Oscar Nominations!!!!!!

And it is here! The Oscar nominations were announced this morning and here they are (the ones that matter anyway):

BEST PICTURE

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

The King's Speech

Inception

True Grit

The Social Network

The Kids Are All Right

Toy Story 3

Winter's Bone

BEST ACTOR

Colin Firth--The King's Speech

Jesse Eisenberg--The Social Network

Jeff Bridges--True Grit

Javier Bardiem--Biutiful

James Franco--127 Hours

BEST ACTRESS

Natalie Portman--Black Swan

Annette Benning--The Kids are All Right

Michelle Williams--Blue Valentine

Nicole Kidman--The Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence--Winter's Bone

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale--The Fighter

Jeremy Renner--The Town

Geoffrey Rush--The King's Speech

John Hawkes--Winter's Bone

Mark Ruffalo--The Kids Are All Right

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams--The Fighter

Melissa Leo--The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld--True Grit

Helena Bonham-Carter--The King's Speech

Jacki Weaver--Animal Kingdom

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher--The Social Network

David O. Russell--The Fighter

Darren Aronofsky--Black Swan

Tom Hooper--The King's Speech

Joel and Ethan Cohen--True Grit

For the most part I think the Academy got it right this year. I was happy to see Hailee Steinfeld get a nomination for True Grit and Jeremy Renner for The Town. The inclusion of Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine and Javier Bardiem for Biutiful were nice surprises too.

However, there are few glaring problems that I have with this list. The first is the nomination of Jesse Eisenberg for Best Actor. Don't get me wrong I love Jesse Eisenberg and his turn as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network was good but not anything special. Certainly not better than Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception or Shutter Island. Even Ben Affleck's performance in The Town was better. Speaking of The Town while I'm happy Jeremy Renner got an Oscar nod in the supporting actor category, it is an outright joke that the movie itself wasn't nominated for Best Picture. Come on Toy Story 3? Really? The biggest snub without question however, was Christopher Nolan for Best Director. Do you know how much effort went in to filming Inception? He filmed in six different countries and crafted a fantastic movie that was both cerebral and surprising. I'm sorry but no one will ever convince me that Joel and Ethan Cohen did a better job on True Grit than Christopher Nolan.

So there you have it! The Oscar nominations for 2010. As we get closer to the big day I'll give you my personal picks of who should win and who will win. Until then let the speculation begin!

Bane 101: The Next Batman Villain

When the announcement came out last week that the next Batman villain in Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises was Bane I received the same reaction from many readers.

Who in the hell is Bane?

With The Dark Knight being one of the most successful and entertaining comic book films of all time, many felt the next logical step was The Riddler, or the Penguin, or a Batman villain more recognizable. Leave it to director Christopher Nolan to take a risk and pick a villain like Bane.

Much of the public has been quick to dismiss Bane as a villain too "obscure" for fans to relate to. I couldn't disagree more. In all honesty I think Bane is the perfect nemesis for Batman to pit his will against in the third and final installment of Nolan's trilogy.

The reason is his backstory, which is incredibly vivid and rich. Fans of the "Knightfall" story arc of the early 1990s would agree with me. Bane was the first character to seriously challenge Batman for supremacy of Gotham City. Born in the fictional Caribbean Republic of Santa Prisca, Bane was the son of revolutionary who avoided capture. However, in a cruel twist of fate, a corrupt Santa Prisca court system decreed that Bane (then only a baby) would serve his father's life sentence in Pena Dura prison. Bane becomes a hardened individual, killing his first man at age eight and receiving hard lessons in survival from many of the prison inmates. In the gym he becomes a dynamic physical specimen. He also possesses genius level intelligence, becomes very well read, and even receives a classical education from a Jesuit priest who is also an inmate.

