Are *you* on the list?...

That's right - Heroes returns from its hiatus with an all-new episode tonight at 9/8C on NBC.

If you're not up on the details, then by all means go to heroes.nbc.com
At the site you can catch up on past episodes and there's all sorts of Heroes-related goodies to be found. Also, the official unofficial fan site is at 9thwonders.com

what a haunting, creepy, dark, intense, beautiful film...

If you value great cinema, see this movie. This may just be my favorite film of the year. I still have several more potential Oscar nominees to see. In any case, click the Pan's Labyrinth poster to read my review.

I cannot wait until March 1st!!!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957250.html?categoryid=14&cs=1





Click the logo to head to Chiller's official website, ChillerTV.com.

NBC Universal Launches Horror Channel - Chiller - On DIRECTV March 1st

This was certainly unexpected. NBC Universal states that Chiller will cull their programming from not just the NBC Universal vaults but the vaults of other studios (Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Sony, and Warner Brothers, to name a few). Series that they'll be debuting with include Twin Peaks, Freddy's Nightmares, Alfred Hitchock Presents, and Friday The 13th: The Series. Plus they'll be airing movies, of course. It'll be cool to see all of those old shows and I hope they dig deep into the vaults of their content providers. But I have to remember to temper my excitement just a tad when I see what NBC Universal's done with SCI FI through the years, Battlestar Galactica and the occasional miniseries excluded. Hopefully Chiller can avoid that and it will as long as Bonnie Hammer's nowhere near it.

I sincerely hope that NBC Universal really puts a considerable effort into Chiller. Look I'm not naive. I know that both Sleuth (NBC Universal's mystery/crime-themed cable network) and Chiller are basically, for the moment, a way for NBC Universal to make money off of the thousands of hours of programming in their and other companies vaults. And that's just fine with me, as long as the lineup is programmed with diversity and character. As I stated on messageboard, Chiller might turn into SCI FI by 2013, with shows like WWE Fear Fights and Who Wants To Be A Serial Killer?. I'm crossing my fingers it doesn't and until it does I plan to watch Chiller and enjoy the repurposed programming, alot of which haven't been on TV in a long time.

tonight you'll see stars...

Well as is tradition, I'll now give my Golden Globe picks. I've still yet to see several of these but am trying to play catch up.

Here we go...



The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards

FILM

Best Picture, Drama

Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen

My pick: Although I've not seen any of these yet, I'd like to see Babel get the nod, as I absolutely loved Iñárritu's Amores Perros and 21 Grams.
Who will win: While Scorsese's getting tremendous accolades for his remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, The Departed won't win here. He's a lock for Best Director and an Oscar, however. Little Children's release and the subsequent promotional fumbling by New Line Cinema have locked it out; it's the dark horse here. Bobby was primed for gold, be it of the Golden or Academy Award persuasion. As it stands now most seem to have written it off as a garish cameo party. Much like Scorsese's Director win, Mirren will take home Best Actress. That leaves Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel.

Best Actress, Drama

Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Sherrybaby
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Kate Winslet - Little Children

My pick: I'd absolutely love to see Gyllenhaal get this, as she's one of my favorites and proves time and again just how versatile an actress she is, no matter what the role calls for.
Will win: As previously stated, the movie royalty will take this home. Helen Mirren has it in the bag.

Best Actor - Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

My pick: In all honesty I would be elated to see Peter O'Toole get this and I think he will. After almost fifty years on screen, he sure deserves it. I also think he, much like Scorsese, are going to get nominated after being unjustly snubbed for so very long and will be clutching Oscar gold on the night of February 25th.
Will win: Peter O'Toole. No contest.

Best Picture, Musical Or Comedy

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You for Smoking

My pick: Little Miss Sunshine was a brilliant dysfunctional tale of a family growing closer after growing apart.
Will win: Sacha Baron Cohen will win Best Actor so this one's going to Dreamgirls.

Best Actress, Musical Or Comedy

Annette Bening - Running With Scissors
Toni Collette - Little Miss Sunshine
Beyonce Knowles - Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Renee Zellweger - Miss Potter

My pick: Toni Collette's performance as a harried mom trying to do her best was wonderful.
Will win: Streep could read the White Pages. She won raves for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada and she'll win this award.

Best Actor, Musical Or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Aaron Eckhart - Thank You for Smoking
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Kinky Boots
Will Ferrell - Stranger than Fiction

My pick: Aaron Eckhart was terrific as a slimy tobacco lobbyist. I'd like to see Ejiofor win, as I've been a fan of his for a long time.
Will win: If this were any other year, Depp would walk away with the win here. However, only ONE performance in this category became a cultural phenomenon. Cohen will win this hands down.

Best Actress, Musical Or Comedy

Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

My pick: I have no opinion here.
Will win: Plucked from obscurity, Jennifer Hudson will garner the gold.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama

Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed
Brad Pitt - Babel
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

My pick: Again, no opinion.
Will win: Focus Features released Hollywoodland far too early for it to register with the awards voters (September?!). Brad and Mark will split the vote and even though Eddie's performance has gotten good ink, Jack rules the roost and everyone, even The Hollywood Foreign Press, loves to see him play a villain. As this is the first time he's done so in quite a while, he'll be on stage tonight to accept this award.

Best Director

Clint Eastwood - Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood - Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Babel
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

My pick: As a fan I'm torn between Inarritu and Scorsese. However, Inarritu's career has just begun whereas Scorsese is a filmmaking legend who's been shut out for far too long. I'd love to see him get this award.
Will win: Martin Scorsese

Best Screenplay

Guillermo Arriaga - Babel
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta - Little Children
Patrick Marber - Notes on a Scandal
William Monahan - The Departed
Peter Morgan - The Queen

My pick: Yet again as a fan I'd like to see Arriaga get it and I think he will, for the sweeping multi-layered types of films he writes are always adored by the awards voters.
Will win: Arriaga

Best Foreign Language Film

Apocalypto (USA)
Letters From Iwo Jima (USA/Japan)
The Lives Of Others (Germany)
Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico)
Volver (Spain)

My pick: I'm this close from seeing Guillermo del Toro's fantasy horror epic. As much critical acclaim as Almodovar gets this time each year, I think the world that Pan's Labyrinth created will let Mexico win this one.
Will win: Pan's Labyrinth

Best Animated Feature

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

My pick: Not one other animated film this year was as well-written, intelligent, articulate, and thoroughly entertaining as Monster House. It was a throwback to the style of '80s films both animated and otherwise that the whole family could watch and not feel as if they'd gotten dumber after watching it.
Will win: I was going to say Pixar grabs the gold here but George Miller's Happy Feet was a runaway success, no pun intended. The penguins will waddle away with this one.

