Alvin & Chipmunks 2 - #
The Baader Meinhof Complex - #
An Education - #
Sherlock Holmes - #
Weapons of Self Destruction
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases.
Collateral - *
The Killer - *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
If you like Robin Williams, you'll like his latest stand up comedy show, Weapons of Self Destruction. It plays on HBO and its affiliates from time to time.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 3/30/10
Greenberg - B
In theaters. Rated R, 107 minutes. Trailer.
I don't think it would be fun to be friends with Noah Baumbach and and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The creative duo (writer/director and actress, respectively) and real life husband and wife are responsible for depressing but occasionally funny and insightful The Squid and The Whale (B+) and the depressing and uninteresting Margot at the Wedding (B-). With Greenberg, Baumbach moves from the East Coast to the West Coast but brings his uniquely neurotic/negative viewpoint with him. Ben Stiller stars as Roger Greenberg, a negative, self-centered jerk with an inability to integrate into the world. His co-star is the soft and appealing Greta Gerwig as Florence Marr, the nice but aimless love interest of Roger. Click below for more Greenberg:
The film follows 6 weeks in Los Angeles when Greenberg is staying at his brother's house. He lived in LA 15 years before, but after he rejected a record deal and broke up his band he moved to New York and hasn't been back since. He interacts with Florence (his brother's assistant) and soon asks her out on a 'date'. After yet another awkward Baumbach oral sex scene (this time guy on girl), they sort of go out and his relationship with her and his best friend Ivan Schrank (a substantial Rhys Ifans) form the basis of the rest of the film.
The relationship with Gerwig is strange and real, although its not clear why she 
would see him more than the first time. Gerwig is the heart of the film, and her declaration that she doesn't know what she's doing with her life as she heads in for a very severe surgery is heartbreaking, especially given her audience at the time. Ivan and Greenberg are old friends, and Greenberg's actions regarding the band really hurt Ivan's career but he appears to have forgiven Greenberg and endures abuse and indulges Greenberg for a good portion of the film. Their relationship is well-written and interesting.
Hurt people hurt people. This truism is stated twice in the film and provides a pretty clear statement of how every interaction with Greenberg ends up for the other person. Stiller is impressive in his ability to be unlikable, unfunny and extremely self-oblivious. He uses people for rides and sex but obsesses over the details at a very lame 'party' and only appears normal or comfortable after he takes cocaine at a very odd party. His shrink has told him that he lives in the past because he was so paralyzed by neuroses when he went through it the first time he can only enjoy it in retrospect.
Baumbach has several directorial flourishes that are interesting. The opening sequence follows Gerwig in her car with a profile shot facing to the right. Other normal characters, such as Ivan, are also shown with a profile shot facing to the right, but Greenberg is always shown facing to the left, most prominently in a poorly conceived swim.
I enjoyed the brief performances of Mark Duplass as the angry former friend of Greenberg and Chris Messina (who was the only good thing in Away We Go) as Roger's normal and successful brother with no patience for Roger.
Worth your time - I have been thinking about it all day and it may move up a notch after I watch it again.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Slow Jammin' The News
A genius bit from Jimmy Fallon with Brian Williams on the Healthcare Bill. Really Funny.
Continue reading this postSong of the Day - Alejandro, Lady Gaga
You knew this was coming. The latest from LG is a more laid back song that sounds like a mix of any Ace of Base song and Madonna's Isla Bonita and Like a Prayer.
Continue reading this postSunday, March 28, 2010
Green Zone - B-
In theaters. Rated R, 115 minutes. Trailer.
War movie, action movie, political thriller, Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass. These ingredients should make at least an A- movie, but alas, the Green Zone just never got there. Damon stars as Miller, a US soldier in Iraq in 2002 just after Baghdad is taken. He is leading one of the groups looking for weapons of mass destruction, but continually comes up empty handed. He begins to question the intelligence he is being fed, leading him to the CIA's Middle Eastern agent (an excellent Brendan Gleeson), the lead American reporter on the war (a fumbling Amy Ryan), and the Bush administration's chief Iraq weasel bureacrat (Greg Kinnear). Click below for more GZ:
As Damon begins to question the intelligence, the film is promising. But then he and Greengrass get bogged down in unnecessary and uninteresting gun battles and nighttime chases that ruin the movie. The movie mostly steers clear of too much bashing, laying the blame equally on the Bush administration and Judith Miller, the real life reporter former NY Times reporter that botched the WMD story by printing the Bush administration's assertions without enough questioning (Amy Ryan's character). I too wonder how we got it as wrong as we did and this film provides somewhat of an answer (even if it is unlikely). The final 10 minutes of the film are good and Damon's anger toward Amy Ryan is tangible and voices what many on the left and right feel about how everyone turned a blind eye toward the WMD question before the war.