Bane ultimately ascends to rule Pena Dura prison and catches the eye of the prison's controllers. Dr. Hugo Strange (another enemy of Batman) tests the super steroid Venom on Bane. Bane survives the experiments and although it results in superior physical strength, he has to take it every twelve hours or suffer horrible side effects. Eventually Bane escapes Pena Dura with several inmates who were from Gotham City. Bane recognizes that it is a place ruled by fear and that Batman has cornered the market on that particular emotion. Resolving to rule Gotham like he ruled Pena Dura, Bane travels to Gotham and in a daring act frees all of the villains from Arkham Asylum. Batman then spends three months rounding up the criminals pushing himself to exhaustion. Bane deduces that Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, confronts him, and eventually breaks his back.

The subsequent events are much too complicated and detailed to get into but suffice it to say that Batman is eventually healed and returns to his Batarang throwing ways. Whether or not Christopher Nolan will include the story (it involves Bruce eventually falling in love with and becoming healed by a psychiatrist and psionic healer) remains to be seen. My suspicion is no because it deviates from the realism we've come to expect from Nolan's films. Furthermore the inclusion of Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) suggests otherwise. Hell I don't even know if we'll see Bane break Batman's back!

One thing is clear however. Bane represents a physically and mentally imposing figure for Batman to confront. This will ultimately be Batman's most difficult test because Bane is a match for Batman on every level. So don't be concerned that Bane is too "obscure." I have complete faith that Nolan, Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, and the rest will bring us a movie just as riveting and compelling as the first two installments.

Hathaway, Catwoman, Hardy, and Bane OH MY!

Holy casting announcements Batman! With casting rumors over the last several months ranging from the intriguing (Johnny Depp as The Riddler) to the ridiculous (Eddie Murphy as The Riddler) it was nice to get some solid news on director Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises. Academy Award nominee and current Hollywood A-Lister Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman beating out Jessica Biel and Keira Knightley. Equally stunning was the announcement that Inception's Tom Hardy, already confirmed as the sequel's main villain, will be playing the role of Bane.

I think Nolan made the right call in both of these decisions. First Hathaway. Not only is she a name in Hollywood but she is a hell of a good actress. Her role in Brokeback Mountain is severely overlooked and her Oscar nominated performance in Rachel Getting Married is equally stunning. Hathaway has the kind of acting chops to go toe-to-toe with actors like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman. Furthermore, (and I know I'm going to get a lot of shit from women for this) she has the body to play the role. Let's face it, almost every depiction of Catwoman in the DC Universe is a sultry, raven haired, voluptuous vixen whose breasts are about as realistic as the precepts of Scientology. But that's the character. Physcially I think Hathaway "fills out" this role in more ways than one. She possesses an inate sexiness that I thought was lacking in Michelle Phieffer's portrayal in 1992's Batman Returns. Phieffer's turn came off as slutty rather than sexy. And she was a blond. Weak.

More impressive to me was the announcement that Bane is going to be the main villain in The Dark Knight Rises. I wrote several weeks back about the possible villains in the next film and Bane was low on my radar. This is exciting news though because it gives Nolan the chance to wash away the horrible memories of Bane from the reprehensible Batman and Robin. Bane is actually a villain pumped with a super-steroid called Venom who is also Batman's match intelligence wise. I won't go into all the various backstory of Bane (if you're interested try Googleing the character) but suffice it to say that the Knightfall story arc back in the early 1990s involving Bane was one of the best ever in the Batman universe. As you can probably see by the picture of Hardy above from the gritty prison drama Bronson, he's more than physically capable of doing the role.

With principal photography about four months away I can't wait to see what the next casting announcement holds in store!

Review: Black Swan

Plot: Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a driven and talented but withdrawn ballet dancer working in New York City. When the current star of the production company Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) is forced out, Nina eyes the lead role in the upcoming production of Swan Lake. Facing competition from newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis), an overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey), and demanding director Thomas (Vincent Cassel), Nina begins to psychologically unravel in her quest to be perfect.