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat - The Painted Veil
Clint Mansell - The Fountain
Gustavo Santaolalla - Babel
Carlo Siliotto - Nomad
Hans Zimmer - The Da Vinci Code

My pick: No contest. Clint Mansell's haunting, ethereal score for Darren Aronofsky's brilliant The Fountain was a key part of immersing the viewer in this beautiful poem of a film.
Will win: I believe the world cultural aspects of Babel no doubt played a part in the creation of the score. It'll win.

Best Original Song

Unfortunately I've no opinion here at all, as I've not heard any of these songs at all.


TELEVISION

Series, Drama

24 (Fox)
Big Love (HBO)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Heroes (NBC)
Lost (ABC)

My pick: I love 24 with a fiery passion. But I'd love to see the freshman get some attention here. C'mon HFPA! Give it to Heroes. They won't, as it's not even through its first season yet, which is sad as no new series this season has been so far so consistently good.
Will win: 24. Jack Bauer and the gang at CTU won the Emmy (finally!) and now they'll pick up the win here as well.

Actress, Drama

Patricia Arquette - Medium
Edie Falco - The Sopranos
Evangeline Lilly - Lost
Ellen Pompeo - Grey's Anatomy
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

My pick: For two seasons now, Patricia Arquette has been terrific as the harried mom and the harried psychic who someone manages to balance both. Her Emmy win was well warranted. She deserves this one.
Will win: Ellen Pompeo will win for Doctors Screwing. Harsh? Maybe. But after giving this show every chance, it has finally chosen to be about who the doctors are sleeping with and everything else be damned. Because all hospitals have their doctors making out in stairwells and supply closets, right? Um, don't you guys have...PATIENTS?

Actor, Drama

Patrick Dempsey - Grey's Anatomy
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Hugh Laurie - House
Bill Paxton - Big Love
Kiefer Sutherland - 24

My pick: Michael C. Hall's turn as the serial killer with a heart deserves this.
Will win: Kiefer Sutherland, in an echo of the Emmys.

Series, Musical or Comedy

Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Ugly Betty (ABC)
Weeds (Showtime)

My pick: I really want to give this to Entourage, as it is consistently addictive and *such* a well-written series. However, The Office continues to amaze me.
Will win: America Ferrara was the talk of the town as the fall season started. I've seen an episode or two and Ugly Betty is fun and breezy. But I think the Emmy win will repeat itself here, especially since they gave this award to the original British version of The Office in 2003.

Actress, Musical or Comedy

Marcia Cross - Desperate Housewives
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Felicity Huffman - Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

My pick: As I stated above, America Ferrara has been the breakout star of the new season, aside from Masi Oka of NBC's Heroes. She deserves to win.
Will win: America Ferrara

Actor, Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Zach Braff - Scrubs
Steve Carrell - The Office
Jason Lee - My Name Is Earl
Tony Shaloub - Monk

My pick: Jason Lee and Steve Carell are solid as always. Each of these nominees is terrific. But Alec Baldwin has surpassed my every expectation. His Jack Donaghy is a live wire, as you never know what's going to come out of his mouth.
Will win: I think Lee will grab this, as Carell won last year (not that repeats don't happen) and I think 30 Rock might be a bit too inside for the HFPA. Sadly.

Best Miniseries Or Movie

I have no opinion here as I've not seen these. I'm rooting for Bleak House. I'm a Charles Dickens fan.

Best Actress, Miniseries Or Movie

No opinion yet again.

Best Actor, Miniseries Or Movie

No opinion. I'm rooting for Ejiofor, though.

Best Supporting Actress, Miniseries Or Movie

Emily Blunt - Gideon's Daughter
Toni Collette - Tsunami, The Aftermath
Katherine Heigl - Grey's Anatomy
Sarah Paulson - Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
Elizabeth Perkins - Weeds

My pick: I guess this is Heigl and Paulson are thrown in here as the HFPA wanted to recognize them but ran out of room in the major category. Sarah Paulson has been stellar as Harriet Hayes and the exchanges between she and Matthew Perry's Matt character. The claws have been extended towards the show but I'm thousands of miles from Hollywood and I love Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. The dialogue is great and I've never seen an entire episode of an Aaron Sorkin show prior to this one.
Will win: With all of that being said, look for Heigl to win for Doctors Screwing...oh, I'm sorry....I meant Grey's Anatomy.

Best Supporting Actor, Miniseries Or Movie

Thomas Haden Church - Broken Trail
Jeremy Irons - Elizabeth I
Justin Kirk - Weeds
Masi Oka - Heroes
Jeremy Piven - Entourage

My pick: Piven is electric as the acidic and viciously caustic yet endearing-at-times Ari Gold. But Oka has, as I've stated, gotten alot of buzz. Either way I'll be happy but I'm going with Piven. He's so damn fun to watch.
Will win: Piven lost to one of the masters of the medium last year, Paul Newman (Empire Falls). This time will be a charm for him.

hell yes!!!

Today we get to make up for twelve years of Republicans who shredded our Constitution, launched an illegal war, made it harder for the middle class and students by shifting the tax burden on their shoulders and all the while allowing corporate bail-outs, outrageous spending (hell Bush never vetoed any bill presented to him, no matter the cost, until July 2006), corruption and covering up the Mark Foley scandal, to name a few. During all of this they shouted us down as traitors, Benedict Arnolds, and terrorist sympathizers.

Now those same people, the new minority party, are clamoring for bipartisanship after years and YEARS of not giving an iota of it to the Democrats. Pot meet kettle please. It's time to make these people pay, with investigations and critical scrutiny of what exactly has been going on in these hallowed halls for so long. As Nancy Pelosi said so eloquently after the elections, "It's time to drain this swamp." But first let's get those first 100-hour pledges enacted ASAP: increasing the minimum wage, getting affordable health care, pay as you go spending, rolling back the massive Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, to name a few.

