It's been a while since we've posted but I'd like to post a little about E3 this year. Last year Adam had pretty comprehensive coverage. This year hopefuly we can write about some of our favorite surprises from the floor. Stay tuned!

There are a lot of comedies out there. Most of them, I think, kinda sorta blow. But every once and a while I come across a few really really good ones (as a matter of fact, I think the best film of last year was Woody Allen's Whatever Works. Hilarious picture!). These kinds of comedies, "existential" comedies really, renew my faith in the genre and the medium of film itself.
You, the Living is a fantastic film, a visceral film, and somewhat tragic. But its tragedy with a funny outfit on. It covers a whole spectrum of human emotions and highlights all the potential absurdities of human existence: relationships, work, our hopes and dreams, and death. What good movie doesn't have at least a little something to do with mortality, right?
It presents itself in the form of shorts, stories within stories. There are a handful a recurring characters, ones that usually address, us, the audience, but for the most part you're only given a small glimpse into these peoples lives and then you never see them again.
The film itself also looks fantastic. It's very pale, very dreary. Much like some of the characters situations/lives. And each shot is a beautiful composition. The camera doesn't move that often, and there aren't a lot of editing cuts within a scene. Sometimes there are none whatsoever. A simple, but powerful, approach.
I don't wanna spoil it anymore than I already have, and I've exhausted my praise for this film, so now I leave you with only this command: SEE THIS MOVIE.

After eight weeks at the top of the box office Avatar has finally been supplanted.
Really, Avatar? Only eight weeks? All I can say is this: TOTAL FAILURE!
And what film was the supplanter? John Travolta's From Paris With Love. Just kidding, it was, of course, Dear John.
Congratulations, John.
Something tells me that Avatar probably won't shoot back to the top next Valentines Day weekend.

There are very few surprises this year. The biggest might be the exclusion of 500 Days of Summer from best pic category. Other notable omissions were Invictus and Star Trek. I knew Star Trek would be a long shot but I figured because of the expanded best pic category it might've had a chance. Also, what happened to Moon?

Performance by an actor in a leading role
* Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
* George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
* Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
* Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
* Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
* Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
* Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
* Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
* Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
* Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
* Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
* Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
* Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
* Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

*"Coraline" (Focus Features) Henry Selick
*"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
*"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
*"The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
*"Up" (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg
Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
*"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro
Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
*"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
*"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
*"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette
Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
*"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
*"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

*"Bright Star" (Apparition) Janet Patterson
*"Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
*"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
*"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
*"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Cameron
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
*"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
*"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature

*"Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
A Magic Hour Films Production Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
*"The Cove" (Roadside Attractions)
An Oceanic Preservation Society Production Nominees to be determined
*"Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures)
A Robert Kenner Films Production Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
*"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"
A Kovno Communications Production Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
*"Which Way Home"
A Mr. Mudd Production Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

*"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
A Downtown Community Television Center Production Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
*"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
A Just Media Production Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
*"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
A Community Media Production Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
*"Music by Prudence"
An iThemba Production Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
*"Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution)
An MS Films Production Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
*"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
*"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year

*"Ajami"(Kino International)
An Inosan Production Israel
*"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Haddock Films Production Argentina
*"The Milk of Sorrow"
A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production Peru
*"Un Prophète" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production France
*"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics)
An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production Germany

Achievement in makeup

*"Il Divo" (MPI Media Group through Music Box) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
*"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
*"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Horner
*"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
*"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
*"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

*"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
*"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
*"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner
Lyric by Frank Thomas
*"Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
*"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)
A Lightstorm Entertainment Production James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
*"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
An Alcon Entertainment Production Nominees to be determined
*"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Block/Hanson Production Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
*"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
A Voltage Pictures Production Nominees to be determined
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production Lawrence Bender, Producer
*"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
*"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)
A Working Title Films Production Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
*"Up" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Jonas Rivera, Producer
*"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
A Montecito Picture Company Production Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best animated short film

*"French Roast"
A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production Fabrice O. Joubert
*"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Brown Bag Films)
A Brown Bag Films Production Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
*"The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)"
A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production Javier Recio Gracia
*"Logorama" (Autour de Minuit)
An Autour de Minuit Production Nicolas Schmerkin
*"A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations)
An Aardman Animations Production Nick Park

