Top 5: President Movies

In honor of last week’s upgrade to an All New All Different President, I decided this week’s installment of Top 5 would concern movie presidents. However, as I wracked my brain, I realized that movie presidents are a ridiculous lot. And why shouldn’t they be, as real life presidents are usually pretty ridiculous themselves. Therefore, here is your Top 5 [Ridiculous] President Movies.

5. Air Force One – You probably think that nothing could be more badass than a United States President squeezing into a flight suit and letting a trained pilot land him on a Mission Accomplished banner so he might wave his overly ambitious codpiece at scores of uneducated and destitute cannon fodder on an aircraft carrier. You would be wrong. In 'Air Force One', President Indiana Solo regulates on a group of Russian terrorists who hijack Air Force One in an attempt to convince the president to negotiate with terrorists. The President doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. He sends Ambassador 9mm to settle problems.

4. Escape from New York

– In the distant future of 1997, New York City has become something almost as bad as the gentrified center of commodified culture it is today. The island of Manhattan has become a lawless prison. When the President’s plane is shot down over the city, his escape pod lands in Manhattan and he is promptly held by the villainous New Yorkers! ‘Escape from New York’ doesn’t go too much into the man’s policies, but judging by the rescue effort, he couldn’t have made too many friends. Rather than a group of highly trained and well-equipped Special Forces commandos, they send a cranky one-eyed hobo named Snake Plissken.

3. Bad Dudes – If your president is kidnapped by criminals, you send a bad dude to rescue him. However, what if your president is kidnapped by NINJAS? That’s right, you send Bad Dudes. Plural. In ‘Bad Dudes’ the evil Dragonninja sends a bunch of ninjas to kidnap President Ronnie. The Secret Service immediately finds Blade and Striker, two tank-topped and sweat panted brawlers. "President Ronnie has been kidnapped by the ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?" Yes, please.

Some movie nerds may point out that ‘Bad Dudes’ is technically not a movie and is in fact a 1988 Data East Arcade Game. Cry me a river fanboy. Anyone who finished the game and saw the brilliantly cinematic end sequence involving President Ronnie eating cheeseburgers with the Bad Dudes knows what time it is.

2. Bananas

– I think the only thing that might hasten the arrival of the Robot/Zombie/Alien Apocalypse faster than a United States President convinced the Rapture will come in his lifetime, would be a President Woody Allen. In ‘Bananas,’ Woody Allen—because seriously…no matter what his character’s name might be, it’s Woody Allen—travels to the fictional Latin American country San Marcos where he joins with a group of rebels in order to impress a political activist back home. Allen’s character quickly becomes the President of San Marcos and hilarity ensues. Seriously, if 99.44% have seen Woody Allen’s movies, there aren’t enough of you watching them.

1. Idiocracy – President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. I shouldn’t really have to say anything else, but since this film only played in six theaters, here’s the rundown: An Army librarian is put into suspended animation for a year to test a government hibernation program. Due to a series of events, the program is forgotten and our hero pops out of hibernation 500 years later into a world of morons. Apparently, intelligent people don’t reproduce, while morons spawn like rabbits. Natural selection has peopled the country with a people whose president is the machinegun wielding Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, who made his name in porn and professional wrestling before the Presidency.

Note: Before any of you blow up my inbox asking about ‘Duck Soup,’ I disqualified that particular movie because, if I included it, it would have taken all five slots. Gotta give the other movies a chance.

Michael Douglas is starting to look a lot like Robert Evans

And that's about the only reason to watch the trailer for the Matthew McConaughhey supernatural rom-com Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Here's a picture of Robert Evans, the producer of such brilliant classic films as The Godfather and Rosemary's Baby, standing beside the former guitar player for a band that a lot of people enjoyed during the 80's.



Now see for yourself.



Do I smell a biopic? I hope so.

In other news, if they get Matthew 'aw shucks' McConaughhey to play Captain America, I will be seriously disappointed. Mad Men star Jon Hamm is far more appropriate for the role. Not only would he take the part for a much smaller paycheck, but no other actor alive could present a genuine love for the occasionally misguided U.S. of A. more believable or sympathetic.





Search your feelings, Luke. You know it to be true.

Tomb Raider is getting a reboot? I don't care.

