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Archive for September, 2009 Page 2 of 3



Collection Watch: Oscar: Best Director

It’s usually true that the director of the film which won Best Picture at the Oscars also walks home with Best Director. The correlation makes sense… after all, if you directed the best movie, doesn’t that make you the best director? But it’s not always the case…

Criticker user Kangadoodoo has created a public collection which lists out the films which triumphed in the Best Director category (this link orders the films descending by year). It’s especially interesting when viewed alongside the one for Best Picture (created by Quicky).


The best movie of the year, just not the best directed one. Take a seat, Mr. Hitchcock.

The discrepancies are fascinating — a history of snubs and appeals to populism. Crash wins best picture, while Brokeback Mountain had the best director? Please, the Academy knew what the better picture was, they were just afraid to say so. We also find the historic 1940 snubbing of Alfred Hitchcock who lost to John Ford, although his classic Rebecca won the big prize.

Take a look, and if you have any thoughts on other discrepancies make sure to leave them in the comments!

- Everything Bacon

Apple iTunes

DVD Report – September 15th

An interesting array of films new to DVD this week, most of them middling but watchable, and one which comes highly recommended. France’s dance-centered comedy Rumba hasn’t been seen by too many people, but has received good marks. A future neglected gem?

Easy VirtueAverage Tier 5.23
A young Englishman marries a glamorous American. When he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future – blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window. Easy Virtue @ Amazon

GraceAverage Tier 4.52
After losing her unborn child, Madeline Matheson insists on carrying the baby to term. Following the delivery, the child miraculously returns to life with an appetite for human blood. Madeline is faced with a mother’s ultimate decision. Grace @ Amazon

NightwatchingAverage Tier 5.15
With the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth in 2006, NIGHTWATCHING is truly a feast for the senses. Extravagant, suspenseful and sensuously beautiful, the mystery behind the extraordinary artist’s infamous painting is perfectly explored by one of the most iconic Directors of our time – Peter Greenaway… Nightwatching @ Amazon

Next Day AirAverage Tier 3.69
When a delivery man (Faison) leaves a package containing bricks of cocaine at the wrong address, it sets into motion a battle of wills and wits between the dealer, the intended recipients, and the people who have the drugs and plan to sell them off. Next Day Air @ Amazon

Criticker Pick!
RumbaAverage Tier 7.11
Dom (Dominique Abel) and Fiona (Fiona Gordon) spend their days as teachers at a grade school in a small town, and by night they motor off to the big city and dazzle the crowds at dance contests with their moves on the floor. After picking up a trophy at a competition one evening, Dom and Fiona are driving home when a man with a death wish dashes into the road… (allmovie.com) Rumba @ Amazon

- Weird things you can buy from Amazon

Wide Screen VS Full Screen

I hate it when people knowingly watch films in the wrong format on TV. They’ll happily put up with stretched out or cropped images, justifying that they “don’t like them black bars! Fill up mah screen, durnit!”

And an unrelated thought… Why aren’t more films being shot on IMAX like the Dark Knight?

[via: slashfilm & Kottke] Thank you Classic Fun for the tip.

Patrick Swayze’s Five Best Films

Actor Patrick Swayze passed away this morning, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His performances in Dirty Dancing and Ghost made him famous, and an eternal heartthrob to a generation of girls. Swayze had a turbulent career in Hollywood, with as many ups as downs.

We’ve compiled his top 5 films according to Criticker users, and the results are pretty interesting. Most occur in the later stages of his career, suggesting he was not losing his touch. And besides the undeniably entertaining Point Break, the apex of his popularity, the late 80s to early 90s, is ignored. It also begs mentioning that these tend to be films in which Mr. Swayze has supporting roles. Perhaps not his most iconic movies, but they’re quality and he shines in each.

1. Donnie Darko (2001)


A genre-busting fable that blasts the American suburban drama into a wildly imaginative realm of time travel, alternative universes and the manipulation of one’s fate.

2. 11:14 (2003)


11:14 tells the seemingly random yet vitally connected story of a set of incidents that all converge one evening at 11:14pm. It’s a sort of musical chairs with a corpse, with the structurally intriguing storytelling style of “Memento” and “Run Lola Run.”

3. The Outsiders (1983)


When two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events

4. Keeping Mum (2005)


Walter Goodfellow (Atkinson) is the well-meaning vicar of the parish of Little Wallop. So obsessed with writing the perfect sermon, he’s oblivious to his wife Gloria’s (Thomas) dalliance with her brash golf instructor Lance (Swayze), has trouble keeping track of his daughter Holly’s parade of new boyfriends, and neglects his young son Petey. Enter the charming and discreet new housekeeper Grace (Smith), the answer to the family’s prayers. Problems solved only lead to more problems created in this story of good intentions run amok.