Review: Black Swan is a welcome new edition to director Darren Aronofsky's already strong film pedigree, which include the critically acclaimed films Requiem for a Dream, Pi, and The Wrestler. Black Swan is easily the best example of a psychological breakdown caught on film since DeNiro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. At times terrifying, beautiful, and inspiring, Black Swan is ultimately a film about the human mind, about the dark places that hide within all of us and the people and events that influence our personality. The film holds a gritty, fascinating mirror up to the audience's face and dares them to look away.

Visually, Black Swan is a stunning movie and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who previously worked with Aronofsky on Pi and Requiem for a Dream, is once again at the top of his game. Under Aronofsky's skilled direction, Libatique is able to capture the grandeur of the ballet stage and the sweaty underbelly of the night club with equal aplomb. Tracking shots (an Aronofsky staple) are abundantly present. Of particular interest is the focus by Libatique and Aronofsky on limbs, in Black Swan's case feet and legs. The shots reveal the pain that Nina goes through to obtain greatness, including swollen and twisted ankles and bloody toes. It is very similar to the training regimen shots and action shots seen in The Wrestler.

Clint Mansell's haunting score highlights the devastation that Nina goes through whether it involves her overbearing mother or a ballet director who is trying to get into her pants. Mansell would have nothing to work with however if it were not for the stunning script by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin. The language is both beautiful and visceral, passionate and raw. It is a great examination of the concept of the "double" a term often used in literary circles. In this case Nina and Lily are doubles, as are Nina and her mother, and even to a lesser extent Nina and Thomas. The nature of duality or a dark/light side is nothing new, but Heyman, Heinz, and McLaughlin's script manages to reinvigorate the doppelganger concept with a vitality that just rips off the screen.

Cassell is excellent as the arrogant, domineering, and slimy ballet director Thomas Leroy. The scenes where he asks Nina about her sex life are incredibly uncomfortable...and they are meant be. Mila Kunis is strong as the wild-girl Lily who has a back tattoo and likes the night life. It is not really a stretch for Kunis but she did make me forget for two hours that she was Meg from Family Guy and Jackie from That 70's Show. Even Winona Ryder makes an excellent cameo as the broken down ballet star Beth who is forced into retirement by Thomas. Beth's confrontation with Nina and scenes in the hospital were particularly memorable.

Black Swan doesn't fly without Natalie Portman however. Her portrayal of Nina is nothing short of breathtaking. Portman's challenging role is as much psychological and emotional as it is physical. She spent months training with a ballet coach and getting her body whittled down to just sinew and bone. Her dancing is remarkable. Portman's physical capabilities are only surpassed by her stunning embodiment of Nina. Nina is quite literally that controlled white swan desperate to break out. I found myself wanting to scream at Nina sometimes to stop being so damn passive. That's how good Portman was. However at other times we see the dark side to Nina that's just pure raw energy. One of the great things about Aronofsky is that he is a director who loves to take risks. Black Swan is a perfect marriage between actress and director. It cannot be easy to tell an actress to go on set and masturbate or do a lesbian sex scene with Mila Kunis. Portman is fearless however. You can tell that she put everything into this character and squeezed the maximum out of every single scene. If she is not the Academy Award winner for Best Actress this year you might as well just flush the trophy down the drain.

Great movies in my opinion make you care about subjects you have little or no interest in. I could give a fig about flying but Scorcese's The Aviator made me care about aviation. So it is with Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. You will probably never find me at the ballet at anytime in the future but I was completely enthralled by this film. The gritty imagery, masterful direction, and spectacular performances will linger in my mind for days. Black Swan simply soars through the cinematic stratosphere into movie going excellence.

My rating: 10/10

Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Plot: After giving up his life as a bird thief, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) has settled into his new life as a newspaper columnist with wife Felicia (Meryl Streep) and son Ash (Jason Schwartzman). However, when Mr. Fox moves his family into a tree near the human food facilities of Walter Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Nathan Bunce (Hugo Guinness), and Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon) he decides to go on one final big heist. However, the results may be more dire than his family, and the rest of the animal community bargained for.

Review: After The Darjeeling Limited failed to live up to critical and commerical success, director Wes Anderson needed a comeback in a big way. That comeback is realized in Fantastic Mr. Fox, a captivating, witty, and charming stop-motion animated film.