The internets are lighting up with the word that - gasp! - Warner Bros. plans to reboot and completely overhaul the Tomb Raider movie franchise. Even more gasp inducing is the fact that they'll make this new film without precious star Angelina Jolie - GASP! GASP! GASP! See what I mean?

But what all these mainstream news outlets fail to understand is that nobody cares. Both Tomb Raider 1 & 2 sucked. Yeah, a lot of people went to see the first one, however, by the time the first movie hit, the games were starting to fall out of favor. And with better video game series being launched ever year, most gamers have found better ways to spend a Friday night besides trying to land that impossible jump from one rock ledge to another for six hours straight.

I might be wrong, but I think frequent Movie Show guest Craig D. Lindsey has even referred to the film franchise as "Angelina Jolie's Boobs." That's honestly the reason the franchise did so well. Take Jolie - and her boobs - out of the equation, all WB will have is a movie based on a busted video game that nobody likes anymore. Seems like a bad movie investment to me.

Then again, perhaps the studio is raising all this hoopla in case this fellow unwanted video game movie generates a ton of coin:



Hollywood, will you ever learn?

[PODCAST] "DROP DEAD, OSCARS!"

“DROP DEAD, OSCARS!” These are the words that conclude this week’s episode of The Movie Show, wherein hosts Joe Scott and Mike react to the poorest shortlist for the Academy Awards in recent history. They also marvel at the attempts at career suicide by Joaquin Phoenix and Mickey Rourke, as well as the WB’s attempt to destroy the on-screen reps of Tom & Jerry.

So yeah, not a lot of positive news this week, but Joe does review Slumdog Millionaire positively before he and Mike rock out to Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.

In short, bad news, good music, and great conversation. Enjoy!

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Nevermore 2009 Line-Up

I've been going to the Nevermore Gothic & Horror Film Festival at the Carolina Theatre in Durham almost every year since it first began back in 2002.

Since then, I have seen many great horror films for the first time on the big screen. The list includes Friday the 13th Part III in 3-D (what's crazy is that unlike our Mixed Tape presentation of this film, theirs actually worked), Army of Darkness, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Donnie Darko, May (went on to become my favorite movie of 2002), Bubba Hotep, and A Tale of Two Sisters.

Now the Durham Carolina has released their line-up for this year's films, and boy do I need to gas up the ol car for a trip to the Bull City.

Here are some highlights:

The Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3-D

I love 3-D, and would look forward to seeing this film in its original intended format.

A quick FYI: Did you know that Clint Eastwood's very first movie role was as an unnamed lab technician in this movie's sequel, Revenge of the Creature?


Frankenstein (1931)

The James Whale classic starring Boris Karloff. Would make for an excellent Universal monster double feature with the film mentioned above.

Alien Raiders

Described as John Carpenter's The Thing meets Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon, this one appears to be the most polished of all the indie premiers playing at the fest.

Basement Jack


I don't know too much about this U.S. indie horror film, but here's the description the Nevermore peeps gave us:
From the makers of "Evilution" comes this throwback to 80’s classic slasher flicks with a glossy modern sheen! Raised by a looney tunes mother (veteran horror vixen Lynn Lowry) who loved to sadistically electrocute her son every chance she got, Jack now visits homes headed up by blonde-tressed matriarchs who remind him of dear old mom
A throwback to 80's slashers sounds like my cup of tea.

You can read the descriptions of the other premiers playing at this year's Nevermore, as well as purchase tickets here.

[PODCAST] Obama: Fan-boy, U.S. President

On this week’s episode of The Movie Show, Joe and Mike bask under the wise and thoughtful leadership of our nation’s first fan-boy president. They also discuss an outbreak of violence at a local movie theater, the Mr. Miyagi of Will and Jaden Smith’s Karate Kid remake, and the conclusion of Fox and WB’s nasty Watchmen lawsuit. The continuation of a long-dead horror franchise is the Story of the Day, and Joe and Mike review Notorious, The Wrestler, and My Bloody Valentine 3-D.

NOTE: This week’s podcast was recorded on a Tuesday, which makes it an audio time capsule for the part of 2009 before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disappointed the world with this year’s list of nominees. More on that during next week’s show.

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The 2008 Oscar Nominations

Sid Gannis, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, along with Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, named the nominees.