Best live action short film

*"The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
*"Instead of Abracadabra" (The Swedish Film Institute)
A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
*"Kavi"
A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey
*"Miracle Fish" (Premium Films)
A Druid Films Production Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
*"The New Tenants"
A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Wylie Stateman
*"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
*"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
*"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
*"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects

*"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
*"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
*"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay

*"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
*"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by Nick Hornby
*"In the Loop" (IFC Films) Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
*"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
*"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay

*"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal
*"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Written by Quentin Tarantino
*"The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
*"A Serious Man" (Focus Features) Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
*"Up" (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

It's been a while since we've heard anything about Team ICO's latest creation the Last Guardian. As a big fan of their last two games I was delighted to find some new screen shots on the Japanese website. Anticipation is high for the mysterious sequel. Hopefully thes screens while tide you over till we get some new video.

Well, there you have it folks. Avatar won best picture at the Golden Globes tonight. I was as surprised as anyone, especially when there's so much fanfare behind movies like the Hurt Locker or Up in the Air.

I wonder if the Globes will be any indication of the Academy's choices this year.

Here are the nominations/winners:


Winners are marked with asterisks.

Cecil B. DeMille Award
*Martin Scorsese

Best Motion Picture - Drama

*Avatar
Lightstorm Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox

The Hurt Locker
Voltage Pictures; Summit Entertainment

Inglourious Basterds
The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg GmbH Production; The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures

Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire
A Lee Daniels Entertainment / Smokewood Entertainment Group Production; Lionsgate

Up In The Air
Paramount Pictures; Paramount Pictures

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria

*Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side

Helen Mirren – The Last Station

Carey Mulligan – An Education

Gabourey Sidibe – Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

*Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart

George Clooney – Up In The Air

Colin Firth – A Single Man

Morgan Freeman – Invictus

Tobey Maguire – Brothers

Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical

(500) Days Of Summer
Watermark Pictures; Fox Searchlight Pictures

*The Hangover
Warner Bros. Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

It's Complicated
Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Productions; Universal Pictures

Julie & Julia
Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing

Nine
The Weinstein Company/Relativity Media/Lucamar Productions/Marc Platt Productions; The Weinstein Company

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical

Sandra Bullock – The Proposal

Marion Cotillard – Nine

Julia Roberts – Duplicity

Meryl Streep – It's Complicated

*Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical

Matt Damon – The Informant!

Daniel Day-Lewis – Nine

*Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes

Joseph Gordon-Levitt – (500) Days Of Summer

Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Penélope Cruz – Nine

Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air

Anna Kendrick – Up In The Air

*Mo'nique – Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire

Julianne Moore – A Single Man

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Matt Damon – Invictus

Woody Harrelson – The Messenger

Christopher Plummer – The Last Station

Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones

*Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

Best Animated Feature Film

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing

Coraline
Laika, Inc.; Focus Features

Fantastic Mr. Fox
American Empirical Picture; Twentieth Century Fox

The Princess And The Frog
Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

*Up
Walt Disney Pictures/PIXAR Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Best Foreign Language Film

Baaria (Italy)
The Country of Italy
Medusa Film; Summit Entertainment

Broken Embraces (Spain)
The Country of Spain
El Deseo SA; Sony Pictures Classics

The Maid (La Nana) (Chile)
The Country of Chile
Forastero; Elephant Eye Films

A Prophet (Un Prophete) (France)
The Country of France
Chic Films/Page 114/Why Not Productions; Sony Pictures Classics

*The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band - Eine Deutsche Kindergeschichte) (Germany)
The Country of Germany
X Filme Creative Pool/Les Films Du Losange/Lucky Red/Wega Film; Sony Pictures Classics

Best Director - Motion Picture

Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker

*James Cameron – Avatar

Clint Eastwood – Invictus

Jason Reitman – Up In The Air

Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell - District 9

Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Nancy Meyers - It's Complicated

*Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - Up In The Air

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

*Michael Giacchino - Up

Marvin Hamlisch - The Informant!

