam Thinks His Bafta Fellowship Nod Is Probably A Pity Party

"'If the industry sees Australia as a failure, send us more failures,' says Peter Howard, who runs cinemas in the New South Wales towns of Taree and Tuncurry."

Record Number Of Canadian Pics—15!—Off To Berlin Fest

Are There Only 55 Movie Remakes In The Hopper?

Roadside Browses Sundance Glamour Shot September Issue For September Release

Mother Superior: No Doubting The Walk-And-Talk Between Streep And Viola Davis

Spike Goes To Hell

Afghani Filmmakers Who Risk Their Lives To Make Movies

I Can Haz Arbitration?
Bankrupt Tribco's Announced Axing Of 300 At LA Times Delayed Over Failure To Get Approval From Bankruptcy Court

Trailering Chocolate, The New Tween-Girl Kickboxing Actioner From Director Of Ong Bak

Macy's Parades 7,000

Voynar Wraps Santa Barbara

"Why is that each time there is a somewhat negative portrayal of India in the western media, some people, in India and Indians in the diaspora, always freak out?"
An Indian Journo Sees Slumdog As A Picture Of Hope

Rights To Sundance Sensaysh Push: Based On The Novel By Sapphire Shared By Lionsgate, Oprah, Madea Triumvirate

More Bond Scorn From Mr. Bourne

"I remember telling Sally while we were shooting how relieved I felt to be a part of her revolution. How good it felt even if it was only imaginary."
Sally Potter Has Some Rage (And Jude Law In Drag)

IMAX Ramps Up 3-D Investment

Goyas Go For Del Toro, Cruz; Jess Franco

David Lynch In The Soul Detective

Waxman Rumors Lionsgate-Summit Merger Talks

SXSW Sets Its Sked

"If I spot Anna Wintour taking the subway, I’m immediately heading into the bunker with lots of water and canned food."
David Carr Counts The Contractions Of Premium Magazine Publisher Condé Nast

Olly Moss's Movie Poster Remakes

Hulu's Got The Superbowl Ads

"Look at Wizard of Oz, that tanked when it opened and it's worth a billion dollars. Citizen Kane almost didn't open. I'm not saying my movies are on that classic level, but hopefully that's what you're trying to do."
Fincher Unbuttons

The Big Cieper Sez There's All Sorts Of Suspense Over The Oscar Show

Carrie Fisher's Blogging The Funny For Free

"Clouseau's always been lovable, but he shouldn't be. He has a pettiness. He's egocentric, arrogant, bumbling and lacks a lot of intelligence."

Voynar's Santa Barbara Fest Dispatch Pt. 3

Lessons From The Art Of Storyboarding

"It's Friday night, you're calling or texting somebody. You say, 'Hey, do you want to watch an IFC On Demand movie in my dorm room, or do you want to go to the movies?' If it's the first date, it'll probably be at the movies. If it's the third date, and you're lucky, it'll be [IFC]."
In Rob Nelson's Sundance Wrap, James Schamus On Modern Moviegoing

John August Gives A Big Fish Of A Film School Commencement Speech

Macaulay On The Unexpected Success Of Taken Long After Most Of The World Had The Chance To See It

Mike Binder On The New World Of The Entertain-preneur

Baltimore Gets Its RomCom Close-Up

Bordwell-Wallah's Epic Celebration Of Slumdog Millionaire Is A Doozie

SHOCKER!
Danny Boyle Wins DGA... Ari Folman Waltzes To Doc Win

The Sunday NY Times
Henry Selick's Many Dimensions, As Shown In Coraline
And - Adam Baldwin In Repose
With - Mallon On Bio Of Movie Mogul Joseph P. Kennedy
And - Riff-Rafferty On The Hoi Polloi In Pictures Made In Hard Times
With - "I wouldn’t say it's a short movie. But it’s the tightest version that I could give and not feel like I raped it a little bit."
Zack Snyder On Watchmen's Jazzy Too-Muchness
And - The Quiet Style Of He's Just Not That Into You's Ken Kwapis

Who Blarted?
A Newly Named Genre Of Unexpected Successes With Thin Movie Material

"My eyesight is now failing. Ironic, I guess. I just have to watch out for fireplugs."
An Email Exchange With Prince Of Darkness Gordon Willis

On Recession's Effects On Hw'd Biz Coverage

"YouTube Gold" Brasses Hw'd?