The big news of the day that like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Academy shut-out The Dark Knight for Best Picture. Even fellow dark horse "Wall-e was dissed as well. Instead, the Academy decided to give a shot to a very boring cocktail of decent films as well as the usual suspects of this year's awards whores:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (GARBAGE!)
Frost/Nixon (decent, not great)
The Reader (Harvey Weinsein's pull in Hollywood isn't dead after all)
Milk (had better win)
-and, the most likely winner-
Slumdog Millionaire (enough of this already!)

Another major snub was Happy-Go-Lucky star Sally Hawkins, who despite the fact that she won Best Actress - Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes, was passed up for the following Best Actress nominees:

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married (my pick)
Angelina Jolie, Changeling (I will stab both of my eyes out if she wins for this screaming and crying vanity show)
Melissa Leo, Frozen River (maybe this film will get a wider release now)
Meryl Streep, Doubt (she was good in this, but enough already)
-and-
Kate Winslet, The Reader (thought she was better in Revolutionary Road)

With the exception of Brad Pitt's nomination, Best Actor went off without a hitch. See for yourself:

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon (a potential Martin Landau 'geezer pick')
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (okay, they're just trying to boost the show's ratings with Brangelina)
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (could win if he doesn't implode again)
-and-
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor (great actor, boring movie)

Michael Shannon managed to snag a few cheers from the crowd for getting a Best Supporting Actor nom for his role as the severely tormented mathematician in Revolutionary Road. Note that this was the only major nod the Sam Mendes film managed to net at this year's awards.

Here's the nominees:

Josh Brolin, Milk (a low-key favorite of mine)
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder (good, but co-star Tom Cruise was better)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt (solid nomination)
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (a token nod for a movie they totally snubbed)
-and-
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road (glad he didn't get Golden Globed again)

Best Director:

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (the only good thing about this entire overrated affair)
Stephen Daldry, The Reader (I guess he made sure the lense cap was off the camera)
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon (ditto)
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (wow, a nomination for this, huh?)
-and-
Gus Van Sant, Milk (Paranoid Park was better, but I hope he wins)

Top 5: Snow Movies

If you live in the Triad or thereabouts, it's likely that you woke up this morning and looked out your window to a Winter Wonderland. Or at least the inch of snow that passes for a winter wonderland around these parts.
It's very likely the snow covered your old familiar world and that pristine blanket cast familiar things in a new way. It's also pretty likely that you chose to celebrate the weather with a frolic or a snowball. Maybe a contemplative walk, hand held by that special someone, mind introspected by wintered discontent.
Eschewing the numb fingers and rosy cheeks of healthy outdoor activities as well as any manner of introspection, yours truly spent the day contemplating a list of the Best Films OF ALL TIME Starring Snow!
Without further ado, here is my top 5 Snow Movies list:

5. Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is considered by many to be the best movie ever made. However, it is only the fifth best movie ever made when one considers the role of snow. The film opens with an old man on his deathbed holding a snowglobe. The old man, Charles Foster Kane, mutters his final word, Rosebud, and promptly dies, shattering the snowglobe. The search for the meaning behind his enigmatic final word provides the impetus for a series of flashbacks and remembrances detailing the dead millionaires life and rise to power. The final scene reveals to viewers that Rosebud was the name of the snowsled Kane played with on the last day he spent with his mother before being whisked away to his life of affluence.

4. Kill Bill: Volume I
When I think of Kill Bill, the first thing I think of is the climactic showdown between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii in a snowy garden. The moments of serene silence juxtapose against the moments of gory swordplay and the result is a calm and deadly quiet. We are left with a scene that wouldn't have worked without the snowflakes. Quentin Tarantino obviously borrowed elements of the O-Ren Ishii character from the Japanese kung-fu film Lady Snowblood which has even more scenes of snowy carnage.

3. The Empire Strikes Back
Though a fan of Return of the Jedi, I recognize the sovereignty of The Empire Strikes Back as the best of the Star Wars Trilogy and the most memorable moments of this film take place at the beginning, on the ice planet Hoth. As if eviscerating a Taun-Taun wasn't enough to secure a place in cinematic history, the film goes on to feature a pitched battle between the Empire, with their AT-AT Imperial Walkers and Star Destroyers, and the Rebels with their meager A-Wings and Transports. I am convinced that the AT-AT are of such superb design that anything associated with their debut is elevated to a higher plane. Therefore the ice planet of Hoth and the snow that blankets it gain AT-AT levels of coolness.