James Horner - Avatar

Abel Korzeniowski - A Single Man

Karen O and Carter Burwell - Where The Wild Things Are
Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"Cinema Italiano" – Nine
Music & Lyrics By: Maury Yeston

"I See You" – Avatar
Music By: James Horner and Simon Franglen
Lyrics By: James Horner, Simon Franglen and Kuk Harrell

"I Want To Come Home" – Everybody's Fine
Music & Lyrics By: Paul McCartney

*"The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)" – Crazy Heart
Music & Lyrics By: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

"Winter" – Brothers
Music By: U2
Lyrics By: Bono

Best Television Series - Drama

Big Love (HBO)
Anima Sola Productions and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment

Dexter (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions

House (FOX)
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions

*Mad Men (AMC)
Lionsgate

True Blood (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama

Glenn Close – Damages (FX NETWORK)

January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)

*Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)

Anna Paquin – True Blood (HBO)

Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama

Simon Baker – The Mentalist (CBS)

*Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)

Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)

Bill Paxton – Big Love (HBO)

Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical

30 Rock (NBC)
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.

Entourage (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

*Glee (FOX)
Twentieth Century Fox Television

Modern Family (ABC)
Twentieth Century Fox Television

The Office (NBC)
Universal Television Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical

*Toni Collette – United States Of Tara (SHOWTIME)

Courteney Cox – Cougar Town (ABC)

Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie (SHOWTIME)

Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)

Lea Michele – Glee (FOX)
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical

*Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)

Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)

David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)

Thomas Jane – Hung (HBO)

Matthew Morrison – Glee (FOX)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

Georgia O'Keeffe (LIFETIME)
Sony Pictures Television

*Grey Gardens (HBO)
Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films

Into The Storm (HBO)
Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO Films

Little Dorrit (PBS)
Masterpiece/BBC Co-production

Taking Chance (HBO)
Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association with HBO Films

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Joan Allen – Georgia O'Keeffe (LIFETIME)

*Drew Barrymore – Grey Gardens (HBO)

Jessica Lange – Grey Gardens (HBO)

Anna Paquin – The Courageous Heart Of Irena (CBS)

Sigourney Weaver – Prayers For Bobby (LIFETIME)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

*Kevin Bacon – Taking Chance (HBO)

Kenneth Branagh – Wallander: One Step Behind (PBS)

Chiwetel Ejiofor – Endgame (PBS)

Brendan Gleeson – Into The Storm (HBO)

Jeremy Irons – Georgia O'Keeffe (LIFETIME)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jane Adams – Hung (HBO)

Rose Byrne – Damages (FX NETWORK)

Jane Lynch – Glee (FOX)

Janet McTeer – Into The Storm (HBO)

*Chloë Sevigny – Big Love (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Michael Emerson – Lost (ABC)

Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

William Hurt – Damages (FX NETWORK)

*John Lithgow – Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)

But should it happening so soon. I know closet Luddites everywhere are saying too soon and I might be inclined to agree. Remember though, it takes a bunch of junkie bad tech before we get to the good stuff. 3d tech was definitely the belle of the ball this year and I expect it to only get better. Don't get me wrong, I don't think home theaters will replace the cinema anytime soon, unless, of course, someone builds an IMAX addition onto their house. 3d tech might also have other applications at home, think video games, web, visual interfaces, etc. The future is exciting and although most of us recently dropped some serious cash on HD televisions but that's okay. The new tech probably won't maturate until next year or so. Still, I know most of us aren't ready for the jump. But, let's wait and see what happens.

Well, folks, "The Simpson's 20th Anniversary Special! In 3D! On Ice!", hosted by Mr. Morgan Spurlock, has just aired. What did I think? Well, I gotta be honest here, as interesting as much of it was I really wanted more. And I don't necessarily mean "more" as in quality or substance, I mean literally "MORE!"
Really, fellas, just one hour? You boast about it being the most successful television show ever and you thought one hour would suffice? Give me more interviews with actors,creators, or fans. Anything!
I want a Simpson celebration to get at least the same treatment that The Beatles got for their anthology in '95 on ABC. They got a six hour documentary, and they're not even that funny.
Also, if you are (or were, in light of the shows quality in these last few years) a Simpson's fan this special didn't really give you any information that you probably didn't already know. Nothing new under the Simpson sun, really.
The only novel contribution, at least for me, this special had to offer was a brief glimpse into the Simpson's fanbase in other parts of the world. I especially liked the citizens of Scotland feuding over Groundskeeper Willie's city of origin. It was also funny to see how many people, apparently, in Brazil couldn't take a joke.
So, overall, the special was decent, I'm always fascinated to hear fans/creators/actors talk about this phenomenon we call "The Simpsons", but its scope was too broad. Not enough details. Perhaps in another few decades a true and proper Simpson's retrospective will be made.
If I'm still alive I 'll definitely be checking it out, and hopefully, still, be quoting lines from the show everyday.