Based on the book by Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox features animals that display not only human characteristics, but also surprisingly human emotions and circumstances that are relateable for children and adults. Clooney's character in particular is in a situation that many middle-aged men find themselves in; stuck in a dead-end job wishing he could provide more for his family and relive his glory days. Meanwhile, Fox's son Ash, largely ignored by his father and desperately seeking his approval, is trying to to live up to an impossible reputation. At the same time Ash is competing with his cousin Kristofferson Silverfox (Eric Chase Anderson) who possesses all the talent and charm Ash does not.

Aside from the relateability of the film, Fantastic Mr. Fox is just plain funny. Whether it is substituting the word "cuss" for a swear word ("What a clustercuss!" Fox says at one point) or the 1000 yard stare of Kylie Sven Opossum (Wallace Wolodarsky) the building superintendent and Fox's co-conspirator, or Clive Badger's (Bill Murray) constant pompousness, Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach's script is filled with laughs. At once witty and poignant, the dialogue though unorthodox nonetheless comes across as quite natural. Tristan Oliver's brilliant cinematography complements the fine screenplay, depicting the animals in bright vivid colors while humans Boggis, Bunce, and Bean come across as gray and sinister.

I will admit that sometimes the message of the film (following your passion, the importance of family, and forgiveness are all themes) sometimes gets a little heavy-handed and Alexandre Desplat's music seems adolescent at times. Even the theft of Mr. Fox's tail and subsequent quest by Ash to retrieve the tail possesses about as much subtle symbolism as a punch to the face. However, these are minor criticisms and besides it is a children's film. In any event, Fantastic Mr. Fox is sure to be a movie that will please both parents and children alike.

My rating: 8/10

Babes for the Batman! What ladies with join The Dark Knight Rises?

Kim Basinger, Michelle Phieffer, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, Katie Holmes, Maggie Gyllenhall...what's a Batman movie without hot chicks?

Seems like Christopher Nolan's next installment in the Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, will be continuing the trend. Two roles are set to be cast, one supposedly a villain/love interest role for Batman and another just an outright love interest part. Speculation is that the villain will be Talia Head (insert oral sex joke here) who is the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul from Batman Begins. The other part is possibly Vicki Vale. Again remember this is just speculation. Nothing has yet been confirmed.

However, what has been confirmed by hollywoodreporter.com is who will be reading for the parts. According to the site, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, and Keira Knightly are all slated to test for the roles in the next couple weeks. Additionally, Charlotte Riley and Kate Mara have also been mentioned.

My goodness, decisions decisions.

Obviously all of these women are beautiful but Christopher Nolan's characters need to have brains, beauty, and acting chops. That tells me that Jessica Biel is out. (Sorry honey you're hot and all but you also made Summer Catch so you're disqualified.) Kata Mara is probably also unlikely only because she doesn't have much of a pedigree. Her roles included parts in Shooter and We Are Marshall, neither of which were memorable.

That leaves Keira Knightly and Anne Hathaway. Aside from being beautiful, both women are intelligent and would fit easily into a Batman film. Furthermore, both actresses have been nominated for Oscars before. Knightley was nominated for 2005's Pride and Prejudice and Hathaway for 2008's Rachel Getting Married.

The dark horse in this race may be Charlotte Riley, a British actress best known for her roles in Wuthering Heights and Easy Virtue. I say that she may be the dark horse because it just so happens that she is engaged to Tom Hardy, who is playing the main villain in The Dark Knight Rises. Whether nepotism factors in or not remains to be seen. If she gets the part it will be because of her acting acumen not who she is about to walk down the aisle with.

In any event filmgoers will once again be treated to some fantastic eye candy in July 2012.

To quote Wayne Campbell of Wayne's World: "Schwing!"

The Hobbit is gettin' the band back together!