Now let's not think I'm putting on the rose-colored glasses here. As we all know Bush plans to announce, in a speech next week, his new plan: "Surge & Accelerate". The speech's theme will be "sacrifice". As in young men and women sacrifice their lives for this continual lie while he stands behind a podium, hair shiny with hairspray in an air-conditioned building thousands and thousands of miles away. If the Democrats don't engage in a political battle over this ill-gotten foreign travesty, I and millions of other voters will be outraged. We didn't vote for you just to have you mewl like a kitten. It's time to expose the razor-sharp talons and use them. If the Democrats falter or waver on any promises, you better believe I'll be there to call their asses on it, as will many others They cannot be allowed to grow complacent.

For now let us celebrate a well-deserved victory. It's time to take back Washington D.C.. It's time to hold those who abused power for so long accountable. It's time to make this country fair for all again, not just the obscenely wealthy. We now have a moment in America's history to correct wrongs and shape the outline of this country back to the way it used to be - one of hope, prosperity, and charity - and away from the black chasm we've had to endure for far too long. In 56 minutes, we will have the first female Speaker Of The House and the first Democratic Majority in 12 years. Good luck. Make us proud. Get to work but don't forget who put you there. Let the changes and investigations begin.

1913-2006

I was not yet born during Gerald Ford's time in office. But there was always something about him that made me feel like he was a regular guy, someone who you might not agree with on certain policy matters but someone who you wouldn't mind grabbing a burger with and having good conversation. His unpopular pardoning of Nixon cost him reelection. He later said, ""The only way to clear the desk in the Oval Office was to get Mr. Nixon's problems off my agenda and get my total attention on the problems of the country." That decision prevented a second term but in 2001 he won a John F. Kennedy Profile In Courage Award for it.

Gerald Ford, in my estimation, marks the last of a breed that the Republican Party of today has slowly expunged from its ranks: a man for whom life was his politics, not the other way around. Someone who could disagree with you yet still manage to be endearing and genuine, a stark contrast to the rancor and venom discourse of recent years.

My sincere condolences to the entire Ford family.

Rest in peace, President Ford.

beware pure evil...

I'll explain more later. Suffice it to say I'll be expounding on my earlier musings about the sad state of cinema.

(And no, I've not and will not see the above film. I have taste.)

2007 is here now...

Well Happy New Year to those out there that might happen to read this. I hope your New Year's Eve was enjoyable. I carried out the usual tradition of summer sausage, cheese, and Ritz crackers (which I finished snacking on some more of a while ago) and we had a little bit of pink champagne from last year in the refrigerator. Speaking of New Year's Eve and contrary to some's belief, I thought Dick Clark looked much better than his last appearance with more mobility and a clearer speech pattern. The man IS New Year's Eve and when he no longer feels like doing it (which I think won't happen until he leaves us), I'll stop watching ABC for New Year's Eve. Ryan Seacrest is an untalented idiot. Our coffee table has more talent.

How was your Xmas? Mine was cool. Not alot of gifts as money was tight for all of us but alot of food and fellowship was had by all.

I hope 2007 is a fun year, with good health and goodwill for all. Of course until all of our troops are home and this ill-gotten calamity known as the invasion and occupation of Iraq is over, that wish won't come true. One can hope and perhaps the Democrats will hold Bush's feet to the fire to start bringing troops home. Also, they need to hurry up and get that minimum wage increase enacted ASAP. As for myself, I'd like to find a full-time job that pays well, has flexible hours, paid insurance and is fun. I'm a loyal and dedicated worker. I have excellent customer service skills and would like to find something that takes advantage of that -- if a writing job isn't in the offing, that is. I'll keep you posted on my progress in this arena.

2007 will be an interesting film year. More sequels of course. I'm most looking forward to Grindhouse on April 6th.

TV in 2007. One project has me excited and that's Drive, the new series from Angel and Firefly writer Tim Minear. It stars Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Slither, Serenity, the upcoming White Noise: The Light) and will air on FOX sometime in March or April. For more info, check out...

http://www.fox.com/drive
http://www.drivefans.com

I plan to get up early on Thursday morning and turn on C-SPAN and MSNBC to watch the 110th Congress being sworn in. Seeing Nancy Pelosi stand behind Bush and next to Cheney will be priceless.

Getting back to the topic of movies, I sincerely hope that 2007 can provide a decent slate of interesting and thought-provoking films. I hunger for David Lynch's Inland Empire, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men (which starts playing here this Friday) and many more. Babel is playing here again, albeit only twice a day. I hope I can use connections to get to see them.

Films like the ones above provide the viewer with elements that can be discussed, deconstructed, analyzed, and debated. Said films offer scripts written with love by filmmakers that aren't afraid to take a chance and who want to bring imaginative and original stories to the masses. It is this that makes me furious when I see absolute crap like Night At The Museum rake in cash. Former cast members/writers of the excellent and edgy early '90s MTV sketch comedy series The State wrote that film. They also wrote The Pacifier (!). In a few weeks, a remake of the excellent 1986 horror film The Hitcher will be released by Rogue Pictures, genre imprint for Universal Pictures. It's utterly appalling that intelligent, thought-provoking films are continually thwarted by crap. Sheer, unmitigated crap is continually foisted upon the moviegoing public who eagerly slurp up any offal that's placed in front of them and then hungrily ask for more.

so much time...so little posting...

Seriously, what the hell's wrong with me? I should be a posting sensation but I've been feeling an indifference about posting. Weird but that's what happened. I've broken pledge after pledge to post so forget about me ever promising to post again.

Well, after only having two hours or so of sleep, I went with my mother to pay bills, browse at Oglethorpe Mall and Best Buy today and also to procure Christmas gifts for my sister and a friend of hers. We also picked up a whole publishing company of books (practically) from Barnes & Noble. Think of it as a sort of early Christmas present for us, the slavishly devoted readers, although I've been slack when it comes to that as of late. I may receive a few DVDs for Christmas. My mother's been hinting that she ordered a present for me online, oh excuse me, "A BIG GIFT", as she's been calling it. Anyway, after we came home from our excursion and ate some lunch around 2PM, I read Watchmen for a bit then took a nap until about 8:30 when Zach called. I then hung out at the apartment of his girlfriend, Amanda. She, Zach, and a mutual friend of theirs, Sharon, were making sub sandwiches. We ate, watched part of Disc One of Season 3 of Scrubs and then the mutual friend had to leave. After conversing for two hours or so, they called it a night at about 11:30, as Amanda has to drive to Marietta at 7AM this morning - you know the home for the holidays thing. Zach and I might hang out after the holidays, as he'll be sticking around Savannah.