Greengrass does masterfully use scenes in the green zone (especially the pool scene) to rightly point the finger at a certain segment of America that couldn't care less about any of these issues and just wants another Heineken. "Green Zone" becomes a metaphor for the complacency of everyone as the film wears on.
Weekend Box Office: 3/26-3/28/10
Title/Gross/%Change/Total
1. How to Train Your Dragon: 43.3 mil / (-)
2. Alice in W-land: 17.3 mil / -49% / 293 mil
3. Hot Tub Time Machine: 13.7 mil / (-)
4. Bounty Hunter: 12.4 mil / -40% / 39 mil
5. Diary of Wimpy Kid: 10 mil / -55% / 36 mil
6. She's Out of My League: 3.5 mil / -39% / 26 mil
7. Green Zone: 3.4 mil / -45% / 30 mil
8. Shutter Island: 3.2 mil / -33% / 121 mil
9. Repo Men: 3 mil / -50% / 11 mil
10. Our Family Wedding: 2.2 mil / -41% / 17 mil
11. Avatar: 2 mil / -50% / 740 mil
12. Remember Me: 1.9 mil / -42% / 17 mil
13. Ghost Writer: 1.7 mil / -20% / 9 mil
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Gentlemen Broncos - B+
On DVD and OnDemand (2009). Rated PG, 90 minutes. Trailer.
Gentlemen Broncos emanates from the quirky brain of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre helmer Jared Hess. From the original opening credits (each of the credits appears as the author of a cheesy sci-fi book) that DNA is evident throughout this ode to isolation. Our main 'protag' is Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano - a dead ringer for Shia LeBouf), a 15 year old only child homeschooler stuck in a geodesic dome house in rural Utah with his earnest and clueless 'designer' mom (Jennifer Coolidge). The film follows his story as he attends a fantasy writer's camp and comes into contact with legendary author Ron Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and submits his novel "The Yeast Lords: The Bronco Years" into a contest only to have it stolen and plagiarized by Chevalier into a huge fantasy novel success. Click below for more Broncos:
Benjamin wears the face of bewilderment throughout the film, until he reaches
his breaking point near the end of the film and his feud with Chevalier and his mother's happiness are both attained. Only in those 2 scenes does he smile. Along the way, he encounters a weird local duo (Lonnie and Tabatha), a super weird 'mentor', and lots of other unforgettable rural types. The film is intercut with scenes from the novel, starring Sam Rockwell. These scenes are very bizarre but ultimately very funny - especially in the Chevalier version where Rockwell's character is a trannie.
This one starts weird, gets weirder, lost me and then had me again at the end. I know it will get better on subsequent viewings. I can identify with the sheltered kid trying to make sense of the world and Hess does a good job of writing a good-hearted kid with Benjamin. He endures his mother and loves her, too. He allows himself to be taken advantage of, but when his mother gets mistreated, he acts out in a great, great action scene at the home of a robe magnate.
An entertaining and original film. Worth your time.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Movie Releases - 3/26/10
Hot Tub Time Machine
Looks kind of fun with an eclectic mix of actors (who'd never hang out in real life). Rob Corddry is great in everything. As is Craig Robinson (Darryl on The Office). John Cusack is an interesting choice since he helped define the late 80s teen movies. Who doesn't love 80s nostalgia?
How to Train Your Dragon
Dreamworks's animators have never even come close to Pixar's worst (A Bug's Life - still a B), even if they outgrossed them (most notably with the Shrek films). This looks more focused on character and plot (instead of dated pop culture references) but the message is obvious from the trailer.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Great Site
If Doc doesn't already know about this site, it will soon be among his favorites. Movieclips.com is compiling high-quality movie clips from great movies. A great service. I can't think of a better one to advertise the site with than the one below (don't forget to click the 'full screen' icon in the bottom righthand corner):
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Song of the Day- To Binge
I'm digging the new Gorillaz, but this laid back gem is my favorite.