With The Hobbit reeving up and principal photography ready to start next month, director Peter Jackson and his team of Kiwis from New Zealand are steadily drawing former Lord of the Rings actors back into the fold. With Andy Serkis and Ian McKellan already already back as Gollum and Gandalf respectively, other Ringers are joining the party. Elijah Wood will reprise his role (albeit briefly since The Hobbit focuses mainly on Bilbo) as Frodo Baggins and Cate Blanchett will make an appearance as the elf Galadriel. Rumor even has it that Orlando Bloom might reprise his role as Legolas (seriously where is he?) and Ian Holm may show up in a couple scenes as the older Bilbo.

However, none of that compares to the news I found out today. According to his official website Christopher Lee, yes Mr. Dracula himself, is returning as the wizard Saruman. (Fantasy nerds nationwide please feel free now to cover the giant geek-boner in your pants with a book.) This is really surprising considering the man is 88 years old and would have to make a long plane ride to New Zealand. For the record Lee stated that his participation in the film is contingent upon his health, which by all accounts is quite good. Hey I guess if Eli Wallach can be in a film at 95, the former star of numerous Hammer Studio films can suck it up. In all seriousness though, this is extremely exciting and gratifying news for Tolkien fans everywhere.

There is one thing I want to address about Lee's participation and it goes to a core concern many Hobbit fans have expressed in recent months. Namely, that certain characters that are coming back weren't in The Hobbit novel. It is true that Frodo is not in the original novel but the appendix to The Lord of the Rings states that he was adopted by Bilbo when Frodo's parents drowned. Since the part of Drogo Baggins (Frodo's father) has already been cast, I suspect they will work this in towards the end of the film. Additionally Legolas does not appear in The Hobbit, however his father Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood is. It is logical to assume that Legolas as his son would be in his father's court.

As for Christopher Lee's part as Saruman...well here is where it gets really interesting. (SPOILER ALERT!) There is a point in The Hobbit where Gandalf leaves Bilbo, Thorin, and the rest of the dwarves at the outskirts of Mirkwood to head south. There he meets with the White Council, which are the five wizards of the realm that includes Saruman. Saruman is the head of the council. Together they decide to drive the Necromancer out of Dol Guldur which is a southern fortress in Mirkwood. The Necromancer is in fact Sauron, the main villain from the LOTR trilogy. Therefore, not only is Saruman's part explainable, the circumstances surrounding his presence could make for an excellent bit of cinema. This extra bit of action also explains why the movie is being split into two parts. Finally fans will see on film what was only alluded to in the books!

I know that was a lengthy diatribe regarding historical points of a fantasy kingdom and I probably came across as an uber-geek. (Actually there is no probably about it.) However, I really have to commend Peter Jackson for making a concerted effort to bring back some of the actors from the previous trilogy and to explore plot points of the books that were often only briefly mentioned.

One things for sure, if you are a fan of Middle Earth right now everything is coming up mithril!

Bill When Someone Ivan Asks You to be in GB3 You say Yes!

Fellow fanboys bust out your proton packs because it looks like Ghostbusters 3 may be a go after all. So far all the original cast members including Ernie Hudson, Dan Ackroyd, and Harold Ramis are ready to dial up the PKE meters and get this sucker in the Ecto Containment Unit. Even Ivan Reitman, the director of the original films is ready to helm the latest phantasm filled film.

There's just one catch...Bill Murray isn't so keen on the idea.

Based on an article on Deadline today, Ramis, Ackroyd, and Reitman say there is absolutely no way that the studio will commit without Murray involved. I couldn't be more in agreement. While I would love to see a third Ghostbusters film, it just wouldn't be the same without Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman. He's the titular head of the Ghostbusters and had some of the best lines in both movies. ("Yes it's true. This man has no dick." LOL! Still gets me every time.)

Ghostbusters 3 had been in development hell for over a decade until Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, of "The Office" acclaim, delivered a script last year. It has since been revised and was recently delivered to Murray for his approval. Reitman claims the script is "very good" and Ackroyd boldly proclaims that Murray "has been written the comedic role of a lifetime." That's pretty strong words from a man who has Groundhog Day, What about Bob?, and Stripes under his belt. At this point the group is waiting to hear back from Murray.