Besides the books I'm about to mention, my mother got two true crime books. It's always been her cup of tea. Heck, she even got a Criminal Justice degree. She loves all things to do with the criminal process.

On the book list...



I'm currently reading this and...WOW! I was an avid comic book geek back in my formative years then fell away from it. This graphic novel is rich with deep characterizations, dense thematic material, and I can't wait to see where it takes me. The movie version of this is coming out in 2008. I thoroughly enjoyed the V for Vendetta graphic novel and this looks to be just the masterwork that others have deemed it. Alan Moore is amazing. In the Graphic Novels section at Barnes & NobIe I looked for Frank Miller's 300 but couldn't find it. Another day perhaps.



I plan to start reading this next. Bloodsucking Fiends looks like a dark comedy spin on vampirism. I'm always on the lookout for good vampire fiction. The Philadelphia Inquirer touted Moore's writing as reminiscent of Vonnegut. If that's even halfway true I'll be over the moon. I'm tired of lethargic, cliched vampire novels that think they're cutting edge by having their characters act like they're in a lame soap opera. In vampire fiction, I'm more intrigued about how a writer describes the process in which a human become a vampire and how they deal with being a vampire. If it's done poorly, it can be a boring, plodding affair that winds up being a waste of time for the reader. Witness Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" series. I invested time in almost all of those books only to be let down when it turns into a yawn-inducing Anne Rice Xerox with people transforming into dogs and werejaguars. I hope Christopher Moore doesn't let me down.


Yes, I know. After reading the synopsis, this book sounds it copies a bit from Dead Like Me. I'll let you know how this one turns out.



I really liked the novel Hannibal, thought the movie's rewritten ending was a total and utter copout (remember, Hannibal got away? The book has he and Clarice running away together as a couple). Even though Thomas Harris took a script he wrote of the same name and crafted it into novel form, I'm looking forward to this. The film version of this novel will hit theaters February 9th.



I, like the rest of the world, have been reading Stephen King novels as long as I can remember. Unlike alot of these very same people, I could never get into The Dark Tower series, try as I might. And like alot of authors, he's had some misses. Insomnia, From A Buick 8, to name two. I didn't like Cell. It showed promise then unraveled as the end of the novel approached. The synopsis of Lisey's Story puts me on edge a bit, as King in fantasy mode has never gelled well with me. Still, he is arguably the most popular author of the latter half of the 20th and early part of the 21st century and like a loyal baseball fan, I'll always be there to devour the latest offering and then offer my two cents.

Well, I'm going to tool around the old Internet for a bit and then read more of Watchmen before I hit the hay.

This is the really cool video for "Phantom Limb", the awesome first single from The Shins' forthcoming album Wincing The Night Away which will be released by Sub Pop Records on January 23rd. On January 13th, The Shins will perform on Saturday Night Live. Jake Gyllenhaal will be hosting. Music experts and cinemaphiles might remember that two songs by The Shins, "New Slang" and "Caring Is Creepy", appeared on the soundtrack to the 2004 film Garden State.

a whole lot of indie cinema is on its way to me...

In the coming days/weeks, I'll be receiving screener DVDs of upcoming indie films from



I'd like to thank Erik Martin at Palm Pictures. The titles I'll be sent will consist mainly of films yet to be released on DVD but some catalog titles will be in the mix as well. I'm not getting paid for this and I don't have to review these films (chances are I will anyway, though) so don't think I'll be a mouthpiece for their films. Even if I was paid by them, I wouldn't mince words excoriating a film I didn't like. From afar I've admired Palm's handling of their Director Series (compilation DVDs of music videos by visionary directors like Chris Cunningham, Spike Jonze, and Mark Romanek, to name a few) and will let you know what I think of these films in a straightforward, unbiased manner. The first title will be Michael Kang's The Motel. It debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and was just nominated for Best First Feature at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards.

Well, it's happened. Our first official fireplace fire of the winter. It's getting in the low 20s here tonight. Excellent. Honestly, if it was that cold here every day of the year, you'd not hear a single word of protest from me. Summer can screw off; I'll gladly take cold weather each and every day of the year.

I went to bed at 8AM this morning and woke up at 3:30PM. What the hell is wrong with me?! I waited until the last minute taking out the trash, getting it to the curb, and then loading and unloading the dishwasher. Afterwards I wound up playing games on GSN.com I really need to start behaving like an actual human being, one that gets up and goes to bed at a decent or somewhat levelheaded time. We'll see if that comes to fruition soon enough. Goodness knows I'd like it to. Hibernating like a bear is tacky.

Expect a review of The Fountain. Suffice it to say in this year of barely there movies, this was the best so far. No kidding. I haven't had that amazing of an experience in a theater in a long time...hell, probably ever. It was as if you were inside the film as it was unfolding and the theater dissolved away. And, no I was not under the influence of any mind-altering substances as I watched The Fountain. Go see it at the theater. You owe it to yourself.

1993 says hello...

and what do you know...1996 has decided to greet you as well...

the thrilling week that's been...

Not too much going on at casa de black market wit at the moment.


I treated myself and my mother to the final showing of this, as it was the last day of it playing here in Savannah...



While not as good as Lost In Translation, I thought Sofia Coppola's latest film did an admirable job of conveying the aloof nature Marie had as a naive girl placed in over her head into a position of such immense power although she was not exactly a student of government after she was installed in the role either.



Kirsten Dunst was great in the title role, the costume design and Versailles were amazing, and no, the New Wave music from bands like Gang of Four, New Order, The Cure, Bow Wow Wow, and other songs by The Strokes, Air, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and others do not take you out of the movie but add an air to the film to give it some sense of relatability to the modern world.