P Bloggy's Love Letter To Tom Ortenberg As T.O. Leaves The LG Auditorium, Unwisely Slaps Feltheimer
And Then - Anne T's Sources Kick Ortenberg Out The Door, Throw Low Blows & Praise The New Guy With Little Proof In The LG Auditorium

CC: Dilbert, Milton Waddums
Nielsen Deletes "Reply To All" Button For 35,000 Employees

Gannett Sets $5 Billion Writedown

"Long Tail" Author Points Out The Obvious: "Free" Is No Standalone Biz Model

Google Blacklists Internet
And - "What happened? Very simply, human error."

Where's Wall-E?
Kung Fu Panda Fills An Annie Hall

"We want to set it up as soon as possible. What absolutely mustn't happen is that the money disappears, or people think this is a PR stunt."
Slumdog Millionaire Investors To Meet In London Next Week To Discuss Some Profits Going To Mumbai 'Hoods, Sez Danny Boyle

Bette Iverson, 79, H'wd Hairstylist; Coiffed American Graffiti

The Deadwood Daily
Doing Some Mad Math: Does Printing The NYT Cost Twice As Much As Sending Every Subscriber A Free Kindle?
And - In Wrap Of Disastrous Media Week, Demise Of 103-Year-Old Weekly Variety Again Rumored
And - LA Times Fires 70 More Newsroomers; Folds "California" Section
Plus - Wall Street Journal To Ax 50?

A Canadian Consideration Of The Gwyneth Reinvention As A Super-Super-High-End Martha Stewart

Voynar's Santa Barbara Fest Dispatch Pt. 2

Button On An Italian Suit

Will Ferrell In Star Trek: Old School (video)

Carr On Oscar's "Riveting Tales For Dark Days"

Title-Sequencing The Impostors

First, Do No Harm
Street View Mapper Hits Baby Deer
And - Smoking Gun Has Another

20 Peculiar Furrin Posters For U. S. Movies

Waxman Gets SAG Prexy To Concede His Life "Sucks"

Shrek Gets Double Sequels, But At Least One Stars Puss In Boots

Esquire's Seven Best Stories Ever, Including Work By Mailer, Wolfe, Talese And Junod, In Their Entirety

"A plate of Krispy Kremes sits just beyond his reach. 'They look good, don't they? I honestly don't know whether to eat 'em or f--- 'em!'''
Hanging Out In Jerry Lewis' Office

Annals Of Apocryphal Design
I Can Read Movies!

AMC Goes For Third Year Of Best-Picture Saturday; $30 Quintuple Feature

NY Post Axes Page Six Mag

Ahney Hey On How Role In Gran Torino's Changing Her Life

February 2 Is "Buy A Newspaper Day" As Well As Groundhog Day

Considering Films As Frame Grabs

1000 Journo Jobs Paper-Cut In 2009 So Far

"10 Chick Flick Cliches That Are Not In He's Just Not..." (video)

Scarlett Johansson Wishes She Were 10 Years Older

How Not To Sell Celeb Liquor: Stallone Toasts DeVito's Limoncello

Not A Kodak Moment: 4,000 Employees To Be Exposed

Retrograde Mercury Does Not Keep Piven-Less "Plow" From Recouping

Making The Case For A Milk-Slumdog Throwdown

How Beyonce, Megan Fox, Fergie And Kate Winslet Gained Weight For Current Roles

"If I'm truly being honest, I don't like being me. I would rather be somebody else."
The Great Terence Davies' Honesty May Be A Reason He Didn't Work For 7 Years

DreamWorks Near Close On Finance?

Rotten Tomatoes Has A Video Look-Back At A Blair Witch Decade

Final Oscar Ballots Are In The Postman's Paw
On The Way To - 5,810 Voters

Fujiwara On Paul Schrader's Life Of Loneliness
While - James Toback's Got Fingers In New York

William T. Vollman On The Ethics Of Photography

Disney Dis-Cast Members 400

The Movies (Not Only By Scorsese) About Old, Violent Manhattan

RomComs And Banker-Hate To The Rescue!

The Slumdog Millionaire Statements

Van Sant On Milk's Out-And-Out Success

Scorsese To Shush Some Of His Silence In NZ?

Joan Didion On Making Of Panic In Needle Park (Revived In NYC This Week)

The Cool New Frontiersman Apocrypha-Flickr For Watchmen

UK Set To Enhance Broadband, But Also To Keep Increased Records On Internet Users And Their Usage

Your Deadwood Daily
Readers Digest Condenses 280
And - Hearst May Experiment With Online "E-Paper" For Staggering Post-Intelligencer
Plus - Denver Post Appears To Have Improperly Borrowed $13 Mil From Operating Fund Shared With Near-Shuttered Rocky Mountain News To Cover Payroll
And - Austin American-Statesman Offers Early Grazing For April 1 For Employees Over 55