Unlike Mike Sampson of joblo.com I firmly believe that Bill Murray should say yes to this part. He would be the biggest draw for sure and maybe he'd even get some creative control of the film. God knows he has enough clout in Hollywood to do so. And being that the Ghostbusters franchise is a fanboy favorite, GB3 is almost assured of topping $300 million. If money is the issue, just tell Bill he can have a percentage of the gross.

I know that Murray has trended towards more serious roles in the last few years (Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers, Get Low) and maybe he feels playing Peter Venkman again would be taking a step backwards. Not a chance. At least not in the minds of fans of the film. I have a lot of faith in Reitman and Ackroyd and the chance to see Rick Moranis again as Lewis Tully is just so awesome. Furthermore, the script is supposed to introduce new, younger ghostbusters; a kind of passing of the torch. So far Bill Hader, Wil Forte, and Michael Cera have all been linked to the film. Great young talent like that could really infuse the third (final?) film in the franchise. (Although I'm not sure about Eliza Dushku. Everything she touches seems to turn to ash.)

Some of you out there may be thinking that the recent nostalgia love-fest going on in Hollywood has produced nothing but garbage, and that Ghostbusters 3 would be just more the same. I disagree. While Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was not particularly great, I highly enjoyed the other two prequel movies. And even though I didn't like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at first I've done a complete 180 on that film. Hell even Live Free or Die Hard was pretty solid. Besides, just because the new Star Wars or Indiana Jones films are deemed "unsuccessful" by some people, doesn't mean that the same would be true of GB3.

So Bill, I guess the only question is Who ya gonna call?

I'm hoping that the answer is Ivan Reitman and that you're ready to ride the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man all the way to the bank.

Review: Dinner For Schmucks

Plot: Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) is a middle management business executive trying to make a name for himself and advance up the corporate ladder. When a daring proposal catches the eye of his superiors, Tim is informed of a special dinner held once a month at his boss Lance's (Bruce Greenwood) house. Each of the guests brings an idiot to the dinner to make fun of. When Tim literally runs into half-wit IRS agent Barry Speck (Steve Carrell) he thinks he's found a winner.

Review: Dinner for Schmucks is without question one of the most painfully unfunny movies I've ever seen and hands down the worst comedy of 2010. It is literally shocking how a movie that contains comedic geniuses like Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, and Ron Livingston is this unfunny.

What's even sadder is that director Jay Roach helmed this turdburger. This is the guy who brought us the Austin Powers films and the Emmy Award winning HBO movie Recount. You'd think this guy would know something about comedy. Although come to think of it he did do Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers so maybe he is starting to lose his touch.

In any case Roach fails miserably at Dinner for Schmucks. The pacing is God-awful, filled with screwball non-sensical scenes such as one where Tim and Barry brake into an artist's apartment. Tim suspects that his girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) may be cheating on him. Another ridiculous moment involves a business meeting with Tim, a Swiss client, and Tim's crazy ex-girlfriend Darla. Obvious jokes about cheese, chocolate, and watches ensue that are just painful to watch. Rather than create laughs, these and other ridiculous scenes highlight the fact that it takes almost 90 minutes to get to the actual dinner. (To put this in perspective, about 30 minutes in I was ready to turn off the movie and watch Arthur 2: On the Rocks--twice.) Then the audience is forced to endure a blind guy who thinks he can fence, a woman who talks to dead animals, a guy with a wacky beard, and an idiot ventriloquist who thinks his dummy is his wife. When you combine all of these elements you know what you get? That's right! Zero laughs. Even Zach Galifinakis as the "mind controlling" Therman Murch cannot save the dinner or the film.