Continue reading this postDVD and Blu-ray Releases 3/23/10
African Queen - #, *
The Blind Side - #
Brothers - #
Fantastic Mr. Fox - #
Free Willy 4 - #
Mad Men Season 3 - #
Men who Stare at Goats - #
Red Cliff - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases.
Bigger Than Life (Criterion)
Days of Heaven (Criterion) - *
Toy Story - *
Toy Story 2 - *
Yojimbo & Sanjuro (Criterion) - *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Monday, March 22, 2010
Song of the Day - Spanish Sahara, the Foals
From dentist, who says: "this one builds slowly into an epic one--like a good Radiohead or Pumpkins track. Brilliant."
Continue reading this postSunday, March 21, 2010
Odds and Ends.
1. Priest?
2. Aziz Ansari on tour this summer (dates here).
3. Trailer for The Switch (Bateman, Aniston, Goldblum parenting comedy)
4. Trailer for Tron Legacy (maybe).
5. Here's the text of the Obama Executive Order prohibiting the use of Federal Funds for abortions. We'll see. And here is the rest of it.
Weekend Box Office: 3/19-3/21/10
Jude Law as action hero will have to wait. Green Zone & Remember Me fell hard. Alice in Wonderland is Tim Burton's highest grosser with plenty left in the tank. Wimpy Kid beats up Gerard Butler - crazy world.
Title/Gross/%Change/Total
1. Alice in W-land: 35 mil / -45% / 266 mil
2. Diary of Wimpy Kid: 21.8 mil / (-)
3. The Bounty Hunter: 21 mil / (-)
4. Repo Men: 6.2 mil / (-)
5. She's Out of My League: 6mil/-39%/20mil
6. Green Zone: 5.9 mil / -58% / 25 mil
7. Shutter Island: 4.8 mil / -42% / 116 mil
8. Avatar: 4 mil / -39% / 737 mil
9. Our Family Wedding: 3.8 mil / -50% / 13.7 mil
10. Remember Me: 3.3 mil / -59% / 14 mil
11. Ghost Writer: 2.1 mil / +71% / 6.8 mil
12. Brooklyn's Finest: 1.7 mil / -63% / 25 mil
Song of the Day - Tubthumping
By Chumbawamba
Best one-hit wonder ever. Its relentless positivity is infectious. Video here.
Friday, March 19, 2010
NBC -Thursday night 3/18/10
30 Rock's excellent season hit one of its high points last night as Jack mourns the passing of his mentor who gets cryogenically frozen Han Solo style. Jack quoted Hans Gruber and discovered his new bosses aren't interested in making anything, just peddling porn. Liz keeps running into Wesley Snipes (Michael Sheen) by chance. Great self aware, knowing humor as always.
Meanwhile on Parks and Recreation, Jerry gets picked on - hilariously by all and Ron holds some awesome self-defense classes. Love watching Aziz Ansari run in that suit and Andy Samberg was a terrific guest star as a loud-talking park ranger. But I'm not buying Nurse Ann having feelings again for shoe-shining Andy.
Movie Releases - 3/19/10
The Bounty Hunter
Gerard Butler is a bounty hunter who has to transfer his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) cross country. It's a gender switching Midnight Run - without the chemistry, humor, heart, and characterizations. Andy Tennant directs.
Repo Men
In the future, Jude Law and Forest Whitaker try to repossess mechanical organs that recipients can't pay for. Terrible casting - looks like it should star Van Damme or Stallone instead - 15 years ago.
The Runaways
Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning start a rock band in the 70s. Michael Shannon plays their manager who leads them to success. Love Joan Jett's solo stuff, so interest level is medium. Limited release.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Based on some best selling kids books. Steve Zahn cashes a paycheck, Thor Freudenthal (Hotel for Dogs) directs, so you know your kids will hate it as much as you.
Greenberg
Ben Stiller decides to do nothing with his life in this talky talk-fest from Noah Baumbach, who the critics love and the audiences hate. I'll see it because of Stiller. New music by LCD Soundsystem. Limited release.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
David Gray in Concert - March 16, 2010
At Nokia Theater in Dallas (Grand Prairie)
David Gray is on my must see list any time he comes to town. Last night marked my third perfect concert with the man with the perfect voice. Playing to a full house in his trademark suit without the tie, he showed humor, class and effortless perfection of his diverse catalog. "Please Forgive Me" and "This Year's Love" were among my favorites from last night, but "Jackdaw" and "Nemesis" were also great. He sings so powerfully and pitch-perfect live that it commands your full attention the entire show. Highly recommended.