5. Point Break (1991)


An FBI agent goes undercover to catch a gang of bank robbers who may be surfers.

And the worst? That would be his 1986 hockey epic Youngblood

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Merchandise: Star Wars Dagobah Frog Habitat – Wolverine Mask – Donny Darko Mask

Star Wars Dagobah Frog Habitat

star Wars frog habitat

This exciting replica of Yoda’s home planet is the perfect place to watch the metamorphosis of tadpoles transforming into frogs! Learn why frogs play an important role in the eco-system while enjoying the Dagobah swamp theme. Easy to clean habitat with fun and informative learning guide includes mail-in coupon for live tadpoles.

More info: Star Wars Frog Habitat

X-Men Wolverine Jacket Replica

x men jacket

It’s Wolverine, baby! This Wolverine Replica Jacket and dog tag were extensively researched and produced using only the finest authentic materials as worn in X-Men, the first movie of the blockbuster trilogy. The only jacket replicating all the details and approved by both Marvel and 20th Century Fox, it’s fully lined and made of genuine heavy-grade leather with leather accents, distressed by hand to reflect the many adventures Logan has been through.

Check it out here: X-Men Wolverine Jacket Replica

Donny Darko Mask

Donny Darko Mask 

Halloween is right around the corner. Dressing up as Donnie Darko won’t be a problem with this creepy mask.

Link: Donny Darko Mask

Related Post: Top 10 Disgusting Halloween Masks

News from Venice – Soderbergh, Romero, Herzog

The world’s oldest film festival, Venice is set to wrap up on Saturday. As usual, a number of important films made their premieres there, and we’ll summarize the reaction for a few of the most highly anticipated.

Romero’s Survival of the Dead – Thumbs Up!

George Romero’s latest political diatribe, disguised as a zombie flick, won praise from critics and audiences alike. Extremely gory, it focuses on two feuding Irish families, who have differing ideas on whether to kill or imprison zombies. Survival of the Dead hasn’t yet received its stateside release date.

Soderbergh’s The Informant! – Thumbs Mostly Up!

With The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh returns to the true-story formula which won him a ton of awards with Erin Brokovich. Matt Damon, who gained 30 pounds for the roll of whistleblower Mark Whitacre, had audiences at Venice laughing, though critics’ reviews were mixed — some for, some against.

Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant – Thumbs Down!

We love Werner Herzog, but when this project — a re-imagining of Abel Ferrara’s cult 1992 hit — was announced, we were skeptical. Xzibit and Nicholas Cage aren’t necessarily at the top of our “favorite actors” list. And then it turns out Herzog has never even seen the original (something which rightly irritated Ferrara). Audiences were turned off by Cage’s hysterical overacting, and most reviews have been pretty poor.

Romero > Soderbergh > Herzog? Life is full of surprises.

- Wanker Shirt

DVD Report – September 8th

Just when it was shaping up to be one of the lamest weeks for new DVDs in recent memory, comes (as he so often does) Valentino to the rescue. The flamboyant fashion designer is the focus of a highly praised documentary which follows him and his entourage through a few events. It premiered at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. The 2009 edition of that festival is on right now, and making big news with another high-profile documentary. Will we be promoting Oliver Stone’s film on Hugo Chavez at this time next year?

Crank: High VoltageAverage Tier 4.76
Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working. Crank: High Voltage @ Amazon

Dance FlickAverage Tier 1.44
Street dancer Thomas Uncles is from the wrong side of the tracks, but his bond with the beautiful Megan White might help the duo realize their dreams as the enter in the mother of all dance battles. Dance Flick @ Amazon

Sleep DealerAverage Tier 4.20
Mexico. The near future. Memo Cruz has always dreamed of leaving his tiny village and heading north. But when he is ultimately forced to leave, Memo finds a future so bizarre – border walls, shantytowns, hi-tech factories, remote control drones and aqua-terrorists – that it looks a lot like today. Sleep Dealer @ Amazon

Criticker Pick!
Valentino: The Last EmperorAverage Tier 7.78
A look at the life of legendary fashion designer Valentino Valentino: The Last Emperor @ Amazon

Local ColorAverage Tier 7.67
A successful artist looks back with loving memories on the summer of his defining year, 1974. A talented, but troubled eighteen year old art student befriends an elderly alcoholic genius painter who has turned his back on not only art, but life. The two form, what appears to be at first a tenuous relationship Local Color @ Amazon

- Disgusting Halloween Masks