Rudd and Carrell meanwhile have the chemistry of oil and vinegar. The Odd Couple these two are not. While Rudd plays the straight laced uptight yuppie (and don't get me wrong it usually works) Carrell plays a dim-witted IRS agent who for some reason likes to creates elaborate dioramas out of dead mice. The two just never seemed to click the way they did in Anchorman or The 40 Year Old Virgin. Their relationship is just illogical. After two days of Barry messing up Tim's life somehow they become best friends? No!

To be fair neither had much to work with. David Guion and Michael Handelman's script might as well have been written with crayons on construction paper. Both of these two had to have been eating paste to write a screenplay this bad. I'm surprised they didn't write in a part where Rob Schneider pops in and says, "You can do it!" It would have been the frosting on this crap-cake of a movie.

I hate to say that actors will take movies just for money, but it seems like this film was just a quick cash grab for Steve Carrell. There was no subtlety or nuance to Barry. The fact that he makes dioramas out of dead mice isn't endearing it's repulsive. Carrell's blond hair is as ridiculous and predictable as all the high jinks he gets up to in the movie. I'm thinking the amount of effort that went into preparing for this role was right on par with watching an episode of WaWaWubbzy. And I'm sorry but it makes absolutely no sense that a person as dumb as Barry could work for the IRS. I have a friend who works for the IRS and he is far from stupid.

At the end of the film I was surprised to find that Dinner for Schmucks was a remake of the 1998 French film Le Diner de Cons (Dinner for Dolts). I would rather watch that film in French than see Dinner for Schmucks ever again. I'm certain watching it in French would be exponentially funnier than the two hours I wasted watching Schmucks.

And I don't even speak French.

My rating: 1/10

R.I.P. Pete Postlethwaite

Most of you (unless you are movie obsessed geeks like me) probably had no idea who Pete Postlewaite was until you looked at the picture to the left. Some of you are probably thinking "oh that guy" which is only to be expected because Postlethwaite made his living as being Hollywood's "that guy." A strong character actor whose career began in 1975 with the short film The Racer and was most recently seen in Ben Affleck's The Town as Fergie "The Florist" Colm, Postlewaite succumbed to cancer on January 2nd at the age of 64.

Once called by Steven Spielberg the "greatest actor in the world" Postlewaite made his living on mostly supporting roles. One of his most memorable came in 1993's In the Name of the Father where he played Giuseppe Conlon and was nominated for an Academy Award. I however, will always remember him as the lawyer Mr. Kobayashi in 1995's The Usual Suspects, to this day a film I consider to have the best ending in the history of cinema.

Postlewaite leaves behind a wife, Jackie, and two children William and Lily. His final film, Killing Bono will be released this April.

I consider Postlewaite to be one of the finest character actors that ever lived. He will be missed.

DVD/Blu-Ray Releases for the Monthy of January

January 4th: Machete, Dinner For Schmucks, The Last Exorcism, Catfish, Howl, Gun, Backdraft (blu-ray only), El Mariachi Desperado and Once Upon a Time In Mexico (all on blu-ray only), Coraline (blu ray only), Big Love Season 4 (dvd only), Battlestar Galactica season 4 (blu-ray only), Rocky and Bullwinkle the complete series (dvd only),

January 11th: The Social Network, Piranha 3D, Alpha and Omega, Once Upon a Time in America (blu-ray only), Dances with Wolves (blu-ray only), Raging Bull (blu-ray only), The Endless Summer (blu-ray only), Funny or Die Season 1 (dvd only), ER season 14 (dvd only), Greek season 3 (dvd only), All in the Family season 8 (dvd only)

January 18th: Takers, Stone, Jack Goes Boating, Freakonomics, Buried, Paper Man, Lebanon, The Naked Kiss, Shock Corridor, Justified season 1, H.R. Puffnstuff the series (dvd only), Dark Skies series (dvd only), Death Race 2

January 25th: Saw 3D, Red, Secretariat, Nowhere Boy, Client 9, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Broadcast News, Enter the Void, Glee season 2 volume 1 (dvd only), A Beautiful Mind (blu-ray only), The Color Purple (blu-ray only), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (blu-ray only), Malcolm X (blu-ray only), Open Season 3, AKA Tommy Chong

Review: The Fighter

Plot: "Irish" Mickey Ward (Mark Whalberg) is a welter-weight fighter from Lowell, Massachusetts living in the shadow of his half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) a former boxer and Mickey's trainer. Under the constant strain of domineering manager mother Alice (Melissa Leo) and Dicky's crack addiction, Mickey struggles to find a way out of the cycle of family disfunction to get a shot at the title.

