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I watched a movie last night on Netflix called "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" that started out as a decent movie. After I had gotten interested the movie and around the 30 minute mark, the 2 main male characters suddenly embrace and start kissing. At first I was revolted and then the revulsion changed to anger. There was nothing in the Netflix description to indicate that this was about gays. I personally believe homosexual activity is wrong and sinful. I remember the first time I ever heard of someone being homosexual and i knew right then and there in my...

This looks absurd....which means it will be either awesome or dreadful.

In the dock, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace stands accused. Counsel for the prosecution is Neil Smith. Counsel for the defence is Jonathan Crocker. Court is in session!The Phantom Menace has the dubious honour of being perhaps the most despised film of the last 20 years. With expectations sky-high following everyone's favourite sci-fi trilogy, Part I, for many, failed to deliver the pure thrill the Star Wars universe promised in the 70s and 80s. George Lucas must have instantly regretted the inclusion of infamous alien rasta Jar Jar Binks. With The Phantom Menace coming to cinemas in...

Costa-Gavras gripping political film "Z" on TCM tonight (8PM eastern). Whatever your leanings, there's something to infuriate and fascinate you in one of my favorite films. An acquired taste, but I highly recommend it.

Endless lists have been made, and it's a great way to start an argument at a party. What's better, 'Chinatown' or 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'? 'The Wizard of Oz' or 'Singin' in the Rain'? Everyone's picks are different, but for their new book 'The Greatest Movies Ever,' film critics Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza selected their choices for the best 101 movies of all time. First published in 2008, this edition of the book is revised with new picks like 'Slumdog Millionaire.' Here's a sampler -- the 50 films that got the top spots on Kinn and Piazza's...

What is your favorite romance movie? This might seem a bit odd coming from me, but there it is. 2nd question--how do I change my tagline??

Remember that big-budget Hollywood movie about the powerful company that creates jobs, drives innovation, and gives millions to charity? Neither do I. From Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” to Edward Lewis in “Pretty Woman,” Hollywood loves to hate corporate raiders. And now, we’ve learned, so do many of the Republican candidates for president not named Mitt Romney. “Winning our Future,” a super PAC that’s backing Newt Gingrich, just released a documentary called “When Mitt Romney Came to Town” that assails Romney’s record as head of Bain Capital. It’s the kind of withering attack on private equity that makes the Daily...

BEST FILMS: The Artist War Horse Moneyball Hugo Midnight in Paris Win Win The Descendants The Way Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 My Week with Marilyn WORST FILMS: Sucker Punch Conan the Barbarian Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part I Beastly Transformers: Dark of the Moon Jack & Jill Just Go With It I Don't Know How She Does It Hard Breakers Footloose

2012 marks the 90th anniversary of what is believed to be Alfred Hitchcock’s first directorial effort: an unfinished, now lost silent film called No. 13. I’ve been holding my own private Alfred Hitchcock festival at home for several weeks, using DVDs, streaming video, even a VHS. I’m not aware of any other, official celebrations out there, but Hitchcock doesn’t really need any: His work is never out of circulation, and he’s often in the news for one reason or the other. Image by AFP via @daylife For instance, it was recently reported on LiveScience.com that scientists believe they’ve ascertained the...

In 2005 he was gunning for revolution, less than two years later he had switched his allegiance to 'the man'. Far-left activist turned FBI informant Brandon Darby reflects on this trip through the political divide in Rebel Evolution, an exploration of the adage that ‘liberals are the ones with hearts, and conservatives the ones with brains’ that runs into the nexus of activism and morality. Also featuring Joe England, Ted Hayes, Kevin DuJan, AlfonZo Rachel, and Bill Ayers. (Video at link)

Saw War Horse today. Great movie for those that enjoy the "old" way of making movies. Very tastefully done. Magnificent cineamatography. Great score. Showed the horror of war without burying you in gore. Cheesy in some places but a very uplifting movie.

You might be walking about humming Ennio Morricone’s songs and you won’t even know it. In his long and prolific musical career, he has written more soundtracks for cowboy movies than one would care to remember. He is the man we have to thank for the actual term “spaghetti western.” He is the guy who helped turn Clint Eastwood into a household name. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fist Full of Dollars, and For a Few Dollars More are some of the most popular movies that featured Morricone’s soundracks.

HOLLYWOOD has more tricks in its bag than ever with digital 3-D and other new film tools. Yet as the images on screen get bigger and better, movie crowds keep shrinking - down to a 16-year low as 2011's film lineup fell well short of studios' record expectations. Through New Year's Eve on Saturday, projected domestic revenues for the year stand at $10.2 billion, down 3.5 percent from 2010's, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. Taking higher ticket prices into account, movie attendance is off even more, with an estimated 1.28 billion tickets sold, a 4.4 percent decline and the smallest...