2.Edward Scissorhands
In the Classical sense, Etiology is a term that refers to the mythological explanations for natural phenomena. The story of Paul Bunyan dragging his axe behind him and accidently creating the grand canyon is an etiological explanation of the Grand Canyon. Edward Scissorhands is an etiology for snow. According to this phenomenal film, snow was first created when the eponymous hero began making ice sculptures. For finally explaining things to us better than any stupid scientific theories of condensation or thermodynamics, Edward Scissorhands belongs near the top of our list. However, it's not at the top.

1. Ice Storm
The best snow movie ever made is Ang Lee's 1997 drama about a dysfunctional 1970s suburban New England family. Lee used the blankets of snow to represent the level of propriety which covered the various family members' unhappinesses. He used the cold to represent the emotional distance between them. And he used the ice to represent the dangers which resulted. When the Ice Storm finally comes to town, it's the perfect naturalistic representation of a family's disintegration. The film also stars a young Tobey Maguire and features a cameo by the Fantastic Four.

Hopefully, you enjoyed the snow before it was gone. But either way, you now have these five films to (re)watch. Because after all, the snow will melt, but the movies are forever.

My thoughts exactly....

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

Joe Scott's Top 10 Movies of 2008

I know it's a little late for top 10 lists, but I was waiting for the News and Record to post this on their own site first. That never happened, so I decided to it myself. Below is my top ten list which was printed in the News & Record. Hopefully Mike will follow suit and post his top 100 movies of '08 very soon.

Enjoy!

After last summer gave us such rotten fare like Transformers, Spider-Man 3 and that third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I had given up on major studio blockbusters. The genre as a whole seemed like a giant wild horse incapable of being guided anywhere near the creation of a decent film, let alone one not made in absolute contempt of their intended audiences.

Then July rolled around and Chris Nolan released The Dark Knight, an action-packed but also very thoughtful superhero film that instantly became my favorite summer blockbuster of the last decade. After seeing it five times in a theater, I kept waiting for one of the so-called 'serious Oscar films' to stage a coup and become favorite movie of the year. That coup never happened.

So here it is, my top ten films of 2008. You already know how this list will start, and while it ends with nine other films that never came close, they are still the cream of this year's crop.

1) The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.) - As the jokers in charge send our country spiraling towards potential economic ruin, the question of how "normal" citizens will react when the cards are down is more relevant than ever. Heath Ledger rides at the front of a large ensemble cast devoid of a single weak link, and this depiction of a Batman, who can't keep the vicious dogs of his life at bay, is one for the ages.

2) Revolutionary Road (DreamWorks/Paramount Vantage) – Director Sam Mendes returns to the suburbs and finds a much darker place than the one he created in "American Beauty." Staging an on-screen reunion 11 years after "Titanic," co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play the Wheelers, an idealistic married couple who stage a last-ditch battle against the extinction of their dreams and souls. Supporting actor Michael Shannon was the biggest snub by the Golden Globe nominations this year, and between this film and her work in "The Reader," if Winslet doesn't win an Oscar soon, she'll deservedly become the Stanley Kubrick of actresses.

3) Man on Wire (Magnolia Pictures) – My favorite documentary of the year, this biography of tightrope walker Philippe Petit and his breathtaking 1974 high wire stunt between the two towers of the World Trade Center is a charming cinematic treasure. If "Revolutionary Road" is about the death of a dream, "Man on Wire" is about the life of one, and anyone who watches this film without feeling inspired to attempt something worthwhile is simply not paying attention.

4) Rachel Getting Married (Sony Pictures Classics) – Sure, Anne Hathaway's performance is great, but she's not the only thing to love in this drama about an emotionally frazzled ex-junkie who returns home for her sister's wedding. The entire cast bubbles with familial chemistry and rookie screenwriter Jenny Lumet's script is fraught with landmines of human truth.

5) Let The Right One In (Magnolia Pictures) – Vampires! Romance! Horror! … This Swedish drama is kinda like "Twilight," only good.