Review: Let me say this now so there is no room for discussion: BELIEVE THE HYPE. The Fighter is a classic boxing movie right on par with great pugilistic films like Rocky, Raging Bull, and Requiem for a Heavyweight. Less of a "boxing movie" and more of a drama with boxing in it, The Fighter has everything: redemption, fantastic acting, a brilliant score, great directing, and breathtaking cinematography.

Personally I've never been a huge fan of director David O. Russell. I thought Three Kings was grossly overrated and I Heart Huckabees is just God-awful. But where Russell's works have failed before, The Fighter makes up in spades. What struck me the most was how Russell chose to shoot The Fighter. Rather than shy away from the dingy streets of Lowell, we get a gritty dark picture of the town, especially the crack house that Dicky frequents. Yet the people of the town have immense pride especially in hometown heroes like Dicky and Mickey. This is highlighted at one point in the movie after Mickey loses a fight and decides to take his girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) to a movie outside of Lowell. Knowing how much pride the town has, he didn't want to show his face publically. Mickey's act is equally admirable and tragic. The scenes in Lowell contrast well with the actual fights themselves, which are shot in a HBO-boxing night-like way. Credit this to cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. Russell and Hoytema's collaboration on The Fighter is a perfect match.

One of the key ingredients to any good film is to make the audience care about the characters. Love them, respect them, or hate them, Russell makes you care about every character in this film. Wahlberg is excellent as Ward both from a physical and emotional standpoint. In fact The Fighter has had so many problems getting off the ground, that Wahlberg stayed in boxing shape for over four years. Now THAT is commitment to a role. It is also a much more reserved role for Wahlberg than we are normally used to. Ward finds it hard to say how he really feels especially about his family, preferring instead to have Charlene speak for him. When Mickey finally does stand up for himself it makes the moment have a much greater impact. It shows how far Wahlberg has come as an actor since the days of movies like Fear.

You wouldn't expect a movie that centers around the boxing life to have such strong women characters but there are. Amy Adams and Melissa Leo both portray strong, tough women that aren't willing to back away from a fight either. Both care for Mickey in their own ways and are quite literally willing to fight for him. I can't say that either Adams or Leo outperformed the other which is probably why both will end up getting Oscar nominations. Adams character is the anti-Adrian from Rocky. Rather than demure and mousey, Adams is tough and outspoken. Leo on the other hand is just as hard, standing toe to toe with promoters and her husband alike. The scene where she throws dishes at her husband is at equal times funny and appropriate.

As you might have guessed though, the person who really steals the show is Bale. His portrayal of the crack addicted Dicky Ecklund is a sight to see. From his wild eyes, to his constant fidgeting and talking, to his fellow-well-met attitude, Bale nails it. Bale's performance is just as physical as Wahlberg's but in a different way. Bale lost an extreme amount of weight to portray Ecklund and the constant greasy shine to his skin and pieces of missing hair drive home the picture of a crack addict. Bale's seemingly constant energy and positive nature and delusions about his past boxing exploits contrast well with moments like when he begs Charlene to come back to Mickey's corner or his reaction to the HBO special about crack addiction featuring him. The audience is constantly torn between pity, anger, disgust, and hope for Dicky. Perhaps the thing that resonated most with me was how much he really cared about Mickey. While tension abounds there is always a strong undercurrent of love. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the year for Christian Bale. He will win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. I'm convinced.

While the ultimate outcome of The Fighter does have thematic elements of other boxing movies, it is by no means canned or predictable. On the contrary, The Fighter is quite simply a first round knockout.

My rating: 10/10