At the age of 15 Marie is given away in an arranged marriage. While those around her ache for a new dauphin to carry on their royal heritage, Marie's new husband is more taken with hunting, his stable boys, and keymaking. She is hesitant at first but by the age of 20 she was accustomed to her lavish lifestyle of parties and the extravagance her station provided her as all the while the people of France were dying of starvation. The film gives a birds-eye view of the vapid nature of a head-in-the-clouds existence and what said existence can portend.

Marie Antoinette does not discuss the political aspects of the Palace of Versailles or its country's affairs and while some may decry that fact I simply went in with the knowledge that I wasn't watching a biopic, that Marie Antoinette is not a history lesson nor does it aspire to be. Instead, it's a jaundiced look through the eyes of a girl and those around her who couldn't see the forest for the trees and that reason, coupled with their arrogrant opulence, created the end of a lavish, overblown empire too in love with itself to govern properly.

And I loved the soundtrack, FWIW. I just might purchase it. Maybe.

For Your Consideration is also playing here now. I love Christopher Guest films and I hope this one's great.

I'll be a year older tomorrow. 25 to be exact. 30 is ever approaching. Wow. As I'm wont to do each and every birthday, I'll be partaking of a film. The movie I'll be seeing is Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain. It's tanking at the box office because America is full of fucking idiots who'd rather watch offal like Deck The Halls and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause then actually stimulate some activity in that poor excuse for grey matter they call a brain. As a friend of mine stated, it'll go on to an amazing life on DVD when it will be rediscovered and heralded as a cult classic like Donnie Darko was and then people will go, "Damn! How come I never heard of it?" Well, slack-jawed yokel if you'd venture outside of your insular cocoon once and a while and actually see what else is playing at the theater instead of just following the herd mentality and blindly watching crap, you'd have known.

I received another check from the video store I formerly worked at. I'd given them BOD as far as $$$ went, as silly me assumed they'd take a few weeks to get things sent out. They first sent a check for only half of the 53 hours I worked the last week I worked there. A call to payroll later, a check was cut, and voila, all is well.

Psst...want to hear music that is the antithesis of all of the staid shit you always hear on the radio? Of course you do!



To those in the know, woxy.com has been cranking out excellent music, breaking bands, and just being immense amounts of cool for eons now. Clue yourself in if you've not had the pleasure as of yet. Click the logo to travel to a land of music and honey.

Wednesday I received Sophie Scholl: The Final Days from Netflix. Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Academy Award at the most recent Academy Awards, it's based on a true story about a college girl who dared to speak out against the Nazis in 1940s Germany. It looks really good, very captivating. I added the FOX series Profit to the top of the 'ol Netflix queue. The 1996 FOX series was cancelled after four episodes aired (eight were made). Adrian Pasdar (currently on NBC's smash hit Heroes and married to Dixie Chick Natalie Maines) starred in the lead role and volumes have been written about just how stellar this show is.

As I've been a slack bastard as far as this blog goes lately (TiVo's chock full, as usual, as I type this), I feel like an ambitious undertaking. For this month, the month of December, I pledge to post a movie review a week A pretty crazy notion, huh? It'll be a task, no doubt, but I think I can manage it. Expect a review of Michaelango Antonioni's 1975 film The Passenger later this week.

For now time for dishwasher unloading and loading and then sleep.

being blue never felt so good...

Here are my thoughts on the beyond amazing, lovely, and oh so awesome mid-term election results...

http://blackmarketwit.livejournal.com/779.html

Vote Democratic Tuesday!!!

In just a day or so, we as a nation have the chance to reject the policies and procedures of a government that has ruled of its own accord, blindly shredding all precedents before it in an attempt to craft its own rules and declare itself, as Stallone put it in the detestable 1995 film Judge Dredd, "the LAUW!" And if I'm quoting a shitty Stallone movie from eleven years ago, you know my metaphor machine is running low.

Five years ago, Bush ran a campaign as a "uniter, not a divider" despite the fact that we could all tell that he was being forcefully shoved through the political wringer much like the little boy whose mother drags him to K-Mart for a family photo, pushing down his cowlick with her saliva-slick hand. After years of what any sane person could see was blatant incompetence on the part of those in power in D.C., it seems that the nation just may be waking up and finally seeing just how awful this country has become under Republican leadership. I sincerely hope that wake-up call translates into Democratic control of both the House and the Senate.

It's time to put our vote where our mouth is. While I vehemently disagree with Congressman John Barrow (D-GA, 12th District) on a whole host of issues (he's against the estate tax - which Republicans renamed "the death tax" to scare people...to paraphrase Bill Maher, "it's for really rich old fucks who die..."), he voted for the flag-burning amendment, he supports a ban on same-sex marriage, and he's voted with Republicans alot - I'm still voting for him as all of that matters not. What matters in this very crucial election is electing Democrats and helping them keep their seats (the ones who are incumbents).

Today I plastered fliers from Democracy For America around the neighborhood. Others are getting out the vote with phone calls, emails, and good old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning. Whatever the method, I hope you're doing it or have done it. It's time to make these last few hours before Tuesday count. We don't want to be wringing our hands over missed opportunities come Wednesday morning. Now is the time to make every minute count. For five years of lies on top of lies, for every deception we've endured, for all the hateful rhetoric and disgusting entrenched corruption they've eagerly swum in, it's time to pay them back for their arrogant and power-abusing ways.

It's The End Of An Era...

Well, well, well....I certainly have been absent from the world of blogging, haven't I? Well don't you fret, the no ones who read this. Since I am no longer have a job, I will be blogging at all hours...whenever the mood strikes me. Yes, you read that correctly. I am unemployed. Why, you may ask? I'd be delighted to elaborate.

We had a store meeting on Sunday, October 15th at 8AM. It started like any other of our previous store meetings. Our manager Cheryl told us that in the very near future, we'd be able to check in customer online rentals at the store, and they'd then get a free in-store rental. The criteria was explained, etc. Then there was a shift in what we were told. The topic of new store policies began.