Well, it won't be too long before you won't be able to go two internet steps without tripping over a top ten list, not to mention the Academy's. I might as well join the party. I've seen quite a bit this year and even though I've heard a lot of discussion this year about the difficulty of picking 10 prime movies which at first I passed off as elitists nonsense. But, since trying to compile my list I now understand the complexity of picking 10 movies. I'll try to cover ten of my favorites with and individual post for each. This installment is Treeless Mountain.

Treeless Mountain


Although this movie was released in the fall of 2008 in South Korea and in Canada, I've decided to include it in my 2009 list because it wasn't released to the majority of the world until 2009. The thing that hooked me on this movie was the trailer which, in a very small time frame seemed to cover the entire scope of the film, including all the highs and lows. The trailer also had a pretty cool song from Asobi Sesku which reminded me of the jingle of the holiday season or the optimism of youth wrapped in a popish wrapping paper. This was a different story than the actual movie which had no score except for the credits.
It was hard finding this movie. It wasn't available to rent near me and the netflix version was broken. I ended up renting it on itunes which wasn't all that bad of an experience except for the fact that it probably would've looked a lot better on DVD.

The movie which I knew very little about, until I stumbled across the trailer on itunes, turned out be a refreshing tale of two sisters who deal with their mother leaving to find their father whom is absent for whatever reason. The movie is fairly monochromatic in tone and visuals. Its biggest strength is the way that it plays out quiet moments. In fact, the whole movie is relatively quiet. There aren't any big voices, only small ones. Director Son Yon Kim rare ability to capture these small voices seems to stem from her own small voice. She only speaks Korean at a six or seven year old age range. Which she elaborates on in this interview.



The children in this movie are stunning. Their performances are so amazingly naturalistic. They are kids being kids not so much kids acting like kids. And their performances really leave an impression on the viewer. Sometimes I think of little Jin and Bin and wonder how they're doing.

Treeless Mountain might also be seen as a lesson about the virtues of rural living versus industrial society, though this point is never made explicit. The quiet tonal nature of this movie was particularly appealing to me. Everything else tends to lean towards hyper contrast whereas this movie stays simply sublime. This movie is easier on the eyes and a little harder on the heart. Thanks to So Yong Kim for sharing her semi autobiographical tale.

When you think Mickey Mouse, what comes to mind? More importantly, what makes Mickey cool?

These are questions that legendary game director Warren Spector presented in a recent London press conference for his upcoming Wii title Epic Mickey (working title).

The classic Mickey design, Oswald The Lucky Rabbit (Walt's lost character) and in-game "squash and stretch" animation all look to add up what could possible be a Disney buff's dream come true.

As an avid Disney geek an gamer, I personally cant help but be a tad disappointed that they decided against developing an "HD" version of this game for the PS3 or XBOX 360. I'd really like to experience playing Epic Mickey on a console that doesn't look like complete garbage on my HDTV.

Epic Mickey isnt coming out anytime soon, so maybe the rumored "Wii HD" will be out by the time the games ships. I'll keep my puffy, white-gloved fingers crossed.

Humble Pie
It’s hard not to like Tracy Orbison (Hubbel Palmer). A dopey Midwestern guy who excels as a food-stocking professional, Tracy politely and passively passes his days scribbling poems in a notebook during shift breaks and day-dreaming of making something more of himself. Although there is already a lot more of him than some think necessary. In a blinding moment of enlightenment, he enrolls in an acting class taught by a pompous Z-list has-been (played by a hilarious William Baldwin). Things don’t quite go according to plan, as a tragically comical chain of mishaps leads Tracy to take a more active role in his life by mentoring a young thug while fending off his obnoxious mother (Academy Award Nominee Kathleen Quinlan) and indifferent sister (Mary Lynn Rajskub, Julie & Julia, FOX’s “24”), all the while awkwardly attempting to conquer the elusive driver’s exam and trying to lose “about ten pounds.” A different kind of everyman, Tracy Orbison reminds us that the caution light flashes even while chasing our dreams.