6) Milk (Focus Features) – With Proposition 8 in effect, there are those in Hollywood who think this film about openly gay state supervisor Harvey Milk could do our nation's political body good. I, on the other hand, feel this biopic would be no less worthy of celebration regardless of our nation's political situation. As an actor, Sean Penn's range is unparalleled by anyone working today, and his second Oscar statue is the closest thing we have this year to a lock.

7) The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight Pictures) – The plot and overall look and feel of this film cuts awfully close to Ramin Bahrani's "Man Push Cart," but Darren Aronofsky's moving portrait of a has-been professional wrestler is the most realistic on-screen depiction of the profession ever made. Star Mickey Rourke's much hyped career rebound is the real deal as a man who ekes out a living by sitting in tanning beds and lifting weights, only to let another man shove his face through a pane of glass.

8) Doubt (Miramax Films) – Meryl Streep shines yet again as the head nun at a Catholic school who suspects her affable parish priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) of attempting to seduce her male students. Based on his own Pulitzer-winning stage play, writer-director John Patrick Shanley weaves an intricate chess game of morality, gender and race that leaves us guessing long after the credits roll.

9) The Wackness (Sony Pictures Classics) – This indie coming of age tale skipped first-run theaters in Greensboro, only to play for a week at the bargain theater in High Point. A shame since former child star Josh Peck had the breakthrough of the year as a Jewish marijuana dealer who befriends his therapist (Ben Kingsley). The 22-year-old actor has all the intensity and nuance of a young Brando, and I am certain we will be seeing him in bigger and better things. Available on DVD.

10) Shotgun Stories (Liberation Entertainment) – Alumni directors from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts were responsible for no less than three other nationally-distributed films this year – Snow Angels, The Foot Fist Way, Pineapple Express – but Shotgun Stories was the best one by far. In his second movie to appear on my list this year, Michael Shannon heads a trio of brothers who face a difficult choice: Quell their long-seething hatred of their late father or be destroyed. Available on DVD.

'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' screening WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4th

Bust out your Member's Only jackets and wax your DoLorean! WUAG 103.1 along with The Carousel and The Movie Show will be hosting a special 35mm screening of the "Totally Awesome" 80's Classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. This movie stars a who's who of Hollywood superstars long before they were famous, including Oscar winners Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker, and Nicholas Cage. Non-Oscar Winners include Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Eric Stoltz, and the greatest thespian of our time, Judge Reinhold.

The movie starts at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday February 4th at The Carousel Luxury Cinemas on 1305 Battleground Ave. Then after this time, there will be two types of people living in GREENSBORO: Totally Awesome Dudes and Dudettes, and then the people who didn't go see this movie.

Admission is $2 with a college I.D., and beer, pizza, and cookies are $1 each.

DRESS FOR THE DECADE!!!!


Celebrate the 80's by wearing your coolest duds from the decade that brought us "Return of the Jedi," Ronald Regan, and no less than six Police Academy movies. The people who wear the best outfits or costumes will win prizes, and will forever be dubbed the Prom Kings and Queens of the 1980's!




BONUS AFTER-MOVIE DANCE PARTY!!!


Then after the movie, join us at The Flat Iron on 221 Summit Avenue for a 1980's-theme dance party, featuring music from the oft-fabled record collection of D.J. Jack Bonney. There is no cover charge, and the party will last from 10 p.m. until ????

P.S. Yes, we sold out The Labyrinth this month, but don't despair. We've got more available seats for this event than ever before. That's right, we've moved to the largest auditorium in the theater, adding an additional 200 potential seats!

A Greensboro man gets shot at screening for 'Notorious' (and how Friday Night Lights saved my life)

From News & Record

GREENSBORO - A 32-year-old man was shot twice in the abdomen during an argument and an estimated 700 people were evacuated when gunfire broke out at a Greensboro movie theater Friday night.

The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the lobby of the Grand 18 at Four Seasons Station just after 9 p.m. as moviegoers waited to get into opening night showings of "Notorious" - the life and death story of the rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Greensboro police Lt. James Hinson said the victim, identified early Saturday morning as Clive O’Connor, was rushed to Moses Cone Hospital, where he underwent surgery. His medical condition was not immediately available.

No suspects were in custody late Friday night.