Cheryl explained that fairly soon there was to be no more joking around, fraternizing with customers or fellow employees. No longer could we hold movies for regular customers. No loitering allowed. Also, they installed a software system on a brand-new PC in the breakroom. This software would start scheduling our shifts. Initially at the employee meeting a month ago, the corporate people said that it was totally user-friendly and that store managers could edit schedules and that it was flexible with employees and their availability. Guess what? That was a LIE. Let's say the software schedules someone Monday from 8AM-10AM and they have class or a family member gets ill or hurt? If you don't show up, you're fired. How's that for treating your employees right? Cheryl even asked one of their Human Resources guys, "What about employees that have school or church?" He smirked, she said, and replied, "Well, that's where we've gone wrong - putting our employees needs in front of the customers."

When we were franchise-run, even though I was part-time I could still get insurance. No more under corporate control.

Here's one of the big ones - let's say a loved one was rushed to the hospital. The last thing on your mind would be a late DVD rental, correct? So let's hypothesize that the loved one is released a week later and all is well. When you return the item, we're now supposed to say, "Sorry but you've got to pay us." Our modus operandi was to always make the customer happy. These guys see it another way apparently. No late fees to be removed -- EVER.

They don't want us to foster friendships with our loyal regulars. They don't want us to be family to our customers or our fellow employees. They want us to be soulless automatons. I'm not naive. The main goal of a business is to make money. However, our store has proven time and again through the years that you can marry profitability and personality and get a winning combination that equals in a pleasant and welcoming environment that keeps your customers coming back time and again, knowing that they're, to borrow Cheryl's always-on-target mantra "Welcome, Wanted, & Appreciated." In the six years she's run that store, our district manager never received a single complaint. It's qualities like that that show just how dedicated we as a staff, a team, a FAMILY have endeavored to make that a video store worth frequenting. Hell, we've even had people who live across town come in and tell us that they prefer us to the video store nearest to them and don't mind driving halfway across town simply because of our superior customer service.

For that reason, among many others, we all resigned. Friday, October 27th was the last day for Cheryl, Jeff, and I. I hadn't been off since last Wednesday and I really racked up some hours this last week - 12 hours on Tuesday, 14 on Friday - so blogging has been sparse. Larry, Steve and Ana were to work this weekend, with Steve's last day on Monday (and Friday our DM had Cheryl craft a perfunctory schedule for next week, culling employees from other stores -- an *hour* before she was to leave!; she cobbled something basic together, placed it on his desk for him to finish and then she and Jeff left) Ana and Larry's being Halloween. But then things can and do change, sometimes...

So today I went up to work to print a time card today at 2PM. A "This Store Is Closed" sign was taped to the inside of the front door, along with a hand-written-in-black-permanent-marker sign on the inside of the other door that read:

"This store will re-open on Monday, October 30th.

- Management"

Puzzled, I went home and after lunch I called around (Cheryl, Jeff, Larry). I called work and our District Manager answered. After a long pause (I initially thought I was talking to Steve), I told him I planned to return rentals and wanted a time card copy. He was frazzled to say the least. Jeff said he called as well to see what was going on and also assumed our DM was Steve Roberts. Then the other line rang and our DM told Jeff to hold on, as he needed to talk to him. Jeff immediately hung up and turned off his cell phone. Hmmm...I wonder what our DM wanted to speak with Jeff about? Hmmm? ;)

Jeff, Larry, James, and I went to see Saw III Saturday night at 7PM (we ran into our former co-worker Robin and her husband, who leave home for Ohio on Monday...Saw III was a great flick, by the way) and Larry filled in the gaps...

Steve was to open this morning as scheduled. He, however, was having issues clocking in on the software system on the PC in the back. He called Larry, who arrived shortly thereafter. Larry called Ana in to see if she wanted more hours and she came in. Steve then said that he'd had enough and was going home. Larry replied, "Well, I'm not going to work a double all this weekend with Ana." The three of them looked at each other and agreed in unison to end their employment right then and there. They left at noon, locking the door behind them. Larry said he called Cheryl and she laughed her ass off. Larry shredded our clock in/clock out info/ and apparently the drop box somehow moved away from the window.

I have some of my 401k saved up and I plan to just relax, take some me time off to cool my jets through the end of the year and then I'll get back out there looking for employment. Think of this as a new beginning for all of us. Not a time to mourn but a time to look onward and upward.

So there you have it.

As I think about more and more, I realize that while we treated that store like a home and it truly felt like one, it was not the store that made it feel that way but instead each other that created and fostered the truly dynamic fellowship that we all felt toward each other, customer and co-worker alike.

Cheryl is having a get-together at her house next Wednesday. Pizza will be served and it'll be a great chance for all of us to let our hair down and bullshit about just how clueless our former employers are.

Expect more and more blogging. I've got alot of things to watch and all the time I need to watch them.

We ordered Showtime today so that we can watch the second season of Masters of Horror. The first one was so-so (except for Takashi Miike's Imprint); hopefully Season Two will ratchet up the quality. We're also anxious to see Dexter, the drama about a blood spatter analyst in Miami who's also a serial killer - he only kills bad people, though. It's based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I found the novel to be lukewarm but I hope the series isn't. The showrunner, a former Sopranos writer, was fired mid-way through the season, as Showtime wanted more humor in the series. Let's hope they're not fucking up a series that hasn't even gotten going yet.

My Saw III review *IS* forthcoming. I also need to see Marie Antoinette.

my posting delay was not my fault this time...

More on that in a second. But first it's good movie time...




Bernardo Bertolucci has earned a reputation for being one of Hollywood's most interesting filmmakers. From the now infamous Last Tango In Paris to 1900, The Last Emperor, and Stealing Beauty, Bertolucci has moved effectively from one genre to the next. Some pigeonhole him as being too attached to "controversy" but that's really a moot point. He's able to accurately convey whatever themes he sets out to, and with a style and sophistication lacking in 90% of directors today.

The Dreamers is his latest. It relates to us something from Bertolucci's own life, being in the midst of the political uprisings of Paris in 1968. Based on Gilbert Adair's novel The Holy Innocents (and scripted by Adair), The Dreamers brings us the tale of Matthew, an idealistic American traveling abroad. He just begins to soak up the culture when he meets twins Isabelle (played with a heady verve by Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel). They are protesting the funding loss of the Cinémathèque Française by the government. Matthew is slowly drawn into their intoxicating world of cinema, politics, and sex. But is there a world beyond the one the siblings have made for themselves? The twins devise movie pop quizzes with sexual games as punishment (City Lights and Bande A Part are but a few titles discussed, as clips from the films interject) and all the while Paris seems to quake with dissent on the streets below.