Until The Light Takes Us: Dec 4
Until The Light Takes Us tells the story of black metal. Part music scene and part cultural uprising, black metal rose to worldwide notoriety in the mid-nineties when a rash of suicides, murders, and church burnings accompanied the explosive artistic growth and output of a music scene that would forever redefine what heavy metal is and what it stands for to other musicians, artists, and music fans world-wide. Directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell moved to Norway and lived the musicians for several years, building relationships that allowed them to create a surprisingly intimate portrait of this violent, but ultimately misunderstood, movement. The result is a poignant, moving story that’s as much about the idea that reality is composed of whatever the most people believe as it is about a music scene that blazed a path of murder and arson across the northern sky.


Collapse: Nov 6
Americans generally like to hear good news. They like to believe that a new President will right old wrongs, that clean energy will replace dirty oil, and that fresh thinking will set the economy straight. American pundits tend to restrain their pessimism and to hope for the best. But is anyone prepared for the worst? Michael Ruppert is a different kind of American. A former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter, he predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter “From the Wilderness” at a time when most Wall Street and Washington analysts were still in denial. Smith has always had a feeling for outsiders in films like “American Movie” and “American Job.” In “Collapse,” Smith stylistically departs from his past films by interviewing Ruppert in a format that recalls the work of Errol Morris and Spalding Gray. Sitting in a room that looks like a bunker, Ruppert recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out the crises he sees ahead. He draws upon the same news reports and data available to any Internet user, but he applies a unique interpretation. He is especially passionate over the issue of “peak oil,” the concern raised by scientists since the 1970s that the world will eventually run out of fossil fuel. While other experts debate this issue in measured tones, Ruppert doesn’t hold back at sounding an alarm. He portrays a future that resembles apocalyptic science fiction. Listening to his rapid flow of opinions, the viewer is likely to question some of the rhetoric as paranoid or deluded; and to sway back and forth on what to make of the extremism. Smith lets viewers form their own judgments.

*As before, I'll be logging diaries after every session of game-play. Expect Spoilers.
This week I decided to have a go at Naughty Dog's sure-to-be classic Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I would have begun sooner but as with Drake's adventures there was a snag. My PS3 died. But I'm back at it and eager to get going.

Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest Uncharted: Drake's Fortune fan. I respected its merits, but the game wasn't for me. It was floaty, and rubbery, two qualities not often praised by American gamers, except Japanophiles. I like, dare I say at the risk of persecution, beefy games. I like games that feel solid. I know, this is all really ambiguous, but hopefully this new installment will be a departure from the first.
My expectations for this game were high, I expected it to improve on the high quality of production seen in the first one. A couple of specifics that I hoped for were better aiming, less repetitive or more realistic combat confrontations and better character animation.

Half tuck is at it again.

Right from the get go I was impressed, the game starts off on a high note, in which we are made well aware of how high every aspect of production is. I've Just started the third or fourth chapter and the game is still quasi-tutorial, but it still feels really organic which is a huge accomplishment.
The story thus far has been extremely compelling and though some of the initial plot points were fairly predictable, they were nonetheless enjoyable. I hope I'm wrong on a few of these. I'm fairly certain I am. I expect to have the rugged pulled from beneath me a few more times and I can't wait.
The thing I remembered about Uncharted as soon as I began playing was how amazing everything looks from afar, and how mediocre a lot of things look on closer inspection. For instance, at first glance Nate looks absolutely fantastic with his slick jeans and bed hair(which is probably the best looking thing in the game), but the more you follow him around you start to notice a few awkward animations, his hunch back and dog legs. I also noticed a little pop-in which I thought was strange since the game proves it has a massive draw distance. But these are minor gripes, because the story more than makes up for any graphical complaints I have. Oh yeah, the action this time around is way better! The stealth is super satisfying and the gun play, although a little floaty for me, feels good enough. Though I wish there were and auto aim option. And I must say that on the whole the graphics look fabulous.