Song of the Day - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
By The Band
The lead vocal sounds a bit nasally, the harmonies are out of sync, and the guitar and drums are relatively simple. But there's something about when the group sings together that's quite satisfying. Like an old friend who understands everything without talking. And of course, I'd be remiss without including the version from the best concert film ever, The Last Waltz.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 3/16/10
Armored - #
Astro Boy - #
Bandslam
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men - #
Broken Embraces - #
Did You Hear About the Morgans? - #
The Fourth Kind - #
Ninja Assassin - #
Paris - #
Princess and the Frog - #
Twilight Saga: New Moon - #
Wonderful World - #
Under Great White Northern Lights - #
Click below for this week's TV releases.
Breaking Bad: 1st Season - #
Breaking Bad: 2nd Season - #
Hawaii Five-O: 8th Season
Monk: Season 8
South Park: 13th Season - #
# - also on Blu-ray
Monday, March 15, 2010
Kickspit Underground Rock Concert
Great commercial - Must Watch for DLP Reader Bear:
Song of the Day - Zero, The Smashing Pumpkins
Lyrical and aggressive, this song is the Pumpkins at their best. Corgan's voice and music have always given sound to the noise in my head...
Continue reading this postPrecious - Part 2
Lawyer's full review of Precious is here.
Had I seen Precious in the theater, I might have felt too uncomfortable by the tough subject matter while surrounded by others. At home, you can absorb the brutal reality and feel free to let the occasional tear or sniffle loose. With relatively low expectations, I was surprised how well-crafted the film was and how good the acting was from top to bottom. Similar to A Serious Man, the central character in the film has one bad thing happen after another, and even writes "Why Me?" on her note pad toward the end. But where A Serious Man hits the head like a ton of bricks, Precious hits the heart and the character Precious most definitely knows what sodomy is . . .
Director Lee Daniels use of the fantasy sequences is a bit overdone, but appropriately jarring. His shots alternate between brilliant and routine, with the former barely outnumbering the latter. He shoots too many close-ups of his actors, definitely more focused on their performances than the way the frame looks. He's seems more of an actor's director than a director's director, which suits this material just fine (but not necessarily me). Daniels's use of lighting (as a sign of escape or education) is more impressive as is his ability to get compelling performances from no less than Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton, a non-actor (Gabourey Sidibe), and a BET talk show comedienne (Oscar winner Mo'Nique). Watching Sidibe talk (as Daniels says in the DVD special feautures, "like a white girl") about the film out of character shows what a remarkable performance she gives. Daniels's use of music is soulful and upbeat.
The number of complaints about the depressing nature of the film is surprising given it's relatively positive ending. Precious finds hope through literacy. Welfare is rightfully depicted as a destructive influence on autonomy, family, and self-esteem. The film's lack of a strong male character is distracting (Kravitz's Nurse John seems like a forced afterthought), but not really offensive since that is probably the reality of many lower income American teenagers. Touching, honest, and real, the film delivers as an important depiction of American inner-city poverty. And if a film can change the way you treat people, all the more power and respect. B+
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Weekend Box Office: 3/12-3/14/10
Alice in Wonderland held much better than Brooklyn's Finest. None of the four newcomers struck paydirt, but none were a complete wipeout. Green Zone's budget was 100 mil - it's anti-Bush stance will probably play better overseas. Avatar continues its remarkable run and Shutter Island is closing in on Scorsese's money record of 132 mil (The Departed).
Title/Gross/%Change/Total
1. Alice in Wonderland: 62 mil / -47% / 209 mil
2. Green Zone: 14.5 mil / (-)
3. She's Out of My Leauge: 9.6 mil / (-)
4. Remember Me: 8.3 mil / (-)
5. Shutter Island: 8.1 mil / -39% / 108 mil
6. Our Family Wedding: 7.6 mil / (-)
7. Avatar: 6.6 mil / - 19% / 730 mil
8. Brooklyn's Finest: 4.3 mil / -68% / 21 mil
9. Cop Out: 4.2 mil / -55% / 39.4 mil
10. The Crazies: 3.7 mil / -48% / 33.3 mil
11. Percy Jackson: 3.1 mil / -39% / 82 mil
12. Crazy Heart: 3.1 mil / -6% / 34.2 mil
SNL - 3/13/10 - Jude Law
& Pearl Jam, who played "Just Breathe" & "Unthought Known". This is one of those rare shows where I watched the musical guest multiple times. The highlight of the actual show was Jerry Seinfeld's surprise appearance on Weekend Update, showing his perfect comic timing.