Much has been made of The Dreamers MPAA rating. NC-17. It doesn't get thrown around alot these days. Fox Searchlight decided to buck the trend and release the film as is to theatres. It didn't play that long as most theatre chains won't play NC-17 films. I find the whole thing funny as the sexual content in the film, while graphic and intense, is nothing pornographic. Yes, you see explicit closeups of both male and female genitalia and there is implied sex but the hype is much ado about nothing. It adds a sensual and intoxicating feel to the film, as these young people discover sexuality and film in their own way. (The twins parents are only seen in fleeting glances, dropping off a check before heading off to an undisclosed destination.)

The Dreamers is a romantic and beautiful look at the chrysalis that envelopes two lost souls who seem to be unable to function outside the four walls of their own design. One person tries to help dismantle those walls (Matthew) but it seems that he just adds more bricks. All three actors provide compelling performances and help to construct a very believable environment. You can practically smell the wine and cigarettes oozing off the screen. This is one of the very best movies in a long time.

I'm at work last Thursday when I receive a phone call from my dear mother who informs me that she, in her inifinite wisdom, decided to clean up the 'ol Dell computer of unnecessary and unwanted files. HOWEVER... When the prompt came up to erase files, she hit 'Y' when it asked her if she wanted to delete all duplicates. And just like that...voila! Our computer was toast. We had to replace the drivers. After much obfuscation, hand-wringing, and very nice and helpful customer support from Dell, we finally got our computer back up and running today. The title of my message sums it up quite eloquently...I was going through major withdrawals! It's sad to admit one is a slave to technology but oh well. On the bright side, I did catch up with my reading. Books are good companions when you're bored as I rediscovered.

My mother is having her "frozen shoulder" orthoscopic surgery tomorrow. She has to be there at 5AM; however, she should be home by noon as it's considered day surgery. I will be the doting son tomorrow when she gets home, making sure she's comfortable and that painkillers and a fresh beverage or snack are always at the ready.

I'm currently watching/listening to Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. He's the current-day Edward R. Murrow, shining a blinding light into the dark crevices that slimy politicos try to hide in. There's no one out there like him on television and he's been spot-on in covering Bush's idiocies, the Mark Foley scandal, and any other political horror we've had to endure.

You can check out my blog to see what I've procured from Netflix. I've got Lucky Number Slevin and American Dreamz from work to watch.

SPIKE TV's 2006 SCREAM AWARDS are broadcast tonight at 10PM Eastern, with an encore at midnight. It'll then re-air throughout the weekend. Tune in to see the best in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy entertainment given awards. I've also heard that they'll be unveiling clips from Saw III, the upcoming April release co-directed by Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez, Grindhouse, and the first-ever DVD release of Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut.

A co-worker let me borrow Imprint, Japanese director Takashi Miike's episode of Masters Of Horror that Showtime would not air. It reconfirms Miike as a master of all things macabre and unsettling. After viewing it it is unquestionably the best episode of that Showtime series' debut season; hopefully Season 2 will up the ante. I just need to cancel HBO and re-order Showtime now.

no luck at Target...

I went to bed at about 1:45AM or so. I woke up at 8:00 this morning. It was rather cool to have a morning to enjoy. I plan on doing that again real soon.

We have a new coffemaker. Our coffeemaker is dead. Target did not have Sean Lennon's new CD Friendly Fire, which streets today. I plan to stop by Best Buy soon to get it. Last week at Target I got Sam Raimi's 1995 film The Quick And The Dead for $5. I've never seen it but I love Raimi's work so I figured why not. As for today, I picked up new reading material at Target...



I can't wait to devour this book. I read the first few pages already. It reinforces what we all know: those in power in this country are clueless imbeciles. While I have my disagreements with Democrats from time to time, we've got to wrest control of the House and the Senate away from the Republicans this November.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Tales From The Darkside marathon on SCI FI last night. It's great to see that series return to television (re-airing, I mean).

Movie rundown...

Edmond - it's based on the brilliant David Mamet's 1982 play of the same name. Directed by Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), it stars William H. Macy as a man who decides to give in to his baser instincts. The film co-stars Julia Stiles. Edmond is raw and brutal, the film that Falling Down wishes it was. Macy is spellbinding as usual. It's his movie and he runs with it, crafting a man at the end of his rope with equal parts outrage and insanity. One of the best movies of the year with a great, great ending.

Feast - fun little horror flick. Mindless b-movie cheese.

Thank You For Smoking - brilliant satire and one of the best movies of the year.

The Woods - Lucky McKee's second film might get pegged as being one-note or unfocused but it's still a great horror movie. Bruce Campbell is effective, as always.

TiVo. Lovely, lovely TiVo. How I forsake thee so much. Want to know how much? Well too bad. 'Cause you're gonna....


JASON'S TiVo NOW PLAYING LIST

• Heroes (2 episodes)
• How I Met Your Mother (1 episode)
• The Class (1 episode)
• Desperate Housewives (2 episodes)
• Ugly Betty (1 episode)
• Doctor Who (2 episodes)
• Six Degrees (1 episode)
• The Office (1 episode)
• Jericho (2 episodes)
• Smith (2 episodes)
• Eureka (11 episodes)
• George Sluizer 1988 film Spoorloos (The Vanishing)

Quite the ensemble, eh? I hope to get through some of these later today and tomorrow. I've also got Art School Confidential and 12 and Holding to watch, along with my Netflix films.

Veronica Mars has its Season 3 premiere tonight on The CW. If you don't watch or haven't been watching this show -- for shame! Jump in now. It's the best show on television.

Now I'm off to Target. Our coffeemaker is dying. And perhaps they'll have Sean Lennon's new CD Friendly Fire, which streets today.

Head on over to Daily Kos for the latest on Mark Foley-gate. It's sick and full investigations need to be implemented ASAP. Whoever in D.C. -- and it looks like a hell of alot of them knew for five years (Dennis Hastert -- I'm looking at you and your ilk) -- knew that a pedophile was walking the halls of Congress needs to be ousted also.

Tonight history was made with the birth of.....