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A crowd of young people -- possibly drawn though social media -- interrupted the movies at The Edge 12 Movie Theater and were disruptive outside in the parking lot of Festival Shopping Center on Crestwood Boulevard Sunday night. About 400 people were involved, with 200 of them really disruptive, Birmingham Police East Precinct commander Capt. Allen Hatcher said Tuesday, based on reports he got from the off-duty Birmingham police officer who worked security at the theater that night. Movie-goer Shannon Webster, pastor of First Presbyterian Church downtown, said he counted 18 police cars when he and his...

Yearend announcements of box office champions and film award nominees combine to illuminate dark, persistent mysteries about the motivations of moviemakers. In the process, these contrasting lists expose the stubborn stupidity of a line of argument jointly cherished by the entertainment industry’s angriest critics and its most faithful apologists: that Hollywood is utterly corrupted (or totally excused) by the ruthless, single-minded pursuit of profit. If it’s all about making money, how can anyone explain the fact that the heavy favorite to win Tinseltown’s most coveted and relentlessly publicized award for 2011 is a low-budget silent film (no kidding!) in glorious...

Cheeta the chimpanzee, who starred in Tarzan movies alongside Olympic swimmer-turned-actor Johnny Weissmuller in the 1930s and ranked #1 on EW.com’s list of the 10 Best Monkeys at the Movies, died of kidney failure Saturday. According to the Suncoast Primary Sanctuary’s outrach director, Cheeta was “roughly 80 years old, loved fingerpainting and football and was soothed by nondenominational Christian music.” Roughly 80?! Way to live, chimp! That’s amazing! (Cheeta was an anomaly; the average zoo chimp dies around age 35-45.) I sure hope my favorite chimp lives that long.

That time of the year again. Frankly, I thought this was, at best, a mediocre year at the movies. A lot of movies that I had expectations for last year were letdowns. That said, there were certainly movies I enjoyed, and I hope you caught a few of them along the way. Please note that the links take you to my reviews of the movies, where available. Honorable Mentions: 50/50, Another Earth, The Artist, Bridesmaids, Captain America, Cars 2, The Descendents, Drive, Green Lantern, The Help, Horrible Bosses, Midnight in Paris, Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol, Moneyball, The Muppets, Pirates of...

According to the New York Times, even with upwards of 40 blockbusters released in 3D (meaning much higher ticket prices), box office revenues in North America dropped 4.5% this year. In worse news, overall attendance dropped 5.3%, which means that over the last two years attendance has dropped a whopping 11.3%. When you lose over 10% of your customers in just two years, something is horribly wrong. When you combine that with plummeting DVD sales, you have an existential problem. The Times blames much of the problem on the economy, but as anemic as it’s been, the economy has improved...

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have sold a 7-acre property in Kauai’s Hanalei district for $20 million – $6.5 million more than they paid for it two years ago, according to public records. Candace Jackson has details on The News Hub.

OPRAH WINFREY dissed by BARBRA STREISAND and talk show titan is more than miffed --As OWN just can’t get NO respect! Barbra Streisand was so petrified that Oprah would pester her to appear on her troubled network, she crossed the TV titan off the guest list for a black-tie gala. Insiders say Oprah was left out in the cold when Barbra’s good friend, world renowned fashion designer Donna Karan, was honored at the Dream Foundation’s annual gala fundraiser – just a stone’s throw from Oprah’s sprawling Montecito, Calif., estate. “When Donna was drawingup the invite list, she put Oprah at...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G0k3kHtyoqc

The Michigan House overwhelmingly passed a bill allowing the state’s film subsidy program to continue, with handouts to movie and television companies of up to 32 percent of the cost of a production’s payroll expenses (Who Voted 'Yes' and Who Voted 'No'). SB 569 was originally passed by the Senate on Nov. 3. The bill’s sponsor is Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, who previously said he would like to budget as much as $100 million for the film subsidy program. The bill passed by a wide margin in both the Republican-led House and the Republican-led Senate. The House passed...

TCM Remembers memorial montage for 2011. The song is "Before You Go" by OK Sweetheart.

Reboots: The Fugitive, Batman Begins/Dark Knight, Casino Royale, Check. And now... (Read the comments too.)

I had trouble sleeping last night so I watched some TV. Usually I just watch about an hour and go back to sleep but this time I turned to a cable movie, "The Village Barbershop" and watched all of it because I found it incredible.There are no car crashes or big action scenes. However, I found this movie, starring John Ratzenberger as a cantankerous owner of a failing barbershop and Shelly Cole as the strong willed barber that Ratzenberger didn't want to initially hire, incredibly compelling. Big kudos to the acting job of Shelly Cole as Gloria MacIntyre who, facing...