"We can't say whether or not this shooting is in direct relationship to the movie 'Notorious' B.I.G. We just can't say," Hinson said. The theater had three showings of the film scheduled for 9:30 p.m.

Rapper and actor Jamal "Gravy" Woolard, who plays B.I.G. in the film, was in the theater at the time of the shooting, police and witnesses said.

You can read the rest of the article here

Watching season one of Friday Night Lights on DVD might have inadvertently prevented me from getting shot last night, or - at the very least - from watching another man get shot.

I was planning to go see My Bloody Valentine in 3-D at the Four Seasons. The movie was also playing at the Regal 16, but Four Seasons has cheaper admission, better seats, better snacks (i.e. cashews sold by the pound and kettle corn), and for the most part it is the best place to see a movie here in the 'Boro. Until now I guess.

I was sitting at home an hour and a half before the movie was going to start, and I watched one episode. It was great, so the all-id side of my brain that seeks immediate gratification told me, 'Go ahead, watch another episode.'

I told my id, 'But if I watch another episode, I'll only have time to see MBV:3-D at the Regal 16, and would rather see it at the Four Seasons instead!'

Then my id responds, 'So what! It's just a dollar extra admission, crappy seats, and you can just get some cashews and kettle corn later.'

Me having limited will power, I caved in and watched another episode, saw MBV:3-D at the Regal 16, and in doing so, ducked a night of carnage and insanity at one of my local churches of cinema.

Fortunately the man who got shot twice is still alive, but everyone at the theater was evacuated. All showings were stopped and canceled for the rest of the evening. The Four Seasons has also halted all three screenings of Notorious indefinitely, which means if I go see that movie this weekend, something I actually plan to do, I will have to go to the crappy Regal 16 again, regardless of whether I choose to watch an extra episode of Friday Night Lights or not.

Oh, and by the way, My Bloody Valentine in 3-D sucked.

'Watchmen' case has been settled.

From THR.com:

Geeks can rejoice.

Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over "Watchmen," with the studios scheduled to present a settlement to Judge Gary Feess this morning and request that the case be dismissed.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the deal is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film's boxoffice grosses; Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it co-own the "Watchmen" property, but it will share in revenue derived from it. The studios released a joint statement last night.

You can read the rest of the article here, but the part that really gets my goat is the little zinger from the very end:

But with the dispute settled, the statement took a positive tone: "Warner Bros. and Fox, like all 'Watchmen' fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theaters."

Look at Fox, the greedy little monkey with thumbs, pretending that because it wears clothes and has an insatiable taste for money at cost of ethics, creative freedom, and even it's own longevity as it continues to piss away all future potential franchise earnings, it's somehow just like all of us "fans." No Fox, this is not true. You are definitely not one of us, and because of the way they are treating the rest of their DC Superhero properties, I'm honestly not too sure that Warner Bros. is one of us either. They're just the one I am betting on in this race right now because The Dark Knight was a very good movie, and yes, unlike you, they had the courage to let someone make a film based on Watchmen.

The fact that you will continue earning revenue off the film of a property you had zero faith would work, especially after the "substantial" payment Warner Bros. will be giving you up front, is extremely lame. Add that with the shoddy way Fox studio head Tom Rothman treated director Gavin Hood on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the company has pretty much made its way to the very top of my crap list. Why even today, they are saying that the current cut of Wolverine is so terrible, that Fox is letting Gavin Hood go back for "extensive" re-shoots.

If that doesn't spell out that the studio is in need of a serious regime change, nothing will. And until Rothman's head is on a proverbial pikestaff along Fox's studio gates, so long as a genre movie runs a 20th Century Fox logo at the beginning of it, I won't be seeing it. What if that means no James Cameron's Avatar in '09? That's cool with me. What about X-Men Origins: Wolverine? Hey, even better.

I mean look at this trailer:

Heath Ledger won a Golden Globe!

And Chris Nolan, the unparalleled king of class-act directors, accepts the award on Ledger's behalf:



We can be mad that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn't give The Dark Knight a single nomination in any other category. We can accuse the organization of being a group of phonies, many of whom don't work for actual newspapers. But at the end of the day, I was glad to see Ledger get credit for his triumphant turn in his final completed film - even if said film was a comic book movie.