At 8PM Eastern tonight, television history was made. The merger between The WB and UPN became official. Both networks had been losing money and therefore decided to unite to garner a larger audience and actually make money. In my humble opinion the best series on the network are Supernatural and Veronica Mars and I'm looking forward to Runaway, which debuts Monday at 9PM on The CW. It stars Donnie Wahlberg as a man who takes his family on the run after he's framed for murder. I think The CW will do well and it'll be interesting to see just how their ratings do now that they'll have bigger and better market saturation and thus will be able to reach more viewers.

For all things related to The CW, head over to their official website at cwtv.com

Locally here in Savannah, Georgia, we'll be getting The CW via WGSA. WGSA began life as an independent, then was an affiliate of The WB from 1996-early 1997 as WUBI (WB 34). It then switched affiliations to UPN as UPN 13 and is now known as CW 13. Their website, which they never had before - ever - is now online. As of now it's just the official website of The CW with WGSA's logo as a border. I hope that changes. If not oh well but it'd be cool. Click the logo for WGSA CW 13 to see what I mean.


More later as always. I've yet to watch CBS's new offerings, Jericho and Smith. James Woods's new series Shark debuts tomorrow on CBS. Plus I have some lovely TiVo to get through and I'd like to take a crack at finally watching Eureka as I have 10 episodes of that stockpiled.

I have Blood (UK vampire-type movie about a girl with narcotic blood - you taste it you're addicted) and Hard Candy (teenage girl turns the tables on a potential pedophile) on the way from Netflix. Google them for further info. I tried to get The Proposition, a gritty, trippy Western written and scored by musician Nick Cave and starring Guy Pearce but they skipped it and sent Blood . There must have been a short wait while I slept, as there wasn't when I compiled the list initially. I also need to get Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5 (the second half of Season 2, of course) as I've been giving my mother a crash course in the series to prepare her for Season 3's debut on October 6th. There was a short wait for Disc One so I reordered my queue as they would have sent Disc Two if One was not available. I also need to watch the 1959 French film Pickpocket and mail that back to Netflix ASAP.

As for work, we're going corporate as of Monday. I will now be able to watch films before they street - but I will wait to see how well their indie and arthouse rental selections are before I cancel my Netflix subscription. We got three rows of The Proposition and while some think that buy was still made by the franchise, I doubt it, as as a franchise-owned location, our arthouse/indie fare never warranted three rows, except for Friends With Money.

this Saturday...I'll be having a FEAST...

But first, as promised, my Little Miss Sunshine review...


In the early '90s, music videos changed from a wall of keyboards, bad lighting, monotone lip-syncing, and Reagan era-decadence into mini art films, sometimes short and compact, at other times elaborate and moody. The 1990s brought forth a surge of talented directors to the music video world. Along with MTV staples like Mark Romanek, Mark Pellington, Kevin Kerslake, David Fincher, Spike Jonze and Samuel Bayer, husband and wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris entered the fray. Little Miss Sunshine is their directorial debut and it is a sure-handed and confident slice of familial dysfunction that is also one of the year's very best films.

Young Olive Hoover dreams of being in a beauty pageant. When the opportunity arises for her dream to come true her parents Richard and Sheryl (Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette) load up their VW bus and head for California. Along for the ride is Dwayne (Paul Dano), the Hoover's mute-by-choice, Nietsche-reading teenage son, Edwin Hoover, Richard's father, and Frank (Steve Carell in a terrific performance), Sheryl's brother.

Abigail Breslin is adorable as Olive and aptly conveys both heartache and happiness without breaking stride. Paul Dano's Dwayne should also be mentioned. Dano embues his angsty teenager role with the right amount of bemused detachment and isolation that echoes perfectly the sullen teen attitude cliche we've all seen before, yet the script allows Dano to encase Dwyane with a sense there's something more going on there. It is a role that is played pitch perfect. And of course Steve Carell is masterful as Frank, a Proust scholar on the brink of giving up on life but pulled back by his own awakening. For Carell this marks a noted departure from the genre he's made his bread and butter on and he excels. Frank and all of the characters for that matter are not the paper-mache cutouts that populate most movies this days. They're fully realized people who want very badly to be a nuclear family and must go to great lengths to discover what that means to them in their own way.



Dayton and Faris are not Michael Bay (thankfully) and Little Miss Sunshine is shot in a very straightforward manner. The earlier dysfunction I spoke of is indeed a prevalent theme but it does not overpower the film to the point of tedium. Dark humor bleeds through from time to time yet there's still a bite to the proceedings and it makes for a great blend of humor mixed with the cynical disposition of the characters. Essentially Little Miss Sunshine offers up the common knowledge that we don't get to choose our family but if we take time to get to know them and cherish them, we'll all be alot richer for it. Instead of numbing your brain with the mindless tedium that usually populates the cineplex, seek Little Miss Sunshine out. It is an original, thoroughly alive film that treats its characters and its audience with respect, intelligence, and wit, something sorely lacking in most films these days.



I've been following this film ever since the making of it was chronicled on Bravo's Project Greenlight back in 2004. Well then came the Miramax/Weinstein Brothers divorce and the Weinsteins decided they liked the film and took it with them (along with their genre company Dimension Films) to their new film company, The Weinstein Company. It's been sitting on a shelf ever since, give or take the horror convention screenings here and there over the past year or two. Flash forward to now. Dimension Films will FINALLY be releasing this in two special "late-night screenings" this Friday and Saturday night at 10PM and later at selected theaters across the country.

Go here - feast-movie.com - to find the theater playing Feast in your area this weekend.

I was at first dismayed because the only theater playing it here is across town and I thought that it was only playing Friday night -- when I don't get off work until 10PM. Well thankfully I get off of work Saturday at 6PM so Feast here I come. The many horror sites I frequent tout this film as an unpretentious throwback to the gory horror flicks of the '80s that we know in love. I get paid Friday so I will be grabbing a big tub of popcorn and a Cherry Coke and immersing myself in horror movie goodness.

Now, a bowl of Fruity Cheerios (if you've not tried them I pity you...honestly...they're made from whole grain, they have 25% less sugar than regular cereal, and they're flavored with real fruit juice -- so go buy a couple of boxes!) and then I'm off to bed.