It's not really Jude Law's fault. The writing was pretty awful with one-joke skits about Toyota's acceleration problems, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and The Twilight Zone. There was an unfair obsession with Law's Alfie remake. Bad repeat skits included "Password" game show and Fred Armisen's annoying court typist. Law auditioning for Hamlet was watchable because of Bill Hader's Al Pacino impersonation. Law appeared to be promoting his upcoming movie, Repo Men, which has Law and Forest Whitaker repossessing human organs. Hamlet on Broadway, followed by Repo Men. That's pretty good whiplash diversity. Who's Whitaker's agent?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Movie Releases - 3/12/10
Green Zone
Matt Damon plays an American Army Officer in 2003 Iraq, searching for weapons of mass destruction. His previous 2 outings with director Paul Greengrass were quite good (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) so this should be at least entertaining. But let's hope the politics don't get too preachy. Do we really need to be reminded what colossal cluster the build-up to the Iraq War was? Trailer here.
Remember Me
Robert Pattinson is a New York City college student feuding with his father (Pierce Brosnan) in summer 2001. He falls in love, but mostly just stands around, smoking cigarettes and giving meaningful, haunting glances to everyone around. I will definitely be checking this out at home, given one of my unhealthy obsessions. Trailer here.
She's Out of My League
Terrific supporting player Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder) finally gets the lead role, an airport security employee who somehow starts dating a smoking hot woman (Alice Eve). Lots of bathroom humor, for sure, and it looks like one of the worst Apatow knock-offs.
Our Family Wedding
Oscar winner Forest Whitaker almost gets raped by a Viagra-fueled goat in the trailer. Carlos Mencia co-stars and the 2 have to come to terms with their kids getting married. To sum up, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker almost gets raped - T-bagged at the very least - by a Viagra-fueled goat in the trailer.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
TV notes
1. Highly anticipated HBO miniseries The Pacific begins Sunday night.
2. Jude Law hosts SNL this weekend with Pearl Jam.
3. 30 Rock returns tonight after the Olympics hiatus.
And Zach Galifianakis's Beauty Pageant skit from last week's SNL has become available online. He shaved his beard mid-show.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Snap Judgments - a Quick Review of 5 Movies
Orphan
Why are 2 of our better actors (Vera Farmiga & Peter Sarsgaard) slumming in the horror genre? Because it has a surplus of character back story and development. They play a couple whose 3rd child was stillborn, then adopt an older child who turns out to be ridiculously evil. There are great shocks and a consistently creepy atmosphere. The cinematography is first-rate and the ending doesn't pull any punches. B
Everybody's Fine
Frank (Robert De Niro), a recent widower, goes on a cross-country trip to visit his 4 children after they are a no-show at Christmas. The film plods along predictably as the reticent Frank tries in vain to connect with the artsy-fartsy kids. Sam Rockwell is excellent (of course - what a natural), but Kate Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore never form full characters. Something quietly snuck up on me toward the end that made the last 10-15 minutes pretty affecting and effective. I probably related to Frank feeling like he was too tough on his kids, but I'm not sure. De Niro mugs for the camera and remains a shadow of his former self, but he almost has a real character here - for the first time in a long time. B-
Whiteout
Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is a US Marshal stationed in Antarctica who has just discovered the continent's first murder. She has to solve the case before a huge storm arrives and the planes are grounded for the long 6-month winter. The depiction of the frozen landscapes and wintry storms is inherently visually interesting, but director Dominic Sena can't get the material to rise above its graphic novel origin nor apply any worthwhile themes to the characters. The frost-bitten finger amputation scene is rough and the ending whimpers. C
Law Abiding CItizen
After the wife and daughter of Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) are murdered by 2 home invaders, the assailants turn on each other and one gets plea bargained down to 10 years by DA Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx). Clyde no likey and decides to brutally torture his family's murderer to death and send the video to Rice's address. Clyde then abuses and distorts the legal system to get revenge on everyone involved with the case. OK for awhile as Clyde's intelligence and maneuvering exposes the arbitrary judicial system we live under. Then, the disastrous ending subverts the film's message and drops Clyde's IQ by at least 50 points. C-
It Might Get Loud
Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White get together to talk about their lives and play a little guitar. The tri-generational approach is all over the place at first, but eventually comes together nicely as each shows their love for the guitar and how it became their life. I don't "get" White, but lots of people think he's a great guitarist. He seems a bit of a pretentious egoist and his music is instantly forgettable. Page and The Edge seem much more down to Earth and less full of themselves. I did sort of root for White toward the end since he seemed hopelessly outmatched, unworthy to be in the same room. He did show sufficient respect for the 2 living legends and his musical intentions sound noble, at least.