Michigan taxpayers gave the makers of “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” $8.3 million for filming in this state. The state reimbursed the filmmakers for $8.3 million of the $21.8 million spent in the state, or 38 percent of their costs. “Any business would gladly take 38 percent cash back on all their expenses. But this comes at the taxpayer expense and they get little in return for their forced generosity,” said James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. A TV commercial for "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" raised questions...

Just wondered if anyone had seen Scorsese's new 3D movie, "Hugo". I saw it this weekend and enjoyed it and wondered what others thought? (you might want to avoid reading this thread if you haven't seen it yet)

'Film director Ken Russell, who was Oscar-nominated for his 1969 film Women In Love, has died at the age of 84. His son, Alex Verney-Elliott, said he died on Sunday following a series of strokes. During his career, he became known for his controversial films including Women In Love, which featured Oliver Reed and Alan Bates wrestling nude. He also directed the infamous religious drama The Devils and The Who's rock opera, Tommy, in 1975.'

There are those who believe we must guard and protect children from the hurts and traumas of the big bad world for as long as possible. Then there are those people who believe we should toughen kids up by exposing them to and even pummeling them with terror and depravity. Those people become children’s filmmakers. Don't believe me? Gaze upon the list below and find a hall of horrors to give Wes Craven nightmares...

Sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick's heirs battle Hollywood over the rights to the 2011 Matt Damon film "The Adjustment Bureau."Plot outline for a Philip K. Dick story: Hollywood buys film rights to obscure short story by famous author. Makes movie. Movie makes money. Producers then claim they never needed to buy rights in the first place. Demand their money back. Emblematic Philip K. Dick story elements: Attempt to turn back time and murkiness of reality. Extra mind-bending plot twist: Author of original story is named Philip K. Dick. As Laura Dick Coelho, one of the late author's daughters, told me:...

The long stagnating Red Dawn remake looks set to finally see the light of day, with a designated release date on the horizon. According to Box Office Mojo, the film will hit screens on November 2, 2012 – three years after filming wrapped. A big black cloud has been hanging over Red Dawn in the form of the MGM bankruptcy saga, but, as reported here in September, independent distributor FilmDistrict struck a deal to finally get the film into cinemas, not matter how long it takes. The film is the first foray into directing by former stuntman Dan Bradley, who...

On Tuesday, recording artist Shakira became the first Colombian to get her name on a monument to the globe's entertainment industry: the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As the latest celebrity to get a terrazzo star, trimmed with bronze, on the sidewalks of Hollywood, Shakira joins a small but growing rank of minority performers making a dent in an overall industry that some criticize as not inviting enough to African-Americans, Latinos and Asians.

This is your Turner Classic Movie Channel alert! A double feature tonight... The Invisible Man (1933), 8pm est "A scientist's experiments with invisibility turn him into a madman." Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935), 9:30pm est(one of my favorite movies of all time)"A socialite is bamboozled into producing a stage show in her home."

"Many Hollywood stars seem to be harking back to the golden past of the silver screen, and imitating idols of days gone by. But are they just kidding themselves, or are modern-day film stars really fit to be compared to the legends of the past?"

The Republican presidential candidates have named their favourite movies, and while everyone plays it pretty safe, there are some surprises in there. Herman Cain says his favourite is The Godfather (a hilarious reference to his past in the pizza business), while Newt Gingrich goes for something old and grey: Casablanca. Michele Bachmann, meanwhile, goes for Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan, which both feature plenty of gallant losers. Rick Santorum settled on the corny Field of Dreams, which is about getting people to come, while Ron Paul said he doesn’t watch a lot of movies but that his wife likes musicals...

Internet-streaming company Netflix experienced its biggest exodus in its history after a price hike earlier this year - the loss of 800,000 customers. But the web-streaming giant isn't washed up yet. TV shows and films streamed via Netflix account for a third of total downstream bandwidth use in the U.S - an astonishing amount for any one company to control. Neftlix use accounts for 32.7 per cent of total bandwidth use in the U.S., UP from 29.7per cent a year ago, says Canadian company Sandvine.

  Why Are the Movies Dying? David C. Stolinsky Oct. 27, 2011 The other evening my wife and I went to the movies. We intended to see “Margin Call,” a film about the financial crisis starring Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, and Jeremy Irons. The cast is outstanding and the subject timely. But the film was playing in only one small theater in all of the West Side of Los Angeles. The theater held only about 150 seats, and all but the first two rows were taken. So instead we went to another theater playing “The...

For sure, "The Exorcist" is on the list. Also, "Rosemary's Baby", one of the all time scariest movies ever. I suppose if I really wanted to get scared, I could cue up a bunch of Progressive Commercials with that Flo dame. She is definitely related to the folks in "Night of the Living Dead" Blair Witch Project? (That movie is scary, but they really didn't have any good reason to go down the profanity route so much...) Thumbs DOWN!! I'm all ears!!