Vivid and lush and notice simple polys.


I'm not quite sure about Chloe yet. So far she's playing both sides. I'm anxious to see what happens. At least she changes shirts.

I've just started this game so expect plenty more updates.

Spike Jonze makes quirky movies, and his new picture, Where The Wild Things Are, is no exception. Surprised? I wasn’t. And it just so happens that I like quirky.

But, be warned: this is not a typical children’s film. No fart jokes, slapstick, or hokeyness to be found. Not to say that it’s entirely unformulaic. It has a lot of your standard plot devices, but, dammit, they work. And they’re totally appropriate.

It’s a film that, I think, will be more appreciated by older audiences because of the movie’s overall somber tone and the themes it touches on. Themes like loneliness, sadness, despair, death, love, and the delicacy of a family. It’s pretty deep. Possibly too much for little children to take in now, but they can always watch the DVD when they get older. But, if you haven’t seen it, don’t worry. It is also very whimsical and funny in parts as well.

The “wild things” themselves look hilarious with there CG faces and big hairy muppet costumes.

My personal favorite is Alexander, the goat.

The voice actors are pretty fantastic as well, you got James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Catherine O’Hara (funny as always), and Lauren Ambrose.

Max Records, who plays the main character, “Max”, had the arduous task of carrying the entire movie, and he pulled it off. He was/is great. It’ll be interesting to see what movies he chooses to be apart of, if any, in the future. Hopefully nothing too crummy. I’m looking in your direction, DISNEY!

Aesthetically, the film is gorgeous. Every shot, every composition is a work of art. It’s worth the price of admission on the visuals alone.

The film was shot in Australia, not just on sound stages, and it makes me very jealous that I don’t live there now. There are a plethora of locations: suburbs, the ocean, mountains, forests, and deserts.

The music also does a good job of encompassing and reflecting all the different emotions we have being felt in the story by all the characters. You got your happy, “All is love”, and your sad, “Hideaway”.

It’s very seldom that we get something atypical to come out of Hollywood, which is why it’s always a delight when surreal movies like this one come along. And with such a wide release! Do yourself a favor and experience this film if you haven’t yet. I’ve seen it twice, and I enjoyed even more on the second viewing.

Give it a chance. Don’t you deserve to not settle for mediocrity at the movies sometimes?

There's a sense of urgency in Michael Moore's voice these days. I suppose there always was but it's much more apparent in his latest movie Capitalism: A Love Story. Yes, there's plenty of muckraking and hounding, but more than that there is pleading. Pleading directed towards the audience for initiative, mobilization, and action. Sound like a hardcore song? It might as well be, the film actually opens with a punky(er) version of Louie Louie with altered lyrics which really sets the tone.
I talked a bit with Shane about where to put this one in terms of Moore's repertoire, and we both concluded that it would indeed be somewhere near the top, but not quite the pinnacle. This movie is a different beast than the rest of his movies not because the beats are different, but because of the difference in subject matter. The villain in Capitalism is a nebulous one. And in some cases it might even be tempting to call us (American consumers) the villain, as President Carter did. Moore stops shy of pointing the finger at the popcorn eating crowd, but he does show that clip of Carter admonishing the proletariat, which is jarring to say the least. The point? We're used to placation. We love being distracted (insert irony here, I know.) even when our basic rights are being clipped.
The movie itself stands up well to his others. It's not quite as sappy as the sappiest of the bunch, and it's definitely not the funniest. Though I was able to view his most outrageous stunts as being justified performances in this movie. Remember the teaser trailer?
I still feel like they are borderline absurd and impractical, but I guess that's what makes them interesting performances. I did chuckle a few times always staying careful not to laugh at the wrong times.
If this review hasn't been too descriptive, it's because, I feel I lack the tools to accurately critique this movie. In terms of movie making, everything takes a backseat to the message, which is semi nebulous itself other than capitalism=bad or Moore's attempt to soften Americas' perception of Socialism. I can say that I enjoyed it, and that it hit close to home, as I imagine it will for most who see it. And I suspect that in the long run this director will earn the title of one of the greatest propagandists of the century.