Inevitably, the best parts are about the music: whether Page is playing "In My Time of Dying" or "Whole Lotta Love" (with the other 2 staring in awe like little kids) or The Edge going over how he formed his unique sound or Page playing Link Wray's "Rumble" on a record player, giddy as a teenager himself. Also, Page describing how John Bonham developed the drum sound on "When the Levee Breaks" is also a huge highlight for any Zeppelin fanatic. The film closes with the 3 playing and singing The Band's "The Weight". Page's admission that his singing voice is terrible is endearing. You could learn a lot from Mr. Page, Mr. White - and I mean a lot. B+
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 3/9/10
Boondock Saints II - #
Capitalism: A Love Story - #
Hachi: A Dog's Tale - #
Old Dogs - #
Planet 51 - #
Precious - #
The Stoning of Soraya M - #
Up in the Air - #, *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Oscar Winners
The Hurt Locker took home 6 trophies, including Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Editing. Avatar took 3 (Visuals sure, but how does a cartoon get Art Direction and Cinematography?). Crazy Heart, Up, and Precious each took 2. Up in the Air was shut out. I haven't seen Precious, but the writing clip they showed had a large black woman stealing a big bucket of fried chicken and running down the street. UITA's screenplay seems a bit more subtle. Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were excellent. Ben Stiller was funny, dressed up as Na'vi. The John Hughes tribute was surprisingly touching. The Neil Patrick Harris number was a bad way to start. James Taylor singing over the celebrity deaths was strange. The horror tribute was very good. Full list of winners after the jump.
Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique - Precious
Best Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker - Mark Boal
Best Adapted Screenplay: Precious - Geoffrey Fletcher
Best Foreign Language: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), Argentina
Best Animated Film: Up - Pete Docter
Best Documentary: The Cove
Best Cinematography: Avatar
Best Art Direction: Avatar
Best Costumes: The Young Victoria
Best Editing: The Hurt Locker
Best Score: Up - Michael Giacchino
Best Song: “The Weary Kind” - Crazy Heart
Best Makeup: Star Trek
Best Visual Effects: Avatar
Best Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker
Best Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker
Best Animated Short: Logorama
Best Live Action Short: The New Tenants
Best Documentary Short: Music by Prudence
Weekend Box Office: 3/5-3/7/10
Avatar lost some 3D screens and lost its first huge share of the marketplace. Shutter Island holds pretty well again. Alice in Wonderland set a March opening weekend record.
Title/Gross/%Change/Total
1. Alice in Wonderland: 116 mil / (-)
2. Brooklyn's Finest: 13.5 mil / (-)
3. Shutter Island: 13.3 mil / -41% / 96 mil
4. Cop Out: 9.1 mil / -50% / 32.3 mil
5. Avatar: 7.7 mil / -44% / 720 mil
6. The Crazies: 7 mil / -56% / 27.4 mil
7. Percy Jackson: 5.1 mil / -47% / 78 mil
8. Valentine's Day: 4.3 mil / -47% / 106 mil
9. Crazy Heart: 3.4 mil / +36% / 29.6 mil
10. Dear John: 2.9 mil / -41% / 77 mil
Saturday Night Live - 3/6/09
There were 2 moments of greatness during Zach Galifianakis's guest stint last night. One was the opening monologue where ZG reached some kind of Andy Kaufmen-esque out-of-left-field bizarre genius. The other was the last sketch where ZG played a beauty pageant-loving, Bayou homosexual. Also on the good side were ZG and Kristen Wiig as a couple obsessed with bidets and a digital short where ZG showed up on many NBC shows. On the bad side was the Obama cold open, Weekend Update, and the retreads Today Show and Kissing Family. What Up With That? keeps doing exactly the same thing, but it continues to work remarkably well. B+ Available skits here. Unfortunately, the beauty pageant skit is absent.