This film is a must see, We saw it last night and it was one of the best films I have ever seen.

News reports state the movie makers of "Iron Man 3" left Michigan for North Carolina because Michigan wouldn’t meet demands for up to $30 million in incentives for the production company. While Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, implied Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration made a mistake in losing Iron Man 3, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s James Hohman says politicians should have much higher priorities for state tax dollars. For instance, Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy, estimated that 4,892 families that were kicked off welfare this year could get assistance again with $30 million. Also, it would take...

I suppose that this is a vanity, but I feel compelled to recommend a wonderful movie I saw last night -- The Mighty Macs. A trailer is here: The Mighty Macs. It is rare that you can find a movie that will entertain a whole family -- from kids to grandparents -- and leave them laughing, crying (a little) and inspired, with nobody embarrassed. This film is G rated, but it is neither juvenile, nor insipid. It's full of positive life lessons too.It should be to Hollywood's shame that this film (finished in 2007) sat on a shelf for 4...

COLOGNE, Germany – A court in Tehran has rejected Jafar Panahi’s attempt to appeal his prison sentence for allegedly making propaganda films against the Iranian government. The court confirmed the original sentence handed Panahi in December last year: a six-year prison term and a 20-year-ban from making films. But Panahi has not given up yet. The director’s lawyer told Iranian Student News Agency Isna he would appeal the ruling to Iran’s supreme court. Panahi is one of Iran’s most acclaimed film directors, having won honors in the Berlin, Cannes and Venice Film Festivals. His features - such as The Mirror...

Via Jonathan Last, this is as close as most of America will ever get to watching real SEALs in action. How do I know? Because the troops here are all played by … active-duty Navy SEALs. Really. It started out as a training video and things just sort of ballooned: Act of Valor has an unusual backstory. The film, directed by Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh, started out as a training video for Navy SEALS. The Navy liked what they saw so much that they decided to turn it into a documentary. Then, they decided to make a feature,...

An "Austin Powers" actor convicted of torturing a woman in Orange County is suspected of killing his cellmate in a Central Valley prison, authorities said Tuesday. Joseph Hyungmin Son, 40, allegedly killed his 50-year-old cellmate, who was found dead Monday afternoon at Wasco State Prison Reception Center in Kern County.

There have been many movies that have priests as important characters.  There are movies about saints and some of them are awesome.  But my post today is about priests as characters, as men involved in a story.  I was watching the excellent Tom Wilkinson as Father Moore in “The Exorcism of Emily Rose� the other day on cable.  It got me to thinking about some of my favorite priests as characters and also some of my least favorite. So for discussion purposes, I thought I would get into the who’s and whys.  After all, what is a Catholic blog for...

This comes as a complete shock to me as I’m sure it will with most of you. David Hess, an absolute icon in the genre and someone who portrayed a character known as “Krug” in Wes Craven’s Last House On The Left has always left a withstanding impression upon me. His character truly scared me to the bone as with all his characters he portrayed.

The actor, who was known for tough-guy roles, also appeared in "Philadelphia," "Silence of the Lambs" and "Rambo: First Blood II." Charles Napier, an actor who was known for his tough-guy roles in movies like Blues Brothers, died Wednesday afternoon at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, according to reports. He was 75. The actor was reportedly found sometime Tuesday morning in his Bakersfield home after having collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where he was put on life support in the intensive care unit. Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, he was taken off life support. The cause of death is unclear, but...

Just noticed on Twitter that someone started the hashtag #occupywallstreetmovies Alternate names for famous movies whilst poking fun of the occupiers. Some are very clever and most are funny. Examples: From Russia with Body Odor The sick scent Horde of the Flies Children of the ACORN

<p>WASHINGTON — The director and star of the upcoming Hollywood film on J. Edgar Hoover sought information from officials at FBI headquarters about disputed aspects of the iconic former FBI director's sexual life while preparing the movie.</p>

20 new tweets » FTWes Wes Dude, Where's My Czar? #OccupyWallStreetMovies 16 hours ago Retweeted 79 times » La_Shawn La Shawn Barber One more for the road: Starbucks Troopers #OccupyWallStreetMovies 14 minutes ago » NolteNC John Nolte "It's a Wonderful Life In My Parents Basement Without a Job and a Sense of Entitlement" #OccupyWallStreetMovies 31 minutes ago » iowahawkblog David Burge #OccupyWallStreetMovies The Thing That Didn't Understand the Concept of Loans 37 minutes ago » DCdebbie DC Debbie Dude, Where's My Job? #OccupyWallStreetMovies 38 minutes ago » DCdebbie DC Debbie No Country for Old (white, rich, untaxed, privileged) Men...