Continue reading this postOscar Ballot and Predictions
Great 1 page printable ballot here.
Superb sum-up essay of this year's Oscars here.
Predictions (should win and will win) below:
Picture: Avatar (will) / Hurt Locker (should)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow (should and will)
Actor: Jeff Bridges (should and will)
Actress: Sandra Bullock (will) / Carey Mulligan (should)
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (should and will)
Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique (should and will)
Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds (should and will)
Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air (will) / In the Loop (should)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Oscars - Nominations and Reviews
Listed below are the nominations for each category linked to all of our related reviews.
Best picture 
"Avatar"
"The Hurt Locker"
"Precious"
"Up in the Air"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"Up"
"The Blind Side"
"District 9"
"An Education"
"A Serious Man"
Actor
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Actress
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"
Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
Supporting actor
Matt Damon, "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"
Supporting actress
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique, "Precious"
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Penelope Cruz, "Nine"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"
Director
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"
Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron, "Avatar"
Lee Daniels, "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"
Animated feature
"Up"
"Coraline"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"The Princess and the Frog"
"The Secret of Kells"
Original screenplay
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"The Messenger"
"A Serious Man"
"Up"
Adapted screenplay
"District 9"
"An Education"
"In the Loop"
"Precious"
"Up in the Air"
Best foreign-language film
"Ajami"
"El Secreto de Sus Ojos"
"The Milk of Sorrow"
"Un Prophete"
"The White Ribbon"
Best film editing
"Avatar"
"District 9"
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"Precious"
Best documentary feature
"Burma VJ"
"The Cove"
"Food, Inc."
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"
"Which Way Home"
Art direction
"Avatar"
"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus"
"Nine"
"Sherlock Holmes"
"The Young Victoria
Cinematography
"Avatar"
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"The White Ribbon"
Song of the Day - Meeting in the Aisle
By Radiohead
An instrumental song off the mini-album Airbag, this one is guaranteed to put you in a different mood. I've always felt like it should be part of the background music of my daily life.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Oscar Weekend
Here's hoping for a Hurt Locker or Inglourious Basterds heavy affair - anything but Dances with Smurfs.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Movie Releases - 3/5/10
Alice in Wonderland
I would rather have all doctors forcibly unionized by Obama and work for free than sit through this. I would rather have Medicare reimbursements cut by another 21% than watch another Depp-Burton-Elfman collaboration. Enough is enough. It has to stop. You're not going to trick me by adding Anne Hathaway to the cast. Not this time. Never again.
Brooklyn's Finest
Antoine Fuqua's Training Day holds up well as a solid corrupt cop drama with a superb Denzel performance. Brooklyn's Finest re-teams Fuqua with Ethan Hawke and adds Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, and Wesley Snipes (in all his post-tax-evading glory). Great cast, spotty director, so-so reviews.
Song of the Day - In My Time of Dying
By Led Zeppelin
My favorite Zeppelin song for the past few years. The hard rock band rocking out at their hardest. The religious lyrics seem like an afterthought. Watch the version seen in It Might Get Loud (B+) after the jump.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Song of the Day - Just Got Paid
By ZZ Top
Their best song is at its best during a mid-song instrumental interlude.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Song of the Day - Love Game, Lady Gaga
DLP reader "Bear" requested this on Doc's behalf.
Continue reading this postMonday, March 1, 2010
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 3/2/10
2012 - #
Alice - #
The Beaches of Agnes
Gentlemen Broncos - #
My Neighbor Totoro
Ponyo
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - #
Where the Wild Things Are
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
Clash of the Titans
The Kids are Alright
The Neverending Story
# - also on Blu-ray
Woody's picture is Lawyer watching Where the Wild Things Are or Me anticipating Lawyer's upcoming Lady Gaga post.
Song of the Day - Zombie, The Cranberries
A classic Irish political song that marries a great angelic voice with aggressive guitar work.
Continue reading this post
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